Eye on Extremism
November 25, 2019
The
New York Times: U.S. Resumes Operations Against ISIS In Northern
Syria
“United States troops have resumed large-scale counterterrorism
missions against the Islamic State in northern Syria, military
officials say, nearly two months after President Trump’s abrupt order
to withdraw American troops opened the way for a bloody Turkish
cross-border offensive. American-backed operations against ISIS
fighters in the area effectively ground to a halt for weeks despite
warnings from intelligence analysts that Islamic State militants were
beginning to make a comeback from Syrian desert redoubts even though
their leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, had been killed during an American
raid on Oct. 26. On Friday, American soldiers and hundreds of Syrian
Kurdish fighters — the same local allies the Trump administration
abandoned to fend for themselves against the Turkish advance last
month — reunited to conduct what the Pentagon said was a large-scale
mission to kill and capture ISIS fighters in Deir al-Zour province,
about 120 miles south of the Turkish border. “Over the next days and
weeks, the pace will pick back up against remnants of ISIS,” Gen.
Kenneth F. McKenzie, the commander of the military’s Central Command,
told reporters on the sidelines of the Manama Dialogue security
conference in Bahrain on Saturday.”
Reuters:
Special report: ‘Time To Take Out Our Swords' - Inside Iran’s Plot To
Attack Saudi Arabia
“Four months before a swarm of drones and missiles crippled the
world’s biggest oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia, Iranian
security officials gathered at a heavily fortified compound in Tehran.
The group included the top echelons of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps, an elite branch of the Iranian military whose portfolio
includes missile development and covert operations. The main topic
that day in May: How to punish the United States for pulling out of a
landmark nuclear treaty and re-imposing economic sanctions on Iran,
moves that have hit the Islamic Republic hard. With Major General
Hossein Salami, leader of the Revolutionary Guards, looking on, a
senior commander took the floor. “It is time to take out our swords
and teach them a lesson,” the commander said, according to four people
familiar with the meeting. Hard-liners in the meeting talked of
attacking high-value targets, including American military bases. Yet,
what ultimately emerged was a plan that stopped short of direct
confrontation that could trigger a devastating U.S. response. Iran
opted instead to target oil installations of America’s ally, Saudi
Arabia, a proposal discussed by top Iranian military officials in that
May meeting and at least four that followed.”
South
China Morning Post: Isis Terror Tactics Being Exported To Southeast
Asia, US Official Says
“Islamic State militants are not heading to Southeast Asia “in
droves” following the fall of the Caliphate even though the terror
group has been encouraging its fighters in Syria to take the fight to
other regions, according to the US State Department’s top
counterterrorism official. “We have seen a few indications of an
interest in travelling to Southeast Asia, but truth be told, it’s not
one of the regions that Isis fighters seem to be heading to in
droves,” Nathan Sales told a press briefing in Manila on Friday. “So
far we haven’t seen a huge problem, but we have to make sure we keep
it that way,” Sales said. He added that the United States was working
with the Philippines to boost cooperation on border security, to
prevent people from exploiting the maritime environment to gain access
to countries in the region. However Sales did warn that terrorist
tactics from the Middle East, including suicide bombings, were being
exported to Southeast Asia via local chapters, or inspiring copycat
behaviour from regional groups. “Increasingly, we are seeing terrorist
groups such as Isis [and] al-Qaeda come to rely on regional networks
and affiliates around the globe,” Sales said. “Suicide bombing is not
something that we’ve seen in … Southeast Asia until very, very
recently, and we are concerned about groups like Isis and sympathisers
of Isis emulating what they see in places like Syria and Afghanistan,”
he said.”
Reuters:
Lebanese Protesters Clash With Supporters Of Hezbollah, Amal In
Beirut
“Clashes broke out between anti-government demonstrators and
supporters of the Shi’ite groups Hezbollah and Amal in the Lebanese
capital, Beirut, early on Monday, as tensions escalated when
demonstrators blocked a main bridge. Lebanon has faced five weeks of
anti-government protests, fueled by anger at corruption among the
sectarian politicians who have governed Lebanon for decades.
Demonstrators want to see the entire ruling class gone from power.
Hezbollah and Amal were both represented in the coalition government
led by Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, who quit on Oct. 29 after the
protests began. The heavily armed Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran,
had opposed Hariri’s resignation. Army soldiers and riot police formed
a barrier separating the protesters from the supporters of the Shi’ite
groups on a main road known as the Ring Bridge as rocks were thrown by
both sides, television footage broadcast by Lebanese media showed.
Security forces fired tear gas to disperse the crowds, three local
television stations reported. Supporters of Hezbollah and Amal waved
the groups’ flags. Earlier, they had chanted: “Shia, Shia” and slogans
in support of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. On the other
side, demonstrators chanted: “Revolution, revolution.”
Haaretz:
Former Islamic Movement Leader Ra’ad Salah Convicted Of Incitement To
Terrorism
“Sheikh Ra’ad Salah, the former head of the northern branch of
Israel’s Islamic Movement, was convicted on Sunday of incitement to
terrorism and support for illegal organizations. Salah was arrested
during the summer of 2017 after police alleged he had praised a
terrorist attack that summer on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount and incited
violence at the funeral of the three assailants in that attack, who
were from the Israeli Arab town of Umm al-Fahm. Two Border Police
officers were killed and another was wounded in the incident at the
entrance of the Temple Mount. In court on Sunday, he was accompanied
by dozens of supporters. While Haifa Magistrate’s Court Judge Shlomo
Benjo accepted the sheikh’s argument that some of his remarks at the
funeral had been mistranslated, the judge ruled that the translation
errors did not alter the general meaning of his comments. “Despite the
attempts to give the defendant’s statements a religious character, the
conclusion is that the accused expressed praise, sympathy and support
for the attacks,” the judge said in delivering his verdict. Freedom of
expression “does not mean that a person can say whatever he feels
like. There are limits, first and foremost, when it comes to state
security,” the judge added. Salah had received a suspended sentence on
a prior conviction and is therefore now expected to serve jail
time.”
