Eye on Extremism June 15, 2016

Eye on Extremism June 15, 2016 Fox News: Mateen's Rampage, Likeness Used In Twisted ISIS Recruiting Campaign “Mere hours after Omar Mateen slaughtered 49 people inside a gay Orlando nightclub early Sunday morning, ISIS sympathizers began using images of the Muslim gunman to recruit other jihadis. As selfies Mateen previously posted to personal social media accounts flooded the Internet soon after the deadly shooting at Pulse, pro-ISIS social media accounts started posting the pictures slickly photoshopped alongside slogans such as “Today in Florida Tomorrow in Berlin!” In one example, Mateen’s name is emphasized by fiery letters and the description “Soldier of the Khlafah.”” The New York Times: Omar Mateen’s Wife Under Scrutiny by F.B.I., Official Says “F.B.I. investigators suspect that the wife of the Orlando gunman, Omar Mateen, might have been aware that he was plotting an attack, and the agency is trying to determine her level of involvement, a senior law enforcement official said Tuesday. The wife, Noor Zahi Salman, told the F.B.I. that she had driven him to the Pulse nightclub at some point before the attack and that she had also been with him when he bought ammunition, the official said. But she also said she had tried to talk him out of waging an attack, the official said. Ms. Salman is not in custody, the official said. While a person who withholds knowledge of a crime could face criminal charges, she is not facing imminent arrest, and no decisions have been made on whether she might be prosecuted, the official said.” Reuters: Flow Of Civilians From Iraq's Falluja Slows As IS Tightens Grip “About 40,000 residents of Falluja, Islamic State's besieged stronghold near Baghdad, have fled in the last three weeks, but a similar number are trapped despite the Iraqi army's attempts to secure escape routes for them, officials said on Tuesday. Officials in Anbar province, where Falluja is located, said Islamic State was tightening control over civilian movement in the center where the United Nations and a provincial official estimate around 40,000 civilians are stuck with little food or water. The group has used residents as human shields to slow the troops' advance and thwart the air campaign backing them.” The New York Times: Killing Twice For ISIS And Saying So Live On Facebook “He stabbed an off-duty police officer and left him bleeding to death on his own doorstep. He forced his way inside the home and stabbed and killed the officer’s female companion. He then sat down and videotaped himself live on Facebook declaring allegiance to the Islamic State, according to the French law enforcement authorities. Sitting just behind him was the couple’s son, a terrified 3-year-old boy, of whom Larossi Abballa, the killer, said dismissively, “I have not decided what to do with him,” according to David Thomson, a French journalist for Radio France Internationale and the author of a book on jihadists who saw Mr. Abballa’s online posts before they were taken down.” Fox News: US Military Officials 'Skeptical' Of Reports ISIS Leader Al-Baghdadi Killed “Pentagon officials said Tuesday they were "skeptical" about reports that an airstrike from the U.S.-led coalition in Syria killed Islamic State terror leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. "We have seen these types of reports before, here in Iraq and in other operations, and until we have confirmation, we are going to practice healthy skepticism," Col. Christopher C. Garver, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, told Fox News.” Reuters: U.N. Approves High Seas Crackdown On Libya Arms Smuggling “The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday unanimously authorized a crackdown on arms smuggling in the high seas off Libya by allowing the inspection of vessels to seize and dispose of illicit weapons. The European Union proposed the council resolution to expand its naval operation in the Mediterranean, which the 15-member Security Council authorized in October to seize and dispose of boats operated by human traffickers. The council resolution expressed concern that ‘arms and related materiel are being used by terrorist groups operating in Libya, including ISIL (Islamic State).’” The Washington Post: Iraq’s Army Retakes Village South Of Mosul Three Months After Launch Of Offensive “The Iraqi army wrested control of a village held by the Islamic State south of Mosul on Tuesday, nearly three months after launching an offensive to retake it. The Iraqi military said forces from the 71st Brigade of the army’s 15th Division, which has closely trained with the U.S.