Eye on Extremism January 5, 2016

Eye on Extremism January 5, 2016 Counter Extremism Project War On The Rocks: ISIL’s Virtual Planners: A Critical Terrorist Innovation “Through his public statements, particularly his infamous YouTube sermons, Awlaki mobilized a large number of people: According to the Counter Extremism Project, Awlaki’s videos and writings have influenced around 90 known extremists in the United States and Europe — some even after a U.S. airstrike took Awlaki’s life in 2011. Recent plots influenced (at least in part) by Awlaki include the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings and 2015 San Bernardino attack, the 2016 shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, and the September 2016 bombings in New York and New Jersey.” NBC News: American Troops Have Operated Inside Of Mosul, Coalition Confirms “American troops have been operating alongside Iraqi forces inside of ISIS-held Mosul, a coalition spokesperson acknowledged for the first time Wednesday. ‘They have been in the city at different times,’ Col. John Dorrian said during a teleconference briefing Wednesday morning. The American and coalition troops have been operating as advisers to the Iraqi troops, who are at the forefront of the fighting, and have stayed ‘behind the forward line of troops,’ Dorrian said. In the past couple of weeks, the number of advisers has roughly doubled to about 450 troops operating with Iraqi command elements, Dorrian said, adding that the increase came in conjunction with the second phase of the battle for Mosul.” Voice Of America: US Military Coalition Advisers Doubled In Iraq “The U.S.-led coalition has doubled to 450 the number of advisers assisting Iraqi forces fighting Islamic State militants. The top U.S. spokesman for the campaign to retake Mosul said Wednesday that the additional forces will help accelerate the battle. ‘We have increased the number of ‘advise and assist’ forces that are there with the ISF [Iraqi Security Forces] command elements to help advise them as they move forward and to synchronize operations,’ coalition spokesman Colonel John Dorrian said in a videoconference from Baghdad.” The New York Times: In Turkey, U.S. Hand Is Seen In Nearly Every Crisis “Turkish officials accused the United States of abetting a failed coup last summer. When the Russian ambassador to Turkey was assassinated last month, the Turkish press said the United States was behind the attack. And once again, after a gunman walked into an Istanbul nightclub early on New Year’s Day and killed dozens, the pro-government news media pointed a finger at the United States. ‘America Chief Suspect,’ one headline blared after the attack. On Twitter, a Turkish lawmaker, referring to the name of the nightclub, wrote: ‘Whoever the triggerman is, Reina attack is an act of CIA. Period.’” NBC News: Turks Turn Down U.S. Military Help in Syria, Accept Russian Aid Instead “Two defense officials say that Russia has conducted ‘several’ airstrikes in support of the Turkish military fighting in Al Bab, Syria. And, while the Turks have accepted air power help from the Russians, they continue to decline military help from the U.S. The Turks are fighting to expel ISIS from al Bab and they are in the midst of an extremely tough fight and they are taking casualties. The U.S. has repeatedly offered help over the past few weeks, both officials said, but the Turks continue to turn it down. The U.S. has not been conducting airstrikes to support the Turks there. The American military did conduct a show of force over al Bab recently, but they just flew several jets over the city, they didn't strike anything.” PBS Newshour: Why Iraqi Boys And Men Are Disappearing Amid ISIS Concerns “For nearly three months, Iraqi forces backed by the U.S. have been fighting to retake the ISIS-held city of Mosul. The militants still hold much of the city and its nearly one million residents. Almost 130,000 people have fled Mosul since the battle began. Security officials are now trying to harbor the displaced, while also containing the spread of ISIS. But the process of screening and detaining men and boys who have left to ensure they are not extremists is fraught and controversial. It’s a slow and steady exodus, civilians fleeing the battle for Mosul. Those who make it to the relative safety of Iraqi checkpoints tell harrowing stories.” The Times Of Israel: Haifa Shootings Were Likely Terror Attack, Police Assess “Two separate shootings in Haifa on Tuesday, in which one person was killed and another injured, may have been part of the same terror attack, according to growing assessments by police who launched a manhunt for the perpetrator on Wednesday. Yehiel Iluz, 48, a senior judge on a Haifa rabbinic court for conversion, was moderately wounded in the first shooting on the city’s Haatzma’ut Road on Tuesday. Some 30 minutes later, Guy Kafri, 47, a van driver from Haifa’s Nesher neighborhood, was shot and killed on nearby Hagiborim Street. First reports indicated a case