The
New York Times: Nazi Symbols And Racist Memes: Combating School
Intolerance
“An 18-year-old senior at Battle Ground High School in Washington
State was immersed in a fighting video game with a couple of online
friends in March when news broke about a violent shooter targeting New
Zealand mosques. The three friends, including one in Virginia and
another in Britain, often frequented the chat platform Discord while
playing Melty Blood, their favorite game. Sometimes they dabbled in
extremist material — like videos claiming that Jews control America —
that white supremacists have propagated via Discord in recent years,
the senior explained. Intrigued by the attack, they quickly found the
gunman’s lengthy manifesto and an Instagram account that appeared to
be his, so the senior dashed off a message in the jargon of white
supremacists. “WAR IS ON THE HORIZON WE SHALL NOT LOSE WE SHALL
SURVIVE,” he wrote, according to a screenshot. Much to their
astonishment, an answer popped up within 15 minutes: “This is my final
message, this is my farewell.” Soon afterward, the account went dark.
“I did make a stupid decision,” the senior later said in an interview,
thinking, at the time, “Oh, God, I just messaged the shooter!” The
Battle Ground student, who asked to remain anonymous, never committed
violence.”
United States
CNN:
There Have Been At Least 5 Hate Incidents Reported On College Campuses
This Week
“A series of racist and anti-Semitic incidents have rattled college
campuses nationwide as educators struggle to stop them from spreading.
This week alone, at least five incidents have been reported on college
campuses hundreds of miles apart from one another. Here's a breakdown:
University of Georgia: Swastikas at residence halls: At the University
of Georgia, student Ariana Dinberg said someone tore off her
historically Jewish sorority's letters from her residence hall door
twice in September. At the time, she wasn't sure it was someone
targeting Jews. Later, someone wrote on the white board on her door,
"All Heil" with a swastika underneath it. "They knew I was Jewish and
then chose to attack me for it. It's definitely shocking to me," she
said. The University of Georgia confirmed Thursday that someone drew
swastikas on placards and message boards at two campus residence
halls. It's unclear who the second victim was. University President
Jere W. Morehead said the behavior has no place on the campus. "I am
appalled by such offensive and outrageous displays of hate," Morehead
said in a statement to the university community.”
The
Washington Post: Man Involved In Extremist Groups Sentenced In
Firearms Case
“A man involved in online extremist groups was given a two-year
probationary sentence with 30 days intermittent confinement Friday in
Alexandria federal court. Brian Baynes, 23, pleaded guilty this year
to illegally buying guns as a marijuana user. Another man described by
prosecutors as a member of the white-supremacist group Atomwaffen
Division, Andrew Thomasberg, 21, pleaded guilty to similar charges
this month. Thomasberg has yet to be sentenced. Federal law prohibits
the possession of firearms while using or being addicted to controlled
substances. In online chats, according to court records, Thomasberg
and a friend with the initials “B.B.” discussed guns, drug use and
neo-Nazism online. “Yo im gonna start tripping again,” Thomasberg
wrote at one point. “Psychedelic Nazis.” B.B. went on to cooperate in
the case. A defense attorney said in court Friday that Baynes had
moved away from white-supremacist views on his own before his arrest
in June. “He was on a path of self-motivated rehabilitation,” public
defender Shannon Quill said. She said there has “never been any
indication” Baynes was “engaging in any violence.” U.S. District Judge
Liam O’Grady said he gave Baynes “credit for stopping on your own.” He
added that this was “a real potentially dangerous time for our
community because of these associations,” referring to the deadly 2017
neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville.”
The
Washington Post: U.S. Judge Orders Iran To Pay $180 Million In Damages
To Detained Post Journalist Jason Rezaian And His
Family
“A federal judge on Friday ordered the Iranian government to pay
Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian and his family $180 million
in damages for his 18-month detention during U.S.-Iran nuclear talks
in 2014, saying it was needed to deter future taking of American
hostages. Rezaian, then The Post’s Tehran-based correspondent, and his
newlywed wife were seized July 22, 2014; placed separately in solitary
confinement; and threatened with execution, physical mutilation and
dismemberment, his family testified earlier this year. He spent 544
days in custody. His wife was released after two months. U.S. District
Judge Richard J. Leon of Washington entered a default judgment against
Iran, which did not answer the lawsuit, following a two-day hearing in
January. Leon granted Rezaian $23.8 million in compensatory damages
for pain, suffering and economic losses; his brother Ali $2.7 million
and their mother, Mary, $3.1 million for similar claims; and the
family $150 million in punitive damages.”
