Eye on Extremism - May 31, 2016

Eye on Extremism May 31, 2016 BBC: Iraq Troops In 'Final Assault' On Islamic State In Falluja “The Iraqi army is facing fierce resistance and counter-attacks as it attempts to storm Falluja, a bastion of so-called Islamic State (IS). The army's dawn offensive came a week after it began efforts to retake the city, just 30 miles (50km) west of Baghdad and held by IS since 2014. An estimated 50,000 civilians are trapped inside, with only a few hundred families escaping so far. Meanwhile IS militants launched a wave of bombings in and around Baghdad. The attacks in the Iraqi capital killed at least 21 people.” Daily Beast: Elite U.S. Soldiers And Kurdish Troops Moving On ISIS Near Mosul “The pickup trucks on their way to this village in northern Iraq on Sunday kicked up the dry earth on the dirt track, clouding the air and limiting the visibility for the drivers approaching the hamlet just wrested from the so-called Islamic State with the help of elite American soldiers operating now in both Iraq and Syria.” Reuters: Turkey's Erdogan Accuses Russia Of Arming PKK Militants “Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has accused Russia of providing anti-aircraft weaponry and rockets to militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), government officials said on Monday, confirming reports in local media. Speaking to reporters on board his airplane after a visit to the southeastern province of Diyarbakir over the weekend, Erdogan accused Moscow of transferring weaponry to the PKK via Iraq and Syria, the pro-government Star newspaper said. ‘At this moment, terrorists are using anti-aircraft guns and missiles supplied by Russia. The separatist terrorist organisation is equipped with these weapons. They have been transferred to them via Syria and Iraq,’ the newspaper reported Erdogan as saying.” The New York Times: Libyan Forces Advance In Push On Islamic State Strongholds “Libyan forces loyal to the U.N.-brokered government advanced on Monday against two key Islamic State strongholds, with several officials saying the troops had taken a town from the extremists. The forces entered Bin Jawad, 160 kilometers (99 miles) from the central city of Sirte, the main IS bastion in Libya. Salem Jedran, mayor of the nearby town of Ajdabiya, said troops with the so-called Petroleum Facilities Guards had advanced on Bin Jawad, which fell to IS in January. The unit's spokesman, Ali Alhassi, later said the troops had liberated the town after five were killed and 16 wounded. Saad Abu-Sharada, a representative from the area, confirmed the area was liberated Monday afternoon.” Business Standard: UN Says 4,000 Foreign Fighters In Syria, Iraq “At least 4,000 foreign fighters have travelled from European Union countries to fight IS and other militant groups in Syria and Iraq, the EU said in a new report on Monday citing data from 12 countries. Of the foreign fighters, five to 10 per cent were killed in combat and between 10 and 30 per cent returned home from war zones or were in a transit country, the EU's Agency for Fundamental Rights said in its 2016 report. The greatest number of foreign fighters were from France (1,550) followed by Germany and Great Britain (700 each) and Belgium (440), the Vienna-based agency said. A total of 80 foreign fighters were from Italy, said the report.” Reuters: Saudi Says Intercepts And Destroys Ballistic Missile From Yemen “Saudi Arabia has intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile fired from Yemen and a Saudi-led military coalition said in a statement late on Monday it may be forced to reconsider a truce that has been place since April. Saudi state news agency SPA quoted the statement as saying that the missile, the second such strike this month, was destroyed in mid-air without causing any casualties. The air force also destroyed the platform from which the missile was fired, it said. Saudi Arabia, leading a coalition of Arab states, intervened in Yemen in March last year mainly with air strikes to try to restore President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Houthis, backed by forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, had advanced on Hadi's temporary headquarters in the southern city of Aden, forcing him to flee the country. The war has killed more than 6,200 people and displaced more than 2.5 million people.” Australia Network News: Sex Slaves For Sale: ISIS Use Facebook To Sell 1,800 Women For Brutal Rape “The Islamic State is using Facebook as a platform to sell women as sex slaves to fellow terrorists. The price tag on the women being traded over the social networking site is determined by the demand and supply.” Haaretz: Israel's Interior Minister Moves To Revoke Citizenship Of Arab