of mistaken identity in a possible gangland shooting, but as the investigation went on, police increasingly began to suspect it was a terror attack. A gag order was placed on the investigation Tuesday and few details were made available to the press.” New York Times: Philippines Kills Leader Of Islamic State-Linked Militant Group In Clash “Philippine security forces killed the leader of a militant group supporting Islamic State in a clash early on Thursday, the country's police chief said, warning against possible retaliation. President Rodrigo Duterte recently cautioned against Islamic State taking root in the southeast Asian country, saying it needed to avoid "contamination". "I strongly believe that we have effectively broken the backbone of the militant Ansar Al-Khilafah Philippines (AKP)," Ronald Dela Rosa told a news conference to announce the death of the group's leader, Mohammad Jaafar Maguid.” Associated Press: Forces From Rival Libyan General Attack Base South Of Coast “Warplanes under the command of a rival Libyan army general have attacked an air base under the control of the U.N.-backed government in a central area south of the country's Mediterranean coast, officials said Wednesday. In a statement late on Tuesday, the Tripoli-based government said ‘several’ government-allied troops were wounded when an aircraft they were travelling in was struck in the attack by the eastern-based forces. Libya fell into chaos following the 2011 ouster and killing of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. It remains divided between east and west, with no effective government and a multitude of rival factions and militias.” New York Times: Dylann Roof, Addressing Court, Offers No Apology Or Explanation For Massacre “Seeming to abdicate one of his last chances to save his own life, the convicted killer Dylann S. Roof stood on Wednesday before the jurors who will decide his fate and offered no apology, no explanation and no remorse for massacring nine black churchgoers during a Bible study session in June 2015. Instead, in a strikingly brief opening statement in the sentencing phase of his federal death penalty trial, Mr. Roof repeatedly assured the jury that he was not mentally ill — undercutting one of the few mitigating factors that could work in his favor — and left it at that.” The Virginian-Pilot: Suffolk Man Charged With Trying To Support Islamic State Wanted Shootout With FBI, Feds Say “A self-proclaimed supporter of the Islamic State living in Suffolk told FBI agents last month after his arrest they were lucky they picked him up outside his home, according to a federal prosecutor. Lionel Nelson Williams, who had a loaded AK-47 and 9 mm handgun inside the house, said he would have been happy to shoot it out with the agents. But what about his elderly grandmother, with whom he lived? Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph DePadilla revealed more of the government’s case Wednesday during a detention hearing in U.S. District Court in Norfolk. DePadilla said Williams confessed to the FBI after his Dec. 21 arrest that he supported the Islamic State terror group and that he told an undercover federal agent during a nine-month investigation he wanted to martyr himself in Hampton Roads.” United States NPR: In Toledo, Syrian Refugees Are Welcomed Amid A Difficult Immigration Climate “The U.S. never took in a lot of refugees from Syria. With millions of people displaced, the U.S. admitted only 12,000 or so over the past five years. Some cities in Europe took in twice that many in a given week. But President-elect Donald Trump may stop admitting Syrian refugees altogether, fearing that they could be dangerous. Actually, there's a lot of documentation and paperwork. The screening process often takes as long as two years. There are medical tests, background checks and round after round of interviews. Awad feels lucky to have made it to the U.S. while the door was still open a crack. Those are countries where millions of Syrians sit in refugee camps, waiting to see what comes next. Awad's family spent two years at a refugee camp in Jordan before coming to Toledo.” Syria The New York Times: A New Casualty Of Syria’s War: Drinking Water In Damascus “For millions of Damascus residents, long-term concerns about the direction of the war in Syria have been replaced by worries about where to get enough water to do the dishes, wash clothes or take a shower. For nearly two weeks, the Syrian capital and its vicinity have been afflicted by a water crisis that has left taps dry, caused long lines at wells and forced people to stretch whatever thin resources they can find. ‘When the world gets hard for us, we work something out,’ said a woman in a video posted on Facebook showing how she used a jury-rigged cola bottle to wash teacups. ‘When you cut off the water, we dig for water. When you cut off the tap, we make a tap.’” Reuters: Thousands Return To Ruins Of Freezing Aleppo: U.N. Official “Thousands of people are starting to return to