January 8, 2020

The New York Times: Iran Strikes U.S. Forces At 2 Bases In Iraq, Saying ‘Fierce Revenge’ Has Begun  <[link removed]>

“Iran attacked two bases in Iraq where Americans operate with a barrage of missiles early Wednesday, Iranian official news media and United States officials said, the start of what Tehran had promised would be retaliation for the killing of a top Iranian commander. “The fierce revenge by the Revolutionary Guards has begun,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said in a statement on a Telegram messaging app channel. American officials in Washington said that Iran had fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles at two military bases in Iraq where American troops are stationed. The Pentagon said it was assessing whether any American troops had been killed or injured in the strikes. There were no immediate reports of American casualties. After the strikes, President Trump, who has vowed a strong response to any Iranian attack on American targets, met at the White House with his top national security advisers, including Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper and Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to discuss retaliatory options.”

CBS News: Iran's Parliament Approves Bill Designating All U.S. Military Forces As Terrorists <[link removed]>

“The Iranian parliament approved bill on Tuesday that designates United States military forces as terrorists, days after American airstrikes killed top Iranian military leader General Qassem Soleimani in Iraq. The bill is similar to the action the U.S. took last year when the Trump administration designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization. Members of parliament passed the bill declaring the U.S. military and the Pentagon terrorist entities, according to Iranian state media. Under the bill, the Iranian government will also provide $220 million to the IRGC to “reinforce its defense power in vengeance for General Soleimani's assassination,” the news agency reported, as tensions between the U.S. and Iran rise. A senior U.S. official told CBS News national security correspondent David Martin that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered a direct attack on American interests in retaliation for the airstrike that killed Soleimani, his top military commander and friend. The official said the U.S. military was “extremely concerned” that the retaliation could come quickly.”

The National: Nigeria Bridge Bomb Kills 30 <[link removed]>

“At least 30 people were killed in the north-east Nigerian state of Borno after an improvised explosive device detonated on a bridge. The bomb detonated at roughly 5 pm local time on Monday on a crowded bridge in the market town of Gamboru that leads into neighbouring Cameroon. Witnesses in the market town said more than 35 injured people were taken to the local hospital following the attack. “It is an unfortunate day for us to witness this frustrating and devastating incident in our community,” eyewitness Modu Ali Said told Reuters. “I just heard a loud sound of explosions, before I realized I saw many of our friends and colleagues were killed,” Said added. Two sources with the Civilian Joint Task Force, a group of citizens formed to fight Boko Haram, confirmed the attack and the early death toll estimates. No group immediately took responsibility. Both Boko Haram and the regional offshoot of ISIS, known as ISWAP, are active in the area. Militant groups have targeted Gamboru numerous times since 2014 when Boko Haram seized the town and nearby Ngala. But, the Nigerian military were able to recapture the city after a long siege with the help of soldiers from Chad. The Boko Haram insurgency has killed more than 35,000 people and displaced more than 2 million in the area.”

United States

The Washington Post: How Anti-Terrorism Laws Equip Law Enforcement To Crack Down On Iranian Americans <[link removed]>

“That the killing of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani will reorder the Middle East is obvious — Iraq’s parliamentary vote to expel U.S. forces, along with Iran’s declared restarting of its nuclear arms program with “no limitations,” offers proof enough. But that the killing will have repercussions within the United States, rattling the lives and liberties of many U.S. citizens and residents, is also a strong possibility — one that’s no less ominous. Already, there are harbingers of a potential crackdown on Iranian Americans. On Sunday, U.S. citizens of Iranian origin returning to the United States from Canada via the Peace Arch Border Crossing in Blaine, Wash., were detained and questioned for up to 10 hours. Asked why, one was told by a border official, “This is a bad time to be an Iranian,” according to an official with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) who had talked with the travelers. How “bad” might it get if hostilities with Iran accelerate? The legal foundations for punitive action against Iranian Americans already exist. Since 2001, the executive branch has stockpiled arguments for abrogating the liberties of “suspect” populations. In response, Congress and the courts have competed over which can be more quiescent.”

