Eye on Extremism - May 16, 2016

Eye on Extremism May 12, 2016 CNN: ISIS Claims Responsibility For Attack On Baghdad Gas Plant “ISIS has claimed responsibility for an assault on a Baghdad gas plant Sunday, the latest in a series of deadly attacks committed by the Sunni terror group that have claimed more than 100 lives in recent days. Baghdad Governor Ali al-Tamimi said 10 people, including seven police officers and three guards, were killed during the assault on the facility in the Taji area, north of Iraq's capital, at 5 a.m. local time Sunday. Police officials said the attack began with a suicide car bomb at the entrance of the plant, then a second suicide bomber detonated an explosive inside the facility. Six ISIS militants then tried to storm inside, but security forces were able to repel them, police said. Two military helicopters were deployed from Taji military base to fight the militants, police said.” The New York Times: Al Qaeda Turns To Syria, With A Plan To Challenge ISIS “Al Qaeda’s top leadership in Pakistan, badly weakened after a decade of C.I.A. drone strikes, has decided that the terror group’s future lies in Syria and has secretly dispatched more than a dozen of its most seasoned veterans there, according to senior American and European intelligence and counterterrorism officials. The movement of the senior Qaeda jihadists reflects Syria’s growing importance to the terrorist organization and most likely foreshadows an escalation of the group’s bloody rivalry with the Islamic State, Western officials say. The operatives have been told to start the process of creating an alternate headquarters in Syria and lay the groundwork for possibly establishing an emirate through Al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, the Nusra Front, to compete with the Islamic State, from which Nusra broke in 2013.” Wall Street Journal: Islamic State Shifts Tactics, From War-Fighting to Suicide Bombing “As Islamic State loses territory in the grinding war in the Middle East, it is turning to less elaborate but lethal direct attacks on civilian targets such as this past week’s series of deadly suicide bombings in Iraq. In three straight days of bombings in Baghdad starting on Wednesday, the group killed more than 100 people. In the wake of the terror attacks in Paris in November and Brussels in March, Western and regional officials said they are seeing more signs the militants are morphing back into a guerrilla-style insurgency that relies increasingly on suicide attacks.” NBC News: An American ISIS Cell: The Story Of 3 U.S. Recruits “Jaffrey, Rasel and Zakia are among just a few dozen Americans who have managed to get to Syria and sign up with ISIS. FBI Director James Comey said last week that the number of Americans seeking to join its ranks overseas — already low on a per capita basis — had fallen even further to just one a month since August. In an interview with NBC News, Assistant Attorney General John Carlin, the Justice Department's point person on national security, said he could not discuss specific cases or say whether federal investigators had missed opportunities to stop the trio from physically joining ISIS.” Newsweek: ISIS Suicide Bomb Kills 47 In Former Al-Qaeda Town In Yemen “Two suicide bomb blasts claimed by the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) killed 47 police officers in a Yemeni town on Sunday recently held by rival Al-Qaeda jihadis. The radical Islamist group struck the outskirts of the port town of Mukalla in the first blast, killing 41 people and wounding more than 50 people, medics told AFP news agency.” The New York Times: After Years of Distrust, U.S. Military Reconciles With Nigeria to Fight Boko Haram “Less than two years after it blocked a sale of American-made attack helicopters to Nigeria from Israel because of human rights concerns, the Obama administration says it is poised to sell up to 12 light attack aircraft to Nigeria as part of an effort to support the country’s fight against the Boko Haram militant group. The proposed sale reflects the warming of the relationship between the Nigerian and American militaries, which had frayed under Mr. Jonathan. The Pentagon often bypassed Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram, choosing to work directly with neighboring Cameroon, Chad and Niger.” RT: ISIS Covers Fighters’ Hefty Bills In Turkish Hospitals, Leaked Phone Taps Reveal “Islamic State terrorists wounded on the Syrian battlefield regularly travel to Turkey for complex and costly medical treatment, according to tapped phone calls apparently ignored by Ankara’s security forces, and handed to the media by opposition MP Erem Erdem. Transcripts of phone recordings that were obtained by international media conversations with Ilhami Bali, a ‘prominent’ figure within Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terror group, who has a US€1.3 million bounty on his head, shed additional light on the lucrative business of medical treatments apparently offered by Turkish medical facilities to jihadist fighters.” The Times Of Israel: Queen To Announce Major Crackdown On Extremism In UK “In an upcoming annual speech to parliament, the queen of England is expected to announce a major UK government crackdown on extremism, including measures to deny extremists access to vulnerable groups such as children and students. Her Majesty’s Most Gracious Speech, known informally as the Queen’s Speech, will include references to the new Counter-Extremism Bill, which the British government has touted as a major step in the effort to defeat extremism in the country, The Telegraph reported Saturday. Officials hope to stop radicals from spreading extremist ideology in schools, colleges, and other institutes where they could influence young or vulnerable people and talk them into committing acts of violence.” The Washington Post: Al-Qaeda Affiliates Are Threatening West Africa’s Most Peaceful Cities “In a city where nightclubs and mosques coexist peacefully, Islamist violence long felt like a foreign problem — something residents watched on news clips from the Middle East or other parts of ­Africa. But Senegal and its neighbors are facing a new threat from extremists moving far from their traditional strongholds in northwest Africa. Since November, militant groups have killed dozens of people in assaults on hotels, a cafe and a beachside resort in West Africa, passing through porous borders with impunity. The attacks have occurred in countries that had been rebounding from political turbulence, such as Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. Now fears of such bloodshed are growing in this pro-Western democracy, which serves as a ­regional hub for international ­organizations.” The Wall Street Journal: Turkish Military’s Influence Rises Again “After 13 years of being methodically marginalized during Recep Tayyip Erdogan ’s tenure atop Turkish politics, the army is regaining its clout as the president sidelines his political rivals. Turkey’s military, which has forced four civilian governments from power since 1960, is re-emerging as a pivotal actor alongside Mr. Erdogan, who has long viewed the army as a potentially dangerous adversary. Mr. Erdogan’s moves to sideline political opponents—he forced out his handpicked prime minister this month amid a power struggle—has cleared the way for Turkey’s generals to play a greater role in shaping Mr. Erdogan’s attempts to extend his global influence.” The New York Times: ‘I Will Kill Him’: Afghan Commander Targets Son, A Taliban Fighter “Since he first picked up a gun as a 15-year-old, Abdul Basir has killed a lot of people. Yet the operation on Friday night was different: He was out to kill his son. In Afghanistan’s long war, Mr. Basir’s determination to kill one of his children was not unique, but rather just another sign of how long the violence has dragged on, and of how it has permeated the deepest levels of society and poisoned the closest of relationships. Framed by grand ideologies and elaborate strategies at the top, the perpetual conflict has divided families for a generation. Guerrillas who took up arms against the Soviet occupation became sworn enemies of their Communist relatives. Now, a government commander was hunting down a son who had denounced him as an infidel and forced him from their family’s ancestral village.” Reuters: Boko Haram To Increase Cooperation If Islamic State Boosts Libya Presence-UK “Boko Haram jihadists are likely to step up cooperation with Islamic State should the latter extremist group gain a stronger foothold in Libya, a senior British official said on Saturday. Boko Haram, which has been waging a seven-year insurgency in northern Nigeria, last year pledged loyalty to Islamic State. Little is known about the extent of cooperation. But Western officials worry that Islamic State's growing presence in North Africa and ties with Boko Haram could herald a push south into the Sahel region and create a springboard for wider attacks. Islamic State first seized parts of Syria and Iraq but later built up a foothold in Libya, exploiting a security vacuum.” United States ABC News: Defeating ISIS: An Exclusive Look At What's Next For U.S. Troops In Iraq “Major General Volesky commands the nearly 5,000 Americans in Iraq who are determined to stop the group from wreaking havoc across the country. Nearly two years ago, ISIS militants overran large swaths of Iraq and Syria, but General Volesky said that with the help of U.S. forces, the Iraqis have ISIS on defense. ‘Every day they lose terrain, and they’re not regaining anything. So that’s really