Eye on Extremism
December 5, 2019
The
Wall Street Journal: Trump Administration Considers 14,000 More Troops
For Mideast
“The Trump administration is considering a significant expansion of
the U.S. military footprint in the Middle East to counter Iran,
including dozens more ships, other military hardware and as many as
14,000 additional troops, U.S. officials said. The deployment could
double the number of U.S. military personnel who have been sent to the
region since the start of a troop buildup in May. President Trump is
expected to make a decision on the new deployments as soon as this
month, those officials said. Mr. Trump, facing an election next year,
has long sought to exit foreign entanglements and avoid new conflicts.
But on Iran—and partly at the behest of Israel—he is convinced of the
need to counter the threat his aides say Tehran poses, the officials
said. He also could approve a smaller U.S. deployment, the officials
said. There is growing fear among U.S. military and other
administration officials that an attack on U.S. interests and forces
could leave the U.S. with few options in the region, officials said.
By sending additional military resources to the region, the
administration would be presenting a more credible deterrent to
Tehran, which has been blamed for a series of attacks, including one
in September against oil facilities in Saudi Arabia. Iran has denied
involvement.”
The
Times: YouTube Still Hosting Lectures By Islamist Hate Preacher Anwar
Al-Awlaki
Lectures by an Islamist hate preacher whose teachings helped to
radicalise the London Bridge terrorist Usman Khan have been found on
YouTube years after experts warned of the dangers they present. The
Counter Extremism Project (CEP), which aims to combat the activities
of extremist groups online, said at the time that it had found
evidence of 90 cases of terrorists who attacked western targets after
being influenced by Awlaki material online. David Ibsen, executive
director of the CEP, said: “The London Bridge attack is yet another
example of the consequences of inaction and negligence by online
platforms. Somehow eight years after his death Anwar al-Awlaki remains
a leading English language jihadist recruiter. Either YouTube’s
technology or its commitment, is lacking.”
Fox
News: Iranian Missile Parts Headed To Yemen Captured By US Navy
Warship, Officials Say
“U.S. officials confirmed to Fox News on Wednesday that a U.S. Navy
warship has intercepted a “significant cache” of what is thought to be
missile parts from Iran headed to rebels in Yemen. This is the first
time such high-level missile components have been seized en route to
the four-year civil war in Yemen, officials said, where Iranians
support the Houthi rebels. The U.S. has repeatedly accused Iran of
smuggling arms to the rebels, who are battling the Yemeni government.
A small Navy boat and a Coast Guard boarding team seized the weapons
last Wednesday in the northern Arabian Sea. The weapons have been
linked to Iran. The Yemeni civil war has been seen as a proxy conflict
between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and as a means to quell Iranian
influence in the region. In light of the violence, 20 million people
have been rendered food-insecure, with half of those suffering extreme
levels of hunger, according to a United Nations report from February.
The seizure came just as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss counterbalancing
Iran.”
Haaretz:
Iranian Weapons Warehouse Struck In Eastern Syria, Report
Says
“An Iranian Revolutionary Guards weapons warehouse in eastern Syria
was struck, Saudi news channel Al Arabiya reported Wednesday night.
The warehouse is located within an airport near Al-Bukamal, on the
Iraqi border. When asked if he authorized the strike on Wednesday
during a press briefing ahead of his meeting with U.S. Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "I never
talk about that." In recent months, a series of strikes in Iraq have
been attributed to Israel, some of them near the Syria-Iraq border and
the Al-Bukamal-Qaim crossing. The attacks targeted Iran-backed Shi'ite
militias and their convoys tasked with smuggling weapons into Syria.
In September, the Israeli army said Shi'ite units led by Iran's Quds
Force attempted to fire several rockets which failed to cross over to
Israel. This came just two weeks after the Israeli army announced that
Iranian General Qassem Soleimani was behind plans to carry out a drone
attack on Israel from Syria."
The
New York Times: In Syria, Health Workers Risk Becoming ‘Enemies Of The
State’
“The nearly 9-year-old conflict in Syria has been punctuated by
repeated violations of what is considered acceptable in war, including
the military’s use of chemical weapons, torture of prisoners and
recurrent bombings of hospitals in rebel-held areas. Less attention
has been paid to another outcome: the government’s criminalization of
medical care. On Wednesday, Physicians for Human Rights, a group that
has documented the collapse of Syria’s health care system, released a
study asserting that over the course of the war, President Bashar
al-Assad has successfully made medical assistance to his enemies a
crime. Whether it is disinfecting a fighter’s wound or even supplying
painkillers to clinics in an insurgent-held neighborhood, such acts
are punishable under a counterterrorism law enacted by Mr. al-Assad’s
government just over a year after the conflict began in March of 2011.
A special court has tried tens of thousands under the law, including
many medical workers.”
