Eye on Extremism
December 23, 2019
The
New York Times: American Service Member Is Killed In
Afghanistan
“An American service member was killed in Afghanistan on Monday,
according to military officials, bringing to 20 the number of troops
who have died during combat operations this year. The service member’s
death is a grim reminder that more Americans have died fighting the
Taliban and other insurgent groups in 2019 than in any other year
since 2014, when the Pentagon euphemistically announced the “end of
combat operations” in the country. Thirteen troops were killed in
2018, and 11 in 2017. In a news release, the American-led mission in
Afghanistan provided little detail about the episode or the service
member’s identity pending notification of next of kin. The Taliban
claimed responsibility for the killing. Zabihullah Mujahid, the
Taliban spokesman, said the service member was killed in Kunduz
Province, when the insurgents targeted American and Afghan forces with
explosives. Social media accounts affiliated with the Taliban shared
photos of what they claimed were the identity badge of a United States
Army soldier, a sergeant, and photos of his bloody uniform.”
Voice
Of America: Al-Shabab Attack Kills 8 As US Launches Record Airstrikes
In 2019
“The al-Shabab militant group claimed responsibility for a suicide
car bomb that targeted military commanders in the central Somali town
of Galkayo, killing at least eight people and wounding 55 others
Saturday evening. Witnesses told VOA Somali that the vehicle exploded
as the military officials were leaving a hotel to attend a
reconciliation meeting. Commander of Somali land forces Brigadier
General Abdihamid Mohamed Dirir and commander of the 21st Division
General Abdulaziz Abdullahi Qoje survived the attack. Officials said
four civilians and four soldiers were killed in the explosion. “At
about 8:30pm last night this car you see its remains exploded, it was
targeting military vehicles,” says the Mayor of Galkayo’s southern
half Hersi Yusuf Barre. “There is a significant casualties, a lot of
civilians were hurt.” Residents started cleaning up the site and
collected the body of the suicide bomber for burial. A doctor at
Galkayo hospital Mohamed Abdi Ahmed told VOA Somali some of the
injured are in serious condition. An ambulance carrying an injured
person from an attack by Al Shabaab gunmen on a hotel near the
presidential residence arrives… It is the second major attack by
al-Shabab this month in Somalia.”
BBC
News: Isis In Iraq: Militants 'Getting Stronger
Again'
“There are growing indications that the Islamic State (IS) group is
re-organising in Iraq, two years after losing the last of its
territory in the country. Kurdish and Western intelligence officials
have told the BBC that the IS presence in Iraq is a sophisticated
insurgency, and IS attacks are increasing. The militants are now more
skilled and more dangerous than al-Qaeda, according to Lahur Talabany,
a top Kurdish counter-terrorism official. “They have better
techniques, better tactics and a lot more money at their disposal,” he
said. “They are able to buy vehicles, weapons, food supplies and
equipment. Technologically they're more savvy. It's more difficult to
flush them out. So, they are like al-Qaeda on steroids.” The veteran
intelligence chief delivered his stark assessment in a London accent -
the legacy of years in the UK after his family had to flee from the
regime of Saddam Hussein. At his base in Sulaimaniya, nestled in the
hills of the Kurdistan region of Northern Iraq, he painted a picture
of an organisation that has spent the past 12 months rebuilding from
the ruins of the caliphate. “We see the activities are increasing now,
and we think the rebuilding phase is over,” said Mr Talabany, who
heads the Zanyari Agency, one of two intelligence agencies in Iraqi
Kurdistan.”
Reuters:
France Kills 33 Militants In Mali Raid: President
“French forces killed 33 Islamist militants in Mali on Saturday
using attack helicopters, ground troops and a drone, near the border
with Mauritania where a group linked to al Qaeda operates, French
authorities said. The raid about 150 km (90 miles) northwest of Mopti
in Mali targeted the same forest area where France wrongly claimed
last year it had killed Amadou Koufa, one of the most senior Islamist
militants being hunted by French forces in the Sahel. A spokesman for
the French army’s chief of staff declined to say at this stage whether
Koufa was the target this time. French President Emmanuel Macron
announced the operation in a speech to the French community in Ivory
Coast’s main city of Abidjan, describing it as a major success. “This
morning ... we were able to neutralize 33 terrorists, take one
prisoner and free two Malian gendarmes who had been held hostage,”
Macron said, a day after visiting French troops stationed in Ivory
Coast. The operation took place in a different part of Mali to where
13 French soldiers died last month in a helicopter crash while
tracking a militant group suspected of being linked to Islamic State.
That was the biggest loss of French troops in a day since an attack in
Beirut 36 years ago and raised questions about the human cost to
France of its six-year campaign against Islamist insurgents in West
Africa.”
Deutsche
Welle: Germany: Nine Terror Attacks Prevented Since Berlin Christmas
Market Killings
“Since the 2016 terrorist attack in Berlin's Breitscheidplatz,
German authorities have prevented a further nine attacks of a similar
nature, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) said Sunday. Indeed,
last month alone, two acts of terror were thwarted, the BKA told
Germany's Welt am Sonntag. The head of the organization's recently
formed department for “Islamist-motivated terrorism / extremism,” Sven
Kurenbach, told the newspaper that the death of IS leader Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi in October may provoke more attacks. Kurenbach said:
“After the death of the IS leader, there was an increasing call for
terror in the West in radical Islamist circles.” The nature of the
onslaughts is changing too, as Kurenbach explained: “The trend is
towards attacks with simple means. Firearms have recently played less
of a role in attack planning in this country.” The establishment of
the new BKA department was one of the more decisive reactions to the
attack on the Berlin Christmas market three years ago, in which 12
people died and 55 were injured. At the end of October, BKA President
Holger Münch said that seven Islamist-motivated attacks had been
prevented since 2016.”