-led coalition in the country, led the operation to secure Nasr, 35 miles south of Mosul, after a renewed push. However, the head of the brigade, Brig. Gen. Badr Ahmed al-Luhaibi, was killed. The delay in recapturing the village had proved to be an embarrassment for the Iraqi army and the coalition, with the operation having been touted as the first real test of freshly trained Iraqi units. The United States spent more than $1.6 billion training and equipping the Iraqi army last year, an effort largely centered on troops designated for the operation to recapture Mosul, the largest Iraqi city under the control of the Islamic State.” Reuters: Pakistan, Afghanistan Increase Troops At Khyber Pass Border After Clash “A Pakistani army officer died on Tuesday after being shot by Afghan forces in a border clash, Pakistan's military said, a development likely to ratchet up tension between the neighbors who sources said were beefing up troop numbers on either side. The main gates at Torkham, the most frequented official border crossing at the end of the Khyber Pass, stayed closed for a third day, leaving thousands stranded on either side. Firing between Pakistani and Afghan forces first broke out on Sunday at the crossing, about 45 km (28 miles) west of Peshawar, over the construction of a new border post on the Pakistani side. Pakistan's army chief attended funeral prayers on Tuesday for Major Jawad Ali Changezi, who was among nine Pakistani and six Afghan troops wounded in the fighting, security officials said.” Fox News: Bodies Of 42 Fishermen Kidnapped By Boko Haram Found In Lake “The bodies of 42 fishermen who were kidnapped last week by Boko Haram on the Nigeria-Cameroon border were recovered in a lake, Cameroon military reportedly said. The Daily Sabah reported that villagers near Lake Chad alerted authorities after several bodies were observed floating. The bodies were removed from the lake on Saturday and Sunday. The report said fighting between Boko Haram and an insurgency in northern Nigeria has intensified in the past few weeks. More than 50,000 people have been forced in recent days to flee their homes in southeastern Niger after a series of attacks by Boko Haram. Niger contributes to a multi-national force set up to fight Boko Haram in the region, where attacks in recent years have killed at least 20,000 people and displaced 2.7 million, according to Amnesty International and the U.N.” United States CNN: Omar Mateen Scouted Disney Complex, Pulse, Official Says “Investigators believe the Orlando nightclub gunman made surveillance trips to the club and a Disney shopping complex earlier this month -- the same week Disney and other sites were hosting Gay Days 2016. Omar Mir Seddique Mateen's visits to the Pulse gay nightclub and Disney Springs happened between June 1 and June 6, a law enforcement official said Tuesday. Gay Days 2016 celebrations took place at Walt Disney World and other Orlando locations between May 31 and June 6. A law enforcement official said the gunman's wife, Noor Salman, went with her husband to the two locations. It's unclear how much she knew about his intentions. Mateen had showed an aversion toward gays -- making inflammatory remarks and expressing outrage at the sight of two men kissing, law enforcement officials and a former co-worker said.” Fox News: Source: Orlando Attacker’s Ties To American Suicide Bomber In Syria ‘Deeper’ Than Thought “The relationship between Orlando terrorist Omar Mateen and an American suicide bomber in Syria was much ‘deeper’ than previously understood by federal investigators, according to a government source. Fox News was told the relationship as well as the Mateen case in general are ‘very complex’ but would not go further, citing the sensitivity of the FBI investigation and classified information. The source said the bomber's return to Florida in 2013 is under fresh scrutiny as well. Mateen’s name surfaced twice for FBI investigators in the run-up to the attack. After the first, full FBI investigation of Mateen concluded in March 2014, his name surfaced two months later in a second, separate FBI investigation of American suicide bomber Moner Abu-Salha -- who drove 16 tons of explosives into a Syrian government facility on behalf of Al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front in late May of that year.” Reuters: Senate Passes $602 Billion Defense Authorization Bill “The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to pass a $602 billion defense authorization bill, despite President Barack Obama's threat to veto the annual policy measure over issues including a ban on closing the Guantanamo Bay military prison. The vote was 85-13, far more than the majority needed to pass the 100-member Senate. Six Republicans and seven members of the Democratic caucus voted against the bill, which authorizes military spending for the fiscal year that