Terror Suspect “Interior Minister Arye Dery said on Sunday he was taking steps to revoke the citizenship of a man from Umm al-Fahm who has been charged in connection to a terror attack in Israel in October. Ala’a Ziwad confessed to deliberately ramming his car into two soldiers and then stabbing two additional people, at the Gan Shmuel intersection near Hadera, before he was subdued. Two soldiers, a 19-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man, were admitted to hospital in serious and moderate condition, respectively, after Ziwad hit them. In addition, a 14-year-old girl was hospitalized in moderate condition with stab wounds, while a 45-year-old man was treated for minor stab wounds.” Deutsche Welle: Exclusive: Boko Haram Victim Tells DW Of Captivity Near Chibok Girls “Christina Ijabla was held kidnapped by Boko Haram for two years. She's told DW about life in an Islamist militant prison camp and how she had seen the elusive Chibok girls, whose seizure sparked international outrage. ‘About a year ago, the fighters in Madagali took us to the Sambisa Forest [a Boko Haram stronghold near the border with Cameroon] It was a four-day forced march. They tried repeatedly to coerce us into marriage. We refused and they became even more violent and brutal. They said that they would kill us and our families and that they had complete control over us. Then they blindfolded one of the girls - one of us - and shot her before our very eyes. Then we did what they asked. From then on, the fighters slept with us, mostly in the evenings. We hardly saw them at all during the day. And if we put up any resistance, they would simply hit us.’” Syria CNN: Airstrikes In Syria Kill 23; Hospital Hit “At least 23 people were killed in airstrikes Monday night in the Syrian city of Idlib, according to a humanitarian group. Among the places hit was a local hospital, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Video posted by the Syrian Civil Defense, a volunteer search and rescue operation in the country, showed responders digging through the rubble, searching for survivors. One rescuer could be seen lifting the body of a young boy in his arms, his face covered in dust. Syria has been one of the more dangerous places in the world for doctors to operate in. As of December, 57% of public hospitals and 51% of public health centers in Syria are either partially functioning or closed down, according to the World Health Organization. About 15,000 doctors have fled Syria, according to the NGO Medics Under Fire, and those that remain risk their lives on a daily basis.” Reuters: U.S.-Backed Syrian Alliance Widens Offensive Near IS Capital “A U.S.-backed alliance of Syrian militias is widening an offensive against Islamic State near its de facto capital of Raqqa, targeting an area where the group controls a disused air base, a monitoring group and a Kurdish official said on Monday. The Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), which includes the Kurdish YPG militia, launched an attack against Islamic State-held areas north of Raqqa city last week. The city itself is not a target of the current offensive however, the SDF has said. In an expansion of the operation, the SDF is now targeting the IS-held area of Tabqa, some 60 km (40 miles), to the west of Raqqa city. IS captured Tabqa air base from government forces in 2014 at the height of its rapid expansion in Iraq and Syria, killing scores of Syrian soldiers there.” Reuters: Heavy Air Strikes On Syria's Idlib Kill And Injure Dozens: Monitor “Heavy air strikes in Syria's rebel-held city of Idlib on Monday evening killed and injured more than 150 people, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The war monitor said it believed the planes were Russian. At least seven strikes hit the western Syrian city, it added. Some struck the area where the national hospital is located, the war monitor said, noting that it did not think the strikes hit the hospital itself.” Iraq Voice Of America: Iraq's Lawmakers Prepare To Negotiate As Bombs Hit Baghdad “Iraq's lawmakers are said to be preparing to begin a fragile process of negotiation aimed at cracking the country's month-long political paralysis. But ahead of their expected gathering on Tuesday, Islamic State militants attacked Baghdad with a double bombing and a third explosion just north of the capital, killing at least 20 people. Monday's bombings were a reminder of the dangers of a drawn-out political stalemate. Previous bombings led to a wave of street protests and angry calls for the government leadership to step down. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Sunday addressed parliament, calling on lawmakers to set aside their differences until the ongoing fight for Fallujah was over.” CNN: Families Flee As Battle For Falluja Rages On “Iraqi forces started their operation to retake the ISIS stronghold with the help of Iraqi and coalition air support, Iraqi military spokesman Yahya Rasoul said on Iraqi state TV. Iraqi forces retook the village of Nuaimiya, just south of Falluja, closing in on the city itself, al-Iraqi TV reported. Earlier Monday, Iraqi military units and supporting militia captured a handful of settlements from ISIS near Falluja, including the town of Saqlawiya, about 10 kilometers (6.5 miles) northwest of the city, and the villages of al-Buaziz, al-Bu Efan and al-Shiha, north and west of Falluja, state-run TV reported. Iraqi government troops, backed by Shiite militias known as the Popular Mobilization Units and an air campaign by the U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition, launched the offensive last week to retake the ISIS stronghold, about 65 kilometers (40 miles) west of Baghdad, first targeting outlying settlements.” CNN: Teen Launches Suicide Attack In Iraq Marketplace “A teen suicide bomber blew himself up in an outdoor market on Sunday, a strike that killed at least five people, an Iraqi official said. The incident took place in Muqdadiya and a claim of responsibility by ISIS was posted on social media. Col. Mohammed Ibrahim, the spokesman of Iraq's Joint Operations Command, said the mother of the 14-year-old suicide attacker informed security officers in Muqdadiya that her son was planning to carry out the attack. Muqdadiya is 60 kilometers, or more than 37 miles, north of Baghdad and is in Diyala province, the scene of steady violence over the years.” Turkey Reuters: Turkish Shelling Kills 28 Islamic State Fighters North Of Aleppo: TV “Turkey's military killed at least 28 Islamic State fighters in shelling north of the Syrian city of Aleppo on Sunday in retaliation for the latest attacks against a Turkish border town, broadcaster CNN Turk said, citing a military statement. The attack hit 58 Islamic State targets with artillery and rocket launchers, CNN Turk said on Monday. The pro-government Sabah newspaper reported five people were injured on Friday when rockets fired from Islamic State-controlled territory in northern Syria hit the Turkish border province of Kilis, which is about 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Aleppo. Kilis has been hit by rockets from Islamic State-controlled territory more than 70 times since January, killing 21 people including children, in what security officials say has gone from accidental spillover to deliberate targeting.” Bloomberg: Turkey Stalls Offensive On Islamic State By Opposing Kurds “A proposed rebel assault to retake two Islamic State strongholds in northwestern Syria is bumping up against Turkey’s opposition to Kurdish participation in the campaign. The U.S. and Turkey both advocate such an offensive to clear the jihadist group from a 98-kilometer (62-mile) area along the Turkish border, including its bastions in the towns of Jarablus and Manbij, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said. While the U.S., in conjunction with Turkey and other nations, has been bombing Islamic State from the air, Syrian Kurdish fighters have been its chief partner on the ground. But Turkey regards the Syrian Kurdish fighters as closely affiliated with the outlawed Turkish Kurdish PKK group that’s been waging a separatist war for more than three decades. Only if they pull out of the rebel assault force can it launch an attack on Jarablus from Turkish soil, according to Cavusoglu.” Associated Press: Turkey Says It Could Seize IS Stronghold With US “Turkey's foreign minister suggested his country could carry out joint military operations with the United States to oust the Islamic State group from Syria. Speaking in Antalya late Sunday, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that operation could ‘easily advance to Raqqa,’ the main IS bastion in Syria. American special operations forces and a coalition known as the Syria Democratic Forces have begun clearing areas north of Raqqa in preparation for an eventual assault on the city. A major player in the coalition is the Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG, which Turkey — unlike the United States — views as a terrorist organization. Turkey is part of the U.S.