Eye on Extremism October 4, 2016

Eye on Extremism October 4, 2016 The Wall Street Journal: Al Qaeda Leader Targeted In U.S. Airstrike In Syria “A Pentagon airstrike in Syria on Monday targeted a senior al Qaeda leader whose presence was seen by U.S. officials as a sign of the resurgence of some elements of the extremist movement inside the country. Defense officials said an airstrike targeted what they described as a ‘prominent member’ of the core al Qaeda group, which is distinct organizationally from the al Qaeda affiliate formerly known as the Nusra Front, which now calls itself the Syrian Conquest Front and claims to have severed ties with al Qaeda. Defense officials said an Egyptian cleric, Abu al Faraj al Masri, also known as Ahmad Salamah Mabruk, was the intended target.” CNN: Stakes For Iraq's Future Couldn't Be Higher As Mosul Offensive Looms “On a dusty plain to the east of Mosul, cranes are lowering concrete walls into place as prefabricated living quarters are trucked in. It's a race against time: this will be an improvised base for troops from Iraq's 9th Armored Division amid final preparations for the assault to end ISIS' control of Iraq's second largest city and the group's last major stronghold in the country. Iraqi troops were last in this part of northern Iraq in the summer of 2014, when they were fleeing the rampant advance of ISIS fighters. Now, as part of an agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government and the United States, they are preparing to reverse that humiliating loss.” New York Post: ISIS Leader Al-Baghdadi May Have Been Poisoned “The Pentagon is investigating whether ISIS kingpin Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was poisoned during a lunchtime feast — causing him to fall seriously ill. The ISIS leader and three commanders were eating in the small town of Be’aj, Iraq, when all four suffered “severe poisoning” and had to be “transferred to an unknown location under strict measures,” the Iraqi news agency WAA said. The barbaric terror group, also known as ISIL and Daesh, has launched a full-scale investigation to find the culprits, according to WAA.” Fox News: Russia Deploys Advanced Anti-Missile System To Syria For First Time, US Officials Say “Russia has deployed an advanced anti-missile system to Syria for the first time, three US officials tell Fox News, the latest indication that Moscow continues to ramp up its military operations in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad. It comes after Russia's actions led to the collapse of a cease-fire and the cut-off of direct talks with the U.S.  While Moscow’s motives are not certain, officials say the new weapon system could potentially counter any American cruise missile attack in Syria. Components of the SA-23 Gladiator anti-missile and anti-aircraft system, which has a range of roughly 150 miles, arrived over the weekend ‘on the docks’ of a Russian naval base along Syria’s Mediterranean coastal city of Tartus, two US officials said. It is the first time Russia has deployed the SA-23 system outside its borders, according to one Western official citing a recent intelligence assessment. The missiles and associated components are still in their crates and are not yet operational, according to the officials.” CNN: Syria: Suicide Bomber Kills 22 At Kurdish Wedding Party “ISIS has claimed responsibility for a deadly suicide bombing on Monday at a Kurdish wedding party in northeast Syria, the latest violent act to destabilize the embattled country. At least 22 people were killed and dozens more wounded in the explosion near the city of Hasaka, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The groom was among those killed, SOHR founder Rami Abdulrahman said. The group cited sources as saying a suicide bomber set off the explosion inside a wedding hall in the village of Tal Tawil, which is under the control of Syrian Kurdish forces. Kurdish forces are playing a key role in fighting ISIS in Syria and Iraq.” Fox News: US Warships Sent To Area Where Iran-Backed Rebels Attacked Saudi-Led Coalition Ship “The U.S. Navy dispatched three warships near the southern coast of Yemen after four rockets hit and nearly sank a United Arab Emirates auxiliary ship Saturday, two U.S. defense officials told Fox News. Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack. There were no reported injuries to the Emerati crew. Al Jazeera reported on video of the attack. Iran supplied the Houthis with the ‘shoulder-fired rockets’ that nearly destroyed the UAE ship, according to two U.S. officials. It was not immediately clear what type of rocket the rebels may have fired. The ship was formerly contracted to the U.S., two defense officials confirmed, and at one time an American company owned the vessel.” Fox News: Man Living In Maryland Charged In ISIS Group Case “A citizen of Bangladesh who was living in Maryland has been charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State group. A court document says that 24-year-old Nelash Mohamed Das of Hyattsville was ready to carry out what he thought was an attack on a member of the U.S. military when he was arrested Friday. The supposed