Voice
Of America: Report: Number Of Terror-Related Deaths Decrease, But
Groups Still Pose Threat
“Despite a significant decrease in recent years of the number of
deaths caused by terrorism, terror groups remain a major threat to
peace and stability around the world, according to a new report on
terrorism. According to the 2019 Global Terrorism Index (GTI), deaths
from terrorism fell for the fourth consecutive year in 2018, after
reaching a peak in 2014. Since that time, the number of deaths has
fallen by 52%, to 15,952 in 2018. The annual report, published last
week by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), focused on terror
trends and activities around the world. Steve Killelea, executive
chairman of IEP, said that “IEP’s research finds that conflict and
state-sponsored terror are the key causes of terrorism.” In 2018, more
than 95% of deaths caused by terror-related activities occurred in
countries that were already in conflict, he said. “When combined with
countries with high levels of political terror the number jumps to
over 99%. Of the 10 countries most impacted by terrorism, all were
involved in at least one violent conflict last year,” Killelea said in
a statement to reporters. The GTI finds that the number of deaths from
terrorism in Iraq fell by 75% between 2017 and 2018, with 3,217 fewer
people being killed.”
The
Post And Courier: FBI Analysis Shows Average Lone Terrorist Looks A
Lot Like Dylann Roof
“The FBI has released a comprehensive overview of the lone
terrorists who’ve committed attacks in the past four decades, painting
a portrait of an offender who closely resembles Dylann Roof.The
findings aren’t a surprise to law enforcement. The 52 terrorists the
FBI had significant data on are all men and mostly white, with
histories of criminal behavior and hatred. Like Roof, about half were
single, used drugs, had been arrested several times and lacked steady
employment. From 1972 to 2015 — the year Roof murdered nine
worshippers at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston — each of the subjects
worked alone to plot attacks against the public. Roof, 25, was
convicted of 33 federal and 13 state charges stemming from the
massacre, and sentenced to death. “One key concept is there is no one
demographic profile,” said Special Agent John Wyman, chief of FBI’s
Behavioral Threat Assessment Center, which conducted the research. “As
a result, there’s no checklist or score sheet someone can use to say
whether this person’s a threat or not,” he added. That means every
threat has to be taken seriously, Charleston County Sheriff Al Cannon
said. Cannon’s department is already following most of the report’s
recommendations for law enforcement agencies, including being
receptive to online tips and building relationships with mental health
professionals who may notice warning signs in their patients.”
Syria
CNBC:
‘They Will Destroy Everything Here’: Turkish Advance Forces Syrians To
Flee Homes As Winter Looms
“Sleman Alshallah, 40, gathered his wife and five children outside
his home with what little they owned — cooking pots, blankets and a
rug — in the small northern Syrian farming village of Am Alkef last
week. “We are ready to leave at any hour,” said Alshallah. It would be
difficult to abandon his grandparents’ farm and only source of income,
he said. He looked north, in the direction of Turkey and dull thuds of
fighting, where a mile away was the last defense against the advancing
Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (TFSA). The shelling often reaches his
village, where bombs can land in an open field or someone’s home
during the daily back-and-forth barrage. “They will destroy
everything here like in other villages,” he said of the TFSA. His was
the last inhabited village before the frontline and the latest border
of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. Residents
expected the village to fall, maybe within the week. After that, the
town of Tal Tamr, where thousands more reside, would be in the TFSA’s
crosshairs.”
Foreign
Policy: Life On The Front Lines In Northern Syria
“I would rather go back to my village, to be killed in my village,
than live here as a refugee,” said Fatima Shlo, 43, as she sat on the
ground of her family’s new home. It was early November, and she and
her family were living in an abandoned school, destroyed by the
Islamic State. A line of pine trees provided little shade from the
burning midday sun. Her children played in the concrete ruins of
classrooms, and a chalkboard between two concave walls revealed
writing from years before: “The Islamic State will remain.” In the
last few weeks, fighting between the mainly Kurdish Syrian Democratic
Forces (SDF), the Syrian army, and the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army
had reached Shlo’s village of Malkef on the outskirts of Tal Tamr in
northern Syria. Her small community of Arab Muslims had lived amicably
alongside their Kurdish and Christian neighbors for generations. But
as the sounds of shelling and airstrikes drew nearer, most families
there left for the city of Hasakah, some 25 miles from Tal Tamr. They
escaped in rented cars or on foot, some children without shoes,
holding what belongings they could carry and facing an uncertain
future. Shlo’s family was among those who fled.”
The
Washington Post: The Latest: US, Kurds Target Islamic State In Joint
Action
“American-led forces and their Syrian Kurdish allies have carried
out their biggest joint operation against the Islamic State in Syria
since President Donald Trump ordered a pullback of U.S. forces there.
The U.S.-led coalition said Saturday that hundreds of U.S.-allied
Syrian Kurdish forces took part in Friday’s action. Coalition
officials say the operation captured dozens of militants. The news
comes on the same day Vice President Mike Pence visited Iraq and
worked to reassure America’s Kurdish allies in the region. The
Trump-ordered pullback of American forces in Syria opened the door for
a cross-border offensive by Turkey last month, leaving Syrian Kurds to
face a bloody Turkish assault. Pence says the U.S. commitment to both
Syrian and Iraqi Kurds remains unchanged. The U.S. wants Iraq to show
restraint as widespread anti-corruption protests in the country have
killed more than 320 people in the past two months. Vice President
Mike Pence spoke by phone to Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi
from Al-Asad Air Base on an unannounced trip to the region. Pence
expressed support for a free, sovereign and independent Iraq — a
subtle warning against Iranian influence in the country, which has
weakened cooperation between the U.S. and Iraq.”