-led coalition against IS and a Turkish air base is being used to launch bombing runs against IS.” Deutsche Welle: Six Dead In Attacks On Security Forces In Turkey's Southeast “A Kurdish bomb attack in southeastern Turkey killed at least four, and injured up to 19, in the predominantly Kurdish town of Silopi on Monday, according to the country's state-run news agency. They detonated the bomb as a police vehicle was passing. The police vehicle was reportedly patrolling the streets, a month after security forces ended military operations aimed at flushing out Kurdish militants in Silopi linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Silopi and several other towns and districts in southeastern Turkey were placed under curfew as Turkey's security forces fought Kurdish militants. The Silopi attack was carried out with improvised explosive device hidden inside a manhole, the Anadolu Agency said. Earlier in the day near the eastern city of Van, the PKK detonated a roadside bomb by remote control hitting a passing armored vehicle. Two police officers were killed and a third was wounded, sources said.” Afghanistan Voice Of America: Security Experts: Taliban Likely To Increase Attacks During Ramadan “The Taliban in Afghanistan is likely to increase attacks during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in an effort to demonstrate that the recent death of the group's leader has not affected it in any way, Afghan security experts say. Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan last week. ‘In order to show the world that they are not dead, Taliban will surge their attacks in the month of Ramadan’, said retired Afghan National Security General Wahid Taqat.  The Muslim holy month begins June 6. Afghan security officials insist they are prepared for any increase in attacks during Ramadan or any other time.” Voice Of America: Taliban Kills Around 57 Afghan Forces “Taliban militants in Afghanistan have intensified battlefield attacks, killing around 57 Afghan security forces and wounding 37 others in the restive southern Helmand province. Afghan officials say fierce fighting has raged since Saturday, when the Taliban launched a string of coordinated assaults on three districts, including Nad Ali, Gereshk and Marjah. Most of the casualties occurred in Nad Ali and Gereskh, said Major General Asmatullah Dawlatzai. The insurgents also overran four security outposts on the main road linking Marjah to the provincial capital of Lashkardah in the overnight fighting.” The New York Times: Taliban Overrun Afghan Police Checkpoints In Helmand Province “Taliban militants overran several checkpoints in southern Helmand Province and killed at least 25 policemen over the past two days, officials said on Monday, in the first major assaults in the province since the insurgents named a new leader last week. While the Taliban made major inroads in Helmand last year, the violence had seemed relatively contained in recent months, after broad changes by the Afghan Army there and a new influx of American troops and advisers. But the fighting has again intensified, with an increased tempo of attacks in the districts of Nad Ali, Gereshk, Sangin and Marja, as well as in Babaji, a suburb of the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah. Gul Agha, a commander of Afghan Local Police militia forces in Gereshk, said Taliban fighters had overrun five checkpoints in the district bordering the provincial capital, killed 12 fighters and executed their unit commander.” Yemen Voice Of America: Fighting Between Yemeni Forces, Rebels Kills 48 “Two days of fighting between Yemeni government forces and Houthi rebels have killed at least 48 people, Yemeni military officials said Sunday. The Iranian-backed rebels attacked in a region between central Marib and Shabwa provinces, and were beaten backed by loyalist solders. A Yemeni general says his forces will not stop fighting until they have retaken the entire region from the Houthis. A cease-fire between Yemeni forces and the rebels has largely held, despite occasional flare-ups of fighting. A cease-fire between Yemeni forces and the rebels has largely held, despite occasional flare-ups of fighting. The truce is aimed at reaching a permanent settlement in Yemen during ongoing U.N.-sponsored talks in Kuwait.” Associated Press: Yemen Rebels Launch Missile Into Saudi Arabia “Yemen's Houthi rebels have launched a missile over the border into Saudi Arabia for the first time in weeks in the latest violation of a shaky truce between the insurgents and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government. Pro-Houthi television channel al-Masirah said Monday that the rebels had launched a long-range missile into Saudi territory. Saudi Arabia's military said in a statement that several missiles had hit the Jizan border region, the first such strike in over a month, without wounding anyone. A truce between the warring parties that began April 10 has been deteriorating in recent days, with violations by both sides. The conflict in Yemen pits Shiite Houthi rebels and supporters of a former president against Yemen's internationally recognized government, supported by a Saudi-led, U.S.