WTOP:
The Hunt: Terrorism Expert Says London Attack Proves ‘Hate Speech Can
Kill’
“CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans Jakob Schindler discusses radical
cleric Anjem Choudary's influence on London terror attacker Usman
Khan. Schindler said Choudary was "one of the most radical and
dangerous individuals in Europe, a virtual radicalization machine.
This is a living demonstration that hate speech can kill."
United States
The
Wall Street Journal: Nancy Pelosi Pushes To Remove Legal Protections
For Online Content In Trade Pact
“House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is pushing to strip out sweeping legal
protections for online content in the new trade pact with Mexico and
Canada, in what would be a blow for big technology companies. Internet
firms lobbied hard to include the immunity language in the trade
agreement, seeing it as a way to extend to Mexico and Canada the broad
umbrella of legal protection they enjoy in the U.S. But the trade-pact
language also could make it harder for Congress to withdraw the
current federal online protections for internet firms in the future,
some lawmakers fear. That is causing second thoughts about including
the legal shield—regarded by tech firms as a pillar of the internet—in
a trade pact. “There are concerns in the House about enshrining the
increasingly controversial…liability shield in our trade agreements,
particularly at a time when Congress is considering whether changes
need to be made in U.S. law,” a spokesman for Mrs. Pelosi (D., Calif.)
said.”
USA
Today: Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard Shooting: Sailor Shoots Two Dead,
Then Kills Himself
“A U.S. Navy sailor shot three people, then killed himself at Pearl
Harbor on Wednesday, military officials said, three days before the
anniversary of the attack that prompted the United States to enter
World War II. Two victims are dead and one is hospitalized in stable
condition, officials at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam said. The
shooting at the naval shipyard happened at about 2:30 p.m. local time.
Military forces responded to the scene and put the roughly 66,000
people who live at the base on lockdown for about an hour. The names
of the victims, all male Department of Defense civilian workers, will
be released after their families are notified. Officials identified
the gunman as an active duty sailor assigned to the USS Columbia. “We
are saddened by this incident, and our thoughts and prayers are with
the victims and their families,” said Rear Adm. Robert Chadwick, the
commander of Navy Region Hawaii. Any relationship between the gunman
and the victims is under investigation, Chadwick said. The type of
weapon fired was not immediately known, and personal weapons are not
allowed on base. No motive has been identified. Hawaii Gov. David Ige
said the White House has offered assistance from federal agencies and
that the state is also ready to help if
needed.”
Bloomberg:
Trump Moves Toward Labeling Mexican Cartels As Terrorist
Groups
“The Trump administration is moving forward on calls to classify
Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations after the killing of
nine U.S. citizens in Mexico, with top officials seeking to reach a
decision this week, according to three people familiar with the
matter. President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Friday with top
advisers at the White House to discuss whether to proceed with the
move, said the people who spoke on condition of anonymity. Under the
plan, the State Department would be allowed to designate cartels as
Foreign Terrorist Organizations, putting them in the same category as
U.S. enemies including Islamic State and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps. Key administration officials are in favor of allowing
such designations for drug traffickers, said the people. At least nine
members of a Mormon family were killed in northern Mexico last month
in an apparent attack by drug cartels, prompting Trump to say America
would help wipe traffickers “off the face of the earth.” Trump later
tweeted that an army may be needed to fight the gangs. Trump told
former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly last week that he had already
offered assistance to Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador
but that his counterpart had declined the offer.”
Syria
The
Telegraph: US Forces Kill Jihadist Leader In Syria With Precision
'Ninja' Missile That Chops Up Targets With Blades
“US forces are thought to have killed a senior jihadist leader in
northern Syria using a rarely deployed “Ninja” missile which attacks
targets with precision sword-like blades. The Hellfire missile, or
AGM-114R9X, which has a set of six folding blades instead of a warhead
for minimum collateral damage, is believed to have been used to take
out a commander in the al-Qaeda offshoot Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) in
the province of Idlib. The leader, named locally by his nom-de-guerre
Abu Ahmad al-Muhajir, was reported to have been killed on Tuesday
night when the car he was travelling in was hit by missiles in the
town of Atmeh near the Turkish border, 10 miles from the US raid that
killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi last month. He was
said to be a high-profile foreign trainer of an elite force within
HTS, known as "The Red Bands". Another, unidentified fighter who had
been in car was also killed.”
Foreign
Policy: The Fight For ISIS’s Old Territory Is Just
Beginning
“Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi were symbolically important. His death
bookends a five-year effort to defeat the Islamic State that involved
more than 70 countries and comes amid a U.S. withdrawal from parts of
Syria. The United States remains in other areas of eastern Syria in
Deir Ezzor and Hasakah provinces, where it is keeping Islamic State
sleeper cells on the run. However, the slow defeat of the group has
left a vacuum in Iraq and Syria; areas once controlled by the group
have been filled by forces linked to Iran, Turkey, the United States,
and Russia. New conflicts are emerging, including the protests in Iraq
and Turkey’s invasion of Syria. A conflict between Israel and Iranian
proxies, such as Hezbollah, could even be unleashed. This is bad news
for average people seeking to recover from the depredations of the
Islamic State. It is a cliché that countries sometimes win the war but
lose the peace. However, in Syria and Iraq, it is true. The Islamic
State once occupied an area the size of Britain, and the war against
it made millions of people refugees and led to the destruction of
cities and the disappearance of thousands in the carnage. For
instance, 3,000 Yazidis, members of a minority group in Iraq targeted
by the Islamic State in 2014, are still missing.”
