“The Biden administration on Thursday slapped terrorism sanctions on two
accountants and two companies in Lebanon for providing the militant group
Hezbollah with financial services. The Treasury Department announced it would
also impose sanctions on a third person for assisting Hezbollah, a
U.S.-designated “foreign terrorist organization,” with weapons acquisitions.
The penalties target Adel Mohamad Mansour, executive director of Hezbollah’s
al-Qard Al-Hassan group, which has been previously sanctioned by the U.S., as
well as another company he is involved with, al-Khobara for Accounting,
Auditing, and Studies. The sanctions also apply to the firm Auditors for
Accounting and Auditing and one of its representatives, Naser Hasan Neser, as
well as Hassan Khalil, who Treasury said has been active in helping Hezbollah
acquire arms. “The individuals and companies being designated today have
enabled Hezbollah’s financial apparatus operating throughout Lebanon,” Treasury
said in a statement. “Their public personae as financial professionals and
institutions is just another way Hezbollah hides its abuse of the financial
system to support its destabilizing agenda.’”











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Eye on Extremism


December 2, 2022



Associated Press: US Hits Hezbollah Accountants With Terrorism Sanctions
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“The Biden administration on Thursday slapped terrorism sanctions on two
accountants and two companies in Lebanon for providing the militant group
Hezbollah with financial services. The Treasury Department announced it would
also impose sanctions on a third person for assisting Hezbollah, a
U.S.-designated “foreign terrorist organization,” with weapons acquisitions.
The penalties target Adel Mohamad Mansour, executive director of Hezbollah’s
al-Qard Al-Hassan group, which has been previously sanctioned by the U.S., as
well as another company he is involved with, al-Khobara for Accounting,
Auditing, and Studies. The sanctions also apply to the firm Auditors for
Accounting and Auditing and one of its representatives, Naser Hasan Neser, as
well as Hassan Khalil, who Treasury said has been active in helping Hezbollah
acquire arms. “The individuals and companies being designated today have
enabled Hezbollah’s financial apparatus operating throughout Lebanon,” Treasury
said in a statement. “Their public personae as financial professionals and
institutions is just another way Hezbollah hides its abuse of the financial
system to support its destabilizing agenda.’”



Reuters: Islamic State Names New Leader After Quraishi Blew Himself Up When
Surrounded -Sources
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“The Islamic State (IS) militant group has appointed a previously unknown
figure as its head after its leader blew himself up in October while being
besieged by former anti-government rebels in southern Syria, those involved in
the clash told Reuters. IS selected Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Quraishi as
its new leader, a spokesman for the group said in a recording. He did not offer
further details on the new leader. It was both the first time IS's top leader
was killed in an operation that did not involve the U.S.-led coalition, and the
first time an IS leader was killed in southern Syria, rather than the north.
Abu al-Hassan al-Hashemi al-Quraishi was killed in an operation carried out in
Deraa, the southern province where Syria's uprising first kicked off in 2011,
according to those involved in the fighting as well as the U.S. military. Deraa
returned to Syrian army control in 2018 following Russian-brokered
reconciliation deals that saw rebels hand over heavy weapons and be
incorporated into pro-government units.”



United States



U.S. Department Of State: Terrorist Designation Of AQIS And TTP Leaders
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“The United States is committed to using its full set of counterterrorism
tools to counter the threat posed by terrorist groups operating in Afghanistan,
including al-Qa’ida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and Tehrik-e Taliban
Pakistan (TTP), as part of our relentless efforts to ensure that terrorists do
not use Afghanistan as a platform for international terrorism. Yesterday, the
Department of State designated four AQIS and TTP leaders as Specially
Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) under Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as
amended, for their leadership roles in their respective groups: Osama Mehmood
is the emir of AQIS. Atif Yahya Ghouri is the deputy emir of AQIS. Muhammad
Maruf is responsible for AQIS’ recruiting branch. Qari Amjad is the deputy emir
of TTP. He oversees operations and militants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. As
a result of these actions, all property and interests in property of those
designated yesterday that are subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and all
U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with
them.”



