Eye on Extremism - April 11, 2016

Eye on Extremism April 11, 2016 The New York Times: Revelation On Brussels Attackers Fuels Fears Of New Assaults “The announcement by the Belgian authorities on Sunday that the attackers who set off bombs in Brussels on March 22 had initially planned to strike in France was a reminder that intelligence and police services are still learning about the full extent of the Islamic State’s plots and networks in Europe, and are struggling to keep up. By Sunday, the excitement over the capture on Friday of four suspects in the Brussels bombings had begun to give way to more sober assessments, and warnings that more attacks could come at any time, in other European capitals as well as in Paris and Brussels. ‘We are not finished yet with the job of finding everyone who is in this big network, Paris and Brussels,’ said Jean-Charles Brisard, the head of the French Center for the Analysis of Terrorism in Paris.” Reuters: German Spy Chief Says Islamic State Wants To Attack But No Specific Plot Known “Islamic State wants to carry out attacks in Germany and the security situation is ‘very serious’, the head of the country's domestic intelligence agency (BfV) told a Sunday newspaper, adding that he knew of no concrete plot to strike. The militant group released a video on Tuesday suggesting it may carry out further attacks in the West after the Brussels bombings and Paris attacks, naming London, Berlin and Rome as possible targets. Hans-Georg Maassen told German newspaper Welt am Sonntag the group wanted to carry out attacks against Germany and German interests, but added: ‘At the moment we don't have any knowledge of any concrete terrorist attack plans in Germany.’ He said Islamic State propaganda was aimed at encouraging supporters to take the initiative to stage attacks in Germany.” Fox News: US Warns Of 'Credible Threats' To Americans In Turkey “The U.S. issued a dire warning to its citizens Saturday about “credible threats” to tourist areas in Turkey on the same day Turkish authorities exploded a roadside bomb in Istanbul. The emergency message from the U.S. Consulate urged Americans to exercise ‘extreme caution’ in public squares and docks in Istanbul and the Mediterranean beach resort of Antalya. ‘The U.S. Mission in Turkey would like to inform U.S. citizens that there are credible threats to tourist areas, in particular to public squares and docks in Istanbul and Antalya,’ U.S. officials said in the statement. ‘Please exercise extreme caution if you are in the vicinity of such areas.’ The small bomb was left near an overpass in the Mecidiyekoy district, the Anadolu Agency reported.  It was designed to create a loud noise. Three people were hospitalized with minor injuries, the report said. Turkey has been decimated by four suicide bombings this year. The most recent one came last month in Istanbul. Two of the attacks have been claimed by the Islamic State and the other two were claimed by Kurdish militants.” Reuters: Syrian PM Says Russia To Back New Aleppo Attack; Opposition Says Truce Near Collapse “The Russian air force and Syrian military are preparing a joint operation to take Aleppo from rebels, the Syrian prime minister was quoted saying on Sunday, and an opposition official said a ceasefire was on the verge of collapse. With a U.N. envoy due in Damascus in a bid to advance struggling diplomatic efforts, the ‘cessation of hostilities agreement’ brokered by Russia and the United States came under new strain as government and rebel forces fought near Aleppo. The ceasefire came into effect in February with the aim of paving the way for a resumption of talks to end the five-year-long war. But it has been widely violated, with each side blaming the other for breaches. The fighting south of Aleppo marks the most significant challenge yet to the deal. Diplomacy has meanwhile made little progress with no compromise over the future of President Bashar al-Assad, his position strengthened by Iranian and Russian military support.” BBC: Syria War: IS Group Killed 21 Christians In Al-Qaryatain, Says Patriarch “Reports are emerging of the killing of Syrian Christians by Islamic State militants in the town of al-Qaryatain. The town was retaken by Russian-backed Syrian forces and their allies earlier in the week. Some 21 Christians were murdered when almost 300 Christians remained in the city after IS captured it last August, said the head of the Syrian Orthodox Church. They included three women, Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II told the BBC. He said some died whilst trying to escape while the others were killed for breaking