Eye on Extremism - September 19, 2016

Eye on Extremism September 19, 2016 News.Comau: IS Chief Al-Adnani Killed In US Air Strike, Leaving Leadership Up For Grabs “WESTERN forces celebrated news of his death, while his able followers and recruits labelled him a martyr. But while Islamic State’s leader Abu Muhammad al-Adnani is dead, the terror group is far from defeated. Islamic State, which has suffered the loss of territory including the strategic Syrian city of Palmyra in recent months, was dealt a further blow when al-Adnani was killed in an air strike on August 30. Russia’s Defence Ministry and the Pentagon confirmed that an air strike had killed al-Adnani, one of the last living senior members of the group.” WTOP: Female Terrorists Train To Attack The West, Authorities Say “A plot to attack the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris unraveled earlier this month after a police officer spooked a female attacker. She fled, leaving a car loaded with gas canisters sitting very close to the iconic structure with its hazard lights flashing. She never had the chance to detonate them. French authorities eventually arrested three women on terrorism charges. They are part of what authorities fear may be a wave of women fighters partially inspired by a former female punk-rocker turned terrorist. Sally Jones, the British widow of a prominent Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) leader, who released location information about U.S. military members in 2015, has re-emerged in Raqqa, Syria.” CNN: NY, NJ Bombings: Authorities Suspect Possible Terror Cell, Officials Say “Bombings in New York and New Jersey over the weekend -- as well as the discovery of several unexploded devices -- have led authorities to believe there may be a terror cell at work in those two states, law enforcement officials told CNN Monday. And a manhunt is under way for 28-year-old Ahmad Khan Rahami after New York police identified him as a suspect in connection with the bombing Saturday night in Chelsea that wounded 29 people.” The Washington Post: Mysterious Incidents Across U.S. Raise Fears Of Terrorism; People Taken Into Custody In New York “Early Monday, authorities were working to disarm five devices found in a backpack at a train station in Elizabeth, N.J., just hours after FBI took ‘a number of people’ into custody in connection with a weekend bombing in New York City that injured 29. Elizabeth Mayor J. Christian Bollwag said that one of devices found late Sunday exploded it was being disarmed, shortly after 12:30 a.m. Monday. The New Jersey Transit rail system was halted rail service near Newark Airport due to the police activity. ‘This could take more hours than we thought initially’ to disarm the other devices, Bollwage said. ‘I’m not sure if the morning commute will be easy.’ Authorities are continuing to investigate three incidents — the explosions in New York and New Jersey and a stabbing attack in Minnesota — that took place within a 12-hour period on Saturday and sowed fears of terrorism.” Reuters: U.S.-Led Jets Kill Dozens Of Syrian Soldiers: Russia, Monitor “U.S.-led coalition jets bombed a Syrian army position at Jebel Tharda near Deir al-Zor airport on Saturday, killing dozens of Syrian soldiers, Russia and a war monitor said, paving the way for Islamic State to briefly overrun it. The U.S. military, in an apparent admission that it may have hit the position, said in a statement that coalition air strikes near Deir al-Zor had been halted when Russia told coalition officials they may have hit the Syrian army. Syria's army general command said in a statement that the air strike was ‘conclusive evidence’ of U.S. support for Islamic State, noting that the strike was ‘dangerous and blatant aggression’.” BBC: New York Bombs 'Were Both Shrapnel Pressure Cooker Devices' “The bomb detonated on Saturday in New York, and another device found nearby, were both shrapnel-filled pressure cookers - similar to the bombs used at the 2013 Boston Marathon, reports say. Citing top law enforcement officials, the New York Times said the two devices used flip phones and Christmas lights designed to trigger the explosive. The blast, in the Chelsea area of Manhattan, injured 29 people. Officials call it a terror act, but no motive or suspect has been identified. The second device was found four blocks from the site of the explosion and was removed safely. New York governor Andrew Cuomo said it appeared to be ‘similar in design’ to the exploded device.” The Wall Street Journal: The Flow Of Islamist Fighters From Egypt To Syria, And The Sisi Government’s Crackdown “The Brotherhood’s relative quiet in Egypt, however, might reflect some Muslim Brothers’ decision to turn their attention elsewhere–and only for the time being. A long, detailed report this month on the Arabic news site Ida’at suggested that some Egyptian Muslim Brothers and their allies have gone to fight in Syria, hoping to gain battlefield experience so they can return to Egypt for a ‘jihad against the tyrant,’ a reference to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The report, which relies heavily on anonymous sources who were assigned pseudonyms, estimates that 600 to 700 Egyptians–not all members of the Muslim Brotherhood–joined the al-Qaeda affiliate that until recently was known as Jabhat al-Nusra, and that some 2000 Egyptians joined Islamic State.” The Jerusalem Post: Soldier Stabbed In Efrat, Sixth Attack In 48 Hours “An IDF officer