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Eye on Extremism
January 12, 2017
Reuters:
Afghan Officials Probe Attacks As Death Toll Rises Past 50
“Afghan security officials began investigating Tuesday's attacks in
the capital Kabul and the southern city of Kandahar as the death toll
climbed to over 50, including five diplomats from the United Arab
Emirates. The Ministry of the Interior raised the death toll from the
Kabul attack to 38, with 86 wounded, while 13 people were confirmed dead
in Kandahar, where the diplomats were killed while on a visit to open an
orphanage. The UAE ambassador and the provincial governor were also
wounded in the attack, which killed several other officials including
deputy governor Abdul Shamsi. President Ashraf Ghani spoke by telephone
with Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi on
Wednesday, expressing condolences and stressing the need to redouble
efforts to counter terrorism, a statement said.”
Voice
Of America: Islamic State Tactics Degrading As Iraqis Take More Of Mosul
“Islamic State (IS) fighters have placed bombs on trucks and even
tiny, flying drones to attack Iraqi forces battling to retake Mosul. But
these battlefield tactics are becoming less frequent and less effective,
a top U.S. commander in Iraq said Wednesday. Speaking to reporters via
teleconference from Baghdad, Col. Brett Sylvia, who leads roughly 1,700
of the U.S. soldiers advising Iraqis in the Mosul fight, said U.S. forces
have helped Iraqis bring down ‘almost a dozen’ IS-controlled drones used
to gather intelligence and drop ‘little grenade’-like explosives on Iraqis.
‘They are very short-range, targeting those frontline troops from the
Iraqis,’ he said, adding that the drones are often commercial
‘quadcopters’ that can be purchased online.”
Reuters:
Bombed Mosul Bridge Still Lifeline For Long-Suffering Civilians
“The rubble of a bridge blown up by Islamic State in Mosul to block
advancing Iraqi forces has become a lifeline for civilians as more and
more of the northern city breaks loose from the grip of the
ultra-hardline militants. Men and women, children and the elderly
scramble down the banks of the Khosr River, a tributary of the Tigris
some 30 metres wide and a metre deep which counter-terrorism forces
crossed last week in a nighttime raid. Lumbering over ladders and pipes,
civilians crawl onto the span of the bridge, which has collapsed into the
murky water, and shimmy up the opposite bank along a dirt path.”
Associated
Press: Activists: 6 Dead In Airstrike In Northern Syria
“Activists say an airstrike on a Syrian village near the
once-contested city of Aleppo has killed six civilians, including at
least three children. The Syrian Civil Defense search and rescue group, also
known as the White Helmets, says rescue workers are pulling victims from
the rubble of a home destroyed in a strike Thursday morning in the
village of Babka, in the opposition-held countryside west of Aleppo. The
Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says four of the
victims were children. Fighting and airstrikes have continued across
Syria despite a cease-fire between the government and rebels that came
into effect on December 30. U.S.-led coalition forces have also stepped
up raids against Qaida-linked militants in northwestern Syria.”
The
New York Times: Assad Has Won In Syria. But Syria Hardly Exists.
“Now that forces supporting the Syrian government have completed the
takeover of Aleppo, and Russia, Turkey and Iran have negotiated a tenuous
cease-fire, it is more than likely that President Bashar al-Assad and the
regime he oversees will continue to govern Syria, in one form or another.
In an interview with French media published last week, Mr. Assad stated
that Aleppo signaled a ‘tipping point in the course of the war’ and that
the government is ‘on the way to victory.’ But if that is the case, what
will Mr. Assad actually win?”
Daily
Caller: ISIS Drowns A Man In Shampoo For Claiming The Group Is Dirty
“Members of the Islamic State drowned a man in shampoo for telling a
radio host that he planned to drink a toast and ‘clean himself’ of the
terrorist group’s filth. In an interview with a noted Mosul-based radio
host, the recovering former ISIS member said he would ‘buy shampoo to
clean himself’ of ISIS filth. In response, ISIS promised to track the man
down and kill him ‘measure for measure,’ by drowning him in water mixed
with shampoo. And, that is exactly what the group did.”
