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Eye on Extremism
October 12, 2016
The
New York Times: Pentagon Confronts A New Threat From ISIS: Exploding
Drones
“In the last month, the Islamic State has tried to use small drones to
launch attacks at least two other times, prompting American commanders in
Iraq to issue a warning to forces fighting the group to treat any type of
small flying aircraft as a potential explosive device. The Islamic State
has used surveillance drones on the battlefield for some time, but the
attacks — all targeting Iraqi troops — have highlighted its success in
adapting readily accessible technology into a potentially effective new
weapon. American advisers say drones could be deployed against coalition
forces by the terrorist group in the battle in Mosul. For some American
military analysts and drone experts, the episodes confirmed their view
that the Pentagon — which is still struggling to come up with ways to
bring down drones — was slow to anticipate that militants would turn
drones into weapons.”
The
Daily Beast: Deadly Waters Off Yemen Threaten U.S. Ships
“The waters off Yemen are becoming a killing field for ships, and
while the U.S. Navy is reasonably prepared to confront the escalating
danger, America’s allies in the civil war-torn Middle Eastern country
might not be. On the evening of Oct. 9, forces aligned with Ansar
Allah—aka the Houthis, Yemen’s Iran-backed Shia political movement—fired
two cruise missiles toward the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Mason and the
amphibious ship Ponce while the two vessels were sailing in international
waters north of the Bab el-Mandeb strait. Ponce functions as a sort of
floating base for mine-hunting helicopters and other U.S. forces. Mason’s
job is to protect more-vulnerable vessels such as Ponce. U.S and allied
ships patrol the waters around Yemen in order to prevent illicit arms
from flowing into the troubled country.”
NBC
News: Pentagon Vows to Retaliate for Missile Attack on USS Mason Near
Yemen
The Pentagon vowed Tuesday to deliver payback to whoever fired a pair
of missiles at a U.S. Navy destroyer off the coast of Yemen. ‘We are
going to find out who did it and take action accordingly,’ said Capt.
Jeff Davis, a Defense Department spokesman. ‘Anybody who puts U.S. Navy
ships at risk does so at their own peril.’ The missiles, which were fired
around 7 p.m. (noon ET) Sunday as the USS Mason was conducting routine
operations in international waters near the strait of Bab el-Mandeb,
missed their target. Two other Navy ships — the USS Nitze and the USS
Ponce — were also operating in the area. Davis declined to say who they
suspect fired the missiles, but noted that they were fired from territory
in the hands of Shiite rebels known as Houthis who are backed by Iran and
are fighting the government of Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.”
BBC:
Syria Conflict: Heavy Air Strikes Resume On Aleppo
“Russian planes have resumed air strikes on rebel-held districts in
the city of Aleppo, in what activists say is the heaviest bombardment in
days. At least 25 people are reported to have died, including children.
The bombardment follows a temporary lull called by the Syrian government,
partly to allow civilians to leave rebel areas in the east of the city.
It has come under intense aerial attack since a ceasefire brokered by the
US and Russia collapsed last month. The air strikes came as Russian
President Vladimir Putin cancelled a planned visit to France. He had been
due to meet French President Francois Hollande later this month but
pulled out after Paris said talks would be confined to Syria, French
presidential sources said. On Monday, Mr Hollande suggested Russian
officials could face war crimes charges over the bombardment of Aleppo.”
Reuters:
As Offensive Nears, Islamic State Rigs Mosul With Bombs
“Islamic State militants have placed booby traps across the city of
Mosul, dug tunnels and recruited children as spies in anticipation of an
offensive to dislodge the jihadists from their Iraqi stronghold, Iraqis
and U.S. officials said. Mosul, home to up to 1.5 million people, has
been the headquarters of Islamic State's self-declared caliphate in
northern Iraq since 2014 and the militants are making complex
preparations to prevent Iraqi security forces, backed by a U.S.-led
coalition, taking it back. The battle for the city, expected later this
month, will help shape the future of Iraq and the legacy of U.S.
President Barack Obama. Even if Islamic State is driven out, there is a
real danger of sectarian strife, especially if civilian casualties are
high in a mainly Sunni city wary of the Shi-ite led Iraqi government and
the Shi'ite militias it depends on.”
