Eye on Extremism - March 9, 2016

Eye on Extremism March 9, 2016 CNN: Top ISIS Leader May Have Been Killed In U.S. Airstrike “The U.S. military and intelligence community is assessing whether a targeted U.S. airstrike killed a top ISIS leader, known as Omar "the Chechen," several U.S. officials told CNN. The strike took place on Friday near the Syrian town of al-Shaddadi. A Defense Department official said Shishani was ‘likely killed.’ Abu Omar al-Shishani, the ISIS leader targeted in the strike, has a reputation as one of ISIS' most capable commanders. There has been a $5 million reward on his head from the U.S. State Department. Shishani is a former member of an elite Georgian military unit.” Washington Times: ISIS Expanding Digital Footprint With 90,000 Twitter Accounts, Counterterrorism Adviser Says “There are as many as 90,000 Twitter accounts associated with or sympathetic to the Islamic State terror group, whose digitally-savvy recruiting operation “produced nearly 7,000 slick pieces of propaganda” in 2015. Such statistics were at the heart of remarks that Lisa Monaco, a top counterterrorism adviser to the Obama administration, made Monday as she emphasized the extent to which the global jihadist terror threat has evolved in recent years.” CNN: B-52 Bombers To Take On ISIS “American B-52 bombers are "ready and able" to strike ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria, a top Air Force official confirmed Monday. The air campaign against ISIS is ‘taking a toll on our aircraft, our readiness and our airmen’ but the ‘venerable B-52 ... remains ready and able to meet combatant commander requirements,’ Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James said during a Pentagon press briefing. The bombers would deploy in April to take part in the air campaign against ISIS, according to Air Force Gen. Hawk Carlisle, commander of Air Combat Command, who announced the deployment while speaking at the Air Warfare Symposium 2016 in Orlando, Florida, in February.” Associated Press: Tunisia: Death Toll Up To 55 In Clashes Near Libyan Border “Prime Minister Habib Essid praised Tunisia's military and security forces on Tuesday for their response to the deadly assault by extremist attackers near the Libyan border.        The death toll from Monday's clashes in the city of Ben Guerdane rose to 55, including 36 attackers, Essid said Tuesday. Seven civilians and 12 members of Tunisia's security forces also died, and 17 others were injured. ‘The attack that happened yesterday showed that our military and security forces were ready,’ he told a press conference. ‘We won a battle, but we haven't yet won the war on terror, and that war continues.’” Fox News: American Student Killed In 1 Of 3 Terror Attacks In Israel During Biden Visit “An American student from Vanderbilt University was stabbed to death in one of three bloody terror attacks that rocked Israel Tuesday, just as Vice President Biden arrived in Tel Aviv to meet with leaders in an effort to stem Palestinian violence and mend frayed relations with the Jewish state. The chancellor of Vanderbilt University, Nicholas S. Zeppos, identified the student as Taylor Force, who attended the Owen Graduate School of Management.” CNN: Top U.S. General Recommends More Troops For Iraq And Syria “A top general said more U.S. troops will be needed to retake key areas from ISIS and has sent recommendations outlining that request up the chain of command. In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday, Gen. Lloyd Austin, commander of U.S. Central Command, pointed to the need for "additional capability" to retake the ISIS stronghold of Mosul in Iraq, as well as Raqqa, Syria, the de facto capital of ISIS's self-declared caliphate. ‘Clearly there are things that we will want to do to increase the capability a bit, to be able to increase the pace of operations, and that will require some additional capability,’ Austin said.” Reuters: Yemen's Houthis In Saudi For Talks On Ending War: Sources “A delegation from the Houthi movement is in Saudi Arabia for talks on ending Yemen's war, two senior officials said, in what appeared to be the most serious attempt to date to end the conflict. The visit is the first of its kind since the war began in March last year between Iran-allied Houthi forces, and an Arab military coalition led by Saudi Arabia, Iran's main regional rival. The visit began on Monday at the invitation of Saudi authorities, following a week of secret preparatory talks, said the two senior officials from the administrative body that runs parts of Yemen controlled by the Houthis.” Associated Press: Iran Fires 2 Missiles Marked With 'Israel Must Be Wiped Out' “Iran reportedly test-fired two ballistic missiles Wednesday with the phrase ‘Israel must be wiped out’ written in Hebrew on them, a show of force by