Eye on Extremism
December 12, 2019
Reuters:
Jihadists Kill 71 Soldiers In Mass Attack: Niger
Military
“Islamist militants killed 71 soldiers in an attack on a remote
military camp in Niger near the border with Mali, an army spokesman
said on Wednesday, in the deadliest raid against the Nigerien military
in living memory. Jihadists with links to Islamic State and al Qaeda
have mounted increasingly lethal attacks across West Africa’s Sahel
region this year despite the commitment of thousands of regional and
foreign troops to counter them. The violence has hit Mali and Burkina
Faso the hardest, rendering large swathes of those countries
ungovernable, but it has also spilled into Niger, which shares long
and porous borders with its two neighbors. Several hundred militants
attacked a base in the western Niger town of Inates over a period of
three hours on Tuesday evening, army spokesman Colonel Boubacar Hassan
said on state television. It was in the same area where Islamic
State’s West African branch killed nearly 50 Nigerien soldiers in two
attacks in May and July. “The combat (was) of a rare violence,
combining artillery shells and the use of kamikaze vehicles by the
enemy,” he said. He added that another 12 soldiers were wounded and an
unspecified number of others were missing, while a “significant
number” of militants were also killed.”
The
New York Times: Suspect In Jersey City Linked To Black Hebrew
Israelite Group
“An assailant involved in the prolonged firefight in Jersey City,
N.J., that left six people dead, including one police officer, was
linked on Wednesday to the Black Hebrew Israelite movement, and had
published anti-Semitic posts online, a law enforcement official said.
The violent rampage on Tuesday took place largely at a kosher
supermarket where three bystanders were killed. The authorities now
believe that the store was specifically targeted by the assailants,
whom they identified as David N. Anderson, 47, and Francine Graham,
50. Mr. Anderson appeared to have a connection to the Black Hebrew
Israelite movement, though the extent of his involvement in that group
remains unclear, the law enforcement official said.”
Reuters:
Iran-Backed Attacks In Iraq Risks Uncontrollable Escalation - U.S.
Official
“A senior U.S. military official said on Wednesday attacks by
Iranian-backed groups on bases hosting U.S. forces in Iraq were
gathering pace and becoming more sophisticated, pushing all sides
closer to an uncontrollable escalation. His warning came two days
after four Katyusha rockets struck a base near Baghdad international
airport, wounding five members of Iraq’s elite Counter-Terrorism
Service. It was the latest in a spate of rocket strikes in the past
five weeks on military installations hosting members of the U.S.-led
coalition whose objective is to defeat Islamic State insurgents. The
official said the attacks were jeopardizing the coalition’s ability to
combat Islamic State insurgents. Tension between the United States and
Iran has ramped up in the region over U.S. economic sanctions that are
hitting Tehran hard. The two sides have traded blame over attacks on
oil installations, militia arms depots as well as military bases
hosting U.S. forces. “We’re used to harassing fire,” said the military
official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “But the pace of (that)
was (previously) pretty episodic ... (Now) the level of complexity is
increasing, the volume of rockets being shot in a single volley is
increasing and is very concerning to us.”
The
Washington Post: Denmark: Police Foil Suspected
Islamist Terror Attack Plans
“Danish police have arrested “some 20 people” suspected of
involvement in Islamist terrorism in a series of raids across the
country, authorities said Wednesday. Flemming Drejer, the operative
head of the Denmark’s Security and Intelligence Service, said the
suspects were “driven by a militant, Islamist motive.” Copenhagen
Police Chief Inspector Joergen Bergen Skov said some of them would be
charged under the Scandinavian country’s terror laws on Thursday
behind closed doors. “Some had have procured things to make explosives
and have tried to acquire weapons,” Bergen Skov told a joint press
conference with the domestic intelligence service. Drejer, the
intelligence chief, said the arrests won’t change Denmark’s terror
threat assessment, which “remains serious.” “We look with great
severity on a case like this one because it unfortunately confirms
that there are people that have the intention and capacity to commit
terror (attacks) in Denmark,” Drejer said. Bergen Skov said police
raided about 20 addresses in Denmark and six police departments across
the country were involved. The raids and arrests were coordinated by
the Copenhagen police. No details were given as to what the target was
or when an attack would take place.”
