Eye on Extremism - June 29, 2016

Eye on Extremism June 29, 2016 Counter Extremism Project CBS News: Counter Extremism Project President Francis Townsend Discusses The Suicide Bomb Attack At Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport On CBS This Morning MSNBC: Counter Extremism Project Spokesperson Tara Maller Discusses The Terror Attack At Istanbul's International Airport On Hardball With Chris Matthews Fox Business News: Counter Extremism Project Spokesperson Tara Maller Discusses Terror Threats Following The U.K. Vote To Leave The EU Reuters: Islamic State Prime Suspect After Suicide Bombers Kill 41 At Istanbul Airport “Turkish investigators pored over video footage and witness statements on Wednesday after three suspected Islamic State suicide bombers opened fire and blew themselves up in Istanbul's main airport, killing 41 people and wounding 239. The attack on Europe's third-busiest airport was the deadliest in a series of suicide bombings this year in Turkey, part of the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State and struggling to contain spillover from neighboring Syria's war.” Associated Press: 'Lone Wolf' Terror Attacks Inspired By IS To Persist In West “The threat of ‘lone wolf’ acts of terrorism inspired by the Islamic State will persist in the West, a senior Obama administration official said Tuesday, even as the extremist group loses battles and territory in the Middle East. Brett McGurk, the U.S. envoy to the anti-Islamic State coalition, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the Islamic State has always sought to strike the United States and other Western nations. But the group is now acknowledging it may be unable to hold onto ground in Iraq, Syria, and Libya, blunting its quest for an Islamic caliphate. So the Islamic State has changed its message and its recruiting tactics, he said. ‘We're still going to be around, still join us,' said McGurk, describing what he called the Islamic State's propaganda. ‘And they're trying to inspire these lone wolf attacks around the world.’” Reuters: No Change In Iran Behavior In Syria Since Nuclear Deal: U.S. Official “Brett McGurk, U.S. President Barack Obama's special envoy in the fight against Islamic State, said on Tuesday he has seen no ‘significant’ change in Iran's behavior in Syria under the international nuclear deal announced last July. ‘I have not seen a significant change in Iranian behavior ... They are primarily working to prop up the Assad regime,’ McGurk told a U.S. Senate hearing. He said Iran is also supporting some Shi'ite militia groups that are operating in Iraq.” Voice Of America: Planning Underway to Liberate Iraq's Mosul “After Iraqi officials declared Fallujah fully liberated, the U.S. envoy to the coalition against Islamic State (IS) militants told lawmakers on Tuesday ‘planning is now underway’ for a military campaign to free Mosul from the terrorist group. ‘We will not put a timeline on the Mosul operation.  But with momentum now on our side, it is safer to say that ISIL's days in Mosul - where it proclaimed its phony caliphate to the world - are numbered,’ Special Presidential Envoy of the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL Brett McGurk said in his written testimony to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing, using an another acronym for Islamic State. After weeks of ferocious fighting, Iraqi forces ousted Islamic State extremists from Fallujah over the weekend with the support of U.S.-led coalition airstrikes.” Reuters: Yemen Counter-Terrorism Mission Shows UAE Military Ambition “The United Arab Emirates, one of Washington's closest allies in the Middle East, is deploying its military against al Qaeda in Yemen, and in the process providing what some see as a badly-needed new template for counter-terrorism in Arab lands. UAE special forces are orchestrating the hunt for al Qaeda in remote deserts and mountains, adding the capability of Arab troops seasoned in war zones like Afghanistan and Somalia to a campaign long the preserve of the U.S. and Yemeni militaries. Suicide attacks killing 38 in Mukalla on Monday show the challenge. While the UAE helped to eject al Qaeda from the southern coastal city in April, militant threats persist - the latest attack was claimed by Islamic State, in Yemen a lesser force than al Qaeda.” Associated Press: Germany Saw 40 Percent Rise In Far-Right Violence Last Year “The number of crimes committed by far-right extremists rose by more than 40 percent in Germany last year. An annual report by Germany's domestic intelligence agency recorded 1,408 violent crimes by far-right extremists in 2015. That compares with 990 such crimes the previous year. German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said