Reuters:
Car Bomb Kills At Least 10 People Near Syria's Border With
Turkey
“At least 10 people were killed and 25 wounded when a car bomb
exploded on Saturday in a Syrian border town seized by Turkish-backed
forces last month, witnesses and a rescuer said. Tel Abyad was one of
two border towns that saw some of the heaviest fighting when Ankara
launched its cross-border offensive on Oct. 9 targeting Kurdish YPG
forces in northeast Syria. The YPG — which Ankara considers a
terrorist group because of its ties to PKK Kurdish militants in
southeast Turkey — had for years been allied to the United States in
the fight against Islamic State. Turkey began the incursion after
President Donald Trump pulled U.S. troops out of the area. Saturday’s
blast caused extensive damage to a main street in Tel Abyad, sending
thick smoke into the air above the wreckage, videos posted on social
media showed. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based
war monitor, said four civilians from the same family were among those
killed by the explosion, which the local council said residents blamed
on the YPG and PKK. Turkey’s Defence Ministry also accused the YPG of
carrying out the attack, which it said had killed three people and
wounded 20, while a senior spokesman for the Kurdish-led Syrian
Democratic Forces (SDF) accused “Turkish-backed mercenaries” of being
responsible.”
Washington
Examiner: ‘The Refugee Camp Is Burning’: American Aid Worker Reports
Assault By Turkey-Backed Forces In Syria
“Turkish-backed militias on Saturday attacked a Syrian refugee camp
guarded by Kurdish and Arab fighters, an on-scene aid worker said.
“The refugee camp is burning,” said David Eubank, an American whose
Free Burma Rangers provide humanitarian relief in war zones. “We are
here giving medical help as we can," he told the Washington Examiner.
"The Turk/FSA forces are close.” The Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army
attacked the Ein Issa camp, which is guarded by the Syrian Democratic
Forces, Eubank and multiple local sources reported. "Turkish forces
launched attacks with tanks, artillery, and a large number of
mercenaries on several axis to invade Ain Issa since the morning," the
SDF announced on Saturday. "The cease-fire agreement is once again
being violated by Turkish army."
The
Independent: Western Leaders, Ignore The Fall Of Isis At Your Peril –
There’s Still Every Possibility Of A Second Uprising
“A startling trove of leaked documents from Iran’s Ministry of
Intelligence detailed Iranian activities inside Iraq in 2014 and 2015,
during the first months of the war against Isis. As outlined this week
by The Intercept, which obtained the documents some three years ago,
and The New York Times, the documents showed how thoroughly Iran had
penetrated the country in the years after the US withdrawal from the
country, including its successful recruitment of cashiered Iraqi CIA
operatives looking for work. But the leaked documents also chronicled
one dimension of a broader trend: the vast changes the Isis war has
wrought on the region. After all, it was Isis’s takeover of Mosul and
its lunge eastward from Syria that drew Iran to engage so deeply in
Iraq in the first place, reinvigorating the Shia militias that had
been largely sidelined by President Nouri Maliki. Those armed forces
now lord over Iraqis, representing a powerful political and military
force that is violently suppressing a pro-democracy movement. The Isis
conflict, which lasted nearly five years, thoroughly changed regional
dynamics, leaving behind a swath of human and material devastation.
Entire cities were levelled, including Mosul and Fallujah in Iraq and
Raqqa in Syria.”
France24:
Showdown Looms Over Syria Chemical Weapons Probe
“Russia and the West are braced for a fresh showdown at the world's
chemical weapons watchdog this week over a new team that will name
culprits for attacks in Syria for the first time. The investigators'
first report identifying perpetrators is expected early next year, and
tensions are already rising at the Organisation for the Prohibition of
Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Moscow is threatening to block next year's
budget for the OPCW at the annual meeting in The Hague if it includes
funding for the new team, which could effectively shut down the
watchdog. But the United States, Britain, France and other allies
believe they have enough support for it to pass with a large majority.
Despite fierce objections from Syria and its allies, OPCW member
states agreed in 2018 to give the organisation new powers to pin blame
on culprits for the use of toxic arms. Previously the watchdog --
which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013 and has eliminated 97 percent
of the world's chemical weapons -- only had a mandate to say whether
or not an attack had occurred. "Everyone is waiting for the IIT
(Investigation and Identification Team) results," a senior diplomat
told AFP on condition of anonymity.”
Kurdistan
24: Kurdish-Led Forces Bust ISIS Human Smuggling Ring In North
Syria
“A local counter-terrorism unit in the northern Syrian city of
Manbij on Saturday arrested members of an Islamic State cell allegedly
involved in smuggling at least six women connected to the extremist
group from a camp under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian
Democratic Forces (SDF) to Turkish-held areas along the country’s
northern border. The SDF-affiliated Manbij Military Council's media
office claimed in a statement that a man named Abu Naji, a leader of
the Turkish-backed Ahrar Al-Sham paramilitary group, was responsible
for smuggling “ISIS elements and their families to areas controlled by
the Turkish occupation.” It continued, “After investigating this cell,
it was found that ISIS members who are currently fighting in the ranks
of the Turkish occupation mercenaries are trying to smuggle their
families out of the Al-Hol camp.” The sprawling facility was built to
house 40,000 individuals but currently houses some 68,000 women and
children from multiple nations, many of whom are related to Islamic
State fighters. “The Turkish intelligence commissioned ‘Abu Naji’ to
carry out this task, the person is known to have carried out several
bombings in the city of Manbij and Hasakah, and caused the death of
dozens of civilians,” the statement claimed.”
