Eye on Extremism
July 31, 2019
Associated
Press: Bus Hit By Roadside Bomb In Afghanistan, 32
Killed
“A roadside bomb tore through a bus in western Afghanistan on
Wednesday, killing at least 32 people, including children, a
provincial official said. Mohibullah Mohib, spokesman for the police
chief in Farah province, said 15 others were wounded with most in
critical condition, indicating the death toll could rise. The bus was
traveling on a main highway between the western city of Herat and the
southern city of Kandahar. No one immediately claimed responsibility,
but Taliban insurgents operate in the region and frequently use
roadside bombs to target government officials and security forces. The
Taliban have kept up a steady tempo of attacks even as they have held
several rounds of peace talks with the United States aimed at ending
the 18-year war. The attack came a day after the U.N. mission in
Afghanistan released a report saying that most civilian deaths in the
first half of the year were caused by Afghan forces and their
international allies. The report apparently referred to civilians
killed during Afghan and U.S. military operations against insurgents.
The U.N. report said 403 civilians were killed by Afghan forces in the
first six months of the year and another 314 by international forces,
a total of 717. That’s compared to 531 killed by the Taliban, an
Islamic State affiliate and other militants during the same period. It
said 300 of those killed by militants were directly targeted.”
The
New York Times: Two-Thirds Of U.N. Security Council Ask U.N. Chief For
Syria Hospital Attacks Inquiry
“Two-thirds of the United Nations Security Council - including the
United States, Britain and France - asked Secretary-General Antonio
Guterres on Tuesday to investigate attacks on U.N.-supported medical
facilities in northwest Syria, diplomats said. Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad's forces, backed by Russia, began an offensive on the last
major insurgent stronghold three months ago that the United Nations
says has killed at least 450 civilians and displaced more than 440,000
people. The Security Council has been deadlocked on Syria with Russia
and China - two of the body's five veto powers along with Britain,
France and the United States - shielding Assad's government from any
action during eight years of war. Britain, France, the United States,
Germany, Belgium, Peru, Poland, Kuwait, Dominican Republic and
Indonesia delivered a demarche - a formal diplomatic petition - to
Guterres over the lack of an inquiry into attacks on U.N.-supported
facilities. "At least fourteen U.N.-supported facilities on the list
of deconflicted facilities have been damaged or destroyed in northwest
Syria since the end of April," they told Guterres, according to the
agreed request seen by Reuters. "We therefore respectfully request
that you consider launching an internal U.N. investigation into
attacks that have damaged or destroyed U.N.-supported facilities in
northwest Syria and report back promptly," they said.”
The
Wall Street Journal: Secret Military Cemetery Conceals Toll Of
Islamist Insurgency In Nigeria
“At the northern edge of this city’s sprawling military base, a
vast field of churned soil conceals the hidden toll of a deadly
offensive by the allies of Islamic State. After dark, the bodies of
soldiers are covertly transported from a mortuary that at times gets
so crowded the corpses are delivered by truck, according to Nigerian
soldiers, diplomats and a senior government official. The bodies are
laid by flashlight into trenches dug by infantrymen or local villagers
paid a few dollars per shift. “Several of my comrades were buried in
unmarked graves at night,” said a soldier from the Maimalari barracks,
where over 1,000 soldiers are based. “They are dying and being deleted
from history.” The secret graveyard at Maimalari isn’t the only one in
Nigeria’s troubled northeast, the senior government official said. The
burials convey a picture at odds with a war Nigerian President
Muhammadu Buhari, a former general, has repeatedly claimed his army
has won. The reality is that Africa’s largest land force—a U.S.
counterterrorism ally—is struggling against an insurgency that first
flared a decade ago and is now rejuvenated by Islamic State and the
return of fighters from Libya, Syria and Iraq.”
Nine.com.au:
ISIS Plan Complex Attacks In Unexpected Locations, UN Dossier
Warns
“Secret Islamic State terror cells are primed to carry out
"complex" attacks in unexpected locations around the world before the
end of the year, a UN intelligence report has warned. A hefty $430m
Islamic State (IS) war chest was funnelling arms and cash to incubated
cells, fighters and affiliate groups across the Middle East, Africa
and the Philippines, the report said. A lull in major IS attacks since
Sri Lanka's Easter Sunday bombings which killed 259 people this year
was predicted to end soon. "IS still aspires to have global relevance
and expects to achieve this by continuing to carry out international
attacks," the report said. "The current abatement of such attacks,
therefore, may not last long, possibly not even until the end of 2019.
Meanwhile, more IS-inspired attacks will occur, possibly in unexpected
locations." Intelligence sources currently rated IS a larger threat to
global security than al-Qaeda, because of the offshoot group's robust
finances, carefully crafted media profile and hardened combat
experience. The extremist group's fugitive leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
and his inner circle are hiding in Iraq, and have evaded being
captured or killed despite being hunted by US-led Coalition forces and
a $25m bounty on his head.”
The
Detroit News: Dearborn Man's Jihad Journey To Syria Chronicled In
Federal Court
“A Dearborn man captured overseas and charged with supporting the
Islamic State fought in two countries, fired on Syrian forces and
trained in religious and military camps, federal prosecutors said.
