Eye on Extremism - March 3, 2016

Eye on Extremism March 3, 2016 Wall Street Journal: Syrian Forces With Russian Backing Strike At Rebels, Despite Truce “Syrian government forces backed by Russian airstrikes pushed to make strategic gains on Wednesday, intensifying attacks on rebels the day after the U.N. set a date next week for the resumption of peace talks. Still, neither the Syrian government nor opposition formally indicated on Wednesday that it saw the increasing violence as jeopardizing the truce in place since Saturday. Both sides appeared wary of playing the spoiler in the first serious attempt to halt the bloodshed.” CNBC: ISIS 'Making Millions' By Gaming Forex Markets “The militant group that calls itself Islamic State (ISIS) is exploiting national banking operations in Iraq and could be making up to $25 million a month in Middle Eastern money markets, according to experts. Speaking to a U.K. parliamentary subcommittee set up to examine how Britain could help disrupt ISIS financing, experts told the panel that as well as making money from oil smuggling, taxation and extortion, ISIS was exploiting loopholes in existing financial operations in the Middle East to make millions.” Reuters: Turkey Says Has Hit Only Islamic State Targets Since Ceasefire Started “Turkey has hit only Islamic State targets in Syria since the start of a ceasefire this weekend, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Wednesday, adding the Syrian government and Russia have been carrying out bombardments since the truce began. Tanju Bilgic also told reporters at a briefing in Ankara that Russian claims of weapons being sent to Syria hidden in aid convoys from Turkey were not to be taken seriously and were designed to cover up for Russian war crimes.” Reuters: Tunisian Forces Kill Five Militants Crossing From Libya “Tunisian security forces killed five Islamist militants after they infiltrated across the border from neighboring Libya, authorities said on Wednesday. The expansion of Islamic State militants in Libya is worrying the country's North African neighbors Tunisia, Egypt and Algeria, who fear violent spillover from the chaos there. Tunisia has already suffered two major militant attacks last year by gunmen who officials say were trained in jihadist camps inside Libya. Western governments are now offering aid for Tunisia to better protect its Libyan frontier.” Haaretz: Two Israeli Soldiers Wounded In Stabbing At West Bank Settlement “Two Israeli soldiers were stabbed on Wednesday in an attack at a settlement in the northern West Bank.  The two soldiers were stabbed while at a guard post at the Har Bracha settlement, located in the northern West Bank, near Nablus, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said. The Palestinian assailants have fled the scene. Military forces were sweeping the area in attempt to locate them.” Al Arabiya: Hadi: Over 85 Percent Of Yemen Liberated “Yemen’s national army and popular resistance forces have liberated more than 85 percent of the Yemeni territories from Houthi militia control and the forces of the ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemeni President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi said in an exclusive interview with the Saudi Gazette and Okaz newspapers. Hadi also admitted during the exclusive interview with the Saudi newspapers that Yemen would have fallen in four days and would have been an Iranian state had it not been for the Operation Decisive Storm launched by the Arab military coalition under the leadership of Saudi Arabia.” AFP: Gulf States Declare Lebanon's Hezbollah 'Terrorist' Group “Gulf monarchies on Wednesday declared Lebanon's Hezbollah a "terrorist" group, escalating tensions with the Shiite militant organisation that is fighting in support of Syria's regime. The designation is the latest step taken by Gulf states against Hezbollah as ties between its main backer Iran and regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia deteriorate. The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council ‘decided to consider the militias (of Hezbollah) a terrorist organisation’, GCC Secretary General Abdullatif al-Zayani said in a statement.” Associated Press: 76 Starving Boko Haram Members Surrender To Nigerian Military “Dozens of emaciated-looking Boko Haram members begging for food have surrendered in northeast Nigeria, the military and a civilian self-defense fighter said Wednesday. Seventy-six people including children and women gave themselves up to soldiers last Saturday in Gwoza, about 60 miles southeast of Maiduguri, according to a senior officer. All are being detained at military headquarters in Maiduguri, the birthplace of Boko Haram and currently the command center of the war against the Islamic extremists, according to the officer.” New York Times:  