Newsweek:
As Isis's Caliphate Crumbles, Jihadist Tactics Are Evolving
“Today, the battle of Mosul, Round Two, looms. The United States, the
Iraqi army and Kurdish peshmerga fighters are preparing an offensive to
retake the city, likely to begin by the end of October. And ISIS,
undeniably, is now weakened, its caliphate vastly reduced in size. The
Iraqi government, backed by U.S. airpower and special operations forces,
has methodically retaken cities in Iraq’s Sunni heartland that had fallen
to ISIS: Tikrit, Fallujah, Ramadi and, soon, most analysts believe,
Mosul. ISIS today controls nearly 50 percent less territory in Iraq than
it did two years ago. The flow of foreign fighters going there has
dwindled, and ISIS now conscripts locals for $50 a month—but it has
fallen three months behind, former fighters say, in paying even that
amount.”
The
Jerusalem Post: Israel Thwarts Hamas Suicide Bombing Plot On Bus In
Jerusalem
“Israeli security authorities announced Tuesday morning that they have
arrested a Hamas operative who planned a number of terror attacks in the
Jerusalem area, including a suicide bombing on a bus in the capital's
Pisgat Ze'ev neighborhood. Muhammad Fuaz Ibrahim Julani, of the Shuafat
refugee camp on the outskirts of Jerusalem, was arrested last month while
planning the attack at the behest of his Hamas handlers in the Gaza
Strip, according to the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency). The
investigation of Julani revealed that he had discussed a number of
potential attacks with his handlers, including a shooting attack at the
Hizme checkpoint, a bombing at a store in Jerusalem he had formerly
worked at, and bombing attacks at high profile sites in Jerusalem that
would cause mass casualties, such as the Central Bus Station and the
Malha Mall.”
USA
Today: Sparks Fly Between Turkey, Iraq As Battle Looms To Oust ISIL From
Mosul
“The leaders of Turkey and Iraq exchanged sharp words as they prepare
for a military operation to oust Islamic State militants from the
terror group’s last major redoubt in Iraq. The latest salvo came from
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in response to a demand from
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi that Turkey withdraw its troops from
Iraq, where they’ve been training a multi-ethnic force to participate in
the looming battle. ‘You are not my interlocutor. You are not at my
level. You are not my equivalent. You are not of the same
quality as me,’ Erdogan said, referring to al-Abadi in a speech to Muslim
religious leaders from the Balkans and Central Asia. ‘Your screaming and
shouting in Iraq is of no importance to us. You should know that we will
go our own way,’ Erdogan said, according to the Associated Press.”
Reuters:
Turkey Says Kurdish Militants Enter New 'Heinous' Phase, Targeting Ruling
Party
“Kurdish militants claimed responsibility for the assassination of two
officials in Turkey's southeast and the country's prime minister said the
insurgency had entered a new ‘heinous’ phase in targeting the AK Party
founded by President Tayyip Erdogan. The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)
said it had shot dead Deryan Aktert, AKP head in the city of Diyarbakir's
Dicle district, in his office on Monday for his cooperation with the
state in fighting the PKK, an organization listed as a terrorist group by
Turkey, the United States and the European Union. On Sunday, assailants
killed Aydin Mustu, the AK Party's deputy leader in the Ozalp district of
Van, a city 350 km (215 miles) east of Diyarbakir.”
The
Washington Post: The Thin Line Between Europe’s Criminals And Militants
“When Danish police officers shot a suspected drug dealer earlier this
fall in Copenhagen, they assumed the investigation would lead to
organized crime. But soon after, the Islamic State claimed the
25-year-old had been a ‘soldier of the Caliphate.’ That wording has been
frequently used by the group in recent months, including after the
Orlando attack on a gay club in June. It remains deeply unclear whether
the Islamic State has direct links to such attackers or merely piggybacks
off their acts in efforts to claim a wider reach. Experts tracking
militant trends, though, are digging deeper. Criminals turning into
terrorism suspects is becoming an increasingly common pattern in Europe,
according to a new report released Tuesday by the International Center
for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence (ICSR) at King's
College London.”
United
States
CNN:
US Urges Calm As Turkey-Iraq Tensions Risk ISIS Fight
“US officials are urging calm between Turkey and Iraq to keep the
flaring tensions between the two key American allies from jeopardizing
the fight against ISIS. The flap over the presence of Turkish troops in
northern Iraq, which the government in Baghdad objects to because the
forces are there without its permission, could undermine recent gains in
the fight against the terror group and disrupt the upcoming effort to
retake Mosul. ‘It is imperative for all parties to coordinate closely
over the coming days and weeks to ensure unity of effort in defeating
Daesh and to provide for the lasting security of the Iraqi people,’ State
Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement issued Tuesday, using
another name for ISIS. Kirby however did not mention Turkey by name
saying he was addressing ‘the role that international forces will play in
the Iraqi operation to liberate Mosul.’”
