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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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