Eye on Extremism - March 17, 2016

Eye on Extremism March 17, 2016 Reuters: Russia Flies Out Almost Half Syria Strike Force: Reuters Analysis “Just under half of Russia's fixed-wing strike force based in Syria has flown out of the country in the past two days, according to a Reuters calculation which suggests the Kremlin is accelerating its partial withdrawal. President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the bulk of the Russian military contingent in Syria to be pulled out after five months of air strikes, saying the Kremlin had achieved most of its objectives. The precise number of planes Russia kept at its Hmeymim base in Syria's Latakia province is secret. But analysis of satellite imagery, air strikes and defense ministry statements suggested it had about 36 fixed-wing military jets there.” NBC News: American ISIS Fighter A 'Gold Mine' For US Intelligence “U.S. officials are eager to question an alleged American ISIS fighter captured in Iraq on Monday because he could be a treasure trove of intelligence about how the Islamic State really works, current and former U.S. counterterrorism officials told NBC News. ‘He would be an intelligence gold mine,’ said Seamus Hughes, a former U.S. National Counterterrorism Center official, who described Mohamed Jamal Khweis as the first American fighting with ISIS believed to have surrendered in the field.” The Guardian: Syria Peace Talks Stall Amid Dispute Over 'Federal Syria' Call “The three-day-old Syrian peace talks have hit their first logjams, as disputes erupted over the composition of delegations to the talks and a Kurdish call to form a federal Syria with a semi-autonomous Kurdish region in the north of the country. The UN officials expected teething troubles, and are largely reliant on Russia and the US to pressure negotiators to remain constructive. The idea of a federal Syria was rejected outright on Tuesday by Bashar al-Jaafari, the leader of the Syrian government delegation, who also said he would not talk directly to the main Syrian opposition delegation because it included people he considered terrorist murderers. He said a future federal Syria, proposed on Wednesday by Kurdish groups leading the fight against Islamic State, was doomed to fail. Kurds had been part of Syria for centuries, he said.” Fox News: French Police Arrest 4 For Suspected Paris Terror Plot; Belgian Police Hunt For 2 After Raid “French police have arrested four suspects for planning a possible terror attack in Paris, the French interior minister has confirmed to Fox News. The arrests were made in and around Paris early this morning. The suspects are said to have ties with radical Islam. One was apparently well-known in terrorist circles – and has even been convicted of trying to travel to Syria to wage jihad, senior foreign affairs correspondent Greg Palkot reported from London.” Reuters: Iraqi Forces Free Yazidi Women Held Captive By ISIS “Iraqi security forces freed a group of Yazidi women held captive by Islamic State in a covert operation behind the group's lines, a defense ministry statement said on Wednesday. It did not say how many women were freed, when or where. Islamic State captured around 5,000 Yazidi men and women in the northern region of Sinjar in summer 2014. Some 2,000 have managed to escape or have been smuggled out of Islamic State's self-proclaimed caliphate in Iraq and Syria, activists say.” The New York Times: Pakistan Bus Bombing Kills At Least 14 In Peshawar “At least 14 people were killed and 53 others wounded on Wednesday when a bomb destroyed a bus carrying government employees to work in the city of Peshawar, officials said. The bus was picking up passengers from a stop on Sunehri Masjid Road just after 8 a.m. when the explosion occurred, the police said. They said the attacker boarded the bus just long enough to place the bomb, apparently hidden within luggage. The police bomb disposal squad said the bomb weighed 11 to 13 pounds and was attached to a timer. The head of the squad, Shafqat Malik, said many elements were similar to a September 2013 blast, also on a government bus, that killed 19 and wounded dozens. Peshawar has long been a target for attacks by the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups. A statement purportedly from the outlawed group Lashkar-i-Islam claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was in revenge for death sentences passed down by a military court for 13 men convicted on terrorism charges. The claim could not be independently confirmed.” USA Today: Officials: Female Bombers Kill 24 At Nigerian Mosque “At least 24 worshippers were killed during dawn prayers Wednesday when two female suicide bombers attacked a mosque on the outskirts of Maiduguri, the birthplace of the Islamic insurgent group Boko Haram in northeast Nigeria, according to media reports. ‘The first attack targeted a mosque, while the second blast was about 50 meters away, a few minutes later,’ said military spokesman Colonel Sani Usman, according to Reuters. The initial death toll of 22 climbed after rescuers digging through rubble in the village of Umurari found more injured people and bodies, including the bombers, according to emergency official Mohammed Chullu, the Associated Press reports. Alhaji Danbatta, an official of the Civilian-JTF who coordinated the evacuation of victims, said at least 26 people were injured, News24 Nigeria reports.” The Washington Post: Israel Fears Russia’s Pullout From Syria Will Leave Dangerous Void “Israel viewed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement that he was removing the bulk of his troops from Syria with a mix of surprise and concern. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin met with Putin in Moscow on Wednesday as part of a visit to mark 25 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries. During the meeting, which lasted two hours, Putin reiterated Russia’s commitment to Israel’s security, a senior adviser to Rivlin said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the news media. He said Rivlin made clear Israel’s concerns regarding the wider regional instability and stressed issues that would constitute red lines in terms of Israel’s security.” Quartz: A Rivalry Between Al-Qaeda And ISIL Is Behind The Rise Of Terrorism In West Africa “Over the last six months, there have been three attacks in West Africa perpetrated by a group that calls itself Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). These attacks, the group said in a statement yesterday (Mar. 15), were geared towards forcing the withdrawal of French forces in the region. France deployed troops in Mali in 2012 to fight off a militant uprising in the north of the country, and has established a 3000-strong military presence in the region to combat violent extremism. But the recent attacks by AQIM are actually a reaction to the rise of the extremist group the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, which is challenging al-Qaeda’s position in the region, some analysts (paywall) and local correspondents believe.” Bloomberg: Islamic State Spreads In North Africa In Attacks Ignored By West “The Islamic State fighters appeared at dawn in the Tunisian town of Ben Guerdane, attacking police and army barracks. Last week’s clashes killed at least 58 people, including 46 militants and a 12-year-old girl. Tunisia is no stranger to jihadist violence -- three large-scale assaults last year decimated its tourism sector -- but it’s the first time militants have attempted to seize territory. The people of this desert crossroads helped turn the tide, hurling stones at militants as security forces engaged them. After 1 1/2 hours, the gunmen, some of whom had trained in neighboring Libya and smuggled weapons across the border, were on the run.” United States ABC News: Kerry To Miss Deadline On Islamic State Genocide Question “Secretary of State John Kerry will miss this week's congressional deadline for deciding whether atrocities by the Islamic State against Christians and other minorities in Iraq and Syria should be designated genocide, the State Department said Wednesday. Department spokesman Mark Toner said Kerry is taking a ‘measured’ approach and while his decision will come "soon" it will not meet Thursday's deadline. Other officials said they expected the determination could be made next week.” Syria BBC: Syria Conflict: Government Rejects Direct Peace Talks “Syrian government representatives have ruled out starting direct negotiations with the opposition, as UN-backed peace talks entered a third day in Geneva. On Tuesday, opposition leaders said they were ready to meet face-to-face. But chief government negotiator Bashar al-Jaafari rejected the idea, calling his opposition counterpart a terrorist. Meanwhile, Syria's main Kurdish party - which has not been invited to Geneva - plans to declare a federal system of administration in the country's north.” USA Today: Reports: Kurds Plan To Declare Federal Region In Syria “Syrian Kurds plan to declare a federal region in northern Syria after being excluded from peace talks aimed at ending the 5-year-old conflict, according to media reports Wednesday. The move will combine three Kurdish-led autonomous areas into a federal system in what is set to alarm neighboring Turkey, Reuters reported. Nawaf Khalil, of the Democratic Union Party, told The Associated Press that the envisioned area would include representation for Turkmen — ethnic Turks who live in Syria — Arabs and Kurds.” Iraq CNN: Military Intel Identifies 'Thickest' ISIS Stronghold In Iraq “U.S. military intelligence has identified the corridor between Mosul and Tal Afar as the "thickest, strongest, stronghold" of ISIS in Iraq. ‘That zone is where the enemy is thickest,’ Col. Steve Warren, chief spokesman for the coalition, told reporters Wednesday. Two U.S. officials have told CNN they believe it's likely some senior ISIS operatives move through the area when they feel they can avoid U.S. surveillance. ‘We've seen some of the leaders move their families, we believe, into Tal Afar as we've placed increased pressure on Mosul,’ Warren said.” AFP: Iraq Offensive Uproots 35,000: US Military “An Iraqi offensive against ISIS near the town of Hit has driven some 35,000 people from their homes, a US military spokesman said Wednesday. Taking care of their needs is ‘a challenge for the Iraqi government,’ Colonel Steve Warren acknowledged via video conference from Baghdad. He said the US-led coalition, along with international relief organizations, was doing what it could to alleviate conditions. Having retaken the city of Ramadi from ISIS in December, the Iraqi military is now moving into the Euphrates River valley toward Hit, a key hub.” Turkey Reuters: Security Fears Haunt Turkey's Biggest Cities After Ankara Blast “Ibrahim Ozcan has worked at the fish market in Ankara's usually bustling Sakarya street for more than 30 years, and even he struggles to remember a time when the heart of the Turkish capital has been this quiet. A suicide car bomb tore through a transport hub just a few hundred meters away on Sunday, killing 37 people and wounding dozens more. It was the third such attack in five months in the city, leaving many residents reluctant to venture out. The government has said two members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, which