was moderately to seriously wounded in a Palestinian stabbing attack in the West Bank settlement of Efrat Sunday morning, in the sixth incident of violence in the last two days. It marks the first time since the wave of Palestinian violence against Israelis began last year, that an attack has occurred in Efrat, even though repeated incidents have occurred at the nearby Gush Etzion junction. Efrat’s security team had been on alert for hours prior to the attack after it saw a person wandering around 400 meters outside of the settlement and notified the IDF. Eventually the Palestinian terrorist managed to infiltrate the settlement and hid in the bushes. Around 6 a.m. he jumped out and stabbed the officer in his upper body. The soldier was transported to Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center in Ein Kerem.” Haaretz: Hoping To Ward Off Nusra Front, Israel Is Helping Syrian Villagers Across Border “A senior officer in the Northern Command described Israel’s Syria policy as follows: ‘judgment, caution, trying not to be swept into the war, and strictly keeping to the red lines.’ In the north over the years, the Netanyahu government appears to have been particularly cautious and wise. Israel sticks to its strategy – it responds to fire on its territory and acts to prevent weapons smuggling to Hezbollah (as the prime minister admitted in his UN speech). In the meantime, it knows not to become entangled in something unnecessary. This policy was tested this week during the increased firing onto the Israeli side of the Golan Heights. Both before and after the Syrian cease-fire, rebel groups tried to push the regime’s forces from its last enclaves near the border at Quneitra and the Druze village of Khadr. Occasionally, the regime fired accidentally into Israeli territory.” The Wall Street Journal: Coalition Misfire Threatens To Upend Syria Truce “The cease-fire in Syria was in jeopardy on Sunday as clashes escalated the day after the U.S.-led coalition targeting Islamic State mistakenly killed dozens of Syrian government forces in an airstrike. Both the Syrian government and rebels accused each other of violating the truce. Rebels said the regime and its Russian allies restarted airstrikes on opposition fighters in the northern city of Aleppo, the epicenter of the war in recent months. The Russian defense ministry said Sunday the situation in Aleppo was ‘especially tense,’ but added Syrian government forces hadn’t broken the cease-fire or responded to fire from opposition forces.” The New York Times: Nigeria Describes 3 Failed Negotiations With Boko Haram On Kidnapped Girls “Two and a half years after more than 200 girls were kidnapped from a school in northeastern Nigeria, the government on Friday described for the first time the failed efforts to negotiate for their release. Nigerian officials revealed that talks had been underway since July 2015 between the government and Boko Haram terrorists to gain the release of the girls taken from a school in Chibok. The talks began shortly after President Muhammadu Buhari took office. Three times the negotiations were derailed, in one instance at the last minute even after the president agreed to free imprisoned Boko Haram fighters, according to a government statement. Another time, talks failed because key members of Boko Haram’s negotiating team were killed.” CNN: US, Iraqi Troops Close In On Last ISIS-Held City “Indications are growing that the attack to retake Mosul, Iraq's second largest city and ISIS' last major stronghold in the country, could begin as soon as next month. Hundreds of US troops have arrived at an air base 40 miles south of Mosul to support Iraq's efforts to liberate that city, a US defense official told CNN. The US-led coalition to counter ISIS says it carried out four additional airstrikes near Mosul and Qayyarah Friday, destroying eight ISIS fighting positions and damaging a tunnel entrance. Near Qayyarah, two strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle, a weapons cache and 29 watercraft.” Haaretz: Saudi Arabia Accuses Iran Of Arming Rebels In Yemen, Urges UN To Sanction Tehran “Saudi Arabia accused Iran of supplying weapons to Shi'ite rebels in Yemen and urged the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on Tehran for violating an arms embargo. Saudi Ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi said in a letter to the council obtained late Saturday by The Associated Press that the smuggling of arms to Houthi rebels violates council resolutions and constitutes ‘a direct and tangible threat’ to Saudi Arabia, Yemen, the region and international peace. Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite-majority Iran are regional rivals and back opposing sides in Yemen and Syria.” The New York Times: Caliphate In Peril, More ISIS Fighters May Take Mayhem To Europe “As the Islamic State loses territory in Iraq and Syria, American and other Western officials say they are bracing for large numbers of battle-tested terrorist fighters to flee the conflict in desperation or by design and prepare attacks after returning home. Some of the fighters will head north to Western Europe, officials said, posing a threat that many countries there still seem ill prepared to combat. ‘When they return and connect with the radicals in Europe, it’s going to be a very tense situation for our national security,’ said Dick Schoof, the Dutch counterterrorism coordinator. An American-led coalition is closing