Eye on Extremism
July 25, 2019
The
New York Times: Suicide Bomber Kills Officials In Mayor’s Office In
Somalia’s Capital
“A suicide bomber walked into the mayor’s office in Mogadishu,
Somalia’s capital, during a high-level security meeting on Wednesday
and detonated explosives, seriously injuring the mayor and killing at
least six people, according to local authorities. The mayor,
Abdirahman Omar Osman, was in critical condition with head and stomach
injuries, officials said. James Swan, an American diplomat who is the
United Nations’ special representative for Somalia, had visited the
mayor’s office earlier Wednesday but left before the attack, the
authorities said. The Shabab, an Islamist extremist group with links
to Al Qaeda, claimed responsibility and said that Mr. Swan was the
intended target, according to Radio Andalus, the group’s radio
station. The Shabab, which seeks to overthrow Somalia’s Western-backed
government, often target government offices and other high-profile
places in Somalia’s capital. It was not clear how the attacker was
permitted to enter the room and detonate explosives. People familiar
with the mayor’s office, who asked not to be named because of the
sensitivity of the situation, said that it was closely guarded and
that the bomber must have been familiar with the guards in order to
enter.”
France
24: Three Blasts Rock Afghan Capital, Govt Employees
Killed
“Three back-to-back bomb attacks rocked the Afghan capital, Kabul
on Thursday, with one hitting a bus carrying government employees,
killing at least 12 people, officials said. Five employees
of Afghanistan's Ministry of Mines and Petroleum were killed and 10
wounded in the bus attack, the officials said, adding that seven
people were killed and more than 20 wounded in the second explosion.
“First a magnetic bomb pasted to a minibus exploded, then a suicide
bomber blew himself near the bus attack site and the third blast
happened when a car was blown up by unknown militants,” said Nasrat
Rahimi, a spokesman of the interior ministry in Kabul. “The death toll
could rise from all the three blasts,” he said. Gruesome video footage
posted on Twitter by the Afghan Tolo TV station showed at least one
body lying on a blood soaked street next to the chassis of a destroyed
minivan. Ambulances rushed to the scene, ferrying victims to city
hospitals and the area was closed off by security personnel.
The Taliban claimed one attack targeting “foreign invaders” in a
message posted on Twitter by its spokesman, who uses the nom de
guerre, Mujahid Zabihullah. The militant group denied involvement in
the other two attacks in the city.”
The
National: ISIS Affiliate Releases Video Of Nigerian Aid Workers
Begging For Their Lives
“Six Nigerian NGO workers kidnapped in Borno state last week have
appeared in a hostage video begging for their lives, identifying their
captors as militants from the local ISIS affiliate, a group that has
previously executed humanitarians. In a three-minute video shared
online on Thursday, a woman wearing a blue abaya and identifying
herself as Grace begged her employer and the Nigerian government to
help free her and the five men kneeling silently behind her.
Identifying herself as a Christian Nigerian who works for the aid
organisation Action Against Hunger (ACF), she said she and her
colleagues “were caught by this army called the Calipha.” The video
was released through the same channels as previous videos from the
ISIS-linked Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). “I beg Action
against Hunger, we have families some of us have children,” she said.
“Please do something to release us.”
France
24: Bombardment Kills 20 Civilians In Northwest Syria:
Monitor
“Bombardment by the Syrian regime and its Russian ally killed 20
civilians including five children Wednesday in the latest violence to
hit northwest Syria. The Syrian regime and Russia have stepped up
their deadly raids on the Idlib region since late April, despite an
international deal intended to prevent a full-scale offensive on the
area of some three million people. In almost three months, 730
civilians have been killed there in air strikes and ground-to-ground
fire by the Damascus government and its allies. The bombardment has
also hit two dozen hospitals in the opposition area, which is made up
of most of Idlib province as well as slivers of adjacent governorates.
On Wednesday, Russian air strikes killed 10 people from the same
family, including three children, on a farm near the town of Khan
Sheikhun in Idlib province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
said. Ten others lost their lives in regime air strikes and artillery
fire in other parts of the jihadist-run bastion, the Britain-based
monitoring group said. Among these, regime war planes killed five
civilians including two children in the town of Ariha in Idlib
province, it said.”
WTOP:
The Hunt: What’s Behind British Airways Canceling Flights To
Egypt?
“A 2016 explosion that killed 224 people aboard a plane leaving
Egypt for Russia might be linked to British Airways’ recent decision
to cancel flights to Egypt. CEP Senior Director Hans-Jakob Schindler
joins host J.J. Green to discuss the suspension of flights and the
reasons behind it.”
