Eye on Extremism
November 14, 2019
The
New York Times: ISIS Suspect Trapped At Turkish-Greek Border Is To Be
Deported To U.S.
“Turkey announced on Thursday that it would repatriate an American
suspected of being a member of the Islamic State, after a commitment
from the United States that his entry would not be blocked. The
American, Muhammad Darwish Bassam, 39, had been stranded on a strip of
land at the Turkish-Greek border for the past four days after Turkey
had tried to deport him to Greece, but Greek officials refused him
entry. The announcement by the Interior Ministry came a day after
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey met with President Trump in
Washington. Turkey has used Mr. Bassam’s case to highlight its demand
that Western countries take back their citizens who joined the Islamic
State and have been detained by Turkish forces.”
The
Wall Street Journal: Gaza, Israel Reach Tentative Cease-Fire After Two
Days Of Fighting
“Gaza’s second-largest militant group declared a cease-fire with
Israel, after two days of rocket-fire from the Palestinian territory
and strikes from Israel raised concerns of an imminent wider conflict.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad spokesman Musab al-Berim said the
Egypt-brokered deal went into effect at 5:30 a.m. local time Thursday.
Israel didn’t confirm an official truce, officials said the country
would only respond to attacks. However, just hours after the
cease-fire was announced, the Israeli military said five rockets were
fired into Israeli towns near Gaza, two of which were intercepted. It
wasn’t immediately clear if Islamic Jihad or rogue actors in Gaza
fired the rockets. Islamic Jihad said it is committed to the
cease-fire deal. Israel has yet to respond to the attack. A tense calm
took hold after an intense bout of fighting that began early Tuesday,
triggered by the killing of Islamic Jihad’s senior leader, Baha Abu
Al-Ata, in a targeted Israeli airstrike. Israel struck scores of
targets in the Gaza Strip, while militants in the Palestinian
territory fired more than 450 rockets into Israel over two
days.”
The
New York Times: U.S. Struggles To Keep Allies In Fight Against ISIS In
Syria
“As Trump administration officials try to convince allies that the
United States remains committed to the fight against the Islamic State
in Syria they are facing a significant roadblock: President Trump’s
own policy reversals. At a high-level State Department meeting
scheduled for Thursday, diplomats from 35 nations and international
organizations will be asked to stick with the campaign to eradicate
the extremist group even after its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was
killed in an American raid last month. But confusion over the Trump
administration’s policy in northeast Syria has discouraged allies,
according to several diplomats, who said it has fomented doubt that
whatever agreements are struck could be reversed by the president. Mr.
Trump said on Wednesday that hundreds of American troops remain in
northeast Syria, but only to secure oil-rich territory there. “We’re
keeping the oil,” Mr. Trump said at the White House ahead of a meeting
with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. “We have the oil. The
oil is secure. We left troops behind only for the oil.” A day earlier,
a senior State Department official said the primary role of the
relatively small deployment of American military personnel in
northeast Syria was to counter the Islamic State.”
Reuters:
Afghan Prisoner Swap For American, Australian Did Not Occur:
Diplomat
“The planned exchange of two senior Taliban commanders and a leader
of the Haqqani militant group for an American and an Australian
kidnapped in Afghanistan in 2016 has not taken place, a diplomat and a
former Afghan official said on Wednesday. The diplomat, who spoke to
reporters on condition of anonymity, declined to provide any details
about why the planned exchange, which Afghan President Ashraf Ghani
announced on Tuesday, did not occur. The U.S. State Department did not
immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did the Afghan
embassy in Washington. “We hope the Taliban immediately releases the
hostages,” a spokesman for the Australian Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade said. He said Australia appreciated Ghani’s concern
for the hostages - Australian citizen Timothy Weeks and U.S. citizen
Kevin King, professors kidnapped by the Taliban in August 2016 from
the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul. The Afghan
government’s decision to free Anas Haqqani and two other Taliban
commanders, Haji Mali Khan and Hafiz Rashid, was taken in the hope of
securing direct talks with the Taliban, which has refused to engage
with what it calls an illegitimate “puppet” regime in Kabul. All three
were captured in 2014.”
The
Washington Post: FBI Says ‘Lone Offender Terrorism’ In U.S. Follows
Histories Of Violence, Concerning Behaviors
“A new FBI study of “lone offender terrorism” in the United States
painted a grimly familiar picture of the people who carry out these
attacks. The report, released Wednesday, described men with histories
of physical violence and people who nursed grievances and wanted to
publicize their viewpoints. Rather than erupting without warning, the
attackers had worried the people around them, the study found. And in
many cases, someone in the attacker’s life knew they endorsed violence
to further their ideology. “While the attackers in this report were
ideologically-motivated offenders, they were rarely completely
isolated and alone, and they traveled down the same observable and
discernible pathways to violence as other attackers,” FBI Director
Christopher A. Wray wrote in a message accompanying the report. The
FBI study, which was released Wednesday, examined dozens of attacks
over more than four decades. It is the latest in a growing body of
research examining the mass attacks, typically carried out by lone
individuals. These violent rampages — at churches, synagogues,
schools, movie theaters and other public spaces — have become
agonizingly familiar for Americans. Law enforcement officials have
worked to reassure the public in the wake of such violence. For the
new study, the FBI looked at 52 cases from between 1972 and 2015,
covering attempted or successful acts “of lethal violence in
furtherance of an identified social, political, or ideological
goal.”