Prosecutors provided new details about Ibraheem Musaibli's journey to
jihad and the nearly three years he spent in Yemen, Iraq and Syria
before he was captured by Syrian Democratic Forces in July 2018. The
government revealed the new details Monday while trying to convince
U.S. District Judge David Lawson to prevent Musaibli and his lawyer
from seeing classified evidence that, if disclosed, could harm
national security. Musaibli's case presents one of the first times the
Trump administration is using federal courts to prosecute a returning
foreign fighter. Musaibli was brought back to Metro Detroit last year
and charged with conspiring to provide material support to a terrorist
organization. Prosecutors want the judge to review the information
privately and decide whether it is necessary for Musaibli, 29, to have
while defending against charges that could send him to prison for at
least 40 years and up to life.”
The
Sun: Major Zuck-Up Facebook Risks Hindering Child Abuse And Terrorism
Investigations By Hiding Online Messages, Warns Priti
Patel
“Priti Patel told the tech giant that increasing users’ privacy by
making their chats secret will hinder detectives as they try to track
down paedophiles and extremists. The new development - known as
end-to-end encryption - will help criminals and put victims at risk,
it is feared. She is demanding that Facebook, along with Twitter and
Google, allow access to hidden messages by intelligence agencies. The
Silicon Valley firms were given the stark warning by ministers from
the “Five Eyes” intelligence allies – the UK, US, Canada, Australia
and New Zealand – during a two-day meeting in London on emerging
threats. Ms Patel said: “The use of end-to-end encryption in this way
has the potential to have serious consequences for the vital work
which companies already undertake to identify and remove child abuse
and terrorist content. “It will also hamper our own law enforcement
agencies, and those of our allies, in their ability to identify and
stop criminals abusing children, trafficking drugs, weapons and
people, or terrorists plotting attacks.”
United States
The
New York Times: Hamid Hayat’s 2006 Terrorism Conviction Is
Overturned
“A federal judge on Tuesday overturned the 2006 conviction of a
California man accused of training in a Pakistani terrorist camp and
lying to the F.B.I. about it, undoing a case once heralded by federal
prosecutors after the Sept. 11 attacks as a proactive victory against
terrorism. The man, Hamid Hayat, 35, was sentenced in 2007 to 24 years
in prison. He had served more than 14 years before Tuesday’s decision.
In overturning Mr. Hayat’s conviction and sentence, Judge Garland E.
Burrell Jr., of United States District Court in Sacramento, said that
Mr. Hayat had not been adequately represented during his trial. His
lawyer did not use testimony from several witnesses who could have
provided a credible alibi for Mr. Hayat, the judge wrote in his
order. “We are really in shock, the whole family, we really are,” Mr.
Hayat’s sister Raheela Hayat, 24, said in a phone interview. Dennis
Riordan, a lawyer for Mr. Hayat, said he was now seeking Mr. Hayat’s
immediate release from prison in Phoenix. He said Mr. Hayat’s release
could be delayed if prosecutors appeal the case. “Hopefully he comes
out tomorrow or the next day,” Ms. Hayat said. “We’re all going to get
together and cry, hug him.”
The
Washington Free Beacon: ISIS Warns Of Terror Strikes In San Francisco,
New York, London
“The ISIS terrorist organization is threatening to launch new
attacks in San Francisco, New York, and London, according to new
warning messages posted on the group's social media channels. The
messages, carried across the internet via the Telegram networking
website, feature the three cities and call for adherents of the terror
group's radical ideology to “kill them all,” according to copies of
the warnings obtained by the Middle East Media Research Institute, or
MEMRI, a group that monitors jihadi networks. “The pro-Islamic State
(ISIS) Ash-Shaff Media Foundation shared five posters on Telegram
which threaten and encourage terror attacks in the West,” according to
information compiled by MEMRI. “The posters are captioned in poor
English and feature background images of San Francisco, New York City,
and London. The Ash-Shaff media group is believed to be based in
Indonesia and/or operated by Indonesians.” “Go and answer the call,”
one of the posters states. “Don't spare none [sic]. Kill them all. It
is now time to rise. Slit their throats. Watch them die.” Another
poster featuring a man in a suicide bomb vest standing in what appears
to be downtown Manhattan urges ISIS followers to “slaughter them
all.”
The
Hill: Investigators Find White Supremacy, Radical Islam Materials In
Gilroy Shooter's Home
“Investigators in Nevada have found evidence indicating an intent
to carry out a large-scale attack as well as white supremacist
literature in the home of a man suspected of committing a deadly
Sunday shooting at a festival in California. The San Francisco
Chronicle reported Tuesday that a search of 19-year-old suspect
Santino William Legan's home in Walker Lake, Nev., turned up empty
ammunition boxes, a gas mask, a knife, reading materials about radical
Islam and white supremacy, and a camouflage backpack. Also found at
the home was an empty bottle of Valium, according to the Chronicle.
