Eye on Extremism October 27, 2016

Eye on Extremism October 27, 2016 Reuters: U.S. 'Rocket City' Hits Islamic State Targets In Mosul “When Islamic State fighters were pushed out of the Qayyara airbase in July, they tried to demolish anything left behind. The airstrip was dug up and booby trapped, and concrete barriers were knocked down along with a large water tower. ‘Daesh did everything they could to make the place unusable,’ said Maj. Chris Parker, a coalition spokesman, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State. Now the base, referred to as Q-West by American forces, has become the main staging ground for some 1,000 troops from the U.S.-led coalition along with thousands of soldiers from the Iraqi army and federal police as they try to advance on Mosul. The U.S. army, air force and marines all have troops on the base, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) south of Mosul, and there is a joint operations room where American and Iraqi commanders share intelligence and plan out logistical support.” The New York Times: Warning Of ISIS Plots Against West, U.S. Plans Assault On Raqqa “The fight to retake Raqqa, the Syrian city that serves as the capital of the Islamic State, must begin soon — within weeks — to disrupt planning believed to be underway there to stage terrorist attacks on the West, senior Defense Department and military officials said on Wednesday. Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the top American military commander in Iraq, declined to name a specific threat against Western targets emanating from Raqqa, but described a ‘sense of urgency.’ He said it was imperative that operations to isolate the city begin soon to prevent attacks on the West that could be launched or planned from the militants’ capital. In announcing that the fight to retake Raqqa is imminent, American officials are sweeping aside objections from Turkey and moving forward with plans to rely on a ground fighting force that includes Kurdish militia fighters in Syria.” Reuters: IS Executes Dozens Of Prisoners Near Mosul, Officials Say “Islamic State militants have in recent days executed dozens of prisoners taken from villages the group has been forced to abandon by an Iraqi army advance on the city of Mosul, officials in the region said on Wednesday. Most of those killed were former members of the Iraqi police and army who had lived in areas under Islamic State control south of Mosul, Abdul Rahman al-Waggaa, a member of the Nineveh provincial council, told Reuters. The militants forced them to leave their homes with their families, and took them to the town of Hammam Al-Alil, 15 km (9 miles) south of Mosul, where the executions took place, he said in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdish region, east of Mosul.” Reuters: Five Al Qaeda-Linked Fighters Killed In Yemen Strike - U.S. “Five members of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula were killed in a U.S. military strike last week in Yemen, U.S. Central Command said in a statement on Wednesday. The strike was conducted in Yemen's Marib Governorate on Oct. 21, the statement said. It did not say how the strike was carried out.” Voice Of America: US Drone Strike Targets Top Al-Qaida Leader In Afghanistan “A U.S. drone strike this week targeted the top al-Qaida leader in Afghanistan and his deputy, the Pentagon said Wednesday. A U.S. official called Sunday's operation against Faruq al-Qatani and Bilal al-Utabi the most significant al-Qaida strike in Afghanistan in several years. The official said accounts from the ground described the two targets as having been ‘leveled,’ but that the results were still being assessed and the men's deaths could not yet be confirmed. Al-Qatani was hiding out in Kunar province. The official said the U.S. had been looking for him for four years. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said al-Qaida leaders ordered al-Qatani to re-establish al-Qaida safe havens in Afghanistan.” Reuters: Syria Denies Its Forces Used Chemical Weapons: State Media “Syria's government denied on Wednesday that its forces had used chemical weapons in the country's civil war, days after an international inquiry found it responsible for a third toxic gas attack during the conflict. The foreign ministry ‘denies ... the accusations circulated by some Western circles and their institutions about the use of chemical materials ... during military operations’, state news agency SANA reported. It said there was no ‘tangible evidence’ for the international inquiry's findings. The fourth report inquiry by the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the global chemical weapons watchdog, blamed Syrian government forces for a toxic gas attack in Qmenas in Idlib governorate on March 16, 2015, according to a text of the report seen by Reuters