the terms of their ‘dhimmi contracts’, which require them to submit to the rule of Islam. Five more Christians are still missing, believed dead. Negotiations and the payment of ransoms have seen the remainder of the group re-join their families. The patriarch said warnings had come that Islamic State planned to sell Christian girls into slavery. But despite the murders, he said restoring harmony among faiths remained his goal.” CNN: Is The U.S. Doing Enough To Help Iraq Fight ISIS? “We're in the Nivenah Province Joint Operations Command Center where Iraqi and American military officers are watching a drone feed closely. On screen, ISIS militants can be seen lined up, evenly spaced, against a bank. This isn't the first time the Iraqi army has tried to retake the village of al-Nasr. Close to the Tigris river, the village is a vital step in the first phase of the operation to recapture Mosul from ISIS. ‘Look he's firing!’ shouts General Najim al-Jobori, commander of the Nineveh operation, pointing to an ISIS fighter on the screen before barking orders in to his cell phone to the men on the frontline.” Washington Post: One Woman Helped The Mastermind Of The Paris Attacks. The Other Turned Him In. “All of Europe was looking for Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the planner of the Paris attacks, when two women approached his roadside hiding place, guided by the voice of someone secretly watching from a distance and giving directions by phone. ‘Go forward. Walk. Stop,’ the voice said. ‘He can see you. He’s coming.’ It was 9:30 p.m., two days after the bombings and shootings in November that left 130 people dead. France had closed its borders and launched a massive manhunt. But Abaaoud emerged from behind a bush and strolled toward the women as if there were nothing unusual about this rendezvous.” Associated Press: IS Frees Most Of 300 Abducted Cement Workers, Kills 4 “The Islamic State group has released most of the 300 cement workers it abducted near Damascus after questioning them to find out who were Muslims and killing four who were members of the minority Druze sect, a Syrian opposition monitoring group and a news agency linked to the extremists reported Saturday. The reports came two days after IS abducted the cement workers and contractors from al-Badia Cement Company in Dumeir, just northeast of the capital, after a surprise attack on government forces. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said all those abducted have been released except for 30 people who were guards at the cement factory. It said the fate of the 30 is unknown.” Telegraph: Boko Haram Demands '$50m Ransom' For Release Of Kidnapped Chibok Schoolgirls “Boko Haram is seeking a ransom of nearly £40m for the release of the 219 schoolgirls that it kidnapped from the Nigerian town of Chibok two years ago, sources close to the group have told The Sunday Telegraph. The terror sect is thought to have issued the demand during secret contacts with the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, who has said he is willing to negotiate for the girls' freedom. The group's leader, Abubakr Shekau, had previously demanded the release of jailed comrades in exchange for the girls. But a deal along those lines - brokered by the Red Cross - fell through after Nigerian prison officials said that commanders on a list given to them by Boko Haram were not in their custody.  Details of the new ransom request emerged ahead of the second anniversary of the girls kidnapping on the night of April 14, 2014, when they were abducted by Boko Haram gunmen posing as soldiers. Despite their case receiving global attention because of the celebrity-backed #bringbackourgirls campaign on social media, diplomats and sources close to the negotiations say they are no closer to knowing the girls' whereabouts.” PRI: Meet The Man Who Spent 10 Days With ISIS And Lived To Tell About It “Few individuals have gotten close to the self-proclaimed Islamic State and lived to tell about it. Journalist and author Jürgen Todenhöfer is one of them.  ‘I lived with them. Sometimes we slept on the same floor — there was just a Kalashnikov between us,’ he says. Todenhöfer embedded with ISIS for 10 days in December of 2014. He got access to the Islamic State after months of Skype negotiations and a public guarantee from ISIS leadership that he would return alive. He’s telling his story in a new book, "My Journey Into the Heart of Terror: Ten Days in the Islamic State," which is out on April 12.” Syria Associated Press: Syrian Cease-Fire Strained By New Clashes Ahead Of Talks “Government forces and rebels clashed Sunday across northern and western Syria, imperiling a monthlong cease-fire ahead of peace talks in Geneva, while airstrikes pounded the Islamic State group's de facto capital of Raqqa, killing dozens. Al-Qaida's Syrian affiliate, the Nusra Front, is playing a leading role on the side of the insurgents, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group with a network of informers inside Syria. The fighting follows weeks of sporadic government airstrikes, culminating with a raid that killed 33 civilians outside the capital of Damascus on March 31 that tested the durability of a U.S.- and Russia-brokered ‘cessation of hostilities’ that took effect in late February. The Nusra Front and the Islamic State group are excluded from the cease-fire, which had brought relative calm to much of Syria for the first time in the 5-year-old civil war between forces loyal to President Bashar Assad and those trying to topple him.” The Wall Street Journal: Syria Defies Russia In Bid To Keep Assad “The Syrian regime, emboldened by battlefield victories, is pushing a political solution to end the war that keeps President Bashar al-Assad in power, in defiance of the agenda supported by Russia, his vital ally. The plan will begin to unfold with Syrian parliamentary elections on Wednesday; the following day, Mr. Assad’s representatives will travel to peace talks in Geneva, where they are expected to push for a resolution to the conflict on Mr. Assad’s terms. Despite political differences between Damascus and Moscow, the allies in a joint statement on Sunday signaled the imminent escalation of a military push to retake Aleppo, Syria’s largest city. Al Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, the Nusra Front, and allied rebel groups launched an offensive this month to recapture territory south of Aleppo that the regime took with Russia’s help earlier this year. The military campaign has become, for Russia, too important to fail. If Moscow doesn’t help Mr. Assad’s forces in Aleppo, it would risk undoing all of Russia’s efforts since it first stepped in to prop up Mr. Assad at the end of September.” Iraq Associated Press: Thousands Return To Iraq's Ramadi, Where IS Was Driven Out “Thousands of Iraqis have returned to the western city of Ramadi three months after Iraqi troops backed by U.S.-led airstrikes drove the Islamic State group out of the provincial capital, the city's mayor said Sunday. The returning families must go through security checks and are only allowed to return to areas cleared of mines and booby traps left behind by the extremists, Mayor Ibrahim al-Osaj said. IS militants seized Ramadi last May and held the town until they were driven out in December. As in other cities and towns in Syria and Iraq, the fight to retake Ramadi demolished large parts of the city. Al-Osaj said seven neighborhoods are still off-limits to residents, not only because of the presence of explosives, but because the areas are ‘totally ruined.’ He said authorities have restored drinking water for almost 80 percent of the city, refurbished ten schools and provided up to 600 caravans for those who can't use their houses. He said around 12,000 families have returned since late last month.” USA Today: Battle Is On Over Iraq’s Oil-Rich Kirkuk Region “As fighting rocks northern Iraq’s oil-rich Kirkuk area, and air strikes attempt to take out Islamic State positions, the dust will likely either settle in favor of the Iraqi Kurds, who have played a key role in protecting this area from the ISIS advance and who could use Kirkuk to cement their independence ambitions, or in favor of Baghdad, which knows that the loss of Kirkuk means the loss of northern Iraq. Last weekend, military operations targeting ISIS in northern Iraq took out some 60 Islamic State fighters, according to Iraqi security forces, both in the provinces of Nineveh and Kirkuk — both oil venues. Some 30 militants were reportedly killed in air strikes near Nineveh’s Qayyarah oil field. While ISIS has terrorized northern Iraq—a swathe of territory that lies between that controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the central government in Baghdad—since June 2014, the Sunni jihadist group is only the immediate threat to this area. The real game here, once the dust settles, is between Baghdad and Erbil, the Iraqis and the Iraqi Kurds. And as ISIS loses ground to the combined force of the Iraqi military and the Kurdish Peshmerga, this end game is getting closer to its climax.” Turkey AFP: Turkey Breaks Kurdish Militant Cell 'Preparing Attack': Report “Turkish police have smashed a cell of Kurdish militants in a usually tranquil