in on the last major Islamic State strongholds — Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria — and officials say military and counterterrorism leaders face an urgent challenge in devising plans to deal with the consequences of that success.” United States CNN: New York Bombing: Investigators Search For Suspects, Motive “A day after a bombing injured 29 people in a New York City neighborhood, surveillance videos show the same man near the site of the explosion and another location where a pressure-cooker device was found four blocks away, multiple local and federal law enforcement sources told CNN. Saturday's explosion shook New York City's Chelsea neighborhood, packed with restaurants, subway stations, shops, businesses and art galleries, and sent panicked people scrambling for cover. Police continued to scour the area on Sunday for clues about who was responsible for the explosion and a motive. A few blocks away from the blast site and shortly after the explosion occurred, investigators found one possible lead: a pressure cooker, with dark-colored wiring sticking out, connected by silver duct tape to what appears to be a cellphone, officials said.” CNN: ISIS Wing Claims Responsibility For Minnesota Mall Attack “The man who stabbed nine people at a Minnesota mall Saturday before being shot dead by an off-duty police officer was a ‘soldier of the Islamic state,’ according to an ISIS-linked news agency. The statement posted online Sunday by the Amaq agency follows a pattern of ISIS-related media claiming responsibility for what appear to be the acts of individuals across Europe in the past few months. CNN cannot independently confirm this latest claim. ‘We still don't have anything substantive that would suggest anything more than what we know already, which is this was a lone attacker,’ St. Cloud Police Chief William Blair Anderson told CNN's Jake Tapper Sunday. ‘And right now, we're trying to get to the bottom of his motivations.’ The FBI is calling the attack ‘a potential act of terrorism.’” BBC: Minnesota Mall Stabbing Treated As Potential Terror Attack “The FBI has said it is treating a stabbing attack at a shopping centre in Minnesota that injured eight people as a potential act of terrorism. The attacker, who was dressed in a security uniform and reportedly made references to Allah, was shot dead by an off-duty police officer on Saturday. The so-called Islamic State claimed the man was one of its supporters, but the FBI said no link had been found. The attack happened in St Cloud, 70 miles (110km) out of Minneapolis. None of the victims suffered life threatening injuries. The FBI's Rick Thornton said it was too early to say whether the attack was linked to international terrorism.” The New York Times: Obama, Keen to Push Israeli-Palestinian Peace, Will Meet With Netanyahu “On Wednesday, he is scheduled to confer with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel at a time when he is weighing whether to propose his own framework for a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians over Mr. Netanyahu’s objections. The two leaders have clashed repeatedly over the Iran nuclear agreement and Mr. Obama’s pursuit of Middle East peace. The meeting could be their last face-to-face encounter before Mr. Obama’s term ends in January. Last week, the United States and Israel sealed a $38 billion, 10-year American security aid package to Israel, the largest ever granted to an ally. Officials in both countries have characterized the deal as proof that the American-Israeli relationship is enduring, whatever the strains between the two men.” Syria The Washington Post: New Violence In Syria Threatens Cease-Fire, As U.S. And Russia Blame Each Other “A U.S.-Russian cease-fire deal for Syria was on the brink of collapse Sunday after a week of mishaps and setbacks that exposed the fragility of the plan. The cease-fire is premised on a series of trust-building exercises that were intended to culminate Monday in the launch of preparations between the United States and Russia for joint airstrikes against terrorist groups in Syria. Instead, the violence ticked up Sunday, promised deliveries of aid failed to materialize and an errant strike Saturday by the U.S.-led coalition that killed dozens of Syrian government soldiers exposed the deficit of trust between the two powers.” Reuters: Syrian Army Says U.S.-Led Coalition Jets Bombed It In Support Of Islamic State “Syria's army general command said warplanes from the U.S.-led coalition bombed a Syrian army position at Jebel Tharda near Deir al-Zor airport on Saturday, paving the way for Islamic State fighters to overun it. The air strike killed Syrian soldiers and was ‘conclusive evidence’ that the U.S. and its allies support the jihadist group, the Syrian army said in a statement, noting that the strike was ‘dangerous and blatant aggression’. The U.S.-led coalition has been conducting air strikes against Islamic State since September 2014. In December Damascus accused the coalition of striking an army camp near Deir al-Zor, but Washington said it was done by Russian jets. A strike list issued by the U.S. on Saturday said it had carried out a strike at Deir al-Zor against five Islamic State supply routes, as well as strikes near Raqqa and elsewhere in Syria.” Haaretz: Russia Says America Defending ISIS As U.S. Voices Regret For Strike On Syrian Army “Russia said the U.S. was defending the Islamic State group after U.S.