Iran
The
Wall Street Journal: Iran Restores Internet Access As Protests
Subside, But Threatens More Arrests
“Iran restored internet access in large parts of the country after
a weeklong shutdown aimed at stifling nationwide protests, but
threatened more arrests in a brutal crackdown that exposes the
challenges facing a government struggling to cope with harsh U.S.
sanctions. Iran has accused the U.S. and other rivals of fomenting the
unrest, as it justified using force that left more than 100 people
dead, according to rights groups. Hundreds have been detained as they
protested higher fuel prices. Tehran’s response to the unrest
indicates its willingness to resort to deadly force to push back
against what it sees as U.S. attempts to weaken and eventually oust
the country’s leaders. It also comes amid a growing pushback in the
region, where Iraqi and Lebanese protesters have railed against the
influence of Iran and its local allies. “We have caught all the
mercenaries who explicitly confessed that they are mercenaries of the
U.S. and the MeK,” Ali Fadavi, deputy commander of Iran’s Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps, told reporters in Tehran on Sunday,
referring to an exiled opposition group that seeks to overthrow the
leadership in Tehran.”
The
New York Times: U.S. Commander Warns Of Iranian Attack In Middle
East
“The deployment of 14,000 additional American troops to the Persian
Gulf region since the spring has probably not dissuaded Iran from
planning a major attack on the scale of the recent missile and drone
assault on Saudi Arabia’s oil fields, the commander of American forces
in the Middle East says. The officer, Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie, the
head of the military’s Central Command, said the additional troops,
fighter jets and air defenses that the Pentagon has dispatched might
have deterred Iran from attacking American targets — like Iran’s
downing of an unmanned surveillance drone in June. But he said strikes
against Gulf nations were another matter. “My judgment is that it is
very possible they will attack again,” General McKenzie said in an
interview this past week ahead of an international security conference
on Saturday. “It’s the trajectory and the direction that they’re on,”
he added in a second interview later in the week. “The attack on the
oil fields in Saudi was stunning in the depth of its audaciousness,”
he said of an assault in September that the United States and its
European allies blame Iran for.”
Voice
Of America: As Internet Restored, Online Iran Protest Videos Show
Chaos
“Machine gun fire answers rock-throwing protesters.
Motorcycle-riding Revolutionary Guard volunteers chase after
demonstrators. Plainclothes security forces grab, beat and drag a man
off the street to an uncertain fate. As Iran restores the internet
after a weeklong government-imposed shutdown, new videos purport to
show the demonstrations over gasoline prices rising and the
security-force crackdown that followed. The videos offer only
fragments of encounters, but to some extent they fill in the larger
void left by Iran's state-controlled television and radio channels. On
their airwaves, hard-line officials allege that foreign conspiracies
and exile groups instigated the unrest. In print, newspapers offered
only PR for the government or had merely stenographic reporting at
best, the moderate daily Hamshahri said in an analysis Sunday. They
don't acknowledge that the gasoline price hike Nov. 15, supported by
its civilian government, came as Iran's 80 million people already have
seen their savings dwindle and jobs scarce under crushing U.S.
sanctions. President Donald Trump imposed them in the aftermath of
unilaterally withdrawing America from Tehran's nuclear deal with world
powers.”
The
Telegraph: Iranian Officials 'Stealing Bodies' From Morgues To Hide
True Scale Of Government Crackdown
“Mehdi Nekouee should have been fighting for his life on a hospital
ward. The 20-year-old law student was one of the first of hundreds
shot by Revolutionary Guard in spontaneous anti-government protests
that swept across Iran last week. But instead of lying in a hospital
bed - or the rack of a morgue - Mr Nekouee's family believe he was
spirited away by intelligence officers removing dead and injured
protesters to hide the true scale of the government’s brutal
crackdown. "He was critical but alive when he arrived at the
hospital,” said his uncle, Ahmed. “We have heard nothing since,” he
added tearfully.”
Iraq
Voice
Of America: At Least 13 Killed In Southern Iraq
Protests
“Security forces used live ammunition and tear gas to disperse
protesters in southern Iraq Sunday, killing at least 13 people and
wounding dozens more. Anti-government protests have been erupting all
across the oil-rich south since October as demonstrators continue to
demand an end to corruption and improved services. In Basra Sunday,
seven people were killed in what one security official called “one of
the worst'' days of the protest movement. Four others were killed in
Nassiriya province, and one person was killed in both Najaf and
Diwanieh provinces, Iraq's state news agency said. The protests have
become increasingly violent, with demonstrators burning and destroying
properties and security forces using live fire, tear gas and water
cannons to gain control. Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo warned Iraqi officials that Washington would consider imposing
sanctions on officials responsible for violence or corruption. “The
United States will use our legal authority to sanction corrupt
individuals that are stealing Iraqis' wealth and those killing and
wounding peaceful protesters,” Pompeo said.”
Kurdistan
24: ISIS Gunmen Kill 4, Including Iraqi Soldiers, And Wound 3 More In
Disputed Jalawla: Official
“Alleged Islamic State gunmen clashed with Iraqi security forces in
a remote area in Diyala province on Sunday evening, killing a civilian
and three soldiers and wounding three others, a police official from
the area said. The incident occurred on the outskirts of the Islah
village of Jalawla subdistrict, located in Diyala’s Khanaqin District,
Simko Ali, assistant director of the nearby Koks security forces
department (Asayish), told Kurdistan 24. The settlement is close to
rough terrain that so-called Islamic State sleeper cells have
frequently exploited as hideouts from where they planned attacks on
nearby areas. Ali said one civilian, as well as an Iraqi military
officer with the rank of major, had been killed in the attack. He also
reported that a captain and two other soldiers had been wounded. The
official added that locals at Islah village had come to the aid of the
Iraqi army unit, and Islamic State militants had vacated the area. The
region is part of territories disputed between the Kurdistan Regional
Government (KRG) and the Federal Government of Iraq, which continue to
be the site of terrorist attacks. Kurdish Peshmerga commanders have
warned that Islamic State sleeper agents could continue to exploit a
security vacuum between the Kurdish and Iraqi forces in disputed
areas.”