ABC
News: ISIS Propaganda Declined After Military Pressure, West Point Report
Says
“ISIS appears to be struggling to produce the same volume of online
propaganda as in days past thanks in large part to a sustained military
assault by the anti-ISIS coalition, according to a new report by the
Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. The comprehensive report from
the academic center at the United States Military Academy (USMA),
Communication Breakdown: Unraveling the Islamic State’s Media Efforts,
says at its peak in August 2015 the terror group posted 700 items from
its official media outlets, but persistent military pressure has shrunk
that number to just 200 a year later. The report also notes that ISIS is
producing far fewer messages about its successful governance and the
promise of a happy-life within it's so called ‘caliphate,’ instead
posting more messages about it's deadly battles.”
Syria
Reuters:
Russian Jets Resume Heavy Bombing Of Eastern Aleppo: Rebels, Monitor
“Russian jets resumed heavy bombing of rebel-held eastern Aleppo on
Tuesday after several days of relative calm, a rebel official and the
Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.
Air strikes mostly hit the Bustan al-Qasr neighborhood, Zakaria Malhifji
of the Aleppo-based Fastaqim rebel group told Reuters. ‘There is renewed
bombardment and it is heavy,’ he said. The Observatory said the death
toll from bombing in Bustan al-Qasr, Fardous and other neighborhoods rose
to at least 25, with scores of wounded. At least 50 civilians were killed
by strikes on the rebel-held part of the city and nearby villages
controlled by insurgents, residents and rescue workers said. In Bustan al
Qasr, residents said, the strikes hit a medical center and a children's
playground.”
Reuters:
Hezbollah Sees More Conflict In Syria And Rising Regional Tension
“The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah,
said on Tuesday the Middle East was in a phase of escalating tension and
there appeared to be no prospect of a political solution to the war in
Syria. ‘The regional scene is currently one of tension and escalation,
and it does not appear that there are paths for negotiations or
solutions’, he said in a rare live televised speech before thousands of
supporters in Beirut. Speaking about Syria, where the Iran-backed group
is fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Nasrallah said
‘the theater was open to more tension, escalation and confrontation’. However,
large sections of his more than hour-long address, marking Shi'ite
Islam's annual Ashura commemorations, were spent attacking Sunni power
Saudi Arabia, the main regional rival of Iran, mostly over its military
campaign in Yemen.”
Associated
Press: Airstrikes In Syria's Aleppo And Shelling In South Kill 20
“Airstrikes on rebel-held parts of the northern city of Aleppo killed
at least 14 people Tuesday, while the shelling of a government-held
neighborhood in southern Syria hit a school, killing at least six,
including children, opposition activists and state media
said. Syria's official news agency SANA also reported rare shelling
of neighborhoods in the capital, Damascus, including several mortar
shells fired by opposition groups based on the edge of the city that
landed in the residential Qasaa district and close to the Umayyad Mosque,
wounding an unspecified number of people. Fighting on a number of fronts
across the country has intensified in recent weeks following the collapse
of a U.S. and Russian-brokered cease-fire. The northern city of Aleppo,
Syria's largest and its former commercial center, has seen particularly
fierce fighting, as pro-government forces try to capture neighborhoods in
besieged opposition-held parts of the city.”
CNN:
Powerful Images Of Wounded Syrian Girl Go Viral
“It's another haunting picture of a wounded child from Syria. This one
has also gone viral on social media. The video and images were posted
online by a pro-opposition activist group, Talbiseh Media Center. It
shows an 8-year-old girl in a medical facility, her hair and body covered
with dust. There's blood tricking down her forehead, her nose. She looks
confused and scared and keeps calling out for her father. Off camera, a
man talks to her, asking for her name. ‘Aya’ she replies, crying. ‘Where
were you when this happened?’ the questioner asks. ‘At home but the roof
fell on us,’ she replies, looking around for her father. ‘Oh Daddy...
Daddy, come,’ she cries. Hospital staff and volunteers try to clean her
up and attend to her wounds, as she continues to sob.”