formerly rebel-held east Aleppo despite freezing weather and destruction ‘beyond imagination’, a top U.N. official told Reuters from the Syrian city. In the last couple of days around 2,200 families have returned to the Hanano housing district, said Sajjad Malik, country representative in Syria for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). ‘People are coming out to east Aleppo to see their shops, their houses, to see if the building is standing and the house is not that looted ... to see, should they come back,’ he said in an interview. People returning face appalling conditions.” Iraq NPR: Reporter Recalls Facing ISIS Terrorist In Baghdad Prison “Kimberly Dozier has reported on war, terrorism and national security for years. A decade ago in Iraq, she was seriously wounded in a car bombing. The explosion killed members of her CBS crew along with an Army captain and his Iraqi translator. Last month, she returned to Baghdad, writing for The Daily Beast. The day she landed in the country, she stumbled upon what she calls possibly the most surreal, disturbing interview of her life. Iraqi counterterrorism officials introduced her to a prisoner in a bright yellow uniform, and they said he was a battalion commander for ISIS.” Reuters: Kidnapped Iraqi Woman Journalist Released Unharmed After A Week “Iraqi journalist Afrah al-Qaisi, known in her country for criticizing the government in satirical articles for local media, has been released unharmed after being kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in Baghdad a week ago. The head of the Iraqi Journalistic Freedoms Observatory, Ziyad al-Ajili, said on Wednesday the kidnappers had returned the car, telephone, laptop and gold jewelry they took when they broke into her home and that she drove back overnight around midnight. A video aired by the Kurdish NRT channel showed emotional scenes after Qaisi, who used to work for the Saudi-owned pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat, was reunited with her family and friends after returning home.” Reuters: Iraqi Forces Gaining Momentum In Mosul: U.S. Coalition Chief “Iraqi army and security forces are working better together in their battle against Islamic State militants and are gaining momentum in the 11-week campaign to retake Mosul, the commander of the U.S.-led coalition backing them said on Wednesday. During a helicopter tour over recently recaptured areas, U.S. Army Lieutenant-General Steve Townsend said coordination had been largely absent in the first two months of the campaign, when Iraqi forces made slow progress after breaching the city. Elite counter-terrorism troops entered Mosul from the east and seized a quarter of the city but troops on other fronts stalled, leading to a military pause last month.” Turkey Reuters: Turkish Military Says 38 Islamic State Militants 'Neutralized' In Air Strikes, Clashes “Turkish warplanes and artillery have struck Islamic State targets in Syria, 'neutralizing' 38 of the group's militants, Turkey's military said in a statement on Thursday. In a round-up of its military operations over the last 24 hours in support of rebels in northern Syria, the army said air strikes by Turkish fighter jets on 28 Islamic State targets destroyed shelters, command centers, weapons and vehicles. The Turkish military operation, dubbed 'Euphrates Shield', was launched more than four months ago to drive Islamic State militants away from the border region. In recent weeks, the forces have been besieging the town of al-Bab.” Reuters: Turkey's Erdogan Says Offensive On Syria's Al-Bab To Be Finished Soon “A Turkish-backed offensive by Syrian rebels to take the Syrian town of al-Bab from Islamic State should be finished soon, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday. In a televised speech, Erdogan also said he was determined that other areas of Syria, including the town of Manbij, should be cleared by the Turkish-backed forces, referring to a town 50 km (30 miles) east of al-Bab.” Reuters: Turkey's Dogan Holding Says Two Detained In Police Raids In Gulen-Linked Probe “Turkish police detained the chief legal advisor and a former chief executive of Dogan Holding, one of the country's biggest conglomerates, on Thursday in a probe into the network of a U.S.