what’s different,’ he said. Just last December, Iraqi Security Forces recaptured the city of Ramadi, the capital of Iraq’s largest province, eight months after it fell to ISIS.” The Wall Street Journal: Long Emphasis On Terror May Hurt U.S. In Conventional War, Army Chief Says “When Gen. Mark A. Milley, the Army chief of staff, stepped off his jet into the sunshine here on Sunday, it was the first time the Obama administration had sent its top Army officer to Africa for a high-level meeting to get the continent’s fledgling militaries in shape to deal with growing terrorist threats. Instead, the question was whether the new focus on the ever-widening terrorist threat in Africa — not to mention the focus on the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, and the continuing war in Afghanistan — is taking away from the Army’s ability to fight a land war against a more traditional military adversary.” Syria Reuters: Syrian Forces Retake Deir Al-Zor Hospital After 'Major' Islamic State Offensive “Syrian government forces retook a hospital in Deir al-Zor after Islamic State attacked it on Saturday following a dawn offensive by the militants on the besieged eastern Syrian city, a war monitor and state media said. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors Syria's five-year-long war, said Islamic State had killed at least 35 members of the Syrian armed forces and detained some medical staff from the hospital. The fighting in and around the hospital also killed at least 24 Islamic State fighters, the Observatory said. Islamic State's Amaq news agency said its fighters staged a ‘major offensive’ on the southwestern edge of Deir al-Zor on Saturday, storming the Assad Hospital and cutting the supply route between the a Syrian army base and the airport.” Iraq Bloomberg: Islamic State Says It Destroyed Ancient Gate In Iraq’s Mosul “Islamic State has taken credit for demolishing the Assyrian Mashki Gate in Iraq’s northern province of Nineveh, in another example of the destruction of priceless antiquities in areas under the Jihadist group’s control. The Gate of Mashki was built during the era of the Assyrian King Sennacherib in 705-681 B.C. It was located east of Mosul, the capital of Nineveh province, which was taken over by Islamic State forces in June 2014. Photographs distributed by Islamic State on Sunday show militants using at least one bulldozer to knock down the ancient ruin, although it was unclear when the action took place. National Geographic said in April that it had obtained images revealing the destruction of the Mashki Gate and the nearby Adad Gate, built around 700 B.C., by Islamic State.” Reuters: Islamic State On The Defensive, Territory Shrinking In Syria And Iraq: U.S. Official “Islamic State has not gained significant ground since it took the Iraqi city of Ramadi a year ago, which it then lost in December, as the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq and Syria has been helped by better intelligence and better equipped local forces, a senior U.S. official said on Sunday. Islamic State ‘is shrinking so they are very much on the defensive,’ Brett McGurk, U.S. President Barack Obama's special envoy in the fight against Islamic State, told a news conference in Amman. Islamic State controls the cities of Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria and is proving a potent threat abroad, claiming credit for major attacks in Paris in November and Brussels in March. McGurk said that U.S.-led coalition effort to capture Mosul and Raqqa was making progress.” Turkey The Jerusalem Post: Turkish, Coalition Forces Hit Islamic State Targets In Syria, Kill 27 “Turkish and US-led coalition forces struck Islamic State targets north of the Syrian city of Aleppo, killing 27 militants, broadcaster CNN Turk and other media reported on Monday. The reports did not say when the military action, which NTV said consisted of air strikes and shelling, occurred. There have been a series of such strikes after the Turkish border town of Kilis, which lies just across the frontier from Islamic State-controlled territory in Syria, was regularly struck by rockets in recent weeks.” Afghanistan Voice Of America: Afghan Security Forces Push Back Taliban Advance On Northern City “Afghanistan security forces said Sunday they have halted advances overnight by the Taliban on a key northern city and inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy. The fighting on the outskirts of Pul-e-Khumri, capital of Baghlan province, erupted when the Taliban overran several villages and security outposts, residents and insurgent sources said. The hostilities temporarily closed the main highway, which links the national capital of Kabul with eight northern provinces as well as neighboring countries. After security forces led