Dhaka
Tribune: Facebook, Whatsapp: Major Recruiting Tools For
Radicalization
“For persuading university students, radical groups used messaging
or texting in their recruitment efforts – particularly on Facebook and
Whatsapp – in certain parts of Bangladesh. Radical groups largely use
Facebook and Whatsapp to contact university students to persuade them
to join extremist groups, according to a study conducted by the Center
for Enterprise and Society (CES) at the University of Liberal Arts
Bangladesh (ULAB). The research, “Social Media and Radicalization of
University Students in Bangladesh,” authored by Sajid Amit, director
CES and Executive MBA (EMBA) at ULAB, and Lumbini Barua, CES research
associate, was based on a quantitative survey of 470 university
students in Dhaka, Sylhet, and Rajshahi as well as interviews of
experts. The study finds that 17.2% of students reported being
approached online to join a religious group. Although it is not clear
if the groups have links with extremists, experts think that extremist
groups may be active on social media.”
United States
CBS
Pittsburgh: Syria Native Accused In Church Bomb Plot Arraigned On
Terrorism Charges
“The young man from Syria facing federal terrorism charges for
allegedly plotting to bomb a Pittsburgh church was back in court
Wednesday for his arraignment. According to our news partners at the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 21-year-old Mustafa Alowemer was arraigned in
U.S. District Court on terrorism charges. He pleaded not guilty and
requested a trial by jury. Attorneys on both sides asked for three
weeks for the trial, the Post-Gazette reports. Alowemer is accused of
planning to bomb the Legacy International Worship Center on the North
Side. Investigators say an undercover agent reported that Alowemer
told him he was going to set off a backpack full of explosives on the
side of the church. Last week, U.S. Attorney Scott Brady announced
that a federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment against
Alowemer. He is charged with one count of attempting to provide
material support and resources to ISIS, and two counts of distributing
information relating to an explosive, destructive device or weapon of
mass destruction. Alowemer remains in federal custody.”
The
Hill: White Nationalist Whose Family Reported Him For Extremist
Behavior Pleads Guilty To Gun Charge
“A Washington, D.C., man reported by his family for extremist
behavior pleaded guilty to a federal gun charge on Tuesday, The
Associated Press reports. Jeffrey Clark Jr., 30, faces a maximum of
10 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of illegal
possession of firearms by a person who is an unlawful user of a
controlled substance, according to the AP. Clark was arrested on gun
charges in November after authorities said they found multiple guns
and military equipment in his home, and said Clark made anti-Semitic
threats online. He was denied bail. Clark reportedly told
investigators he is a white nationalist after he was taken into
custody. Clark's relatives notified authorities after he allegedly
made anti-Semitic social media posts on the website Gab after the Tree
of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh. His relatives told police
Clark and his brother were involved in the alt-right movement and
became interested in guns in 2016, believing there were could be a
civil war. Relatives said Clark “fantasized about killing ‘Jews and
blacks,' “ according to a court filing. Clark allegedly posted on Gab
after the Tree of Life shooting: “Get used to it libtards. This was a
dry run for things to come.”
CNN:
US Navy Sails Warship Through Contested Waterway As Beijing Warns
Taiwan
“The US Navy sailed a warship through the Taiwan Strait Wednesday,
a move that came on the same day Beijing warned that it would not rule
out using force against self-governed Taiwan to block any move toward
formal independence. The "USS Antietam conducted a routine Taiwan
Strait transit July 24-25 (local time) in accordance with
international law," Cdr. Clay Doss, a spokesman for the US Navy's
Seventh Fleet, told CNN in a statement. "The ships' transit through
the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the US commitment to a free and open
Indo-Pacific," he added, saying "The US Navy will continue to fly,
sail and operate anywhere international law allows." The US routinely
sails through the Taiwan Strait, last doing so in May, but Chinese
military forces view the strategic waterway separating China from
Taiwan as a priority area and often shadow US vessels that sail
through the area.”
Iran
CNN:
Iran's President Hints At Tanker Exchange
“Iranian President Hassan Rouhani appeared to signal Wednesday that
his country might be willing to release a British-flagged oil tanker
it seized—in return for the UK's release of a detained Iranian tanker.
In a speech during a weekly cabinet session, Rouhani said Iran did not
want to have continued “tensions with some European countries.” “And
if they are committed to international frameworks and abandon some
actions, including what they did in Gibraltar, they will receive a
proper response from Iran,” he said during the session, according to
the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency. The UK and Gibraltar
seized the Iran-flagged tanker Grace 1 in early July. UK authorities
alleged the tanker was attempting to transport oil to Syria, a
violation of EU sanctions. Iran, in turn, seized the British-flagged
Stena Impero last week, alleging that the ship had violated
“international regulations.” Rouhani praised Iran's Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps, saying the seizure ensured security in the
Gulf. “The IRGC courageously seized the British ship because it had
refused all the orders and warnings. They did a very accurate,
professional and right job. and I believe that the whole world must be
grateful to the Islamic Revolution Guards for ensuring the security of
the Persian Gulf,” he said.”