-led coalition forces allegedly bombed Syrian troops near Deir al-Zor airport on Saturday, allowing ISIS fighters to briefly overrun their position. The U.S. for its part accused Russia of grandstanding for call for an urgent UN session on the incident. U.S.-led coalition air strikes killed dozens of Syrian soldiers on Saturday, Russia and a monitoring group said, putting a U.S.-Russian brokered ceasefire in jeopardy and prompting an emergency UN Security Council meeting.  A senior Obama administration official says the United States has ‘relayed our regret’ for the unintentional loss of life of Syrian forces fighting the Islamic State group.” Iraq The Washington Post: Iraq Allows Families Back To Fallujah For The First Time, But Just A Handful Make It “The Iraqi government on Saturday allowed a trickle of civilians back into the western city of Fallujah, where they will begin the daunting task of rebuilding their lives in a city ragged from conflict and lacking even the most basic services. Three months after the city was recaptured from Islamic State militants, a convoy of seven families returned in the early hours of the afternoon after being checked against databases. Returnees were vastly outnumbered by local officials, journalists and security forces. The few who did make it in came home to an empty city. Once home to more than 250,000 people, the population shrank to nothing in waves of displacement over the past 2½ years. Many fled as the Islamic State took over the city in January 2014. Those who stayed were later uprooted in the battle to retake the city in June.” Politico: How Mosul’s Liberation Could Lead To Another Iraqi Civil War “From my interviews with senior government officials, military generals, regional experts, displaced persons from increasingly crowded refugee camps, it became clear to me that winning the fight for Mosul for the anti-ISIS side is hardly assured, and even if ISIS is eventually eradicated, the absence of a unifying enemy might release pent up animosities and hatreds among current allies. This could potentially unleash an even greater bloodbath in Iraq than that wrought by ISIS. Based on everything I’ve heard, Washington is not ready for this. And what that means is that unless the U.S. government conducts a sober reassessment of its objectives and strategies.” Turkey Associated Press: Turkey Stops 137 Migrants Trying To Reach Greek Islands “Turkey's state-run news agency says 137 migrants have been stopped trying to cross from Turkey's Aegean coastline to the Greek islands. Anadolu said Sunday that 95 migrants from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq had tried to reach Lesbos and Chios aboard three boats. The remaining 42 migrants, including women and children, were picked up trying to make it to Kos. Turkish coast guard statistics show 1,603 migrants attempted to reach the Greek islands in August, nearly twice as many as in July. The EU's border agency Frontex said this week the number of migrants arriving in the Greek islands has increased significantly over the last month. Frontex said it was the ‘first noticeable monthly increase’ since the EU-Turkey migrant deal came into effect.” Reuters: Turkish Soldiers, Kurdish Militants Killed In Violence In Turkey's Southeast “Three Turkish soldiers and four Kurdish militants were killed on Saturday in clashes in the southeastern Hakkari province while Turkish gendarmerie launched helicopter-backed security operations elsewhere in the region, security sources said. Three Turkish soldiers were also wounded in the clashes in village of Agacdibi, around 20 kilometers south of Hakkari province bordering Iraq and Iran. An operation to capture the militants is underway, sources said. In Sirnak province bordering Iraq, several Turkish attack helicopters bombed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets near Cudi and Gabar mountains in support of land troops carrying out operations in the area.” Reuters: Turkish Police Detain 40 Over Links With Islamic State - Anadolu “Turkish counter-terror police detained 40 foreign nationals in raids in Istanbul over their suspected links with Islamic State, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Sunday. Police carried out simultaneous raids to 23 addresses in Istanbul's conservative Fatih district detaining suspects from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Azerbaijan, Anadolu said. Some suspects are identified as having gone to the conflict areas inside Syria several times, Anadolu said. Turkey has suffered a series of suicide bombings and attacks by Islamic State and Kurdish militants over the past year. It launched its first major military incursion into Syria last month to push jihadists away from its border and prevent Kurdish fighters from seizing territory as they retreated. Thousands of foreign fighters from countries including Turkey, Britain, Europe and the United States have joined the Islamist militants in their self-proclaimed caliphate in recent years, many of them passing through Turkey.” Yemen Reuters: Arms For Houthis Found In Yemen Trucks With Oman Plates: Newspaper “Allies of Yemen's president found weapons bound for Iran-aligned Houthi forces on trucks with Omani license plates, although there was no evidence of any link to Omani authorities, who are neutral in Yemen's war, a Saudi-owned daily reported on Sunday. Al-Hayat newspaper quoted Marib governor Sultan al-Arada as saying the vehicles carrying ‘explosives and weapons’ had been en route from the Yemeni province of Hadramout to the Houthi-held Yemeni capital of Sanaa. Arada is an ally of Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, whose supporters, backed by the Saudi-led Arab coalition have been waging an offensive trying to roll back gains made by the Houthis since 2014.” Egypt Reuters: TNT Traces On Egyptair Plane Debris Split Investigators: Le Figaro “French investigators who found trace levels of the explosive material TNT on debris of an EgyptAir plane that crashed in May were prevented from further examining it, Le Figaro reported on Friday, a charge Egyptian officials denied. The origin of the traces remains unclear and Egyptian judicial authorities did not allow French investigators to examine the debris in detail, Le Figaro said, citing a source close to the investigation. EgyptAir flight MS804, an Airbus A320, plunged into the eastern Mediterranean en route from Paris to Cairo on May 19. All 66 people on board were killed, including 15 French passengers. The cause of the crash remains unknown.” NPR: Egypt Freezes Assets Of 5 Prominent Human Rights Defenders “A Cairo criminal court has ruled today to freeze the assets of five prominent human rights defenders — another step in the ongoing crackdown against the government's critics. The organizations involved are cornerstones of the Egyptian human rights community, which is finding it increasingly difficult to operate amid increasingly repressive measures from the government of Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. These human rights defenders are accused of using foreign funding to destabilize the country – while they say they are simply carrying out normal human rights work. The decision freezes their personal and organizational bank accounts, according to Amnesty International, though it adds that the ‘status of EIPR and ANHRI's assets remains unclear.’ They could face prosecution and up to 25 years in prison.” Middle East Voice Of America: Israel Says 'Iron Dome' System Intercepted Projectiles Fired From Syria “Israel said Saturday that it had used its ‘Iron Dome’ missile defense system to destroy two rockets fired from Syria, marking what officials said was the first time the short-range system had been activated to intercept projectiles fired by combatants in Syria's civil war. Israeli media quoted military officials as describing the rocket fire into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights as ‘unintentional spillover’ from the war. There were no reports of casualties from the shoot-downs. Israel has sought to avoid direct involvement in the Syrian conflict, but it launched airstrikes on cross-border military targets as recently as Tuesday, after warheads fell in the Israeli-occupied zone. Shortly after those strikes, the Israeli military denied Syrian claims that one Israeli fighter and a drone had been shot down.” Haaretz: Israel Fears Surge Of Attacks In West Bank, East Jerusalem Ahead Of Jewish Holidays “For the first time in several months there was a steep rise in terror attacks in Israel's occupied territories – five in only three days. In a stabbing attack in Jerusalem, a car-ramming attempt outside Hebron and two stabbings in Hebron, two soldiers were lightly wounded and four Palestinians – the suspected attackers – were killed, after being shot to dead by Israeli forces. On Sunday morning, a reservist company commander was wounded in a stabbing attack in Efrat, the attacker was shot and seriously wounded. The reasons for the new outbreak are not clear. It may be a combination of an atmosphere of religious fervor due to the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha (the Feast of the Sacrifice) and in advance of the Jewish High Holy Days season Tishrei. About a year ago, violence erupted similarly in East Jerusalem and from there moved to the West Bank and areas inside Israel.” The Wall Street Journal: Israel Suffers Four Attacks in 24 Hours “A knife-wielding Palestinian assailant stabbed an Israeli soldier before being shot dead by security forces in the West Bank city of Hebron on Saturday, the military said, the fourth attack against Israelis in less than 24 hours. The soldier was taken to the hospital. Two Palestinians and a Jordanian were also killed on Friday by Israeli forces after launching separate knife and car-ramming attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers, the country’s police and army said. The bevy of attacks revived a wave of Israeli-Palestinian bloodshed that began last September but had tapered off in recent months as Israel heightened security and Palestinian leaders called for their youth to shun violence.” Reuters: Islamic State, Pakistani Taliban Faction Say Kill Three Soldiers In Pakistan “Three Pakistani soldiers were killed in an ambush in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Sunday, militants said, in an attack for which both Islamic State and a Pakistani Taliban faction claimed responsibility. Militants said they ambushed an unmarked vehicle ferrying soldiers on Sunday morning near the congested Daudzai area of Peshawar. Military sources confirmed the attack but said the killed men were army employees and not soldiers. The Pakistan army often uses unmarked vehicles for transportation of soldiers and other employees in volatile areas around Peshawar to avoid being identified and attacked. ‘They were traveling in a civil van when unknown armed men opened fire at them,’ said a security official who declined to be named. ‘Three of them died on the spot.’” Libya Reuters: Libyan Forces Renew Push Against Islamic State In Sirte “Libyan forces allied with the U.N.