Associated
Press: Turkey Bogged Down In Syria As It Realigns With Russia
“Nearly two months into the assault, Turkey has become bogged down in
an unexpectedly bloody fight to retake the Islamic State group's last
stronghold in northern Syria. It has been forced to pour in troops, take
the lead in the battle from its Syrian allies and reach out to Russia for
aerial support. The fight for al-Bab underscores the precarious path
Ankara is treading with its foray in to Syria, aimed against both IS
militants and Syrian Kurdish fighters. The assault on the town had
already driven a wedge between Turkey and the United States, and now the
realignment toward Moscow — which supports the government in Syria's
civil war — further tests Ankara's alliance both with Washington and with
the Syrian opposition. The battle itself has proven grueling.”
The
Washington Post: Israel Says Hamas Hacked Facebook Accounts, Cellphones
Of Army Recruits
“The Israeli military said Wednesday that its archenemy Hamas, the
militant Palestinian Islamist group that runs the Gaza Strip, used a
series of fake Facebook accounts to connect with young recruits in an
attempt to gain access to sensitive army information. A senior
intelligence officer, who could not be identified under Israeli army
rules, told journalists that over the past few months, dozens of
soldiers, mostly from combat units, were enticed into chatting with
people they believed were young, attractive women in Israel and abroad.
Using Facebook as the main medium to engage the soldiers in intimate
conversations, those running the fake accounts encouraged the soldiers to
download a ‘chat’ application to their cellphones.”
The
Times: Islamic Extremists ‘Infiltrating Ranks Of French Police’
“Police and army chiefs in France have placed internal inspection teams
on alert after new evidence warned that radical Islamists are seeking to
infiltrate their ranks. The extent of concern was underlined yesterday by
the publication of a book that revealed that at least 16 police officers
have joined Islamic State. Où Sont Passés Nos Espions? (Where Have Our
Spies Gone?), by Eric Pelletier and Christophe Dubois, also claimed that
about a dozen former French soldiers had joined jihadist movements in
Iraq and Syria.”
The
Daily Beast: Germany To Ankle-Monior Jihad Suspects After Berlin Massacre
“Security services followed the Berlin terrorist Anis Amri for months.
They knew he was a terror threat, they knew he was visiting Salafist
mosques and they knew him under at least 14 aliases. But somehow, they
just couldn’t find enough evidence to lock him up. So he travelled freely
between Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia, as regional services got
flummoxed over his whereabouts, and domestic spies eventually lost track
of his cell phone. The next time anyone heard from Amri was when he raced
a truck through the Berlin Christmas market, in a killing spree that
murdered 12 people and injuring many others.”
Reuters:
Islamic State Supporters Post Video Of German Hostage Believed Kidnapped
“Islamic State supporters posted a video on Wednesday showing an
elderly German man believed to have been kidnapped by Filipino Islamist
Abu Sayyaf rebels last November. The video shows the German man in an
orange jumpsuit standing in a freshly dug grave as black-clad. Masked
militants behind him held assault rifles and, speaking Arabic, threatened
the German government in English while the Islamic State black flag stood
in the background. ‘To the German government: it seems that you are not
paying attention to our demands. Failure to pay the ransom will cause the
beheading of this German citizen,’ one of the masked men can be heard
saying. The German foreign ministry declined to comment on the video,
saying it was its policy not to discuss cases involving Germans kidnapped
abroad.”
Bloomberg:
Russian Warship Hosts Libya’s Haftar As Putin Courts New Ally
“Khalifa Haftar toured Russia’s aircraft carrier anchored off the
Libyan coast and held a video call with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu,
the biggest sign yet of growing ties between the Kremlin and the
eastern Libyan-based military commander. Haftar boarded the aircraft
carrier Admiral Kuznetsov as it was relocating from Syrian waters to a
home port in Russia, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said in an e-mailed
statement on Wednesday. The ship was anchored off Libya’s city of Tobruk,
according to Irrish Syed, head of the foreign media department in the
country’s east.”