Reuters:
Top Khamenei Aide Says No Talks With U.S. Under Any
Circumstances
“The top military adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei said on Wednesday that Tehran would not negotiate with the
United States under any circumstances, an apparent hardening of its
position as the Gulf tanker crisis escalates. The Swedish operator of
a British-flagged oil tanker seized by Iran in the Gulf last week said
it had been able to speak to crew members and all 23 of them were
safe. “We had direct contact with the crew on board the vessel last
night by telephone and they’re all okay and in good health and they’re
getting good cooperation with the Iranians on board,” Stena Bulk
spokesman Pat Adamson said. The company said it had no evidence that
the ship had been involved in a collision, one of the reasons Iran has
cited for sending commandos to capture it last Friday. The tough
remarks by Khamenei’s aide, Hossein Dehghan, a senior commander of
Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards whose views are seen as reflecting
those of Khamenei, appeared to take a firm line in response to Western
proposals to beef up security in the Strait of Hormuz in the wake of
the seizure of the ship. Dehghan said Iran would take action if the
status of the strait were altered, and that no country would be
allowed to ship oil through it unless all countries can.”
Iraq
Iraqi
News: Iraqi Rapid Response Forces Arrest Four Islamic State Militants
In Baghdad
“Iraqi rapid response forces announced on Wednesday the capture of
four Islamic State terrorists in Baghdad. The arrests were made in al
Tarmiyah district in Baghdad as part of a military operation, which
was launched earlier this week to cleanse Iraq’s northern provinces
from Islamic State terrorists. The four IS terrorists were arrested in
line with article no. 4 of the anti-terrorism law. The second phase of
the “Will of Victory” operation was launched on Sunday with an aim to
attain security and stability in the desert area between Nineveh,
Salahuddin and Anbar provinces on the Iraqi-Syrian border, in addition
to preventing IS remains from sneaking into that region or even using
it as a stronghold for their terrorist acts. Iraq declared the
collapse of Islamic State’s territorial influence in November 2017
with the recapture of Rawa, a city on Anbar’s western borders with
Syria, which was the group’s last bastion in Iraq. IS declared a
self-styled “caliphate” in a third of Iraq and neighboring Syria in
2014. A government campaign, backed by a U.S.-led international
coalition and paramilitary forces, was launched in 2016 to retake
IS-held regions, managing to retake all havens, most notably the city
of Mosul, the group’s previously proclaimed capital.”
Xinhua:
IS Militants Attack 2 Villages In Iraq's Nineveh
“A local tribe leader and an Islamic State (IS) militant were
killed Wednesday in separate attacks by the extremist militants on two
villages in Iraq's northern province of Nineveh. One incident took
place at dawn, when three IS militants infiltrated into a village near
the town of Hammam al-Alil, some 20 km south of the provincial capital
Mosul, and shot dead a local tribe leader after they broke into his
house, Khalaf al-Jubouri, mayor of the town, told Xinhua. The
attackers also wounded the nephew of the tribe leader, al-Jubouri
said, adding that many of armed villagers clashed with the attackers
and forced them to withdraw. Separately, IS militants attacked the
Yazidi village in east of the town of Sinjar, some 100 km west of
Mosul, prompting the security forces to repel the attack and killed
one of them, Ziad Burjus from the local police told Xinhua. According
to Burjus, reinforcement troops from the paramilitary tribal fighters
and the provincial police arrived at the scene and launched a search
campaign looking for the attackers in the area. The security situation
in Iraq was dramatically improved after Iraqi security forces fully
defeated the extremist IS militants across the country late in
2017.”
Xinhua:
Iraqi PM Meets European Delegation Over Counter-Terrorism, IS Foreign
Captives In Iraq
“Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi on Wednesday discussed
counter-terrorism efforts and the future of foreign Islamic State (IS)
militants held captive in Iraq with a delegation from countries of the
European Union (EU). During the meeting, Abdul Mahdi and the EU
representatives “exchanged views over how to deal with large numbers
of (foreign) Daesh militants (IS militants) captured in Iraq in order
to punish them according to the law,” a statement by Abdul Mahdi's
media office said. In recent months, Iraqi courts issued verdicts of
death penalties to many foreign citizens involved in IS group.
Thousands of fighters and supporters of various nationalities joined
the extremist IS group when it took control of large areas in Iraq and
neighboring Syria, but after its defeat in both countries, hundreds of
IS loyalists were killed or captured.”
Turkey
Reuters:
Turkey Has 'No Patience Left' With U.S. On Syria Safe
Zone
“Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday that
new U.S. proposals for a safe zone in northern Syria fall short and
Turkey was running out of patience as Washington appears to be
stalling in efforts to seal an agreement. U.S. special envoy for
Syria James Jeffrey held talks in Ankara this week on the zone and
other issues, including progress on a roadmap agreed last year for the
northern town of Manbij to be cleared of the Kurdish YPG militia. The
militia has been the main U.S. ally on the ground in Syria during
Washington’s fight against Islamic State. However, Turkey has been
infuriated by U.S. support for the YPG, which Ankara considers a
terrorist organization, and has repeatedly demanded that Washington
cut its ties. Following the U.S. decision to withdraw from northern
Syria, the NATO allies agreed to create the safe zone, which Turkey
says should be controlled by its forces and also cleared of the
YPG. But at a news conference in Ankara on Wednesday, Cavusoglu said
that the two countries had failed to agree on how deep the safe zone
would be, who would control it and whether the YPG would be completely
removed from the area. ”We got the impression that they want to enter
a stalling process here as in Manbij,” Cavusoglu said.”