Vice:
The Christchurch Terror Attack Video Is Still Spreading On
Facebook
“Facebook is still trying to track down versions of the
Christchurch shooter’s live stream, months after the tech giant began
frantically removing the gory content. In the first 24 hours after the
video of the March mosque attack went viral, Facebook removed 1.5
million related posts. But a significant number at least initially
evaded the Silicon Valley giant’s defenses, and users have continued
to try to share the content. Some versions even remain live. The
company announced Wednesday that it took down at least 3 million more
posts by the end of September. “When people are sharing billions of
things a day, even a tiny fraction is too much,” Facebook CEO Mark
Zuckerberg said in a conference call on content moderation. Facebook
previously reported that at least 300,000 of those posts initially
made it onto the platform, where they could be copied and tweaked to
avoid censors. By Sept. 30, Facebook had removed a total of 4.5
million pieces of content related to the massacre. The initial lapse
appears to have helped fuel yet more attempted uploads — and
potentially hundreds of thousands more successful shares — over time.
The company is still trying to track them down.”
United States
The
Wall Street Journal: Facebook Reports Gains In Removing Objectionable
Content
“Facebook Inc. reported gains in detecting hate speech, child-abuse
imagery and terrorist propaganda on its platforms, arguing that its
willingness to publish statistics on the removal of objectionable
content shows its commitment to transparency. “The systems we’ve built
for addressing these issues are more advanced than what any other
company has,” Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said Wednesday, adding
that other internet companies have avoided making similar disclosures
because “they don’t want to admit they have a problem too.” The
Facebook co-founder was unusually blunt in his criticism of other
internet and social-media platforms on a call with reporters, but he
didn’t specifically name any competitors nor say where their detection
efforts and disclosure fall short. Facebook, Alphabet Inc.’s Google
and Twitter Inc. are among large social-media companies that release
reports aimed at giving the public a window into their
businesses.”
The
Wall Street Journal: Trump-Erdogan Meeting Yields Little
Progress
“A long-awaited meeting between President Trump and Turkey’s leader
ended Wednesday without a resolution of key issues on which the two
sides have been divided, including Ankara’s purchase of a Russian
air-defense system and the U.S. partnership with the Kurdish-led
Syrian Democratic Forces. The chemistry between Mr. Trump and Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dominated the visit. Mr. Trump
volunteered that he was a “big fan” of Mr. Erdogan. The Turkish leader
called for a new chapter in relations between the two countries. But
there was no indication of headway on Turkey’s purchase of the
sophisticated S-400 air-defense missile system from Russia, which has
been a major concern for the Pentagon, or on other issues that have
led to a deteriorating view of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
ally among most U.S. lawmakers.”
Syria
Fox
News: Baghdadi's Compound In Syria Had Internet Until Day Of Deadly US
Raid, Report Says
“The compound in northern Syria where the former leader of the
Islamic State terror group was holed up until U.S. special operations
forces stormed it last month was reportedly connected to the Internet
until the day of the fateful raid. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi took his own
life last month after he fled down a dead-end tunnel with three
children, where he was found "whimpering" and trapped. Documents
obtained by Al-Aan TV's Jenan Moussa on Tuesday showed that Baghdadi's
compound, near the Turkish border in northwest Syria’s Idlib Province,
had Internet connection since February of this year and it remained
active until 12 hours before the U.S. raid on Oct. 26. Moussa tweeted
that the documents she obtained showed the Internet subscription
started at the compound on Feb. 1 and that the owner of the site paid
a monthly fee in cash to the regional Internet provider.”
NPR:
In Syria, U.S. Military Says Fight Will Continue Against
Isis
“At a military base in Hasakah province in northeastern Syria, a
Bradley armored fighting vehicle churns up sand as it speeds past a TV
camera, an American flag flying behind its turret. The Bradley,
airlifted in from Kuwait, was demonstrated for a small group of
journalists, the first group of reporters taken by the U.S. military
to Syria since President Trump announced late last month that he would
leave troops there to protect oil installations. The mechanized
National Guard brigade combat team that is tasked with protecting
infrastructure has been in Syria for a little over a week now, a key
part of the U.S. military's repositioning of forces. While Pentagon
officials will not put an exact figure on the number of troops
expected to remain in Syria, they have said it is likely to be a few
hundred fewer than the roughly 1,000 troops deployed there before
October. The policy changes have shaken up an already volatile region
and severely tested the relationship between the U.S. and the
Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, one of Washington's closest
allies in the fight against ISIS. The National Guard troops who have
landed in Hasakah from Kuwait so far have seen none of that in
encounters with the region's residents, though.”