last week.” BBC: Syria Conflict: Schoolchildren Killed In Idlib Air Raids “At least 26 people, many of them children, have been killed in air strikes on a rebel-held village in north-western Syria, activists say. A school complex was reportedly among several locations targeted in the village of Haas, in Idlib province. It was not immediately clear if the raids were carried out by Syrian government or Russian warplanes. State media quoted a military source as saying several ‘terrorists’ had been killed when their positions were hit. The UN's children's charity Unicef said 22 children were reportedly killed. ‘This latest atrocity may be the deadliest attack on a school since the war began more than five years ago,’ executive director Anthony Lake said.” Newsweek: As ISIS Flees Sirte In Libya, Tunisia Faces Greater Threat From Returning Jihadis “The call of “Allahu Akbar” (“God is great”) echoed from a megaphone in the Tunisian border town of Ben Guerdane on March 7. Islamic State militant group (ISIS) fighters, mostly Tunisian nationals, had arrived from neighboring Libya. They beckoned residents towards them as they launched an assault on security forces, killing 12 and seven civilians. Security forces ended the assault, killing 36 militants and arresting six others. ISIS’s attempt to capture the area and establish what President Beji Caid Essebsi called “a new emirate,” had failed. But as the first mass-coordinated ISIS attack to strike Tunisia, it highlighted the danger the North African country faces from militants returning from its permeable border with Libya, a country wracked by instability.” New York Times: Boko Haram Attacks Signal Resilience Of ISIS And Its Branches “The military convoy was rumbling across a river near the border last month when soldiers suddenly realized they were surrounded. More than 100 Boko Haram fighters, some of them on horseback, had encircled the vehicles, ready to strike. The 300 soldiers from Niger and the handful of American Special Operations forces accompanying them called for help. Soldiers from Chad rushed to the area, and fighter planes from Niger buzzed overhead, bombing the militants, killing some and sending others fleeing. This time, at least, the quick international teamwork averted what could have been a deadly militant ambush.” Wall Street Journal: ISIS Failure In Kirkuk Shows Its Loss Of Sunni Arab Support “In June 2014, it took only several hundred Islamic State fighters to conquer Iraq’s second-largest city of Mosul, with two entire Iraqi army divisions fleeing without much of a fight and many residents welcoming the invaders. Last Friday, just as Iraqi, Kurdish and coalition troops were inching closer to Mosul to retake it, Islamic State launched a similar surprise attack on another major Iraqi city, Kirkuk. As the news of the assault spread, Islamic State authorities in Mosul staged street celebrations to salute the imminent addition of Kirkuk to their caliphate. That attack, however, quickly ended in failure. The main reason is that Sunni Arabs, many of whom once viewed Islamic State as a liberator from Shiite or Kurdish oppression, have grown increasingly disgusted by the militant group.” New York Times:  'I'm Scared These Men Wil Kill Everyone': ISIS Takes A Somalia Town “The black flag of the Islamic State went up over an old, crumbling coastal town in Somalia at dawn on Wednesday, the latest sign of a sharpening duel between Somalia’s top two militant groups. According to officials and residents, dozens of masked men carrying heavy machine guns, assault rifles and the Islamic State flag marched into Qandala, an ancient trading post on the Gulf of Aden. There was no resistance, the witnesses said. The Islamic State fighters simply walked down the main road into Qandala, a town known in Somalia for its old white castle on the sea. Residents stood back, staring with a mix of awe and fear. Even the fishermen who usually ply the warm waters of the gulf did not go to sea on Wednesday, banned by the militants.” United States Reuters: U.S. Using Tunisia To Conduct Drone Operations In Libya: U.S. Sources “The United States has begun using a Tunisian air base to conduct surveillance drone operations inside Libya, the latest expansion of its campaign against Islamic State militants in North Africa, U.S. government sources said on Wednesday. The unarmed drones have been flying out of Tunisia since late June and are now part of a U.S. air defense in support of Libyan pro-government forces fighting to push Islamic State fighters out of their stronghold in the Libyan city of Sirte, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The use of the Tunisian base, which was first reported by The Washington Post, extends the U.S. military's ability to gather intelligence on Islamic State in Libya, the U.S. sources said. Other locations in Africa where U.S. drones are launched, including Niger and Djibouti, are farther away.” Fox News: ISIS Plotting New Attacks Against West From Syria, US Military Says “ISIS is planning additional ‘significant’ external operations against the West from its de-facto capital in Raqqa, Syria, the top U.S. commander in Iraq told reporters Wednesday. ‘I will say that we actually aren't sure how pressing it is, and that's what's worrying us,’ Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend said via teleconference from Baghdad. ‘We know they're up to something. And it's an external plot, we don't know exactly where, we don't know exactly when.’ Townsend said it was important to surround Raqqa quickly to cut off ISIS because of the growing terrorist threat to the West. Townsend would not reveal any more about the threat, but said some links include plots against the United States, France and other European countries.” The Washington Post: U.S. Has Secretly Expanded Its Global Network Of Drone Bases To North Africa “The Pentagon has secretly expanded its global network of drone bases­ to North Africa, deploying unmanned aircraft and U.S. military personnel to a facility in Tunisia to conduct spy missions in neighboring Libya. The Air Force Reaper drones began flying out of the Tunisian base in late June and have played a key role in an extended U.S. air offensive against an Islamic State stronghold in neighboring Libya. The Obama administration pressed for access to the Tunisian base as part of a security strategy for the broader Middle East that calls for placing drones and small Special Operations teams at a number of facilities within striking distance of militants who could pose a threat to the West.” Syria Reuters: Russia Says Its Planes, And Syria's, Have Not Flown Over Aleppo For Nine Days “Russian and Syrian warplanes have not flown closer than 10 kilometres (6.21 miles) of Syria's Aleppo for nine days, the Russian defence ministry said on Thursday. Rescue workers and a monitoring group have said air strikes by Syrian or Russian warplanes on Wednesday had killed at least 26 people in a village in the rebel-held province of Idlib, which is in northwest Syria near Aleppo.” Iraq CNN: ISIS Leaders May Flee Mosul As Their Ranks Are Decimated “US military officials expect that senior leaders of ISIS may try to flee Mosul, the capital of ISIS' self-styled caliphate in Iraq, as their control of the city comes under attack from Iraqi forces, backed by the US. ISIS leaders will likely take women and children as human shields, or will pose as refugees leaving the battle for the city, according to those officials. Fleeing ISIS leaders will probably either slip across the border into neighboring Syria or to the area around Al Qaim, a remote desert town on the Iraq-Syria border. Leading up to the Mosul assault, over the past several months the US military has killed 36 leaders of ISIS, according to a US military official.” Reuters: Islamic State Holds Up Iraqi Army South Of Mosul “Islamic State fighters kept up on Wednesday their fierce defense of the southern approaches to Mosul, which has held up Iraqi troops there and forced an elite army unit east of the city to put a more rapid advance on hold. Ten days into what is expected to be the biggest ground offensive in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003, army and federal police units aim to dislodge the militants from villages in the region of Shora, 30 km (20 miles) south of Mosul. The frontlines in other areas have moved much closer to the edges of the city, the last major stronghold under control of the militants in Iraq, who have held it since 2014.” Turkey Deutsche Welle: Turkish Army: Suspected Syrian Government Airstrike Kills Turkey-Backed Rebels “A helicopter ‘assessed to belong to regime forces’ dropped barrel bombs on Turkish-backed opposition fighters, the Turkish officials and media reports said on Wednesday. The attack killed two rebel fighters and wounded five others, the Turkish military said in a statement carried by Turkey's Dogan news agency. The strike reportedly took place late on Tuesday in a village 5 km (3 miles) southeast of Dabiq. The city is a former ‘Islamic State’ (IS) stronghold which was seized from the Islamist militant group this month by opposition forces. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday that Ankara's operations inside Syria will not be deterred. He also accused forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad of not targeting IS militants.” The Wall Street Journal: Turkey’s Kurds Stage Nationwide Protests Over Arrests “Turkey’s Kurds defied the state of emergency to stage nationwide protests on Wednesday against the detention of a leading Kurdish politician, as the government’s post-coup crackdown increasingly ensnares the restive minority and fuels an insurgency destabilizing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization member. Hundreds of people gathered in Diyarbakir to protest the Tuesday night arrest of Gultan Kisanak, who was elected mayor of the symbolically important Kurdish city with 55% of the votes in 2014, and her co-mayor, Firat Anli. The country’s mainstream pro-Kurdish opposition party also organized marches in Istanbul, Izmir, Mardin, Bursa and other cities. Diyarbakir’s governor declared the rally illegal, and police deployed water cannons and tear gas to disperse demonstrators, according to Kurdish lawmakers and their advisers in Diyarbakir.” Reuters: Turkey Vows To Press Syria Offensive Despite Warning From Pro-Assad Forces “Turkey said on Wednesday it will press its military offensive in Syria until Islamic State is driven from the town of al-Bab, despite a warning from forces allied to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and a helicopter attack on the rebels it backs. Turkey's incursion into Syria, launched two months ago to drive Islamic State militants from its border and prevent Kurdish fighters from gaining ground in their wake, has complicated an already messy battlefield in northern Syria. As the Turkey-backed rebels push south towards al-Bab, an Islamic State-held town 35 km (22 miles) northeast of Aleppo, they face confrontation with both Kurdish and pro-Assad forces, whose frontlines lie close by.” Afghanistan The Washington Post: Taliban Blocks Major Afghan Highway In Expanding Attacks “Taliban fighters blocked a major highway Wednesday linking Kabul to the southern city of Kandahar, as militants pressed an offensive against government forces near the Afghan capital. The attack — on Maidan Shahr, about 25 miles southwest of Kabul — was the latest in a series of assaults by Taliban insurgents on provincial centers. The militants also have threatened cities in the north, northwest and south. Any break in Afghanistan’s main highway is a serious blow, as it carries nearly all commerce and supplies, and alternative routes are extremely difficult. Ghulam Hussaid Nasiri, a lawmaker from Wardak province, where Maidan Shahr is located, said militants also blocked the road from Kabul to Bamian, a province in the central part of the country.” CNN: ISIS Kidnaps, Kills 30 In Afghanistan “ISIS militants have kidnapped and killed 30 people in Afghanistan's Ghor province, according to a provincial spokesman. The group was abducted as they entered the mountains of Ghor to collect wood for winter, Abdul Hai Khatibi, the spokesman for the governor of the province, told CNN. The kidnapped people were all shot and killed during a failed rescue attempt by security forces. One ISIS commander was killed in the fighting, according to Khatibi. While ISIS is identified primarily with its presence in Iraq and Syria, US and coalition officials have long expressed concern about a growing presence in Afghanistan.” Deutsche Welle: Under Pressure In Iraq And Syria, Is 'Islamic State' Turning To Afghanistan? “‘These civilians are believed to have been killed by 'Islamic State' members,’ Abdul Hai Khatibi, a spokesman for the governor of Ghor, told DW. Provincial police chief Mustafa Muhsini also confirmed the attack, adding that the civilians were killed in an apparent act of revenge by militants. ‘Locals had killed an IS commander in the area on Tuesday during clashes that broke out after the group abducted 33 civilians,’ Muhsini said. ‘Militants avenged it by killing all the people they had abducted,’ he added. The latest incident in Ghor raises concerns about the extent of IS presence in Afghanistan. The militant group, which is mainly active in Iraq and Syria, claimed responsibility for the twin suicide attacks in Kabul that killed at least 80 and wounded hundreds more in July. It, however, didn't say it was behind the Ghor killings.” Yemen Reuters: Yemen Foes Fight In Marib Day After U.N. Envoy Delivers Peace Plan “Yemeni army units backed by an Arab coalition attacked positions held by Houthi rebels in a strategic province east of the capital on Wednesday, a day after a U.N. envoy delivered a peace proposal to the Iran-allied fighters that control Sanaa. A three-day ceasefire aimed at paving the way for a political settlement to Yemen's turmoil collapsed this week, and renewed fighting is threatening U.N. efforts to end a 19-month-old war. A Saudi-led coalition launched an offensive in March last year aimed at restoring exiled president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power and ousting the Iran-allied Houthis from their strongholds. Yemeni forces fired artillery and dislodged Houthi fighters from towns in Marib province east of Sanaa on Wednesday, said Saudi state news agency SPA.” Egypt Associated Press: Egypt Upheld