Turkey
Daily
Sabah: Turkey Seizes Daesh Terrorist Recruitment List By
Country
“Turkish intelligence and security forces seized recruitment lists
containing the names of Daesh operatives and their nationalities in a
counterterror operation targeting the terrorist group in southern
Turkey. The operation was launched by Mersin's Chief Public
Prosecutor's Office to capture a Syrian suspect. The suspect was
arrested in the Tarsus district. Police confiscated thousands of
folders and digital data, including lists of Daesh operatives, in the
operation. He was reportedly transferred to the court along with 13
other Daesh suspects who were detained on Nov. 14. Police
investigation revealed that there were names of 3,846 individuals who
joined the terrorist group from 81 countries. There were 700 recruits
from Saudi Arabia, 650 from Tunisia and around 400 from Morocco. There
were also around 300 suspects from European countries, including
Germany and Spain. Police continue to analyze the data obtained during
the operation, reports said. Turkey has been actively conducting
counterterrorism operations against Daesh since 2016. Since then,
4,517 of the 13,696 suspects detained in 4,536 operations have been
arrested. Over the course of the operations, 1,018 terrorists were
either killed, injured or surrendered.”
Afghanistan
The
New York Times: American Aid Worker For U.N. Is Killed In Afghan
Capital
“An American national working for the United Nations in Afghanistan
was killed and two others were wounded in a blast targeting a U.N.
vehicle in Kabul on Sunday, officials said, underscoring a growing
threat to aid workers. The attack led U.N. agencies in Afghanistan to
impose lockdowns on Monday, while other major international
organizations restricted their movements as a precaution. Officials
said the U.N. also canceled flights, even though many smaller aid
organizations rely on air travel to get to parts of the country not
accessible by roads increasingly plagued by fighting. The latest
attack further complicates humanitarian work at a time of dire need in
the country and as a harsh winter looms. The U.N. estimates that about
one million Afghans are “on the move,” having been either internally
displaced by the intensifying conflict or because they are refugees in
need of humanitarian assistance.”
CNN: Trump:
'We're Working On An Agreement Now With The Taliban'
“President Donald Trump on Friday seemed to suggest that formal
negotiations with the Taliban were back on -- months after the peace
talks with the militant group collapsed. “We're working on an
agreement now with the Taliban,” Trump said on Fox News' “Fox &
Friends.” “Let's see what happens.” His comments come several days
after the Taliban released an American and Australian professor in
exchange for the release of three Taliban prisoners by the Afghan
government. The Taliban also released 10 Afghan soldiers this week.
The US praised the release of the professors, American Kevin King and
Australian Timothy Weeks, with Trump tweeting on Tuesday, “Let's hope
this leads to more good things on the peace front like a ceasefire
that will help end this long war.” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said
in a statement Tuesday, “We see these developments as hopeful signs
that the Afghan war, a terrible and costly conflict that has lasted 40
years, may soon conclude through a political settlement.” CNN has
reached out to the White House about Trump's comments. Formal talks
between the US and the Taliban collapsed in early September 2019 after
a Taliban-claimed attack in Kabul that killed a dozen people,
including an American soldier.”
The
Washington Post: Blast Targets UN Vehicle In Afghanistan, Kills 1
Foreigner
“A United Nations vehicle was targeted in a bombing Sunday in the
Afghan capital Kabul and initial reports indicated at least one
foreign citizen was killed, an Afghan official said. Nasrat Rahimi,
Interior Ministry spokesman, said five others, including two Afghan
U.N. workers, were wounded in the attack. The vehicle was heavily
damaged. The blast targeted the vehicle on one of the busiest roads in
the city, in police district 9, according to Rahimi. No one
immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but both Taliban
and the Islamic State group are active in the capital and have
repeatedly claimed previous attacks. The Taliban control or hold sway
over about half of Afghanistan, staging near-daily attacks that target
Afghan forces and government officials across the country. In central
Daykundi Province, at least eight soldiers were killed when Taliban
fighters stormed their checkpoint, said provincial Gov. Anwar Rahmati.
He said four other soldiers were wounded in the hours-long gunbattle.
Rahmati said reinforcements were dispatched early Sunday to the area
in Kajran district, driving off the insurgents, killing at least 20 of
them. Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility
for the checkpoint attack.”
Voice
Of America: UN Foreign Worker, 8 Afghan Soldiers Killed In Separate
Attacks
“More than three dozen people are reported dead in a series of
security-related incidents in Afghanistan, including a fatal attack on
a U.N. vehicle in the capital, Kabul. Several of the dead were
civilians. Afghan officials said Sunday that Taliban rebels assaulted
a security outpost in central Daykundi province overnight, killing
eight soldiers and wounding four others. Senior provincial authorities
claimed the ensuing firefight also killed at least 20 assailants,
though the Taliban disputed those claims. Meanwhile, doctors and
residents in western Farah province said an Afghan government air
strike has killed at least nine civilians and injured several others.