-backed coalition.” Egypt CNN: Muslim Brotherhood Spiritual Leader Mohamed Badie Receives Life Sentence “An Egyptian criminal court on Monday handed down a life sentence to the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood along with 35 other members of the outlawed Islamist group, a state-run news agency reported. Mohamed Badie, the group's ‘Supreme Guide,’ was among those found guilty of engaging in violent acts in the northeastern governorate of Ismailia in the wake of protests over the 2013 ouster of former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy, Egypt's state-run MENA reported. The court found the men guilty of killing three citizens in Ismailia governorate and attempting to kill 16 others, and attempting to occupy an official building in July 2013, Egyptian state media agency Al-Ahram reported.” Reuters: Egypt Journalist Union Chiefs Charged With Harboring Wanted Colleagues “Egyptian prosecutors on Monday ordered the head of the journalists union and two board members to be tried on charges of harboring colleagues wanted by the law, judicial sources said, a move that drew condemnation from rights groups. The trial of Yehia Qalash, Khaled al-Balshy, and Gamal Abdel Rahim will begin on Saturday at a Cairo misdemeanors court, the judicial sources said. The charges of harboring fugitives and spreading false news about a police raid of the union premises carry a maximum sentence of three years in jail, according to a legal expert. The prosecutors have not said what sentence they will seek. The journalists' lawyer Sayyed Abou Zeid told Reuters they denied the charges, which relate to a May 2 police raid on the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate to arrest two opposition journalists who had sought shelter from arrest inside.” Middle East The Times Of Israel: East Jerusalem Teens Nabbed In Stabbing Of Elderly Women “The Israel Police and Shin Bet security service arrested three underage East Jerusalem residents in connection with a stabbing attack earlier this month, in which two elderly Jewish women, one of them a Holocaust survivor, were moderately injured, officials said Monday. On May 10, a group of five elderly Israelis were walking along the Armon Hanatziv promenade in the capital — in an area of the park known as the Peace Forest — when two Arab teenagers wearing masks pulled out knives and the ‘wooden handle of an ax’ and attacked two of the women before fleeing the scene, police said. The victims, aged 82 and 86, were hospitalized in moderate condition. According to police, the attack was premeditated, and the suspects had discussed it ‘while they were at school through social media, specifically Facebook.’” The Jerusalem Post: Soldier Lightly Wounded In Likely Tel Aviv Terror Stabbing “A 19-year-old Palestinian stabbed and lightly wounded a soldier in Tel Aviv Monday evening in what police and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) are investigating as a likely terrorist attack. Tel Aviv District Police said that at 7:05 p.m. they received a report of a stabbing outside 132 Yigal Allon Street. Police said a Palestinian teen with a screwdriver stabbed and lightly wounded a 19-year-old soldier at the scene, before he was cornered by bystanders in an apartment building nearby. A cellphone video showed the attacker handcuffed at the top of a stairwell, with the two policemen detaining him shouting at an irate crowd of civilians to clear the area. Magen David Adom paramedic Roi Engel treated the wounded soldier.” Libya Reuters: Libyan Oil Guard Says Captures Coastal Town From Islamic State After Clashes “A force that controls oil terminals in eastern Libya said it had captured the town of Ben Jawad from Islamic State, pushing the militant group back along a coastal strip they control east of their stronghold of Sirte. Spokesman Ali al-Hassi said five Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) fighters had been killed and 18 wounded in fierce clashes in the coastal town, and that fighting was continuing in the nearby town of Nawfiliyah. A Ben Jawad resident told Reuters that PFG forces had entered the town and were combing the area to secure it. If the PFG can hold Ben Jawad it could prove significant, signaling the start of a new front in the campaign against Islamic State. The PFG has declared its support for Libya's U.N.