Reuters:
Exclusive: U.S. Military Completes Pullback From Northeast Syria,
Esper Says
“The United States has completed its military pullback in
northeastern Syria, settling into a more stable posture of about 600
troops in the rest of the country after repositioning and reducing
forces, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said. Esper’s remarks in an
interview with Reuters could signal the end of a period of turbulence
and uncertainty surrounding the U.S. military presence in Syria after
President Donald Trump’s initial withdrawal order in October. Since
then, troop levels in Syria have fallen about 40 percent from around
1,000. Esper stressed he retained the ability to move in and out
smaller numbers of forces as needed into Syria. But he suggested the
number of troops will fluctuate around the 600-level for the
foreseeable future. “It will be relatively static around that number.
But if we see things happen ... I can dial up a little bit,” Esper
said late on Wednesday during a flight back from the NATO summit on
the outskirts of London.”
The
Independent: Yazidi Women Rescued From Isis Captivity Nine Months
After Fall Of Caliphate
“Three Yazidi women have been rescued from Isis captivity in Iraq
and Syria this week, some nine months after the defeat of the terror
group’s caliphate. A 17-year-old woman was found by Iraqi security
forces in a desert hideout used by the jihadi group near the city of
Ramadi, and two others aged 16 and 20 were found in separate locations
in Syria, according to local media. The discoveries will fuel hopes
that some of the thousands of Yazidi women still missing may yet be
found in the territory formerly held by Isis. The three women have
been held in captivity by the terror group since 2014, when Isis
fighters carried out a murderous rampage against the Yazidi people in
their traditional homeland of Sinjar in northern Iraq. The attackers
killed thousands, and took more than 6,000 women and children as
slaves. The group officially sanctioned the rape and enslavement of
Yazidi women. The United Nations would later declare the attack on
Sinjar, and the ongoing enslavement, a genocide.”
Al
Jazeera: Women Under ISIL: The Wives
“ISIL was like a disease, an epidemic like the flu that infects
everyone. Unfortunately, it infected my home. It infiltrated it
through my husband. He was an open-minded person. He loved life. He
was liberal, sensible and well-educated. He was respected by all.
Gradually, he became more religious, more devout. And then I noticed
that his ideas had changed. I do not know how to explain it. It
happened gradually. Suddenly one day, he went to visit his parents in
the countryside. The next day, his mother called me and said: “He's
gone, that's all. Forget about him. You no longer have a husband.”
After 40 days, I was staying with relatives and had not returned home.
One of them told me that he had just walked past my house and had seen
my husband there. I went back home happy and hugged him. But it was
not him any more. It was his face but it was not the same person. It
was as if he was a stranger. He told me: “I made my decision and you
have to accept it. This is your life now, you're ISIL whether you like
it or not.”
Express:
Jihadis Eliminated: ‘Ninja Bomb’ Slices Terrorists To Shreds In
Syria
“The frightening, drone-deployed R9X, which is also referred to as
the Flying Ginsu, referring to a knife used by chefs, was reportedly
used in an airstrike in a city in northwestern Syria. It struck less
than 10 miles from where a special ops team carried out the raid which
resulted in the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. According
to US-based website the War Zone, the raid destroyed the vehicle, as
well as killing its two occupants. The United States is yet to confirm
any involvement but the War Zone suggested at least one of the victims
was a member of Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, or HTS, a group which split with
al- Qaeda in 2017. Nick Waters, a senior investigator at the
Bellingcat website, tweeted: “This is an interesting strike: looks
like the car was hit with either an inert/dud round or, possibly, the
RX9 Hellfire: the missile with 6 swords sticking out of it.” Elizabeth
Tsurkov, a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FRPI) also
tweeted: “A note used for crossing HTS checkpoints appears to confirm
the identity of the person killed. “If true, this is the first
Coalition strike against HTS in 2 years - the US increasingly shifted
to targeting more radical factions (ISIS, AQ, Ansar al-Tawhid).”
Asharq
Al-Awsat: 24 Relatives Of Bosnian Militants Return Home From
Syria
“Wives and children of former extremist insurgents in Syria who are
Bosnian citizens will return home to Bosnia this weekend, its
presidency chairman Zeljko Komsic said on Wednesday. Hundreds of
Bosnian citizens are believed to have left Europe to fight for ISIS in
Syria and Iraq, and many are now in detention camps waiting to be
handed over to their countries of origin. “This week the return of 24
citizens of Bosnia is expected..., namely women and children of former
fighters in Syria...This is a humane act, these are our people who
stayed there,” Komsic told reporters during a visit to Slovenia. He
said some children coming back were orphans, and that Bosnian
authorities had done security checks on all returnees. In October,
Bosnia's security minister said the country was preparing to take back
and try nine of its nationals suspected of fighting for ISIS in Syria.