A Swedish Girl, ISIS And A Cautionary Tale Of Global Terrorism “It was a running-away-from-home nightmare for the age of global terrorism. Marilyn Nevalainen, a pregnant teenager, decided to follow her boyfriend last year when he set out to wage jihad, leaving the lakes and forests of southwest Sweden for life under the Islamic State in the desert heat of Iraq. Apparently lacking any clear idea of what she was getting herself into, she ended up with militants near Mosul, with a new baby to care for and her boyfriend dead on an Iraqi battlefield.” United States ABC News: Elite Delta Force Captures ISIS Operative In Iraq, US Officials Say “Members of the elite Delta Force based in Iraq recently captured a mid-level ISIS operative, the first operation of what will become normal operations for an Expeditionary Targeting Force zeroing in on ISIS in Iraq and Syria, U.S. officials said, noting the operative is currently being detained by the U.S. military in Iraq but will eventually be turned over to Iraqi control. The U.S. special operations forces captured the operative more than a week ago, if not longer ago than that, a U.S. official told ABC News today.” NPR: U.S. Special Ops Troops Aim To Round Up ISIS Leaders In Iraq “American troops in Iraq are interrogating a leader of the Islamic State after capturing him in a special operations raid, according to national security officials in Washington. The Pentagon will not say much about the ISIS leader, including his name, where in Iraq he was captured or what role he played in the terrorist group. Revealing too much about the raid would imperil a new push to target and capture ISIS leaders, officials warned.” Reuters: U.S. Says Working With Russia On Aid Flow, Truce In Syria “The United States is working with Russia to improve access to besieged areas in Syria and to stop the Syrian government from removing medical supplies from aid convoys, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday. Antony Blinken, deputy U.S. Secretary of State, said that major and regional powers were monitoring a fragile cessation of hostilities that went into force on Saturday to ‘prevent any escalation’ but it was a ‘challenging process’.” Syria Sputnik News: Syria Slams GCC’s Move To Call Hezbollah Terrorist Group “On Wednesday, the six-member CCASG, which includes Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman, labeled Hezbollah a terrorist organization. ‘Syria strongly condemns the decision of the Gulf Cooperation Council to consider the Hezbollah party a terrorist one, which is a reflection of the misguided policies of Saudi Arabia,’ the Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.” AFP: Jordan Says Raid Near Syria Border Foiled IS Attacks “Jordan said today that a raid near its border with Syria that killed seven suspected jihadists had foiled attacks being plotted by the Islamic State group in the kingdom. IS had planned ‘attacks against civilian and military sites in order to destabilise national security,’ Jordan's intelligence services said in a statement.  An officer in the security forces was also killed in the raid on a building in Irbid, 80 kilometres north of Amman, that sparked several hours of fighting until dawn today, officials said.” Iraq Associated Press: Iraq Hails Progress Troops Achieved In Military Operation “Iraqi officials hailed on Wednesday the progress achieved by government troops on the second day of a military operation aimed at dislodging Islamic State militants from a key area north of the capital, Baghdad. On Tuesday, Iraqi troops, backed by aerial support and paramilitary forces, launched a new push to retake a sprawling desert area outside the central city of Samarra, 95 kilometers (60 miles) north of Baghdad, with the aim to cut IS supply lines and to tighten the grip around the IS-held northern city of Mosul.” Turkey The Guardian: Turkey Eases Curfew After Assault On PKK Rebels Leaves Cizre In Ruins “Turkish security forces have eased a 24-hour curfew on the devastated southern-eastern town of Cizre, where since December troops backed by tanks have attempted to crush militants linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ party, or PKK. The curfew will still hold from 7:30pm to 5am, but the reprieve on Wednesday allowed some residents to return to the town, where they found many of their homes obliterated. At least one body was still lying inside a ruined house.” Afghanistan Wall Street Journal: U.S. General Takes Command In Afghanistan Amid Worsening Violence “U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John Nicholson took command of U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan on Wednesday, just as a bloody assault on an Indian consulate highlighted the challenges facing the country. The country has been witnessing a surge in insurgency since