The
New York Times: Dallas Man Gets 30 Years For Recruiting For ISIS
Through App
“A Dallas man who prosecutors said tried to recruit fighters for
the Islamic State through social media, encouraged others to carry out
terrorist attacks and lied to federal agents was sentenced on
Wednesday to 30 years in prison. The man, Said Azzam Mohamad Rahim,
was arrested at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in March 2017
while trying to board a flight to Jordan, according to prosecutors.
During his trial in May 2019, prosecutors said Mr. Rahim, 42, used a
messaging app called Zello to try to recruit the fighters and tell
others to kill enemies of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS.”
Independent:
Prison Unit Holding Britain’s Most Dangerous Terrorists Closed Four
Days After London Bridge Attack
“A prison unit for Britain’s most dangerous terrorists was closed
four days after the London Bridge attack, sparking accusations the
prison service is “dysfunctional and naive”. The separation centre at
HMP Woodhill is one of three set up to hold Islamists who are feared
to be radicalising other inmates, but it has been empty since last
Tuesday after three prisoners were moved out. The Ministry of Justice
insisted the closure was temporary and said the capacity was not
currently needed, but a former prison governor who led a review of
Islamist extremism in British jails said the centre had not been used
properly.”
United States
The
New York Times: With Rise Of Far-Right Extremists, N.Y.P.D. Creates
Special Unit
“For almost two decades, the intelligence bureau of the New York
Police Department has built a security apparatus designed to track
international terror groups like Al Qaeda and the Islamic State. Now,
the department is aiming those resources at a different target:
far-right and extremist hate groups. Police officials say they have
formed a new unit within the department’s intelligence bureau, known
as “Racially and Ethnically Motivated Extremism,” or “R.E.M.E,” that
will be primarily dedicated to investigating terror threats from
far-right and neo-Nazi organizations, including groups like the
Atomwaffen Division and The Proud Boys. The unit became operational
early this month, and already has dozens of open investigations,
police officials said. John Miller, the commissioner of the
intelligence division, said the far-right extremist groups are not
that different in nature from Islamic extremist groups like Al Qaeda.
“There’s no different recipe except our offenders are likely to be on
the ground here,” he said in an interview. Mayor Bill de Blasio
announced the unit’s creation on Wednesday at City Hall, just a day
after a gun battle in Jersey City, during which two people with guns
opened fire at two different locations, including a kosher
supermarket, killing three bystanders and a Jersey City detective.
“What we saw yesterday was a premeditated, violent, anti-Semitic hate
crime,” Mr. de Blasio said.”
The
Wall Street Journal: Florida Base Shooter’s Social Media Reflects
Radical Views
“The Saudi air force member who shot dead three people last week on
a naval base in Florida expressed extreme political views on Twitter
in posts dating back to 2015, according to excerpts of an internal
Saudi government report. Saudi officials said the messages believed
sent by the shooter reflect a radical world view, but said there was
no evidence that he had any links to extremist organizations.
Screenshots of posts reviewed by The Wall Street Journal show the
shooter retweeting messages critical of Israel and the U.S., including
one aimed at President Trump related to Syrian oil. Mohammed
Alshamrani, the man identified as the shooter in the attack at the
Pensacola Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Fla., on Friday, had been
active on Twitter since 2012, the report said, when he was 14 years
old. At the time, he mainly focused on poetry and the Quran. The Saudi
report said that Alshamrani began forming radical views after 2015,
when he started following some religious figures who the Saudi
government has characterized as hard-liners. They include Saudis
Abdulaziz Al-Tarifi and Ibrahim Al-Sakran, along with Kuwaiti and
Jordanian clerics. The two Saudi men were jailed in 2016. The tweets
reflected polemical views on the part of the shooter, said Abdullah
bin Khaled Al Saud, the director of research at the King Faisal Center
for Research and Islamic Studies, a Saudi scholarly institute."
Fox
News: Dallas Man Gets 30 Years In Prison After Calling On Slaughter Of
‘Infidels’ For ISIS
“A Texas man who railed against “infidels” in his support of ISIS,
was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison for promoting the group
online and lying to investigators, prosecutors said. Said Azzam
Mohamad Rahim, a U.S. citizen living in the Dallas area, was convicted
in May on eight counts related to social media and supporting
terrorism. He could have been sentenced to up to 88 years in federal
prison. “Mr. Rahim embraced a warped ideology on social media,
promoting violence against innocent people, including Americans,” U.S.