Reuters: U.S. And Asian Allies Impose New Sanctions On North Korea After ICBM
Test
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“The United States, South Korea, and Japan have imposed sanctions on North
Korean officials connected to the country's weapons programs after Pyongyang's
latest and largest intercontinental ballistic missile test last month. The U.S.
Treasury Department on Thursday named the individuals as Jon Il Ho, Yu Jin, and
Kim Su Gil, all of whom the European Union designated for sanctions in April.
South Korea's foreign ministry announced sanctions on seven other individuals,
including a Singaporean and a Taiwanese, and eight entities. All are already
under sanctions by the United States imposed between January 2018 and October
2022, the ministry said. Japan also designated three entities and an individual
for new sanctions, Japan's foreign ministry said, including the Lazarus Group
suspected of carrying out cyberattacks. China and Russia have blocked recent
efforts to impose more United Nations sanctions, saying they should instead be
eased to jumpstart talks and avoid humanitarian harm. That has left Washington
to focus on trilateral efforts with South Korea and Japan, as well as European
partners.”



Syria



The Jerusalem Post: Israel Confronted ‘Hezbollah 2’ In Syria, But What’s Its
End Goal? – Analysis <[link removed]>



“IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi said this week that Israel prevented the
formation of a “Hezbollah 2” in Syria. For many years, Israel has been seeking
to prevent Iranian entrenchment in Syria, dating back to when the Syrian civil
war began in earnest in 2012. This has led to tensions with Israel, especially
when Hezbollah sent forces to Syria and when those forces ended up closer to
the Golan in 2018. Now, several years later, Israel is continuing to face
Iranian threats in Syria as well as in the wider region. How did this come
about and what might the prevention of Hezbollah 2 mean for Israel? Iran has
been an ally of the Syrian regime already before the civil war broke out. Iran
also backed Hezbollah for many decades before. Since the 2006 Lebanon War,
tensions between Hezbollah and Israel were kept to a relative minimum. This is
not because Hezbollah is less threatening. In fact, Hezbollah has grown quite a
bit since 2006, increasing its missile arsenal and its drones and
precision-guided missile stocks. It has also flown drones into Israeli airspace
and threatened gas platforms located off the Lebanese coast. After the recently
signed maritime deal, Hezbollah claimed it got what it wanted from it.”



Reuters: Syria's Army Takes Credit For Killing IS Leader In October -State
Media
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“Syria's army has taken credit for killing the head of the Islamic State (IS)
jihadist group in an operation in the country's south in October, state media
reported on Friday. Abu al-Hassan al-Hashemi al-Quraishi was killed in an
operation carried out in Deraa, the southern province where Syria's uprising
first kicked off in 2011, according to those involved in the fighting as well
as the U.S. military. It was both the first time the U.S.-led coalition was not
involved in killing the top IS leader and the first time an IS leader was
killed in Syria's south rather than the north, where a range of factions, some
of them U.S.-backed, hold sway. Deraa returned to Syrian army control in 2018
following Russian-brokered reconciliation deals that saw rebels hand over heavy
weapons and be incorporated into pro-government units. In October, some of
those fighters surrounded the house Quraishi was using as a hideout in the town
of Jasem, according to former rebels involved in the clash, relatives of others
who died in the fighting, and residents.”



Reuters: Syria Kurds Halt Joint Ops With US-Led Coalition After Turkish Raids
-Spokesman
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“The Syrian Democratic Forces, a U.S.-backed group that helped defeat Islamic
State jihadists in Syria, said on Friday it had stopped all joint
counter-terrorism operations with the United States and other allies as a
result of Turkish bombardment on its area of control. Turkey has ramped up its
shelling and air strikes on northern Syria in recent weeks and is preparing a
ground invasion against Syrian Kurdish fighters that it dubs terrorists but
which make up the bulk of the U.S.-supported SDF. The SDF has long warned that
fighting off a new Turkish incursion would divert resources away from
protecting a prison holding IS fighters or fighting IS sleeper cells still
waging hit-and-run attacks in Syria. Aram Henna told Reuters that "all
coordination and joint counter-terrorism operations" with the U.S.-led
coalition battling remnants of the Islamic State in Syria as well as "all the
joint special operations we were carrying out regularly" had been halted. The
Turkish bombardment - using both long-range weapons and air strikes - has
frustrated its NATO ally Washington.”