Fox
News: ISIS 'Caliphate' Crumbled In 2019, But Terror Group Remains
Forceful Threat, Experts Say
“The lack of consensus over what to do with these individuals will
continue to be a security threat and potential source of the group’s
resurgence," said Josh Lipowsky, a senior researcher for the Counter
Extremism Project. "ISIS now calls for its followers to support the
larger, metaphorical Islamic State by attacking opponents of its
ideology. For example, Uslan Khan’s attack at the London Bridge last
month specifically targeted a group that works with radicalized
prisoners." According to Lipowsky, this strategy allows ISIS to be
less centralized and focus its efforts primarily on propaganda. "ISIS
doesn’t have to coordinate – or pay – these lone wolves but can claim
these individuals as soldiers of the caliphate while sowing fear that
ISIS could strike anywhere," he added.”
United States
Fox
News: US On High Alert For Possible ‘Christmas Gift’ Missile From
North Korea
“U.S. officials are on high alert for signs of a possible missile
launch from North Korea in the coming days that officials have
referred to as a “Christmas gift.” A significant launch or nuclear
test would raise the end of North Korea's self-imposed moratorium on
missile launches and tests. It would also be a major blow to one of
President Trump’s major foreign policy goals to get North Korea back
to the negotiating table to eliminate its nuclear weapons. Earlier
this month, the North conducted what U.S. officials say was an engine
test. Experts believe it may have involved an engine for a long-range
missile. "North Korea has been advancing. It has been building new
capabilities," said Anthony Wier, a former State Department official
who tracks nuclear disarmament for the Friends Committee on National
Legislation. "As long as that continues, they gain new capabilities to
try new missiles to threaten us and our allies in new ways," North
Korea warned of a possible "Christmas gift" in early December, saying
the Trump administration was running out of time on nuclear
negotiations, and it was up to the U.S. to choose what "Christmas
gift" it gets from Pyongyang. Victor Cha, a Korea expert at the
Center for Strategic and International Studies, said a review of the
possible launch sites in North Korea shows they are a "basically ready
to go." Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters earlier this week
that the U.S. has heard all the talk of a possible upcoming test
around Christmas.”
The
New York Times: Hanukkah In Jersey City After Terror Attack: ‘Good
Will Always Win’
“JC Kosher Supermarket no longer has broken windows and strips of
yellow police tape. Less than two weeks ago, two gunmen charged the
market in an anti-Semitic attack, leaving three bystanders dead and
shocking Jersey City’s thriving multicultural community. Now the
market is boarded up, spray-painted with a mural of a blue heart and
the Pulaski Skyway bridge. But Rabbi Moshe Schapiro, one of the
organizers of a menorah lighting at the market on Sunday, at the start
of Hanukkah, had a hopeful message. “The first night of Hanukkah at
the very place of this shooting, which created so much darkness and
negativity, can bring light and positivity,” he said. “When we
celebrate at a time like this, almost two weeks from a terrible
shooting, we start thinking about what’s the meaning of the holiday.”
The menorah lighting is a central part of Hanukkah, which celebrates
the victory 2,000 years ago of the Jewish Maccabees in their battle to
regain Jerusalem from the Syrians. The menorah was used to cast light
as they rebuilt their temple. There was enough oil to burn for only
one night, but it lasted for eight. On Sunday evening, a small silver
menorah and boxes of doughnuts sat on a folding table in front of the
market.”
Syria
Fox
News: Israel Airstrikes Target Iran-Linked Military Base In Syria,
State Media Reports
“Israel conducted an airstrike into Syria on Sunday night as air
defenses in the country opened fire on missiles that had entered,
state media reported. Residents in Damascus said explosions could be
heard near the capital; there were no immediate reports on casualties.
Syrian state TV gave no further details, though said one of the
Israeli missiles was shot down near the Damascus suburb of Aqraba.
There was no immediate comment from Israel, who told Fox News they
don’t comment on foreign media reports of airstrikes attributed to the
Jewish state. In neighboring Lebanon, Israeli warplanes could be heard
flying in the country's airspace at the time of the airstrikes in
Syria. Damascus had said in the past that Israeli warplanes have fired
missiles into Syria from Lebanon's airspace. Fox News correspondent
Trey Yingst reported Sunday that explosions were also heard in the
city of Homs, in western Syria, that is also home of a base that is
linked to Iran. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights,
an opposition war monitoring group that has activists around the
country, said the missile attack targeted Iranian and Syrian military
positions near Damascus.”
Los
Angeles Times: Syrian Troops Push Toward Turkish Observation Post In
Idlib
“Syrian government forces pushed deeper in their offensive on the
last remaining rebel stronghold in the country’s northwest on Sunday,
getting very close to a Turkish observation post in the area,
opposition activists said. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights and the opposition’s Syrian Civil Defense, also known as
White Helmets, reported shelling and airstrikes on rebel-held villages
in Idlib on Sunday, saying that at least one civilian was killed. The
province of Idlib has been at the center of a Syrian forces’ push
under the cover of airstrikes in recent weeks, with more than a dozen
villages captured. The offensive has already forced tens of thousands
of civilians to abandon their homes and flee, including thousands who
crossed into neighboring Turkey seeking safety. The attacks resumed
after a cease-fire in force since the end of August collapsed
recently. Turkey has backed Syrian rebels in the neighboring country’s
civil war, now in its ninth year. Saraqeb and Maaret al-Numan are two
major rebel-held towns on the highway linking the capital, Damascus,
with the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest. The two towns have
been emptied of civilians since becoming the target of the offensive,
which aims to reopen the highway, closed since 2012.”
The
New York Times: Syrian Air Defense Intercepts Missiles From Israel:
State Media
“The Syrian army's air defense system intercepted missiles coming
from the direction of Israel that were aimed at targets on the
outskirts of the Syrian capital, state media said on Sunday. Four
cruise missiles were believed to have been launched across the coast
through Lebanese airspace toward Syria, a source in the regional
alliance supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told Reuters.