attack was set up by a confidential informant for the FBI. Das, a legal permanent resident of the United States, made his first appearance in federal court Monday. He has been ordered held until a detention hearing Thursday. Online court records did not list an attorney for him, though a spokeswoman for the United States Attorney for the District of Maryland said Das had been assigned a public defender. An attempt by The Associated Press to reach the attorney Monday evening by phone for comment was unsuccessful.” The New York Times: Emboldened Taliban Overrun Parts Of Kunduz And Taunt Afghan Forces “The Taliban overran central neighborhoods in the critical Afghan provincial capital of Kunduz on Monday, planting their flag in the city’s main roundabout and shaking the Afghan government in a repeat of the insurgents’ assault on the city a year ago. Fighting in the city continued into the night, and American officials said that aircraft were there to help and that other ‘assets’ were moving in. But on social media, the Taliban taunted the struggling Afghan forces and their American allies, providing a blow-by-blow account of their assault even as senior Afghan leaders traveled to Brussels for an international conference where they were to present a status report and ask for sustained international funding. ‘What is point of backing a regime holed up in Kabul, riven with old rivalries & useless as a turd?’ read one post from a Twitter account associated with the insurgents.” Daily Beast: ISIS Sets Sights On The Rest Of Africa “Officially, the so-called Islamic State (widely known as ISIS) is on the run: its manpower reduced in the Middle East, its troops pushed out of their Libyan strongholds. For President Obama, who conceded that bungling the aftermath of the 2011 Libyan intervention was the “worst mistake” of his presidency, the gains made in North Africa represent an eleventh hour redemption. Headlines are declaring that ISIS is in retreat. But the question to ask is: retreat to where? In an essay translated by the Quilliam Foundation, an ISIS supporter identifies Libya as a “strategic gateway” from which “pandemonium could be wrought in the southern Europe.” Even more than Syria, the fate of Libya is likely to color the next president’s foreign policy. While Syria has been a whirlpool, sucking in the most toxic elements in the region, Libya is a sandstorm, spreading its mayhem outward. According to the ISIS supporter’s essay, Libya is “the key to Egypt, the key to Tunisia, Sudan, Mali, Algeria and Niger too.” Deutsche Welle: All-Female 'Islamic State' Cell Arrested In Morocco “Police in Morocco have captured 10 women who had allegedly pledged allegiance to the militant group ‘Islamic State.’ The female cell is suspected of plotting suicide attacks across the country. Morocco's interior ministry released a statement Monday saying the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations had dismantled the group in operations spread across eight towns. The suspected cell was active in recruiting and training women in several parts of the country including Tangiers and towns near the capital, Rabat, authorities said. The women had ‘tried to obtain the chemicals used to make explosive belts’ and had planned to attack ‘vital installations,’ according to the ministry.” Associated Press: Revenge Against Nigeria's Military Leads Some To Boko Haram “The desire for revenge against Nigeria's heavy-handed military is a leading reason that people join the Boko Haram Islamic extremist group, according to a new study published Monday. Nearly 60 percent of 119 former Boko Haram fighters interviewed in rehabilitation camps in the country's northeast cited revenge against the military as having a strong, or being the only, influence in their recruitment. ‘They kill innocent people that are not (Boko Haram) members ... I think they deliberately do so. So they (victims) join the group to fight the military,’ the study quoted one former extremist as saying. The study also found that many interviewed said they were pressured into joining the extremists.” United States CNN: US Suspends Talks With Russia Over Syria “The US announced Monday it is ‘suspending its participation in bilateral channels with Russia’ that had come about as part of the short-lived cessation of hostilities in Syria. ‘This is not a decision that was taken lightly,’ State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement announcing the suspension. ‘Everybody's patience with Russia has run out,’ White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters Monday while addressing the decision. Earnest said Russia had lost credibility by ‘making a series of commitments without any indication they were committed to following them,’ accusing Russia and its Syrian regime allies of trying ‘to bomb civilian populations into submission.’” Reuters: Exclusive: U.S. Helped Clinch Iraq Oil Deal To Keep Mosul Battle On Track “Shuttle diplomacy by the United States' envoy to the anti-Islamic State coalition brokered an oil deal between Iraq and its Kurdish region vital to a climactic battle with the jihadists, diplomats, officials and oil men say.  