Their return was postponed after Turkey launched a military incursion
into northeast Syria to fight Kurdish militia. Under Bosnia's criminal
code, citizens who leave to fight in foreign wars must be prosecuted
under terrorism charges. Bosnia's state court has tried and convicted
46 people who returned from Syria or Iraq over the past few
years.”
Iran
CNBC:
Iran’s Brutality Is Getting Another Pass From Europe
“Every hunter and hiker knows that one of the first rules of the
wild is to beware a wounded animal. It’s also pretty good lesson to
remember in foreign relations. These days, the world would be
hard-pressed to find a more dangerous wounded animal than Iran. The
Islamist regime has spent most of this year ramping up its violent
attacks on its neighbors in the Middle East and on oil tanker traffic
along the Persian Gulf. But over the last few weeks, the Iranian
government’s brutality has been refocused on its own people. The
regime’s decision to scrap gasoline subsidies sparked massive protests
across the country, and the shocking crackdown on those protesters is
providing stunning news stories almost daily. As of now, the human
rights group Amnesty International has confirmed a number of those
stunning items. They include 208 protesters confirmed killed, a “shoot
to kill” policy in place against demonstrators, and the absolutely
most stunning revelation of all: in some cases, Iranian security
forces are returning the bodies of killed protesters to their families
and demanding to be paid for the price of the bullets used to kill
them. If you think that’s as perverse as it gets, be prepared for
further disbelief. Because just as Iran’s belligerence is increasing,
much of the Western world is going out of its way to appease the
Islamist regime.”
Iran
Has Launched ‘Malicious’ New Malware That Wipes Windows Computers,
Warns IBM
“Iran’s state-sponsored hackers have deployed a new strain of
malicious malware, warns IBM, which has been aimed at the “industrial
and energy sectors” in the Middle East. No specific companies have
been identified, but there’s no surprise in the nature of the attack.
For Iran, its ongoing hybrid conflict with the U.S. and its allies has
made these sectors a target. IBM has attributed the latest
“destructive attacks” to Iran’s hyperactive APT34 “and at least one
other group, [also] likely based out of Iran.” APT34 has hit the
headlines a few times this year, including with a phishing attack
using LinkedIn. But it’s the identity of that “one other group” that’s
arguably more interesting. The sectoral targets and use of wiper
malware points towards Iran’s APT33, arguably the best known of its
threat actors.”
Iraq
Kurdistan
24: ISIS Attack Kills 3 Peshmerga Forces In Iraq's Disputed Diyala
Province
“Three Kurdish Peshmerga forces were killed repelling an Islamic
State attack late Wednesday night in Iraq's disputed province of
Diyala. The onslaught began with mortar shells being fired at
Peshmerga forces and developed into a ground assault on Kulajo,
located in the Garmiyan administrative district, which is protected by
Peshmerga forces. A statement from the Ministry of Peshmerga
confirmed the attack which was “in Kulajo area, which is the
Peshmerga's frontline position between Khanaqin and Garmyan,” adding
that, despite their casualties, the Kurdish forces foiled the attack.
“Previously, we have warned against ISIS increasing its activities and
resurging in the area to the public and to the International Coalition
against ISIS,” it continued, saying that the attack was proof that the
extremist group still poses a dire threat. “We are requesting that the
international coalition against ISIS intensify their support and
coordination with Peshmerga forces to prevent the resurrection of the
terrorist group ISIS in certain areas.” Separate Islamic State attacks
in Diyala on Sunday left at least five people dead and dozens more
injured. A source in Garmiyan told Kurdistan 24 that Islamic State
fighters attacked the Islah village near Jalawla, where they clashed
with Iraqi forces.”
Turkey
France
24: Macron Says 'No Consensus' With Turkey Over Definition Of
Terrorism
“French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that no consensus
could be reached with Turkey on defining terrorism, amid a row with
Ankara over Kurdish militia groups. “I don't see any possible
consensus,” Macron said after a NATO summit marred by the spat with
Turkey over its demand that allies brand as “terrorists” the Kurdish
militias of northeastern Syria that helped a US-led coalition defeat
the Islamic State group. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had
threatened to block an update to defence plans for the Baltic
republics and Poland unless NATO recognised the Syrian Kurdish
People's Protection Units (YPG) as terrorists. After meetings between
Erdogan and US President Donald Trump, as well as Baltic and Polish
leaders, Turkey dropped its objections, but the fractious mood
continued even after the summit ended. Macron rejected Ankara's
assertion that the YPG is an offshoot of the PKK, or Kurdistan
Workers' Party, which has waged a long insurgent campaign against the
Turkish state and is widely acknowledged internationally as a terror
group. “We do not agree to classify the YPG-PYD as a terrorist group,”
he told reporters.”