KXAN: Gov. Abbott Convenes Domestic Terrorism Task Force For Second Time <[link removed]>

“Gov. Greg Abbott’s task force focusing on domestic terrorism in Texas convened for the second time on Tuesday. The group was formed in the wake of the mass-shooting in El Paso, but Gov. Abbott said the task force has broader implications. “One thing that was a catalyst for the creation of this organization, was the horrific shooting and terrorism that took place in El Paso” Abbott said Tuesday. “But we all need to understand that terrorism evolves.” The main goals of the task force are to analyze current and emerging threats in the state, as well as finding ways to increase inter-agency cooperation. While the task force focuses on terrorism at home, state leaders recognized those evolving threats could be born overseas. The Texas Department of Information Resources reported 10,000 attempted cyber attacks per minute in the last two days, which have been geographically traced to within Iran’s borders, according to the agency’s executive director. “We have noticed that there has been some sort of increase in activity from that region,” Texas DIR Executive Director Amanda Crawford said, adding that none of those scans had been successful. Crawford explained the agency sees “literally billions of probes” from around the globe, but the spike in Middle Eastern activity garnered attention from agency leaders.”

Iran

The New York Times: Killing Of Iran General Risks US Gains Against Islamic State <[link removed]>

“President Donald Trump's national security team knew that killing Iran's most powerful general could hurt efforts to mop up and head off any revival of the Islamic State militant group — and that is just what has happened. Two days after Gen. Qassem Soleimani was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad, the U.S. troops in Iraq to fight the Islamic State are now focused on their own defense, guarding American bases and the U.S. Embassy from an expected Iranian response. The fight against the militants is now on hold, and a Trump foreign policy achievement is in doubt. “When we looked at this operation we knew there would be consequences,” said Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “We knew there'd be risk.” But he said the threat of attack on U.S. interests was too great to not act. The Islamic State evolved in Syria after U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq in 2011; its fighters swept back across the border in 2014, captured wide swaths of western and northern Iraq and imposed brutal rule over a self-declared “caliphate.” A U.S.-led coalition finally ousted the group from the last of its territory in Syria in March 2019, but thousands of fighters scattered throughout the region and continue to pose a threat.”

Washington Examiner: Iran Threatens To 'Unleash Hezbollah' In Israel And Dubai <[link removed]>

“Iran has threatened to unleash a third wave of attacks in Haifa, Israel, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, if the United States retaliates after ballistic missiles hit an Iraqi-U.S. coalition military base in western Iraq. “Iran is warning that if there is retaliation for the two waves of attacks they launched their 3rd wave will destroy Dubai and Haifa,” tweeted NBC News Tehran bureau chief Ali Arouzi. “Iran making threats of mass escalation,” wrote NBC foreign chief correspondent Richard Engel. “To attack more bases in Iraq. To unleash Hezbollah. To unleash shiite militias in Iraq. To attack Israel and Dubai. Making it clear it is ready for a [widespread] campaign if this escalates further with a US response.” Iran claimed responsibility for the attacks in a statement that read: “The brave soldiers of IRGC's aerospace unit have launched a successful attack with tens of ballistic missiles on Al Assad military base in the name of martyr Gen. Qassem Soleimani.” Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed “revenge” for the death of Soleimani, a top Iranian military general, and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al Muhandis, who were killed in an airstrike ordered by President Trump days after the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad was encircled by Iran-backed militants chanting “Death to America.”

Iraq

The Washington Post: Europeans Shift Troops From Iraq, Warn Fight Against Islamic State Is Imperiled Because Of U.S. Actions <[link removed]>

“U.S. allies said Tuesday that they were reducing and repositioning troops inside Iraq amid fears that Iran will retaliate for the killing of Qasem Soleimani, one of its most senior military officials, in a U.S. airstrike. Some European diplomats expressed fears that the shifting of troops would diminish their ability to fight the Islamic State. Militants “would be the only winners” of a full-blown war as a result of U.S.-Iran tensions, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Tuesday, singling out the Islamic State as having the most to gain. Germany ordered 35 service members out of Iraq, according to a German military spokesman, while an international NATO training force moved more than half of its international group of 500 personnel away from the Baghdad area to safer sites inside Iraq and in neighboring countries, said a senior NATO diplomat, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential troop movements. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke Tuesday to Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, according to NATO spokesman Piers Cazalet.”