The oil revenue-sharing deal sealed in August was critical to getting the central and regional governments to coordinate planning for a push on the Islamic State stronghold Mosul, which Kurdish peshmerga forces surround on three sides, as soon as this month, the sources said. Brett McGurk shuttled from Iraqi Kurdistan capital Erbil to Baghdad and back again from the first half of April, culminating in a June 19 meeting in Erbil with Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) leader Massoud Barzani and Iraqi National Security Advisor Falah Fayad.” Syria The Wall Street Journal: Syrian Rebels Advance On Islamic State-Held Town Of Dabiq “Syrian rebels backed by Turkey have launched an offensive against the Islamic State held town of Dabiq, which holds religious and symbolic meaning for the terror group. Fighting on the outskirts of the town in northern Syria intensified Sunday night, when some 15 rebels were killed and 35 wounded during heavy clashes, the Turkish military said. The rebel advance was aided by heavy air and artillery support from the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State, the Turkish military said. Airstrikes killed 13 Islamic State militants, it said. ‘We are very close to Dabiq…. We have planned for this,’ said Ahmad Othman, commander of the Sultan Murad group, one of the Turkish-backed rebel factions advancing on the town.” Syria Conflict: Hospital In Rebel-Held Aleppo 'Bombed Again' “The main trauma hospital in the rebel-held east of the Syrian city of Aleppo has been hit in an air strike for the third time in a week, activists say. The extent of the damage was unclear, but video purportedly of the aftermath showed damaged walls and craters on one side of the M10 hospital. Three maintenance workers were among those killed, a medical charity said. Hundreds have died since government forces launched an offensive to take full control of Aleppo two weeks ago. Earlier, a senior United Nations official warned that the healthcare system in eastern Aleppo had been ‘obliterated’ and called on both sides to agree 48-hour humanitarian pauses to allow in aid.” Iraq Reuters: Suicide Bombers Hit Shi'ite Gatherings In Baghdad, At Least 11 Dead: Police “Suicide bombers attacked two Shi'ite Muslim processions in Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 11 people and wounding more than 40, police and medical sources said. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the blasts at the Shi'ite events commemorating the slaying of Prophet Mohammad's grandson Hussein. A bomber detonated his explosive vest in the middle of one Shi’ite procession in the Amil district of southern Baghdad, killing six and wounding 25, the sources said. A similar attack hit a procession in the eastern Mashtal district, killing five and wounding 18, the sources added.” PBS Newshour: To Drive ISIS From Mosul, A Complicated Coalition Joins Forces “Now the first of three reports this week on the fight for Iraq. Thirteen years after the U.S. military invasion, the country still struggles to stand on its own, as it faces profound challenges, none more dire than the threat posed by the Islamic State, which controls parts of the country. Hungry and crushed together in the punishing sun, these Iraqis, refugees in their own land, desperately grasp for food. They have fled south of Mosul City, where fighting between government forces and ISIS has been raging for months. New offensives have ISIS in retreat, but with their homes, and all they know, engulfed in the battle, they have come here.” Turkey Associated Press: Turkey-Backed Syrian Rebels Lose 15 In Battles With IS “Fighting in northern Syria between Turkey-backed Syrian rebels and Islamic State militants killed at least 15 rebels as the opposition pressed toward a town of symbolic importance for the extremists, an activist group and Turkish officials said Monday. The Syrian government continued to strike besieged, rebel-held parts of eastern Aleppo, hitting the area's largest hospital, according to activists. A monitoring group said more than 400 civilians have been killed in and around Aleppo since the collapse of a U.S. and Russian-brokered cease-fire two weeks ago, mainly in the rebel-held east. In central Syria, meanwhile, two suicide bombers struck the city of Hama close to an office of President Bashar Assad's Baath party, killing three people and wounding at least 11, state news agency SANA said.” Reuters: Fighting In Turkey's Kurdish Southeast Kills 20 Militants, Two Soldiers: Sources “Fighting in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast has killed 20 militants and two soldiers, security sources said on Monday. Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels in the mountainous Daglica area of Hakkari province, which borders Iraq, detonated explosives on a road as a military vehicle passed, killing two soldiers and wounding a third, the sources said. Separately, soldiers killed a total of 20 PKK fighters in two days of operations in the Beytussebap region of neighboring Sirnak province, according to a statement from the governor's office and information provided by security sources. The autonomy-seeking PKK, deemed a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and European Union, took up arms in 1984, and more than 40,000 people, mainly Kurds, have died in the conflict since then.” The Wall Street Journal: Turkey Extends State Of Emergency “Turkey’s government said it was extending the state of emergency declared after the failed July coup by three months to help it fight terrorism, as opposition politicians accused President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of deploying the expanded powers to crack down on critics. The 90-day extension will go into effect Oct. 19, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said Monday after a regular weekly cabinet meeting chaired by Mr. Erdogan at the presidential palace in Ankara. Turkish officials enacted a state of emergency July 21—six days after the coup attempt—and launched a purge targeting the followers of U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is accused of masterminding the putsch. He denies the charge and has urged the U.S. to refuse Turkey’s request to extradite him.” Afghanistan Reuters: At Least Six Killed, 35 Wounded In Afghanistan Market Blast “At least six people were killed and 35 wounded on Monday, when an improvised explosive device tore into a crowded marketplace in a northern Afghan province on the border with Turkmenistan, officials said. The bomb, hidden on a bicycle, exploded as farmers gathered in Darzab district of the province of Jawzjan on market day, but there was no immediate word on who was responsible. ‘People usually come from surrounding villages on Monday to do their shopping in the city,’ said Reza Ghafoori, a spokesman for the provincial governor. ‘Enemies of the people of Afghanistan put an improvised explosive device on a bicycle and targeted our innocent countrymen who were there to buy their needs.’” CNN: Afghan Forces Clash With Taliban In Key City Of Kunduz “Afghan forces were engaged in fierce fighting in the strategically important northern city of Kunduz late Monday after the Taliban launched a pre-dawn raid. Shah Hussain Murtazawi, the deputy presidential spokesman, said Afghan security forces had recaptured the main square of Kunduz from the Taliban and special forces had arrived to help regain control of other areas in the city. The NATO-led Resolute Support mission said on its Twitter account that the government was in control of Kunduz and US forces were providing support. The Taliban briefly captured the city in September 2015, and the memories of that attack spurred huge numbers of people to flee, one aid worker said.” Voice Of America: Afghanistan Appeals For Aid To Keep Afghan Migrants At Home “Afghanistan is appealing to European donors to open their wallets at an international donors' conference Wednesday, arguing that jobs created through development projects will help stem the tide of migrants that is destabilizing the European continent. High unemployment combined with growing insecurity drove nearly 200,000 Afghans to Europe last year, exacerbating the global migrant crisis. European nations have struggled to cope with the flood of young Afghan asylum seekers, and exerted pressure on Afghanistan to roll back the human exodus.” The Washington Post: Taliban Opens Offensives In Afghanistan Ahead Of Government Appeal To Donors “Taliban fighters waged a multipronged assault Monday on the northern city of Kunduz and sought to gain footholds in the southern Helmand province, sending a pointed reminder of their resilience and reach as Afghan officials traveled to Brussels to meet with foreign donors and make a case for continued support.The twin battles — with reinforcements called to Kunduz and U.S. airstrikes aiding Afghan forces in the south — also highlighted the struggle to keep the insurgents at bay despite the better firepower of Afghan troops and the backing of U.S. airstrikes. Most NATO forces withdrew from Afghanistan at the end of 2014. The Afghan air force conducted several strikes over Kunduz, while U.S. military officials said they were ready to assist Afghan forces and were moving equipment and aircraft to the region.” Reuters: World Powers Seek Billions More Dollars To Keep Afghanistan Running “World powers will convene on Brussels on Tuesday to raise billions more dollars for Afghanistan to keep the country running until 2020, but the bigger prize would be a peace deal after almost four decades of conflict. Fifteen years after the U.S. invasion that ousted Taliban rulers harbouring militants behind the attacks on New York and Washington, Afghanistan remains reliant on international aid and faces a resurgent Taliban that threatens the country's progress. The two-day, EU-led donor conference in Brussels will seek fresh funds, despite Western public fatigue with their governments' involvement in Afghanistan. Around 70 governments, including the foreign ministers of the United States, Russia, Iran, China and India, are expected to attend.” Yemen The Huffington Post: Why Putin Is Keeping A Close Eye On Yemen “On August 21, 2016, former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh urged Yemen’s Houthi government to give