Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Eye on Extremism - May 4, 2016

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Eye on Extremism

May 4, 2016

Reuters: Rebels Launch Assault In Syria's Aleppo, Diplomats Try To Revive Truce
“Rebel fighters launched an assault in Syria's divided northern city of Aleppo on Tuesday and fired rockets on a hospital in the latest violence to hit civilians as diplomats struggled to restore an unraveling ceasefire and resurrect peace talks. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based group that monitors the conflict, said rebel rockets had killed 19 people in government-held territory, including an unspecified number at the al-Dabit hospital. It described a rebel offensive that led to casualties on both sides. Rebels had hit a government gun position with a guided missile. The Syrian state-run Ikhbariya news channel said three women were killed at the hospital and 17 people wounded. A Damascus Information Ministry statement called it a crime against humanity.”
CNN: Top U.S. Intel Official: ISIS Can Stage Europe-Style Attacks In U.S.
“ISIS has the capability to stage a Paris-style attack in the U.S. using local cells to strike in multiple locations and inflict dozens of casualties, according to the Obama administration's top U.S. intelligence official. ‘They do have that capacity,’ Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told CNN's Peter Bergen in an exclusive interviews on ‘AC 360’ on terrorism, Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda's most virulent offshoot -- ISIS. ‘That's something we worry about a lot in the United States, that they could conjure up a raid like they did in Paris or Brussels,’ where March attacks on a train and at an airport left 32 dead and 300 people injured, Clapper said. The November Paris attacks killed at least 130.”
CNN: Navy SEAL Charles Keating IV Killed In Iraq After ISIS Breaks Through Peshmerga Lines
“Navy SEAL Charles Keating IV, the grandson of savings-and-loan financier Charles Keating Jr.,died in combat against ISIS in northern Iraq, his family said Tuesday. ‘He is our family hero in every sense of the word,’ cousin Elizabeth Ann Keating told CNN. Keating, 31, is the third American combat casualty since the U.S. redeployed forces to Iraq in the summer of 2014 to advise local forces and conduct special operations against ISIS. He was an adviser to Kurdish Peshmerga forces fighting ISIS, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said in a statement Tuesday. He died as a result of a ‘coordinated and complex attack’ by roughly 100 ISIS fighters nearly 30 km (18.6 miles) north of Mosul, Pentagon officials confirmed Tuesday.”
Voice Of America: Pakistan: No Military Action Against Afghan Taliban On Its Soil
“Pakistan is rejecting Afghan demands for military action against Taliban commanders within Pakistan and emphasizes the need to continue talks for a settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan. In Islamabad Tuesday, Pakistani foreign policy adviser Sartaj Aziz dismissed demands by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani that Pakistan evict Taliban insurgents through military action or arrest and hand them over to Kabul for trial and punishment for killing innocent Afghans. Ghani recently announced that Afghanistan will not seek Pakistan's help in arranging reconciliation talks with the Taliban. Aziz called Afghan outrage at Pakistan an expression of frustration because they (Afghan leaders) were expecting reconciliation talks would have started by now and led to a reduction in violence.”
The New York Times: Bountiful Afghan Opium Harvest Yields Profits For The Taliban
“It is spring that determines how a year turns out, according to an Afghan proverb. And if the Helmand poppy fields this spring are any indication, the Taliban will have a very good year. As the opium harvest winds down across Helmand Province, Afghanistan’s largest in territory and poppy cultivation, farmers and officials are reporting high yields. The skies were generous with heavy rainfall, and the Afghan government with its cancellation of annual eradication campaigns. It had lost much of the territory in Helmand to the Taliban anyway. So it was with peace of mind that farmers, and thousands of seasonal laborers who had traveled to Helmand, scraped the gum from the opium bulbs. Taliban fighters were just around the corner to lend a hand — and to receive their share of wages and taxes, in cash or kind. The crowded fields amounted to an insurgent recruiter’s dream.”
Haaretz: Three Israeli Soldiers Wounded In Suspected Car-Ramming Attack In West Bank
“A suspected car-ramming attack wounded three Israeli soldiers, one of them seriously, northwest of Ramallah in the West Bank on Tuesday. According to a preliminary investigation, a vehicle rammed into the three, who were manning the Ein Arik roadblock. The driver was shot and killed at the scene. A helicopter evacuated the seriously wounded soldier to Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, where doctors said his life was in danger. The two other victims were lightly wounded and evacuated for medical care at Jerusalem's Hadassah University Hospital, Ein Karem.”
Politico: Terror Threat High At Euro 2016: French Interior Minister
“The Euro 2016 soccer competition due to kick off in France June 10 is a likely target for terrorists, French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve warned Tuesday. ‘This great international-sized festive event represents a risk because of the ability groups still have to target our country, and I want us to be able to use every means possible to overcome the threat,’ Cazeneuve told a parliamentary committee. The government plans to extend France’s state of emergency, which came into force following the November attacks in Paris, by two months as a result. ‘We must not think we are safe or that the imminent danger that justified the declaration of the state of emergency in November has disappeared,’ he said.”
BBC: Nigeria Officials 'Stole $15bn' From Anti-Boko Haram Fight
“About $15bn (£10bn) was stolen from the fight against militant Islamists in Nigeria under the previous government, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has said. The money was diverted through fraudulent arms contracts, he added. Several allies of ex-President Goodluck have been put on trial after being accused of awarding fake arms contracts worth $2bn. They deny any wrongdoing. President Muhammadu Buhari, who came to office last year, has vowed to fight corruption and recover ‘stolen funds’. Those facing charges included former National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki, ex-military chiefs and several contractors. They have all pleaded not guilty.”
Fortune: The Many Ways Terrorists Communicate Online
“Security firm Trend Micro recently analyzed thousands of alleged terrorist accounts to see how they communicate online. The company found that Google’s Gmail was the most popular email application among terrorists it analyzed, accounting for 34% of all accounts. Next up was the encrypted Mail2Tor with 21%, followed by other secure services, like Sigaint at 19% market share. Interestingly, Yahoo Mail also found its way into the list, with 12% of the more than 2,300 accounts Trend Micro analyzed relying on that platform for email services. The findings come at a time when debate over how to target and intercept terrorist plots as they communicate online has hit a fever pitch.”