United
States
The
New York Times: In Rocky Hearing, Rex Tillerson Tries To Separate From
Trump
“Rex W. Tillerson on Wednesday told a Senate committee weighing his
nomination as secretary of state that he would push back hard against
President Vladimir V. Putin’s effort to expand Russian influence from
Ukraine to Syria to cyberspace. But in a rocky all-day hearing, Mr.
Tillerson also found himself on the defensive when it came to Exxon
Mobil’s lobbying activities and his reluctance to declare that some
dictators were violators of human rights. One especially skeptical
Republican was Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, whose vote on the Foreign
Relations Committee might well decide the fate of Mr. Tillerson, the
former chief executive of Exxon.”
Daily
Caller: Afghanistan ‘On The Brink’ Of Ruin As Hundreds Of US Marines Head
Back
“The security situation in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate ahead
of the scheduled departure of hundreds of U.S. Marines to Helmand
province in the spring. The situation has become so bad in the area the
Marines are headed, one of Afghanistan’s most experienced Generals,
GeneralAbdul Raziq, called for a Taliban ‘safe zone.’ The safe zone
indicates ‘he doesn’t believe he can hold the line in the south in the
medium to long term,’ according to Senior Fellow at the Foundation for
Defense of Democracies Bill Roggio’s recent blog post in the Long War
Journal.”
The
Washington Post: U.S. Military Says Battle With Taliban Killed 33
Civilians In Afghanistan
“An investigation into a November firefight between Taliban insurgents
and joint U.S. and Afghan forces has concluded that 33 civilians were
killed in the operation, the U.S. military said on Thursday. The battle
took place in northern Kunduz province, and two U.S. soldiers and three
Afghan troops were also killed. The operation, in Boz Kandahari village,
targeted Taliban leaders the U.S. military said were responsible for
deadly incursions in the area, including a brazen assault on the
provincial capital in October. The insurgents briefly captured the city's
central neighborhoods, in a stunning display of strength.”
Syria
Reuters:
Syrian Official Says Deal Reached To Fix Damascus Water Supply
“A Syrian provincial governor said on Wednesday the government and
rebels had agreed on a plan to repair damage to a spring in the Wadi
Barada area that supplies water to the capital, state television
reported. The report could not be immediately confirmed with rebel
fighters. The local media office for activists in rebel-held Wadi Barada,
where the spring is located, denied any agreement had been reached
between rebels and the government. The spring was knocked out of service
in late December, reducing water supplies to the 70 percent of residents
of Damascus and surrounding areas that it serves. The government and
rebel groups in Wadi Barada, a mountainous valley about 20 km (10 miles)
northwest of Damascus, agreed for technicians to enter the damaged spring
facility, state television said.”
Reuters:
Russia Says Changing Make-Up Of Syria Strike Force: Agencies
“The Russian Defence Ministry said on Thursday it had started changing
the make-up of its strike force in Syria as part of a previously
announced partial drawdown, Russian news agencies reported. The ministry
was cited as saying that the first six SU-24 bombers had already been
withdrawn, but that four SU-25 ground attack aircraft had flown out to
Russia's Hmeymim air base in Latakia province as part of a planned
rotation. It said further aircraft would be withdrawn along with military
personnel stationed at the base. Russian President Vladimir Putin
announced a ceasefire in Syria in late December and said Russia would
pull back some of its forces in Syria, where its military intervention
has turned the tide in favor of President Bashar al-Assad.”
Iraq
Reuters:
Iraqi Forces Make Fresh Gains In Southeast Mosul: Military Statement
“Iraqi forces drove back Islamic State militants in southeastern Mosul
on Thursday, making gains in an area where advances have been
particularly tough, the military said in a statement. Rapid response
units from Iraq's federal police advanced in the Sumer district, which
lies on the eastern bank of the Tigris river, and also in neighboring
Sahiroun, the statement reported by state television said. Forces have
pressed forward much more slowly in that area than units in the east and
northeast, who have taken control of a number of neighborhoods in the
past week. The army's elite Counter Terrorism Service (CTS), has
spearheaded advances in eastern Mosul.”