the Russian military access to all of Yemen’s bases, ports and airports. To justify this bold policy suggestion, Saleh praised Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ‘positive attitude’ in the UN Security Council, and described Russia as Yemen’s ‘closest kin’ in the international community. As the Bush administration viewed Saleh’s Yemen as a reliable US counter-terrorism partner after 9/11, Saleh’s pleas for Russian military assistance represent a striking break from his foreign policy approach as president. Even though Russia is unlikely to intervene in Yemen on Saleh’s behalf, Moscow’s tacit support for Saleh and Yemen’s Houthi government reveals a great deal about Putin’s geopolitical ambitions in the Middle East.” Reuters: Kidnapped Red Cross Worker Freed In Yemen And Taken To Oman: Agency “A Red Cross worker kidnapped 10 months ago in Yemen was freed on Monday and taken to neighboring Oman, Omani state news agency ONA and the ICRC said. French-Tunisian, Nourane Houas, a staff member of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) office in Sanaa, had been kidnapped along with a Yemeni man by unidentified gunmen who intercepted their vehicle in the Yemeni capital Sanaa. The man was released hours later but Houas held in an unknown location. ONA quoted an Omani foreign ministry official as saying France had asked Oman to try to locate her. ‘The concerned authorities in the sultanate, and in coordination with some Yemeni parties, managed to find the aforementioned woman in Yemen and transferred her to the sultanate this evening, in preparation to repatriate her home,’ ONA said.” Egypt The Daily Beast: Death Ship Won’t Stop Egypt’s Migrants “Over 16,863 unaccompanied children have made the perilous Mediterranean crossing from North Africa to Italy so far this year, nearly double the 8,354 who traveled last year, according to an email sent to me by Save The Children. Over 2,666 of those unaccompanied minors were Egyptian, more than triple the 854 who traveled in the same period last year. Desperation is driving families to urge their young sons to take the deadly 10-day sea trip. A crumbling economy in Egypt, fueled by five years of unrest and political oppression, means few have opportunities if they stay. For the poorest that means there is no way of even raising the funds to purchase a ticket for the migrant boats to Italy. Increasingly, children are signing their lives away to traffickers promising to pay back the crippling $5,000 fees from their pitiful earnings when they get to Europe, tying them to traffickers for years.” BBC: Senior Muslim Brotherhood Leader 'Shot Dead' In Egypt “A senior leader of the Muslim Brotherhood organisation has been killed by Egyptian Interior Ministry forces, the ministry says. In a statement, it said Mohamed Kamal died in a gun battle along with another member of the group on Monday. The ministry said Mr Kamal was in charge of the group's armed wing, although the Brotherhood maintains it is a exclusively peaceful organisation. He had been sentenced to life in prison on two counts in absentia. The Muslim Brotherhood said he had disappeared on Monday.” Middle East The Times Of Israel: Palestinian Court Orders Local Elections In West Bank Only “The Palestinian Authority’s high court on Monday ordered municipal elections to be held only in the West Bank and not in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, though a new date for the suspended polls was not set. The ruling could bring to an end hopes that the municipal elections would be the first since 2006 in which both Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah, which runs the West Bank, would participate. ‘The court orders the implementation of the government’s decision on the holding of local elections,’ court president Hisham al-Hatoo ruled before a packed courtroom in the West Bank city of Ramallah. He said however the judiciary in Gaza did not have necessary ‘guarantees’ in place for the holding of the polls.” Reuters: Abbas's Farewell To Israel's Peres Stirs Controversy At Home “Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is feeling a backlash at home over his attendance at the funeral of Israeli statesman Shimon Peres, who shared a Nobel prize for interim peace deals with the Palestinians. In Arabic postings on social media, critics of the Western-backed Abbas have focused on a view of Peres's legacy that jars with his world acclaim as an architect of the landmark Oslo accords in the 1990s. Peres, a former prime minister and president, died on Wednesday at the age of 93. He was buried in a state ceremony in Jerusalem on Friday attended by U.S. President Barack Obama and dozens of dignitaries from around the world. But the president of Egypt and king of Jordan, leaders of the only Arab countries to have signed peace treaties with Israel, stayed away, while Abbas's main political rival, the Hamas Islamist group that runs the Gaza Strip, condemned his participation as having betrayed Palestinian principles.” Nigeria Associated Press: Niger, Chad Forces Kill 126 Extremists Since July, Army Says “Niger's army says joint operations with Chad's military have