Authorities are now searching computers and other electronic devices
at the home for more evidence of Legan's online activities and
possible further connections to white supremacist movements. “We
continue to try to understand who the shooter was, what motivated him,
and whether he was aligned with any particular ideology,” FBI Special
Agent Craig Fair said at a press conference Tuesday, according to the
Chronicle. “Reviewing digital media, historically, has been very
revealing in terms of somebody’s mind-set, ideological beliefs,
intentions,” Fair continued. “We’ve got to get into the computers, the
towers, the thumb drive, the phone, to get a holistic picture of him
and who he was in touch with, what sentiments and thoughts he shared
with others, what he cataloged for his own consumption.”
Syria
Asharq
Al-Awsat: Pentagon: Isis Defeated, Its Threat Remains
“The ISIS organization had been defeated but remains a threat,
Pentagon quoted the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph
Dunford, who asserted that the alliance between the US and coalition
forces must continue to prevent the return of the terrorist group.
Dunford confirmed that the strategy to drive ISIS from its “so-called
caliphate in Syria and Iraq” has succeeded, but that doesn't mean the
struggle against the ideology is over. A Pentagon report published
along with Dunford’s statements indicated that the US forces and
allies came into the region to help those forces become more effective
in combat. However, many critics said the only way to defeat the
terror group was “via vast numbers of Western troops – by Western,
they meant American. Some believed the United States had to launch
another military surge into Iraq.” It added that some political and
military leaders believed there was a better strategy through train,
advise, and enable. Then, a small number of US and partner-nation
forces instructed Iraqi and Syrian security forces, advising them in
combat and providing enabling capabilities to ensure ISIS defeat. “The
strategy has proven successful, and in March, the physical caliphate
was eliminated,” noted the report.”
DW:
Opinion: Syrian Hospitals Have Become Death Traps
"We do not need to tell you that the systematic targeting of
hospitals is a war crime. We do not need tears, sympathy, or even
prayers." These were words my colleagues in Aleppo wrote to US
President Barack Obama in 2016, pleading for help. That same year, the
UN Security Council passed Resolution 2286, which called for the
protection of medical personnel and their patients in armed conflict.
In spite of the resolution, by the end of 2016 Syrian hospitals had
been targeted nearly every day — the most dangerous places in Syria.
More than half of all attacks on hospitals and health workers in
conflict areas worldwide have taken place in Syria since fighting
began there eight years ago. Local communities have suffered
enormously as health workers were killed in the line of duty,
hospitals destroyed, supplies and medication depleted. More than 890
health workers have been killed and 573 healthcare facilities
targeted. "It was such a hard moment," said Dr. Hamza, a surgeon who
worked in several hospitals in eastern Ghouta when they came under
attack between 2013 and 2018. "This place that's supposed to be a
place of healing became a place of injury and danger."
Iran
Reuters:
Iran To Reduce Nuclear Deal Commitments More Unless Europe Protects It
- Zarif
“Iran is set to further cut its commitments to its international
nuclear deal unless its European partners move to protect it from U.S.
sanctions by ensuring it can sell oil and receive income, its foreign
minister told state television on Wednesday. “Under current
circumstances and if no action is taken (by the Europeans) we will
take the next step (in cutting commitments),” Mohammad Javad Zarif
said, adding that its European partners should guarantee Iran could
sell its oil and collect the revenue. Iran has said it will reduce
its commitment to the nuclear accord in stages and may even withdrew
from the pact unless the Europeans find ways to shield its economy
from the U.S. sanctions.”
Radio
Farda: Singapore Detained Two Ships Carrying Iranian LPG In Violation
Of US Sanctions
“Two vessels carrying Iranian LPG or liquid gas involved in
Iran-China deliveries were detained in Singapore on July 22 and 24, a
ship-tracking source has told Radio Farda. The ships belong to Kunlun
Shipping, a private Hong Kong company with a fleet of LPG vessels
carrying Iranian-sourced cargoes. The detention of the vessels is
related to U.S. sanctions banning export of Iranian oil and gas and a
direct result of a court order. However, Radio Farda has learned that
the ships are no longer listed in the “vessels under Sheriff's arrest”
section on the website of the Singapore Supreme Court. The
ship-tracking firm Kpler informs that one of the ships, Sea Dragon
seems to have been released, as satellite images show it has left
Singapore and is sailing back toward the Persian Gulf, carrying its
load. The other vessel Gas Infinity is still in port. Kpler also
reports that the arrests seem to have been targeting vessels owned
only by Kunlun Shipping as other ships involved in Iranian trade
crossed the Singapore strait around the same dates without
incident.”