Turkey
Associated
Press: Kurdish Militants Claim Car Bomb Attack In Turkey's Izmir
“Kurdish militants have claimed responsibility for last week's car
bombing attack that killed a policeman and a courthouse employee in
western Turkey. The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons, or TAK, says that two
members of its ‘revenge team’ died in the Jan. 5 Izmir attack, according
to a news agency close to Kurdish militants. Firat News Agency, quoting a
statement by the group Wednesday, identified the attackers as ‘comrades’
Mustafa Coban and Enes Yildirim, aged 29 and 25 respectively. TAK
threatened ‘new acts of revenge’ against the ‘fascist’ Turkish state,
which is fighting Kurdish rebels in the southeast. The two assailants
were shot dead after they detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at a
roadblock and engaged in a shootout with police. Turkish authorities
consider TAK to be an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party,
or PKK.”
The
Jerusalem Post: Israel-Turkey Pipeline Hangs On Cyprus Peace Talks
“Israel hopes to market its natural gas to Turkey, and via Turkey to
the EU, but this aim may hang on the outcome of the potentially historic
Cypriot peace negotiations currently underway in Geneva. Since an
undersea gas pipeline from Israel’s Leviathan natural gas field to Turkey
requires crossing Cyprus’s economic exclusion zone, failure to reach an
agreement could force Israel to return to an older plan of marketing its
natural gas via Egypt. However, in the new energy and geopolitical
realities of the region that emerged in 2016, Israel’s selection of Egypt
as its major export option could result in the Russia’s rise as a central
player in Eastern Mediterranean energy.”
The
Washington Post: Turkish Foreign Minister: Turkey Deserves Better From
The United States
“America’s friends and allies are watching closely to gauge how
America will reposition itself globally once President-elect Donald Trump
is sworn in on Jan. 20. And for good reason. Our collective security is
being overwhelmed by many unconventional, complex and grave threats. Left
unchecked, these threats, such as the rise in terrorism and violent
extremism and also mass illegal migration, have the potential to
destabilize the transatlantic community as a whole. On New Year’s Eve,
Istanbul was once again targeted by the savagery that is terrorism.
Tragically, 39 innocents perished while welcoming 2017.”
Afghanistan
Fox
News: Afghanistan's 'Ghost Soldiers' Take Scary Toll On US Taxpayers,
Says Watchdog
“The U.S. government is paying the salaries of ‘tens of thousands’ of
non-existent Afghan soldiers, police, teachers and civil servants, a top
Pentagon official said Wednesday in reporting on the scale and variety of
misspent U.S. money. John Sopko, special inspector general for Afghanistan
reconstruction (SIGAR), said the salaries of ‘ghost soldiers’ is just one
of many ways Americans' money is wasted in Afghanistan – all for rather
modest gains. His comments summarize a SIGAR report that aims to help
inform the new Congress and administration of the most pressing
reconstruction challenges in 2017 and beyond. Sopko’s message was one
American leaders have heard before.”
Middle
East
The
Times Of Israel: Arab Israeli Arrested For Facebook Post Urging
Car-Ramming Attacks
“A man from the predominantly Bedouin southern city of Rahat has been
arrested for posting a video on his Facebook page that called for people
to carry out car-ramming attacks, police said in a statement Wednesday.
The video featured footage from Sunday’s terror attack, in which an East
Jerusalem man drove his truck into a group of Israeli soldiers, backed up
and ran over them again, killing four and injuring dozens. In the
background of the video a voice, speaking in Arabic, encouraged people to
carry out similar attacks.”
Associated
Press: Israeli Official: Cooperation Strong With Egypt
“An Israeli defense official on Wednesday confirmed that the country
has developed a new policy in recent years to allow Egypt to quickly beef
up its forces in the volatile Sinai peninsula as part of a shared
struggle against Islamic militants. The official spoke days after
Egyptian President Abdel-Fatteh el-Sissi said there are about 25,000
Egyptian troops operating in Sinai. It was the first time an Egyptian
leader has commented on the number of troops battling militants there.
