Eye on Extremism - April 19, 2016

Eye on Extremism April 19, 2016 Counter Extremism Project Huffington Post: ISIS’s Counter-Counter-Narrative “The 14th installment of ISIS’s English-language magazine, Dabiq, devoted comparatively little space to celebrating recent bombings in Brussels, dedicating less than two pages to eulogizing suicide bombers Najim Laachraoui, Khalid el-Bakraoui, and Ismail el-Bakraoui. Instead, ISIS devoted significantly more editorial space working to undermine international counter-narratives. The group named, disparaged and issued a hit list on well-known Western Muslim scholars and personalities in an obvious effort to intimidate them into silence.” CNN: Dozens Killed, Hundreds Injured In Kabul Suicide Attack “At least 28 people were killed and more than 300 people were injured after an explosion rocked Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday morning, authorities said. A suicide car bomber caused the explosion, said Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqi. The attack targeted the office of a security team that works to protect the government's VIPs, an Afghan police official said. That office falls under the president's office of administrative affairs. The Afghan Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, the group said in a statement.” Reuters: U.S.-Led Raids In Iraq Kill And Capture Islamic State Fighters “A member of Islamic State's war council and two aides were killed in northern Iraq on Monday by U.S. and Kurdish commandos in the second helicopter raid in two days in the area by a U.S.-led coalition, Kurdish security sources said. A statement by the Kurdish regional security council said Monday's raid south of the Iraqi city of Mosul killed Suleiman Abd Shabib al-Jabouri, also known as Abu Saif. As a member of the militant group's war council, the statement said, he had been responsible for offensives in Makhmour, 80 km (50 miles) from Mosul, where an Iraqi army push launched last month has stalled. In a separate operation on Sunday, troops from a U.S.-led coalition landed a helicopter north of Mosul and seized at least one Islamic State member from a vehicle, witnesses and Kurdish security sources said.” The New York Times: Bus Bombing in Jerusalem Wounds 21 “A bomb exploded on a bus in Jerusalem on Monday, wounding about 21 people and feeding a sense of vulnerability among many Israelis after months of simmering violence. The bombing came as many Israelis were already on edge after a six-month wave of stabbings, shootings and vehicle attacks by Palestinians that have killed about 30 people. More than 200 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces during that period, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Israeli officials say that most of the Palestinians were killed while carrying out, or attempting, attacks, and that others were killed in clashes with Israeli security forces. Unlike the major assaults of the second uprising, which were engineered by the main Palestinian groups, most of the recent attacks appear to be the almost spontaneous work of by individuals.” Fox News: Germany: 5 Arrested For Forming Right-Wing Terror Group “German prosecutors say they've arrested five people on suspicion of founding a right-wing terror group to attack refugee homes and other facilities. The federal prosecutors' office said the five German nationals were arrested on Tuesday and several apartments in the eastern state of Saxony searched. They say they formed the ‘Freital Group,’ named after a Dresden suburb that has seen a string of anti-refugee protests and other incidents, by July last year. Prosecutors said the group acquired more than 100 firecrackers from the Czech Republic. They say members are believed to have carried out three attacks last fall — two on refugee homes in Freital and the other on a left-wing housing project in Dresden — in which windows were blown out and one person suffered cuts to the face.” Reuters: Syria Peace Talks Near Collapse As Opposition Declares Pause “Syrian peace talks came close to collapse on Monday, with the mainstream opposition announcing a pause in talks at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, although it agreed to keep its negotiating team in the city. The Western-backed opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) said in a letter to rebel fighters that government military advances meant a ceasefire was effectively over and it was calling a postponement in the talks. Rebels, who accuse the government of breaking the ceasefire to try to recapture the northern city of Aleppo, announced an offensive of their own, launching an assault against government forces in Latakia province on the Mediterranean coast. Opposition fighters made separate advances further east in Hama, while heavy government air strikes took place in Homs province to the south. There was ‘no way’ the opposition could resume formal talks amid a military escalation and a worsening humanitarian situation, senior opposition negotiator Mohammad Alloush told Reuters.” International Business Times: Isis: UK Cyber Cops Ramp Up Campaign To Curb The Spread Of Daesh-Inspired Propaganda “UK anti-terror police are ramping up efforts to curb the spread of terrorist propaganda online after disclosing that its crack cyber unit is now forced to remove over 1,000 pieces of extremist content a week – including videos of beheadings, bomb-making manuals and religious hate speech. Spearheaded by the UK Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU), the campaign is dubbed the 'Stop Terrorists' and Extremists' Online Presence' (STOP) and aims to create a safe and anonymous platform for internet users to report dubious content. ince the launch of the CTIRU back in 2010, it has reported a steady increase in terrorist-produced content plaguing the web by taking advantage of social media websites and mobile applications. The department revealed that in total it has removed over 160,000 pieces of extremist material from the internet. Almost a third of this – 55,000 separate incidents – were in 2015 alone. Fortunately, the number of referrals it receives from the public is also on the rise.” Politico: The French Town That Lost 15 Boys To Jihad “The last will and testament of Quentin Roy, a good-looking 23-year-old from the Paris suburb of Sevran, was written in neat blue biro on a piece of paper torn from a notebook. He gave instructions for his Samsung tablet to be given to fellow fighters, and listed mobile phone numbers for ‘Maman’ and ‘Papa’ so that his parents could be informed of his death via Whatsapp. Véronique Roy, who sells advertising for health magazines, received a photograph of her son’s will on January 14. The Islamic State member who sent it added that Quentin had blown himself up in Iraq, ‘martyred on the soil of the caliphate.’ Sevran, an unloved town a 20-minute train ride from Gare du Nord, has seen 15 of its young men depart for Iraq or Syria since 2014. Nine are now believed dead, according to Véronique and Thierry Roy, who are in touch with families in the same situation. Cities minister Patrick Kanner estimates there are ‘a hundred’ French neighborhoods that bear a resemblance to Molenbeek, the Brussels district now globally infamous as a jihadist breeding ground. Sevran is high on the list.” Voice of America: Iraqi Priest Rescues Ancient Manuscripts From IS Destruction “Father Najeeb Michael saved as many people as he could. Right before Islamic State stormed his village, he packed as many people as possible into his car and fled to Irbil in the dead of night. ‘It is not easy to describe this criminal day, this black day which Daesh occupied Mosul and around Mosul,’ Father Najeeb told VOA, using a local term for the extremist group. ‘It was the night of August 6, 2014, a very dangerous and sad day and night when many thousands of people left Mosul and also Qaraqosh,’ he recalled. Qaraqosh is an ancient Assyrian Christian town southeast of Mosul. The manuscripts include parchments that date back more than 1,000 years, and historical documents related to astrology, theology and philosophy. Mike Albin, a U.S.-based Arab world specialist formerly with the Library of Congress, told VOA the manuscripts are irreplaceable. ‘The manuscripts rescued by Father Najeeb are as important for the history of Iraq’s culture as any museum object or archeological site,’ Albin said.” The Hill: Overnight Cybersecurity: Apple, FBI Head Back To Capitol Hill “The dispute between Apple and the FBI will be back in the spotlight on Tuesday, with both sides sending representatives to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. But lawmakers will keep the two sides apart at the hearing, titled ‘Deciphering the Encryption Debate.’ There will be two separate panels: one made up of law enforcement voices and a second dominated by tech industry members. The hearing comes as lawmakers weigh a contentious discussion draft of an encryption bill released last week by Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and ranking member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). The bill would force companies to provide ‘technical assistance’ to government investigators seeking secure data -- a response to concerns that criminals are increasingly using encrypted technology to hide from authorities.” United States The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Pledges More Troops For Iraq As Senior Islamic State Fighter Reported Dead “The U.S. will send 217 additional troops to Iraq, the Department of Defense said on Monday, within hours of reports that U.S. and Kurdish forces had killed a senior Islamic State fighter south of Mosul. The additional U.S. forces will serve in advisory and training roles in the fight against the militant group ahead of a planned offensive to retake Mosul, the largest city under the extremists’ control. The 217 additional troops will increase the formal number of U.S. service members on the ground in Iraq to 4,087 from 3,870. This tally doesn’t count forces on temporary duty or those attached to the embassy. Including those personnel, the number of U.S. troops is about 5,000. The move comes as Washington pursues closer battlefield cooperation with Iraqi security forces in the fight against Islamic State. The Pentagon said on Monday that