-based cleric blamed for a failed coup, sending its shares tumbling. Dogan - which has interests in media, finance, energy and tourism and owns newspaper Hurriyet and broadcaster CNN Turk - said the raids were only on the personal offices and homes of the two individuals and that its operations were unaffected. Its shares fell as much as 9.9 percent after the market opened, although they later recovered somewhat to trade down 3.7 percent at 0.78 Turkish lira ($0.22) by 0706 GMT. Hurriyet fell as much as 7.6 percent.” Voice Of America: Turkey Moves To Block Internet Access “Even in the best of times, the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has had a strained relationship with the Internet. Ankara repeatedly has tried to restrict various news and social media sites — such as YouTube and Twitter — during times of political stress or just to block content it finds insulting. Traditionally, the blocks aren’t long lasting or very effective, as many web users in Turkey turned to tools like DNS or Tor to evade the blocks. But following recent events — the bombing of an Istanbul nightclub, the assassination of Russian ambassador Andrey Karlov, and July’s attempted coup d’etat by a faction in the military — the Erdogan government’s posture toward the internet may be hardening permanently.” Radio Free Europe: Turkey Urges Russia, Iran To Stop Shi'ite Forces From Violating Syrian Truce “Turkey on January 4 urged Russia and Iran to rein in Hizballah and other Shi'ite militias in Syria who Ankara accuses of repeatedly violating a nearly week-old cease-fire. Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned that if the violations continue, it will torpedo peace talks that Russia, Iran, and Turkey are organizing for January 23 in the capital of Kazakhstan. ‘After the cease-fire, we see violations. When we look at who commits these violations, it is Hizballah, in particular Shi'ite groups and the regime,’ Cavusoglu said, accoding to the state-run Anadolu news agency. Despite his plea, fighting continued in Wadi Barada near Damascus on January 4, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.” USA Today: Turkey Says It Has Identified Istanbul Attacker In Deadly Nightclub Rampage “Turkish authorities said Wednesday they had identified the gunman who went on a deadly rampage at an Istanbul nightclub on New Year's Day, but they did not release his name to the public. ‘The identity of the person responsible for the Istanbul attack has been established,’ Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told state-run news agency Anadolu. Turkish police had detained 20 people, including 11 women, in connection with the assault, Anadolu reported.  The operation was launched in the Aegean port city of Izmir. The chief suspect, who killed 39 people during New Year’s celebrations, is still at large. Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which also wounded nearly 70 people. Anadolu said the number of arrests was expected to rise as the manhunt goes on.” Afghanistan The Wall Street Journal: Afghanistan Struggles To Absorb Wave Of Returnees From Pakistan “A breakdown in Afghanistan’s relationship with Pakistan has driven a flood of Afghans living there to return, severely straining their war-ravaged homeland’s resources just as it is experiencing an escalation of violence. Many of last year’s more than 600,000 returnees had lived in Pakistan for decades as refugees, both documented and undocumented, and have few local connections to assist in their resettlement. The pressure on aid organizations—also dealing with more than half a million Afghans displaced internally by fighting in 2016—has left many returnees facing the harsh winter without any financial assistance.” Saudi Arabia Voice Of America: 4 Guantanamo Prisoners To Be Sent To Saudi Arabia “The Obama administration will transfer four detainees to Saudi Arabia from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The names and nationalities of the four prisoners were not immediately known. The administration is making a final push to transfer at least 19 prisoners to four countries — Italy, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — before Donald Trump is sworn in as president January 20. The Pentagon says the prisoner transfers will continue despite the objections of Trump. The president-elect Tuesday signaled his view that all of those held at Guantanamo should remain, despite interagency reviews that have deemed many of them eligible to leave.” Egypt Reuters:  Arrests Four In Connection With Church Bombing, Death Toll Rises “Egyptian police have arrested four people in connection with the bombing that killed dozens of Christians at Cairo's Coptic Christian cathedral last month, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday. At least 25 people, mostly women and children, were initially killed when a bomb exploded in a chapel adjoining St Mark's Cathedral, the seat of the Coptic papacy. The Health Ministry said on Wednesday the death toll had climbed to 28. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said after the attack that the bomber was a man wearing a suicide vest and that security forces were seeking two more people believed to be involved.” Middle East The Wall Street Journal: Israeli Soldier Convicted In Death Of Palestinian Attacker “An Israeli soldier who shot dead a disarmed Palestinian attacker as he lay on the ground was convicted by a military court of manslaughter Wednesday after a monthslong trial that sharply divided Israel. The three-judge panel said Sgt. Elor Azaria ‘needlessly’ fired into the head of Abdul Fattah Sharif after the 21-year-old Palestinian had been subdued following a knife attack on Israeli soldiers in the West Bank city of Hebron in March. At the time he was shot, the wounded Mr. Sharif posed no threat, the judges said. Mr. Azaria will be sentenced on Jan. 15. A manslaughter conviction in Israel carries a maximum jail sentence of 20 years, although legal commentators have suggested that he is likely to serve a shorter term.” Nigeria Associated Press: 3 Girl Suicide Bombers Gunned Down In Northeastern Nigeria “Self-defense fighters Wednesday killed three girl suicide bombers targeting a bustling market in northeastern Nigeria, civilian and military officials said. They blamed the Boko Haram Islamic extremist group for the attempted bombing. The civilian fighters who work alongside the army challenged the girls as they approached a village near Madagali town, local council chairman Yusuf Muhammad Gulak told The Associated Press. The girls began running at the checkpoint and the fighters shot the girl in the lead, activating her explosives and killing her and a companion, he said. The third girl tried to flee and was gunned down, Gulak said.” The Huffington Post: Billionaire To Sponsor Education Of 21 Girls Freed From Boko Haram “Nearly two dozen Chibok, Nigeria schoolgirls who were released from Boko Haram’s captivity will have the opportunity to get an education courtesy of black American billionaire Robert Smith. Smith, who founded a private equity firm, is offering scholarships to 24 Nigerian girls, 21 of which were abducted by the terrorist group two years ago. According to Nigerian publication Leadership, senior assistant to the president on media and publicity Mallam Garba Shehu said that the girls, who are being treated as adopted children of the federal government, will be admitted through negotiation at the American University of Nigeria, Yola, a top school in the country. Shehu added that Smith ‘is offering to take responsibility for all the others who will hopefully be eventually set free.’” United Kingdom Daily Mail: Ex-Soldier Who Tried To Join Fight Against ISIS Is Spared Jail “A former British soldier who was stopped by police as he boarded a plane to fight ISIS in Syria received 'extremely nasty' threats from Islamic extremists after his arrest, a court heard. Robert Clarke was stopped by anti-terror police as he prepared to board a flight from Heathrow to Jordan in September last year. He had allegedly planned to meet up with Kurdish fighters who would take him to the front line in Syria. The 23-year-old, who served in the Army for four years, was arrested after he refused to give detectives his smartphone passcode so they could examine the device.” Germany BBC: Syrian On Trial For 'Scouting Out Targets For IS' In Germany “A young Syrian man has gone on trial in Germany, accused of being deployed by so-called Islamic State to scope out potential targets in Berlin for attack. Identified under German privacy laws as Shaas al-M, he claimed asylum in August 2015 and is now 20 years old. Federal prosecutors say before that he fought with the Islamist militants for two years in his home country. He is being tried by a special security court in Berlin, but reports suggest he refused to testify. He has been in custody since his arrest on 22 March. Shaas al-M's trial comes two weeks after Anis Amri ploughed a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people. IS later released a video showing him pledging allegiance to its leader Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi.” Deutsche Welle: Berlin Police Detain Anis Amri Contact, Seen As Radical Salafist, On Fraud Charges “A spokeswoman for the office of Germany's chief prosecutor on Wednesday said authorities have taken a second Tunisian suspect into custody following raids in Berlin on Tuesday. A warrant has been issued by the Justice Ministry for the Tunisian suspect, who had been in contact with Anis Amri, the prime suspectin December's Christmas market attack, the night before it occurred. ‘This contact person is a 26-year-old Tunisian. We are investigating him for possibly participating in the attack,’ spokeswoman Frauke Köhler told reporters, adding that prosecutors suspected he may have known about Amri's plan. However, she added that there was insufficient evidence to charge the suspect.” The Daily Caller: German Gov’t Questions System Designed To Block Another Hitler In Wake Of Terror Attacks “Germany’s Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere presented a number of proposals Tuesday to prevent terrorism by centralizing intelligence and security services. De Maiziere argues that Germany’s preparedness to combat terrorism is paralyzed by the decentralized government structure designed by the allied powers after World War II. Many powers held by the federal government were given to the German states to prevent the rise of another Adolf Hitler. ‘We don’t have federal jurisdiction to deal with national catastrophes. The jurisdiction for the fight against international terrorism is fragmented,’ de Maiziere wrote in an op-ed published by Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.” Daily