Afghanistan
CBS
News: U.S. Envoy Visits Kabul, Touts “Effective Operations” By
American Forces And Taliban Against ISIS
“Washington's special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad was in the
Afghan capital and will “rejoin talks with the Taliban,” the State
Department said Wednesday. Khalilzad's visit comes just days after
President Donald Trump visited U.S. troops in Afghanistan for the
Thanksgiving holiday, when he hinted at a resumption of peace talks
with the Taliban. Khalilzad will travel from Kabul to Doha, where he
will “rejoin talks with the Taliban to discuss steps that could lead
to intra-Afghan negotiations and a peaceful settlement of the war,
specifically a reduction in violence that leads to a ceasefire,” the
State Department said. Khalilzad tweeted earlier Wednesday that a
recent military campaign targeting the ISIS was an example of an
“effective operations by U.S./Coalition & Afghan forces as well as
the Taliban.” A Taliban official said the group has held informal
talks with the Americans, without specifying where or who
participated. He spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks.
Mr. Trump said the U.S. and Taliban have been engaged in peace talks
and insisted the Taliban want to make a deal after heavy U.S. fire in
recent months. The Taliban official said the U.S. has been pressing
for a cease-fire, even a temporary one during the time of an agreement
signing.”
The
New York Times: ‘He Showed Us Life’: Japanese Doctor Who Brought Water
To Afghans Is Killed
“The people he helped called him “Uncle Murad.” Dr. Tetsu Nakamura
left his home in Japan in the 1980s to treat leprosy patients in
Afghanistan and Pakistan. He later found, however, that severe drought
was killing more people than his clinics could save. So he discovered
a new calling: irrigation. In the 2000s, adapting old Japanese
techniques that required little technology, he helped villagers
displaced by drought build a network of canals that has transformed an
area of nearly a million residents. “A doctor treats patients one by
one, but this helps a whole village,” Dr. Nakamura had said. “I love
seeing a village that’s been brought back to life.” On Wednesday, Dr.
Nakamura was attacked by gunmen while driving to work in Jalalabad,
the capital of Nangarhar Province, in eastern Afghanistan. Five
members of his organization’s staff were killed, and Dr. Nakamura was
wounded fatally. He was 73. “He was operated on in Nangarhar hospital,
but he had received several bullet wounds,” said Attaullah Khogyani, a
spokesman for the province’s governor. Dr. Nakamura died as they were
rushing him to the local airport to fly him to the medical facility at
the American military base in Bagram, Mr. Khogyani
said.”
Military
Times: ISIS Is Taking A Beating In Afghanistan Setting The Stage For
Potential US Troop Withdrawal
“Sustained U.S. and Afghan operations combating the Afghanistan
branch of the Islamic State has led to a near-collapse of the jihadist
group in eastern Afghanistan — helping clear a hurdle for an American
withdrawal from the country. President Donald Trump touted success of
recent operations against the Islamic extremist group during a
Thanksgiving Day surprise visit to American troops at Bagram Airfield
detailing that U.S. forces were “wiping” out ISIS militants “left and
right.” “There’s almost nothing left in this area. And al-Qaida, the
same thing. And tremendous progress,” Trump told U.S. troops during
the visit. “And we — we’ve got them down to very low numbers. We’ll
have that totally taken care of in a very short period of time.” The
New York Times, citing a Western official, reported that the number of
ISIS militants had dwindled down to roughly 300 from previous
estimates that claimed the group was fielding several thousand
fighters. A recent UN report said ISIS terrorists in Afghanistan
numbered between 2,500 and 4,000 fighters. A 2019 DoD report on
Afghanistan estimates the size of the terrorist group to be less than
2,000 fighters.”
Long
War Journal: Turkistan Islamic Party Touts Captured Equipment,
Training Camp In Afghanistan
“The Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP), a largely Uighur jihadist group
that is affiliated with al Qaeda and also operates in Syria, released
a new video earlier today showcasing it’s men fighting in Afghanistan.
The video, dated for November 2019, is largely a photo montage
featuring its fighters and their families. However, it also serves to
tout its spoils taken from the Afghan military. Dozens of TIP’s men
can be seen with captured Afghan military vehicles, including several
Humvees. Captured weapons, including M16 and M4 variant rifles, can
also be seen in the hands of the jihadists. In several photos, child
soldiers, a recurring theme within TIP propaganda, are also shown with
the older militants. This is not the first time the TIP has
highlighted captured Afghan equipment and vehicles. Last year, it
released a combat video from Afghanistan which showed several captured
Humvees in the aftermath of the battle. In 2015, a similar video was
released in which another Humvee was captured in skirmishes with the
Afghan military. Additionally, photos from a training camp are also
featured prominently in today’s propaganda film. The camp appears to
be an established facility, as it is maintained within a fortified
perimeter.”