Iraq
Reuters:
Two French Soldiers Badly Wounded By Drone In Iraq
“Two French soldiers were badly wounded in Iraq and two Peshmerga
fighters were killed by a booby trapped drone sent by a group related to
the Islamic State, Le Monde reported on Tuesday. In what could be the
first report of an attack by Islamic State militants on French special
forces using a drone, the device was intercepted while flying and
exploded after landing on the ground, the paper said. Le Monde said the
attack happened on Oct. 2. It was not clear whether the device was
remotely detonated or if it carried a timed bomb. The two French soldiers
were immediately repatriated to receive medical treatment in France. One
of them ‘is between life and death,’ Le Monde wrote. Other French
soldiers were also lightly wounded by the explosion but Le Monde did not
give precise numbers.”
Turkey
Reuters:
Turkey Has Right To Combat Threats In Syria And Iraq: Erdogan
“President Tayyip Erdogan warned Iraq's prime minister he should ‘know
his limits’ after he criticized Turkey's military presence there and said
the Turkish army, shaken by a failed coup bid, had not lost so much
standing as to take orders from him. NATO member Turkey shares a 1,200 km
(750-mile) border with Syria and Iraq and faces threats from Islamic
State militants in both. But it is concerned that international efforts to
destroy radical Islamists will leave new dangers in their wake. The
Turkish army, its senior ranks purged following a failed military attempt
to overthrow Erdogan in July, launched an incursion into Syria in August
to push back Islamic State and prevent U.S.-backed Kurdish militia
fighters from seizing territory. Ankara is wary of Washington's support
for what it sees as a hostile Syrian Kurdish force.”
Afghanistan
Reuters:
Gunman Kills 14 At Shrine In Afghan Capital, Police Say
“At least 14 people were killed on Tuesday when a gunman in a police
uniform opened fire on worshippers gathered at a shrine in the Afghan
capital of Kabul for a Shi'ite holy day, officials said. Thirteen
civilians and one police officer died and 36 people were wounded, said
Ministry of Interior spokesman Sediq Sediqqi. Ministry of Public Health
officials said at least 43 people had been injured in the incident and
had been taken to hospitals in the city for treatment. The attack began
just before 8 p.m. (3:30 p.m. GMT), police said, with witnesses reporting
an explosion followed by gunfire. ‘People were gathered inside the shrine
for worshiping when the attackers arrived, first they shot the policemen
at the gate of the shrine and then they entered the compound,’ said
Sardar Hedayat.”
Egypt
The
Times Of Israel: Russia To Hold Military Drills In Egypt This Month
“Russia and Egypt will hold joint military drills involving airborne
troops on Egyptian soil for the first time this month, the Russian defence
ministry said Tuesday. ‘The joint Russian-Egyptian drills will happen in
mid-October 2016 on the territory of Egypt,’ it said, without specifying
their start date. The drills, called ‘Protectors of Friendship-2016’,
will include 500 troops, 15 planes and helicopters and 10 military
hardware units, the ministry said, describing the exercises as
‘anti-terrorist’. ‘The airborne delivery by parachute of several Russian
airborne troops’ сombat vehicles to the desert climate of Egypt will
occur for the first time in history,’ the ministry said.”
Libya
Associated
Press: Libya Government Forces Launch New Push On IS In Sirte
“Forces loyal to Libya's United Nations-brokered government are
advancing cautiously on the remaining pockets of Islamic State group
fighters holding out in the coastal city of Sirte. The Tuesday push comes
after months of intense fighting in Sirte between government forces and
IS fighters, who gained a foothold in the country following the 2011
overthrow and killing of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
Pro-government fighter Mohamed Abdulla says the troops are ‘making
progress every day,’ but needed better care for their wounded. The United
States has been supporting the fight against IS with airstrikes. Efforts
to unite the deeply divided country were dealt a major blow last August
when the country's parliament, based in the eastern city of Tobruk,
rejected the Tripoli-based government following a no confidence vote.”
Nigeria
Newsweek:
Nigerian State Government ‘Acting Like Boko Haram,’ Says Shiite Spokesman
“The spokesman of a Nigerian Shiite group says that the state
government in Kaduna, northern Nigeria, is acting like Boko Haram after
outlawing the group. The Kaduna state government declared on Friday that
the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN)— the country’s main Shiite
movement—was an ‘unlawful society’ and that members of the group would be
arrested and prosecuted. Members of the IMN, an Iranian-inspired movement
led by Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, clashed with the Nigerian army in December
2015 in the city of Zaria. A commission of inquiry found that at least
347 members of the group were killed in the clashes, although the sect
had previously claimed hundreds of its members remained missing. Zakzaky
was arrested during the clashes and has been detained without charge for
the past 10 months.”