Attorney Erin Nealy Cox said in a prepared statement. “The Justice
Department is committed to combatting terror at home and abroad.”
Evidence presented during his trial showed Rahim, 42, moderated a
social media channel dedicated to recruiting fighters for ISIS. He is
said to have used a push-to-talk direct messaging application to
promote violence in the name of the terrorist group. In those
messages, Rahim urged his followers to “kill and do not consult
anyone. Kill by any means,” prosecutors said. Rahim was arrested in
2017 at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport while trying to board
a flight to Amman, Jordan, prosecutors said. When questioned by
officers, Rahim denied supporting terrorism or promoting such
violence, they said.”
The
Wall Street Journal: Anti-Semitism, Real And Imagined
“Tuesday’s murder of three people in a kosher grocery store in
Jersey City, New Jersey, now appears to have been an anti-Semitic
attack, with the mayor saying the suspects targeted the market
frequented by Hasidic Jews. The police shootout began “with an attack
on civilians in the store,” according to the city’s director of public
safety. News reports say one of the alleged shooters may have been a
member of the conspiratorial Black Hebrew Israelites and had
anti-Semitic social-media posts. If anti-Semitism is confirmed as the
motive, this would be the deadliest such attack in the U.S. since a
white supremacist murdered 11 at a Pittsburgh synagogue last
year.”
St.
Louis Post-Dispatch: Final Defendant In St. Louis Terrorism Case
Pleads Guilty
“A New York man pleaded guilty in federal court here this week to
supplying money and equipment to a former St. Louis County man who
fought and died in Syria for the Islamic State, prosecutors said.
Nihad Rosic, 31, of Utica, also tried to travel to Syria himself,
officials said. Rosic pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court to
one count of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and
one count of providing material support to terrorists.”
Syria
The
National: The West Needs To Find A Way To Absorb ISIS Foreign Fighters
– For Their Own Sake
“Western policy in the Middle East is often maddening. It is at
times amoral, failing to adhere to the standards that liberal
democracies set for themselves. It is inconsistent, finding cause to
invade where none exist, then shirking its responsibility to protect
when the need is dire and mass slaughter is at hand. It can also be
cowardly, as amply demonstrated by the case of the ISIS foreign
fighters still alive and imprisoned in Syria. Western policy in Syria
provides ample ground for frustration and disappointment, but among
its most rage-inducing aspects is the failure to take responsibility
for and pick up its own trash – the radical extremists who were born
in and left London, Paris, Berlin, Oslo, Brussels, Copenhagen and
North America to live out their nihilistic fantasies over the graves
of the traumatised peoples of the Middle East in Syria and Iraq. The
latest analysis by the British government estimates that 30 Britons
are among some 2,000 ISIS foreign fighters still detained in
north-eastern Syria by Kurdish militias – the forces that fought
alongside the US and liberated much of that part of Syria, including
the terrorists’ self-proclaimed capital in Raqqa.”
Express:
ISIS Stoned Teacher To Death For ‘Refusing To Teach Jihad’ To Young
Children In Syria
“Teachers forced to work in ISIS schools were instructed to focus
on versus of the Koran that focused on war and murder. One woman,
named only as Ayat, said she tried to teach children in her home in
eastern Syria after ISIS “closed the schools and turned them into
training centres for fighters”. But terror chiefs found out about the
27-year-old's scheme after the mother of one pupil “talked too much”,
Al Jazeera reported. In the Al Jazeera documentary, ‘Women of ISIL'
the woman explained: “The news spread from one person to another. “And
ISIL found out a teacher was teaching at home and was not following
their instructions. “They told my husband, ‘she'd better get training
in ISIL's laws and teach children at the mosque like we want, or
else’. “It was a threat. I had no other choice.” Another woman in
ISIS’ control had refused to teach children the prescribed curriculum
and instead allowed her students to draw and sing children's songs.
The next day, the teacher was arrested at her home. In the Al Jazeera
documentary Ayat said: “She was accused of adultery. “And for this,
the punishment was stoning until death. “They take the person to a
specific place and they implement the punishment. “And that is exactly
what they did with her.”