U.S. forces would embed with the Iraqi military down to the battalion level for the first time in the campaign against the extremist group. Previously, U.S. forces had assisted Iraqi troops only in much larger formations: at the brigade and division level.” Syria USA Today: 4 Killed In Rocket Barrage From Syria, Including 3 Children “Four people were killed, including three children, in southern Turkey on Monday — the third day of rocket and artillery fire from Syrian government controlled areas — as Syrian rebels launched a new offensive in the country's northwest. The attacks come as representatives of the Western-backed Syrian opposition met in Geneva for indirect talks with the Syrian government. Each side accused the other of violating the partial cease-fire that began Feb. 27. The governor's office in the province of Kilis said four rockets hit the town of Kilis, where Syrian refugees outnumber the local population. A 40-year-old shepherd was killed near a middle school, and six others were wounded, according to the Hurriet Daily News. Projectiles struck also hitting an olive garden and an oxygen depot of the Kilis State Hospital.” Turkey Voice Of America: Turkey Detains Dozens Linked To US-Based Islamic Cleric, Erdogan Foe “Turkish police detained dozens of people for their alleged financial links to U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported Monday. The police operation, centered in Istanbul, was launched across nine provinces, and more than 100 people were taken into custody. Altogether, prosecutors issued arrest warrants for 140 people. Among those detained are the officials of the Istanbul-based Dumankaya Construction Company and 41 employees of the Islamic lender Bank Asya, which was founded by followers of Gulen and seized by the government last year. The probe is centered on financial support raised for Gulen's group amounting to some 50 million liras ($17 million) between 2004 and 2015. Turkey's Organized Crimes Unit detained the suspects on charges of being a member of a terrorist organization, laundering assets acquired and terrorism finance statutes.” BBC: IS Rockets Kill Syrian Children In Southern Turkey “Rockets fired from northern Syria have killed four Syrians, three of them children, in the Turkish border town of Kilis, local officials say. The five Katyusha rockets came from part of Syria controlled by Islamic State (IS) militants, the Kilis governor's office said. Turkish artillery fired back at IS positions across the border, Turkey's Hurriyet news daily reported. Kilis has a Syrian refugee camp and shells have landed from Syria before. Four of the rockets hit residential areas of Kilis - a town where an estimated 120,000 Syrian refugees outnumber local Turks. A Turkish citizen and five other Syrians were also wounded in the rocket fire. Cross-border artillery fire has hit Kilis almost daily recently. Twelve people were wounded there on 11 April, then the following day two people were killed and six wounded in a similar strike, Hurriyet reported.” Afghanistan BBC: Afghanistan Violence: Deadly Suicide Bomb Hits Kabul “At least 28 people have been killed and 329 injured in a huge explosion in the centre of the Afghan capital Kabul, police and officials say. A suicide attacker detonated a vehicle and gunmen stormed the area, reports say. Officials say the gunfight is now over and the area has been cleared. A Taliban spokesman said the group carried out the attack. It comes a week after it said it was launching its ‘spring offensive’, warning of large-scale attacks. Tuesday's bombing happened during the morning rush hour in Pul-e-Mahmud, a busy neighbourhood where homes, mosques, schools and businesses nestle close to the Ministry of Defence, other ministries and military compounds. Soldiers and security officers are reported to be among the casualties, but the majority are civilians, says the BBC Afghan Service's Waheed Massoud. The blast shattered windows 1km (0.6 mile) away. The Associated Press quoted a police officer as saying it was one of the most powerful explosions he had ever heard, and he could not see or hear anything for 20 minutes after.” Voice Of America: Analysts: Russia Plays Double Game In Afghanistan “Russia is increasing diplomatic contacts with the Taliban insurgent group in Afghanistan as Moscow looks to counter Islamic State (IS) gains in Central Asia and increase its influence in the nation it once occupied. ‘We and the Taliban have channels for exchanging information,’ Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy to Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, told the Interfax news agency recently. The Taliban interest objectively coincides with ours,’ he said, referring to IS, which emerged in Afghanistan last year as a rival to the Taliban in eastern parts of the country. In pursuing the Taliban, Moscow is playing a two-sided diplomatic game, analysts say. ‘Russia is genuinely concerned by the deteriorating security situation in Central Asia and afraid that it might be forced to help its Central Asian allies in their fight against terrorism,’ said Stephen Blank, a Russian analyst at the American Foreign Policy Council. But