Africa
The
Defense Post: Morocco And Spain Arrest 4 Suspected ISIS Supporters In
Joint Raids
“Moroccan police said Wednesday, December 4, that they had
disrupted a jihadist cell and arrested three suspected supporters of
Islamic State, in a joint operation with Spain. Three men were
detained in Morocco’s northern Nador region “in coordination with
Spanish national police,” while the head of the group was “arrested
simultaneously” near Madrid, a statement by Moroccan anti-terror
police said. The suspects, aged between 24 and 39, followed Islamic
State group propaganda and organized meetings to “plan terrorist
operations in response to repeated calls from ISIS leaders,” the
statement said. Spanish police said a man was arrested in Guadalajara
northeast of Madrid. He is accused of organizing meetings with other
radical Islamists around the Spanish enclave of Melilla on Morocco’s
north coast and being in contact with jihadists in Syria and Mali,
Spanish police said. The operation also netted electronic equipment,
mobile phones, balaclavas and extremist literature, Moroccan
anti-terror police said. Morocco was long spared from jihadist
violence, until last year when two Scandinavian tourists were beheaded
by ISIS supporters in the High Atlas mountains.”
Xinhua:
Kenyan Police Thwart Al-Shabab Attack In Border
Region
“Kenyan police said Wednesday they foiled al-Shabab's aim to
disrupt communication services and later carry out an attack in the
northeast region of Garissa. Mohamed Birik, northeastern regional
commissioner said the militants suspected to have crossed from Somalia
only managed to destroy a diesel generator that powers
telecommunication mast after they struck at around 1 a.m. in Diiso
village. “I want to confirm that all our officers have been accounted
for, not even one of them has also been injured or kidnapped as it is
alleged by some quarters and on the social media,” Birik said on
phone. “I want to appeal to people to kindly stop spreading rumors and
unverified information because doing so only serves to create
unnecessary tension and fear,” he added. Initial reports had indicated
that the 21 police officers attached at the camp were missing and that
the mast belonging to the mobile firm, Safaricom, had been completely
been destroyed. Birik said that the militants' mission was to
completely destroy the mast but a quick response by the security
officers repulsed them. A police officer attached to the camp who
spoke in confidence said that their quick response saved the
situation.”
United Kingdom
The
Telegraph: London Bridge Terrorist Was Upgraded To A 'High Risk'
Category A Prisoner After Threats To
Staff
“London Bridge terrorist Usman Khan was upgraded to a “high risk”
category A prisoner after making threats to senior prison staff, The
Telegraph can reveal. Prison officials increased the convicted
terrorist’s threat level in prison from “standard risk” after he
breached security and put staff in danger. Only the most serious
offenders have such a classification, requiring a constant watch and
armed police escort when moved from prison. Prison sources claim it
was one of a number of incidents including violence early on during
the eight years he served for a terror plot to blow up the London
stock exchange. He remained “high risk” until released on licence from
Woodhill high security jail last December into the hands of probation
and police who were responsible for supervising him in the community.
The disclosure challenges suggestions he was consistently a model
prisoner who had reformed his beliefs, ultimately resulting in him
being allowed to go unescorted to a prisoner rehabilitation conference
at London Bridge where he stabbed to death two Cambridge University
graduates. It also raises further questions about the system that
allowed him to be automatically released halfway through his 16-year
sentence without any assessment of his threat to the public by the
parole board.”
Sky
News: Right Wing Terrorism Investigation: Somerset Man Charged With 12
Offences
“A 22-year-old Somerset man has been charged with 12 offences
following an investigation into suspected right wing terrorism online.
Andrew Dymock, of Weymouth Street in Bath, was arrested on Wednesday
morning, Counter Terrorism Policing North East said in a statement. He
has been charged under the Terrorism Act with five offences of
encouraging terrorism, four offences of disseminating terrorist
publications, two counts of terrorist fundraising, and one count of
possessing material that is of use to a terrorist. He is due to appear
in Westminster Magistrates Court later.”
Europe
Associated
Press: Europeans Rap Iran For Working On Nuclear-Capable
Missiles
“France, Germany and the United Kingdom say “Iran’s developments of
nuclear-capable ballistic missiles” go against a U.N. Security Council
resolution calling on Tehran not to undertake any activity related to
such missiles. Ambassadors from the three European nations urged U.N.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a letter circulated Wednesday to
inform the council in his next report that Iran’s ballistic missile
activity is “inconsistent” with the call in a council resolution
endorsing the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. The letter cites footage
released on social media April 22, 2019, of a previously unseen flight
test of a new Shahab-3 medium-range ballistic missile variant
“equipped with a maneuverable re-entry vehicle.” It says: “The
Shahab-3 booster used in the test is a Missile Technology Control
Regime category-1 system and as such is technically capable of
delivering a nuclear weapon.” The Europeans noted that a 2015 report
by the International Atomic Energy Agency on possible military
dimensions of Iran’s nuclear program concluded “that extensive
evidence indicated detailed Iranian research in 2002-2003 on arming
the Shahab-3 with a nuclear warhead.” Officials in the Trump
administration also have said Iran is working to obtain
nuclear-capable missiles, something the Iranians deny.”