The
Washington Post: The United States Is About To Sanction Assad, Russia
And Iran For Syrian War Crimes
“More than three years after it was first introduced, landmark
legislation that would provide for U.S. sanctions against the Assad
regime, Russia and Iran for past and ongoing war crimes in Syria is on
the verge of finally passing in Congress. Expected to become law, the
“Caesar Bill” could offer not only for some justice and accountability
for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s victims — it could also give
the United States leverage in seeking a political solution to the
Syrian war. President Trump is expected to sign the National Defense
Authorization Act of 2020 after Congress passes it, as early as this
week. With bipartisan and bicameral agreement, Congress added to it
the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019, which authorizes
sanctions on top Syrian government officials, military leaders and
anyone else responsible for more than eight years of Assad’s mass
atrocities, war crimes against innocent civilians and crimes against
humanity.”
Military
Times: Congress Is Worried About An Iranian Threat To A Small Garrison
Of US Commandos In Syria
“Congress wants a report from the intelligence community and the
Pentagon about the threat posed by Iran and its militias to a small
garrison of special operators near the Iraq-Syria border known as
al-Tanf. Al-Tanf houses a handful of American commandos who are tasked
with training an anti-ISIS force dubbed Maghaweir Thowra. But national
security experts have oft argued the garrison’s existence is meant to
check Iranian influence and block a highway that could push arms from
Tehran to the Mediterranean Sea. Located in a remote desert outpost in
southern Syria near the Jordanian border, al-Tanf is far removed from
the majority of the anti-ISIS fight raging in northern Syria — instead
it’s been the scene of deadly clashes between U.S. forces and Iranian
and Syrian regime backed militias.”
Iran
Reuters:
U.S. Imposes New Sanctions On Iran Airline Over
Proliferation
“The United States on Wednesday imposed new sanctions on Iran’s
biggest airline and its shipping network, accusing them of
transporting lethal aid and weapons of mass destruction proliferation.
The new sanctions come just days after a weekend prisoner swap between
the historic foes, a rare act of cooperation since tensions escalated
after U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear
accord. The U.S. State Department targeted Shanghai-based ESAIL
Shipping Company, which U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said
“knowingly transports illicit materials from Iran’s Aerospace
Industries Organization, which oversees all of Iran’s missile
industry” and has worked with Iranian organizations subject to U.N.
sanctions.”
Washington
Examiner: Shooting His Mouth Off, Iranian Official Admits The Truth
About Lebanon
“With telling embarrassment, Iran is rowing back comments made by
an adviser to the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The problem? The adviser inadvertently admitted that Iran values
Lebanon only as its puppet. Speaking on Monday, retired Gen. Morteza
Qorbani told an Iranian news outlet that Iran did not need to use
ballistic missiles in Iran to effectively attack Israel. Instead,
Qorbani said, if "the Zionist regime makes the smallest mistake toward
Iran, we will reduce Tel Aviv to ashes from Lebanon."
Iraq
Asia
Times: ISIS And The False Dawn Of Kurdish Statehood
“History is often full of strange ironies. Decades from now, the
rise and fall of ISIS will probably be remembered in the same breath
as the rise and fall of Kurdish hopes of statehood. That Kurdish
aspirations of independence in Syria and Iraq should have suffered the
same fate as ISIS is, of course, an irony of tragic proportions for
the Kurds. Let’s be clear: From the perspective of Kurdish nationalism
there is certainly nothing to regret about the demise of ISIS. But
what happened after the territorial defeat of the so-called caliphate
– first in Iraq with the fall of Mosul and later in Syria with the
fall of Raqqa – did not produce the strategic results the Kurds
expected. During their heroic struggle against an ascendant ISIS
between 2014 and 2017, Western support for the Kurds was total. But
once ISIS was gone, that support turned into cold betrayal, as the US
and Europe stood by and watched Ankara go after the Kurds in Syria
this year while Baghdad did the same in Iraqi Kurdistan in 2017.
Perhaps the Kurds should have known better; after all, their history
is littered with such betrayals. But it is also clear they had no
better alternative. The rise of ISIS presented an existential threat
as well as a strategic opportunity for Kurds."