the Afghan government, while publicly welcoming Russian aid, is casting a wary eye on Moscow’s Taliban overtures.” Reuters: Afghan Army Launches First Surveillance Drones “Aided by American advisers, the Afghan army on Monday launched its first unmanned surveillance drones from a base in Helmand province to try to expand its ability to provide its own air support. Afghan forces are struggling to build up an independent air force as Taliban insurgents step up offensives across the country. Government troops remain heavily reliant on international aircraft to supply surveillance, intelligence, and occasionally air strikes. The first unarmed ScanEagle unmanned aircraft are based in Helmand, which has seen heavy fighting, as well as a training base in Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan. The army will receive eight ‘systems’ from Washington, each including six aircraft, that are planned to be eventually used in all of the most contested areas in the country. While Afghan commanders will oversee the flights, aircraft operations will be dependent on international contractors until at least 2018. Afghan soldiers are undergoing training in both the United States as well as at bases at home.” Yemen The Wall Street Journal: U.N.-Brokered Peace Talks On Yemen Delayed “The latest round of United Nations-brokered talks between Yemen’s warring parties was delayed Monday, as fighting continued despite a declared cease-fire meant to build confidence going into the negotiations. A delegation for the Saudi-backed government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi arrived in Kuwait City for the talks, U.N. Yemen envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in a statement. However, the opposing Houthi rebels and the allied party of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh are yet to arrive, raising the question of whether the talks will take place. Houthi spokesman Louai al-Shami, said the Houthis and Mr. Saleh’s party, the General People’s Congress, ‘won’t take part in the peace talks unless the cease-fire is implemented on the ground first.’ Mr. Ahmed didn’t say how long the talks would be delayed."  Saudi Arabia Voice Of America: Saudi Arabia’s Curbing Of Religious Police Hailed By Rights Group “Human Rights Watch commended Saudi Arabia on its new regulation that strips power from the often criticized religious police force. The Saudi cabinet passed the measure last week which prevents religious police from stopping, arresting, chasing or detaining people. The Council of Ministers also requested the religious police, formally known as the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice or Mutawaa, to carry official identification showing name, position, work hours, and branch. ‘This is a positive move for Saudi citizens and residents who have suffered years of harassment and abuse by the religious police,’ Human Rights Watch Middle East Director Sarah Leah Whitson said. The new guidelines say that only police and drug squad officers have the jurisdiction to make arrests. ‘Saudi Arabia has taken a step that could rein in longstanding religious police abuses, but authorities must enforce the new regulations for them to have any meaning,’ Whitson said.” Middle East The New York Times: Israelis Find New Tunnel From Gaza Into Israel “The Israeli military said on Monday that it had discovered and ‘neutralized’ a tunnel running from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory for the first time since a cease-fire ended 50 days of fighting in the Palestinian coastal territory in the summer of 2014. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the discovery, saying, ‘the state of Israel has achieved a global breakthrough in the ability to locate tunnels.’ Describing the breakthrough as ‘unique,’ but without providing any details of the technology involved, Mr. Netanyahu added, ‘The government is investing considerable capital in countering the tunnel threat. This is an ongoing effort that will not end overnight.’ Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a spokesman for the Israeli military, refused to elaborate on the technological means but said that the incomplete tunnel that was recently discovered did not have an exit coming up to the surface, suggesting that it was detected deep underground.” Libya Reuters: Libya's Eastern Army Makes Further Advances Around Benghazi “Libyan forces have recaptured key areas in the city of Benghazi, building on earlier advances during weeks of clashes with Islamist militants and other opponents. Troops allied with the government based in eastern Libya took control of a cement factory and cemetery in El Hawari district, where fighters loyal to Islamic State had been holding out, said Milad al-Zawie, a spokesman for the government forces. The troops also took a camp behind Garyounis university, which they captured on Sunday, Zawie said. Five soldiers were killed and nine wounded in the Benghazi fighting, he said. The university has been one of the most bitterly contested sites in the city since the eastern military commander, Khalifa Haftar, launched his Operation Dignity campaign to rid the city of Islamists and other opposition in May 2014. Benghazi itself has seen some of the heaviest fighting in the conflict that has engulfed Libya after the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi.” Reuters: New Libyan PM Seeks EU Help To Rebuild Country, Tackle Smugglers “Libya's new prime minister called on Monday for European help to combat people smugglers but stopped short of making the formal invitation the EU says it needs to move its Mediterranean naval mission into Libyan waters to stem a new tide of migrants. In his first video conference to EU foreign and defense ministers since setting up in Tripoli, the U.N.