Newsweek:
West Can Expect Major ISIS Attacks Thanks To Syria Failure, Kurdish
General Warns
“Syrian Democratic Forces General Mazloum Kobani has warned that
Turkey's recent invasion of northeastern Syria makes major attacks by
the Islamic State militant group more likely, suggesting the West
should brace for the possibility. Speaking with Sky News at an
undisclosed location in northern Syria, Kobani said the Turkish
offensive into SDF-held territory—also known as Rojava—had taken the
pressure off ISIS fighters who survived the Western-backed campaign to
destroy their so-called caliphate in Syria. “The danger of the
resurgence of ISIS is very big. And it's a serious danger,” he warned.
“I think there are many people who don't know this but it's true. The
Turkish aggression opened the space and provided hope for ISIS
members.” The SDF had been holding more than 10,000 prisoners when
Turkey's “Operation Peace Spring” began on October 9. SDF forces were
already stretched to breaking point, and the incursion meant troops
had to be deployed to the front lines rather than guard ISIS prisoners
and civilians who had been living in areas under the group's control.
The U.S. government took custody of a handful of prisoners before they
could escape, but officials have also admitted they do not know
exactly how many detainees have been freed, nor where they are.”
Iran
POLITICO:
While You Weren’t Paying Attention, Iran Was Ratcheting Up Tensions In
The Persian Gulf
“With public impeachment hearings underway, Washington has reached
a much higher than normal level of self-absorption. But as the
combatants take their places on the political battlefield, the
possibility of an honest-to-God military confrontation might be taking
shape 7,000 miles away in the Persian Gulf. In the age of Trumpian
hyperdistraction, Iran probably penetrated most Americans’
consciousness eons ago, before attention was diverted by Ukraine and
quid pro quos or Syria and the abandonment of the Kurds. Last week,
however, Iran took its boldest step yet to rattle the international
community over the fate of the Iran nuclear deal: Tehran announced
that it had begun operating 60 advanced centrifuges, which are
essential to separating out the uranium isotope used in atomic bombs,
and that it was planning to install more. In doing so, Iran doubled
the number of the more efficient centrifuges it started running in
April, though the total number still remains small compared with the
many thousands needed to acquire the fissile material necessary to
make a nuclear weapon.”
Forbes:
Secret Iranian Network Behind ‘Aggressive’ U.S. Cyberattacks Exposed
In New Report
“The Iranian hacking group behind a Microsoft Outlook attack
earlier this year that prompted a U.S. Cyber Command warning is back
in the news. The U.S. government has warned of an increasing threat
from Iran as tensions escalate in the Gulf. Iran doesn’t have the same
level of cyber weaponry used by threat groups in Russia and China, but
it has proven very adept at attacks on civilian and critical
infrastructure—targets that are less hardened than government or
military agencies. Now a report from Trend Micro has exposed the use
of a dedicated virtual private network by one “aggressive” Iranian
hacking group to hit targets while keeping its activities secret. The
group in question is APT33, also referred to as Elfin. Best known for
the Shamoon attack on Saudi Aramco, APT33 is responsible for other
targeted attacks on the oil and gas industry in the U.S. and Middle
East, as well as hacks on various parts of the security industry.”
The
Jerusalem Post: IDF, Iranian-Led PIJ Battle Was Limited, Will Not Be
The Last – Analysis
“Forty-eight hours of fighting between Israel and Palestinian
Islamic Jihad was monitored by Iran and its proxies in the region,
including Hezbollah. IRGC commander Hossein Salami spoke at a ceremony
on Thursday, warning that the Islamic world would soon see the “fall
of the Zionist regime.” He said that Iran’s military industry has
greatly improved and that advanced weapons were being deployed. They
were so advanced that the Iranian media would not even be allowed to
see them. What he is hinting at is precision-guided missiles, cruise
missiles and drones – the same kind of threat that Iran used against
Saudi Arabia’s Abqaiq facility in September. “We assure the Iranian
nation that the armed forces and the IRGC are so great that they can
cope with the enemy, and our people will live comfortably with the
knowledge that we can crush our enemies,” Salami said, according to
Tasnim and Fars News in Iran. “We will never stop or retreat due to
sanctions.”
Iraq
Voice
Of America: Life Under Islamic State: Abducted, Trained And Forced To
Fight
“As Islamic State militants lost their territorial holdings in Iraq
and Syria, VOA chronicled the events through the words of the victims,
in a 12-part series called “Life Under Islamic State.” Now we bring
you voices of victims who were silenced until recently. Officials
estimate nearly 3,000 Yazidi people remain missing after being
captured and enslaved by IS. When Daoud was 15, he was kidnapped,
trained and forced to fight for the militant group. He was imprisoned
after the final battles. These are his words, told to us in the tent
where he lives with his brother in an informal refugee camp. They are
are translated into English and edited for clarity. It was August 3,
2014 and we were preparing to flee when the militants captured us. My
sister, mother, father and five of my brothers are still missing. The
IS fighters told my father and older brothers that they must convert
to Islam. Then, they took my family away and sent me to a school in
Tal Afar, Iraq. It was called the Sharia Institute, and it mostly
taught religion. But there were other classes. One class was called
“The Aim of Jihad.” It was lessons in terrorism. They taught us who to
kill, how to kill and how to identify infidels that should be
killed.”