Tuesday that far-right extremists targeted asylum seekers in particular last year. Far-right groups have seen a rise in membership and support amid growing anti-foreigner sentiment last year, as Germany saw an unprecedented influx of refugees from the Middle East and Africa.” Sputnik: Daesh Increasingly Targeting Israel Amid Setbacks In Syria, Iraq “The Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh) is increasingly directing its threats against Israel as the terrorist group is suffering setbacks in its strongholds in Iraq and Syria, US Special Envoy to the Counter-IS Coalition, Brett McGurk said on Tuesday. ‘ISIL’s [Islamic State] media statements in recent months, as they suffer losses on the battlefield, have focused on Israel as a target, clearly hoping to generate international headlines to compensate for its defeats. We must not allow this to happen,’ McGurk said in testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The Daesh has waged brutal attacks against Jordan from a hub it controls along the Marmouk Valley, near the Syrian, Jordanian, and Israeli border. Israel has not been the direct target of attack by the Daesh, which also has a strong affiliate in Sinai.” Daily Mail: Afghanistan To Investigate Child Sex Slavery As Taliban Exploit Practice To Launch Insider Attacks On Police  “The Afghan government says it will punish police officers involved in the institutionalised sexual abuse of children after an AFP report found the Taliban are exploiting the practice of paedophilic 'bacha bazi' - literally 'boy play' - to launch insider attacks. Militants in Uruzgan province have killed hundreds of police after turning their child sex slaves against them, exploiting a centuries-old practice in Afghanistan that observers call one of the most egregious violations of human rights in the country. Powerful warlords, commanders, politicians and other members of the elite often keep 'bachas' as a symbol of authority and affluence. The ancient custom, banned under the Taliban's 1996 to 2001 rule, has seen a resurgence in recent years.  It is said to be widespread across southern and eastern Afghanistan's rural Pashtun heartland, and with ethnic Tajiks across the northern countryside.”  United States CNN: John Kerry: Iran 'Helpful' In Fighting ISIS In Iraq “Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday deemed Iran's presence in Iraq to be ‘helpful’ to American attempts to beat back the threat of ISIS, given their common enemy. The measured praise for a country with which the U.S. has a fraught relationship came at the Aspen Ideas Festival, where the secretary of state was asked to assess whether Iran was ‘more helpful or more harmful’ there. ‘Look, we have challenges with Iran as everybody knows and we are working on those challenges,’ Kerry said. ‘But I can tell you that Iran in Iraq has been in certain ways helpful, and they clearly are focused on ISIL-Daesh, and so we have a common interest, actually.’” Reuters: U.S. Official Sees Progress Against Islamic State, War Continuing “President Barack Obama's special envoy for the fight against Islamic State said on Tuesday that coalition forces were making progress and planning assaults on key cities in Iraq and Syria, but U.S. lawmakers criticized the progress as too slow. Brett McGurk testified at a U.S. Senate Foreign Relations hearing that morale is falling within the militant group as it loses territory. But he said efforts to find a political solution were making little progress and could not predict an end to fighting as long as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad remained in power. ‘So long as Assad is leading the government in Damascus there is no way this war will ever end,’ McGurk said.” Syria Reuters: IS Syria Stronghold Raqqa Next After Manbij Operation Is Completed: U.S. Official “Once the operation against the Islamic State-held city of Manbij in northern Syria is completed, that creates the conditions to move on the militant group's main stronghold of Raqqa, Brett McGurk, U.S. President Barack Obama's special envoy in the fight against Islamic State said on Tuesday. ‘The Manbij operation, it's ongoing on right now, it's hard fighting, once that is done, that sets the conditions for Raqqa,’ McGurk told a U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. The Syria Democratic Forces, comprised of Kurdish and Arab fighters and backed by the air power of a U.S.-led coalition to fight IS, have been involved in the Manbij operation.” Reuters: U.S. Backed Syrian Rebels Launch Attack On IS-Held Town Near Iraqi Border “Syrian rebels launched an attack on a town held by Islamic State near the Iraqi border on Tuesday, senior commanders said, opening a new front against militants also facing an offensive from U.S.