region between Istanbul and Ankara who had hoarded explosives, guns and suicide vests, the Dogan news agency reported Sunday. Police in the Bolu province east of Istanbul, said they had detained seven members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) as part of an investigation into plans for a suicide attack. The arrests come three days after Bolu police killed two suspected PKK members in an unusual raid in the province which is about half-way between Turkey's biggest city Istanbul and the capital Ankara, and far from the Kurdish-dominated southeast.” Afghanistan CNN: Rocket Strikes In Kabul Intended For John Kerry, Taliban Say “U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was the intended target of rocket strikes in Afghanistan's capital Saturday, the Taliban said in a statement claiming responsibility for the attacks. The attacks in Kabul on Saturday night came within an hour after Kerry had departed Afghanistan, following a visit aimed at defusing a political crisis in the unity government he helped build. No casualties resulted from the attacks, according to Afghan government spokesman Sediq Sediqqi. But they underscored the volatile security situation in the country as warmed weather brings increased fighting. There was no additional information to verify the Taliban's claim, but CNN's team in Kabul heard four loud explosions near the diplomatic area of the city Saturday night. Kerry's visit, aimed at urging Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah to set aside their rivalries, came at a pivotal moment for Afghanistan. After a bitterly fought presidential election in 2014, Ghani and Abdullah share power in a national unity government that Kerry helped negotiate.” Yemen The Jerusalem Post: Clashes Erupt In Yemen Hours Before Planned Truce “Fighting broke out north of Yemen's capital and in the center of the country on Sunday, killing more than 20 people, hours before a planned halt to the fighting aimed at facilitating talks to end the year-long war. Yemen's government and its Iran-allied Houthi enemies are supposed to implement the UN-backed c’essation of hostilities’ from midnight before peace negotiations begin in Kuwait on April 18. The United Nations hopes this will lead to a more concrete, formal ceasefire with peace-building steps. The war has killed more than 6,200 people, drawn in rival regional powers Saudi Arabia and Iran and tipped one of the Arab world's poorest countries into a humanitarian crisis.” BBC: Both Sides 'Will Respect' Yemen Truce “The Saudi-led coalition supporting government forces in Yemen has said it will respect a UN-backed ceasefire coming into force from Monday. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who are trying to overthrow the government have also said they will respect the truce. More than 6,000 people have been killed and 2m displaced in more than a year of fighting between the two sides. Negotiations on ending the conflict are due to be held later this month in Kuwait. ‘The Arab coalition is going to respect a ceasefire in Yemen starting from midnight Sunday at the demand of President [Abdrabbuh Mansour] Hadi but reserves the right to respond’ to any rebel attacks, the coalition statement said. A spokesman for the Houthis said the rebels would also respond to any attacks on their forces. A further 20 people were reportedly killed in clashes on Sunday, hours before the truce was due to come into effect.” Saudi Arabia The Times of Israel: In Egypt, Saudi King Calls For Joint War On Mideast Terrorism “Saudi King Salman called Sunday for a joint fight against ‘terrorism’ in the Middle East at a time when Riyadh is engaged in several conflicts the region. The 80-year-old monarch is on a rare five-day visit to Egypt, a trip seen as a clear show of support for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, the former military chief who toppled his Islamist predecessor Mohamed Morsi in 2013. The two leaders have already signed a slew of multi-billion-dollar investment deals, and on Saturday Egypt agreed to demarcate its maritime borders with Saudi Arabia by officially placing two islands in the Straits of Tiran in Saudi territory.” Associated Press: Saudi-Led Coalition Says It Will Adhere To Yemen Cease-Fire “The Saudi-led coalition that has been bombing Yemen's Houthi rebels for more than a year said it will adhere to a cease-fire that took effect just before midnight Sunday, and the rebels also pledged to halt hostilities. The coalition said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency that it retains the right to respond to any violations of the cease-fire, but that it intends to halt all airstrikes and hostilities in preparation for U.N.