the departure of most foreign troops at the end of 2014, while the Afghan government’s grip on security has weakened. The attack on the Indian consulate in Jalalabad, in eastern Afghanistan, was the latest to hit a diplomatic mission or international organization in the city, near the Pakistan border.” Middle East Haaretz: Two Israeli Arabs Charged With Supporting ISIS, Planning Terror Attacks “Two Israeli Arabs from Nazareth are accused of supporting the Islamic State terror group and planning a terror attack in Israel, it was cleared for publication Thursday morning. The two, Baha Aldin, 20, and Ahmed Ahmed, 22, were charged with contacting an enemy agent and support of a terror group. They also tried to contact representatives from ISIS in Syria, their indictment alleged. According to the Shin Bet, Aldin was arrested towards the end of January and his interrogation revealed that he was planning a shooting attack against Israeli security forces in Jerusalem and in the Jalama (Gilboa) Crossing in the West Bank, prompting Ahmed's arrest.” Reuters: Palestinians Turn To Makeshift Guns In Escalation Of Street Violence “During previous rounds of Palestinian violence, Israeli raids on the occupied West Bank would turn up small arsenals of military assault rifles. Now hauls more often include what look like toy guns and the tools required to make them lethal. After years of seizures that have choked the supply of unlicensed M-16s and Kalashnikovs in the territory and raised black-market prices, some Palestinians are turning to improvised firearms to carry out street attacks on Israelis.” Libya International Business Times: Libya War Update: Foreign Military Intervention Will Worsen Humanitarian Crisis, UN Envoy Warns “Military intervention in war-ravaged Libya will only worsen an already dismal humanitarian crisis, the United Nations envoy to the North African state said Wednesday. The warning comes weeks after the U.S. launched airstrikes in the northwest, killing 49 militants affiliated with the Islamic State group. ‘Any military intervention or internal fighting inside Libyan territory will exacerbate the humanitarian situation there; this means more displacement and more destruction,’ Ali Zaatari, the U.N.’s humanitarian coordinator and deputy envoy to Libya, told Turkey’s Anadolu Agency.” Bloomberg: Islamic State's Setback In Libya Bolsters Defiant General “Army engineers defused three bombs hidden by Islamic State militants in Ibrahim Mohamed’s home before letting him enter. One was concealed in his mother’s favorite chair. ‘I didn’t take anything with me as I thought I’d only be gone for a day or two,’ the 39-year-old said as he wiped footprints from photographs discarded by jihadists who used his three-story house as a hideout during 18 months of fighting in Libya’s Benghazi. ‘It seems they experienced the same feeling during their last moments in my home.’” Europe International Business Times: Will ISIS Attack Italy? Foreign Minister Discusses Islamic State Militants, Migration From Libya “Europe and its allies throughout the world need to focus on sustainable and diplomatic solutions in regions of conflict in the Middle East and North Africa in order to combat a growing threat from Islamic militants while easing a continentwide migration crisis, an Italian authority said Wednesday.  Italy is located just a few hundred miles off the coast of North Africa, and Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni urged the U.S. and Europe to fight the Islamic State group's rise in Libya while working toward achieving stable governments in countries where the extremist organization has taken hold.” New Europe: Clash Between Dutch Jihadis And ISIS Leadership “The Islamic State (ISIS) killed eight Dutch Muslim volunteers in Syria. ‘ISIS executed eight Dutch fighters on 26 February in Maadan, Raqqa province, after accusing them of attempting desertion and mutiny’ said Abu Mohammad, a member of the citizen journalist group called Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS), on Monday. RBSS has been documenting the events happening in the terrorist group’s capital Raqqa, in northern Syria, since April 2014.” Reuters: Two Italian Hostages Probably Killed In Libya Attack: Italy “Two Italian civilians held hostages in Libya were probably killed in fighting in the western Libyan city of Sabratha, the Italian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. Libyan security forces said they had killed seven suspected Islamic State fighters in a raid on a militant hideout in Sabratha on Wednesday, and later released photographs of two Western men who had also apparently been killed in the attack.” Arabic Language Clips Counter-Terrorism Sada El-Balad: (Egyptian) Interior Minister Calls For The Formation Of An Arab Working Group To Combat Cyber Terrorism Egyptian Interior Minister Magdy Abdul Ghaffar urged the Arab Interior Ministers' Council to take decisions to galvanize an Arab agreement to counter information-technology crimes and strengthen cooperation. Such an agreement is vital for blocking websites that promote terrorism, violence, and attract young people to commit terrorist acts.  