His comments, made Monday night in a telephone call to a live TV talk
show, underlined the depth of his commitment to the fight against
militants, but also reflected the immense challenges Egypt faces.”
The
Times Of Israel: New Charges For NGO Official Accused Of Aiding Hamas
“Israel on Wednesday announced new charges against the Gaza head of a
major US-based NGO accused of diverting millions of dollars in aid to
Hamas. Mohammed al-Halabi, the Gaza director of Christian humanitarian
charity World Vision, is alleged to have funneled aid money to the terror
group that runs the Gaza Strip. He is due in court again in the southern
city of Beersheba on Thursday. On Wednesday an updated charge sheet was
published with two additional charges, including ‘aiding and abetting the
enemy in a time of war’ and ‘passing information to the enemy.’”
The
Jerusalem Post: Israel Moves To Revoke Residency Status Of Jerusalem
Truck Terrorist’s Family
“The Interior Ministry has initiated plans to revoke the residential
status of 12 family members of the east Jerusalem terrorist Fadi
al-Qanbar, 28, who murdered four soldiers and wounded 17 others during
Sunday’s truck-ramming attack in Armon Hanatziv. Additionally, Qanbar’s
Jabl Mukaber home is scheduled to be demolished. The soldiers killed were
cadet Shir Hajaj, 22, of Ma’aleh Adumim; cadet Erez Orbach, 20, of Alon
Shvut; cadet Shira Tzur, 20, of Haifa; and Lt. Yael Yekutiel, 20, of
Givatayim – all of whom were buried on Mount Herzl earlier this week.
Prior to carrying out the attack with a flatbed truck adjacent to the
Haas Promenade in Armon Hanatziv, Qanbar, a married father of four,
reportedly posted multiple comments on his Facebook page praising ISIS.”
United
Kingdom
BBC:
Basis For Air Strikes On Jihadists To Be Set Out
“The UK's chief legal adviser is to set out - for the first time - the
government's basis for military strikes against terror suspects abroad.
Attorney General Jeremy Wright will say in a speech later that it is
vital that international law adapts to respond to modern threats. In
September 2015, David Cameron revealed that an RAF drone had killed two
British jihadists in Syria. Mr Wright will say the frontline in conflict
has ‘irretrievably altered’. He will stress it is essential that the UK
has the right to deploy lethal force in self-defence, and will argue the
law must keep up with ‘changing times’. Technology ‘has made it easier’
for terrorists to carry out attacks, he will say.”
BBC:
Asda Worker Ryan Counsell 'Downloaded Terrorism Guide'
“A supermarket worker downloaded a terrorism guide in preparation for
joining extremists, a court heard. Ryan Counsell, 28, denies four
charges, including trying to join an Islamic terrorist group in the
Philippines. Woolwich Crown Court heard the e-book suggested using a fake
beard or moustache as a disguise and playing console games like Call of
Duty. It also advised against going Paintballing ‘because they write down
the names of every Muslim who goes’. Counsell, who worked at the Hyson
Green branch of Asda, in Nottingham, used annual leave to travel to
remote parts of South-East Asia, prosecutors said.”
France
International
Business Times: French Authorities On Alert Over Fears Isis Members
Seeking To Infiltrate Their Ranks
“The police and army in France have been placed on alert after new
evidence emerged that radical Islamists are seeking to infiltrate their
ranks. The Times reported that police and army chiefs have placed
internal inspection teams on alert. The concerns were further underlined
on Monday (10 January) following the publication of a book called Ou Sont
Passes Nos Espions (Where Have Our Spies Gone), which claims that at
least 16 police officers have joined the Islamic State (Isis).