United
Kingdom
BBC:
Police At Doncaster Mcauley School After 'Terror Threats'
“Counter-terrorism police are being stationed at a school in Doncaster
after ‘threatening social media posts’. Officers were called to McAuley
Catholic High School on Cantley Lane on Monday, and remained there on
Tuesday. Police said ‘potentially unauthorised and malicious posts’ had
been made on a social media account. Supt Neil Thomas said: ‘Uniformed
officers will be carrying out patrols at the school.’ A team of
specially-trained officers was present and would remain over the coming
days, Supt Thomas said. He said there was no intelligence to suggest
it was necessary to keep children off school. The matter was being
investigated by the North East Counter Terrorism Unit, which is working
to establish the origin of the posts.”
Associated
Press: UK Report Warns Of Criminals Becoming Terrorists
“The lines between terrorism and criminality are becoming blurred as
an increasing number of former criminals join the Islamic State group and
create a ‘gangster jihad,’ according to a British report released
Tuesday. Nearly 60 percent of European jihadists studied by researchers
had been jailed previously, in essence creating a ‘super-gang,’ said the
report from the International Centre for the Study of Radicalization and
Political Violence at King's College London. Once recruited by IS, these
people easily transition to committing violence for a different cause,
making the group different from other Islamist organizations such as
al-Qaida, which often radicalized students, intellectuals or other previously
non-violent individuals to carry out its violent aims, the report said.
‘They are the perfect fit,’ Peter Neumann, the center's director, said of
the criminals bolstering the Islamic State group's ranks.”
Germany
Reuters:
Syrian Suspect In Germany 'Had Ties To Islamic State'
“A 22-year-old Syrian refugee arrested in Germany on Monday had ties
to Islamic State, Germany's spy chief said on Tuesday, but intelligence
sources said there was no evidence he was receiving orders from the
militant group. Hans-Georg Maassen, head of the domestic intelligence
agency, told German broadcaster ZDF that the arrest of suspect Jaber
Albakr had probably prevented an imminent attack. ‘We succeeded in
preventing a terrorist attack just minutes before midnight,’ he said.
Police had been hunting for the suspect since he evaded them during a
raid on Saturday. Die Welt newspaper, citing investigative sources,
reported late on Tuesday that Albakr had spent several months in Turkey
this year, leaving in the spring and returning to Germany only in late
August.”
USA
Today: Syrian Refugee Terror Attack Averted In Germany — By Refugees
“A Syrian refugee accused of planning a terrorist attack here was on
the run for nearly two days until his capture — by fellow Syrian
refugees. Jaber al-Bakr's apartment in the eastern city of Chemnitz
was raided Saturday by special forces because authorities feared he
was on the verge of launching a bomb attack. During the police
operation in a busy residential area, he escaped. Now, new
details have emerged about the circumstances that led to the
apprehension early Monday of al-Bakr, a 22-year-old asylum
seeker who investigators believe may have links to the Islamic State
and been planning to detonate a bomb at one of Berlin's
airports.”
France
The
Wall Street Journal: Russia’s Vladimir Putin Cancels Paris Trip Amid
Differences Over Syria
“Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday canceled plans to travel
to Paris next week, amid heightened tensions between Moscow and the West
over the conflict in Syria. French President François Hollande said after
the cancellation that he had demanded any meeting with Mr. Putin in Paris
be devoted solely to the situation in Syria, where some Western officials
have said Russia’s involvement in the bombing of the northern city of
Aleppo could amount to war crimes. The Russian leader instead decided to
postpone the trip, he said. ‘I consider it necessary to have a dialogue
with Russia,’ Mr. Hollande told the Council of Europe in Strasbourg,
France. ‘However, this dialogue must be firm and honest, otherwise it has
no purpose and it’s a sham.’”
Europe
Voice
Of America: West Rattled Over Russian Missiles On NATO Border
“Russia’s deployment of nuclear-capable missiles its enclave of
Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea is a ‘wake-up call’ for the West of the
current dangers, according to analysts. Germany warns the tensions
between Moscow and the West are more dangerous than during the Cold War.
Russia’s Iskander missiles have a range of around 500 kilometers, and
their deployment in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, sandwiched
between Poland and Lithuania, has rattled the West. The dramatic reaction
of the West about Iskander [missiles] now is that it is just a wake-up
call, it is just a very clear message. It is that ice-cold bucket of
water that says, ‘Wake up, you are not living in a safe world,’ said Igor
Sutyagin, a Russian military analyst at London’s Royal United Services
Institute. Moscow says the deployment is part of a regular military
exercise.”
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