Asharq
Al-Awsat: Anniversary Of Victory Over ISIS Unites Iraq Politicians,
Protesters
“The last 60 days, especially since October 1, have changed the
political landscape in Iraq. Partisan supremacies that held the reigns
of the country for 16 years and manipulated elections have been
confronted with a different reality. Iraqi youth ignited the street
with anti-government protests rejecting all changes introduced in the
country after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003. As protests
persisted, amid a crackdown by security forces that left more than 400
dead and 20,000 wounded, the vast majority of whom are members of the
poorest Shiite classes, the gap between demonstrators and politicians
widened. But for the first time in nearly two months, politicians and
protesters shared a celebration on Tuesday. Three years ago, in 2017,
former Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi declared military victory
over ISIS. To celebrate the anniversary, Iraq’s outgoing Prime
Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi announced December 10 would be a national
holiday. Differences aside, protesters and politicians celebrated the
victory each in their own way. Demonstrators celebrated in the
streets, while politicians expressed their feelings through the cables
of congratulations they gave out on this occasion. Iraqi President
Barham Salih, in a speech, expressed his joy in victory on the one
hand and his concern about selecting the next head of government on
the other.”
Afghanistan
CBS
News: Scores Wounded In Attack Near U.S. Bagram Air Base In
Afghanistan
“A powerful suicide bombing targeted an under-construction medical
facility on Wednesday near Bagram Air Base, the main American base
north of the Afghan capital, the U.S. military said. Two civilians
were killed and more than 70 people wounded. The Taliban later claimed
responsibility for the attack and Afghan officials said all the
insurgents were killed. The Bagram airfield was not in danger, said
Colonel Sonny Leggett. The facility is being rebuilt to help the
Afghan people who live in the area, the U.S. military said. The
Taliban statement denied any civilian casualties and claimed the
attackers had managed to enter the Bagram base, even penetrating
barracks used by coalition forces. Outside the sprawling base, several
homes, mostly belonging to poor Afghans, were destroyed. A large
mosque in the area was also badly damaged. Shortly after the bombing,
Afghan troops, special forces and intelligence officers cordoned off
the perimeter of the base with armored personnel carriers. Heavily
armed soldiers kept residents far from the gates to Bagram Air Base.
Within minutes of the suicide bombing, U.S. fighter aircraft bombed
the area, according to witnesses."
Pakistan
Voice
Of America: Pakistan Court Indicts Anti-India Islamist
Cleric
“An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan on Wednesday indicted Hafiz
Saeed, the suspected planner of the 2008 attacks on the Indian city of
Mumbai, along with his four senior aides on terror financing charges.
Saeed, the founder of the outlawed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant
group and the head of its banned charity wing, Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD),
has been designated as a global terrorist by the United States for his
alleged role in the Mumbai strikes that killed more than 170 people.
The Islamist cleric was present in the court in the eastern city of
Lahore when the charges against him and his partners were read. The
court will conduct the next proceedings on Thursday. Saeed and his
associates rejected as baseless the prosecution's charges that they
were using JuD charities and trusts to raise funds to finance
terrorism. Saeed has also consistently denied his involvement in the
Mumbai attacks. Indian authorities accuse him and his LeT of planning
and executing the carnage. The Islamist cleric maintains he had ended
his association with LeT before it was outlawed by the Pakistani
government in 2002. Washington has placed both LeT and JuD on its list
of global terrorist groups, offering $10 million for information that
would help bring Saeed to justice.”
Saudi Arabia
Haaretz:
Saudi Arabia Says Houthi Rockets Targeted Hospital In Southern
City
“Rockets fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels have targeted a hospital in
the south-western city of Jazan but no one was injured, the Saudi
Press Agency (SPA) reported on Wednesday. The Houthis fired Katyusha
rockets late Tuesday targeting a hospital and other civilian
facilities nearby, spokesman of Jazan's civil defense department said,
according to SPA. The attack left no casualties but damaged the walls
surrounding the hospital, it added. Several missile and drone attacks
into neighbouring Saudi Arabia in recent months were claimed by the
Houthis, which they say are a response to attacks by the Saudi-led
coalition fighting them since March 2015.”