Later the army said it had brought down one of the missiles in an area
near the capital. It gave no further details and there was no
immediate comment from Israel. Israel has launched hundreds of
missiles toward Syria in recent years, targeting Iranian-backed
militias operating in the country as well as supplies sent by
pro-Iranian Lebanese Hezbollah to support Assad's forces. Iran and
Hezbollah are fighting on the side of President Bashar al-Assad in the
Syrian war, and Israel says they are trying to turn Syria into a new
front against Israelis. Israel has vowed it will continue its strikes
against Iranian targets trying to establish a permanent military
presence there and against advanced weapons shipments to
Hezbollah.”
France
24: Who Is The Islamic State Group's New Boss?
“Just days after Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a raid by US
special forces in October, the Islamic State group announced the name
of the man who has replaced him as leader. But the true identity of
Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi remains shrouded in mystery, and
with it the organisation's strategy going forward. “We don't know much
about him except that he is the leading judge of IS and he heads the
Sharia (Islamic law) committee,” said Hisham al-Hashemi, an Iraqi
expert on the jihadist group. But there are even doubts that the man
designated “caliph”, or religious ruler, exists at all. Some suggest
the group was caught off guard and announced a name as a holding move,
to create the impression it is on top of things. “The organisation was
taken by surprise by the brutality of Baghdadi's elimination,” said
Jean-Piere Filiu, an Arab world specialist at Paris' Sciences-Po
university. “It has since communicated the identity of a successor who
we don't know if he truly exists or whether it is a decoy while the
process of designating a true successor plays out in Syria and Iraq,”
he said. Shortly after Baghdadi triggered a suicide belt during the
American raid, US President Donald Trump announced to the world he had
died “like a dog.”
Asharq
Al-Awsat: Two Separate Attacks Kill Six Pro-Regime Forces In
Daraa
“Syria's Daraa governorate witnessed 3 separate attacks during the
past hours, which left five members affiliated to the 4th Division of
the Regime Army dead. This came after an armed attack on one of their
checkpoints in Sad Saham al-Golan in the western countryside of Daraa,
the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported after it monitored
the continuation of assassinations in the area. The war monitor said
that all of the casualties were “reservists”, one person was killed by
unidentified gunfire in Bosr al-Harir town east of Daraa, while
unknown assailants tried to assassinate a member of the political
security by shooting him in Al-Sanamin city north of Daraa city, left
him injured. This raises the number of attacks and assassination
attempts in various forms and methods by IEDs, mines, car-bombs and
shooting, during the period from last June to date, which increased to
more than 215 attacks. Meanwhile, the number of persons killed
following these attempts during the same period reached 153, including
24 civilians, in addition to 79 members of regime forces and allied
militias and collaborators with the security forces.”
The
Jerusalem Post: ISIS Used Drones To Attack Three Refineries In
Syria
“Three refineries were attacked simultaneously in the city of Homs
north of Damascus, using drones, in what was called by the mineral
resources and oil ministry in Syria as “terrorist activities.” The
refineries’ manager in Homs, Haythem Massucar, has said that two
refineries and two gas facilities in the area were attacked early
Saturday morning. Fire fighters managed to quickly douse the fire
which broke out at the facilities. The Syrian Oil Ministry reported
on its Facebook regarding the occurence of “systematic terror attacks
on three of [its] oil facilities” which includes refineries in the
Homs area, and gas stations located central Homs and the “Rian” gas
station, located east of the region. The Ministry pointed out that
“the attack caused damage to several of the production units” and
mentioned that fire fighters intervened in putting out the fires,
while “technical teams have begun working to renew activities”. Syrian
State Television played videos showing fire fighters working in the
middle of the night, to douse the flames in one of the three
facilities. The Official Syrian News Agency quoted the oil minister
Ali Ganam saying: “The attack shut down a number of production units
in the three facilities,” and added that “the technical teams and the
fire fighters manage to take control of the fires in the first few
hours”. In his estimation, the supply of cooking gas will not be
hurt.”
Iran
Reuters:
Special Report: Iran's Leader Ordered Crackdown On Unrest - 'Do
Whatever It Takes To End It'
“After days of protests across Iran last month, Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared impatient. Gathering his top security
and government officials together, he issued an order: Do whatever it
takes to stop them. That order, confirmed by three sources close to
the supreme leader’s inner circle and a fourth official, set in motion
the bloodiest crackdown on protesters since the Islamic Revolution in
1979. About 1,500 people were killed during less than two weeks of
unrest that started on Nov. 15. The toll, provided to Reuters by three
Iranian interior ministry officials, included at least 17 teenagers
and about 400 women as well as some members of the security forces and
police. The toll of 1,500 is significantly higher than figures from
international human rights groups and the United States. A Dec. 16
report by Amnesty International said the death toll was at least 304.
The U.S. State Department, in a statement to Reuters, said it
estimates that many hundreds of Iranians were killed, and has seen
reports that number could be over 1,000. The figures provided to
Reuters, said two of the Iranian officials who provided them, are
based on information gathered from security forces, morgues, hospitals
and coroner’s offices. The government spokesman’s office declined to
comment on whether the orders came from Khamenei and on the Nov. 17
meeting. Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not respond to a
request for comment for this story.”
Asharq
Al-Awsat: Houthis Officially Admit 'Military Cooperation' With
Iran
“A Houthi-appointed ambassador in Tehran uncovered for the first
time the presence of a military relationship between Iran and the
rebel group. Despite being considered by the legitimate government as
a “fake ambassador,” the Houthi official unknowingly admitted the
presence of ties between the two sides, particularly at the military
level. Houthi-controlled media outlets published on Sunday photos
showing its claimed ambassador Ibrahim Mohamed al-Dailami with Iranian
Defense Minister Amir Hatami. The Houthi version of Saba news agency
said that Dailami discussed with the Iranian minister joint
cooperation, adding that the ambassador praised relations between
Tehran and Houthis at all levels. The news agency also quoted sources
saying that Hatami stressed the need to enhance and enforce relations
between the Iranian army and Houthi militias, which he referred to as
“the Yemeni Army.” The Hatami-Dailami meeting in Tehran and the
statements delivered by the two men are considered the first official
revelation about the bond between both sides. Since their coup against
the government in 2014, Houthis deny receiving military support from
Iran, although the international community has uncovered the smuggling
of Iranian arms into Yemen.”