Life Sentence For Muslim Brotherhood Leader “An Egyptian court has upheld life sentences against the top leader of the country's now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group and 36 others, including former ministers, in murder and violence charges, and upheld death sentences against 10 others tried in absentia. The Appeals Court issued its verdict Wednesday, rejecting an appeal by Mohammed Badie, the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood. The verdict came two years after a criminal court sentenced him and 36 others to life imprisonment. The 47 defendants, including former youth and supplies ministers, had been charged with murder, attempted murder, resisting authorities, assaulting policemen, sabotage, and blocking a main road in the Nile Delta city of Qalyubia.” Middle East Associated Press: Israel Charges 13 Seen In Extremist Wedding Video “Israel has charged 13 people in connection with a video from a Jewish wedding party showing a frenzied crowd brandishing military-issued rifles and stabbing a photo of a Palestinian toddler killed in an arson attack. The 13, five of them minors, were charged Wednesday with incitement to violence or terror, among other offenses. The video, which surfaced last year, shows a rowdy group of skullcap-wearing youths hoisting rifles and a firebomb and dancing to music with lyrics calling for revenge. Some revelers appeared to be stabbing photos of 18-month-old Ali Dawabsheh, who died when suspected Jewish extremists firebombed his family home in the West Bank. The video sparked outrage and ratcheted up criticism that authorities have been too lenient toward rogue Israelis for too long.” The Times Of Israel: Palestinian Kids, 8, Detained With Knives Outside Settlement “Two Palestinian children carrying knives were detained outside a West Bank settlement, south of Jerusalem, on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces said. ‘A short while ago forces identified and apprehended two Palestinian children under the age of ten near the community of Migdal Oz,’ the army said. ‘During the initial questioning the children admitted to have been sent, armed with knives, in order to carry out a terror attack.’ The two were spotted near the security fence. IDF spokesperson Peter Lerner said the pair were just eight years old.” The Times Of Israel: Israeli Soldier Lightly Injured By Gunfire From Lebanon “An IDF soldier was shot and lightly injured by gunfire coming from Lebanon while he was on duty in northern Israel on Wednesday, the army said. The shots were fired from a passing car across the border, according to the IDF. Israeli soldiers returned fire and ‘registered a hit,’ the army said. There were no immediate reports of Lebanese injuries. The Lebanese military denied that the shooting had taken place, telling the government news outlet NNA that ‘there is no truth to the claims by some media reports from the Zionist enemy’ — meaning Israel — “that shots were fired from a car within Lebanon at an Israeli soldier.” The New York Times: As U.N. Ignores Jewish Ties To Holy Site, Israel Produces Ancient Evidence “The timing was surely good for Israel, whether or not it was coincidental. As Unesco, the United Nations cultural organization, approved a resolution on Wednesday that ignored a Jewish connection to an ancient, hotly contested holy site in Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority produced a rare papyrus fragment from the seventh century B.C., written in ancient Hebrew, that mentions Jerusalem by name. Archaeologists interpreted the two lines of text on the papyrus as a concise shipping document reading, ‘From the king’s maidservant, from Na’arat, jars of wine, to Jerusalem.’ The antiquities authority, an independent government body, said it was the earliest known source aside from the Bible to mention Jerusalem in Hebrew, and added in a statement that the other place mentioned, Na’arat, appeared in the biblical book of Joshua (16:7). The authority noted that Jerusalem was the capital of the Kingdom of Judah at the time, known as the First Temple period.” Libya Reuters: More Than 90 Migrants Believed Missing After Boat Sinks Off Libya - Coastguard “More than 90 migrants are believed missing after their boat sank off the coast of western Libya on Wednesday, a coastguard spokesman said. Ayoub Qassem said coastguards had rescued 29 migrants some 26 miles off the shore east of Tripoli, and that survivors said 126 people had been on the rubber boat before one of the sides was ripped and it started taking on water. Libya is the main departure point for mostly African migrants seeking to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. Smugglers arrange ill-equipped and overcrowded vessels that frequently break down or sink.” Nigeria The Washington Post: Truck Of Refugees