-backed forces in the north. If the rebel New Syria Army succeeds in capturing the town of Al-Bukamal from Islamic State (IS), it would hamper the jihadists' ability to move between the Iraqi and Syrian territories of their self-declared caliphate. Armed and equipped by the U.S.-led coalition, the New Syria Army was formed 18 months ago from Arab rebels driven out of eastern Syria by Islamic State as it expanded its territories in mid-2014 following the capture of the Iraqi city of Mosul.” Iraq Deutsche Welle: Refugees In Iraq Caught Between Soldiers And Jihadists “They would have either been killed by ‘Islamic State’ (IS) henchmen, or by Iraqi army bombs, so they decided to flee. That is how a young mother who fled Mosul with her children summed up her decision. Thus far, some 100,000 of the city's residents have come to the same conclusion. Mosul has a population of more than one million, and has been under the control of ‘IS’ for two years. Since the Iraqi army began slowly tightening its containment ring around city in March, ever more residents have decided to flee in an attempt to save themselves from the impending battle. ‘First people fled from 'IS'. Now they are fleeing from the Iraqi army,’ a young Iraqi soldier told the Baghdad-based daily newspaper Al Mada.” Reuters: Cracks Show Inside Islamic State's Shrinking Caliphate “It was barely more than a squiggle, but the mark of a single letter sprayed overnight on a wall in the heart of Islamic State's self-proclaimed caliphate was a daring act of dissent. The next day, ultra-hardline Islamic State fighters came and scrubbed out the ‘M’ -- the first letter of the word for ‘resistance’ in Arabic -- which appeared in an alley near the Grand Mosque in the Iraqi city of Mosul about three weeks ago. A video of the single letter, scrawled about a meter long on the wall, was shared with Reuters by an activist from a group called ‘Resistance’, whose members risk certain execution to conduct small acts of defiance in areas under Islamic State rule.” Turkey CNN: Istanbul Airport Attack: 36 Dead, 147 Injured, Turkish Officials Say “Gunshots, screams and explosions pierced the air Tuesday at Istanbul Ataturk Airport, as three terrorists armed with bombs and guns attacked passengers at one of the world's busiest travel spots. Witnesses described deadly carnage and crowds in a panic as the attackers struck. At least 36 people were killed, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said, in the terror attack, one for which there was no immediate claim of responsibility. Another 147 people were wounded, Turkey's Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said. Multiple U.S. officials told CNN's Pamela Brown and Elise Labott that the early thinking among U.S. intelligence officials was that ISIS or an ISIS-inspired group was to blame. Like the Turkish prime minister, the officials said there is much more investigating to be done.” Associated Press: Suspected IS Suicide Bombers Kill Dozens At Istanbul Airport “Three suspected Islamic State group suicide bombers targeted the international terminal of Istanbul's Ataturk Airport Tuesday, killing at least 36 people and wounding many others, Turkish officials said. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said 36 were dead as well as the three suicide bombers. Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said 147 were wounded. Another senior government official told The Associated Press the death toll could climb much higher. The senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government protocol, at first said close to 50 people had already died, but later said that the figure was expected to rise to close to 50. Yildirim said three suicide bombers were responsible for the attack and all initial indications suggest the Islamic State group was behind it.” ABC News: Istanbul Airport Bombing Latest In String Of Attacks In Turkey “The deadly bombing in Istanbul’s major international airport today is the latest in a string of attacks in Turkey that underscore the immense security challenge facing the nation on the frontline in the fight in Syria and Iraq. At least 36 people were killed in the attack at the Ataturk airport around 10 p.m. local time. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that all signs point to the Syria-based terror group ISIS. The majority Muslim nation shares long, porous borders with Syria and Iraq, which means it is both a transit hub for extremists looking to join the fight there and a tempting target for those looking to take advantage of the regional instability. At the same time, the Turkish government has to contend with active domestic terror groups, like the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK), that have launched their own series of bloody attacks in recent months.” Reuters: Bomb Attack On Police In Turkey's Southeast Kills One, Injures Seven –Sources “One police officer was killed and seven people were wounded in Turkey's southeastern province of Diyarbakir on Tuesday when a bomb exploded as an armored police vehicle was passing, security sources said. The blast hit an area near a state hospital in the district of Dicle, north of the region's largest city, Diyarbakir. A police officer who suffered serious injuries died at the hospital, the sources said. Another police officer and six civilians were being treated for injuries, they said. Bomb attacks on security forces have surged since a two-year ceasefire between the state and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) collapsed last July.” Afghanistan NBC News: Explosives Haul Foils Eid Bomb Plot By Taliban: Afghan Officials “Two trucks loaded with more than 3 tons of explosives were intercepted Tuesday on a highway heading to the Afghan capital Kabul, security officials said. The explosives were in 60 bags hidden under construction materials loaded onto the flatbed trucks in Logar province, according to a statement from the National Directorate of Security (NDS), Afghanistan's intelligence service. The agency did not specify what kind of the explosives were hidden in the trucks. Four Taliban members were captured transporting the material, the statement added. The attackers were plotting a strike on the capital in the week leading to Eid, one of the biggest Muslim holidays that marks the end of a month of fasting, the NDS said without elaborating.” Deutsche Welle: Locals Recount IS Brutality In Eastern Afghanistan “According to media reports, hundreds of people in the eastern province of Nangarhar have been displaced after days of heavy fighting between IS militants and government troops. The clashes began on Friday, June 24, when IS-affiliated jihadists attacked an army checkpoint in the province's Kot district. ‘More than 160 'Islamic State' militants have been killed,’ said Attaullah Khugyani, spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar. ‘IS militants also set fire to 90 houses that belonged to residents of the district,’ Khugyani said. He claimied the government had pushed the militants back.” Yemen VOA News: Islamic State Claims Yemen Bombings That Killed 42 “Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for a wave of bombings Monday that killed at least 42 people in southern Yemen. The blasts targeted security forces in the port city of Mukalla and happened around sunset as the soldiers were breaking their fast for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Mukalla was under the control of al-Qaida fighters until April when pro-government forces recaptured it. Yemen's years of instability, including the current conflict between the government and Houthi rebels, have allowed militant groups to control parts of the country and carry out attacks.” Egypt Associated Press: British-Lebanese TV Host Deported From Egypt To Beirut “A prominent dual British-Lebanese journalist who hosted a talk show critical of the government of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi arrived in Beirut on Tuesday after authorities in Cairo briefly detained her and then deported her, her lawyer said. Lilian Daoud, a former BBC reporter, could not immediately be reached for comment. Her lawyer, Zyad el-Elaimy, wrote on his Twitter account that her first comment after landing in Beirut was that she will challenge the decision to deport her. There was no formal explanation for Daoud's deportation from Egypt. An Egyptian security official, speaking Monday on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters, said Daoud's residency permit expired after her contract with the private ONTV station in Egypt was terminated.” Associated Press: After Cleaning, Egyptair Plane's Data Files Studied In Egypt “Egyptian authorities are analyzing flight recorder data files from an EgyptAir flight that crashed with 66 people aboard but say it will take several days to reach any conclusions. The memory cards of the flight's black box recorders were retrieved from the Mediterranean seafloor and sent to France's BEA air accident investigation agency for cleaning and repair. The recorders may explain what caused the crash of the Paris to Cairo flight on May 19. The data recorder's repaired memory card was sent back to Cairo on Tuesday but the BEA says in a statement citing Egyptian authorities that ‘it might take several days to ensure the accuracy of reading the data recorded.’” United Kingdom Newsweek: How Brexit Could Strengthen ISIS's Message Of Hate “Brexit has changed