the Islamic Republic as U.S. Vice President Joe Biden visited Israel. Such phrases have been emblazoned on Iranian missiles before, but this test comes shortly after the implementation of a nuclear deal with world powers, including the U.S., and follows similar drills in recent days. Hard-liners in Iran's military have fired rockets and missiles despite U.S. objections since the deal, as well as shown underground missile bases on state television.” Washington Post: Migrant ‘Exchange’: Turkey Accepts Mass Returns But Sends Syrians To Europe “The European Union and Turkey struck a preliminary deal Tuesday to block the vast waves of migrants crossing the Aegean Sea, effectively agreeing to slam shut the back door into Europe still being traversed by tens of thousands of asylum seekers fleeing war in the Middle East. The deal, to be ironed out over the next 10 days, could dramatically alter the region’s refugee crisis, sealing off the single biggest corridor for irregular migration into Europe. From across the developing world but especially the Middle East, more than a million desperate people over the past 12 months have rushed to the jagged Turkish coast, where a new life in Europe is only a short if risky journey west by smuggler’s raft.” Fox News: French Girls Stopped From Becoming ISIS Brides After Classmates Alert Police “Two French girls who ran away to be ISIS brides after becoming radicalized were saved from their deadly misadventure Sunday after classmates alerted police and touched off a national search. The girls, identified as Israe, 15, and Louisa, 16, were planning to go to Syria to join the terrorist army, authorities told France 24. Other European teens who have run away to join ISIS have ended up dead, including some who were executed for trying to escape.” United States Reuters: U.S. Vice President Biden Speaks With Iraq's Abadi About Attacks, Aid: White House “U.S. Vice President Joe Biden spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Tuesday to express condolences for a suicide attack on Sunday that killed at least 60 people and wounded more than 70, the White House said. Biden also reviewed U.S. efforts to help Iraq secure aid to stabilize and rebuild areas taken back from Islamic State militants, including Ramadi, the White House said. It was the second call in a week between the two leaders to discuss aid.” New York Times: Pentagon Has Plan To Cripple ISIS In Libya With Air Barrage “The Pentagon has presented the White House with the most detailed set of military options yet for attacking the growing Islamic State threat in Libya, including a range of potential airstrikes against training camps, command centers, munitions depots and other militant targets. Airstrikes against as many as 30 to 40 targets in four areas of the country would aim to deal a crippling blow to the Islamic State’s most dangerous affiliate outside of Iraq and Syria, and open the way for Western-backed Libyan militias to battle Islamic State fighters on the ground. Allied bombers would carry out additional airstrikes to support the militias on the ground.” New York Post: ISIS-Loving Air Force Vet Needs To Be Held Responsible: Prosecutors “A former Air Force veteran betrayed his country and uniform by embracing violent jihad and plotting to join ISIS, Brooklyn federal prosecutors said in closing statements at his trial Tuesday. Hoping to secure the first conviction of an American for scheming to join the terror group, prosecutor Tiana Demas told jurors that Tairod Pugh immersed himself in terrorist propaganda and ultimately hoped to wage war.” Syria Reuters: Syrian Kurds Accuse Insurgents Of Shelling District With Chemical Agents “The Syrian Kurdish militia YPG on Tuesday accused Islamist and other rebel groups fighting President Bashar al-Assad's forces of shelling a mainly Kurdish residential district in the northern city of Aleppo with chemical agents. YPG fighters have been battling the insurgents for weeks on a heavily contested frontline that includes the district and countryside near Aleppo. Many insurgents view the YPG as allies of Assad, a charge the Kurds deny. The YPG is a key ally of both the United States and Russia in the fight against Islamic State.” Iraq Newsweek: ISIS Release Shocking New Video Of ‘Granddad Suicide Bomber’ Blowing Up Iraq Compound “ISIS has released a new video apparently showing an elderly suicide bomber committing a terrorist attack in Iraq. A film showing an old man with grey beard driving a truck full of explosives before detonating was released today. The target of the bombing was said to have been an anti-Isis coalition base in Anbar province. Intercut with images of the militants firing guns and rocket launchers at enemy troops, the elderly man gives a final interview before climbing into the truck.” Turkey The Guardian: Turkey And EU Agree Outline Of 'One In, One Out' Deal Over Syria Refugee Crisis “European leaders say they have reached the outlines for a possible deal with Ankara to return thousands of refugees to Turkey and are hopeful a full agreement can be reached at a summit next week. Turkey’s prime minister, Ahmet Davutoğlu, outlined proposals early on Tuesday morning to resettle one Syrian refugee in Europe for every Syrian returned to Turkey from the Greek islands. After 12 hours of talks in Brussels, the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, described the one in, one out proposal as “a breakthrough” that would deter refugees from making the perilous sea crossing to Greece, but said Europe needed more time to agree final details.” Afghanistan Washington Post: These Are The 11,000 Soldiers Who Might Save Afghanistan “Despite more than $35 billion in U.S. support since the Taliban was driven from power here in 2001, the regular Afghan army is still broadly criticized as ineffective because of defections, timidity and an inconsistent command-and-control network. But U.S. and Afghan officials believe the army’s commando and special-forces units can fill the void and should be sufficient to reassure nervous Afghans that the Taliban won’t be able to fight its way back into power.” New York Times: As The Taliban Menace Afghanistan, The Helmand River Offers Solace “The banks of the placid Helmand River have always been the social center of Lashkar Gah, the southern Afghan provincial capital sometimes called Little America during the decades of modernization efforts here. The appeal of the river stands aside from worldly concerns, and there are many of those lately. The water is calm this time of year, the sunset gorgeous. To unwind at the end of the day, people come to the riverbank for bandaar — easy chat over a cup of tea or, if in season, the delicious pomegranates this region is known for. Other visitors have slowed their worlds with hashish, lying on their backs in the water, away from the crowds, fascinated with the clear sky above.” Yemen AFP: Yemen Rebels And Saudis Swap Prisoners, Agree Border 'Calm' “Yemen's Iran-backed rebels have freed a Saudi soldier in return for seven detained Yemenis as part of a tribal-mediated border truce agreed by both sides, the Riyadh-led coalition said Wednesday. The agreement reached during a visit by a Yemeni tribal delegation to the kingdom is the first of its kind since the Saudi-led coalition began a military campaign against the rebels in March last year. The frontier between war-ravaged Yemen and its northern neighbour has seen many deadly incidents over the past 12 months.” Reuters: Yemen War Generates Widespread Suffering, But Few Refugees “Yemen's civil war intensified sharply almost a year ago when a Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened with air strikes, a naval blockade and ground troops to counter Houthi rebels intent on seizing the whole country. The Houthis, Zaidi Shi'ite tribesmen now allied with an old enemy, former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, are seen by Riyadh as tools of regional arch-foe Iran, a charge they and Tehran deny.” Middle East Associated Press: Israel: Palestinian Attacks In Jaffa Kill American Tourist, Injure 12 “Palestinian attackers unleashed a series of shooting and stabbing assaults on Israelis on Tuesday, including a stabbing spree in the ancient Mediterranean port city of Jaffa that killed an American tourist near where Vice President Joe Biden was meeting with Israel's former president, police said. The Jaffa assault came as Biden arrived on a two-day visit as part of a regional tour of the Mideast. He is to meet both Israeli and Palestinian leaders and there have been speculations he would try to revive the moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.” Haaretz: After Terror Attacks, Israel To Complete Separation Barrier Construction Around Jerusalem, Southern West Bank “Israel will complete construction of the separation barrier in the Jerusalem area and the southern West Bank following Tuesday's terror attacks, the Prime Minister's Office announced. During security consultations held by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister's Office said it was immediately decided to close gaps in the separation barrier in the Jerusalem area, and to complete construction of the barrier in the Tarkumiya area in the South Hebron Hills.” Libya Voice Of America: Analysts: Inaction Strengthens IS In Libya “Immediate international action against Islamic State extremists in Libya is needed to prevent the terrorist group from expanding further, regardless of the status of peace talks on a unity government there, analysts say. ‘Putting pressure on those political entities so far has not yielded any positive outcome,’ said Kamel Wazne, the director of the Center for American Strategic Studies in Beirut.  ‘And I think at least you have to start to weaken these terrorist organizations.’” Tunisia Business Insider: ISIS Is Making Inroads In Yet Another North African Country “ISIS has been looking to expand its territorial holdings outside of Iraq and Syria, as its strongholds there are increasingly targeted by the US and its coalition partners. The terrorist group — aka the Islamic State, ISIL, or Daesh — now has a significant foothold in Libya, and it might be looking to take on another north African country as well: Tunisia. Militants are thought to have crossed into Tunisia on March 7 to carry out attacks against Tunisian security forces there, and deteriorating security in neighboring Libya could allow extremist fighters to infiltrate the country more easily.” Arabic Language Clips ISIS New Sabah: ISIS Imposes New Royalties On Shopkeepers In Mosul ISIS compels owners of shops in Mosul to pay a three-month rental fee in advance, while merchants exploit the tense security situation in the city to hike food prices. A reliable Iraqi security source in Nineveh province was quoted as saying that "the organization forced shop owners to pay a three-month lease, in advance, for their shops in exchange for allowing them to work in them." The Jihadists threatened those who refuse to pay with expulsion them from their own shops as well as fining them for violating the organization's rules." Sources in the city also claim that at night ISIS gunmen desert some of the city's neighborhoods for fear of air strikes or of being targeted by unknown snipers. Muslim Brotherhood Albawabh News: Brotherhood Deceives The Public With Humanitarian Cases To Raise Funds For Its Armed Militias Security sources revealed a new ploy by the international arm of the Muslim Brotherhood to collect money to finance terrorist operations against the Egyptian state. The sources said, "Fugitive Brotherhood members based in Turkey have instructed the group's social media arm to fabricate humanitarian cases of Egyptians in need of treatment costing thousands of dollars and urging the public to donate money for this purpose." The security sources warned of making a donation to unlicensed entities. They claimed that the money will end up in the pockets of terrorist groups, which are plotting to attack public installations, soldiers and police officers. Albawabh News: Security Apparatus Is Pursuing Doctors At The (Egyptian) Ministry Of Health For Receiving Money From (Brotherhood Leader Yehia) Moussa Before The Assassination Of The Attorney General A security source revealed that the nation's security agencies are currently conducting intensive investigations into the actions of a number of doctors employed by the Ministry of Health suspected of receiving money from Yehia Moussa, Egypt's Health Ministry Spokesman during the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood. He is believed to be the mastermind behind the assassination of Attorney-General Hisham Barakat. The source confirmed that Moussa had wired money to several doctors at the Ministry of Health. The money was transferred from Turkish banks to a well-known Cairo bank as well as banks in several Egyptian provinces. The source disclosed that these transfers had been monitored and that, generally, the sums were small, not exceeding $2,000, to avoid suspicion. The source added that such transfers began six months before the assassination of the Egyptian Attorney General. Brotherhood activist Mahmoud Al-Ahmadi Abdulrahman, nicknamed "Muhammadi," arrested for his role in the assassination, was the appointed liaison to these doctors. The doctors allegedly withdrew the money from the banks and handed it over to Al-Ahmadi to buy explosives and rent the vehicles used for the assassination attack. The source asserted that security agencies hold official documents proving that these doctors had received money from Moussa before the killing of the Attorney General. In the upcoming days, the doctors in question will be detained for investigation, the sources said.  Houthi 7adramout.Net: Supporter In Beit Al-Faqih Paid Houthi 200,000 Riyals For The Abduction Of A Local Merchant Houthi militiamen in the Beit al-Faqih district of western Yemen's Al Hudaydah Governorate abducted a local merchant identified as Abdulrahman Shuma'a. Local sources in Beit al-Faqih said that a person called "Talal" who became a Houthi loyalist, boasted to his friends that he had paid a local Houthi leader named "Abu Baroud" 200,000 riyals ($930) to abduct Shuma'a. Talal explained that this is the punishment of the merchant who refused to pay part of his revenues to Talal, just like many other merchants in the district who are being extorted on a daily basis by Houthi gunmen and their supporters.