The
New York Times: Iran Is Secretly Moving Missiles Into Iraq, U.S.
Officials Say
“Iran has used the continuing chaos in Iraq to build up a hidden
arsenal of short-range ballistic missiles in Iraq, part of a widening
effort to try to intimidate the Middle East and assert its power,
according to American intelligence and military officials. The buildup
comes as the United States has rebuilt its military presence in the
Middle East to counter emerging threats to American interests,
including attacks on oil tankers and facilities that intelligence
officials have blamed on Iran. Since May, the Trump administration has
sent roughly 14,000 additional troops to the region, primarily to
staff Navy ships and missile defense systems. But new intelligence
about Iran’s stockpiling of missiles in Iraq is the latest sign that
the Trump administration’s efforts to deter Tehran by increasing the
American military presence in the Middle East has largely failed. The
missiles pose a threat to American allies and partners in the region,
including Israel and Saudi Arabia, and could endanger American troops,
the intelligence officials said.”
The
New York Times: Inconvenient Murders
“Two years ago, a 27-year-old man named Kobili Traoré walked into
the Paris apartment of a 65-year-old kindergarten teacher named Sarah
Halimi. Mr. Traoré beat Ms. Halimi and stabbed her. According to
witnesses, he called her a demon and a dirty Jew. He shouted, “Allahu
akbar,” then threw Ms. Halimi’s battered body out of her third-story
apartment window. This is what Mr. Traoré told prosecutors: “I felt
persecuted. When I saw the Torah and a chandelier in her home I felt
oppressed. I saw her face transforming.” One would think that this
would be an open-and-shut hate crime. It was the coldblooded murder of
a woman in her own home for the sin of being a Jew. But French
prosecutors decided to drop murder charges against Mr. Traoré because
he … had smoked cannabis. If France’s betrayal of Sarah Halimi is
shocking to you, perhaps you haven’t being paying much attention to
what by now can be described as a moral calamity sweeping the West of
which her story is only the clearest example. A crisis, I hasten to
add, that’s perhaps less known because it has been largely overlooked
by the mainstream press.”
Reuters:
IS Detainee Deported From Turkey Charged After Return To
Ireland
“Irish police charged a woman aligned to Islamic State on
Wednesday, three days after she was arrested on suspicion of terrorist
offences when she returned to Dublin from Turkey. The police gave no
details of the charges against Lisa Smith, an Irish citizen who had
gone to Turkey from Syria and denies involvement with any
terrorist-related activity. Smith, 38, was due to appear in court
later on Wednesday, the police said in a statement. Ireland agreed to
repatriate Smith and her two-year-old daughter after Ankara began
deporting foreign citizens linked to Islamic State last month. Turkey
says it has captured 287 militants in northeast Syria, where Turkish
troops launched an offensive against the Kurdish YPG militia last
month, and has hundreds of jihadist suspects in detention. Dublin had
said for months that it had a responsibility to bring Smith back to
Ireland but that police may be in a position to charge her upon her
return. She was arrested on Sunday at Dublin airport. The government’s
main concern was for the safe repatriation of her daughter, Prime
Minister Leo Varadkar said. The girl was now being cared for by
relatives, police said.”
The
Hill: Graham Knocks Macron's 'Cavalier' Comments About European ISIS
Fighters
“Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) knocked French President Emmanuel
Macron for “cavalier” comments about ISIS fighters who traveled from
Europe to join the terrorist group. “Very disturbed by the cavalier
remarks made by President Macron about how the number of European ISIS
fighters in Syria is a small problem in the grand scheme of things,”
Graham, a well-known foreign policy hawk, tweeted. “There are hundreds
of European ISIS fighters currently imprisoned in Syria. They are
committed jihadists and killing machines. We must never forget what a
handful of ISIS fighters did in the Paris and Nice attacks, and
attacks in other European nations,” he added, referencing terrorist
attacks by ISIS in France that killed more than 200 people combined.
The remarks come after a tense meeting on Tuesday in London between
Macron and President Trump in which Trump complained that European
countries have been unwilling to accept ISIS fighters the U.S. had
captured. “Would you like some nice ISIS fighters? I can give them to
you,” Trump said. “You can take every one you want.” “Let’s be
serious,” Macron replied, noting that most ISIS fighters came from
Syria, Iraq and Iran and that the number of European ISIS fighters was
a “tiny” part of the overall problem of addressing turmoil in the
Middle East.”