Hits Boko Haram Mine In Northeast Nigeria “Military officials say a truck carrying refugees to a newly liberated town exploded a land-mine in northeast Nigeria and wounded several people. It’s the third attack in two weeks on returnees blamed on Boko Haram Islamic extremists. A taxi-van of refugees exploded Oct. 12 outside Maiduguri, killing eight people and an armored personnel carrier escorting refugees hit a land-mine, injuring several soldiers. Maiduguri is the biggest city in the northeast, the birthplace of Boko Haram and houses more than 1 million refugees from the 7-year Islamic uprising. Nigeria’s military said Wednesday’s explosion hit a truck in a military escorted convoy of 200 vehicles traveling from Maiduguri 140 kilometers (88 miles) northeast to Gamboru-Ngala.” United Kingdom BBC: Right-Wing Extremism Arrests In County Antrim And County Londonderry “Police investigating right-wing extremism have arrested four people. The men, aged 29, 30, 36 and 46, were detained at houses in Ballymena, County Antrim, and Coleraine, County Londonderry, on Wednesday. A number of searches were conducted and several items removed for further examination. The suspects have been taken to a police station in Belfast for questioning. Det Insp Andy Workman said: ‘Police are investigating the activities of a number of individuals who appear to have extreme right wing views about tensions in north eastern Europe and have been involved in suspicious activity in a forest in County Antrim.’” The Guardian: Six People Are Subject To Tpims, Home Office Reveals “Six extremists or terror suspects are now subject to official counter-terror orders that include being relocated from their home towns or cities, the Home Office has revealed. The confirmation that there are six orders covering terror prevention and investigation measures (Tpims) in force marks a revival in their use after three years in which no more than one or two individuals have been subject to the orders. The Tpim regime, which replaced counter-terror control orders, can include a range of measures including enforced curfews of up to 10 hours, tagging, requiring a person to live up to 200 miles from their current address and restrictions on overseas travel.” France Voice Of America: In France, Police Anger Spills Into The Streets “After 32 years on the job, Laurent has seen just about everything: rising crime and incivility during his patrols northern Paris; an attack against his officers that left several hospitalized for weeks; and of course, a string of terrorist attacks in France that have increased his already heavy workload. On Wednesday, he was back on the streets for a different reason, joining hundreds of police who have staged days of protests across France this month against a rising tide of violence and a dearth of means to respond to it. ‘The equipment is becoming obsolete and we're working more and more hours,’ said Laurent, who like others at the march declined to give his last name. ‘We love what we're doing, but we're exhausted. We've had it.’” Europe Sputnik: Daesh's Death Throes Draw Terrorist Threat Closer To Europe “With the Daesh hub of Mosul besieged by Iraqi forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga, the operation to retake Iraq's largest cities from the hands of terrorists may see thousands of them flooding into Europe, given that Daesh is no stranger to forging passports. Recent analysis from the Swedish Defense Research Agency (FOI) suggests that Daesh has of late become more vulnerable and is rapidly losing ground. The nefarious terrorist organization is expected to continue losing territorial control as a result of strategic mistakes, but increase its presence in Europe, as overseas jihadists are departing to their ‘home’ countries amid Daesh's losses in the Middle East.” Reuters: Italian Student's Murder In Egypt Is 'Open Wound': Italy Minister “The case of Italian student Giulio Regeni, who was murdered in Egypt in February, is an ‘open wound’ for Italy, Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said on Wednesday. Regeni, 28, had been studying in Cairo when he disappeared in late January. His body was found on the side of a road in the outskirts of the city a week later, showing signs of torture. Italian and Egyptian prosecutors have met several times to exchange information relating to their investigations, and made a joint statement in September declaring a ‘common commitment’ to bring to light what happened. But Gentiloni said Italy was ‘not satisfied’ with the outcome of the meetings.” ISIS Aljarida: Libya: ISIS Used Tunisian Syringes And Butter In The Making Of Explosives “The spokesman of the Libyan Operation “Al-Bunyan Al-Marsous”, Brigadier Mohammed Al-Ghasry, stated that he witnessed ISIS terrorists in Al-Qadahya district in Sirte making car