Iraq
The
Times Of Israel: Thousands Rally In Iraq Against Iran’s Political
Influence
“Thousands took to the streets in Iraq’s capital and across the
south Sunday to protest against Iran’s kingmaking influence as the
latest deadline for choosing a new prime minister loomed.
Anti-government rallies have rocked Baghdad and the Shiite-majority
south since October 1, with demonstrators calling for a complete
overhaul of a regime they deem corrupt, inefficient and overly
beholden to Tehran. “The revolution continues!” shouted one
demonstrator at a protest encampment in central Diwaniyah. Protesters
blocked off public buildings one by one in the southern Iraqi city,
and put up banners reading “The country is under construction — please
excuse the disruption.” Sunday marks the latest deadline — already
pushed back twice by Iraqi President Barham Saleh — for parliament to
choose a new premier to replace Adel Abdel Mahdi, who tendered his
administration’s resignation last month. Officials say Iran wants to
install Qusay al-Suhail, who served as higher education minister in
the government of Abdel Mahdi. “But this is exactly what we oppose —
Iranian control over our country,” said 24-year-old student Houeida,
speaking to AFP in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square, the epicentre of the
protests which was once again abuzz with the youthful energy of
thousands.”
Kurdistan
24: Iraqi Forces Kill 8 ISIS Members With Kornet Rocket In Disputed
Makhmour
“Iraq’s defense ministry on Monday said a security forces
detachment killed eight Islamic State operatives with a Kornet rocket
on a mountain in the disputed Makhmour district. “The Da’esh [ISIS]
members were intending to attack one of the regiment’s points that
blocked the way to the mountain,” a defense ministry statement said.
It indicated that “the target had been taken care of and eight ISIS
[fighters] had been killed by a Kornet missile.” Makhmour is located
in an area disputed by the Federal Government of Iraq and the
Kurdistan Region, some 60 kilometers southwest of Erbil. Following the
liberation of Mosul, Islamic State militants gathered in surrounding
disputed and vulnerable areas, which included Makhmour and Qarachokh
Mountain. The security void in areas between territory protected by
Iraqi troops and Kurdish Peshmerga forces sometimes reaches up to 20
kilometers deep. The rugged, barren terrain that is often seen in such
areas has been a haven for Islamic State fighters who use it as a base
from which to plan and launch attacks in surrounding settlements and
towns. Members of the extremist group have recently carried out a
series of terrorist attacks on both the Peshmerga and Iraqi forces in
such areas in or near other disputed territories, killing dozens.”
Xinhua:
4 Policemen, IS Militant Killed In IS Attack In Iraq's
Salahudin
“Four policemen and a militant of Islamic State (IS) group were
killed on Saturday in an attack by the extremist IS militants in
Iraq's central province of Salahudin, a security source said. The
attack took place in the evening when IS militants attacked a police
outpost guarding oil pipelines in north of the oil-refinery town of
Baiji, some 200 km north of Baghdad, Mohammed al-Bazi from the
provincial police told Xinhua. IS attack sparked a fierce clash with
the police force continued until a reinforcement police force arrived
to the scene, forcing IS attackers to withdrew to the nearby desert,
al-Bazi said. The clash resulted in the killing of four policemen and
one of the attackers, al-Bazi said, adding that a police officer was
also wounded during the clash. The security situation in Iraq has been
improved since Iraqi security forces fully defeated the extremist IS
militants across the country late in 2017. However, IS remnants have
since melted in urban areas or resorted to deserts and rugged areas,
carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and
civilians.”
Afghanistan
Reuters:
Taliban Kill U.S. Force Member In Northern
Afghanistan
“The Taliban said their fighters killed a U.S. service member in
Afghanistan on Monday and posted photographs of a blood-soaked
backpack and the identity card of a American soldier to prove it. The
U.S. military said in a statement an American service member was
“killed in action”, but gave no details and withheld the name of the
service member until the next of kin were informed. Zabihullah
Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, said they killed the U.S. force
member in a blast in the northern province of Kunduz.”
Stars
And Stripes: Afghan Official: Hundreds Of ISIS Members Surrounded,
Detained
“The Afghan government said Saturday it has detained about 700
Islamic State group fighters and family members in eastern Afghanistan
over the past six months. The Afghan intelligence service, the
National Directorate for Security, said among the 700 are at least 75
women and 159 children. Many of the group are from foreign countries.
Many were arrested, but some turned themselves in. The NDS said all of
the fighters and family members were transported to the NDS compound
in Kabul. Earlier, security forces had surrounded dozens of remaining
fighters in their homes in various districts in the region. The NDS
said the operation was ongoing. There was no way to independently
confirm that the prisoners the government presented to reporters and
photographers at the NDS compound Saturday are affiliated with the
Islamic State group. Most of the arrested IS members are from
Pakistan, Jordan and Central Asian countries, said an NDS officer who
asked that his name not be used as agency rules don't allow him to be
identified. As many as 277 foreigners are among the arrested
militants, he said. Washington's peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad tweeted
earlier this month that IS in eastern Afghanistan has been weakened by
operations carried out not just by the U.S. and Afghan forces, but by
the Taliban as well.”
Yemen
Asharq
Al-Awsat: Yemen Govt. Accuses Houthis Of Abducting, Recruiting Female
Students
“Information Minister in Yemen’s legitimate government Moammar
al-Eryani accused the Iran-backed Houthi militias of waging a
systematic campaign to recruit female students as part of their
terrorist agenda. The militias want to recruit girls in their armed
groups, called Zeinabiyyat, to use them to spy on women, he charged.