-backed government on Sunday battled Islamic State militants in their last hideouts in the city of Sirte, in a renewed push after a break in fighting for the Muslim celebrations of Eid. At least two were killed in clashes after self-government forces shelled neighborhoods inside the city, targeting militants who have been holding on in a last section of Sirte after months of street-to-street fighting. U.S. air strikes and helicopter raids along with small teams of Western special forces have helped the Libyan troops advance in Sirte and losing the city would be a major blow for the militant group depriving it of its North African stronghold.” The Wall Street Journal: Fighting Restarts At Libya’s Eastern Oil Ports “Fighting resumed over the weekend for control of Libya’s key Eastern crude-oil ports, Libyan officials said, delaying a shipment of petroleum and highlighting the fragile nature of the country’s planned ramp up of exports. The Petroleum Facilities Guards, a militia that until this month had controlled Libya’s oil ports for years after the 2011 ouster and death of dictator Moammar Gadhafi, briefly retook two oil ports, Sidra and Ras Lanuf, in the country’s central coast on Saturday night, militia members said. The guards were forced out again on Sunday by the Libyan National Army, a militia that had pledged to reopen the ports for exports.” Nigeria Fox News: ISIS' Decision To Oust Notorious Boko Haram Leader Is Tearing Group Apart, Report Says “The Islamic State’s decision to oust the leader of Boko Haram -- who had a penchant for using children as suicide bombers – is fracturing the Nigerian terror group as bloodthirsty militants are divided amid a new push to attack Christian communities. The self-proclaimed caliphate announced in August that Musab al-Barnawi will be the Nigerian group’s new ‘governor’ after Abubakar Shekau, its notorious former leader, apparently became too much for ISIS leadership in the Middle East, The Wall Street Journal reports. Barnawi, rumored to be a son of the group’s founder, reportedly told ISIS’ newspaper that jihadists should shift their focus to Nigeria’s Christians, in a bid to win over public support after Shekau spent years attacking Muslim villages that didn’t join Boko Haram’s ranks.” Associated Press: Niger Soldiers Kill 38 Boko Haram Extremists In Operation “Niger's defense ministry says soldiers have killed 38 Boko Haram Islamic extremists during an operation in the country's southeast Diffa region. Col. Moustapha Michel Ledru said on national television late Friday that two Nigerien soldiers were wounded in the operation that had support from Chad's army. Ledru on Tuesday said five soldiers and 30 Nigeria-based Boko Haram militants had been killed after an ambush by the extremists led to fighting Monday. Boko Haram has killed some 20,000 and displaced millions in its seven-year insurgency. The Nigeria-based extremists have been launching attacks across the country's borders into Niger, Chad and Cameroon, which contribute to a multinational force that seeks to counter it.” Bloomberg: Nigerian Army Frees 566 People Held By Islamist Group Boko Haram “The Nigerian army released 566 persons, including 355 babies, held by islamist militant group Boko Haram in several camps across northeastern Borno state. They were handed over on Friday to the state’s governor Kashim Shettima at a rehabilitation center run in partnership with the UN’s children agency, Unicef, where they will receive medical care, reporters attending the ceremony were told. Nigeria has been grappling with Boko Haram since 2009, when it began an insurgency that has killed tens of thousands of people in a bid to impose its version of Islamic law.” United Kingdom BBC: Man Arrested At Heathrow On Suspicion Of Terrorism Offence “A 39-year-old man was arrested at Heathrow Airport under the Terrorism Act. The man was arrested on suspicion of possessing terrorist related material when he arrived at the airport on Saturday. A Metropolitan Police statement said: ‘The man was arrested under PACE legislation and taken to a west London police station where he remains in custody.’ No flights were disrupted. Officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command are investigating.” Germany Reuters: Merkel's Party Suffers Rout In Berlin In Migrant Policy Backlash “German Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU party suffered its second electoral blow in two weeks on Sunday, slumping to its lowest level since 1990 in a Berlin state vote that rejected her open-door refugee policy. Voters turned to the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD), which with 12.9 percent of the vote will enter its 10th regional assembly among the country's 16 states. A year before a national election, the result is set to raise pressure on Merkel and deepen rifts in her conservative camp, with more sniping expected from her CSU allies in Bavaria. The CSU's Bavarian finance minister Markus Soeder was quick to call it the ‘second massive wake-up call’ in two weeks. A long-term and massive loss in trust among traditional voters threatens the conservative bloc,’ he told the Bild daily, adding Merkel's right-left national coalition had to win back support by changing course on its immigration policy.” BBC: Oktoberfest Security Tightened Over Terrorism Fears “Police in Germany have tightened security for this year's Oktoberfest over terrorism fears. The world's biggest beer festival will be fenced off for the first time to ensure visitors go through security checks, authorities say. About six million visitors are expected to visit Munich for the 17-day event, which runs until 3 October. Southern Germany was rocked by a series of attacks this summer, though not all were linked to political motives. Backpacks and large bags will be banned from the festival site and more police than usual are being deployed. Some 450 security guards will be on-site and 29 security cameras will keep watch on festivities.” Europe Sputnik: Top NATO Chief Says Balkans Threatened By Islamic Terrorism, Russian Influence “Chairman of NATO Military Committee General Petr Pavel has claimed at the alliance’s conference in Croatia that the Balkans are ‘far from stable,’ saying that the region is both threatened by Islamic terrorism and Russian influence. Pavel, who became the first committee chief from the former Eastern bloc, said that the military alliance should be able to deter opponents and defend the members of NATO, Croatian HINA news agency reported. ‘NATO must have the ability, strength and resources to distract opponents and defend its members against any threat,’ he said at a press briefing in Split on Saturday following a conference of the Military Committee of NATO. The conference, held September 16-18, was attended by the Chiefs of Defense Staffs of the NATO member countries, two strategic commanders of the alliance and a representative from Montenegro, which has gotten an invitation to join the bloc.” International Business Times: Italy Sends Troops To Open Field Hospital In Libya For Forces Fighting ISIS “Italian troops are being sent to an open field hospital in Libya, the first time the country's troops will enter the country since colonial forces were ejected in 1947. The San Marco amphibious troop carrier left La Spezia port on Wednesday with troops as part of Operation Hippocrates, a humanitarian mission. Italy has agreed to help the Libyan government in setting up a field hospital in Misrata to care for some 2,000 soldiers wounded in its battle with Islamic State (Isis) in nearby Sirte. Libya, with UK and US military support, has managed to destabilise IS (Daesh) in their former stronghold. However, the national unity government set up by the UN is now facing collapse.” Financing of Terrorism Irfaa Sawtak: Yemen: Lack Of Concrete Results From The Law To Combat The Financing Of Terrorism “After nearly six years of enforcement of the law to combat money laundering and financing of terrorism in Yemen, it seems to have yielded no significant outcome. Note that the law was issued through a presidential decree in January 2010. Nevertheless, judges and experts in counter-terrorism affairs see "the very existence of the law as a positive thing." According to the figures released by the Data Collection Unit at the Central Bank of Yemen (set up under the provisions of this law), it received 54 complaints during the first quarter of this year. According to an official at the Central Bank of Yemen, the most prominent government agency overseeing this law, "the lack of political will and failure to activate the role of the courts and the prosecutions are the prime reason for a lack of concrete results in the fight against money laundering and financing of terrorism.” Egypt 24: Jordan: Rise In The Number Of Complaints Regarding Terror Financing And Money Laundering “The Unit for Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism at the Central Bank of Jordan stated that the number of complaints and alerts it received last year from the various entities subject to the provisions of the law, as well as regulatory and supervisory agencies, increased by 88.5% compared to 2014. The Unit attributed this rise to the conditions surrounding the Kingdom and the threat posed by terrorist organizations. In addition, the Unit stressed that many entities, subject to regulatory controls and follow-up mechanisms regarding its financial transactions, have adopted new measures to ensure compliance with the legislation in force in the Kingdom, including those related to combating money laundering or terrorist financing.” Egypt 24: Iraqi Government Approves System To Freeze Terrorists' Assets “Iraq's cabinet on Sunday approved the system for freezing terrorist funds. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told a news conference that "the Council of Ministers today approved a terrorist fund-freezing system." Al-Abadi added that "the Council of Ministers also approved a Japanese loan to finance a number of projects in the south." Moreover, he revealed "the Iraqi government's determination to hold meetings with world leaders to discuss the training of Iraqi forces.” ISIS Bl3raby: Salaries Of ISIS Agents In Iraq Disclosed “A local source in Kirkuk province on Saturday revealed the leaking of a list described as the salaries of ISIS agents in the district of Hawija, southwest of the province. The source stressed, however, that many of the agents had already left the district for Mosul, for fear of reprisals from locals. The source was quoted as saying that "a list detailing salaries of ISIS agents in Hawija, southwest of Kirkuk, was leaked," adding that "these salaries, ranging from 50,000 to 200,000 dinars ($43 - $172) a month, are