AFP: Outside Of Syria, IS 'Brand' Survives Leader's Death
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“…The new self-proclaimed caliph seeks to draw legitimacy by claiming
heritage from the prophet's Quraysh tribe -- as did all IS leaders before him.
"The Qurashi name is used as a branding for the leader," Hans-Jakob Schindler,
director of the Counter-Extremism Project think-tank, told AFP. "Even if it is
just a made up name... it is sufficient for the network to function." After a
meteoric rise in Iraq and Syria in 2014, IS saw its so-called caliphate
collapse, reduced to a network of sleeper cells. In 2019 it was defeated in
Syria -- where Hashimi was said to have been killed in October by local
fighters. "Syria is simply not a safe haven for ISIS anymore," said Schindler.
"They can maintain a cell structure, but it is apparently not safe for
high-ranking personnel there. "If you are killing everyone, in the end no one
is your ally anymore," the expert said. Left without a sanctuary or charismatic
leader, IS has lost the capacity it had under founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to
recruit foreigners.”



Turkey



The Hill: Pentagon Warns Turkey Against Syria Ground Invasion After Strikes
Threaten US Troops
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“The Pentagon is warning NATO member Turkey against a new military operation
in Syria, after strikes in the country late last month endangered U.S. troops.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday spoke by phone with his Turkish
counterpart, conveying his “strong opposition” to a new Turkish military
operation in Syria, according to a Pentagon readout on the call. Austin
“expressed concern over escalating action in northern Syria and Turkey,
including recent airstrikes, some of which directly threatened the safety of
U.S. personnel who are working with local partners in Syria to defeat ISIS,”
the readout said. “Secretary Austin called for de-escalation, and shared the
Department’s strong opposition to a new Turkish military operation in Syria.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last month launched airstrikes on
northern Syria and Iraq targeting Kurdish groups in the two neighboring
countries. Ankara claims the strikes are in retaliation for a Nov. 13 bombing
in Istanbul that killed six people and injured 80 more, though the Kurdish
groups have denied any involvement.”



Afghanistan



Voice Of America: Taliban Defend Ban On VOA, RFE/RL Broadcasts In Afghanistan
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“The Islamist Taliban government has defended banning FM radio broadcasts
from two U.S.-funded news media, including the Voice of America, in
Afghanistan, alleging they were offending local laws. The ban on VOA and Azadi
Radio, an Afghan extension of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, or RFE/RL, went
into effect Thursday, a day after the Taliban’s ministry of information and
culture said it had received complaints about programing content but shared no
specifics. It is unclear whether the ban will apply to other international
broadcasters that have used the same system for FM broadcasts in Afghanistan.
"Afghanistan has press laws, and any network found repeatedly contravening
these laws will have their privilege of reporting from and broadcasting within
Afghanistan taken away," Abdul Qahar Balkhi, the Taliban foreign ministry
spokesman, said in written comments to VOA. "VOA and Azadi Radio failed to
adhere to these laws, were found as repeat offenders, failed to show
professionalism and were therefore shut down," Balkhi said. RFE/RL and VOA used
the same FM frequencies for round the clock broadcasts in Dari and Pashto
languages. VOA’s mediumwave and shortwave transmissions broadcast on
transmitters based outside the country will continue to reach Afghan listeners.
In March, the Taliban stopped VOA’s Ashna TV news shows, which had been
broadcast on Afghan National Television, Tolo, Tolo News and Lamar for a
decade, VOA Pashto reported.”



Reuters: Attack Injures Two Near Office Of Ex-Afghan PM Hekmatyar, His Party
Says
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“An attack on Friday injured two people in Kabul near the office of the
Hezb-e-Islami party associated with former Afghan prime minister Gulbuddin
Hekmatyar, but all senior leaders were safe, the party said in a statement.
Three Hezb-e-Islami sources and one source with the ruling Taliban said
multiple attackers were killed and several guards injured in the incident.
Kabul police and the interior ministry did not immediately respond to requests
for comment. The attack occurred near a mosque where senior party leaders were
present, but all - including Hekmatyar - were unscathed, according to the party
statement and his grandson, Obaidullah Baheer. It was not immediately clear who
was behind the attack. Several bombing and shooting attacks have taken place in
Afghanistan in recent months, some of which have been claimed by Islamic State
militants. A blast at a madrassa on Wednesday in northern Afghanistan killed at
least 15 people.”