The mainstream local TOLO news channel reported Sunday relatives took
to the streets with bodies of the victims to protest and demand an
immediate investigation into the deadly incident. In Kabul, interior
ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said one foreign national was killed
and five people were injured by a hand grenade hurled at a U.N.
vehicle in the Makrorayan area of the city. The spokesman did not
provide details but local news reports suggest the death toll may
climb. The United Nations condemned the attack and confirmed the death
of an international employee in the Sunday night attack.”
Stars
And Stripes: Afghan Official: Taliban Storm Army Checkpoint Killing
Eight
“An Afghan official says Taliban insurgents have stormed a
checkpoint in a central province, killed at least eight Afghan
soldiers. Anwar Rahmati, the governor of Daykundi province where the
attack took place, says four soldiers were also wounded in the
hourslong gunbattle. He said reinforcements were dispatched early
Sunday to the area in Kajran district, driving off the Taliban and
killing at least 20 of their fighters. Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, a Taliban
spokesman, claimed responsibility for the checkpoint attack. He
disputed the Taliban casualty figures provided by the governor, and
said the insurgents had seized weapons and ammunition. The Taliban
control or hold sway over half of Afghanistan, staging near-daily
attacks that target Afghan forces and government officials across the
country.”
Xinhua:
2 Soldiers, 24 Militants Killed In Clashes In Northern
Afghanistan
“Two Afghan security force members and 24 militants were killed in
fresh clashes in Darzab district of northern Jawzjan province during
Friday night, a spokesman of provincial government said Saturday. “The
militants clashed with troops who were involved in an ongoing cleanup
operation in Darzab. The clashes also left 16 militants wounded,”
spokesman Maruf Haazar told Xinhua. The security force members cleared
five villages in Darzab from militants within the past 24 hours during
the operation which kicked off about seven days ago, the source said,
adding the two soldiers lost their lives when their vehicle detonated
a Taliban landmine on Friday night. According to the spokesman, eight
diseased militants were members of the Taliban's so-called Sara Qeta
or militants' Special Forces who arrived from neighboring Sari Pul
province to support Taliban in Darzab fighting. No civilian was hurt
during the clashes, he said. The Taliban militant group fighting the
government for the past 18 years has not made comments on the report
so far.”
Libya
Stars
And Stripes: Libya’s Civil War Creates An Opening For ISIS To
Return
“Eight suspected ISIS members were captured in this scarred city in
recent weeks, Libyan commanders say. Militant sleeper cells, they say,
lurk in some neighborhoods. Other militants have set up desert camps
to the south, where ISIS reportedly hides fighters and weaponry, as
Libyan militias that once worked closely with U.S. counterterrorism
forces on the ground no longer patrol the area. These are signs of how
the expanding civil war in Libya has created a potential opening for
ISIS to revive itself in the country, according to Libyan commanders
and Western officials. Today, the militias that targeted ISIS are
themselves targets of airstrikes by the forces of eastern warlord
Khalifa Hifter, who is seeking to oust the United Nations-installed
government. The small contingent of U.S. troops that coordinated with
the militias left Libya months ago. “We used to have eyes in the
south,” said Brig Gen. Nas Abdullah, the top military commander in
Sirte. “Now we can’t go out there. The planes will bomb us.” Since
Hifter launched his offensive on the capital of Tripoli in April, the
militants have staged nine attacks, mostly in the south, said U.S.
military officials. Those included one that killed nine in the city of
Sabha and another that targeted an oil field, killing three.”
Nigeria
The
Punch Nigeria: Borno Gov Deploys 150 Cameroonian Vigilantes Against
Boko Haram
“Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara has deployed 150
Cameroonian vigilantes to flush out remnants of Boko Haram from his
state.The newly-engaged Cameroonians are to collaborate with Nigerian
hunters and vigilantes currently assisting the military in the ongoing
battle against Boko Haram in parts of northern Borno. The
Cameroonians, who are mainly from the Kesh-Kesh vigilante group, were
presented with four surveillance vehicles and other fighting equipment
on Saturday at a brief ceremony in Damasak, headquarters of Mobbar
Local Government Area, on the fringes of the Lake Chad. Conducting the
ceremony were Borno State commissioner for local governments and
emirate affairs, Sugun Mai-Mele and a member of the Borno State House
of Assembly, representing Mobbar State constituency, Usman Moruma and
other officials of the State Government. The governor, who had
expressed his willingness to fight insurgency in the State had in
August ordered the recruitment of thousands of hunters and vigilantes
from different parts of northern Nigeria. He had also supported the
military’s deradicalisation and reintegration of repentant insurgents
programme.”
France
The
National: French Extremist Gets 28 Years For Prison
Attack
“A Paris court has sentenced a jailed ISIS foreign fighter to 28
years imprisonment for the attempted murder of two prison wardens in
September 2016, the first extremist attack in a French prison. Bilal
Taghi was serving a five-year sentence for attempting to travel to
Syria for jihad when he stabbed two prison guards at Osny prison
northwest of Paris using the hinge of his cell window, which he had
sharpened. He also etched the symbol of ISIS on a metal door and drew
a heart on a window with the blood of his victims. After the attack
the 27-year-old said he had wanted to kill a representative of the
French state on behalf of ISIS and would do so again if given the
chance. He boasted about hoodwinking his jailors into believing he was
someone “who could be reintegrated into society” by “being chatty”.
During his trial however he appeared contrite, apologising for his
actions and vowing that he had renounced extremism.The prosecution
dismissed his expressions of regret, describing him as a compulsive
liar who was “irrevocably committed to radical ideology”. His attack,
which took place in a prison wing dedicated to combatting extremism,
led to a review of the way in which radicalised prisoners are
managed.”