Mail: Terror Alert After Berlin Attack As Premier League Writes To Clubs Warning Them To Be Extra Vigilant “The Premier League have written to all 20 of their clubs advising them to be extra vigilant against the threat of a terrorist strike. The letter was sent in the wake of last month's attack on a Berlin Christmas market that left 12 dead and 56 injured. Manchester United, whose Old Trafford stadium is one of world football's iconic venues, have already stepped up their security measures. Following the twin attacks close to Besiktas's Vodafone Arena in Istanbul that killed 44 last month, United are checking vehicles that use club car parks for bombs.” Muslim Brotherhood Asrar 7days: Report Reveals Amounts Spent On Muslim Brotherhood Allies Abroad “Brotherhood is your way to fame and fortune" is the name of an article published by one of the allies of Muslim Brotherhood abroad. It quickly gained popularity among the group's supporters. In it the writer, Emad Abo Hashim, revealed how much financial support is flowing into the hands of Brotherhood allies abroad so as to ensure their political affiliation with the group. Abo Hashim claimed the group lures failed politicians and turns them into prominent figures through appearances on the group's TV channels, during which they defend the Brotherhood abroad. He asserted that the value of financial support granted to a Brotherhood member who resides in Qatar can come to as much as $20,000 {per month}. The writer disclosed that there are multiple ways in which the Brotherhood supports its allies financially: "After you become famous and influential in the Brotherhood media, you have to settle in the State of Qatar. You are then expected to sign a contract with Al Jazeera TV channel in exchange for at least $10,000 per month. In addition to your work with Al Jazeera, you can also obtain a job suited to your skills in Qatari ministries or private companies for a salary similar to the one you get from Al Jazeera.” Shorouk: Brotherhood Asset Freeze Committee Receives Four Appeals “A judicial source disclosed that the Brotherhood Asset Freeze Committee has received new grievances from four recently seized companies and associations affiliated with the group. The source added that the grievances are from Sedeek for Contracting and Real Estate Investment Co., Al Wafa Contracting & Real Estate Investment, and Menoufia-based "Al-Fajr" and "Al Safwa" associations, which were impounded last month. The source confirmed that the four appeals included documents, believed by the owners of the companies and associations to prove their non-affiliation with the group.” Albawabh News: Egyptian Sources: Brotherhood Leaders Abroad To Fund Scheme To Wreak Havoc On January 25th “Security agencies identified a new plot by the Muslim Brotherhood, which aims to create chaos in the country, in conjunction with the Egyptian celebration marking the sixth anniversary of the "January 25th Revolution". Security sources revealed that financing is being provided by fugitive leaders in Turkey, Qatar and other countries, with Qatar also financing allies inside Egypt, including the "April 6th Movement" and the Revolutionary Socialists. Funds will be transferred through several methods agreed upon during a meeting held two days ago in Istanbul, Turkey. The sources claimed that the plot was initiated by 100 members of Muslim Brotherhood's International Organization and its allies, including fugitives who face death sentences in Egypt.” Bwabtk: Egypt Pharmacists' Union Refutes Brotherhood Affiliation “George Atallah, member of Egypt Pharmacists' Union, stated that there was absolutely no truth in reports that its Board works for the benefit of the Muslim Brotherhood. He noted that Head of the Union, Dr. Mohie Eddin Ebeid, is also employed as a police officer. Atallah said during a TV interview on Wednesday that the Board of the Pharmacists' Union does not include any individual belonging to the Brotherhood." He asserted that the person who is promoting these rumors is the former Secretary General of the Union, during whose term there was significant Brotherhood representation.” Houthi Almashhad-Alyemeni: Report Divulges Houthis' Petroleum Revenues   “Yemen's oil resources are the mainstay of the country's economy and state treasury. Since the Houthis' invasion into the capital Sanaa in September 2014 they have taken control of entities within the petroleum sector, more than any other economic sector in the country. This was done in several stages, through which the Houthis exploited the events in the country to take over control of assets belonging to the petroleum sector. A recent report, prepared on the basis of data released by the Houthis and leaked documents, reveals how petroleum products, alone, provide Houthis with revenues of approximately $1.25 billion per year, i.e. $104,000,167 per month, or $3.472 million per day. This profit is achieved through petroleum sales in the provinces under the Houthis' control.”