-backed unity government. Other brigades that back the government advanced last week to the outskirts of Sirte from the west.” United Kingdom The Guardian: Music Fans Could Be Target Of Next UK Terror Attack - Security Chief “Music fans and nightclubbers could be the target of the next major terrorist attack in Britain, a top counter-terrorism officer has warned ahead of the country’s festival season. Music executives were invited alongside Premier League football bosses to a recent anti-terrorism briefing at Wembley stadium to hear the warning from Neil Basu, deputy assistant commissioner with the Metropolitan police, who is in charge of the country’s protective security. Many stadiums already have strict security measures in place to protect against the risk of terrorist attacks. But, Basu said in an interview with the Sunday Times, there were concerns over the risk to the night-time economy.” France The Telegraph: Euro 2016: The Five Key Areas The French Security Effort Will Focus On  “Earlier this month the French government announced that at Euro 2016 almost 100,000 police, soldiers and private security personnel would be deployed for the duration of the month-long tournament. ‘Such a unique event in exceptional circumstances requires extra security measures,’ said interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve. Law-enforcement authorities – many of whom will be heavily armed – will also have additional powers under a state of emergency that has been in place since November’s Paris attacks and was extended for a third time this month to cover the Euros. They include ­being able to place under house arrest anyone considered ‘a threat to security and public order’ and also permit a tightening of border controls and bans on public gatherings.” Technology Daily Mail: Terror Links To Migrants Revealed In Secret Report By Police Who Carried Out Security Checks In Refugee Camps “Two potential links to terrorists have been found by European police sent to carry out security checks on the thousands of migrants arriving in Greece, a top secret report reveals. The leaked Europol file reveals officers made 68 ‘hits’ on their database of criminal suspects while searching new arrivals. At least one terror case is linked to people smugglers helping Syrian refugees cross the Mediterranean to Turkey. It will heighten fears that Islamic State chiefs are using the migrant crisis to smuggle battle-hardened jihadis into Europe where they can carry out devastating attacks on civilians. At least one of the suicide bombers who blew himself up in Paris last year had entered Greece on a migrant boat with a fake Syrian passport.” Arabic Language Clips Counter Extremism Project Afrigatenews: CEP: Europe Will Face More Terrorist Attacks A new study by the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) warns that European countries will face further terror attacks unless authorities significantly change their policies and actions. Researchers indicated that since the end of World War II, extremist groups have carried out numerous acts of violence in Europe in the pursuit of political and religious objectives. The policy responses on the part of European governments to these terrorist acts have, however, too often been weak and off-the-cuff, and have failed to deter future attacks or dismantle terrorist networks. Financing of Terrorism Norden Arab: Increasing Number Of Suspicious Cases Related To Terrorist Financing From Outside Sweden The number of cases suspected of being related to the financing of terrorism from outside Sweden rose last year. The main reason for this rise is the growing number of complaints filed by Swedish banks and financial institutions to the financial police regarding suspicious cases. Angelica Wallmark, head of the police section for financial crimes, was quoted as saying, "The number (of complaints) has nearly doubled, and this is a result of the growing activities by informants. This is related, for example, to young men who are unemployed but suddenly start collecting money and asking for bank loans or financial aid. The intensity of their activity triggers suspicions of terrorism, which are reported by informants." Wallmark noted that the annual police report for 2015 indicates an increase in the number of cases last year, and there is a clear link to the fact that in recent years more Swedes have travelled overseas to join terror groups that incite violence. RTV: Study: 65 Percent Of Young Tunisians Lured By Terrorist Organizations Are Aged 17-19 A recently published Tunisian study indicated that 65 percent of young people who are being lured by terrorist organizations fall within the ages of 17-19. Lilia Bouguera, a Tunisian expert in teen psychology, who also authored the study, noted that it included about 200 young men and women between the ages of 13 and 25 who were arrested in Tunisia on charges of committing terrorist acts. The study further revealed that 85 percent of the targeted youth belong to low-income families. These findings correspond to the data reported in global studies conducted on the recruitment of youth to terrorist groups. Al-Akhbar: The Sale Of Shares Of Credit Libanais: Shareholders Being Monitored By Washington On Suspicion Of Financing Terrorism The Central Board of the Bank of Lebanon is scheduled on Wednesday to discuss several topics on its agenda, most notably the request by the Bank of Credit Libanais to approve an increase in the bank shares of CIH Bahrain International Holding SAL from 23.52% to 35.06%. The discussion on this matter, which has been delayed for several weeks, is a source of great embarrassment to the Governor of the Bank of Lebanon, Riad Salameh. This comes amid calls to apply the US law against Hezbollah. The abovementioned company is a subsidiary of Capital Investment Holding Company, whose majority shares are owned by the heirs of Khalid bin Mahfouz, namely Abdul Rahman, Sultan and Iman. They are all suspected by the US Administration of bankrolling al-Qaeda and ISIS. Their names appear on two blacklists circulated recently by Lebanon's Special Investigation Commission to all banks and financial institutions operating in Lebanon, requesting scrutiny of their accounts. ISIS Akhbar Libya: ISIS's Zakat Official Flees Sirte In Possession Of 100,000 Dinars An ISIS financial officer managed to flee the Libyan city of Sirte in possession of huge sums of money, after being aided and abetted by a Libyan member of the organization there. A media source close to the terrorist organization was quoted as saying that ISIS's "Prince of Zakat Fund and Charity," who is an Eritrean national, fled Sirte in possession of a sum estimated at more than 100,000 dinars ($75,000). This money was collected from the people of the city by the so-called ISIS's "Diwan al-Hisbah." They added that the ISIS fugitive had escaped with the help of a Libyan member of ISIS from the city of Sirte. Sputnik: ISIS Conveys Its Treasure-Chest From Fallujah To Mosul The sense of impending defeat by ISIS in western Iraq, following the advance of Iraqi forces in the city of Fallujah, compelled it to relocate its money and gold to Mosul, its last stronghold in the north of the country. The first batch of Fallujah assets, including gold, was shipped on the second day of the battle launched to liberate the city on Monday of last week. According to sources in Mosul, ISIS transferred "up to $8 million." Hezbollah Aljazeera.Net: US Eager To Punish Hezbollah Financially The visit to Lebanon by Daniel Glaser, the Assistant Secretary for the US Department of the Treasury, presented an opportunity for him to demand that local officials abide by the principles and procedures of the law for drying up Hezbollah's financial sources. For its part, the Shiite group stated that carrying out such procedures would be tantamount to an assault on Lebanese sovereignty. Glaser met with a number of Lebanese officials, following which informed sources claimed that he had told his hosts that "the law against the illegal funding of Hezbollah should be applied for the benefit of Lebanon and its interests." He also underscored "the need to protect Lebanon's banking system through the fulfillment of its international obligations." Sabr: United Arab Emirates: Defendant In Hezbollah Cell Received $2 Million Dollars In Exchange For Spying The State Security Chamber of the UAE Federal Supreme Court in Abu Dhabi discussed several cases yesterday. It heard arguments of the public prosecutor in the case of seven Arab defendants accused of divulging classified information pertaining to a government department to the Lebanese terrorist group of Hezbollah and to a foreign state. The prosecutor disclosed that the first defendant had consented to cooperate with Hezbollah in exchange for $2 million. In addition, he was granted lavish gifts, including a top luxury watch brand and gold jewels for his wife. In another case, the Federal Supreme Court acquitted four defendants yesterday accused of financing and cooperating with terrorist organizations. Muslim Brotherhood Elfagr: Flight Of The Muslim Brotherhood Owner Of Assets For Real Estate Company To The United Arab Emirates After Robbing 500 Million (Egyptian Pounds) From His Victims The Egyptian Public Funds Investigations (PFI) is looking for a Brotherhood businessman, identified as Ahmed G. A, after he allegedly stole 500 million pounds ($57 million) from unsuspecting citizens. Ahmed promised to build them chalets and apartments on the northern coast of the governorate of Marsa Matrouh. His duped victims later discovered that the project has been at a standstill since 2014 and the land is not owned by the Muslim Brotherhood conman. The PFI seized the offices of "Assets for Real Estate Co.," owned by Ahmed G. A., who also owns SWANI North Coast Co. It did so to protect the rights of the company's customers. It also issued an international alert to Interpol to follow his movements