It will also thwart websites which contain detailed information on how to manufacture and use explosives and weapons. These websites have become a common means used by terrorist organizations to promote and spread their ideology. Abdul Ghaffar noted that these efforts should be integrated through the formation of an Arab working group composed of senior officials and experts in the field of counter-terrorism. This group should arrange frequent meetings with senior officials of the various social networks. Muslim Brotherhood Alwset News: Report By ACA And CAO Indicates That Brotherhood (Currency) Exchange (Companies) Boosted The Dollar (Exchange Rate In Egypt) The Administrative Control Authority (ACA) and the Central Auditing Organization (CAO) have begun to review reports about the misuse of currency exchange companies owned by members of the Muslim Brotherhood. The reports revolve around suspicions concerning their direct involvement in elevating the dollar exchange rate against the Egyptian pound. A source revealed that there are reports about the Brotherhood's ownership of numerous currency exchange companies, which is a partial cause of the US dollar crisis. The Egyptian Supreme State Security Prosecution has already sent a memo to the CAO and several banks requesting information on the movements of funds by owners of seized entities, along with their sources of funding and involvement in financing the banned Brotherhood group. Alarabya News: A Security Source: The Al Buhaira Con Artist Worked For The Brotherhood A security source in Al Buhaira province confirms that 32 victims were robbed blind by a suspect, identified only as Sameh M A, accused of cheating them out of 20 million pounds ($2.5 million). The source stated that the accused persuaded the victims to pump money into a project that would purportedly yield handsome profits. He exploited his good reputation and signed no financial guarantees for the amounts he received. The source said that only recently was it discovered that the swindler has been a money collector for the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood for the past seven years. He promised investors 1000 pounds ($128.20) profit for each deposit of 10,000 pounds ($1282), payable on the 1st of each month. The source said investors were promised profits, but were alarmed to hear about the disappearance of the con-man, his wife and three children. The source reports receiving dozens of telephone calls from victims claiming they had transferred a total sum of 150 million pounds ($19.2 million) to the crook, via his brother. Albawabh News: Electronic Committees Of Brotherhood Launches (Facebook) Pages To Collect Donations For The Prisoners Of The Group Brotherhood-affiliated Facebook pages are announcing campaigns to collect donations to aid the families of prison detainees. This comes after the cessation of external support and the halt of payments by the Committees for Supporting the Muslim Brotherhood's Families of Prisoners and Martyrs. On this backdrop, the Electronic Committees of the Brotherhood has launched a number of pages to collect donations from supporters. The money collected will be sent by mail and delivered to the families of the detainees. For his part, leading member of the Islamic Group, Asem Abdulmajed, called for a campaign to collect donations for the families of prisoners. He urged Muslim Brotherhood supporters to stand by these families, after they were abandoned by the group, which has refused to transfer money to them for the past three months. Hezbollah Lebanon Files: How Will Banks (In Kuwait) Deal With The Gulf States' Decision Regarding Hezbollah? Banks and financial companies in Kuwait were preoccupied with yesterday's decision issued by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) declaring Lebanon's Hezbollah a terrorist organization. The decision pertaining to the specific clients whose bank accounts will be frozen is expected to be issued in the next few days. However, as of the end of the business day (yesterday), the Central Bank of Kuwait had not issued directives regarding the mechanism to implement this resolution. The list of frozen accounts will not be limited to companies, but will also include individuals who aid and abet the Lebanese group. This trend was exemplified by the recent Saudi decision to blacklist four companies and three individuals due to their alleged affiliation with the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.