begins on Oct. 1. Obama gave a long list of objections to the versions of the bill passed by the Senate and House of Representatives, including provisions making it more difficult to close the detention center at the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba and the use of funds specially designated for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to allow the military to avoid mandatory spending limits.” USA Today: U.S. Isn't Offering Libya Military Aid To Oust Islamic State “The Pentagon says it is encouraged by progress Libyan militias are making in driving the Islamic State from its stronghold in the oil-rich country, but is not offering new military assistance for a unity government that still lacks allegiance from some of the militias. ‘Our focus is to be prepared to support the (new government) as they strive to assume responsibility for the security for all Libyan people,’ said Lt. Col. Michelle Baldanza, a Pentagon spokeswoman. ‘At this time, we have not been asked to provide support.’ The Islamic State had expanded to as many as 6,000 fighters in Libya over the past year, capitalizing on disarray that followed the collapse of the Moammar Gadhafi regime in 2011. Gadhafi's government was overthrown by opposition forces within his country with the backing of a NATO-led coalition air campaign.” Syria Reuters: U.S.-Backed Forces In Syria Appeal For Aid For Hundreds Fleeing IS “U.S.-backed forces waging an offensive against the Islamic State-held city of Manbij in northern Syria appealed for international assistance for those fleeing the fighting on Tuesday as the forces tightened their encirclement of the city. The SDF push comes at the same time as other enemies of Islamic State, including the governments of Syria and Iraq, also launched major offensives on other fronts, in what amounts to the most sustained pressure on the militants since they proclaimed their caliphate in 2014. The Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance launched the advance two weeks ago to seize Islamic State's last territory on the Syria-Turkey border and cut the self-declared caliphate off from the world.” Associated Press: Syrian Helicopter Attack On Aleppo Kills At Least 4 “Syrian activists say an attack by government helicopter gunships in the northern city of Aleppo has killed at least four people. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tuesday's attack struck an unused bridge, killing nine people and wounding many others. Aleppo-based activist Baraa al-Halaby said four people were killed. He says nearly two dozen people have been killed in Aleppo, Syria's largest city, since the early hours in separate attacks. Hundreds of people have been killed on both sides of the divided city since late April, as government forces have traded fire with rebels.” Iraq Associated Press: Iraq Detains Men Fleeing IS-Held Fallujah, Raising Tensions “At a checkpoint outside militant-held Fallujah, hundreds of civilians who fled the fighting between Iraqi forces and the Islamic State group huddled late at night in packed mini-buses on the side of a highway as security forces separated out those suspected of supporting the extremists. Six men sat blindfolded on the pavement, heads bowed patiently, beside a row of concrete barriers illuminated by the headlights of an SUV and a Humvee. ‘They hold the men because they believe we all support Daesh,’ said a woman at the checkpoint, referring to the Islamic State by its Arabic acronym. After an officer finished registering her and stepped away, she whispered to a reporter, ‘Of course there is support for Daesh, but it's not every family.’” Turkey Associated Press: 6 Police Wounded In Explosion In Eastern Turkey “Turkey's state-run news agency says a bomb explosion in eastern Turkey has wounded six police officers. The Anadolu Agency says the improvised explosive device went off Tuesday as an armored police vehicle was traveling on a road near the town of Gevas, in Van province. The agency said the attack is believed to have been carried out by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which has led a three-decade-long insurgency in the mainly Kurdish southeast region. The region was again plunged into violence last summer after more than two-year peace efforts between the state and the PKK collapsed.” The Wall Street Jounral: EU Envoy To Turkey Resigns As Tensions Threaten To Derail Migration Deal “The European Union’s top envoy to Turkey resigned, EU officials said on Tuesday, ending a short, rocky ride as European and Turkish officials grapple with myriad challenges threatening a deal credited for curbing the refugee influx to Europe. Ambassador Hansjörg Haber, a German who was appointed to Ankara last Aug. 31, has resigned