The recruits are forced to join training programs where they are
indoctrinated with Houthi ideology, he added. The minister said that
this is part of the Houthis’ attempts to use women in their terrorist
operations and destroy Yemen’s traditional values and norms that
respect women and hold them in the highest of regards. Eryani called
on international rights groups to condemn such Houthi criminal
practices and all forms of violence against women in regions under
their control. Yemeni and international rights sources accused the
Houthis of escalating their campaign against women and girls. They
cited the kidnapping of dozens of students from schools and off the
streets for ransom or to humiliate their
parents.”
Lebanon
The
Times Of Israel: Thousands Protest Against New Hezbollah-Backed PM In
Lebanon
“Thousands of protesters demonstrated in central Beirut and
elsewhere in Lebanon on Sunday against the country’s new prime
minister, saying he should abandon the post because he is a member of
the ruling elite. After sunset, protesters closed several roads and
highways in Beirut and other parts of the country to rally against the
nomination of Hassan Diab, who was backed by the Hezbollah terror
group and its allies and failed to win the backing of the main Sunni
Muslim groups. The protesters, many of whom came from northern Lebanon
and the eastern Bekaa Valley, also gathered in Beirut’s central
Martyrs Square, one of the key places of the protests, which have been
underway for more than two months. They later marched toward the
parliament building guarded by scores of riot police. Unlike last
week, when scuffles were reported between protesters and policemen
outside the parliament, there was no violence on Sunday. Prime
Minister-designate Diab, a university professor and former education
minister, will have the task of steering Lebanon out of its worst
economic and financial crisis in decades. He is also taking office
against the backdrop of ongoing nationwide protests against the
country’s ruling elite that the protesters blame for widespread
corruption and mismanagement.”
Middle East
The
Washington Times: Trump's Foreign Policy Creates Space For Terror
Groups To Grow, Specialists Warn
“While its Middle East “caliphate” has been shattered, the Islamic
State has regrouped and quickly gained a significant foothold in
Africa’s unstable, impoverished Sahel region — and analysts say the
U.S. is taking a serious foreign policy gamble by steering clear of
major military intervention to address the growing terrorist threat.
The Islamic State’s massacre this month of 71 soldiers in Niger came
on the heels of other shocking attacks in Mali, Burkina Faso, and
elsewhere across the western part of the continent. The violence has
transformed sub-Saharan Africa into perhaps the world’s most fertile
breeding ground for Islamic State, al Qaeda, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam
wal Muslimeen (JNIM), and a host of other terror organizations that
prey on economic desperation and take advantage of dysfunctional
governments. The recent attacks highlight the dangerous military
capabilities of those extremist groups and also shine a light on the
inability of regional militaries to effectively fight back. While the
French and other American partners have launched major
counter-terrorism operations in the region, the U.S. military so far
has mostly played a secondary role centered on training and advising
local forces.”
Gulf
News: Qatar Has Taken Half A Step Forward But Two Steps Back, Says UAE
Minister
“UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash has
commented on the ongoing crisis with Qatar on Monday. “A foreign guest
asked me about the developments of the Qatar crisis, and I replied:
Half a step forward and two steps back. The problem is that Qatar’s
worst enemy is Qatar,” he tweeted. His comments come weeks after the
annual GCC Summit where Qatar’s Emir did not attend despite being
invited by Saudi Arabia. There was intial hope ahead of the summit
that Gulf leaders could use the forum to start mending ties after a
years-long rift. The US-allied bloc has felt the fallout from a
dispute that erupted more than two years ago pitting Saudi Arabia, the
UAE, Bahrain and Egypt against Qatar. In June 2017, the quartet cut
off diplomatic and transportation links with Qatar over its support
for extremist groups. The four countries have repeatedly demanded Doha
to comply with a set of conditions to end the standoff. The demands
include Qatar’s severance of links with militant and terror groups,
scaling down ties with Iran and shutting down Al Jazeera TV, seen as a
mouthpiece of the banned Muslim Brotherhood. Following the summit, the
UAE has accused the Muslim Brotherhood and Qatar of launching a
targeted campaign against the UAE and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed
Bin Zayed.”
The
Times: Queen Is Enemy Of Islam And Must Die, Says Jail
‘Emir’
“In a prison cell at HMP Woodhill, the walls of which were lined
with religious posters and family photographs, Brusthom Ziamani, 24, a
jailed terrorist, and another prisoner, a convicted murderer, sat with
two young inmates. Another man, then aged 24 and who will be referred
to by the pseudonym Jack, arrived at the door and squeezed into the
cramped room. The murderer, a broad, muscular man we have called M,
greeted Jack with a bear hug and instructed him to stand beside
Ziamani. These three converts to a warped and extremist brand of Islam
had formed a self-styled Sharia court to sit in judgment on the two
other prisoners sitting cross-legged on the floor. The accused were
made to stand and announce their names before M told them they had
been brought before his court for “disgracing the month of Ramadan”.
He said: “You were caught drinking alcohol yesterday evening by the
brothers. Due to the overwhelming evidence against you, we find you
guilty despite your pleas of innocence.”
Nigeria
The
Wall Street Journal: The New War Against Africa’s
Christians
“A slow-motion war is under way in Africa’s most populous country.