-sponsored peace talks scheduled to take place in Kuwait on April 18. The Houthis later issued their own statement in which they promised to abide by the cease-fire while reserving the right to respond to any potential violations. There have been previous rounds of cease-fires between the warring sides. This latest attempt, announced by the U.N. envoy to Yemen last month, is scheduled to begin at 11:59 p.m. (2059 GMT) Sunday. Just hours before the cease-fire was to go into effect, Yemeni security officials said clashes were going on between the Shiite Houthi rebels and forces allied with the internationally recognized government that is backed by the Saudi-led coalition.” Middle East Reuters: Israel Says Half-Year Surge In Palestinian Street Violence Wanes “A half-year-long surge in Palestinian street attacks against Israelis is waning, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday, while Hamas accused the U.S.-backed Palestinian leadership of treachery for helping Israel stem the violence. Since October, Palestinians have killed 28 Israelis and two U.S. citizens in knife, car-ramming and gun assaults. In recent weeks, these have slowed from near-daily occurrences to more sporadic incidents. The last fatal attack took place on March 9. During this wave of violence, Israeli forces killed at least 190 Palestinians, 129 of whom Israel says were assailants. Many others were shot dead during clashes and protests. Palestinians and foreign critics have accused Israel of excessive force. Drivers behind the bloodshed include Palestinian bitterness over long-stalled statehood negotiations, greater Jewish access to a disputed Jerusalem shrine, and Islamist-led calls for Israel's destruction. In public remarks to his cabinet, Netanyahu said Israeli security forces' ‘very firm action against incitement’ and their foiling of assaults had led to ‘a significant drop-off in the scale of terror attacks’.” The Jerusalem Post: Iran Accuses Saudi Arabia Of Training Terrorists To Carry Out Terror Attacks Against It “In another indication of the deteriorating relationship between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the Islamic Republic has accused the Kingdom of masterminding terror attacks against it by training and funding terror organizations. In a press statement Sunday, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Land Force Commander Mohammad Packpour said that Iran has recently arrested terrorists that confessed their affiliation with both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). ‘Striving to destabilize Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE train terrorist organizations to carry out attacks in the country,’ Packpour argued. In addition, Packpour revealed that the Revolutionary Guards will conduct a special maneuver this week in the south-eastern region of the Islamic Republic, an area inhibited mainly by Sunni residents. According to the Iranian commander, the maneuver aims at maintaining the military preparedness of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards to confront major security threats, such as terror attacks.” The Jerusalem Post: Top Hamas Official Slams Movement, Says It's Responsible For Tragic Situation In Gaza “A top Hamas official has strongly criticized his movement, holding it responsible for the harsh and tragic situation inside the Gaza Strip.  Ahmed Yousef, who previously served as advisor to former Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, made his criticism in an article he published over the weekend. Yousef lashed out at Hamas mosque preachers, saying they were using the podiums to sound meaningless words. He called upon the preachers to ‘live the bitter reality and stop deluding people that we are living in a reality of a utopia.  Everyone is shocked because of the reality we are living in and people don’t stop talking about the pain and tragedy,’ the Hamas official said.  He said that Hamas rulers have failed to improve the living conditions of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.” Daily Caller: A New ISIS Offensive Could Be Imminent, And Coalition Forces Are Spread Dangerously Thin “Operations against the Islamic State have made some significant progress taking back swaths of territory, but with Iraqi troops spread thin, there persists legitimate concern that ISIS may once again go on the offensive. Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), backed by U.S. air and support units, have been able to take back key territory from ISIS in Iraq, while the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have also had some success against the terrorist group’s Syrian holdings. Army Col. Steve Warren, spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (the U.S. military mission against ISIS), has estimated that roughly 40 percent of ISIS territory in Iraq has been retaken, while they have lost around 10 percent in Syria.” Libya Reuters: Staff Evacuated From Shuttered Libyan Oil Fields Due To Militant Threat “Staff have been evacuated from three oil fields in eastern Libya because of fears of attacks by Islamic State militants, but production has not been affected because the fields are shut, oil and security officials said on Sunday. Islamic State militants have launched frequent attacks on Libyan oil fields and terminals in recent months, damaging facilities but not taking control of them. Unlike in Syria and Iraq, Islamist militants have never controlled oil fields in Libya, but officials worry this could happen in the future, along with existing material and human damage. Mohamed al-Manfi, an oil official based in eastern Libya, said the Wafa field had been completely evacuated and the Tibesti and Bayda fields were partially evacuated after security forces warned of possible planned attacks. A security source said told Reuters that fighters loyal to Islamic State had been mobilizing in Nawfiliyah, a town between the extremist group's Libyan stronghold of Sirte and the oil ports of Es Sider and Ras Lanuf.” Nigeria NBC News: Ansaru: Boko Haram Splinter Group Sows Terror In Nigeria “Ask anyone to name a Nigerian militant group and chances are they'll mention Boko Haram, the Islamist sect that was ranked last year as the world's deadliest terror organization. Far less infamous, however, is a Boko Haram splinter group known as Ansaru. This organization came to the fore last weekend after the Nigerian military claimed to have captured its leader — a militant commander with a $5 million U.S. State Department bounty on his head. Ansaru is one of several militant organizations operating in Nigeria and has been classified as a terrorist group by the United States, the United Nations and others. The group's full name is the ‘Vanguard for the protection of Muslims in Black Africa.’ Some of its leaders were once members of Boko Haram, but Ansaru splintered off and declared itself an independent organization on Jan. 1, 2012. Over the next few years, it claimed a string of kidnappings and killings against Westerners in northern Nigeria, and analysts believe the group has links with al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, which claimed a deadly attack on an Ivory Coast hotel last month.” United Kingdom Telegraph: 'UK Muslim Ghettoes' Warning “British Muslims are becoming a nation within a nation, the former equalities watchdog has warned. Commenting on a ground-breaking survey, Trevor Phillips said on Monday that we are ‘in danger of sacrificing a generation of young British people to values that are antithetical to the beliefs of most of us, including many Muslims’. Calling for a new, tougher approach to integration and the abandonment of ‘the failed policy of multiculturalism’, he points to the survey’s ‘one truly terrifying finding’, that ‘Muslims who have separatist views about how they want to live in Britain are far more likely to support terrorism than those who do not’. But a survey also found that a large majority of British Muslims – 86 per cent - felt a strong sense of belonging to Britain, compared with a national average of 83 per cent, and that among Muslims 91 per cent felt a strong sense of belonging to their local area - again, a higher finding than the national average of 76 per cent.” France The Wall Street Journal: Terror Cell Believed to Have Planned Fresh Attack in France “The March 22 Brussels terror attacks, which killed 32 people, followed a last-minute scramble by terrorists after the arrest of Salah Abdeslam four days earlier persuaded them to ditch plans for a fresh strike in France, Belgian authorities said Sunday. Officials painted a picture of some chaotic preparations for the attack, as authorities closed in on some of the suspects, which included some rudimentary missteps by the terrorists. French and Belgian authorities have also arrested people in recent weeks over what was believed to be a separate plot aimed at France and said to be in an advanced stage. The Belgian official said for now, authorities are still treating these as separate plots but haven’t ruled out a connection.” Arabic Language Clips Terrorist Financing Aabbir: In The Footsteps Of The Algerian State: Businessmen, The