has waged a three-decade insurgency for greater Kurdish autonomy in the southeast, were responsible for Sunday's suicide car bombing. There has been no claim of responsibility, but if confirmed, the targeting of civilians in Ankara would mark a dangerous shift in strategy for a group that has in the past focused its attacks on the security forces in the southeast.” Afghanistan Bloomberg: Afghanistan's Goal For This Year Is Just To Survive, UN Says “The United Nations has set a low bar for success in Afghanistan this year: Survival. A fragile economy, intensifying insurgency, and fractious political elite are among the main challenges facing President Ashraf Ghani, Nicholas Haysom, the UN’s top envoy in Kabul, told the Security Council in New York. Pressure to win enough foreign aid and achieve sustainable peace are also on the list. ‘Some may criticize this benchmark as being low,’ Haysom said on March 15. ‘Yet Afghanistan must overcome each and every one of these five hurdles to avoid severe consequences.’” Reuters: NATO Sends General To Troubled Afghan South “The NATO-led mission in Afghanistan has sent a one-star general to lead foreign troops in embattled Helmand province, officials said on Wednesday, a rare move that signals foreign forces' deepening involvement in the war with the Taliban. U.S. Army Brigadier General Andrew Rohling has been sent to command the Helmand advisory force, which was recently increased by several hundred troops, said Colonel Michael Lawhorn, spokesman for the NATO-led Resolute Support mission. News of Rohling's appointment came as NATO's visiting top official said foreign military advisers may soon be more "flexible" in assisting Afghan forces. Since NATO declared an end to its combat mission at the end of 2014, Afghan troops and police have faced escalating Taliban attacks. The army and police are losing thousands of people a month to casualties and desertions, and civilian casualty rates are among the highest of the 15-year-old war. Rohling is an unusually high-ranking officer for the size of the advisory force in Helmand, which normally would be commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel.” Yemen CNN: Dozens Killed In Yemen Airstrike; Saudis Say It Might Not Be Them “At least 78 civilians were killed and more than 100 injured when three Saudi airstrikes attacked a market in northern Yemen, three medical officials in Hajjah told CNN. The Yemeni Defense Ministry gave a higher death toll; it said up to 107 were killed and dozens injured. Two of the airstrikes attacked the center of Khamees Market in Mustaba'a, Hajjah, during the busiest time of the day. The third hit near its gates. The market is one of the largest in the northern region of Yemen. Among the killed were seven children. Graphic footage of their bodies was broadcast in a video released by AlMasirah TV, the outlet for Houthi rebels. Ahmed bin Hassan al-Asiri, Saudi spokesman of Coalition Forces and the adviser at the Saudi Defense Minister's Office, said on his Facebook page that the pictures circulating on social media are not necessarily an indication that the shelling that targeted the market is a Saudi airstrike.” Middle East Washington Post: The Islamic State Has Lost More Than A Fifth Of Its Territory, Says Report “The Islamic State has lost about 22 percent of its territory in Iraq and Syria in the past 15 months, according to a new study. In 2014, the extremist group exploited the power vacuums racking the region, surging into major cities on both sides of the Iraqi-Syrian desert border. Since then, its brutal massacres and myriad acts of destruction have sparked global outrage and prompted more than a year of airstrikes by a U.S.-led coalition. Now, according to a report from IHS Jane's 360, the tide is decisively turning against the extremist organization.” The Times of Israel: Shin Bet: Several Palestinian Terrorists Had Applied For Israeli Residency “Several Palestinians who carried out terror attacks had recently received — or were in the process of applying for — residency status in Israel, the Shin Bet security service said on Wednesday. Under Israeli law, West Bank Palestinians who have family members in Israel can apply for residency status, in a process known as family reunification. Abd al-Malik Saleh abu Kharoub, one of the two terrorists who carried out a shooting attack in Jerusalem on Wednesday, had recently received residency status through this program and was living in Kafr Aqab at the time of the attack, the Shin Bet said.” Libya The National: UN Takes A Gamble As It Pushes For Libya Unity “The United Nations this week embarked on a risky strategy by throwing its support behind a new government to bring peace to Libya as it tackles the growing menace of ISIL. The new administration, the Government of National Accord (GNA), is the result of more than a year of UN mediation between Libya’s warring factions. It is designed to end a civil war that has brought chaos and allowed the extremist group to flourish. ‘The members of the Security Council renewed their call ... on member states to cease support to and official contact with parallel institutions that claim to be the legitimate authority but are outside of the Libyan Political Agreement,’ said the UN on Monday.” Europe The Guardian: Two Suspects Still On Run After Brussels Anti-Terror Raid That Killed One “Police in Belgium are continuing to hunt for two suspects who fled a Brussels flat after a shootout during a raid linked to November’s Paris attacks which saw one gunman shot dead next to an Islamic State flag. The gunman killedby police in the quiet southern Brussels