Pakistan



Voice Of America: Pakistan Questions Anti-Terror Pledges By Afghanistan's
Taliban
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“Pakistan warned Thursday that cross-border terrorism emanating from
Afghanistan “is both alarming and dangerous” for regional peace, calling on the
neighboring country’s ruling Taliban to honor their anti-terror pledges.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah issued the warning amid a new wave of deadly
terrorist attacks in Pakistan that has claimed the lives of hundreds of people,
mostly security forces. Outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), known as the
Pakistani Taliban, has claimed credit for plotting much of the violence.
Leaders and commanders of the group, an offshoot and ally of the Afghan
Taliban, have largely taken refuge in Afghanistan. “If the TTP is claiming
responsibility for terrorist activities in Pakistan, it should be a matter of
serious concern for the government of Afghanistan because their soil is being
used for terrorism,” Sanaullah told reporters in Islamabad. “[The Taliban] have
given assurances to the world that they would not allow the use of
Afghanistan’s soil by terrorist outfits, and they should deliver on their
pledges.” The Afghan Taliban deny they allow TTP or any other group to use
Afghan territory for plotting cross-border terrorist attacks, promising they
will try for treason anyone found guilty of such crimes.”



Bloomberg: Pakistan Tops List Of Nations At Risk Of Violence, Report Says
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“Pakistan tops the list of countries at the highest risk of experiencing new
mass killings, according to a new report that cites violence by a local
offshoot of the Taliban as one of the main challenges for the nation already
facing political and economic crises. “Pakistan faces multiple security and
human rights challenges, including increasing violence” by the
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, according to a report by Early Warning
Project, a research organization that identifies countries at risk of mass
violence. Threats of attacks by the Islamic State and the country’s blasphemy
laws, which have resulted in episodes of mob violence against religious
minorities, were other factors for Pakistan’s high-risk ranking. Political
volatility, following the ouster of former premier Imran Khan, was also
expected to lead to “highly contentious” elections next year, according to the
report. The study comes days after an announcement by the TTP militant group
ending a monthslong agreement with the government to pause violence and
ordering its fighters to resume attacks.”



Somalia



Reuters: Somalia Says Around 40 Al Shabaab Fighters Killed In Clashes
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“Somali forces killed about 40 al Shabaab fighters in the Middle Shabelle
region, the government said on Thursday, the latest clashes in a months-long
offensive that aims to weaken the grip of the Islamist militant group. Al
Shabaab, an al Qaeda franchise that is seeking impose its interpretation of
Islamic law across the country, frequently stages deadly attacks in the capital
Mogadishu and elsewhere. On Sunday al Shabaab stormed a heavily guarded hotel
near the president's residence in Mogadishu, killing nine people. The
government, supported by clan militias and African Union troops, says it has
killed more than 600 members of al Shabaab and recaptured 68 settlements over
the last three months, as part of concerted efforts to end the militants'
control over large portions of the Horn of Africa country. Al Shabaab's
restrictions on deliveries of international aid have compounded the impact of
the worst drought in four decades, officials say, leaving Somalia on the brink
of famine.”



Technology



NBC: Elon Musk’s Twitter Risks Opening Floodgates Of Hate Speech And Extremism
In India
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“For five years, Alt News has fought India’s rise in disinformation tied to
Hindu nationalism, with Twitter as one of the main battlefields. The
fact-checking website’s work debunking fake news and calling out hate speech by
powerful people against India’s ethnic and religious minorities has made it one
of the country’s leading independent news outlets, earning its founders a
mention on an unofficial shortlist for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. “We are
able to make certain topics the center of conversation” on Twitter, said Pratik
Sinha, who founded Alt News with a fellow software engineer, Mohammed Zubair.
In addition to using Twitter to defuse tensions both online and offline, the
nonprofit Alt News relies on the platform as an important source of
crowdfunding. All that is now in jeopardy amid the chaos at Twitter since its
takeover last month by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. With 24 million
users, India is Twitter’s third-largest market after the U.S. and Japan, as
well as one of its greatest challenges. But more than 90% of Twitter’s 200-odd
employees in India were reportedly among the thousands worldwide who have lost
their jobs under Musk’s ownership.”



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