Iraq
The
Washington Post: Yazidi Women Raped As ISIS Slaves Face Brutal
Homecoming Choice: Give Up Their Child Or Stay Away
“Hiyam never expected to love her daughter. The father was an
Islamic State fighter, who bought Hiyam as a slave after the militants
swept through the homeland of Iraq’s Yazidi minority. News of the
pregnancy filled her with dread. She told doctors she didn’t want the
baby. She tried to induce a miscarriage, straining to carry the
heaviest objects she could find. A gas canister, a carpet. At night,
she cried herself to sleep. But when a midwife placed the baby in her
arms — the tiny girl scrunching her face up and yawning — Hiyam knew
that she had to protect her. ”I could feel it. She was a piece of my
soul,” she said. ”I loved her from that first moment.” Now 21, the
young mother is among thousands of women who made it back to the
Yazidi community. But for many of those survivors, homecoming has been
marred by difficult questions about what it means to belong again. The
Islamic State had tried to wipe out the Yazidis, whose faith mixes
elements of Islam with pre-Islamic beliefs. Four years on, the
genocidal campaign against the already isolated religious minority
casts a long shadow, challenging the faith’s long-standing tenets and
piling pressure on the religious establishment to navigate the needs
of survivors.”
Iraqi
News: Iraqi Military Intelligence Destroy Islamic State Tunnel In
Mosul
“A secret tunnel used by the Islamic State militant group was
destroyed Tuesday in Mosul city, the Iraqi Military Intelligence
Directorate said. In a press release carried by the privately-owned
Alghad Press website, the directorate said that “the tunnel was used
by Islamic State militants for hiding out and escaping from security
forces after the liberation of Mosul from terrorism.” The seizure of
the tunnel came during a military operation launched by intelligence
forces in al Qayyarah district in Mosul. The troops managed to destroy
the tunnel completely, added the statement. Former Iraqi prime
minister Haider al-Abadi announced in July 2017 liberation of the
second largest Iraqi city of Mosul from IS militants, who had captured
it in 2014. More than 25,000 militants were killed throughout the
campaign, which started in October 2016. The campaign was backed by
paramilitary troops and a U.S.-led international coalition. Iraq
declared the collapse of Islamic State’s territorial influence in Iraq
in November 2017 with the recapture of Rawa, a city on Anbar’s western
borders with Syria, which was the group’s last bastion in Iraq."
Turkey
VOA:
Turkish Security Council Mulls Syrian Operation, Despite Washington's
Warnings
“Turkey's National Security Council met Tuesday to decide whether
to launch a military offensive into Syria against the YPG Kurdish
militia. With Washington backing the YPG and warning against any
unilateral action, the two NATO allies could be on a collision course.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan chaired the meeting, which brought
together his military and intelligence chiefs. In a statement released
after the six-hour session, the national security council claimed
terrorist groups were exploiting a power vacuum in the Syrian
territory bordering Turkey, posing an increasing security threat. The
council agreed to create a "peace corridor" to protect Turkey.
Criticism was also expressed over unnamed countries "illegally" arming
terrorist groups — a reference widely interpreted to be aimed at
Washington for its support of the YPG. Erdogan ahead of the meeting
warned that his patience has run out. "We are determined to shatter
the terror corridor east of the Euphrates [in Syria], no matter how
the negotiations with the U.S. to establish a safe zone along the
Syrian borders concludes," he said Friday in a televised speech.
Ankara accuses the YPG of being affiliated with the Kurdish rebel
group the PKK, which is waging a decades-long insurgency. With the YPG
based along Turkey's Syrian border east of the Euphrates River, the
militia is considered by Turkey to be a security threat.”
Afghanistan
Al
Jazeera: At Least 32 Killed As Afghan Bus Hits 'Taliban'
Bomb
“Dozens of civilians, mainly women and children, were killed in
western Afghanistan on Wednesday when the bus they were travelling on
hit an improvised explosive device. The passenger bus travelling on
the Kandahar-Herat highway struck a “Taliban roadside bomb” and at
least 32 people were killed and 17 wounded, said Muhibullah Muhib, the
spokesman for Farah province. “The bomb was freshly planted by the
Taliban insurgents to target Afghan and foreign security forces,” he
said, adding all victims were civilians, mostly women and children.
Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the Afghan presidency, put the death
toll slightly higher at 34, also blaming it on the Taliban. No
immediate confirmation from the group was given that it was behind the
blast. Taliban fighters operate in the region and frequently use
roadside bombs to target government officials and security forces.
Security has been deteriorating across Afghanistan with the Taliban
and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant fighters mounting near-daily
attacks on Afghan forces, government employees, and civilians. The
Taliban, who effectively control half the country, have been meeting
with US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad since late last year.”
Bloomberg:
Dreaming Of Graduation, Afghan Girls Look To U.S.-Taliban
Talks
“Khaleda Sediqqi risks her life every time she goes to work. She
tells her neighbors she’s teaching at a nearby primary school, and
instead travels to Jalalabad city along a stretch of highway that
often comes under militant attack. The head trainer for the
charity Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, Sediqqi provides tuition
for young female primary teachers. They then take that knowledge back
to schools in their villages -- all under the shadow of the Taliban
and Islamic State. “I have put my life at risk to come here and
educate the young ladies whose dreams are just to graduate from high
school,” said Sediqqi, 31, who has a degree in chemistry from
Nangarhar University. Speaking at the training center in an old,
two-room house in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province in the
country’s east, she said: “The goal is to empower them through
education so they can fight back and defend other girls’ educational
rights.” Most districts of Nangarhar, including Sediqqi’s home town,
are on the front line of the country’s battle with the Taliban and its
efforts to prevent the militant group IS from gaining a deeper
foothold outside Kabul. Surrounded by the sweeping Hindu Kush mountain
range, Nangarhar was the staging ground for the Islamic State’s first
appearance in Afghanistan.”