Yahoo News: U.S. Pullout From Iraq Would Benefit Iran — And ISIS — Experts Warn <[link removed]>

“As the Iraqi and U.S. governments sent contradictory messages Tuesday about whether and when U.S. troops would be pulling out of Iraq, and the Pentagon reported the launch of “more than a dozen ballistic missiles” from Iran targeting U.S. forces, retired military officers familiar with the region said the only winners from an American withdrawal would be Iran and the Islamic State. The Iraqi Parliament voted in a nonbinding resolution Sunday to expel U.S. forces from the country. On Monday, a draft letter from the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq to the Iraqi government implying that the U.S. military was preparing to withdraw circulated widely online, forcing Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley to disavow it as a “mistake.” Esper told CNN Tuesday that the United States was “not withdrawing from Iraq,” but Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi said he had taken the letter seriously and that a U.S. withdrawal was now the only option to deescalate the situation. A few hours later, at around 5:30 p.m. EST, the barrage of missiles began landing at two coalition military bases. There was no immediate assessment of casualties or damage.”

Asharq Al-Awsat: Anti-ISIS Coalition Countries Relocate Troops From Iraq After Iran Tensions <[link removed]>

“Several member states of the anti-ISIS coalition announced Tuesday that they would be relocating their troops from Iraq following tensions with Iran over Washington’s killing last week of top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani. Tehran has vowed to retaliate. Canada's top general says his country's military is temporarily relocating some soldiers from Iraq to Kuwait. Gen. Jonathan Vance made the announcement Tuesday. Western troops in Iraq have been on high alert since Soleimani killing by a US drone strike last week in Baghdad. Canada has about 500 soldiers in Iraq to help fight the ISIS group. Canada currently leads the NATO training mission in Iraq. Britain's defense secretary said urgent measures are being taken to protect British interests in the Middle East. Ben Wallace said that the British government is looking at the implications of the vote in the Iraqi parliament that called for foreign troops to pullout of the country after the US strike against Soleimani. He told lawmakers: “Our commitment to Iraq's stability and sovereignty is unwavering and we urge the Iraqi government to ensure the coalition is able to continue our work countering this shared threat,” he said in reference to ISIS.”

Afghanistan

Voice Of America: Afghan Peace Talks At Risk Amid Rising US-Iran Confrontation <[link removed]>

“The escalation between the United States and Iran over the killing of an Iranian commander now has sparked deep concerns about prospects for the peace process in Afghanistan, with officials and experts warning that Iran could collaborate with the Taliban to thwart American efforts in the war-torn country. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran Tuesday of attempting to build proxy networks in Afghanistan, asserting that Iran is trying to coordinate with the Taliban and its offshoot, the Haqqani network. “Iran has refused to join the regional and international consensus for peace, and is, in fact, actively working to undermine the peace process by continuing its long global effort to support militant groups there,” Pompeo said during his opening remarks at a rare State Department news conference. The top U.S. diplomat warned that the “Taliban's entanglement in Iran's dirty work will only harm the Afghanistan peace process.” VOA reached out to Afghan officials who declined to comment on Pompeo's statement, citing the sensitivity of the issue. Experts in both Kabul and Washington concur that Iran is likely to increase its outreach to the Taliban as part of its effort to retaliate against the U.S. for targeting Qassem Soleimani, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF) in an airstrike last week.”

Xinhua: Over 100 Afghan Militants Surrender Within 2 Days Amid Clamp-Down <[link removed]>

“More than 100 militants have surrendered to Afghan government forces over the past two days amid increasing military pressure on the Taliban, officials said Tuesday. A 20-member group of the Taliban fighters has laid down arms and surrendered to local authorities in the eastern Nangarhar province, said a statement of the provincial government. The former militants who were involved in anti-government activities in the restive Khogiani, Chaparhar and Momandara districts over the past couple of years, according to the statement, have handed over their weapons to local authorities. Welcoming the surrender and stressing for continued military pressure, Nangarhar's provincial governor Shah Mahmoud Miakhil called upon other Taliban fighters to follow the step. Meanwhile, 69 militants have surrendered to Afghan government forces in the western Ghor province, amid ongoing military pressure against the armed militants in the mountainous region, provincial governor Ghulam Nasir Khaze said Tuesday. “The security forces have besieged some 300 armed militants in Shahrak district over the past one week and 69 of them surrendered to the security forces on Monday evening,” Khaze told Xinhua.”