Wealthy And Mosques Finance Terrorism It would seem that several businessmen and affluent people in several Algerian cities have adopted the State's tactic and decided to cooperate with terrorist organizations. This was done through the provision of money to finance some of these groups' criminal operations. In exchange, the financiers were granted 'protection' of their properties and their lives and were guaranteed not to be exposed to any hostile acts. Initial results of investigations into cases of terrorist financing also revealed that many of the donations by Algerian citizens, made through the country's mosques, have gone to terrorist organizations. It is estimated that nearly 10 percent of the money donated by citizens and designated for Zakat [charity for the poor], has been diverted to terrorist organizations. ISIS Mansheet: 32,000 Kuwaiti Dinars Found Amid Fears Of Attempted Smuggling To ISIS The General Director of Kuwait Airport, Isa bin Isa, referred to the General Department of Criminal Investigation the case of an Iraqi expatriate after being caught in possession of 32,000 Kuwaiti dinars, or roughly $100,000. A customs source stated that security agents at the airport had spotted the suspect shortly after his arrival. Consequently, customs officers searched the expatriate's luggage and found the money hidden inside. The man provided no reasonable justification for taking the money out of the country. The source confirmed that the Iraqi national will be subject to intensive investigations, fearing that the money was enroute to ISIS. Initially, a money laundering case has been opened against the Iraqi smuggler. All4syria: ISIS Practices Threatening Famine In Areas Under Its Control In Deir Ez-Zor The strict imposition of new laws and financial penalties under various pretexts, such as unemployment and the suffering of the people living in the Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor and its countryside, has led to famine in the area, forcing some residents to beg, while others search in the garbage for anything that can satisfy their hunger. This abysmal situation for the population of Deir ez-Zor is the result of actions and decisions recently taken by ISIS which include the summary imposition of taxes and fines under the pretext of violations of law or the abuse of business licenses. These taxes and fines can amount to between 3,000 and 25,000 Syrian pounds (between $14 and $114), and in some cases even more than that. In addition, the terrorist group imposes harsh conditions on civilians, especially young people, in the sphere of work and business, which has resulted in dire economic and living conditions of the residents in Deir ez-Zor and its countryside. Muslim Brotherhood Albawabh News: People Appeal To (Egyptian Minister Of Social Solidarity Ghada) Wali To Close Down Brotherhood-Affiliated Association In Mit Akaba Residents of the Mit Akaba village in Giza Governorate are distressed by a Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated association called Watanemesr. They are wondering how the government could allow this association to work despite the stipulations issued against the group, including a ban on its activities and the seizure of its funds. Residents complained about the association, attaching photos from the Facebook page of its chairman, which includes posts hostile to the state and supporting the Muslim Brotherhood. The Seventh Day: Mustafa Bakri Sent A Formal Complaint To The (Egyptian) Brotherhood Asset Committee Directed Against Tarek Abdel Jaber Mustafa Bakri, former Member of the Egyptian Parliament, recently filed a complaint to Chancellor Ezzat Khamis, Assistant Minister of Justice and Chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood Asset Freeze Committee. In it he demands seizure of the assets belonging to Tarek Abdel Jaber, the former anchorman at the Brotherhood "Al-Sharq" TV channel. Abdel Jaber recently returned to Egypt after residing three years in Turkey. The complaint contends that Abdel Jaber instigated terrorism and the slaying of innocent people when he ascended the podium in Rabaa Square. It also claims he incited against the Egyptian army and police. Bakri demanded taking legal action against Abdel Jaber, who returned to Egypt for allegedly having 'a difference of opinion' with the Brotherhood leadership. Akhbar Elyom: Parliament Deputy Submits EDM About Panama Leaks And The Usage Of Brotherhood Money Member of Egypt's Parliament, Abdel-Hamid Kamal, from the Tagammu's Party in Suez City, submitted an early-day motion (EDM) to Egyptian Prime Minister, Sherif Ismail, concerning