Long
War Journal: UN: Islamic State Replaced Leader In Afghanistan After
Visit From Central Leadership
“The Islamic State’s central leadership replaced their top man in
Afghanistan after a meeting earlier this year, according to a recent
report submitted to the United Nations Security Council. The report
was authored by the monitoring team responsible for tracking al Qaeda,
the Islamic State and affiliated groups. Mawlawi Zia ul-Haq, also
known as Abu Omar al-Khorasani, led the Islamic State’s Khorasan
province until April. He was then “dismissed and replaced by Mawlawi
Abdullah, also known as Mawlawi Aslam Farooqi,” who “was previously in
charge of operations in the Khyber Agency. “The UN monitoring team
found that ul-Haq was demoted “due to poor performance in the context”
of the group’s “setbacks in Nangarhar in the second half of 2018.”
The report includes this intriguing detail: Mawlawi Abdullah’s
“nomination was made during a visit by an ISIL [Islamic State] core
delegation, underscoring the direct relationship between ISIL-K
[Islamic State – Khorasan] and the ISIL core in Iraq and the Syrian
Arab Republic.” The report doesn’t explain how this detail was
learned. If accurate, then it does indeed illustrate how the Islamic
State’s senior managers continue to exercise their influence far from
Iraq and Syria even after losing their territorial caliphate.”
Xinhua:
Afghan Forces Kill 56 Militants In Northern Baghlan
Province
“Up to 56 militants including seven commanders have been confirmed
dead and more than 30 others sustained injuries as the government
forces targeted Taliban hideouts in Qurgan Tepa area outside
Pul-e-Khumri the capital of northern Baghlan province on Tuesday, army
spokesman Mohammad Hanif Rezai said. The crackdown was launched after
the militants attacked security checkpoints in Qurgan Tepa area in the
wee hours of Tuesday, the official said, adding that 56 armed
insurgents have been killed and more than 30 others injured. Seven
Taliban group commanders including Qari Abdul Rahim and Mawlawi
Mabariz are among those killed in the raids, Rezai said. Provincial
police spokesman Jawed Basharat also confirmed the operations, saying
more than 50 Taliban fighters have been killed in Qurgan Tepa and
adjoining areas since early morning. Taliban militants who are in
control of parts of Baghlan province have not commented yet.”
Pakistan
Radio
Free Europe: Bomb Targeting Police Kills Four In Southwestern
Pakistan
“A blast near a police car in the southwestern Pakistani city of
Quetta on July 30 killed four people and wounded more than two dozen,
officials said. Local police official Bakhat Achakzai said the attack
targeted the vehicle parked in the middle of the volatile city, where
security forces and the members of the minority Shi'ite Muslim
community often come under attack. It was not immediately known what
kind of explosive device had caused the blast, Achakzai added. “We are
still investigating if it was a suicide bombing or a device that has
gone off,” said another police official, Muhammad Tahir. Four bodies
-- including two children and one woman -- were taken to the city's
main hospital, medical officials said. Another 25 people were being
treated in hospital and some of them were in a critical condition.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Balochistan is
Pakistan's largest but most volatile province, which has borders with
both Afghanistan and Iran and which is being targeted by Islamist
militants and sectarian groups.”
Yemen
The
National: Yemen Government Says UN Silence Led To Houthi Attack On
Saada
“The Yemeni government said on Tuesday that the UN’s lack of
condemnation of Houthi crimes led the rebels to carry out a rocket
attack on a market in the northern province of Saada, which killed 10
civilians and wounded 20. “The UN or the UN envoy to Yemen Martin
Griffiths unfortunately is not condemning this crime,” Hamza Al
Kamaly, Yemen’s deputy youth minister, told The National. “They are
ignoring the terrorist acts carried out by the Houthis.” The four-year
war begun by the Iran-aligned rebels has killed tens of thousands of
people and left millions on the brink of famine, the UN says. Since
the uprising began in 2014, the rebels have killed thousands of
innocent Yemenis, Mr Al Kamaly said. “The UN is allowing the Houthis
to kill civilians without commenting on their heinous acts,” he said.
This is not the first time the international community ignored the
Houthi atrocities, said Majed Fadhil, Yemen’s deputy human rights
minister. “The disregard by the UN and the international community for
the continuous massacres committed by the rebels against children,
women and men were also seen in the provinces of Hajour and Hajjah,”
Mr Fadhil said.”