Xinhua:
4 IS Militants Killed In Military Operations In
Iraq
“A total of four Islamic State (IS) militants were killed on
Wednesday in military operations in the Iraqi provinces of Kirkuk and
Salahudin, a security source and a military statement said. A joint
force from the Iraqi federal police and paramilitary Hashd Shaabi
force killed three IS militants in a raid on their hideout near the
town of Hawijah in the western part of the northern province of
Kirkuk, Hashim al-Obeidi from Hawijah police told Xinhua. In the
central province of Salahudin, an IS militant was killed in the city
of Shirqat, some 280 km north of the capital Baghdad, during a
security operation, an Iraqi Defense Ministry statement said. Also in
Salahudin Province, a security unit carried out a search operation in
Himreen mountain range and the nearby Allas oilfield, and managed to
destroy five tunnels and three hideouts for IS militants in addition
to controlled detonations of some 20 roadside bombs, according to the
statement. The security situation in Iraq was dramatically improved
after Iraqi security forces fully defeated the extremist IS militants
across the country late in 2017.”
Turkey
BBC
News: Islamic State: What Happens To Those Expelled By
Turkey?
“Turkey has begun deporting foreign nationals alleged to be linked
to the Islamic State group, even though some European countries are
reluctant to take back their citizens. Germany, Denmark and the UK
have stripped people of citizenship for allegedly joining jihadist
groups abroad so as to prevent their return. But Turkey says it's in
the process of sending back more than 20 Europeans, including Germans,
Danes, French and Irish nationals. So what happens to these people
once they are expelled from Turkey? What is Turkey's position? Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says many hundreds of foreign fighters
are currently being held in prisons in Turkey. Earlier this month, the
government in Ankara indicated that it would send back these militants
even if their citizenship had been revoked in their countries of
origin. “The world has come up with a new method now: revoking their
citizenships,” Turkey's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said. “They
are saying they should be tried where they have been caught. This is a
new form of international law, I guess. It is not possible to accept
this.” Foreign nationals abroad are entitled to consular assistance
and this would normally require direct contact with the individuals
involved.”
Afghanistan
Al
Jazeera: Afghanistan: Kabul Car Bomb Kills 12, Including
Kids
“A car bombing in Kabul during morning rush hour on Wednesday
targeted a private security company's convoy with officials saying 12
people were killed, including children. The attack also wounded 20
people, including four of the company's foreign staff, but their
nationalities were not released. Reports in the immediate aftermath of
the attack said seven died but a new death toll was later released.
The explosion occurred in the Qasaba area in the Afghan capital. The
GardaWorld security company - based in Montreal, Canada - was the
apparent target, according to Nasrat Rahimi, an interior ministry
spokesman. A vehicle belonging to the security company and two
private cars were damaged in the attack, Rahimi added. Ambulance
sirens were heard shortly after the car bomb went off and a large
plume of smoke rose from the area - scenes all too familiar for Kabul
and other cities and towns across Afghanistan. Among those killed were
12-year-old Dunya and her 7-year old brother who were on their way to
school. The two children were walking with their father when the
car-bomb detonated. The father, who was severely wounded and lost a
leg and a hand, was in hospital, according to reports on social
media.”
The
Guardian: What Happens To Afghanistan’s Left-Behind Women As The
Taliban Rises?
“On a bitterly cold day, Tahira* sits in her rented room in Kabul.
She has a husband and three young children, but the last time the
family were all together was in 2018 – the day they tried to escape
Afghanistan. Insecurity in their town in Maidan Wardak province led
Tahira, 27, to try to flee to Turkey, via Iran, with her family. But
when the time came, only her husband, son and seven-year-old daughter
made it. Tahira and her six-year-old daughter weren’t so lucky. They
were caught and arrested by Iranian police on the Iran–Turkey border,
and sent back to Afghanistan. “My daughter’s clothes got stuck on the
fence. We then weren’t fast enough to make it past in time,” Tahira
says. “It was heartbreaking to see my family split up. It was
especially hard to part with my three-year-old son, who needed his mum
the most.” Countless Afghan men have now fled the country, seeking
work and safety. But the lives of the women left behind deteriorate
without male protection, particularly as the Taliban continue to
tighten their grip on Afghanistan. A recent poll found 41% of Afghans
want to leave the country – a record high. This rises to nearly 50%
among women, reflecting Afghanistan’s status as one of the toughest
countries in the world to be female.”
Yemen
Al
Jazeera: Saudi, Yemen's Houthis Hold 'Indirect Talks' In Oman To End
War
“Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthi rebels are holding indirect,
behind-the-scenes talks to end the devastating five-year war in Yemen,
officials from the two warring sides have said. The negotiations are
taking place with Oman, a Gulf Arab country that borders both Yemen
and Saudi Arabia, as the mediator. The two sides have communicated via
video conference over the past two months, Gamal Amer, a negotiator
for the Houthis, told the Associated Press news
agency.”