Germany
Deutsche
Welle: Germany Takes Back 'Islamic State' Mother And Her Three
Children From Syria
“Syria's Kurds completed the handover of three German children and
their mother, as well as a toddler from the US, to their respective
ministries, a Kurdish official confirmed on Saturday. Abdelkarim Omar,
a senior official with the Kurdish authorities in northeastern Syria,
said the transfer of the individuals had taken place on Friday. “An
American child and three German children with their mother were handed
over to their governments,” he said in a statement on Twitter. German
authorities had previously ordered for the mother, who Der Spiegel
news magazine identified as 30-year-old Laura H. from central Germany,
to be returned to her home country from a Syrian camp, saying that she
left the country and joined the jihadi militia in 2016. She and three
of her children were reportedly living in the Kurdish-run prisoner
camp al-Hol in northern Syria. On Friday, German officials confirmed
that three “German children who were detained in northern Syria, would
be able to leave for Iraq together with their mother.” According to
media reports, German authorities have been investigating the mother
on suspicion of membership of a terror organization and child
neglect.”
Southeast Asia
Associated
Press: IS-Linked Philippine Militant Behind Suicide Attacks
Killed
“Philippine troops have killed a “high-value” but little-known
Filipino militant who acted as a key link of the Islamic State group
to local jihadists and helped set up a series of deadly suicide
attacks in the south that have alarmed the region, military officials
said Saturday. Talha Jumsah, who used the nom de guerre Abu Talha, was
killed Friday morning in a clash with troops in the jungles off
Patikul town in Sulu province, which has been rocked by three deadly
suicide bombings this year, including the first suicide attack known
to have been staged by a Filipino militant. “One by one, we will hunt
you down,” Maj. Gen. Corleto Vinluan Jr., the commander of military
forces in Sulu, said in a warning to the militants. “I am reiterating
my appeal to them to surrender and live a normal life instead of being
hunted down as fleeing criminals.” Jumsah’s body was found by troops
Saturday nearly a kilometer (about half a mile) from where troops
clashed with his group near the mountain village of Tanum in Patikul,
provincial military spokesman Lt. Col. Gerald Monfort said. U.S. and
Australian anti-terrorism units have been helping monitor Jumsah, who
had laid low but played a key role in plotting attacks, training
militants and arranging the entry of Middle Eastern and Southeast
Asian militants to the southern Philippines, military officials
said.”
The
Washington Post: Couple Kidnapped By Islamists In The Philippines Are
Freed In Military Operation
“The Philippine military said Monday it rescued a British national
and his Filipino wife who had been kidnapped by local militants linked
to the Islamic State. Allan Hyrons, 71, and Wilma Hyrons, 59, were
abducted last month by Abu Sayyaf fighters at a beach resort the
couple owned in the southern Philippines. They were rescued around 8
a.m. Monday in the island province of Sulu after a 20-minute
firefight, said regional military commander Lt. Gen. Cirilito
Sobejana, who attributed the operation’s success to support from the
public. “The valuable [information] they shared to us led the troops
to the hideouts of the [Abu Sayyaf] bandits,” he said in a statement.
He added that Abu Sayyaf militants were still holding three
Indonesians captive. Kidnapping for ransom is a common practice for
Abu Sayyaf, which the U.S. State Department lists as a terrorist
organization. The group was previously linked to al-Qaeda before
aligning itself with the rival Islamic State.”
Arab
News: Bangladesh Arrests 15 Islamist Suspects In Major
Sweep
“Bangladesh police arrested 15 suspected members of a banned
extremist group from the country’s second-largest city, officials said
Saturday. Chittagong police conducted multiple arrests across the port
city, including the regional commander and activists of the outlawed
Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT) group, police spokesman Shah Abdur Rouf said.”The
militants were being reorganized in the city,” he said, adding police
recovered laptops, mobile phones, militant books, and cash to be used
for “subversive activities.” The group was banned in the South Asian
nation in 2009 for carrying out “anti-state and anti-democratic”
activities. The London-based HT, which calls for a caliphate for all
Muslims, has been operating for decades around the world. It was
banned in Bangladesh in 2009 for carrying out “anti-state and
anti-democratic” activities. Bangladesh has seen a spate of fatal
violence caused by Islamist extremists in recent years, including the
2016 Daesh-claimed cafe attack in Dhaka which killed 22 people, mostly
foreigners. Sheikh Hasina’s government launched a major nationwide
crackdown following the cafe attack, killing over 100 alleged Islamist
extremists and rounding up hundreds of suspects.”
Technology
The
New York Times: I Invented The World Wide Web. Here’s How We Can Fix
It.
“My parents were mathematicians. My mother helped code one of the
first stored-program computers — the Manchester Mark 1. They taught me
that when you program a computer, what you can do is limited only by
your imagination. That excitement for experimentation and change
helped me build the World Wide Web. I had hoped that 30 years from its
creation, we would be using the web foremost for the purpose of
serving humanity. Projects like Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap and the world
of open source software are the kinds of constructive tools that I
hoped would flow from the web. However, the reality is much more
complex. Communities are being ripped apart as prejudice, hate and
disinformation are peddled online. Scammers use the web to steal
identities, stalkers use it to harass and intimidate their victims,
and bad actors subvert democracy using clever digital tactics. The use
of targeted political ads in the United States’ 2020 presidential
campaign and in elections elsewhere threatens once again to undermine
voters’ understanding and choices. We’re at a tipping point. How we
respond to this abuse will determine whether the web lives up to its
potential as a global force for good or leads us into a digital
dystopia.”
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