paid in exchange for information about opponents of the organization.” Addiyar: Wages Of ISIS Leaders And Militants Reduced “The ability of ISIS to offer enticements and incentives to attract young men to its ranks has been ebbing. According to local Iraqi sources inside Mosul and other areas controlled by ISIS in Anbar province, a leader in the organization is currently earning 80,000 Iraqi dinars ($68) {per month} and a cylinder of cooking gas. However, an ISIS leader {today} does not receive previously available incentives such as a female slave, a wife, a house and a car which were provided from the spoils seized by the organization from displaced families and those forcibly expelled. Previously, the wages of ISIS leaders and militants in Mosul, Nineveh province, north of Baghdad, amounted to $1,300 {monthly} for a foreign fighter, in addition to a house, a car, a female slave to fulfill his sexual wishes, barrels of kerosene and a gas cylinder. Note that local residents can only obtain a gas cylinder at an exorbitantly high price due to the {deteriorating} economic situation in the city.” Muslim Brotherhood 24: Jordan: Muslim Brotherhood Accused Of Luring Voters With Gifts “Jordan's Independent Electoral Commission warned a list [of candidates] within the Muslim Brotherhood alliance against using political money to attract voters. This comes after the group announced the allocation of gifts to everyone attending an electoral event. The Commission's president, Khaled Kalaldeh, stated that giving gifts to persons attending an election rally is tantamount to a declaration on the use of political money. He stressed that this is no different from delivery of funds or aid packages by the candidates. Kalaldeh emphasized that the Commission was cautioning against the use of any form of political money.” The Seventh Day: Muslim Brotherhood Leadership Crisis Expected To Affect The Group's Students In Egypt “Sources confirmed that control by Muslim Brotherhood Acting Guide, Mahmoud Ezzat, of funding sources and {his} withholding of funds from the administrative offices that defy his leadership will greatly impact the activity of the Brotherhood students during the upcoming school year. The new year is set to open in the next few days. Brotherhood's funds were utilized in the past to organize marches and produce banners, which were carried in those marches. Withholding of funds {by Ezzat} means the group will no longer be able to pay students to organize demonstrations in the universities. The sources also claimed that the Muslim Brotherhood's internal crisis has resulted in students not carrying out instructions concerning the organization of demonstrations, whether at the beginning of the school year or the weekly demonstrations which were called in the past by the coalition in support of the Brotherhood.” The Seventh Day: International Muslim Brotherhood Organization Allocates Huge Budget Towards Spoiling Al-Sisi's Visit To New York “The International Organization of the Muslim Brotherhood formulated a broad scheme to incite against Egypt and put a damper on the participation of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, in the activities of the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly, set to begin in New York on Tuesday. The international organization decided to hold events, starting Sunday until the end of al-Sisi's visit to America. It also decided to send letters to US officials, asking them not to welcome the Egyptian President. A report on alleged human rights violations in Egypt is attached to these letters. According to Islamist sources, the international organization has allocated a huge budget to be spent on the Brotherhood's activities in America. The sources claim that the Brotherhood {financing) relies directly on both Qatar and Turkey. Houthi Yemen 24: Yemeni Writer Reveals Major Smuggling Operation For Benefit Of Houthi Group “Yemeni writer and activist Abbas Aldhaleai exposed a major smuggling operation, which included weapons, parts of missiles and foreign currency, for the benefit of Yemen's Houthi group. Aldhaleai, in a Facebook post, wrote that in recent weeks the Houthi group has obtained millions of dollars through smuggling. Without mentioning the exact figure, Aldhaleai claimed they [the arms and funds] had been smuggled through a state in the Horn of Africa, likely Djibouti, even though he stopped short of naming the country. The Yemeni writer asserted that the smuggled funds had been sent from Iran, reaching the port of the African country in a container through a third intermediary.” Shaml News: Houthi Group Deducted 400 Million Riyals To Commemorate Shiite Eid-Al-Ghadir “Houthis began preparations for Shiite Eid-al-Ghadir celebrations, amid a surge of popular anger over the massive financial burden the Houthis have placed on the state treasury, which is suffering its most serious crisis in history. Since the September 20th Houthi coup, Yemenis have been protesting the Houthis' shameless looting of the state. But the [most blatant] exploitation of the state's financial resources is at its peak surrounding the celebration of the Houthis' religious events. At this time, astronomical budgets have emerged for these celebrations. In the same context, activists disclosed that the Houthi group withdrew 400 million riyals ($1.86 million) for preparations for the Shiite Eid-al-Ghadir celebrations, which will be marked by Houthis the day after tomorrow.”