over issues ‘having to do with Turkey’ and not for personal reasons, an EU official in the Turkish capital said. Mr. Haber will leave his post on Aug. 1 and Brussels will ‘swiftly appoint’ a new ambassador to Turkey, said Maja Kocijancic,spokeswoman for EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini. The move comes as a mid-March agreement between Turkey and the EU is under increasing strain, with Turkish officials regularly slamming the bloc for failing to deliver on its promises in exchange for Turkish help in halting Europe’s worst refugee crisis since World War II.” Afghanistan Reuters: After Taliban Music Ban, Songbook Teaches Afghan Children To Sing Again “When Louise Pascale, an American music teacher, pulled a three-decade-old Afghan children's songbook from her bookcase, she realized she was likely holding a treasure lost to Afghan children following a music ban imposed by the Taliban. Playing instruments was banned during the period of Taliban rule in late-1990s Afghanistan, and even today, many conservative Muslims frown on most forms of music. ‘Musicians were practically losing their minds trying to hide their instruments under wood piles, thinking they were going to go crazy without any music and trying to practise in their heads at night,’ Pascale told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.” Reuters: Tensions High On Afghanistan, Pakistan Border “A Pakistan army officer and two Afghan soldiers have died, while at least 30 people were wounded on both sides in this week’s cross-border skirmishes, officials said. The situation at the busy Torkham border crossing remained tense, and the main gate there was still closed for a third day on Tuesday, leaving thousands of travelers stranded on both sides. In an overnight action, the Pakistani military was said to have moved heavy weaponry, including tanks, and deployed additional troops to the border, raising fears of more fighting.” Yemen Reuters: Power Cuts, Violence Fuel Yemen Separatists' Dreams “Deprived of sleep by temperatures of over 40 degrees (104 F), Azal Mohammed was among dozens of young men burning tires last month to protest against persistent power cuts in Aden, a port city that was the capital of South Yemen. Over the past 14 months, Aden’s one million inhabitants have endured war and gang violence. The collapse of even basic public services has fueled demands for the restoration of the southern state that merged with northern Yemen in 1990. ‘We want the world, our neighbors, to help us win back our old state,’ said Azal, a 20-year-old student. ‘The south joined this union voluntarily and we don't want to be part of it any more.’” Egypt Reuters: Egyptian Court Acquits 52 Over Red Sea Islands Protests “An Egyptian court acquitted on Tuesday 52 people who were standing trial for protesting against a government decision to transfer two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, judicial sources said. More than 200 people initially faced trial for taking part in several protests in April against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's decision to hand over the islands of Tiran and Sanafir. On April 15, thousands of people protesting over the islands called for ‘the fall of the regime’, a slogan from the 2011 uprisings which ended the 30-year-rule of president Hosni Mubarak. Hundreds of police were deployed in Cairo to quell further protests on April 25. Authorities later freed many of those detained without charge, but sent others to trial.” Middle East Haaretz: Senior Hamas Member Reportedly Defects To Israel “Websites affiliated with Fatah have reported over the past two days that a senior member of the Hamas military wing, Bassam Mahmoud Baraka, from Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip, has fled to Israel, and is in possession of a great deal of information about Gaza tunnel operations. Last month it was reported that a 17-year-old Hamas member, who was captured by Israel after infiltrating the country, gave investigators information about the group's tunnel activities. The youth told his investigators about the work of Hamas in digging tunnels to allow its fighters to infiltrate Israel, about the routes of tunnels intended for use in case of emergency by members of its elite Nachba unit and information about the location of many tunnel shafts.”   