Middle East
The
Washington Examiner: ISIS Urges Followers To Carry Out Attacks In
Major Western Cities
“The terror group ISIS is calling upon its adherents to carry out
terrorist attacks in the major Western cities of San Francisco, New
York, and London, according to several social media posts monitored by
an ISIS watchdog site. An ISIS media wing posted the terror
advertisements on the Telegram networking website, telling followers
to "answer the call" and warning ISIS opponents that attacks would
happen "immediately" in their countries, the Middle East Media
Research Institute reported. "The pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Ash-Shaff
Media Foundation shared five posters on Telegram which threaten and
encourage terror attacks in the West," according to posts gathered by
MEMRI. "The posters are captioned in poor English and feature
background images of San Francisco, New York City, and London. The
Ash-Shaff media group is believed to be based in Indonesia and/or
operated by Indonesians." One poster featuring what appears to be New
York tells adherents to "go and answer the call."
The
Economic Times: Al-Qaeda Remains Resilient, Continues To Cooperate
Closely With LeT: UN
“Al-Qaeda "remains resilient" and continues to cooperate closely
with Pakistan-based terror outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the
Haqqani Network, but the health of its leader Aiman Muhammed
al-Zawahiri and how the succession will work are in doubt, according
to a UN report. This was revealed in the 24th report of the Analytical
Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team that was submitted to the UN
Security Council Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee here this month. The
sanctions monitoring team submits independent reports every six months
to the Security Council on the Islamic State, Al-Qaeda and associated
individuals, groups, undertakings and entities. “Al-Qaeda remains
resilient, although the health and longevity of its leader, Aiman
Muhammed Rabi al-Zawahiri, and how the succession will work are in
doubt,” it said. Al-Qaeda considers Afghanistan a continuing safe
haven for its leadership, relying on its long-standing and strong
relationship with the Taliban, it said. Under Taliban patronage,
Al-Qaeda is keen to strengthen its presence in Badakhshan Province, in
particular in the Shighnan area bordering Tajikistan, as well as in
Barmal, in Paktika Province, it added."
Egypt
Egypt
Today: Egypt Has Come A Long Way In Fighting Terrorism, Money
Laundering: Madbouli
“Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli said that Egypt has come a long
way in fighting money laundering and terrorism financing via enacting
laws and introducing supervisory and regulatory rules. He added Egypt
has set up measures to identify customers in the various financial
institutions in line with international standards related to money
laundering and terrorism financing that are defined by international
organizations, topped by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and
the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units. Speaking at an
annual workshop, hosted by the Egyptian Money Laundering and Terrorist
Financing Combating Unit (EMLCU), on capacity building in the Middle
East and Africa region, Madbouli said that money laundering and
terrorism financing are the most serious threats to the stability of
the global financial and economic systems. He stressed the necessity
of complying with international and domestic regulatory systems that
constitute a powerful deterrent to any criminal elements and persons
engaging in terrorist activities. He further underlined the need to
foster cooperation among all countries and stakeholders and competent
national authorities in a way that helps strengthen Arab and African
economies.”
Libya
All
Africa: Libya: Doctors Killed As Rebels Attack Libya Schools,
Hospitals
“Four doctors and a paramedic have been killed following an attack
on a school and hospital in the Libyan capital, Tripoli. Eight medical
personnel were wounded after the violence blamed on militants. Since
the beginning of the conflict in April, a total of 37 attacks have
been registered on health personnel and facilities, resulting in a
total of 11 deaths, 33 injuries and 19 ambulances directly or
indirectly impacted. The education of nearly 120 000 students has been
affected and 27 schools are now used as shelters for families who fled
their homes. Bérangère Böell-Yousfi, the Humanitarian Coordinator in
Libya, condemned the attack on Al-Alamain school and Az Zawiyah Field
Hospital. She called on all the parties to the conflict to respect
their obligations under the international humanitarian law and stop
attacks of hospitals, schools and other civilian infrastructure and
personnel. The envoy said the provision of basic services must be
provided to civilians in desperate need. “Thousands of lives are at
stake. Parties to conflict must allow and facilitate rapid and
unimpeded passage of impartial humanitarian relief, including medical
missions,” Böell-Yousfi. Rival parties are contending for the control
Tripoli.”
Nigeria
Premium
Times: Nigeria Police To Prosecute Banned Shiite Group Members Under
Terrorism Law
“The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has said
henceforth any protester arrested in connection with the proscribed
Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) will be prosecuted under the
“Terrorism Act.’’ Mr Adamu stated this on Tuesday in Abuja at a
conference organised by the Force Headquarters for senior police
officers. The Federal Government on Friday obtained a court order
proscribing the IMN after it branded it as a terrorist organisation.
The IGP said the conference was organised to review the activities of
the banned organisation and other security challenges in order to
emplace appropriate measures to address them. Mr Adamu stressed that
increasing engagement of terror tactics, violent and subversive
activities of IMN contravened the Terrorism Prevention Act 2013, as
amended. According to him, with the judicial pronouncement of the
Federal High Court in Abuja, the Federal Government has classified
them as a terrorist group and accordingly proscribed the
El-Zakzaky-led IMN. “In consequence, henceforth, any person engaged or
associating, in any manner that could advance the activities of the
proscribed Islamic Movement in Nigeria, shall be treated as a
terrorist. “Such person will be treated as an enemy of the State, and
a subversive element and shall be brought to justice within the
context of the Terrorism Act.”