neighbourhood of Forest on Tuesday was identified as Mohamed Belkaïd, a 35-year-old Algerian living illegally in Belgium. He was shot dead by a police sniper as he prepared to fire at officers from a window.” Asia Associated Press: Singapore Says It Arrested 4 Linked To Middle East Conflicts “Singapore's government announced Wednesday that it has arrested four citizens accused of links to armed conflict in Yemen and to a Kurdish militia group fighting against the Islamic State group. It said the four men were arrested in separate cases under the country's Internal Security Act, which allows indefinite detention without charge. Two have since been released with restrictions on their movements and speech, the Ministry of Home Affairs said.” Arabic Language Clips Counter-Terrorism Erem News: Algeria… Sanctions Against Terrorists Returning From Syria, Iraq And Libya Algeria is currently drafting a bill that includes sanctions against terrorists returning from Syria, Iraq and Libya, as part of new measures to combat cross-border terrorism. The Committee on Judicial and Administrative Affairs and Human Rights at the Algerian Parliament devoted a meeting on Wednesday to study, discuss and listen to the opinion of experts regarding the draft penal code. The meeting included proposals for developing legal measures on how to deal with terrorists returning from other countries. The bill, which was presented last Thursday by Algerian Justice Minister Tayeb Louh to the members of the Committee, aims to criminalize the act of transporting Algerians or foreigners living in Algeria legally or illegally to another country. It will also criminalize the commission of terrorist acts or inciting or training for them. ISIS Sputnik: Zakat Imposed On Everyone In The Areas Under ISIS Control ISIS continues its policy of sinking its hands deep into the pockets of the population residing in areas under its control. Seeking to raise money by any means, the Jihadist group imposes taxes on civilians and merchants, under the pretext of collecting Zakat. Abdullah, a shop owner in Raqqa, managed to escape with his family to Damascus after ISIS had seized all of his assets under the pretext of his being unable to enlist as a fighter. He said that ISIS gunmen come every month to collect Zakat money from shop owners. He estimated that each merchant is forced to pay somewhere between 70,000 and 100,000 pounds ($370 - $530) per month. Abdullah added, "You can't negotiate the Zakat payment with them... You just pay; one eye cries while the other eye laughs. We are not entitled to voice our objections. Imprisonment is the only alternative." Muslim Brotherhood Albawabh News: Rebellious Islamic Group: Watan TV Channel Is Source Of New Conflict Within The Brotherhood Walid al-Barsh, founder of Tamarod (Rebellion) Gamaa Islamiyya (Islamic Group) Movement, asserted that the ownership of "Watan" TV station by "Mahmoud Ezzat's Front" indicates that the group has financial sources at its disposal. Ezzat is the current acting Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood. Al-Barsh added that by controlling "Watan" the old guard of the Brotherhood has been able to formally manage the channel, despite the ongoing conflict between them and the young members, who themselves sought to control the channel. Al-Barsh explained that the end of the conflict between the "Youth" Front and the "Old Guard" Front is drawing near. He stressed that the domination of "Ezzat Front" had been anticipated, since past struggles inside the Brotherhood always ended with the old guard having the upper hand over the rebels. Almesryoon: Brotherhood Adopts New Media Strategy Sources claim that the Muslim Brotherhood is likely to change its media strategy, through the launch of TV channels dedicated to religious preaching while, at the same time, reducing the number of revolutionary channels. This is especially true after the latter type has proved unsuccessful, to date, in achieving its objectives. In this context, the group has just launched two channels, one called "Dawahtuna (meaning "Our Call") and the other overseen by Muslim Brotherhood Cleric, Salama Abd Al-Qawi. Both channels revolve around religious preaching (Dawah). Meanwhile, the Brotherhood is inclined to close a popular TV channel opposing the current regime in Egypt, due to its general failure. The sources also reveal that the Muslim Brotherhood leaders who control the group's funds realized that the revolutionary channels, funded for nearly two years, have not proved their efficacy. The alternative, claim the leaders, is to open up new and "enlightening" media outlets which aim to foster the individual on a religious basis. Fekra-News: In Washington… Conference To Oppose Declaration Of The Muslim Brotherhood As A Terrorist Organization The Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID) announced it is organizing a conference in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, March 17th, to discuss the draft of a new law declaring the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization in the United States. According to the conference invitation, the bill passed "quickly and quietly" in Congress after being approved by the House Judiciary Committee by a vote of 17 in favor and 10 opposed. The bill is supported by both the Republican and Democratic parties. The organizers of the CSID-sponsored conference argue that the legislative voting process had been much shorter than usual proceedings. They stressed that the Congressional representatives disregarded testimonies given by experts on terrorism in the Middle East as well as by foreign and US intelligence agencies.