Nigeria Telegraph: Boko Haram Kidnaps Three Women Near Chibok Town In North Nigeria “Boko Haram jihadists killed at least four villagers on Tuesday and kidnapped three women near the northeastern Nigerian town of Chibok where the group snatched more than 200 girls two years ago, residents and survivors said. Boko Haram fighters attacked the Kautuva village at dawn, set houses ablaze and fired on residents, according to villagers and a member of a vigilante group working with the army. Kautuva lies near Chibok, a town from where Boko Haram seized 276 girls from a school in April 2014, part of a seven-year-old insurgency to set up an Islamic state in the north. It has left some 15,000 people dead and more than 2 million displaced.” Newsweek: Nigeria: Niger Delta Avengers Threaten Further Violence In Oil-Producing Region “The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) has warned Nigerian authorities it may ‘review our earlier stance of not taking lives’ if oil companies continue to operate in the country’s oil hub. The militant group has launched a series of attacks on oil pipelines and facilities in the Niger Delta, where the majority of Nigeria’s oil reserves are concentrated. The NDA has so far rejected offers of dialogue from the Nigerian government and vowed to continue its Operation Red Economy, the purported goal of which is to reduce the West African country’s oil production to zero. In a statement published on its website on Monday, the NDA said that the oil companies must not carry out any repair works on the affected pipelines and that buying of crude oil from the Niger Delta must be suspended ‘as we await the right atmosphere that will engender genuine dialogue.’” Germany Deutsche Welle: Germany Play Down Security Concerns Ahead Of Return To St. Denis “The three players who appeared at Tuesday's press conference at the national team's base camp at Evian-les-Bains were all in the Stade de France on November 13, 2015, when explosive devices set off by suicide bombers could be heard inside the stadium. Given this fact, coupled with the news that France woke up to on Tuesday - that a police officer and his partner had been killed outside of Paris in what President Francois Hollande described as a ‘terrorist act’ - it was natural that reporters would ask about the players' state of mind, two days before making their return to the Stade de France. ‘Right now this (security) is not an issue,’ said Jerome Boateng, who had previously declared that none of his family would be in the stadium because ‘the risk is too great for me.’” France Sputnik: Sixteen Arrested In France In 15 Days On Suspicion Of Ties To Terrorism “As many as 16 people were arrested in France in the past fortnight on suspicion of terrorist activities, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Tuesday. The country is in a state of emergency after 130 people were killed in November in a series of terror attacks in Paris. ‘In the past 15 days, 16 people suspected of terrorist activities were arrested,’ Valls said, as quoted by La Chaine parlementaire, a television network broadcasting the country’s parliament. The Euro-2016 is taking place in various French cities from June 10 to July 10.” BBC: French Jihadist Murders Police Couple At Magnanville “The murder of two French police officials by a man claiming allegiance to so-called Islamic State (IS) is ‘unquestionably a terrorist act’, President Francois Hollande says. A police commander and his partner were stabbed to death at their home west of Paris. Their three-year-old survived. The attacker was killed in an police assault on the house. He had spent time in jail over jihadist links and had a list of targets including public figures, police say. Named by French sources as Larossi Abballa, he had also been under recent police surveillance, including a wiretap, say media reports quoting police sources.” The New York Times: Freed After Terror Conviction, He Went On To Kill In France “A 25-year-old Frenchman who fatally stabbed a police officer and his companion at their home in a suburb of Paris on Monday, an attack quickly claimed by the Islamic State, was detained from 2011 to 2013 for involvement in a terrorist network that aspired to be active in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the authorities said on Tuesday. At a news conference, the Paris prosecutor, François Molins, offered new details about the brutal killings and an ensuing standoff that lasted nearly four hours, ending when the police stormed the house, mortally wounding the assailant. The killings shook France, which has been on high alert since two major terrorist attacks last year and is struggling with the security challenges posed by the European Championship soccer tournament.” Technology CNN: How Did The U.S. Security System Miss This Terrorist? “As we continue to gather information about the Orlando terrorist attack, which left 49 people dead and more than 50 wounded, it is already clear we should be asking two vital, related questions: How many innocent people will die before America reforms its domestic national security apparatus? And how many attacks must we