Arab
News: Why Saudi Reforms Are Bad News For The World’s
Terrorists
“Terrorism, extremism and radicalism will decline as long as Saudi
Arabia’s drive toward reform succeeds. If it does not, the West will
suffer. Who says so? Norman T. Roule says so — and he should know. A
34-year veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency, Roule is now one
of the world’s most respected analysts of Middle East affairs. “It’s
in our interest (for the Kingdom to succeed) because of terrorism and
extremism, but not just because of that,” he said. “There are millions
in the region, in the states of Libya, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen,
who require assistance and a better life. This is something the region
has to lead with Western support.”
Lebanon
Associated
Press: Diplomats To Lebanon: Expect No Aid Before Government
Formed
“Lebanon cannot expect to receive international aid for its
battered economy until a new government undertakes serious reforms,
diplomats decided at a closed-door meeting in Paris on Wednesday. The
international group, led by France and the United Nations, met to
discuss conditions for helping ease turmoil in Lebanon, which is
facing its worst financial crisis in decades and political uncertainty
amid an ongoing protest movement. Lebanese businesses and households
are growing increasingly desperate as cash supplies there have
dwindled.”
Egypt
Associated
Press: Egypt Urges Decisive Action Against States Backing
‘Terror’
“Egypt’s president Wednesday called for “decisive” and “collective”
action against countries supporting “terrorism” in an apparent
reference to Turkey and Qatar, who back the Muslim Brotherhood group,
which is outlawed in Egypt. The three countries also support opposing
factions in the war-torn Libya. Addressing a two-day forum on peace in
Africa in the southern city of Aswan, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi also said
achieving sustainable development in Africa is needed, along with
efforts to fight militant groups in Egypt and the Sahel region that
stretches across Africa south of the Sahara Desert. “There should be a
decisive response to countries supporting terrorism and a collective
response against terrorism, because the terrorist groups will only
have the ability to fight if they are provided with financial,
military and moral support,” he said. The gathering in Aswan was
attended by the leaders of Niger, Chad, Nigeria and Senegal along with
officials from the U.S., Britain and Canada. The Sahel region is home
to al-Qaida and Islamic State group-linked militants. El-Sissi said
Egypt could help train forces and provide weapons to countries in the
region to fight extremists. Egypt has for years been battling an
Islamic State-led insurgency that intensified after the military
overthrew an elected but divisive President Muhammad Morsi in 2013, a
member of the Muslim Brotherhood, amid mass protests against his brief
rule.”
Nigeria
Sahara
Reporters: Air Force Targets, Kills Boko Haram Fighters In
Borno
“The Nigerian Air Force said it has launched operation ‘Rattle
Snake’ in its bid to continue neutralising Boko Haram insurgents. NAF
Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle
Daramola, made this known in a statement on Wednesday. Daramola noted
that the operation was already yielding the intended outcome. He said,
“On day one of the operations, airstrikes by NAF aircraft resulted in
the neutralisation of several Boko Haram terrorists and destruction of
some of their structures at their tactical headquarters in Parisu as
well as another settlement, Garin Maloma, both on the fringes of the
Sambisa Forest in Borno State.” According to the News Agency of
Nigeria, the attacks were executed following series of Intelligence,
Surveillance and Reconnaissance missions that showed the presence of a
significant number of insurgents in makeshift structures/buildings
under trees spread across the two settlements. Daramola added,
“Overhead Parisu, no fewer than 30 terrorists were observed by the ISR
aircraft in different parts of the settlement. “The attack aircraft
dispatched by the ATF to engage the location recorded accurate hits
within the target area, leading to the destruction of some of the
structures as well as the killing of several terrorists.”
Premium
Times: Army Says Video Of Boko Haram Killing Soldiers Fabricated By
IPOB
“The Nigerian Army says the recent video clip allegedly released by
Boko Haram terrorists portraying capture and killing of some Nigerian
soldiers was the fabrication of the outlawed Indigenous People of
Biafra (IPOB). The Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Sagir Musa,
in a statement on Wednesday said that the video was not an occurrence
that took place in Nigeria. He urged the public and personnel of
Nigerian army, especially those in the North East theatre of
operation, to disregard the video.”
Somalia
Foreign
Policy: U.S. Bureaucratic Blunder Could Cost Somalia Desperately
Needed Debt Relief
“An international push to secure sorely needed debt relief for
Somalia may be derailed because of a bureaucratic blunder in
Washington, undercutting long-standing efforts to stabilize one of
Africa’s least developed and most conflict-plagued countries. The
issue has so alarmed some U.S. officials that the U.S. ambassador to
the East African country is quietly considering resigning if it isn’t
resolved, current and former officials tell Foreign Policy The United
States spends around half a billion dollars per year in aid and
development to help prop up Somalia’s fragile government as it
grapples with violence from terrorist groups and chronic instability.