successful counterattacks and forced the rebels to retreat, the road was reopened, provincial officials said.” Yemen BBC: Yemen Conflict: IS Suicide Attack Kills 31 Police Recruits “A suicide attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group has killed at least 31 police recruits in southern Yemen. Officials say the militant detonated his explosives outside a police base in the port of Mukalla, killing recruits as they queued up outside the building. IS's jihadist rival, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), was forced out of Mukalla last month by a Saudi-led military coalition. The conflict in Yemen has displaced two million people since 2011. Hospitals in Mukalla, capital of Hadramawt province, said they were treating at least 60 people wounded in the attack. The bombing is the second such attack in Mukalla claimed by IS militants since AQAP's withdrawal from the city. The group claimed a suicide car bomb attack that killed 15 soldiers last week.” Saudi Arabia Voice Of America: Kerry Seeks Saudi Support For Syrian Cease-Fire “U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry sought Saudi Arabia's support Sunday in strengthening a ‘cessation of hostilities’ agreement between Syrian government forces and rebels ahead of broader talks on regional crises later this week. Kerry, trying to shore up support for the shaky cease-fire in Syria, met with Saudi King Salman, whose country has been a key supporter of rebels fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The top U.S. diplomat and his Saudi counterpart, Adel al-Jubeir, discussed developments in Syria, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.” Middle East The Washington Post: Israel Tells France It’s Not Interested In Multilateral Peace Talks “French officials said Sunday that they will continue to press ahead with plans to host a multilateral Middle East peace conference later this year, despite hearing, in blunt language, that Israel doesn’t really like the idea. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday to promote what diplomats are calling the ‘French Initiative,’ a still evolving and admittedly vague diplomatic project that seeks to bring global attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and find consensus among the international community on how to move forward with a two-state solution.  Neither Israel nor the Palestinians, who support the French Initiative, will attend the May meeting in Paris.” NPR: A Fall In Knife Attacks On Israelis, Amid A Shifting Palestinian Mood “More than seven months after it began, a wave of Palestinian stabbing attacks against Israelis appears to be slowing. Israeli military officials say Palestinian attacks continue, but the number of attempted attacks has dropped significantly. Notably, they say, stabbing attacks by teenagers acting alone have gone down. The stabbing attacks against Israelis, which began in October and for several months continued almost daily, were initially popular among many Palestinians. They said this was a legitimate response to Israel's military occupation.” Nigeria Voice Of America: Cameroon, Allies Claim Gains In Fight Against Boko Haram “Cameroon and its allies in a multinational force are claiming gains in two operations last week against the Boko Haram militant group in Nigeria.  Cameroonian casualties from the operations have reached hospitals in Maroua but morale reportedly remains high. Thirty wounded Cameroonian soldiers have been ferried in the past four days to the military hospital in Maroua on Cameroon's northern border with Nigeria. Saturday, the multinational force said five Boko Haram leaders were captured, dozens of militants were killed and 60 women and children freed during recent operations.  Cameroon spokesperson Issa Tchiroma said no soldiers were killed, but several were wounded.” United Kingdom The Guardian: Manchester United Stadium ‘Bomb’ Identified As Training Device “A fake bomb planted by a security company as part of a training exercise at Old Trafford caused the cancellation of Manchester United’s final Premier League game of the season when the firm forgot to take it away. The security blunder led to United’s home stadium being evacuated 20 minutes before kick-off against Bournemouth after an ‘incredibly lifelike explosive device’ was found at the ground. Army bomb disposal experts carried out a controlled explosion on the dummy device, which was discovered in the toilets within the north-west quadrant, between the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand and the Stretford End.” Europe Deutsche Welle: Vienna Hosts International Meeting On 'Islamic State' Threat In Libya “A conference co-chaired by the United States and Italy is set to start on Monday in the Austrian capital, Vienna. On Sunday, US Secretary