and place him on their wanted list. The Seventh Day: (Egypt's) Brotherhood Asset Freeze Committee Seizes Currency Exchange Company That Collected And Smuggled Dollars Abroad Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood Asset Freeze Committee, headed by Dr. Mohammed Yasser Abu El-Fotouh, decided to close all "Al-Nouran for Exchange" Company's branches. The committee announced that the decision was taken after proving that the company's employees, who are members of the Brotherhood, were involved in speculative trading of foreign currencies. In addition, the company collected US dollars and manipulated the US currency's rate beyond the official rates announced by the Central Bank of Egypt. The committee seized nine million Egyptian pounds ($1.02 million) found in Al-Nouran Company's offices. It also recommended deleting any mention of the company from the Central Bank of Egypt's records for deliberately causing damage and detriment to the national economy. Anadolu Agency: Egyptian Authorities Seized Funds Of 65 Individuals Belonging To The Muslim Brotherhood Egyptian authorities announced on Sunday the seizure of funds owned by 65 individuals belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood. The governmental judicial committee declined to divulge details about the names of the individuals whose funds were appropriated. Elwatan News: (Egypt's) Brotherhood Asset (Freeze Committee) Restructures 110 Seized Schools And Appoints New Principals To Run Them Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood Asset Freeze Committee, in coordination with the board managing Muslim Brotherhood schools, known in the Ministry of Education as "June 30 Schools", announced the restructuring of all seized schools. The ministry claims the number of seized schools comes to 110. The Committee decided to appoint "qualified and trained" principals to run these schools ahead of preparations for the 2016/2017 academic year. Albawabh News: Knockout To The Terror (Group)… Brotherhood Asset Freeze (Committee) Seizes 26 Foreign Exchange Companies And 29 Million Egyptian Pounds Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood Asset Freeze Committee, headed by Judge Dr. Mohammed Yasser Abu El-Fotouh, leveled a painful blow to the group by appropriating 26 of its foreign exchange companies. According to the Committee, these companies were implicated in financing several terrorist operations in Egypt, through receipt of funds from the international arm of the organization. The Committee is expected, in the near future, to monitor numerous forex companies being surveilled by the security authorities for their alleged involvement in supporting the group and obtaining outside funding to commit terrorist acts against the Egyptian army and police forces. Parlmany: (Egyptian MP) Ahmed Farghali: Manipulation By Brotherhood Currency Exchange Companies Does Not Affect The Egyptian Economy As Rumored MP Ahmed Farghali, Member of the Economic Affairs Committee of the Egyptian Parliament, stated that the trading being manipulated by Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated foreign exchange companies has had little to no effect on the Egyptian economy. This comment by Farghali came in response to the decision by Muslim Brotherhood Asset Freeze Committee to close all the offices of "Al-Nouran for Exchange" Company. The Committee claimed the decision was adopted after proving that the company's employees, who are members of the Brotherhood, were involved in speculative trading of foreign currencies. In addition, the company was implicated in collecting US dollars and manipulating the US currency's rate beyond the official rates announced by the Central Bank of Egypt. Farghali noted that if the involvement of Brotherhood-affiliated companies is indeed proven, the damage will be limited and will not impact the economy of Egypt as a whole. Houthi Ababiil.Net: Houthi Militias Loot Money Changers And Blackmail Merchants The Houthi terror group, which controls the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, has turned to "security solutions" in dealing with the devaluation crisis in the local currency. This was reflected by the recent detention of dozens of money changers. The group is also forcing merchants to announce price cuts in their products. A few days ago Houthi gunmen raided the offices of a Sanaa-based currency exchange company and robbed the cash they found there. They later captured the company's owner. Almasirah TV Channel, the Houthis' mouthpiece, quoted a Houthi source as saying that their security forces had detained the owner of the "Ben Amir for Exchange" in possession of large sums of hard currency after verifying his involvement in speculative trading of foreign currency.