Despite the challenges, the new Somali government under Prime Minister
Hassan Ali Khaire has, with U.S. backing, pushed through a number of
difficult and unpopular reforms to align the government with
international standards on financial governance and transparency. The
reforms have given Somalia a chance to receive debt relief by the
spring of 2020 under a program run by the International Monetary Fund
and World Bank called the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC)
Initiative. Such a move would unblock Somalia’s access to sorely
needed international financial assistance, a key to helping the
country boost its laggard economic growth and stabilize its federal
institutions.”
Africa
The
Guardian: Sudan Will Never Prosper While It Is On The US Terrorism
Blacklist
“Over the past year, the Sudanese people have staged a near
miraculous revolution, overthrowing the 30-year dictatorship of
President Omar al-Bashir. Following mediation led by the African Union
and Ethiopia, a transitional government consisting of civilians and
military generals is headed by Abdalla Hamdok, a veteran economist
untainted by the decades of corruption and misrule. It is the best
compromise: the army, and especially the paramilitary Rapid Support
Force, are simply too powerful to be removed from politics in one fell
swoop. At the UN general assembly in September, and last week in
Washington DC, Hamdok made a series of good-faith policy pledges to
return Sudan to the club of respectable nations. Hamdok is charged
with the gargantuan task of steering Sudan out of crisis and into a
period of economic stability and growth. But what brought the first
demonstrators on to the streets a year ago was rampant inflation and
the collapse of the wage-earning economy: ordinary people simply
couldn’t afford to buy bread or fuel. That hasn’t changed. The economy
remains on the slide towards hyperinflation and the people towards
possible famine.”
Xinhua:
African Leaders Highlight Importance Of Combating Terror To Achieve
Development
“African leaders and international representatives highlighted on
Wednesday the importance of promoting security and combating terrorism
as main factors for achieving development across the continent. The
remarks came during the inauguration of a two-day Sustainable Peace,
Security and Development in Africa forum held in the upper Egyptian
city of Aswan. The forum in Aswan mainly focuses on post-conflict
reconstruction, education, climate change and sustainable development
in Africa. At the inauguration, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah
al-Sisi called for “decisive and collective action against countries
supporting terrorism around the world.” In his speech, he said various
African countries are impacted by terrorist violence, naming the Sahel
region, the Horn of Africa region and parts of North Africa as the
most affected regions in Africa. Other leaders including presidents of
Niger, Chad, Nigeria and Senegal and officials from the United States,
Britain, the United Nations attended the forum. “There is no
substitute for combating terrorism in African countries,” said
Senegalese President Macky Sall during the first session of the forum
titled “Africa We Want: Sustaining Peace, Security and
Development.”
The
Wall Street Journal: Dozens Of Soldiers Killed In Attack On Military
Base In Niger
“Hundreds of jihadists on motorbikes and pickup trucks killed more
than 70 soldiers in an attack on a military base in western Niger, the
deadliest single Islamist attack on a country the West has cultivated
as a xxxxxx against rising militancy across the Sahel. The militants
launched a three-hour assault on the camp on Wednesday in the town of
Inates in the Tillaberi region, a military spokesman said. The strike,
located close to the 2017 ambush that killed four U.S. service members
in the town of Tongo Tongo, began with a series of vehicle-borne bombs
that punctured the base’s defenses then militants swarmed the
facility, security officials said.”
North Korea
The
New York Times: After North Korea Hints At New Policy, U.S. Warns
Against More Missile Tests
“The United States is prepared to take “simultaneous steps” with
North Korea to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula, the American
ambassador to the United Nations said Wednesday, but she also warned
the North Koreans against conducting further missile tests. The
ambassador, Kelly Craft, made the remarks during a meeting of the
United Nations Security Council, which was called at her request over
worries that North Korea could soon resume testing of its long-range
missiles or perhaps even nuclear weapons, which it halted in
2017.”