Europe
The
New York Times: Spain Dismisses Terror And Hate Crime Case Against
Puppeteers
“A Spanish judge has dismissed a case against two puppeteers almost a
year after they were detained for staging a show that was deemed to glorify
terrorism and promote hatred. The arrest of the puppeteers, Raúl García
Pérez and Alfonso Lázaro de la Fuente, in February 2016 set off a
political controversy and was seen a bellwether for whether Europe’s
fight against terrorism was also threatening basic rights of protest and
free speech. The ruling by Judge José María Escribano Lacleriga in Madrid
was dated Jan. 5 but not made public until Wednesday. He decided that the
evidence was insufficient, dismissing the final charges.”
Financing of
Terrorism
Mansheet:
Saudi Arabia: 13,100 Complaints On Terror Financing And Money Laundering
“Saudi Arabia's Financial Intelligence Unit (SAFIU) has received
13,100 complaints from its inception up until the end of 2016. SAFIU
published an official report detailing the issues it handled and indicating
that money laundering-related cases topped its list, followed by terror
financing. SAFIU revealed that the number of complaints regarding
financing and supporting terrorism which eventually ended in judicial
rulings came to 975. However, it did not divulge the specific sums of
money involved in these cases. A total of 232 citizens and residents
submitted complaints about money laundering and terrorist financing.
Various governmental agencies submitted a total of 1,541 complaints. The
other complaints were filed by financial entities and institutions as
well as companies.”
The
Seventh Day: Official: GCC Efforts Against Terror Financing Continue
Locally And Internationally
“Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Dr.
Abdullatif al-Ziani, explained that GCC's efforts to combat terrorism are
continuing at the local, regional and international levels. He went on to
say that the membership of GCC countries in the international coalition
against ISIS in Syria and Iraq is the best proof of their efforts in this
area. According to al-Ziani, terrorism is a great challenge for GCC
countries which seek to combat and eliminate extremist groups and dry up
their financing sources, since terror poses a threat to security,
stability and territorial integrity.”
ISIS
Elnahar
News: Iraqi Kurdistan: Tighter Controls Due To "ISIS Banknotes"
“Security agencies in Iraqi Kurdistan have imposed tight controls on
markets to prevent the use of corrupted Iraqi banknotes, which are
believed to originate from ISIS-controlled areas. Syamand Mouloud, Head
of the Currency Trading Council in Erbil, disclosed that the Central Bank
of the Kurdistan Region, has cautioned currency traders not to deal with
patchy or torn banknotes, because banks will not accept them. According
to currency dealers in Erbil, these banknotes originate from the
{ISIS-controlled} city of Mosul, and security services are trying to
trace their transfer routes into the Kurdistan markets.”
Hamas
Amad:
Hamas Urges Unlicensed Money Changers To Straighten Out Their Legal
Status
“On Wednesday, the Hamas-controlled Ministry of the Economy in the
Gaza Strip called on unlicensed money exchange offices to approach the
ministry, in accordance with the law, in order to correct their legal
status and register legally. The ministry declared in a statement that
money changers have 10 days to settle their status, so as to avoid being
in violation of the law. It is noteworthy that, at the end of last year,
Hamas's Ministry of Economy moved to establish a department to oversee
the activities of currency exchange offices in the Gaza Strip. This is
considered to be a new addition to the structure of the Economy Ministry
{in existence} since the inception of the Palestinian Authority.”
Houthi
Marib
Press: Houthis Open Local Bank Accounts In Violation Of Constitution
“Officials and employees of the Central Bank's Sana'a branch disclosed
the worsening situation and spread of corruption over the past four
months. This situation stems from Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour
Hadi's decision to move the headquarters and management of the Bank's
operations to Aden. According to employees, the Bank has become a tool in
the hands of black market merchants and "is drowning" in
corruption. Employees claim that the {Central} Bank is "being
obliterated" after being {basically} disabled by the Houthis. The
militant group forced ministries and state institutions to open accounts
outside the Central Bank, specifically in CAC Bank, a government-owned
bank fully controlled by the Houthis, headquartered in Sana'a. In
addition, many government agencies have opened private accounts in local
banks in violation of the Constitution and a law which prohibits opening
accounts without the consent of the Ministry of Finance.”
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