It’s a massacre of Christians, massive in scale and horrific in
brutality. And the world has hardly noticed. A Nigerian Pentecostal
Christian, director of a nongovernmental organization that works for
mutual understanding between Nigeria’s Christians and Muslims, alerted
me to it. “Have you heard of the Fulani?” he asked at our first
meeting, in Paris, speaking the flawless, melodious English of the
Nigerian elite. The Fulani are an ethnic group, generally described as
shepherds from mostly Muslim Northern Nigeria, forced by climate
change to move with their herds toward the more temperate Christian
South. They number 14 million to 15 million in a nation of 191
million. Among them is a violent element. “They are Islamic extremists
of a new stripe,” the NGO director said, “more or less linked with
Boko Haram,” the sect that became infamous for the 2014 kidnapping of
276 Christian girls in the state of Borno. “I beg you,” he said, “come
and see for yourself.” Knowing of Boko Haram but nothing of the
Fulani, I accept. The 2019 Global Terrorism Index estimates that
Fulani extremists have become deadlier than Boko Haram and accounted
for the majority of the country’s 2,040 documented terrorist
fatalities in 2018. To learn more about them, I travel to Godogodo, in
the center of the country, where I meet a beautiful woman named Jumai
Victor, 28. On July 15, she says, Fulani extremists stormed into her
village on long-saddle motorcycles, three to a bike, shouting “Allahu
Akbar!” They torched houses and killed her four children before her
eyes.”
Sahara
Reporters: Buhari Blames Libyan Fighters For Persistent Boko Haram
Attacks In Nigeria
“President Muhammadu Buhari has blamed the continued Boko Haram
attacks in Nigeria to Libyan fighters. Buhari said this during a
bilateral meeting with President of Cote d’Ivoire, Alhassan Quattara,
on the margins of the 56th ordinary session of the Economic Community
of West African States. Buhari, according to a statement by Garba
Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the president on Media and
Publicity, maintained that the instability in Libya was causing a
recurring threat to the Sahel and Sub-Saharan Africa, expressing
concern over the growing effect of the crisis on many lives. He added
that the fighters in Libya were surviving on violent crimes and
terrorism. The statement reads, “The President said the Libyan
fighters, who were trained for the 43 years Muammar Gaddafi ruled the
country were armed with deadly weapons and had been roaming the Sahel
and Sub-Saharan region with no other skills for survival ‘but to shoot
and kill.’ “President Buhari expressed happiness that neighbouring
countries were supporting Nigeria in tackling the menace of the
fighters who had teamed up with Boko Haram, adding that there was a
need to do more by tWest African countries both under the ECOWAS
platform and at bilateral levels.”
Premium
Times: Boko Haram Attacks Humanitarian Workers, Three Feared Killed,
Two Reportedly Kidnapped
“Three people were feared killed on Sunday when suspected members
of the Boko Haram attacked humanitarian workers in Borno State. Two
others were also reportedly kidnapped by the insurgents, sources told
PREMIUM TIMES. The insurgents carried out the attack along the
Maiduguri-Monguno road. Credible sources within the UN system in
Maiduguri, Borno State, confirmed the attack. Details are still
sketchy as officials within the UN offices said it is too early to
give correct figures of casualties. A usually reliable UN source said
the two of the abductees were female. “I can confirm to you that the
sad incident happened today along Monguno road but one cannot be
certain about the actual figure yet,” said the source who craved
anonymity. PREMIUM TIMES gathered the attacked humanitarian workers
are employees of an international NGO called Alima. Alima is the first
INGO to set foot on the reclaimed town of Monguno in June 2016 when it
commenced humanitarian aid operations in Borno State. It is still
providing services in Monguno to date. All efforts to contact
officials of Alima for further confirmation were not successful at the
time of this report. The military too could not be reached for
confirmation and has not released any statement on the attack.”
All
Africa: Nigeria: Military Repels Boko Haram Attack On Damaturu -
Governor's Convoy, '200' Other Vehicles Stranded
“The Nigerian military successfully repelled a Boko Haram attack on
Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, an official has said. PREMIUM TIMES
reported the panic in Damaturu as loud gunshots and artillery fire
rented the air. Residents rushed into their houses and businesses
closed hurriedly on Sunday evening while the attack occurred. While
speaking on the attack, the spokesman of Sector II of Operation Lafiya
Dole, Damaturu, Njoka Irabor, told PREMIUM TIMES that “the insurgents
made an attempt to enter Damaturu from the northern flank of the town
but were given a heavy blow by both air and ground troops.” Mr Irabor,
an army captain, said Sunday night that Damaturu was now calm and
“details of the attack will be relayed by tomorrow”. While the attack
on Damaturu occurred, scores of vehicles trying to get to the town
were stranded as the army blocked the roads leading into the town.
Witnesses said more than 200 vehicles were stranded including the
Borno State governor's convoy along Damaturu-Maiduguri highway. Some
journalists who were part of the governor's convoy told PREMIUM TIMES
that over 200 vehicles including commercial and private cars were held
up at the entrance of Damaturu town at about 9 p.m.”
Somalia
Reuters:
Somali Militants Claim Responsibility For Attack Outside Somali Hotel:
Spokesman
“Somali Islamist militant group al Shabaab has claimed
responsibility for Saturday’s attack outside a hotel in the town of
Galkayo, in the country’s Mudug region, which killed at least seven
civilians, their spokesman told Reuters. “We are behind the Galkayo
blast, it was a martyrdom suicide car bomber that targeted military
officials who had a meeting in that place. We killed many soldiers and
injured others,” Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab’s military operations
spokesman, said on Sunday. A local military officer said on Saturday
that in addition to those killed, dozens more were wounded. The
militant Islamist group controls small sections of the Mudug region,
but not Galkayo. It ruled most of south-central Somalia until 2011
when it was driven out of the capital Mogadishu by African Union
troops. Despite the loss of territory, al Shabaab still carries out
major gun and bomb attacks, often claiming casualty numbers that
conflict with those given by government officials.”
Xinhua: Al-Shabaab
Militants Torch Four Tractors At Construction Site In Northern
Kenya
“Somalia based al-Shabaab militants on Sunday raided a construction
site in Kenya's northern county of Mandera and burnt down four
construction equipment. The equipment that was destroyed at a
construction site near Kenyan border with Somalia, included an
excavator, flat roller machine, shift foot roller and a pressure pump.