endure before the cliches end and specific actions begin? The Orlando shooting is exactly the kind of attack we've been expecting since those of September 11, 2001. After the attacks in Paris; San Bernardino, California; and Brussels; the threat of attacks directed, enabled or inspired by groups like ISIS reached all-time highs. Yet our domestic national security apparatus remains the same.” Arabic Language Clips Financing of Terrorism Gulf Eyes: Donations Of Funds Are The Most Dangerous Terrorist Financing Source Experts and politicians in Saudi Arabia have warned against the exploitation of donations in support of terrorism by turning them into bullets, which will have a destructive effect on many Arab and Islamic countries, as well as other countries. They stressed that exploiting religious sentiments for the collection of donations can ultimately seep to the terrorists. The experts mentioned that the Saudi judiciary system handled 975 cases related to the financing of terrorism in one year alone. The experts, therefore, demanded intensification of controls and follow-up, in addition to the establishment of adept security entities. These new entities will trace the routes by which the money is being channeled, step up the role of the King Salman Center and Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA), act to secure harsher punishments, and raise social awareness. ISIS Alhadath News: ISIS's Mines Kill Civilians And The Human Trafficking Markets Are Thriving Ten civilians, eight from a single family including four children, were killed by the blast of several mines planted by ISIS in the vicinity of "Badia Road" (the main road connecting Damascus and the Syrian city of Al-Bukamal in the eastern suburbs of Deir al-Zour.) Amid the arbitrary practices of ISIS and the unrelenting strikes by coalition aircraft on civilian areas, the business of human trafficking is thriving. ISIS charges up to 400,000 Syrian pounds ($1,800) per capita to smuggle civilians regardless of age. Smugglers use an old network of farm roads that lead, on the one hand, to the Badia areas in the southern suburbs of Deir al-Zour province and, on the other hand, to the eastern suburbs of Damascus. ISIS planted anti-tank and anti-personnel mines adjacent to the farm roads, especially Badia Road. It also concealed a large number of improvised explosive devices in these areas as a form of strategic defense against any potential advance of the Syrian army from the Badia in the direction of Deir al-Zour. Muslim Brotherhood Veto: Terrorist (Brotherhood) Plans To Launch Mekameeleen Plus Satellite TV Channel The Muslim Brotherhood plans to launch a new satellite TV channel named "Mekameeleen Plus" which will be broadcast from Turkey. The new channel will join a package of satellite TV channels that reflect the group's ideology and include Mekameeleen, Al Watan, Alghad, Al-Sharq, Al-Hiwar, Alaqsa, Al Thawra, and Dawah. It is noteworthy that the Muslim Brotherhood's Mekameeleen channel is rated among the most-viewed channels in Egypt, according to a recent survey by IPSOS. This claim by the global research company, however, has been questioned by experts from the Egyptian media sector. Albawabh News: Brotherhood And The Doctrine Of Ignorance The latest studies on why areas suffering from illiteracy have become Muslim Brotherhood strongholds indicate a further rise in the illiteracy rate in these areas. This rate can reach as high as 70% in some areas. This is the secret behind the group's domination there. In other words, a rise in education weakens the grip of the Brotherhood, reduces its influence and the dissemination of false ideas that run contrary to the teachings of Islam. Although the Brotherhood has amassed a fortune, it has not channeled any of it to establish centers in Egypt's countryside and villages to eradicate illiteracy. The group has recorded no achievements whatsoever in this field. On the contrary, there have been reports that the group has opposed voluntary efforts to eliminate illiteracy by government agencies or other associations. Houthi Ababiil: Document Reveals Houthis Stole Health Sector Allocations To Celebrate Their Week Of The Martyr A leaked document reveals that the Houthi militia seized funds from the budgets earmarked for governmental institutions in the province of Dhamar. The Houthis used the funds to celebrate the so-called "Week of the Martyr." The document disclosed that the Houthis embezzled 1 million riyals ($4,651) from the budget of the Public Health and Population Office of the governorate and directed it to the "Week of the Martyr" celebrations. The Houthis in Dhamar province promoted "Martyr Week" by hanging hundreds of photos, posters and large billboards along the city streets.