Xinhua: 16 Militants Killed In Afghan Provinces Within A Day: Gov't <[link removed]>

“Sixteen Taliban militants were killed and six others wounded in five provinces since early Tuesday, the country's defense ministry confirmed on Wednesday. In southern Helmand province, five militants were killed after the Afghan Air Force targeted Taliban positions in Shir Mohammad Khan village of Garmser district and Shir Kali village in Khanshen district, the ministry said in a statement. In addition, two Taliban militants were killed and five others wounded in a responsive attack by the Afghan National Army (ANA) in Sangin district of Helmand, according to the statement. “Two Taliban terrorists were killed and one explosive-laden vehicle was destroyed in Khakrez district of southern Kandahar province following an airstrike by air force,” the statement added. In western Herat province, an airstrike killed two Taliban militants and destroyed an explosive depot and a motorcycle in Chishti Sharif district. Furthermore, five Taliban militants were killed and one injured following a cleanup operation in Naw Gholi Paheen village of Almar district of northern Faryab province, the statement said, adding several villages were cleared of militants.”

Pakistan

The New York Times: Bomb Hits Security Forces In SW Pakistan; 2 Dead, 12 Wounded <[link removed]>

“A powerful roadside bomb exploded near a vehicle carrying Pakistani security forces, killing two soldiers in the southwestern city of Quetta, the capital of the restive Baluchistan province, a police official said Tuesday. The bombing wounded 12 people, including security forces, said local police chief Abdul Wali. He said some of the wounded were in critical condition at local hospitals. Hizbul Ahrar, an offshoot of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack. Both Sunni and Shiite Muslim militia groups operate in the area. Sectarian violence, mostly targeting Pakistan’s minority Shiite Muslims, has left hundreds dead in recent years in Baluchistan. The province is also the scene of a low-level insurgency by separatists demanding more autonomy and a greater share in the region's natural resources such as gas and oil. The province shares a long border with Afghanistan and Iran. Last May, a bombing at a mosque in Quetta killed two people, including the prayer leader, and wounded 28 worshipers.”

Yemen

Asharq Al-Awsat: US-Yemeni Talks Held On Houthi Violations, Counterterrorism <[link removed]>

“Yemeni-US talks focused on Houthis and counterterrorism were held on Monday with official sources confirming that Yemeni Vice President Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar had met US Deputy Chief of Mission for Yemen Junaid Munir. The two officials, according to sources, have discussed counterterrorism, Houthi violations and the Riyadh Agreement, which brings together Yemen’s internationally-backed government and the Southern Transitional Council (STC). “During the meeting, Ahmar pointed out major successes achieved in the field of combating terrorism and how it positively reflects on the stability of Yemen and the region,” sources said. In the meeting, Ahmar stressed that “the forceful export of Iranian Khomeinist revolution ideologically, politically, militarily and culturally, brought about scourges to the region, created terrorism represented by (ISIS) and (Al Qaeda), provided justifications for external interventions, and spread ruin and destruction in the region.” Addressing the Riyadh Agreement, Ahmar said: “The Yemeni government is keen on uniting all of Yemen’s political components under the leadership of President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and focusing the fight against the Houthi-Iranian terrorist agenda in Yemen.”

Libya

The New York Times: Libya Rebels Capture Key Coastal City In Threat To U.N.-Backed Government <[link removed]>

“Libyan rebels have seized control of a key coastal city, the country’s beleaguered government conceded on Tuesday, amid new criticism that the growing role of foreign powers in the chaotic conflict has fueled a sudden escalation in fighting. Forces loyal to the militia leader Khalifa Hifter swept into the city, Surt, on Monday, days after Turkey announced it was deploying troops to prop up the weak United Nations-backed government. The fall of Surt is a significant blow to the government, which has been under siege from Mr. Hifter’s forces since April. In 2016, American warplanes carried out hundreds of airstrikes against Islamic State fighters in Surt, in support of a government force that eventually expelled the group from the city. Now that the government has relinquished that gain, this time to Mr. Hifter’s forces, its authority has shrunk to a 250-mile strip of coastline stretching from either side of the capital, Tripoli. If Mr. Hifter can hold Surt, analysts say, his forces could stretch government forces even thinner by drawing fighters away from the defense of Tripoli. Mr. Hifter, 76, commands his self-styled Libyan National Army from his stronghold in Benghazi, in eastern Libyan."