France
The
National: French Senator Warns Of ISIS Attack Over Monitoring Failings
On Anniversary Of Strasbourg Atrocity
“A major European counterterrorism politician has warned that
France’s monitoring of extremists is still failing a year after a
terror attack in Strasbourg. ISIS extremist Cherif Chekatt killed five
people and wounded 11 others during a shooting and stabbing spree at
Strasbourg’s Christmas market a year ago. He had been on a terror
watchlist, known as Fiche S, when he committed the atrocity and is
believed to have become radicalised in prison. It has raised questions
over the effectiveness of the scheme. Now French senator Nathalie
Goulet is warning more attacks are likely as the country’s monitoring
systems are failing. There are believed to be 20,000 people on the
list, 12,000 for suspected Islamist radical behaviour, however only a
dozen are thought to be under 24-hour surveillance. It comes as
hundreds of convicted terrorists are expected to finish their prison
sentences shortly and France is one of a number of European countries
awaiting the return of ISIS fighters being sent back from Syria. “We
still have a lot to do a year on from the attack,” she said. “In
France we have a serious problem and we need to do more to prevent
extremists from acting. As it stands there will be more attacks.”
Germany
Express:
Germany Christmas Market Terror Warning: How Safe Are German Markets
In December?
“Germany is renowned for its stunning Christmas markets, emulated
around the world every festive season. For travellers wanting the
authentic experience jetting off to Germany for a December holiday is
ideal. However, in recent years there has been an increase in targeted
terror attacks, with the 2016 Berlin attack taking 12 lives.
Holidaymakers ‘so angry’ as P&O cancel luxury Christmas cruise. In
order to allow tourists to still celebrate the season and enjoy
markets, the FCO put out a terror warning offering advise and
indicating the threat level. Travellers should not be put off these
beautiful markets, though following the advice of authorities is
recommended. What is the most recent advice from the FCO? The Foreign
and Commonwealth Office recently updated its terror warning to
coincide with the popular Christmas Market period. Officials have
similarly updated other locations across Europe where markets are
popular. According to the FCO: “There is a general threat from
terrorism. There may be increased security in place over the festive
period, including at Christmas markets and other major events that
might attract large crowds. “You should remain vigilant and follow the
advice of local authorities.”
Europe
Reuters:
New Finland Leader: 'Silent Blessing' Given To Bring Home Islamic
State Kids
“Finland’s new prime minister said on Wednesday the center-left
coalition government had given its “silent blessing” to the Foreign
Minister to go ahead with plans to repatriate children of women who
traveled to Syria to join Islamic State. The remarks by Prime Minister
Sanna Marin, a day after she took office, could set the stage for a
conflict within her five member center-left coalition, which has yet
to agree a position on the issue of repatriations. The coalition’s
second biggest party, the Centre Party, which toppled Marin’s
predecessor last week, has so far withheld support for the Foreign
Ministry’s plans. Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said he had
nominated a special envoy to look into how more than 30 Finnish
children currently trapped at the Al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria
could be brought home. “(Our) guidelines include the idea that at
least the children could be brought to safety from the camp within a
reasonable timeframe,” Haavisto told reporters, adding that it was not
clear how quickly that could take place. The Red Cross says around
68,000 people are being held in Al-Hol, mostly the family members of
defeated Islamic State fighters, two thirds of them children. Finland
is one of many EU countries trying to decide what to do about their
citizens.”
U.S.
News & World Report: Danish Police Arrest 20 People In
Counter-Terrorism Raids
“Police arrested about 20 people on Wednesday, some of whom they
suspected of planning a militant attack, after carrying out raids
throughout Denmark on Wednesday, police said. "It is our assessment,
that those people are driven by a militant, Islamist motive,"
operational chief of the intelligence service, Flemming Drejer, told a
news conference.”
Technology
Forbes:
Youtube Bans Insults Based On Race, Gender And Sexual Orientation—But
Is Met With Skepticism
“YouTube tightened its harassment policy on Wednesday to bar
“veiled or implied threats” and malicious insults based on someone’s
race, gender or sexual orientation—but the move was met with
skepticism from prominent creators who doubt the company’s ability to
enforce the new rules. The updated harassment policy now bans “veiled
or implied threats,” not just explicit ones as the previous guidelines
did, said Matt Halprin, YouTube’s vice president and global head of
trust and safety, in a blog post.”
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