Australia
The
Guardian: Far-Right Extremist Phillip Galea Found Guilty Of Plotting
Terror Attacks In Melbourne
“A Melbourne man has been found guilty of plotting terror attacks
targeting buildings including Trades Hall and creating a handbook for
would-be attackers. Far-right extremist Phillip Galea, 35, was charged
with doing acts in preparation or planning a terrorist act and
attempting to make a document to facilitate a terrorist act. He was
found guilty by a Victorian supreme court jury after deliberating for
about two days following a seven-week trial. Galea was accused
plotting attacks on Melbourne anarchist and socialist groups between
August 2015 and 2016 to “eliminate the leaders of the left”. He was
accused of working on a terror how-to document he called the Patriot’s
Cookbook, prosecutors say. But Galea – who was associated with the
far-right group Reclaim Australia – insisted he was making a
“satirical document” for people to enjoy, inspired by another
“hilarious” parody book. “I intended it to be taken as a joke,” he
said. Galea has been in custody since his arrest in August 2016. Arson
and explosive experts raided Galea’s home in November 2015 and seized
five cattle prods and 362.1 grams of mercury. Computer equipment was
also seized, and it was alleged Galea researched homemade bombs,
ballistic armour and guns.”
BBC
News: Sydney Police Charge 21-Year-Old With Plotting
Terror Attack
“Australian police have arrested a 21-year-old man in Sydney on
three separate terrorism charges. Police allege that the man, who has
not been named, was a member of Islamic State and was in the early
stages of preparing for “terrorist acts”. He is also accused of
posting extremist content online, and of attempting to radicalise two
teenagers. It comes days after two were killed in a London knife
attack, carried out by a man convicted of terrorism offences.
Australian police said their arrest was carried on Wednesday morning
at a home in Riverwood, where the Australian-born man lived with his
parents. Authorities allege that, while planning for the attack, the
man downloaded a dossier on weapons and tactics to use in a terrorist
attack. Police said his arrest was the result of a six-month
investigation, but added that the attack had not been imminent. The
man is expected to appear in court on Thursday and faces life
imprisonment if found guilty.”
Southeast Asia
Xinhua:
Indonesia's Anti-Terror Squad Nabs 6 IS-Linked
Militants
“The anti-terror squad of the Indonesian National Police known as
Detachment 88 has arrested six alleged militants believed to be
members of a cell affiliated with the IS group, a senior police
officer said on Wednesday. The six persons had engaged in recruitment
and activities preparing for terrorist plots before being captured
separately in Indonesia's province of West Nusa Tenggara, provincial
police chief Inspector General Nana Sudjana said. The police chief
said the persons allegedly grouped themselves in an outlawed Jemaah
Anshorut Daulah (JAD) which is loyal to the IS group in Syria and
Iraq. So far, Sudjana said that the police had found out an activity
to spread radicalism teachings among residents in the province and
persuade them to join the militant group. Activities with tendency to
terrorist acts have also been detected, the police chief said. “The
activities include a military-style training,” he said. The six
persons were arrested by the Detachment 88 on Friday and Saturday in
the province, local media reported. The Christmas and New Year Eve
celebrations had been frequently targeted by the militants in
Indonesia, prompting the authorities to beef up security.”
Technology
The
Guardian: Ex-Facebook Worker Claims Disturbing Content Led To
PTSD
“A former Facebook moderator is suing the company, alleging that
his work scouring the site of violent and obscene content caused his
post-traumatic stress disorder. Chris Gray, who now works as a tour
guide, is seeking damages from both Facebook Ireland and CPL, the
contracting firm that directly employed him. The case, filed on
Wednesday in the Irish high court in Dublin, is thought to be the
first time a former moderator has taken the social network to court.
According to court documents, Gray’s work required him to review
“approximately a thousand tickets per night”, initially focused on
pornography, and later “on content that had been reported as being
threatening, hateful, bullying, or otherwise dangerous”. Two years on,
a number of specific pieces of content remain “particularly marked” in
his memory, the legal writ says, including “a video in which a woman
wearing an abaya is seen being stoned to death”, “a video in which
persons, who appear to be migrants in Libya, are tortured with molten
metal”, and “video footage of dogs being cooked alive”.”
ABC
News: After A Decade Of Explosive Growth, Silicon Valley Grapples With
'Unintended Consequences' And 'Responsibility'
“The technology that connects us has revolutionized the world over
the past decade -- at times moving faster than we could keep up with,
irrevocably changing how people interact and in many ways changing our
lives for the better. But as the decade comes to a close, some say the
most significant development in tech was its unintended consequences
-- including impinging on privacy and presenting new opportunities for
criminals and those who wish to sow political chaos and discord and at
times taking a toll on health and relationships. Robert Scoble, a
longtime tech evangelist at Microsoft who currently works as the chief
strategy officer at the spatial computing agency Infinite Retina, said
that those largely unanticipated consequences have manifested
themselves in a variety of ways, like weaponizing a social media
platform that had innocuous beginnings for political purposes. "There
are always unintended consequences of technology, I didn't see that
the presidential campaigns or Russia would use Facebook, for instance,
to advertise to people," Scoble said. "I didn't even think about that,
and I don't think most people thought about that."
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