the "Panama Papers" asking to know which actions the government has taken in this matter. He specifically inquired about utilization of the appropriated Muslim Brotherhood funds. He demanded clarifications from the government about the procedures that have been adopted against those who stole the people's money, claiming that the leaked documents prove the involvement of ousted President Mubarak's sons and senior officials in this case. The MP also demanded government disclosure of the procedures that have been taken regarding associations involved in terrorist financing, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood. He also called on the Egyptian government to elaborate on how it plans to use this money to serve the Egyptian citizenry. Veto: Brotherhood Asset Freeze (Committee) Forwards Documents Of “Brotherhoodization” Of State (Institutions) To The Prosecution Ezzat Khamis, First Assistant of Egypt's Minister of Justice, and chairperson of the Muslim Brotherhood Asset Freeze Committee, said the Library of Alexandria has recently received documents alluding to the "Brotherhoodization" of state institutions during the rule of ousted President Mohamed Morsi. The documents are now in the process of being recorded by a committee of experts especially formed to perform the task of documentation, while the original documents have been delivered to the public prosecutor to investigate what Khamis calls "Brotherhood's crimes." The Library was commissioned by the Brotherhood Assets Freeze Committee to perform the task of examining the documents, which were disclosed in January, in order to prove the “Brotherhoodization” of state institutions, and the Committee declared that the aim of the process is to have the documents serve as an historic reference. The documents uncover the intention of the Brotherhood and the Guidance Office to infiltrate all state and sovereign institutions in order to nominate their members to these institutions, with the aim of imposing their hegemony on them and eventually “Brotherhoodize” them. The Seventh Day: (Egyptian) MP Amr Mohamed Was Working In Favor Of The Muslim Brotherhood For Years Amr Mohamed, a member of the Egyptian Parliament, claimed that the hiring of activist Mamdouh Hamza at the Brotherhood-affiliated "Al-Sharq TV" channel confirms that he has been working for years to serve the group. Mohamed stressed that the majority of the artists and politicians who have recently joined this TV channel support the Muslim Brotherhood ideology. The Egyptian politician, however, reiterated his claim that Egypt will remain stable no matter how much incitement the Brotherhood or Hamza will spread from their presence in Turkey. He asserted that the group spends millions of dollars to lure political figures to its channels’ broadcasts from Turkey. The Brotherhood-affiliated "Al-Sharq TV" is believed to be financed by the Turkish intelligence, and recently announced that engineer Hamza has officially joined its ranks since arriving in Turkey. Almjles News: Tarek Abdel Jaber: Brotherhood Cheated Me Egyptian media personality Tarek Abdel Jaber stated the Muslim Brotherhood was cheating him financially when he worked at the Brotherhood-affiliated "Al-Sharq TV" channel. Abdel Jaber, who has returned from Turkey to Egypt, asserted, during his interview on the LTC TV channel on Sunday evening, that “Al-Sharq TV” faced financial crisis and was sold to Ayman Nour, but the latter refused to give the employees their due salaries, claiming he only bought the transmission signal. Abdel Jaber added that Dr. Bassem Khafagy, founder of “Al-Sharq TV”, also refused to give the employees their full money, and stressed that the employees, after being forced to renounce their full rights, received only a fraction of what they were entitled to. Houthi Yemen News Gate: The Houthis Are Looting The Resources Of Yemen's Oil And Gas Companies And Seized More Than 7 Billion (Riyals) Reliable sources in Yemen's two oil and gas state-owned companies, who asked not to be named, revealed that the Houthis pirated billions of riyals from oil revenues during the last two years. The revenues, estimated at more than 7 billion riyals ($32.5 million), were illegally obtained through the sale of oil products on the black market and the collection of debts owed to the two companies by Yemen's Defense Ministry, airlines, Electricity Corporation, factories and other government and private establishments. In addition, the Houthis bought luxury cars, military equipment and weapons, whose cost was covered by funds properly belonging to Yemen Oil Company and Yemen Gas Company.