Afghanistan
Radio
Free Europe: Afghan Official: Four Police Officers Killed In Taliban
Attack
“An Afghan official says four police officers were killed and two
others wounded when Taliban militants attacked a security checkpoint
in the western province of Farah. Mohibullah Mohib, a spokesman for
the provincial governor, said two militants were killed in the
incident late on July 23. Mohib did not reveal where in the province
the attack took place. In a statement, the Taliban claimed
responsibility for the attack. The militants have launched near-daily
attacks on Afghan security forces, even as peace efforts have been
gaining momentum to put an end to Afghanistan's nearly 18-year war.
The Taliban control or contest around half of the country, controlling
more territory than any time since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001
ousted the group from power. The Taliban controls large parts of
Farah, which is located on the border with Iran. Farah has been the
scene of fierce fighting between the militants and government troops
in recent years.”
Radio
Free Europe: Afghan Official: Taliban Can Take Part In Presidential
Election If Peace Talks Start
“The Taliban can take part in the September 28 presidential
election if they start negotiations with the Afghan government, a
spokesman for Afghan chief executive officer Abdullah Abdullah told
local media outlet Tolo News on July 24. Speaking four days before the
presidential election campaign starts, the spokesman, Fraidoon
Khwazoon, said “the door is open for the Taliban whenever they are
willing to come and sit with the Afghan government and take part in
democratic and national stages.” His comments came a day after
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said he will meet with the Taliban
to try and persuade them start negotiations with the Western-backed
government in Kabul. “Now I will meet the Taliban…to get them to talk
to the Afghan government, and so that the election” can be inclusive,
Khan said at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington on July 23.
There are 18 candidates competing for the presidency including current
incumbent Ashraf Ghani, who is seeking a second term. All of them are
men, including a former warlord. The election comes at a time when
militants are launching attacks on Afghan security forces almost every
day despite peace efforts gaining momentum to put an end to the nearly
18-year war.”
The
National: Afghan Authorities Alarmed By ISIS Recruiters At Kabul
University
“An investigation by Afghanistan’s spy agency this month led to the
arrest of four ISIS recruiters, three of whom were teachers at the
country’s largest university, raising questions about the ability of
extremists to operate in the capital and recruit from the country’s
young students. Of the three suspects, Mubashir Muslimyar was a
lecturer, while Zahir Daee and Mohammad Maroof Rasikh were teachers of
religious studies at Kabul University, the National Directorate of
Security (NDS) said in a statement on July 8. The suspected insurgent
recruiters were detained in Kabul and are believed to have played a
role in a spate of recent attacks in the Afghan capital, including
against a bus carrying civil servants on June 4 and the September
bombings of a wrestling club in which 21 people died. Beyond their
involvement in organising attacks, the NDS investigation raises
questions about their efforts to radicalise and recruit students. The
teachers’ alleged activities became known after former students of Mr
Muslimyar were detained following the aforementioned attacks and
identified him as a recruiter. One 24-year-old graduate who studied
Information and Communication Technology under Mr Muslimyar in 2014
told The National that his former lecturer had exhorted students to
“join jihad against the infidel government.”
Fox
News: Afghan Women Fear Renewed Chapter Of Sharia Law And Regression
Of Rights Under Taliban’s Thumb
“With the possibility of the U.S.-Taliban peace deal looming in the
very near future – which would likely see the withdrawal of almost all
American troops – Afghans are bracing for the next chapter of life in
the war-ravaged nation. But with the Taliban in the driving seat, it’s
women who have the most to lose. “This is not a good situation. Once
there were good schools that had opened for girls and boys even in
remote villages,” Ziba, a 28-year-old mother, and former school
teacher – who lives under Taliban control in Logar province – told Fox
News. “But now many have been shut down (by them) to become Taliban
prisons.” She added: “Now there is just madrassa to teach religious
subjects and for the boys, they learn to fight and at the madrassas
for girls, they are taught they must stay at home in the future.” Ziba
stressed that women are no longer permitted to go out alone in areas
controlled by the group – which she equated with her memories of being
a little girl growing up the 1990’s when the Taliban officially
controlled the country before being usurped by U.S forces after the
September 11, 2001 attacks. “The only change I see is that they aren’t
destroying televisions anymore, but now music is allowed. I can’t see
any other change in their actions, they are punishing civilians as
always,” she continued.”