of State John Kerry met with Saudi Kind Salman to lay the groundwork for the meeting. Since March, a national unity government has been gradually exerting its influence in Libya following years of unrest in the country. However, the government – led by businessman Fayez al-Sarraj and backed by much of the international community – faces political opposition from within Libya and the threat of the so-called ‘Islamic state’ (IS) establishing a bigger foothold. The flow of migrants from Libya across the Mediterranean to Europe is also a topic for discussion in Vienna. The meeting is scheduled to last for two days, with the focus shifting to Syria on Tuesday. Representatives from Iran, Saudi Arabia and Russia are also expected to attend.” Arabic Language Clips Financing of Terrorism Yemen Akhbar: Yemen On The Blacklist Of States Unable To Combat Money Laundering Crimes High-level sources claim that the Middle East & North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENAFATF) against Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing has decided to include Yemen on its blacklist. This decision comes following the blatant breach of the anti-money laundering law by the Houthis and the Central Bank of Yemen. The Yemeni government's response failed to meet the deadline set by MEANFATF. The threat to blacklist Yemen comes amid intensive pressures exerted by MENAFATF on the Houthis as a result of their coup and of threats to blacklist Yemen due to the spread of the money laundering phenomenon in Yemen. Yemen Akhbar: Liberation Of (Yemen's) Al-Mukalla Is Strategic Victory Which Dries Up The Sources Of Terror Financing The people of the Yemeni city of al-Mukalla, capital of Hadhramaut, have just ended a very dark era following the strategic victory achieved by the Arab coalition, led by Saudi Arabia forces. Life is gradually returning to normal in al-Mukalla, after government authorities took control of the city and drained it of al-Qaeda's terrorist funding sources. Now, the battle for reconstruction begins. Experts stressed that the intervention by the forces of the Arab Coalition for the Liberation of Yemen saved the whole world from the birth of another entire terrorist apparatus like the one the international community is witnessing in Iraq and Syria. They asserted that the terrorists in al-Mukalla tried to duplicate the ISIS model, claiming there are credible reports which indicate that the terrorist organizations were on the verge of declaring a so-called Islamic State. One expert stressed that purging al-Mukalla of terrorists means draining sources of financing Al Qaeda, which relies primarily on arms- and oil-smuggling. He explained that terrorist organizations took control of the most important revenue-generating facility in Yemen - al-Mukalla Port. This is the sole sea port in Hadhramaut province, situated on the Arabian Sea. Al Qaeda turned this port into its "private" property, which generated a weekly revenue of 1 billion riyals ($4.65 million). ISIS Enab Baladi: ISIS Organization Starts Pricing Traffic Violations In Syria's Deir Ez-Zour ISIS's "Islamic Police in Wilayat al-Khair” (the largest part of Syria's Deir ez-Zour province), issued a new resolution declaring the launch of the imposition of new fines for traffic violations. According to sources in Deir ez-Zor, the terror organization "issued a price list a week ago as well as decisions concerning other legal violations." They added that ISIS published the equivalent value of the fines in dollars and gold bullion. The list circulated by the organization included many parameters for imposing traffic fines, including lack of a driver's license, carrying an excessive load, driving in the opposite direction, writing on the car, parking on the left side of the road, and others. The fines range from 500 to 10,000 Syrian pounds ($2 - $46). Sputnik: Turkey Embraces ISIS Funds Head of Nineveh Media Network, Raafat al-Zarari, disclosed on Sunday that Eyad el-Khila was killed inside his car, which he was driving on Al Muthanna Street in Mosul. The car was targeted by aircraft of the international coalition. Al-Zarari noted that Eyad's brother, Suhail, who is one of the prominent financiers of ISIS, is also in charge of transporting foreign aid into the ISIS-controlled areas in Iraq, specifically Mosul, and Syria. Al-Zarari added that Suhail, who currently resides in Turkey, transfers the money with the help of taxi drivers working on the Turkish-Syrian-Iraqi borders. Muslim Brotherhood Elfagr: Ahmed Musa: 23 Journalists From The Brotherhood Newspaper Are Getting Money From The State Egyptian journalist Ahmed Musa unveiled documents indicating that 23 reporters from the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Freedom and Justice Journal are still receiving money from