United States

Reuters: U.S. Gathers Allies On Next Steps In Islamic State Fight
“The United States gathered defense ministers from 11 other countries for talks on Wednesday about ways to strengthen the campaign against Islamic State, a day after a U.S. Navy SEAL was killed in Iraq during an attack by the militant group. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter told the defense ministers that despite recent gains ‘this fight is far from over’. ‘That point was brought into stark relief by yesterday's attack on Peshmerga forces in northern Iraq, which unfortunately claimed the life of an American service member,’ Carter said, speaking at the start of talks at the U.S. military's European Command headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. The talks included ministers from France, Britain and Germany and were planned well in advance of Tuesday's news that a U.S. Navy SEAL was killed in northern Iraq when Islamic State fighters blasted through Kurdish defenses and overran a town.”
BBC: Syria Conflict: Assad Strategy Won't End Civil War, Says Kerry
“US Secretary of State John Kerry has warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that seeking military gains will not end the civil war. Mr Kerry said there would be ‘repercussions’ if the Syrian government flouted a cessation of violence agreed in February. A resurgence in fighting, particularly in the northern city of Aleppo, has threatened to derail the partial truce. More than 250 people have been killed in Aleppo in the past 10 days. As diplomatic efforts intensified on Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said a unilateral truce declared by the Syrian military could be extended to Aleppo ‘in the next few hours’.”
Reuters: Navy SEAL Killed By ISIS In Iraq, Third Serviceman To Due In US Fight Against Islamic State
“Islamic State militants killed a U.S. Navy SEAL in northern Iraq on Tuesday after blasting through Kurdish defenses and overrunning a town in the biggest offensive in the area for months, officials said. The elite serviceman was the third American to be killed in direct combat since a U.S.-led coalition launched a campaign in 2014 to "degrade and destroy" Islamic State and is a measure of its deepening involvement in the conflict. ‘It is a combat death, of course, and a very sad loss,’ U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter told reporters during a trip to Germany. A U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the dead serviceman was a Navy SEAL. The SEALs are considered to be among the most able U.S. special operations forces and capable of taking on dangerous missions. The serviceman's identity and rank were not disclosed.”

Syria

Wall Street Journal: Hospital Hit As Fighting Flares In Aleppo, Syria
“Renewed fighting between the Assad regime and rebel groups killed more than a dozen people in the Syrian city of Aleppo on Tuesday amid a flurry of diplomatic efforts to try to renew the cease-fire there. After meeting in Moscow with the U.N. envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said an agreement on a truce in Aleppo province could come soon, ‘maybe even within hours.’ The two men spoke with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday. Aleppo saw some of the worst violence in the five-year conflict last week, with at least 250 people killed in clashes and bombardments by regime and allied Russian warplanes, according to residents and aid groups.”