Radio
Free Europe: Croatia Says One Soldier Killed, Two Injured In
Afghanistan Attack
“A Croatian soldier was killed and two were seriously wounded in
Afghanistan in a suicide attack on their convoy outside Kabul on July
24, Croatia's Defense Minister Damir Krsticevic told a news conference
in Zagreb. The soldiers were en route to Kabul airport when a suicide
bomber on a motorcycle slammed into one of their vehicles, Krsticevic
said. It was the first fatality suffered by the Croatian military
since it began deploying troops to Afghanistan in 2003. Croatia, which
became a NATO member in 2009, currently has a 99-strong contingent in
Afghanistan. Croatian General Kresimir Tuskan said the troops had been
working as part of a British-led special operations advisory group.
The Taliban has claimed the attack. About 20,000 foreign troops, most
of them American, are in Afghanistan as part of the U.S.-led NATO
mission to train, assist and advise Afghan forces.”
Pakistan
Arab
News: Taliban ‘Will Visit Pakistan If Formally
Invited’
“The Afghan Taliban will visit Pakistan in the “coming weeks” if a
formal invitation is extended, it said on Wednesday, after Pakistan’s
Prime Minister Imran Khan said he would meet Taliban leaders to
persuade them to hold negotiations with the government in Kabul.
During an appearance at the US Institute of Peace on Tuesday, Khan
said: “I will meet the Taliban and I will try my best to get them to
talk to the Afghan government.” The US and the Taliban are getting
closer to a deal expected to center on a US pledge to withdraw troops
in exchange for a Taliban promise not to use its forces to interfere
in US affairs. The group has refused so far to hold direct talks with
the administration of President Ashraf Ghani, which it considers a
“puppet” regime. Earlier this month, three Afghan government officials
joined a delegation of over 50 people at an intra-Afghan conference in
Doha, also attended by Taliban political envoys to discuss the future
of the war-ravaged country. The Taliban insisted that the officials
were only present in a personal capacity, and not as representatives
of Ghani. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said on Wednesday a visit
to Pakistan could take place in the coming weeks.”
Yemen
Arab
News: Video Shows Houthi Militia Beating Corpse, Chanting ‘Death To
America’
“A video of purportedly recorded by Houthi militia was shared on
social media this week, showing a corpse being beaten while men chant
“Death to America! Death to Israel.” The footage showed a corpse being
dragged on the ground by his left arm while the armed men chant the
Houthi slogan: “Death to America! Death to Israel! Curse the Jews, and
victory for Islam.” The video also showed the men kicking and stabbing
the dead body. The man, identified as Mojahed Al-Ghuli, was from the
Amran province in northwest of Yemen and helped the militants in local
battles. There were however people in the video who were shouting that
he was a traitor. “Houthis did not just kill him, they also mutilated
his body and dragged it after they bombed his house,” Yemen’s Media
Minister Moammar Al-Aryani said. Due to the graphic nature of the
video, Arab News has opted to not show it. Such aggressions and
violations are proof that Houthi militants could not be trusted as
they did not follow moral rules and are bloodthirsty, he added.
Yemen’s Deputy Minister of Information, Abdulbaset Al-Qaidi, said that
the video showed that the Houthis are “more dangerous than Daesh.” “If
this is how they deal with those who support them, how will they be
with the rest of Yemeni people who are fed up with them,” Al-Qaidi
said."
Xinhua:
Yemeni Houthi Rebels Claim Fresh Drone Attack At Saudi Air
Base
“Yemen's Houthi rebels said they launched a drone attack at a Saudi
air base early on Thursday, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported. The
attack targeted King Khaled Air Base in the border city of Khamis
Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia, said the television. However,
Turki Al Maliki, spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition involved in the
Yemeni war, denied the reports that King Khaled Air Base was targeted
by the Houthis' bomb-laden drone. The drone was intercepted and
destroyed without causing casualties, he was quoted by the Saudi-owned
Al Arabiya television as saying. Houthi rebels have recently stepped
up drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, but most of the drones were
intercepted by the kingdom's air forces. Saudi Arabia has been leading
an Arab military coalition against Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen for
more than four years in support of the exiled
internationally-recognized government of Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu
Mansour Hadi.”
Libya
Xinhua:
Libyan Security Arrests Al-Qaeda Leaders In Tripoli
“Interior Ministry of Libya's UN-backed government on Wednesday
announced arresting a number of leaders of al-Qaeda in the Islamic
Maghreb on the outskirts of the capital Tripoli. “Within the framework
the fight against terrorism and pursuit of those wanted locally and
internationally, a raid was carried out and arrested internationally
wanted terrorists classified as leaders of al-Qaeda, against whom
arrest warrants were issued by the Office of Investigations of the
Attorney-General,” the ministry said in a statement. “The operation
has been carried out on the outskirts of Tripoli after those wanted
had recently infiltrated into Tripoli, taking advantage of the
deterioration security situation as a result of the war of the
capital,” the statement said. Weapons, hand grenades, ammunition, and
documents were seized with the arrested terrorists, the statement
added. Since early April, the government has been engaged in deadly
war against the eastern-based army over control of the capital.”