Lebanon
Reuters:
Lebanon Slides Deeper Into Turmoil, No Sign Of New
Government
“A new wave of protests paralyzed Lebanon on Wednesday after
President Michel Aoun enraged demonstrators by urging them to end
their revolt against corruption and cronyism in the political
establishment. One month after the eruption of nationwide protests,
Lebanon is in deep political and economic crisis with no sign of its
leaders agreeing on a new government to replace the outgoing cabinet
of Saad al-Hariri, who quit as premier on Oct. 29. Banks, which were
shut for half of October, closed again this week over staff security
concerns. Most transfers out of the country have been blocked and,
with U.S. dollars scarce, the pegged Lebanese pound is weakening on a
black market. Though the protests have been overwhelmingly peaceful,
tensions have surfaced since Tuesday evening when Aoun gave a
televised interview in which he said Lebanon faced “catastrophe” if
the revolt did not stop. After he spoke, protesters took to the
streets across Lebanon and one was shot and killed after an
altercation with Lebanese soldiers at a roadblock south of
Beirut.”
The
National: Hezbollah Could Be Hastening The Demise Of The System It Is
Trying So Hard To Preserve
“On Tuesday, Lebanese president Michel Aoun sat down with two
journalists to speak about the worst crisis his country has seen since
the end of the civil war in 1990. For nearly a month, nationwide
protests have taken place because of deteriorating economic conditions
and the pervasive corruption of the ruling class. The protesters have
been demanding a government free of politicking, clientelism and
sectarianism. It has been more than two weeks since prime minister
Saad Hariri resigned. Despite a worsening financial crisis, the
political forces seem no closer to forming a government. Mr Hariri
would like to form a government made up of technocrats. Not only is
that what the protesters are demanding but the prime minister believes
this is a prerequisite for outside assistance to Lebanon. A government
filled with career politicians – or even one mixing politicians and
technocrats – is not one that would generate confidence at home or
internationally. Yet Mr Aoun, who is apparently tone deaf, repeated in
his interview that he backed a mixed cabinet and that he could not
prevent the return of his son-in-law Gebran Bassil as a minister. Mr
Bassil, whom protesters consider highly corrupt, is among the most
reviled of Lebanese politicians.”
Middle East
Fox
News: Cease-Fire Reached With Israel To End Gaza Fighting, Islamic
Jihad Says
“The Islamic Jihad militant group early Thursday announced it had
reached a cease-fire with Israel. The deal, brokered by Egyptian
mediaries, took effect at 5:30 a.m. local time, Islamic Jihad
spokesman Musab al-Berim said. The reported truce followed two days of
violence that left at least 32 Palestinians dead, according to the
Associated Press. Berim said the cease-fire came after his group
submitted a list of demands late Wednesday, including a halt to
Israeli targeted killings of the group’s leaders and an easing of
Israel’s 12-year blockade of Gaza. Earlier Wednesday, the Israel
Defense Forces (IDF) said it was “raining rockets” across the country,
with Islamic Jihad firing one projectile every seven minutes since a
senior commander of the terror group was killed by the Israeli
military in a targeted airstrike Tuesday morning.”
The
New York Times: As Islamic Jihad And Israel Battled, Hamas, In A
Twist, Sat On The Sidelines
“Hamas, the militant group that runs the Gaza Strip, has been
trying for over a year to keep a lid on its conflict with Israel, to
improve the abysmal quality of life for the two million Palestinians
under its control, and to keep millions of dollars in cash coming in
each month from its generous allies in Qatar. But a nettlesome, unruly
and heavily armed little group called Palestinian Islamic Jihad has
repeatedly sabotaged those plans by firing rockets at Israel, which
more often than not has responded by raining down destruction on
Hamas’s own installations and men. On Tuesday, impatient with Hamas’s
failure to curtail the group, Israel assassinated a top Islamic Jihad
commander, a maverick said to be responsible for nearly every instance
in the past year in which an incipient cease-fire on the Gaza-Israeli
border was wrecked by violence from the Palestinian side.”
Libya
France
24: Exclusive: Inside Libya's Notorious Gernada Prison, Home To
Radical Islamists
“In the fourth of FRANCE 24’s special reports from Libya, Eric de
Laverne and Wissam Charaf take us on a tour inside the notorious
Gernada prison. Located 250 kilometres north east of Benghazi, this
high security prison is home to several hundred radical Islamist
fighters. They were mainly caught between 2014 and 2019 in a focussed
campaign on the east of Libya. Many are accused of belonging to the
Islamic State group and have already spent years waiting for their
trial. For the first time, forces loyal to General Khalifar Haftar,
who run the facility, have opened the prison's door to foreign media.
“We lock them up to stop the gangrene from reaching the rest of our
country,” says prison governor General Jalal Abdel Akim. “We have to
stop their brutal attacks against our society.”