the European landscape overnight. Among the many questions and issues raised during the campaign was the potential for the vote to change the U.K.’s domestic security situation, in particular in response to the menacing threat of international terrorism. The reality is that in the wake of the vote, very little will change. Many of the practical questions around counter-terrorism and national security had remained the domain of member states. This is not to say, however, that nothing will change—outside the EU, the U.K. will end up finding itself less able to influence and participate in European conversations that are ultimately focused on common threats. And there is the danger that the social tensions that the Brexit vote may exacerbate will spread across the Union and become a destabilizing force that will accelerate processes of disenfranchisement and radicalisation.”  BBC: Counter-Terrorism Training Exercise Held In South Wales “A Counter-Terrorism Training Exercise Is Being Led By South Wales And Dyfed-Powys Police To Test The Response Of Emergency Services To Such An Attack. Scenarios are based on ‘prevailing’ threats following attacks in France and Belgium, said the officer in charge. The two-day exercise is being held at locations including Ffos Las racecourse near Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire. People have been told not to be concerned by noise of blank gun fire and simulated explosions in the area. South Wales Police Assistant Chief Constable Jon Stratford, who is leading the operation, said the UK Government's emergency response committee, Cobra, involving ministers and intelligence officers, would also participate.” Germany Deutsche Welle: Germany Puts A (Long) Leash On Its Spooks “The German government is moving to tighten rules on its foreign intelligence service, the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), following a series of revelations that it was acting independently of any government oversight, spying on allies, international organizations and helping the US National Security Agency (NSA) without it ever being appropriately monitored by any parliamentary watchdog. In a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Angela Merkel's administration agreed to a new draft bill that would see legal guidelines imposed on spying on European Union citizens, as well as an external committee to oversee the agency. But the bill is actually a diluted version of what had been originally planned and recommended by the parliamentary committee, building in a number of exceptions to allow the BND to spy on targets within the EU.” Reuters: Germany Girds For Potential Spike In Islamic State Attacks In Europe “The German government voiced concern on Tuesday that Islamic State could step up attacks in Europe as it loses territory in Iraq and Syria, and said its domestic intelligence agency is training to respond to a large-scale assault. Interior Minister Thomas De Maiziere welcomed gains made by a U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria, but said they were not diminishing the risk of attacks in Europe. Germany has been on high alert for possible large-scale militant incidents - potentially including military-style weapons - since the IS attacks in Paris last November and Brussels in March, Hans-Georg Maassen, the head of the BfV domestic intelligence agency, told the same news conference. He said the agency had carried out several exercises to prepare for such events, and several attacks had already been thwarted.” France Newsweek: Egyptair Flight Ms804 Black Box Fixed As France Opens Manslaughter Probe “One of two black boxes recovered from the crash site of EgyptAir flight MS804 has been fully repaired, Egyptian investigators said Tuesday, opening the door to clues as to why the Airbus A320 descended into the Mediterranean last month. Search teams discovered the two black box recorders earlier this month and they will play a key role in shining light on the seconds before the plane fell thousands of feet and crashed, killing all 66 people on board.The restoration of the black box comes as French authorities opened a manslaughter investigation into the crash on Monday, saying that there had yet been no clear evidence that an act of extremism had downed the plane.” Europe Associated Press: Spain: Court Drops Terrorism Probe Against Puppeteers “Spain's National Court judge has shelved an investigation into two puppeteers for allegedly praising terrorism in a theater show. The court said Tuesday there was insufficient evidence that the puppeteers had committed an offence by using a sign during a performance in Madrid that said ‘Long Live Alka ETA.’ The message was a word-play reference to Spain's armed Basque group ETA and al-Qaida. The Feb. 5 puppet show also showed the hanging of a judge in effigy and police beatings, prompting some parents attending the Carnival event with children to complain to authorities. Praising terrorism is a crime in Spain. The puppeteers have denied the allegations, saying their show was satirical. They were initially arrested and jailed for five days, triggering much criticism from social and political groups.” Arabic Language Clips ISIS Alwasat News: Syrian Faction Launches Offensive To Cut Off ISIS Supply Routes To Iraq A US-backed Syrian faction launched an offensive in Deir ez-Zor province in eastern Syria, parallel to an offensive on the Iraqi side. This move aims primarily to cut off ISIS's supply lines connecting the two countries. A spokesman for the New Syrian Army, Muzahim Salloum, said on Tuesday: "We started an offensive at 18:00 (yesterday) backed by the international coalition aircraft in the al-Tanf area, along the Iraqi-Syrian border." He went on to explain that there are "clashes with ISIS in the area north of al-Tanf area and south of Al Bukamal," which has been under ISIS control since the beginning of 2014. Hezbollah Elnashra: Sources To Asharq Alawsat (Daily): The US Has Dedicated An Agency To Monitor Hezbollah Financing Activities According to Western sources, "US authorities have dedicated a special agency to monitor the funding activities of Hezbollah. These activities start from the US itself, but extend also into South America and Africa, mainly in regions populated by Lebanese (expatriates)." The sources explained that "American authorities are fully convinced that Hezbollah obtains significant funding from intricate illegal business operations which include not only smuggling, drugs and money laundering, but also selling American used cars and various products." The sources stressed that "Hezbollah is currently paying monthly salaries to 80,000 people (in Lebanon), which makes it the second largest employer after the Lebanese government." Al Nusra Front RTV: Confidential Report By The Turkish Police: Al Nusra Front Terrorists Use Official And Unofficial Turkish Crossings To Transfer Weapons And Explosives To Syria A confidential report prepared by the Turkish police attests to the presence inside Turkey's territories of terrorist groups affiliated with "Al Nusra Front" and ISIS. It added that "Al Nusra Front" uses both official and unofficial Turkish crossings regularly to transport weapons and explosives into Syria. The report was submitted by the Turkish police to the Public Prosecutor following the terror attack carried out in the city of Diyarbakir, in which two policemen and seven ISIS terrorists were killed. A Turkish newspaper quoted the report's authors as saying that militants of the organizations inside Turkey are associated with militants in Syria. The report warns that the "continued dispatching of arms and logistical support from Turkey to these organizations will intensify Turkey's predicament." Muslim Brotherhood Elnada News: Brotherhood In Cairo Welcomes Turkey's Endeavors To Ease The Siege On Gaza Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood welcomed what it described as Turkey's efforts to ease the blockade on Gaza. It said that "this has been the position of the Turkish people, its government and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from the very beginning." This came in a statement on Tuesday commenting on the normalization of relations between Turkey and Israel after years of animosity. The Brotherhood stressed that any effort to lift the siege on Gaza is welcome, adding: "We look forward to further endeavors to completely end the blockade and restore all Palestinian rights. God willing, the (current) nightmare will end in Cairo, in order to regain its proper status in support of just issues, especially the Palestinian issue." Houthi Yemen Akhbar: The Houthis Provoke Citizens In Sanaa In A New And Completely Different Way Houthi group, which controls the Yemeni capital Sanaa, continues to extort residents in different ways, this time through the supply of electricity. Despite resumption of the electric supply to some commercial areas in Sanaa for several hours per day (no more than 8 hours) the Houthi group has found another way to extort citizens and shopkeepers. A local newspaper published images taken in Sanaa, depicting new ads by the Houthi-controlled Electricity Corporation. The ads stipulate that the continued provision of electric service was dependent on "bill collection." Previously, it was reported that Yemeni authorities raised the price of household electricity from 20 riyals ($0.08) to 80 riyals ($ 0.32) and that of shops from 35 riyals ($ 0.14) to 100 riyals ($ 0.4) per kilowatt.