Africa
The
East African: Kenya's Plea To UN To Classify Al-Shabaab A Terrorist
Group
“Kenya plans to formally ask the United Nations (UN) to classify
Somali militant group al-Shabaab as a terrorist group. The move is
aimed at ensuring more attention is focused on combating the
extremists. Foreign Affairs PS Macharia Kamau said Kenya will submit a
proposal to have the UN Security Council list the Shabaab as a
terrorist organisation under an expanded bid to annihilate extremist
groups in the world. “We will formally be submitting a request,
seeking UAE’s support in listing al-Shabaab under UN Resolution 1267.
This is important to bring the global efforts in tackling the group,”
he said in Nairobi, after meeting a delegation of United Arab Emirates
officials where they signed a series of bilateral agreements and
agreed to finalise a security agreement soon. “It has caused serious
havoc, not just on Kenya but the region and the world in general. It
is important that all global efforts now come together to combat
this,” added Kamau. Under Resolution 1267 of 1999, or subsequent and
related decisions, the UN Security Council targeted terror or militant
groups like the Talibans, Al-Qaeda and ISIS and their leaders such as
Osama bin Laden, sanctioning the groups and those associated with
them.”
North Korea
Associated
Press: Seoul: North Korea Launches 2 Short-Range Ballistic
Missiles
“South Korea’s military said North Korea conducted its second
weapons test in less than a week Wednesday, firing two short-range
ballistic missiles off its east coast in a move observers said could
be aimed at boosting pressure on the United States as the rivals
struggle to set up fresh nuclear talks. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of
Staff said in a statement that the missiles were launched from Wonsan,
a city the North pushes as a vacation destination but that it also
uses as a regular launch site. It said both missiles were believed to
have flown about 250 kilometers (155 miles) at a maximum altitude of
30 kilometers (19 miles), and that the South Korean and U.S.
militaries were trying to gather more details. The test, which would
be yet another North Korean violation of U.N. Security Council
resolutions, comes as the country’s negotiations with the U.S. over
its nuclear weapons program are at a stalemate and as Pyongyang has
expressed anger over planned U.S.-South Korean military drills.”
United Kingdom
BBC
News: Islamic State 'Beatles' El Shafee Elsheikh And Alexanda Kotey
Could Be Tried In UK
“British investigators have enough evidence to prosecute two of the
so-called Islamic State “Beatles” in the UK, the Supreme Court has
been told. El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey are accused of
belonging to an IS cell which is thought to have kidnapped and
murdered Western hostages in Syria. They are currently being held in
northern Syria. The US wants to use evidence amassed by British
investigators to put both men on trial there. However, Washington is
refusing to give the UK a standard assurance that neither man would be
executed if convicted. Mr Elsheikh's mother, Maha Elgizouli, is trying
to block the government from handing Islamic State 'Beatles' could be
prosecuted in UK over the information - after it decided to help the
US. It has emerged that she also wants to take the Crown Prosecution
Service (CPS) to court for failing to put her son on trial in the UK.
The pair, who are from London, are accused of being members of an IS
cell - dubbed “The Beatles” because of their British accents - which
also included Mohammed Emwazi, known as Jihadi John, who was killed in
a US air strike in 2015, and Aine Davis, who has been jailed in
Turkey.”
Al
Jazeera: UK ISIL Hearing: Legal Challenge Over Information
Sharing
“The mother of an alleged Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
(ISIL or ISIS) member is challenging the United Kingdom's decision to
share information with the United States without guaranteeing that her
son will not face the death penalty. Elshafee Elsheikh is an alleged
ISIL member, part of the “Beatles cell”. A UK court says the home
secretary has no legal duty to protect the alleged terrorist. Al
Jazeera speaks to Clive Baldwin, a senior legal adviser for the legal
and policy office at Human Rights Watch.”
Yahoo
News: UK Warship Commander Says Iran Trying 'To Test' Britain In
Gulf
“The commander of a British warship accompanying UK-flagged ships
through the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions with Iran said
Wednesday that Tehran appeared to be testing the Royal Navy's resolve.
William King, commander of HMS Montrose, said during 27 days
patrolling the flashpoint entrance to the Gulf he had had 85
"interactions with Iranian forces", which had often led to "an
exchange of warnings" over radio. "That gives you some idea of the
intensity... (it) is perhaps more than we've seen of recent times," he
told BBC Radio in a phone interview from aboard the frigate. "The
Iranians seem to be keen to test our resolve, test our reactions most
of the time," King added. "They'll claim that perhaps our presence is
illegitimate, even though we're completely lawfully in international
waters. "They may also run boats in at speed towards us, to test what
warning levels we get to." Montrose, on a three-year deployment in the
region since April based at a British naval hub opened in Bahrain last
year, began the escorts through the world's busiest oil shipping lane
earlier this month.”