Nigeria
Sahara
Reporters: 5,475 Boko Haram Members In Custody, Says
Buratai
“Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen Tukur Buratai, has said while 5,475
suspected Boko Haram members have been arrested, over tens of
thousands have been killed. Burutai said this while speaking at the
16th annual conference and awards of the Security Watch Africa
Initiatives held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Buratai, who was
represented by the Chief of Policy and Plans, Lt.-Gen. Lamidi Adeosun,
also revealed that 32 bomb-making factories had been destroyed by
troops. He said, “Tens of thousands of the terrorists were killed,
5,475 were arrested and 32 bomb-making facilities/ factories have been
destroyed. “In addition, the number of Boko Haram fighters have been
reduced significantly to less than 5,000 from the initial estimate of
over 35,000 persons.”In admittance that the Nigerian military had also
lost troops to the insurgent group, Buratia added, “It is equally
acknowledged that the army had lost officers and soldiers in the
course of containing this internal security threat to the state.
“Clearly, through the efforts of the Nigerian Army, we are winning the
war against Boko Haram.”
The
Africa Report: Nigeria: How Boko Haram Has Evolved Over The Past Ten
Years
“Last month marked ten years since Mohammed Yusuf, founder of Boko
Haram, died in police detention. His death led to the radicalisation
of the sect and a declaration of Jihad against the Nigerian state. In
an earlier paper on the sect I argued that before 2009, its operations
were more or less peaceful, but that it was radicalised in 2009 after
a confrontation with Nigerian security agencies. The police cracked
down on the group setting off an armed uprising in Bauchi State,
Northern Nigeria. Opinions differ on the reasons for the government
clampdown. But some believe that the government intervened based on
intelligence that the group was arming itself. The crackdown led to an
uprising that soon spread to other parts of northeastern Nigeria and
800 members of the group were killed by the Nigerian security
services. Yusuf was arrested during this period but died in police
detention. The police claimed that he died while trying to escape.
Yusuf’s successor, Abubakar Shekau, vowed to exact revenge on the
Nigerian government. A violent campaign against the state was
launched. A year later in 2010, Shekau sought to make it a Jihad
against Christians.”
Somalia
The
New York Times: UN: Al-Shabab Remains 'Potent Threat' In Somalia And
Region
“Al-Shabab extremists in Somalia remain “a potent threat” to
regional peace and are now manufacturing home-made explosives,
expanding their revenue sources and infiltrating government
institutions, U.N. experts say. The panel of experts’ report to the
Security Council, circulated Tuesday, said a significant escalation of
U.S. airstrikes targeting al-Shabab militants and leaders has kept the
al-Qaida-linked group “off-balance” but has had “little effect on its
ability to launch regular asymmetric attacks throughout Somalia.” The
report said al-Shabab’s assault on Jan. 15 on a commercial business
complex in Nairobi, Kenya, containing the DusitD2 Hotel “illustrates
the danger the group continues to pose to regional peace and
security.” That attack killed 21 people as well as four gunmen. The
experts also cited “an unprecedented number” of attacks across the
Kenya-Somalia border by al-Shabab in June and July, “possibly in an
effort to exploit strained relations between the two countries.” The
panel, which monitors sanctions against Somalia, also reported on the
arrest last Dec. 17 of a Somali national linked to the Islamic State
extremist group in Bari, Italy, in connection with a planned attack on
the Vatican and other targets to coincide with Christmas
celebrations.”
Xinhua:
Al-Shabab Militants Kill 2 Gov't Officials In Southern
Somalia
“Al-Shabab militants on Wednesday killed two government officials
during an ambush in the outskirts of Bal'ad town in the southern
Middle Shabelle region, an officer confirmed. According to an officer
who declined to be named, the militants launched an attack in Adayga
village and there was an exchange of fire between the army and the
militants. “Abdullahi Hassan Haji, the district chief and his deputy
Elmi Qoje Hassan died in the gunfight and the militants withdrew from
the town,” the officer said, adding that government soldiers are now
pursuing the attackers.”Some hooded men attacked the village targeting
the district chief's house, we could hear the sound of fire. People
said the chief and his deputy were killed in the attack,” Garad
Dhaqane, a resident told Xinhua via phone. This came after al-Shabab
extremists killed two soldiers on Nov. 4 in another ambush in Bule
Burde town in the central region of Hiraan. Somali army backed by
African Union Mission in Somalia chased al-Shabab extremists from the
capital Mogadishu in August 2011, but the militants still hold swathes
of rural areas in the central and southern regions, conducting
ambushes and planting land mines.”
Africa
The
New York Times: UN Chief: Terrorists Strengthen Foothold In Africa’s
Sahel
“Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is warning that terrorist
groups have strengthened their foothold across Africa’s Sahel region,
which is experiencing escalating violence. The U.N. chief said in a
report to the U.N. Security Council circulated Wednesday that the
expanding foothold is “making large swaths of territory unstable and
stoking ethnic, violence, especially in Burkina Faso and Mali.”
Guterres said combatting terrorism in the Sahel “cannot be outsourced”
to the G5 Sahel Force established by Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Chad
and Mauritania, or to the region or to the African continent.
“Terrorism is a global issue, and the entire international community
has a responsibility to contribute to the collective effort of
tackling extremist violence in the Sahel, along with other
cross-border challenges, including trafficking in persons, illicit
goods, weapons and drugs, and migration and displacement,” he said.
The secretary-general said the challenges the Sahel is facing are
caused by poverty, marginalization, impunity and weakened government
presence, “and are compounded by the impact of climate change and the
scarcity of natural resources.” Civilians are bearing the brunt of the
violence, Guterres said, calling the numbers “shocking.”