the Journalists' Union. He said, "They're taking money to kill us." Musa said, during his TV show, that the Journalists' Union has in essence become a political party and these journalists have been using the Union's money for internal activities, in violation of the law." Almesryoon: (Egyptian) Legal Experts: State Is Not Permitted To Use Brotherhood Funds Egyptian legal experts have rejected the demands raised by several MPs to allocate part of the seized Muslim Brotherhood funds to fulfilling the goals of the Transitional Justice Law in the clause that deals with compensation and reparations. The experts assert that the individuals whose funds were confiscated were not issued judicial rulings against them. Legal expert, Dr. Ahmed Mahran, stressed that the exploitation of seized Brotherhood funds in this way runs contrary to the law. He explained that their money is to be held only until the end of the investigation, and used for presenting the evidence of their alleged guilt, finding out its source and what it was used for. Gulf Eyes: Is Mauritania Moving To Ban The Brotherhood Party? The imminent dissolution of the Brotherhood-affiliated National Coalition Party for Reform and Development (Tawassul) is the hot topic in the Mauritanian public debate these days. This is true especially after the remarks by Mauritania's President Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz, who stressed in a speech earlier this month that the party "had crossed red lines." Following his statement, sources close to the Mauritanian president alluded to the impending dissolution of the party. They accused it of hostility towards the homeland and "trading" in religion and national interests. Media Advisor to the President of Mauritania, Ishaq al-Kunti, said that "the Brotherhood in Mauritania has obtained huge quantities of money by illegal means, since the money originates from charity and Zakat, of which they have taken control." He added, "The Islamists in Mauritania have their own television channels and they run many news websites. They also control pharmacies and currency exchange offices. Everyone knows they are rich and have enormous resources." Elbashayer Online: El-Kherbawy: Assassination Of (Egypt's) Attorney General Cost $80,000 Tharwat el-Kherbawy, former Muslim Brotherhood member and present-day researcher of Islamist groups, discovered that a Brotherhood leader called Abu Al-Qasim had purchased the car used in the assassination of Egyptian Public Prosecutor Hisham Barakat. The Brotherhood terrorist had received money, estimated at $80,000, from the wife of Yehia Moussa, the Egyptian Health Ministry spokesman during Morsi's presidency. El-Kherbawy added that Mahmoud Ahmadi, the first defendant, and his brother had built the explosive device used in the attack. He noted that the defendants had undergone training for four months in Gaza by leaders of Hamas. According to the researcher, Gamal Heshmat, a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood in exile, was a driving force behind preparing and equipping the cell that carried out the assassination of the Attorney General. Elfagr: Brotherhood The Hidden Beneficiary Behind The Transfer Of Money From Abroad To Currency Traders After regulatory authorities exposed gangs specializing in converting foreign currency, transferred by Egyptian expatriates to their families back home, into Egyptian currency through the black market, MPs were quick to denounce the perpetrators. The parliamentarians claimed that the sole culprit behind these acts is the Muslim Brotherhood, which strives to undermine the Egyptian economy. They called to implement deterrent measures as well as educate and caution the Egyptian community abroad not to fall prey to such gangs. Foreign Affairs Committee Undersecretary MP Tarek Radwan condemned the gangs, which collect hard currency and savings of Egyptians abroad and convert them on the Egyptian black currency market. He also stressed that the only beneficiary of such transactions is the Muslim Brotherhood. Houthi Ababiil: Ibb Province Occupies The Top Spot In Money Transfers To The Houthis The latest statistics on banking operations and money transfers indicate that Ibb governorate is the leader in internal financial transfers. Meanwhile, Amran governorate is ranked first in terms of receiving money. Informed sources suggest that Houthi militia leaders have been competing for control in Ibb province since the beginning of the coup. This is because such control could earn these leaders easy and enormous spoils of the province. It is noteworthy that Ibb can generate considerable revenues for those leaders due to the large number of merchants and expatriates from the province, who send hard currency to their families, especially from the US and the Gulf countries.