Somalia
Voice
Of America: Suicide Attack Kills 6 People, Injures Mogadishu
Mayor
“A suspected al-Shabab suicide bomber killed at least six people
Wednesday and injured six others, including the mayor of the Somali
capital Mogadishu, witnesses and security officials said. The attack
took place at local government headquarters in Mogadishu, where Mayor,
Abdirahman Omar Osman — who is also the governor of Banadir — was
meeting with his deputies and the city's district chairpersons about
security challenges, Deputy Mayor Mohamed Tulah told state-run Radio
Mogadishu. Al-Shabab is claiming responsibility for the attack, and
the terrorist group says it was targeting the U.N. Special Envoy to
Somalia James Swan, an American national who had met with the mayor
prior to the attack. Swan strongly condemned the attack, saying, "I
deplore this heinous attack which not only demonstrates a violent
disregard for the sanctity of human life, but also targets Somalis
working to improve the lives of their fellow Somalis in the
Mogadishu-Banadir region. The United Nations stands with the people
and government of Somalia in their rejection of such terrorist acts,
and our thoughts are with the victims of this attack.”
Africa
Saudi
Gazette: Delegation Of Islamic Anti-Terror Coalition Visits
Mali
“A delegation of Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition
(IMCTC) has visited the Republic of Mali to assess the mechanism for
the implementation of support for G5 Sahel Joint Force, submitted by
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.
Head of the delegation and Representative of Saudi Arabia to the
Coalition Maj. Gen. Muhammad Bin Abdulkhaleq Al-Ghamdi visited the
office of Commander of the Force Lt. Gen. Hassan Ould Sidi, where they
discussed the importance of the support. The Commander of the Joint
Force expressed his thanks for the support being provided by the IMCTC
in general and by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in particular.”
Xinhua:
UN Envoy Calls For Approach To Prevent Terrorist Threat Expansion In
West Africa, Sahel
“The West Africa and the Sahel's UN envoy on Wednesday called on
the governments to redouble their efforts in defining a concerted
approach to prevent a further expansion of the terrorist threat in the
region. Speaking at the Security Council semi-annual briefing on West
Africa and the Sahel, the special representative of UN
secretary-general for the region Mohamed Ibn Chambas said that the
region recently has witnessed an even more visible and significant
rise in violent attacks directly related to violent extremism. Chambas
said that the security situation remains volatile in the entire Sahel,
where escalating violence and insecurity have sparked an unprecedented
humanitarian crisis, leaving a total of 5.1 million Burkinabe,
Nigeriens and Malians in need. According to Chambas, in Burkina Faso,
a total of 226 security incidents contributed to an accelerated
displacement from 47,000 in December 2018 up to 220,000 internally
displaced people and more than 25,000 refugees in June 2019,
representing an almost five-fold increase. Chambas said the past six
months has shown a rapid deterioration of the security situation in
Burkina Faso. While talking about the situation in the Lake Chad
Basin, he said that attacks by Boko Haram splinter groups continue to
threaten the peace and stability of the region.”
United Kingdom
Sky
News: Islamic State Supporter Farhad Salah Jailed For 15 Years Over
Remote-Controlled Car Bomb Plot
“An Islamic State supporter who watched “utterly depraved and
sickening” extremist footage, has been jailed for 15 years for
plotting to detonate a bomb inside a remotely-controlled vehicle.
Farhad Salah, 24, from Sheffield, had been in the early stages of
testing small improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in preparation for
an attack when he was arrested in December 2017, jurors heard.
Sentencing him to 15 years in jail and three on licence, Judge Paul
Watson said Salah had “become wedded to an extremist ideology and was
preparing to take action to give effect to those views”. He said the
risk of him causing death or serious injury by his planned use of
explosives was obvious. The judge said Salah's viewing of “utterly
depraved and sickening” extremist footage showed how committed he was.
He said: “Your attitude to extreme violence and loss of life,
sometimes in unimaginably horrifying circumstances, indicates clearly
to me that you, had you carried your preparations through to
conclusion, would have had no hesitation in causing loss of life or
the infliction of terrible suffering.” Anne Whyte QC, prosecuting,
said during the trial: “The intention was to manufacture a device
which would be placed in a vehicle but controlled remotely so that no
one had to martyr themselves in the process.”