Iraq

The Washington Post: US Combat Death In Iraq Reflects Intensifying War
“The combat death of a U.S. Navy SEAL who was advising Kurdish forces in Iraq coincides with a gradually deepening American role in fighting a resilient Islamic State, even as the Iraqis struggle to muster the military and political strength to defeat the militants. Over the course of the nearly two-year-old campaign, the Pentagon has slowly expanded the American military role. The strategy, criticized by some as incremental and inadequate, aims to ensure that the Iraqis do the ground combat, supported by U.S. airpower, special operations advisers and others. As the Iraqis have gained competence and confidence and prepared an assault in hopes of retaking Mosul, the Pentagon has announced plans to put more U.S. troops in Iraq and place them closer to the front lines.”
Reuters: Islamic State Breaches Peshmerga Defenses North Of Mosul
“Islamic State militants attacked Kurdish peshmerga forces on multiple fronts in northern Iraq on Tuesday, breaching their defenses and briefly taking over a town, military sources said. The attacks around the northern city of Mosul are the largest against Kurdish forces in recent months by the insurgents, who have been losing ground to an array of forces in the north and west of the country. The head of a Christian militia said the insurgents had overrun their positions at dawn around the town of Tel Asqof, 20 km (12 miles) north of Mosul, and occupied it until being beaten back with the help of air strikes from a U.S.-led coalition.”

Turkey

Reuters: Dozens Of Kurdish Militants Killed In Air Strikes, Clashes: Turkish Military
“At least 42 Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants were killed in air strikes and clashes on Monday and Tuesday and three soldiers died, the Turkish military said on Tuesday. It said Turkish warplanes hit caves and gun positions of the PKK in the Qandil mountains in northern Iraq, where its leadership is based, late on Monday, killing 18 fighters. It also said one soldier and five militants were killed in clashes in a rural area of Cukurca in Hakkari province, which borders Iran and Iraq, on Tuesday. In operations on Monday, six PKK fighters were killed in Nusaybin, near the Syrian border, seven in the town of Sirnak and one in Cukurca, a military statement said. On Monday, PKK militants armed with rocket launchers and rifles attacked a military outpost in the Semdinli district of Hakkari province, setting off a clash in which two Turkish soldiers and five PKK fighters were killed, the military said.”
Reuters: Car Bomb Blast In Southeast Turkey Kills One Turkish Soldier, Wounds Five
“Kurdish militants launched a car bomb attack near a military installation in southeast Turkey overnight, killing one soldier and wounding five people, the armed forces said in a statement on Wednesday. Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants were behind the attack at 00:50 am (2150 GMT) near a gendarmerie base in the Derik district of Mardin province, near the Syrian border, the military said. Four of the wounded were soldiers, it said. At least 42 PKK fighters were killed in air strikes in northern Iraq and clashes in southeast Turkey on Monday and Tuesday and three soldiers died, the military said on Tuesday. Thousands of militants and hundreds of security force members and civilians have been killed since the conflict between the PKK and the Turkish state resumed last July after a 2-1/2-year ceasefire.”
The Jerusalem Post: The Threat Of Foreign Terrorist Fighters And Turkey’s Efforts To Combat Them
“In summer 2015, Turkish authorities captured Belgian Ibrahim El Bakraoui along the Turkish-Syrian border. He was removed to the Netherlands after being suspected of intending to be a foreign terrorist fighter (FTF). Bakraoui was one of the Islamic State-cell suicide bombers at the Brussels airport in March 2016. Bakraoui’s expulsion from Turkey rekindles the need to reexamine the FTF phenomenon and the roles that Turkey is undertaking to combat FTFs. The risks arising from FTFs are manifold. Besides contributing varying skills to terrorist groups – mainly Islamic State (ISIS) – they may also contribute funds and legitimize the cause. In addition, assuming FTFs return with lingering violent dispositions, they may participate in a ‘lone wolf’ attack, recruit others to undertake a larger- scale attack, develop networks for multiple future operations, participate in the sourcing of funds and weapons and scope future targets for other operatives.”