Police and witnesses said the militants raided the site at dawn and
burnt the equipment. No one was injured during the incident on the
Mandera-Arabia-Lafey road as the two guards who were on duty managed
to escape. Outgoing North Eastern Regional Commissioner Mohamed Birik,
regional commissioner for North Eastern said security personnel
northeastern were investigating the latest attack by al-Shabaab. The
al-Shabaab militants have in the recent past intensified attacks along
the Somalia-Kenya border targeting civilians and government
installations. In December, al-Shabaab fighters attacked a bus heading
to Mandera and killed eight police reservists who are not natives of
the region. Police have so far arrested eight suspects for their
alleged involvement in facilitating the attack on the reservists.”
Africa
Foreign
Policy: U.S. To Ramp Up Counterterrorism Efforts In Sahel
Region
“The Trump administration is preparing to create a new special
envoy position and task force to deal with security threats in the
Sahel region of Africa, reflecting a growing alarm in Washington about
the rise of extremist groups in West Africa, including ones affiliated
with the Islamic State. The measure comes as extremist groups carry
out increasingly deadly attacks in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso and
spread their reach further south. Officials and experts warn that the
extremist groups are gaining strength despite U.S.-led special
operations raids and drone strikes, and yearslong efforts by Western
countries and West African governments to root out the groups. The
administration is preparing to appoint a special envoy who would head
an interagency task force composed of officials from the State
Department, the intelligence community, the Defense Department, and
other agencies to better coordinate the U.S. response to the extremist
groups in the region, current and former officials and congressional
aides familiar with the matter tell Foreign Policy. One official
cautioned that the details of the plan are still being hashed out and
the move has not yet been made official. The administration is also
drafting a new strategy for the Sahel to guide the work, several
officials said.”
BBC
News: West Africa: Is France Losing Ground To
Militants?
“A rise in the number of attacks by jihadists in West Africa has
led to growing concerns over French military involvement in the
region. French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting Niger this
weekend to address these issues and to pay his respects following the
recent loss of both French and local soldiers in military operations.
The current French operation has been running since 2014,
co-ordinating on security issues with Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Burkina
Faso and Chad. They are fighting a complex web of jihadist groups that
Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou has described as having become
“professionals in the art of war”. An attack by jihadists on an army
base earlier this month led to the deaths of more than 70 soldiers in
Niger. In November, 13 French troops died in a helicopter collision
during an operation against jihadists in Mali, the biggest single loss
of life for the French military since the 1980s. Regional leaders have
called for more international support to tackle the militants but
there has also been rising anti-French sentiment and protests in some
cities in the region. The Sahel, the vast semi-desert region that
stretches across West Africa, is home to numerous al-Qaeda and Islamic
State-aligned groups.”
Voice
Of America: Macron Vows To Keep Fighting Extremism In West
Africa
“France's President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to boost the fight
against Islamic extremism in West Africa as French troops killed 33
Islamic extremists in central Mali. Macron spoke Saturday on the
second day of his three-day trip to Ivory Coast and Niger that has
been dominated by the growing threat posed by jihadist groups. “We
must remain determined and united to face that threat,” Macron said in
a news conference in Abidjan. “We will continue the fight.” By
Macron's side, Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara in Abidjan
announced a “historic” reform of the French-backed currency CFA Franc,
established in 1945 and used by eight states in West and Central
Africa. The currency's name will become the “eco” next year and all
French officials will withdraw from its decision-making bodies,
Ouattara said. In addition, the obligation for member states to keep
half of their foreign reserves in France will end. The currency will
remain pegged to the euro, which guarantees its stability, Ouattara
stressed. Macron, who turned 42 on Saturday, welcomed the reform and
praised the financial and economic empowerment of the region. “I don't
belong to a a generation that has known colonialism ... so let's break
the ties!” he said, adding that the currency was considered by some,
especially the African youth, as a post-colonial heritage.”
Al
Jazeera: Five Arrested For Attack On Mosques In Ethiopia's Amhara
Region
“Five people suspected of burning down four mosques in Ethiopia's
Amhara region have been arrested, a regional spokesman has said, as
rising intercommunal and ethnic violence threatens political reforms
initiated by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. “Five people who are suspected
of leading and organising the attacks have now been arrested,” Getnet
Yirsaw, the Amhara state spokesman, said in a Facebook post on
Saturday. State-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate reported on
Saturday that a number of mosques were attacked and that “other
properties were destroyed” in Mota town, more than 350 kilometres (217
miles) north of the capital, Addis Ababa. “Attempts by extremists to
breakdown our rich history of religious tolerance and coexistence have
no place in the new prosperity focused Ethiopia,” Abiy, this year's
Nobel Peace Prize laureate, said in a statement posted on his Facebook
and Twitter accounts. “I condemn such acts of cowardice and call upon
all peace loving Ethiopians to draw upon our deep knowledge of
coexistence and our reservoir of respect,” the statement added. Fana
also said one church was attacked. While ethnic violence has been a
persistent problem under Abiy, recent unrest appears to have been at
least partly motivated by religion.”
United Kingdom
Fox
News: London Bridge Hero Who Subdued Terrorist With Narwhal Tusk
Recounts Incident
“The hero who fought off the knife-wielding London Bridge terrorist
with an ornamental 5-foot narwhal tusk spoke Saturday of his “deep
hurt” for the two individuals who were killed in the attack. Civil
servant Darryn Frost, 38, said he and the others reacted instinctively
when Usman Khan, 28, began stabbing people on the bridge Nov. 29. Khan
was eventually shot dead by police. “When we heard the noise from the
floor below, a few of us rushed to the scene,” Frost said. “I took a
narwhal tusk from the wall and used it to defend myself and others
from the attacker. Another man was holding the attacker at bay with a
wooden chair.” He said Khan had a large knife in each hand and pointed
at his midriff. “He turned and spoke to me, then indicated he had an
explosive device around his waist,” Frost said. “At this point, the
man next to me threw his chair at the attacker, who then started
running towards him with knives raised above his head.” Frost and
others — including one man who sprayed Khan with a fire extinguisher —
managed to fight the attacker to the ground until police arrived. The
jihadist, who had served prison time for earlier terrorism offenses,
was shot dead by police moments later after he threatened again to
detonate his vest, which turned out to be a fake.”