Vice
News: The UK Now Considers Far-Right Terror As Dangerous As Islamic
Extremism
“The British government has overhauled the way it assesses terror
threat levels to include homegrown and right-wing extremists, putting
them on an equal footing with foreign and jihadist threats. Until now,
the terror threat system — which assesses the likelihood of an attack
in the UK on a scale from”low” to “critical” — has only addressed the
threat from international terrorism, which the Home Office said had
become largely synonymous with jihadist attacks. Announcing the
changes Tuesday, Home Secretary Sajid Javid said the new system
reflected the growing terror threat from the far-right. “While the
Islamist threat remains, we have recently seen an increase in
terrorist activity motivated by the extreme right-wing,” he said. “Our
approach to stopping terrorists is the same, regardless of the twisted
ideology that motivates them.” The Home Office said the changes
resulted from a wide-ranging review of Britain’s counter-terror
approach following a spate of attacks in 2017: three jihadist attacks
at Westminster Bridge, Manchester Arena, and London Bridge, and a
far-right car-ramming attack outside a London mosque. It said the old
classification system was outdated, as Islamist terrorism could be
homegrown, while far-right terror could also have an international
dimension.”
Australia
France
24: Families Of Islamic State Fighters To Sue Australia Over
Repatriation
“Australia faces a lawsuit aimed at forcing the government to
repatriate Islamic State fighters' wives and children from a Syrian
refugee camp, lawyers for their families told AFP Thursday. The threat
of a lawsuit comes the same day as parliament passed legislation to
prevent Australian citizens who have fought for the Islamic State from
returning home for up to two years under so-called “temporary
exclusion orders”. Lawyers for the Australia-based families of nearly
30 women and children currently held in Syria's Al-Hawl camp said the
firm was preparing to refer their case to the Federal Court in coming
days. Sarah Condon, of the Melbourne law firm Stary Norton Halphen,
said the government had a legal obligation to protect Australian
civilians abroad and called for a timeframe for the extraction of the
families living in conditions she described as “increasingly volatile
and dangerous”. “The urgency therefore arises from the hellish
conditions of the camp, and the psychological damage that is caused to
children when they are being indefinitely detained,” Condon told AFP.
Eight orphans of two Australian IS fighters were removed from the camp
in June into the care of Australian officials. “We understand that it
is not an easy logistical task, and that it may take time,” Condon
said of repatriating the remaining families.”
Europe
Reuters:
Two Charged With Terrorism Over Bulgaria's Biggest Data Breach:
Lawyer
“Prosecutors have charged two workers at a cyber security company
with terrorism as part of an investigation into Bulgaria’s
biggest-ever data breach, a lawyer for the defendants said on
Wednesday. Georgi Yankov, a manager at the company Tad Group, has been
charged and released from custody, Georgi Stefanov said. Earlier
charges of crime against information systems against Kristian Boykov,
a 20-year-old cyber security worker at the same company, have been
changed to terrorism, he added. Both deny wrongdoing, Stefanov said.
Prosecutors were not immediately available for comment. “We are very
surprised with these charges,” Stefanov told Reuters. “How do you
charge someone with terrorism but let them go?” he added. On Tuesday,
police raided the offices of Tad Group, seizing computers and
detaining a manager over last month’s cyber attack on the tax agency,
in which nearly every Bulgarian adult’s personal data and financial
records were compromised. Boykov was conditionally released from
custody last Wednesday, but banned from leaving the
country. Prosecutors have said they believe Boykov did not act alone
and were looking for others in connection with the attack. Prosecutors
believe Boykov was behind an email sent from someone purporting to be
a Russian hacker who was offering stolen tax agency files to local
media.”
The
National: After ISIS: How Kosovo Is Rehabilitating Women And Children
Repatriated From Syria
“Visar never expected to see his grandchildren again after his
daughter took them with her when she followed her husband to Syria to
join ISIS in 2014. Now, five years later, Visar – not his real name –
stands watching his five grandchildren playing in the inner courtyard
of his simple home surrounded by rolling hills and cornfields in a
remote village 20 kilometres north of the Kosovan capital Pristina.
“The youngest was six-months-old when they went to Syria and the last
[grandchild] was not born yet”, he says, lighting one cigarette after
another. If he had known of his daughter’s plan to follow her husband,
“I would have done everything to stop them,” he says. “My daughter was
threatened by her husband and she was forced to follow him. They made
a mistake. “Was it better to leave them in Syria or try to correct
their path? If my daughter was wrong, she will pay for her mistakes,
but my grandchildren are innocent creatures” he says. Visar’s
daughter, Edina (also not her name), was married to Arbenin Demolli.
He was one of the 316 Kosovars who joined ISIS but was killed in a US
airstrike in Aleppo in a few months after their arrival. After he was
killed, his wife and children remained in Syria, moving across ISIS
territories first to Hasaka in the northeast and then to Raqqa.”
The
Wall Street Journal: European Governments Struggle To Build Coalition
To Secure Persian Gulf
“European governments are struggling to build an international
coalition to protect oil tankers in Middle East waterways while
pursuing diplomatic solutions after last week’s seizure of a U.K.
tanker by Iran. The U.K. is spearheading a European maritime
initiative that would be separate from a parallel U.S.-led plan. But
London doesn’t yet have a specific proposal for securing commercial
shipping, and there are signs France and other European countries have
a more modest mission in mind, European diplomats said. Russia and
Iran are proposing Persian Gulf protection plans of their own.