Bloomberg:
How The Jihadists Are Advancing In Western Africa:
Quicktake
“Islamist militant attacks are wreaking havoc in West Africa. An
insurgency that began in northern Mali in 2012 has spread to
neighboring Burkina Faso and is threatening coastal states including
Benin, Ghana and Ivory Coast. Hundreds have died in recent months.
Increased defense spending weighs heavily on the budgets of some of
the world’s poorest countries. Gold mining, a crucial source of income
for Mali and Burkina Faso, is also being affected. What’s the source
of the trouble? Mainly continuing instability in Mali and, further
afield, in Libya, where turmoil has opened up smuggling routes and
access to weapons. A French military intervention in 2013 dealt a
heavy blow to jihadist groups that partnered with ethnic Tuareg rebels
to seize control of northern Mali a year earlier. Deprived of their
urban bases, the jihadists resorted to bombings and hit-and-run
attacks, targeting army posts and the 15,000-person United Nations
peacekeeping mission. They extended their operations to Burkina Faso,
where a state of emergency in several border regions has done little
to improve security. There have also been intermittent attacks in
Niger, including a high-profile ambush in 2017 that claimed the lives
of four American soldiers.”
France
Stars
And Stripes: Islamic State Returnees Cloud Anniversary Of Paris
Attacks
“France commemorated the fourth anniversary of the Islamic State
attacks that struck the heart of Paris with a solemn reading Wednesday
of the names of 131 dead, and the growing certainty that the group’s
recruits will return home in increasing numbers. Three squads made up
almost entirely of French and Belgian fighters for the Islamic State
attacked the country’s national stadium, the Bataclan concert hall,
and bars and restaurants in the city center, in the deadliest attack
committed by the group in Europe. All but one of the attackers died.
Wednesday’s commemorations of the Nov. 13, 2015, attacks were clouded
by the impending return of more European recruits for the Islamic
State — many of them women and their children. Turkey’s president has
promised to deport foreign supporters of the group, even if their home
countries don’t want them. “These gates will open and these IS members
who have started to be sent to you will continue to be sent. Then you
can take care of your own problem,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan said ahead of a trip to Washington. Since 2015, Turkey has
returned around 250 French citizens, including many children born in
Iraq and Syria.”
Germany
Asharq
Al-Awsat: ISIS Returnees To Be Placed Under Close Monitoring In
Germany
“Nine German nationals suspected of supporting ISIS who are being
deported from Turkey this week will not face immediate arrest when
they return, German security sources have said. The sources said
Wednesday there was insufficient evidence for warrants to be issued
against the nine, prompting criticism from opposition politicians who
said the deportations have caught the government unprepared. The
deportees, who are due to arrive on Thursday or Friday, include a
family of seven from Hildesheim -- a town in central Germany that has
in the past been a focus of police raids against extremists. The
father is a German of Iraqi origin referred to by the sources only by
his first name, Kanan, and is known to be a radical, the sources said.
The other two are the wives of ISIS militants, they said. The sources
said Kanan was intending to travel from Turkey to Syria earlier this
year with his family. They have been in prison in Turkey since March.
The two women are being investigated in Germany for membership or
support of a terrorist organization. They fled from a Syrian camp for
ISIS supporters and were arrested by Turkish soldiers, the sources
told Agence France Presse.”
The
Local: Islamic State Returnees 'Will Not Face Arrest In
Germany'
“Nine German nationals suspected of supporting the Islamic State
group who are being deported from Turkey this week will not face
immediate arrest when they return, German security sources said
Wednesday. The sources said there was insufficent evidence for
warrants to be issued against the nine, prompting criticism from
opposition politicians who said the deportations have caught the
government unprepared. The deportees, who are due to arrive on
Thursday or Friday, include a family of seven from Hildesheim – a town
in central Germany that has in the past been a focus of police raids
against Islamist extremists. The father is a German of Iraqi origin
referred to by the sources only by his first name, Kanan, and is known
to be an Islamist radical, the sources said. The other two are the
wives of IS fighters, they said. The sources said Kanan was intending
to travel from Turkey to Syria earlier this year with his family. They
have been in prison in Turkey since March. The two women are being
investigated in Germany for membership or support of a terrorist
organization. They fled from a Syrian camp for IS supporters and were
arrested by Turkish soldiers, the sources said.”
Europe
Associated
Press: Swedes Arrest Iranian Suspect In ’88 Crimes Against
Humanity
“An Iranian citizen has been jailed in Sweden on suspicion of
carrying out crimes against humanity and murder in the late 1980s in
Iran, a Swedish prosecutor said Wednesday, the same time period of
mass executions by Tehran. Prosecutor Karolina Wieslander said the
unidentified man is suspected is of committing the crimes between July
28, 1988, and Aug. 31, 1988, in Tehran. The prosecutor did not
elaborate. His lawyer Lars Hultgren told the Swedish news agency TT
that the man insists he is innocent, adding “they have taken the wrong
guy.” TT said the 58-year-old man was arrested Saturday at Stockholm’s
international airport. The news agency said authorities suspect the
man worked in a prison where many prisoners were hanged, without
elaborating. The man’s alleged crimes correspond with the end of
Iran’s long war with Iraq, which began when Saddam Hussein invaded
Iran in 1980. By 1988, 1 million people had been killed in a conflict
that featured trench warfare, Iranian human-wave attacks and chemical
weapons assaults launched by Iraq. In July 1988, then-Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini accepted a United Nations-brokered
cease-fire in the conflict, calling it “more deadly to me than
poison.”