Germany
The
Atlantic: Prosecuting Syrian War-Crimes Suspects From
Berlin
“Among the Syrians living here in the German capital, Anwar Raslan
had long been notorious. Soon he may be known farther afield—not just
as the first senior Syrian official to be held accountable for acts
carried out during that country’s conflict, but perhaps more
importantly as the defendant in a case that changed the way the world
prosecutes war crimes. In Damascus, Raslan had been a colonel in
Syria’s military-intelligence agency, overseeing investigations at an
outpost known as Branch 251. In the same building, some 600 people
were crammed into cells built for a third as many. Those who were held
there were starved, tortured, sexually assaulted, and offered no
medical care, rights groups say; most days, six or seven people died
as a result. Then Raslan defected from Bashar al-Assad’s regime,
joining an early wave of Syrian migrants in 2012 who were fleeing what
would turn into an all-out civil war. He eventually made his way to
Germany—alone at first, but joined later by his family—and applied for
asylum. Here, he lived in some measure of freedom, alongside others
who had themselves been held in Branch 251. That all changed this
year. Raslan was arrested in February—German prosecutors said at the
time he was “strongly suspected” of complicity in crimes against
humanity—and is currently being held in prison. When he eventually
takes the stand, most likely early next year, he will be the first
high-ranking Syrian official to be tried over the Syrian war.”
Southeast Asia
The
Jakarta Post: Indonesian Military Forms ‘Super Elite Unit’ To Crack
Down On Terrorism
“The Indonesian Military (TNI) is expected to play a bigger role in
the country's war on terror with the establishment of a “super elite
unit” for deploying in national security emergencies, including terror
attacks. The newly established Special Operations Command (Koopssus)
comprises 400 personnel from the crème de la crème of the military's
special forces: the 81 Special Detachment (Gultor) of the Army’s
Special Forces (Kopassus), the Jalamangkara Detachment (Denjaka) of
the Navy’s Marine Corps, and the Bravo 90 Detachment (Denbravo) of the
Air Force’s Special Forces Corps (Korpaskhas). The Koopssus is under
the command of Brig. Gen. Rochadi, who was appointed to the new role
from his previous position as the director of the TNI’s Strategic
Intelligence Agency (BAIS).”
Technology
Quartz:
The Far Right Is Really Good At Tricking You Into Giving It Free
Advertising
“In the months since the Christchurch terrorist live-streamed the
murder of 51 Muslim worshippers, we’ve seen a flurry of discussions
around the globe about how we can prevent online radicalization.
Social media companies like Facebook and Instagram have created
bans on content supporting white nationalism and separatism,
while governments have pledged to crack down on companies that enable
extremist content to take root and thrive on the web. But online
radicalization doesn’t only happen when a person intentionally
consumes extremists’ posts. It takes place in more banal and even
accidental ways when people encounter extremist content in places they
might not expect—such as shopping for a t-shirt. Over the past year,
we’ve collected and analyzed screenshots of more than 1,400 t-shirts
from 10 high-quality, mainstream-style brands that market to the far
right in six countries. You may note that we deliberately do not name
brands, or offer links to any of the websites here. Our goal is to
shed light on an insidious and harmful phenomenon while avoiding
inadvertently creating marketing for them.”
The
Wall Street Journal: For Facebook And Alphabet, Big-Ticket Fines Cause
Limited Pain
“Facebook Inc. and Google parent Alphabet Inc. have been hit with
some hefty fines, but a closer look shows that for these tech giants,
the penalties aren’t as huge as they seem. The Federal Trade
Commission recently fined Facebook $5 billion to settle allegations
that the company violated a 2012 order from the agency by deceiving
users about the privacy of their data. The penalty is equivalent to
about 16% of the company’s 2018 operating expenses, the day-to-day
cost of running the business. Put another way, it amounts to 59 days
of ordinary expenses such as research and development spending,
marketing and administrative costs for the social-media giant.
Facebook reported holding about $13.9 billion in cash and equivalents
at the end of June, plus $34.7 billion in marketable securities. Other
recent fines imposed on Facebook were smaller. The $100 million
Facebook agreed to pay to settle allegations by the Securities and
Exchange Commission that the company had inadequately warned investors
about misuse of user data, works out to just over a single day’s
operating expenses. A fine over privacy violations, imposed by the
U.K.’s Information Commissioner’s Office in October—valued then at
$645,000—amounts to about 11 minutes of operating expenses.”
Forbes:
The EU Just Threatened Facebook's Biggest (And Least-Known)
Advantage
“Most tech companies know about you when you visit their websites
or use their apps. Some however, like Facebook, know about you on
virtually every important site on the planet ... and the majority of
top apps as well. But the European Union just threatened that massive
data source. Facebook has an invisible web of data connectors reaching
to more than 8.4 million websites and thousands, if not millions of
apps. If you visit WhiteHouse.gov, for instance, Facebook knows. If
you use Walgreen's mobile app, Facebook has its technology embedded
there too. This invisible web is critical to Facebook. It tells
Facebook what interests you. What you like. Where you go online, and
what apps you use. It tells Facebook a lot about what products you
might be interested in, and sometimes details about what you might
purchase. This is all critical information for a company that makes
its money selling ads. These invisible data connectors are the
Facebook Like button — which more than 8.4 million websites use — and
Facebook SDKs (software development kits) that are embedded into 67%
of the top iOS apps and 66% of the top Android apps. Including, by the
way, Tinder.”
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