Daily
Mail: Islamist Extremists Are Holding Sharia Law Trials, Punishment
Beatings And Pledges Of Allegiance To Isis INSIDE British Jails,
Former Inmate Claims
“Extremists in British prisons are holding their own Sharia trials,
grooming young Muslim inmates and sharing banned books, it has been
reported. An ex-prisoner claimed he took part in punishment beatings
and Sharia courts with a group of prisoners who pledged allegiance to
Isis. Last night security experts called for an urgent review into
radicalisation in British jails. The claims come after police
watchdogs revealed they are to probe whether London Bridge killer
Usman Khan should have been watched more closely after his release
from jail. Khan - who stabbed two people to death on a knife rampage
- was freed halfway through his 16-year sentence for terrorism without
the necessary Parole Board assessment of his threat to the public. A
former prisoner, who spoke to The Times, said he was recruited at HMP
Woodhill, Milton Keynes, by a group which included a follower of the
hate preacher Anjem Choudary and claimed that he had access to
recordings of talks by the al-Qaeda ideologue Anwar al-Awlaki. The
ex-prisoner, who is in his 20s and used the pseudonym Jack, said his
former inmates have contacted him offering to help him travel to
Syria.”
Germany
Asharq
Al-Awsat: Germany Charges Woman As ISIS Member
“German prosecutors have filed terrorism charges against a German
woman who allegedly joined the ISIS group in Syria. Federal
prosecutors said Monday that the indictment against the woman,
identified only as Sibel H. in line with local privacy laws, was filed
with the Munich state court on Dec. 6. She is accused of membership
in a foreign terrorist organization as well as war crimes against
property. Prosecutors allege that she traveled to Syria with her
husband in early 2016 to join ISIS, and ended up in Iraq. They said
the couple lived in homes seized by ISIS, and she ran the household to
support her husband's work for the extremist group, the Associated
Press reported. Sibel H. returned to Germany in April 2018 after being
thrown out of Iraq by Kurdish security authorities, prosecutors said.
She was arrested in August, but released pending trial in
September.”
Europe
Associated
Press: Sweden Sentences Iraqi Man Of Spying For Iran
“A Swedish court on Friday sentenced a 46-year-old Iraqi man to 2
1/2 years in prison on charges of spying for Iran by gathering
information about Iranian refugees in Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and the
Netherlands. The man, identified as Raghdan al-Hraishawi in court
documents, was convicted by the Stockholm District Court of carrying
out illegal intelligence activities by collecting information about
minority Iranian Arabs, known as Ahvazis. Sweden’s intelligence agency
said al-Hraishawi, who has both Iraqi and Swedish citizenship, was
arrested on Feb. 27. He denied the charges and claimed he only was
working as a reporter. Parts of his trial were held behind closed
doors. Al-Hraishawi obtained permanent residence in Sweden in 2009,
according to the verdict, obtained by The Associated Press. In its
decision, the court said al-Hraishawi, from a region in southeastern
Iraq close to the border with Iran, acted under the cover of
representing an Arabic online newspaper and used a tribal name when
contacting Ahvazis. His activities “may have caused a large number of
opposition Ahvazis or their relatives to be persecuted, seriously
injured or killed,” hence the crime was being assessed “as serious,”
it said.”
Southeast Asia
Al
Jazeera: More Than A Dozen Wounded In Southern Philippines
Explosions
“Explosions have rocked two towns and a city in the southern
Philippines, wounding at least 17 people including soldiers, a
military official said. A hand grenade was thrown into a military
truck patrolling Cotabato City in the southern island of Mindanao,
with eight soldiers and four civilians sustaining injuries from the
bomb's shrapnel. It was quickly followed by blast from an improvised
explosive device (IED) in the nearby town of Libungan, wounding five
civilians with one in “serious” condition, regional military
spokesperson Major Arvin Encinas said on Sunday. Another explosion
took place in the neighbouring town in Maguindanao, although police
were still gathering information on whether there were casualties. No
groups have claimed responsibility for the attacks, which happened as
the government moved to lift martial law on the island. “We do not
discount the possibility that Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters BIFF
and Daesh-inspired groups are behind this,” Encinas told AFP news
agency, referring to fighters with links to the Islamic State of Iraq
and the Levant (ISIL, or ISIS). There are several conflicts in the
Philippines, including a separatist uprising in Mindanao that has
killed some 100,000 people. Though a landmark peace deal with the
largest of the rebel groups, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, was
sealed in 2019, a number of factions were not
included.”
Technology
The
Wall Street Journal: How To Police Facebook And Google Like A Public
Place
“In 1928, a woman named Mary Donoghue bought a bottle of ginger
beer from a cafe in Paisley, Scotland, and then fell ill after finding
a dead snail inside. She sued the manufacturer and won. The ruling
enshrined the concept of “duty of care”—a legal obligation to protect
a customer, tenant or worker from harm. “The rule that you are to love
your neighbor becomes in law ‘You must not injure your neighbor,’”
proclaimed Lord Atkin of Aberdovey, who presided over the case in 1932
in Britain’s House of Lords, which reversed two lower courts to rule
for Donoghue. Now, as Western regulators struggle with how to restrict
the most harmful online content while at the same time protecting free
speech, Britain has come to see the nearly century-old principle as a
possible solution. “Duty of care” helped to lay the foundation for
modern health and safety laws in the U.K. After World War II, the
concept also took hold across the Atlantic, where U.S. courts made it
the basis of modern American negligence law. The principle doesn’t
prescribe specific rules or remedies. Instead, it makes an employer,
for example, generally liable for the safety of its employees.”
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