Officials in the U.K. and France say they have talked to German,
Italian, Spanish and other European governments about a mission. There
is broad agreement that freedom of navigation must be safeguarded,
they say, but that a mission must not escalate tensions and would be
separate from the U.S.’s pressure campaign against Iran.”
Southeast Asia
Yahoo
News: 4 Dead In Southern Thailand Attack On Military
Outpost
“Four people were killed in an attack on a military outpost in
southern Thailand, where Muslim rebels are active, Thai police said.An
unknown number of assailants carried out the attack Tuesday night
using firearms and explosives, triggering a gunfight that left four
dead and three injured, said Pol. Col. Yanapong Ubolbarn, chief of the
Muang Pattani police station. Two people who were part of a village
defense unit were killed immediately, while a soldier and a volunteer
officer died in a hospital. The attack also left three other volunteer
officers wounded. A Muslim separatist insurgency has left about 7,000
people dead since 2004 in Thailand's three southernmost provinces of
Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala. Police said the attackers Tuesday were
riding on motorcycles as they threw explosives at the outpost. They
waited for the explosions to subside before opening fire on the
outpost and security officers. A firefight took place for several
minutes before the attackers retreated. The unidentified assailants
also scattered nails on the road to intercept incoming vehicles that
came to help the attacked security officials, police said. Separately,
rebel groups in Thailand's deep south issued statements Tuesday to
condemn an incident in which a suspected insurgent was allegedly taken
from his home for interrogation by officials and within 24 hours was
rushed to a hospital in critical condition with brain injuries.”
Al
Jazeera: Sri Lankan Investigator: No ISIL Link To Easter
Bombings
“Sri Lanka's Easter attacks that killed more than 250 people were
carried out by local groups who drew inspiration from, but were not
directly linked to, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or
ISIS) group, a Sri Lankan investigator has said. Ravi Seneviratne,
head of the Sri Lankan police Criminal Investigation Department (CID),
made the remarks on Wednesday in a meeting with the country's
parliamentary panel investigating the security and intelligence lapses
that led to the April 21 bombings. Seneviratne said the suicide
bombers who targeted three churches and three hotels had no direct
link to the foreign armed group. “They followed the IS ideology, but
our investigations have not shown any link between them,” Seneviratne
told the parliamentary panel. He noted that remnants of the National
Thowheeth Jamath (NTJ), the armed group that was held responsible for
the Easter attacks, had persuaded ISIL to claim the attack two days
after the deadly events in Sri Lanka. NTJ leader Zahran Hashim made a
video with fellow NTJ members pledging allegiance to ISIL leader Abu
Bakr Al-Bagdadi. The video was released by ISIL two days later.
Another investigator, Shani Abeysekara, told the same parliamentary
panel that the CID found 105 kilogrammes of explosives from an NTJ
hideout earlier this year.”
Technology
The
New York Times: Facebook Antitrust Inquiry Shows Big Tech’s
Freewheeling Era Is Past
“Facebook came under siege on multiple fronts on Wednesday,
agreeing to new layers of oversight and two fines to settle privacy
and disclosure violations, even as it acknowledged that it was under
investigation from the Federal Trade Commission for antitrust
concerns. Early in the day, the company was penalized by the F.T.C.
with a record $5 billion fine for deceiving users about their ability
to control the privacy of their personal data. As part of a
settlement, the company was also ordered to create a new privacy
committee on its board and to make other structural changes to
increase the transparency and accountability of its data practices.
But the agreement was criticized for failing to limit Facebook’s
gathering, sharing and use of people’s personal information, a
practice that has repeatedly raised privacy questions. And the
F.T.C.’s commissioners were divided on partisan lines this month when
they voted 3-to-2 to approve the measures, which provide immunity to
Facebook’s officers and directors and shield the company from known
claims of violations through last month — essentially giving it a pass
on its past.”
The
New York Times: Facebook Agrees To Extensive New Oversight As Part Of
$5 Billion Settlement
“Facebook was ordered on Wednesday to create new layers of
oversight for its collection and handling of users’ data by the
Federal Trade Commission, as the agency detailed a privacy settlement
with the social network that became a referendum on how aggressive
American regulators would be against big tech companies. Under the
agreement, the F.T.C. mandated that the Silicon Valley company add new
positions and practices to increase the transparency and
accountability of how it treats people’s information. The agency also
formally imposed a record $5 billion fine against Facebook for
deceiving users about their ability to control the privacy of their
personal data. Yet the measures, which the F.T.C.’s commissioners
approved in a 3-to-2 vote this month, drew sharp criticism for not
going far enough in curbing the data habits of the world’s largest
social media company. Republican and Democratic lawmakers pilloried
the settlement as a drop in the bucket for Facebook and said the
F.T.C. failed to limit a core practice that has repeatedly raised
privacy questions: the company’s gathering, sharing and use of
people’s personal information.”
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