-backed prime minister, Fayez Seraj, made a broad appeal for aid to fight Islamic State and rebuild the shattered country, diplomats said of the private briefing. The request, which is sensitive because the Libyan government is trying to establish its independence, could mark the start of Europe's return to Libya five years after the West waged an air campaign to help rebels oust Muammar Gaddafi but then left the country to descend into anarchy.” Nigeria Reuters: Nigerian Forces Repel Boko Haram Attack Near Niger Border: Army “The Nigerian army, backed by the country's air force, on Monday repelled an attack an attack by Boko Haram fighters near the border with Niger in the jihadists' northeast heartland, the military said. The group allied to Islamic State had been fighting for at least seven years to carve out an Islamist caliphate in the region in a conflict which has displaced more than 2 million people and killed thousands. The militants struck as the troops were on their way to the border town of Damasak where they wanted to set up a permanent base, a military source said. The army took the area back from Boko Haram last year, but has struggled to hold it. ‘The Nigerian troops have successfully repelled an attack by Boko Haram terrorists who attempted an incursion into (the) 113 Battalion,’ army spokesman Sani Usman said in a statement carried by PR Nigeria, which releases government statements.” United Kingdom BBC: UK Pushes For Leading Role In Libya “After playing a leading part in the western air campaign that helped to oust the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Britain is once again pushing to play a leading role in bringing stability to Libya's shattered society. The Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond's visit to Tripoli is intended to provide visible international backing for the fledgling Government of National Accord. He also arrived with further practical assistance; £10m-worth of aid, in part intended to combat people smuggling and terrorism. Here then is the fundamental driver for Britain's renewed engagement with Libya (and indeed for that of other key European union partners like France and Italy). Libya's problems of instability are creating new ungoverned spaces in which so-called Islamic State (IS) is taking root. The refugee crisis and trafficking of people is compounding the European Union's wider problems as refugees sometimes literally wash up on its shores.” France The Daily Caller: Half Of France’s Military Patrols The Streets To Prevent Another Terror Attack “The streets of Paris are flooded with thousands of soldiers as half the French military is deployed to protect the country from further terrorist attacks. French President Francois Hollande immediately put the country in a state of emergency after the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris. Five months later, 10,000 soldier continue to patrol streets around the country to avoid a third attack in just over a year. ‘It’s an operation like all the anti-terrorism measures, a combat measure,’ Col Benoît Brulon, spokesman for Operation Sentinelle in the Paris region, told The Guardian. ‘We’re engaged in a conflict, a war, in which we fight against terrorists. We’re not just here to be visible – even if that visibility helps the resilience of the nation.’ The soldiers patrol 830 tourist sites, such as the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, as well as synagogues and crowded places. The measure is part of the so-called Operation Sentinelle, which was put in place after the January 2015 attack on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.” Europe The Wall Street Journal: Europe Confronts Its Clash Of Civilizations “French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has abruptly raised the question of whether Islam is compatible with French democracy and ‘our values.’ Britain last week confronted a new poll exposing deep divisions between the secular society and the beliefs of a significant number of its Muslim community. In Germany, security officials are openly expressing great concern about the recruiting success there of strains of Islam linked to terrorism. In Europe, notions of a clash of civilizations, a topic long viewed as off limits, have become current. As a chief of government of a country with a historically intense relationship with Muslims, Mr. Valls, in a series of public meetings and interviews over recent weeks, has left the safe turf of we’re-all-in-this-together declarations.” Arabic Language Clips ISIS Almadapaper: ISIS Imposes Fees On Students In Mosul And Introduces Militant Curriculum And Jihad Training The majority of schools in Mosul shut their doors during the current academic year due to ISIS's domination of the city. Many schools were turned into the terror group's headquarters or weapons depots, while other schools are attended by only a small number of students, mostly children of ISIS members. The low attendance stems from the refusal of families to send their children to local schools and colleges due to the conditions in the city, its occupation by ISIS and the laws it imposes. Resident Yahia Abdul Khamis said, "ISIS charged money for education and ordered school administrations to collect monthly fees from students: 25,000 Iraqi dinars ($22.50) for primary school pupils, 50,000 dinars ($45) for middle schools and prep schools, and 75,000 dinars ($68) for studies in universities and institutes." Muslim Brotherhood Veto: Egyptian Member Of The Brotherhood Is Leading The Strike Scheme Of Oil Workers In Kuwait Kuwaiti media reports have revealed that the engine and mastermind behind the strike of the Kuwaiti Oil Workers' Union is an Egyptian who belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood. The Kuwaiti Al-Shahed Newspaper reported that the Brotherhood instigator of demonstrations works as a consultant, boasts Egyptian nationality and is named Safwat. The newspaper disclosed that this Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood activist, who had been working at the Kuwaiti Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour, was fired by Minister Hend Al-Sabeeh following the discovery of his schemes and his full coordination with the Brotherhood. The Kuwaiti daily added that Safwat had initiated the strike of the Kuwaiti oil workers after receiving instructions from the Brotherhood in Egypt and its branches in Turkey and Kuwait. Masrawy: (Egypt's) Supreme Administrative Court Supports Cancelling (Brotherhood-Affiliated) Alshareya Society’s Funds Confiscation-Decision Chaired by Judge Abdel Fattah Abu El-Leil, the Egyptian Supreme Administrative Court rejected the cabinet’s appeal against a First Circuit ruling canceling the confiscation of the Brotherhood-affiliated Alshareya Society’s funds. Egypt's State Commissioners' Authority had previously issued a final ruling, which cannot be appealed, annulling a decision by the Muslim Brotherhood Asset Freeze Committee to seize all the assets of the Alshareya Society, one of Egypt’s largest charities, and those of the Ansar Alsonna Almohamadia charity association. The Authority said that the confiscation decision is in violation of the private property law and causes damage, since the association will not be able to cover its beneficiaries’ service costs. Sada El-Balad: Jordan Seized The Headquarters Of The Muslim Brotherhood And Shut It Down; The Group Threatens Escalation The rifts between the Jordanian government and the Muslim Brotherhood Group have escalated in recent weeks. This is reflected in the takeover of the Group's main headquarters, which were deemed unauthorized. The seized properties were handed over to the licensed Brotherhood Society, headed by Abdul Majid Dhneibat, the former Controller General of the Muslim Brotherhood. Jordanian security forces shut down the Group's main headquarters in the capital, Amman, in addition to another eight headquarters in various parts of the Kingdom, out of their 39 headquarters nationwide. The government's decision to close the headquarters came after several complaints filed by the officially licensed Society led by Dhneibat. In his complaints, Dhneibat claimed the headquarters are owned by an unlawful, illegitimate organization, and that the Group was playing politics by using the name of the legitimate, licensed Society. In a related context, the Brotherhood Group's spokesman in Jordan, Badi al Rafaiah, stated that the closure decision comes as part of the "settling of internal accounts" and will ultimately harm everyone. He added that it was a sudden act, taken outside the law by the state. He stressed that it was a purely political issue unrelated to the law or to licensing. Hezbollah Egypt Today: America's Emphasize To Arab Banks, At An International Conference In New York, Not To Deal With Iran And The Lebanese Hezbollah Wissam Fattouh, Secretary General of the Union of Arab Banks, stated that the US regulatory authorities, represented by the US Treasury Department, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the US Federal Reserve Bank, had underscored to Arab banking institutions the undesirability of dealing with Iranian banking institutions, despite the lifting of economic sanctions on Tehran. In addition, they warned Arab banks against having any dealings with Lebanon's Hezbollah, based on provisions of the bill of the US Congress issued on December 16th, 2015. The American authorities stressed that the sanctions and the laws against Hezbollah are unequivocal and must be followed to the letter. This came during the Union of Arab Banks' "US-MENA Banking Dialogue Conference" held yesterday at the US Federal Reserve Bank in New York.