Yemen

Yemen: U.N. Yemen Envoy Says Peace Talks To Resume In Kuwait On Wednesday
“U.N. backed peace talks to end Yemen's civil war will resume on Wednesday after they were suspended by the Yemeni government in protest at a Houthi assault on a military base in the capital Sanaa on Sunday. Buttressed by a truce which had been largely holding since April 10, the talks in Kuwait had been inching ahead before their suspension and the Houthis said Saudi Arabia had on Saturday released 40 Yemeni prisoners. ‘The participants will convene tomorrow, Wednesday, in a joint work session to follow up with the agreed agenda,’ a statement by U.N. special envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, said late on Tuesday. The statement also said the committee monitoring the cessation of hostilities would issue a report in 72 hours about the violence of recent days and issue recommendations for all sides to stick to.”
The Washington Post: How Can Al-Qaeda In The Arabian Peninsula Be Defeated?
“Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) went ‘on the run’ 10 days ago as UAE-supported military forces closed in on the city of Mukalla, AQAP’s de facto capital in eastern Yemen. Saudi state media celebrated a mass annihilation of fleeing AQAP fighters. In reality, the evidence from the ground was more complex. According to my sources in and around the city — borne out by other reporting — AQAP conducted a tactical withdrawal following negotiations with local intermediaries. It remains a coherent organization. This ‘liberation’ of Mukalla from al-Qaeda rule raises awkward questions. First, how was AQAP able to facilitate a graceful exit, such that it can regroup and bide its time to return? Second, and more fundamentally, how has AQAP continued to spread its influence despite its undoubted losses sustained during years of drone strikes?”

Middle East

BBC: Israel-Palestinian Tensions Return To Boiling Point
“In the week or so I have been back in Jerusalem, a few people have asked me what it is I am here to cover. I thought it should be obvious. The violence. Repeated attacks on Israelis by Palestinians, and the response by Israeli security forces. But I have had quite a few bemused shrugs from journalist colleagues. Why now, when it has been going on since last October? I was in Jerusalem last autumn reporting on it. What has changed? The longer something goes on the more it tends to slip down the news agenda. But the point is that violence that becomes part of the scenery is just as dangerous as when first it grabs headlines.”
Reuters: Israeli Who Abducted, Killed Palestinian Teen Gets Life Term
“An Israeli man convicted of murdering a Palestinian teenager in Jerusalem, a crime that helped trigger the 2014 Gaza war, was sentenced on Tuesday to life in prison. Jerusalem District Court sentenced Yosef Haim Ben-David, who organized the killing of 16-year-old Mohammed Abu Khudair, to life, which in Israel usually means around 25 years, and an additional 20 years for other counts, to be served consecutively. Two Jewish youths who helped Ben-David abduct the teen, who was bludgeoned, strangled and burned alive, were sentenced in February, one to life imprisonment and the other to 21 years.”

Libya

Telegraph: Cash-Strapped Islamic State Fighters In Libya Forced To Sell Chickens And Eggs In The Street
“Islamic State fighters in the Libyan city of Sirte are selling chickens and eggs by the roadside to make ends meet, it has been claimed. The terror group has instructed its footsoldiers to act as street vendors as a Western-backed military campaign puts pressure on their finances. As a result, fighters more used to swaggering down the streets with AK-47s have taken on the rather humbler role of selling produce from Isil-controlled poultry farms, according to local media.  Even so, they still choose to keep their intimidating black balaclava masks on - perhaps out of embarrassment.”  

United Kingdom

Express: Terror Warning: British Embassy Told To Leave Turkey By Islamist Group
“Hizb ut-Tahrir has written an open letter to staff at both embassies ordering them to ‘end [their] atrocities’ and leave the country ‘immediately.’ The letter accuses the UK of being the instigators of terrorism, warning that Turkish people do not support western involvement. It also claims that Western states have used the ‘human rights’ argument and 9/11 as an excuse to get involved in international conflicts. The international and non-violent Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir was founded in 1953 - decades before Islamic State (ISIS) - with the soul intention of 'resuscitating the caliphate'.”