Nigeria

Sahara Reporters: Boko Haram Insurgents Ambush Operation Lafiya Dole Commander In Borno <[link removed]>

“Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Major Gen. Olusegun Adeniyi, survived an ambush by Boko Haram terrorists along Maiduguri-Damaturu Road on Monday evening, a military source said It was gathered that Adeniyi was on his way back to Maiduguri, Borno State, after a visit to troops recently deployed to Jakana to protect lives and property when the attack happened. The incident occurred few kilometres away from Jakana around 7:20 pm on Monday in Konduga Local Government Area of the state. The source said, “As we were coming back to Maiduguri after we left Jakana, suddenly we started hearing gunshots all over the place and before we realised what was happening, they had bombarded us with heavy fire from a different angle. “Fortunately, we fought through our way and repelled the insurgents but the theatre commandant’s vehicle was badly damaged.”

Somalia

France 24: Car Bomb Kills At Least Four Near Somalia's Parliament In Mogadishu <[link removed]>

“At least four people were killed and 10 wounded when a car bomb exploded close to a checkpoint near Somalia's parliament in the capital Mogadishu on Wednesday, police said. A plume of thick black smoke was seen over the city and witnesses said a number of vehicles were on fire. Islamist group al Shabaab claimed the attack, after a spike in activity in recent days by the al Qaeda linked group which has seen it inflict mass casualties in Somalia and attack a US military base in Kenya. “Explosives were packed in a vehicle which the security forces think was trying to pass through the checkpoint but because he could not do that, the suicide bomber detonated it,” said police officer Adan Abdullahi. “Initial reports we have received indicate four people were killed and more than 10 others were wounded in the blast.” Abdirahman Mohamed, who was at a nearby grocery store when the blast occurred, said he saw several dead bodies. “I saw the dead bodies of several people some of them killed by shrapnel inside their vehicles. There was chaos...and ambulances reached the scene soon after the blast,” he said.”

Africa

The Washington Post: Who Are The Al-Shabaab Militants Plaguing Kenya? <[link removed]>

“The Islamic militant group al-Shabaab, based in Somalia, has carried out a string of attacks on Kenyan soil. An American soldier and two U.S. defense contractors were killed in a Jan. 5 assault on a defense facility Kenya shares with the U.S. One year earlier, the group claimed responsibility for a coordinated attack on a hotel and office complex in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, that left 26 people, including five attackers, dead. Al-Shabaab warns that attacks will continue as long as Kenya maintains its soldiers in an African Union force that is helping prop up Somalia’s government. What is al-Shabaab? It’s an affiliate of al-Qaeda that grew in reaction to Ethiopia’s 2006 invasion of Somalia, which targeted the Islamic Courts Union’s brief control of the Somali capital, Mogadishu. The group swore allegiance to al-Qaeda in 2012 and has vied with Islamic State for members and support. The group’s most violent operations include a 2015 raid on a university campus that claimed at least 147 lives and an assault on Nairobi’s Westgate shopping mall in 2013, which killed 67. Besides having staged more than 150 attacks in Kenya since the country intervened in Somalia, its members have carried out bombings in Uganda and Djibouti, which have also contributed personnel to the African mission.”

Chicago Tribune: Editorial: A Chicago-Area Soldier’s Death In Kenya Reminds Us Why The U.S. Fights Terrorism <[link removed]>

“With the Middle East consuming Americans’ short attention span for global affairs, it’s easy to lose sight of how vast our U.S. military presence is, with nearly 800 bases around the world. Henry “Mitch” Mayfield Jr., a 23-year-old Army specialist from south suburban Hazel Crest, was stationed at one of those bases — the Manda Bay airfield on a remote island in Kenya’s Lamu County, about 60 miles down the coast from the border with Somalia. Mayfield was killed early Sunday in an attack on the base by al-Shabab, a Somali extremist group affiliated with al-Qaida. Two unidentified U.S. contractors also were killed, and two other Americans were injured in the attack on the base, which is also used by Kenyan forces. The attack came just days after a U.S. drone strike killed Iranian military commander Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani outside the Baghdad airport, a move that has sparked calls for retaliation from Iranian authorities and has heightened global fears that tensions between the U.S. and Iran could lead to war. Initial jitters that al-Shabab may have targeted the American base in Kenya as a show of support for Iran have been discounted, though the group remains a formidable threat on its own.”