The
Independent: ‘Isis Leader Who Beheaded Imam And Ordered Dozens Of
Killings’ On Trial In Hungary
“A suspected Isis military leader is on trial in a Hungarian court,
accused of terrorism and crimes against humanity. The 27-year-old
Syrian, identified as F Hassan, was charged in September after an
international investigation led to his capture in Budapest’s main
airport at the end of last year. Mr Hassan deserted from the Syrian
army in 2011, then joined Isis sometime before 2014, prosecutor Andras
Urbanyi told the court. He became commander of an Isis unit and
actively recruited members, Mr Urbanyi said. He allegedly participated
in the murder of dozens of people near the city of Homs in 2015. “In
May 2015 Hassan’s unit was ordered to capture an area rich in
artefacts near Homs,” Mr Urbanyi said. “Hassan was to draw up a death
list, naming those to be executed out of revenge or to intimidate
locals. The list was approved by Isis leaders.” His brigade went door
to door, pulling and murdering individuals on the list either with
gunshots or knifing, Mr Urbanyi said. Others were forced to gather at
the town’s main square. “At the square they were forced to witness an
execution. The local imam was beheaded. Hassan and an accomplice
severed the imam’s head with long, seesawing motions, then held up his
head to the crowd.”
7News:
Accused Vic Terror Trio 'Wanted Rifle'
“A Melbourne trio accused of planning a terror attack allegedly
tried to buy a semi-automatic rife to gun down people in a populated
area of the city. Ertunc Eriklioglu, 31, his 27-year-old brother Samed
and their friend Hanifi Halis, 22, are charged with preparing or
planning for a terrorist act. The trio were negotiating and paying a
deposit to get hold of an unregistered .22 calibre rifle for an attack
between November 12 and 19 last year, court documents reveal. "The
terrorist act was ... namely an attack on members of the public with
firearms in a well populated area of the city of Melbourne," documents
released in court show. They had planned to shoot members of the
public in support of "violent jihad" to intimidate the public.
Witnesses earlier told Melbourne Magistrates Court the group had
listened to an the teachings of al-Qaeda preacher Anwar al-Awlaki,
wanted to go to Syria and had watched Islamic State propaganda.”
Southeast Asia
CNN
Philippines: DNA Test Confirms Sulu Suicide Bomber’s Link To ISIS –
Military
“A DNA test has confirmed that the foreign national behind the
planned suicide bombing incident in Sulu had “links” to the ISIS
group, the military said. In a statement dated November 10 and
released Wednesday, the Joint Task Force Sulu said the young foreign
suicide bomber—who was killed in an encounter with government troops
on November 5— was the son of the female suicide bomber who targeted a
military detachment in Indanan last September. According to the
military, the female suicide bomber, identified as “Reda Mohammad
Mahmud”, was involved in the 2017 Egyptian Churches attacks that
killed 92 people and injured dozens. “She together with Abduracman and
her son Abduramil traveled to Mindanao via backdoor channel to seek
refuge with the ASG (Abu Sayyaf Group) in Sulu with the help of ISIS
connections in Southeast Asia,” Sulu police director PCol Pablo Labra
said. The Task Force added “Abduramil”—the young suicide bomber—was
not related to the other adult foreign national (Abduracman) killed in
the November 5 operation. Abduramil and Abduracman, together with
another unidentified suspect, were killed in a shootout earlier this
month after the military received reports that they had planned to
attack Jolo. Their nationalities were not revealed.”
Fox
News: Hong Kong Violence Forces Students To Flee, City ‘Slipping Into
The Abyss Of Terrorism,’ Chinese Officials Say
“Protests have paralyzed Hong Kong for a third consecutive day as
clashes with police turned increasingly violent, having forced an
exodus of mainland Chinese and other students from the city that
Chinese officials said was “slipping into the abyss of terrorism.” The
Chinese University of Hong Kong remained barricaded Wednesday as
students and other demonstrators readied for another possible battle
with police. Gasoline bombs and fires had lit up parts of the campus
Tuesday night, as police battled back with tear gas and rubber
bullets. The former British colony was “slipping into the abyss of
terrorism,” the Chinese government's liaison office in Hong Kong said
as anti-government demonstrators continued to cripple train services,
barricade streets and occupy universities. Marine police evacuated
many of the university’s mainland Chinese students by boat. Others
packed onto a high-speed train out of the city, one Chinese finance
student, who asked not to be named, told the Financial Times. Exchange
students from Europe and America were also told to pack up and leave
the university over concerns for their safety as anti-government
unrest gripped the city for the fifth month.”
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