Europe

Daily Caller: NATO Confirms Who Will Lead Fight Against ISIS In Libya, And It Isn’t The US
“Secretary of Defense Ash Carter confirmed while traveling in Germany Tuesday Italy has volunteered to lead any pending operations against Islamic State in Libya. Carter’s comments came during a press conference just after attending a change-of-command ceremony for U.S. European Command. Joined by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford and the newly minted Supreme Allied Commander of Europe Curtis Scaparrotti, Carter explained to reporters how the Pentagon intends to address the rise of Islamic State in Libya. Italy first mulled the idea of leading operations against ISIS in February after the terrorist group engaged in a hotel bombing in Tripoli and beheaded 21 Christians on video.”
Eurasian Review: Terrorism Hits Economic Growth As Commission Unveils Spring Forecast
“Security concerns and the risk of new terrorist attacks are expected to further damage European economies in the next few months, against a backdrop of the weak economic growth seen in the EU over the last years, the European Commission warned in its spring economic forecasts on Tuesday. The Commission said that output will continue to grow but will not accelerate ‘significantly’ as the boost from the cheap oil and the euro’s depreciation will soon fade away. The executive expects a GDP growth of 1.6% for the eurozone this year and 1.8% in 2017, compared with 1.6% and 1.9% predicted in the winter forecast. For the EU as a whole, the economy will grow by 1.8% in 2016 and 1.9% in 2017, compared with 1.9% and 2% expected in the previous forecast.”

Arabic Language Clips

Terrorism Financing

Almasar Online: Governor Of Al-Qassim: Terror Financier Betrays His Religion
Prince Dr. Faisal bin Mishaal bin Saud bin Abdulaziz, Governor of al-Qassim Region, asserted that a terror financier is betraying his religion, and anyone engaged in this kind of financing is a traitor to his country. The Saudi prince explained that while a terror financier avoids self-sacrifice, he encourages others to sacrifice themselves in terrorist operations that kill innocent victims and commit acts of sabotage and destruction. The Governor of al-Qassim made these comments in a speech he delivered during the Regional Council's weekly meeting, held Monday in Buraidah. The meeting, which focused on combating the financing of terrorism, came as part of the campaign entitled "Together Against Terrorism and Deviant Thought" launched by Prince Faisal a year ago. During his speech, he stressed that the state is fighting terrorism in all its forms. The Governor noted that terror financing has reached dangerous levels, which pose a serious concern for the state in its efforts to protect its holy sites and its achievements. Faisal asserted that the state is making enormous efforts, mainly through the Ministry of Interior, to address these threats.

ISIS

Libya Akhbar: The Economic Crisis Is Pushing ISIS In Sirte To Sell Chickens And Eggs
Residents from the Libyan city of Sirte reported that "in a bid to obtain new funds, ISIS members have begun selling chickens and eggs from farms seized by the group when it entered the city." They also revealed that the terror group has imposed a new system for the collection of taxes by forcing residents of Sirte to pay rent for shops and homes, even if they are the owners. In addition, ISIS forces residents to pay 10 dinars (about $7) a week for cleaning the streets, which clearly indicates the economic crunch faced by the group. A resident of the city named Ali was quoted as saying, "ISIS militants stand in the streets of the city wearing black uniforms with their faces covered and sell chicken and eggs in exchange for low prices ranging between 1 and 2 dinars ($0.75 to $1.5).

Muslim Brotherhood

Akhbar Elyom: Chairman Of The Arab Contractors (Company): Brotherhood Tried To Seize The Company In 2012
Chairman of the Arab Contractors Company, Mohsen Salah, disclosed that in 2012 the company was subject to a "Brotherhoodization" attempt by the chairman of the board of directors at that time. Salah explained that the Arab Contractors is a government-owned company whose profits go directly to the state treasury. He emphasized that the company competes with international companies in terms of the quality of execution and the construction costs of projects of any size and scope. He confirmed that the company's capital amounts to 5 billion pounds ($570 million) and it employs 80,000 workers.
Elwatan News: (Egypt's) Military Court Postpones To May 10th The Trial Of 31 Brotherhood Members On Charges Of Manufacturing Drones
Egypt's Military Justice Court in Mansoura postponed the trial of 31 members of the "Muslim Brotherhood" to May 10th. They are charged with forming a terrorist cell to manufacture a drone, operated by remote control, for terrorist purposes. The court demanded to hear witnesses, but ultimately decided to postpone the case until the witnesses can attend.

Houthi

From-Yemen: This Is The Sum Spent By Houthi Militia On Printing Pictures Of Its Founder
A new document revealed that Houthi militia spent 250 million riyals ($1.16 million) from Yemen's public funds on printing pictures of the founder of the militia, Sheikh Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, marking the anniversary of the day on which he was killed. Sources in Yemen claim this is another example of the scandalous behavior of the militia, which "robs the people's money for the benefit of its militants."

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