bombs, explosive devices and mines using Tunisian butter and medical syringes. He claimed ISIS terrorists specialized in the manufacture of explosives and bombs, "and now three-quarters of the city is covered with booby traps and mines. We need equipment to remove them by the time we fully liberate Sirte." Note that Al-Ghasry did not explain what he meant by claiming ISIS had used Tunisian butter in preparing booby-traps and bombs.” Muslim Brotherhood Veto: Source: Muslim Brotherhood Behind Sugar Crisis In Egypt “Mahmoud Al-Askalany, Spokesman for "Mowatenun Ded El-Ghalaa" (Citizens Against Increasing Prices) stated: "The first {deserving} to be accused in the sugar crisis is the Muslim Brotherhood." During a symposium dealing with the scarcity of sugar in the markets and skyrocketing prices, Al-Askalany asserted that the Brotherhood has, for quite a while, been using sleeper cells and activists to extract sugar from the market. They are also being aided by collaborators inside the regime to pull sugar off the shelves of major commercial chains. This is the principal reason for the crisis, according to Al-Askalany, in addition to greedy merchants who are exploiting the situation to gain maximum profits. He added that some citizens are also buying huge quantities of strategic commodities and food products fearing the protests of November 11th.” Almesryoon: Egyptian Media Personality: Financing Of Muslim Brotherhood Dependent On Predatory Animal Trade “Egyptian media personality Wael Al-Abrashi accused the Muslim Brotherhood of trading in predatory animals as part of its business holdings. He said this activity is intended to cover the costs of the group's operations. Al-Abrashi noted during his talk show “Al-A'shera Ma'san” (“Ten in the Evening”), aired on Dream TV station, that the Brotherhood has entered into this new business of breeding predatory animals and using them for commercial purposes. He went on to say, "The Brotherhood maintains ties with African countries, it needs funding, and funding is used for all types of trade. They buy and sell predatory animals and transport them by ship.” Gateeg: Students In Cairo's Universities: Muslim Brotherhood Offered Us Money To Take Part In November 11th Protests “In a strictly confidential manner, student members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood at the three universities of metropolitan Cairo - Ain Shams, Cairo, and Helwan – are trying to attract new students by promising them money in exchange for their participation in demonstrations on November 11th. The demonstrations were called to protest rising prices. Owais Ahmed, a student at the Faculty of Law of Helwan University, disclosed that some Brotherhood-affiliated students offered him 500 pounds ($57) to participate in the demonstrations, including chanting slogans against the army and the {Ministry of} Interior. He stressed that the amount "could go up" if he is able to recruit additional students for the same purpose. Ahmed emphasized that most of the statements by Brotherhood students {to persuade others to participate in the protests} focus on what they call the "successful" achievements of ousted President Mohammed Morsi in domestic affairs, and that he is being "subjected to an injustice." Brotherhood students promise {potential recruits} that the group is "working to resolve all the problems experienced by the country," Ahmed added.” Ansar Bait al-Maqdis  Tasnim News: Expert On Ansar Bait Al-Maqdis Group's Sources Of Funding “Maher Farghali, an Egyptian researcher and expert on militant groups, claimed that the Sinai-based Ansar Bait al-Maqdis (AMB) terrorist group is currently affiliated with ISIS and receives {direct} support from {its leader} Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. As to the sources of funding, Farghali noted that the local followers and the supportive environment inside Sinai are backing the group with money and offering it logistical aid. This is in addition to what the AMB obtains from foreign sources via its sympathizers in some of the Arab countries. The expert said: "(AMB) group exploited the period of the revolution and the security vacuum to store many weapons purchased in Libya after the dissolution of its army. This is in addition to its undeclared alliance with fugitives and weapons dealers in Sinai who are on the wanted list.” Houthi Almowaten: Yemen: Houthis Imposing 100,000 Riyals On Each Ship “The Houthis have imposed a levy of 100,000 Yemeni riyals (nearly $400) on each ship calling on the (Yemeni) port of Hodeida, in what they purport to be "in support of the Central Bank." Social media activists shared a photo of a document sent to the President of the Chamber of Maritime attesting to the imposition of a 100,000-riyal levy on all ships arriving at the port {which is under Houthi control}.”