The Africa Report: US Threat To Withdraw From African Security Efforts Leaves Sahel Vulnerable <[link removed]>

“As Iran launches ballistic missiles at US bases in Iraq, the US looks to draw down force numbers in Africa. Meanwhile, Russia and China increase their security presence on the continent. United States Defense Secretary Mark Esper is reportedly evaluating proposals for a major reduction or even a complete pullout of US forces from West Africa. According to the New York Times: “The deliberations stem from a push to reduce post – 9/11 missions battling terrorist groups, and instead to refocus Pentagon priorities on confronting so-called Great Powers like Russia and China.” Since 2001 the U.S. has significantly increased its military footprint in the Middle East and parts of Africa, as part of a broader effort to combat terror organizations like Al Qaeda, Al Shabaab, the Taliban, and ISIS. As some terror groups lost ground in the Middle East, some terrorists moved into fragile parts of Africa, particularly the Maghreb and the Sahel – a semi-arid region across West and Central Africa: which emboldened terrorist groups in the region. Another notable event that emboldened terror groups in the Sahel is the US-led, NATO regime change campaign that ousted Muammar Gaddafi of Libya in 2011. NATO’s bombing of Libya and the death of Muammar Gaddafi led to the total collapse of the Libyan state.”

United Kingdom

BBC News: Durham Neo-Nazi Teenager Detained For Terror Attack Plan <[link removed]>

“The youngest person to be convicted of planning a terror attack in the UK has been detained for more than six years. The now 17-year-old wrote about an “inevitable race war” in his diary and listed locations from his home city of Durham in a “guerrilla warfare” manual. A jury had found the boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, guilty of preparation of terrorist acts between October 2017 and March 2018. He was sentenced to six years and eight months at Manchester Crown Court.Judge David Stockdale QC told the boy: “These are offences of the utmost seriousness.” He also ordered the detention be followed by an extension period on licence of five years. The six-week trial heard he was an adherent of “occult neo-Nazism,” and described himself as a “natural sadist”. His attack preparations included researching explosives and trying to obtain the dangerous chemical ammonium nitrate. He also wrote of planning to carry out an arson spree targeting synagogues in the Durham area using Molotov cocktails.”

BBC News: Lincoln Man Arrested Over Right-Wing Terrorism Offences <[link removed]>

“A 19-year-old man from Lincoln has been arrested on suspicion of right-wing terror offences. East Midlands counter-terrorism officers detained the man in a pre-planned operation in the Highfields area of Leicester at 07:00 GMT. Ch Supt Jon McAdam said: “The alleged offences relate to the encouragement of terrorism and dissemination of a terrorist publication.” He added: “This relates to extreme right-wing terrorism.”

Europe

Fox News: Soleimani Supporter Arrested In Kosovo, Allegedly Incited Terror Acts <[link removed]>

“A woman who criticized the United States on social media for the killing of a top Iranian general was arrested Tuesday in Kosovo. Ikballe Berisha Huduti will remain in detention for 48 hours pending a court decision for incitement to commit a terrorist offense, Reuters reported. Prosecutors said Huduti, the founder of a now-defunct pro-Islamic group, posted comments on Facebook that were critical of the Jan. 3 killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite Quds Force, in a drone strike in Iraq last week. “By killing the master of the house you have killed all members of the family, then revenge is obligatory but it has no border,” Huduti wrote. In one post, Huduti described Solemani as a “great man,” Radio Free Europe reported. She said she deleted the posts and that her words were taken out of context. Huduti said she previously praised American democracy and U.S. support for Kosovo in 1999, during the conflict between ethnic Serbs and Albanians in the former Yugoslavia. U.S. officials said Soleimani was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American troops and was planning attacks just before his death. Many leaders in Kosovo have expressed support for the U.S. airstrike.”



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