killed about 126 Islamic extremists since July. Niger army spokesman Michel Ledru Moustapha said Monday that forces from Niger, Chad and Nigeria have re-occupied several cities in northern Nigeria after Boko Haram extremists killed more than two dozen soldiers in Niger's town of Bosso in June. Bosso borders Nigeria, where Boko Haram originates. Moustapha also says joint forces have captured two of the Boko Haram extremists. Niger contributes to the multi-national force set up to fight Boko Haram in the region. The group's seven-year insurgency has killed at least 20,000 people and displaced 2.6 million, according to Amnesty International and the United Nations.” International Business Times: Boko Haram Terrorists 'Recruited By Friends And Family', Not Imams “Members of Nigeria-based terror group Boko Haram are often recruited by people they already know, such as friends and family, a new study has claimed. This contradicts previous beliefs that the militants were recruited by religious clerics in mosques and madrasas, Islamic colleges. The report – by a group of organisations including Finn Church Aid (FCA) and the International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID) – was unveiled at the United Nations on 3 October. Researchers interviewed 119 former members of the extremist group in Borno and Adamawa – some of the states that bear the brunt of the insurgency – erupted in 2009. ‘Former Boko Haram fighters explained that people close to them – friends, family and relatives – introduced 60% of them to the organization,’ said the study.” United Kingdom Daily Mail: MI5 Missed Chance To Foil Paris And Brussels Terrorists: Undercover Operation Was Halted Three Months Before Meeting Between Ringleader And British Extremists “Police and MI5 could have prevented the Paris and Brussels terrorist atrocities after a secret operation targeting British suspects linked to the plot was launched months before the attacks. But senior officers decided to halt the undercover probe three months before one of the coordinators of the Paris attacks crossed the Channel to meet extremists in Britain, it can now be disclosed. The decision meant that investigators missed a key meeting between a group of alleged Islamic State supporters in Britain and Mohamed Abrini last summer – which could have led them to the Brussels-based cell before they carried out a wave of shootings and bombings, killing 130 people in Paris last November.” BBC: Couple Admit Funding Islamic State Fighter Nephew “A married couple from London have admitted providing funding for their nephew who was fighting in Syria with militants from the Islamic State group. Mohammed and Nazimabee Golamaully, from Mitcham, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to transferring £219, knowing it may be used for terrorist purposes. Nephew Zafirr Golamaully travelled from his home on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius to join IS. His uncle and aunt will be sentenced on 10 November. They did not tell Zafirr's parents and their money transfer was only discovered during a police investigation into a worldwide network of terrorism funding. Prosecutors said that, before leaving his home in Mauritius, Zafirr had spoken to his uncle on the messaging app Whatsapp, asking for help to deceive his parents.” Germany Deutsche Welle: Troubled Dresden Hopes For Peaceful Day Of German Unity “Two of Dresden's most attractive buildings will take Germany's center stage on Monday, when the nation celebrates the 26th anniversary of its peaceful reunification. An ecumenical service is being held in the Frauenkirche, the city's symbolic landmark, which was rebuilt with the support of various citizens' initiatives after being destroyed in an Allied firebombing during World War II. And the main ceremony will be held in the world-famous Semperoper. German President Joachim Gauck, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Bundestag President Norbert Lammert top the guest list. According to tradition, all 16 federal states are showcasing themselves on the Day of German Unity. Dresden has acquired a bad image throughout Germany and internationally because of its weekly xenophobic marches.” Sputnik News: Germany Protests: Refugee Crisis Threatens To Divide Country On Day Of Unity “Monday marks 26 years since the reunification of Germany, with the country holding celebrations throughout the day. However while the emphasis is on unity, police in Dresden are on high alert for violence and anti-immigrant protests as Germany’s refugee policy threatens to divide the country. While all of Germany's 16 states will hold Day of Unity celebrations, the former East German city of Dresden will take center stage this year, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Joachim Guack and the Bundestag leader Norbert Lammert to attend a ceremony in the city. With Dresden's state of Saxony famous for its unique traditions and cuisine, as well as being home to Germany's linguistic minority of Sorbian speakers, many believe the city is well placed to celebrate the country's diversity and culture.” The Washington Post: Germany Reunified 26 Years Ago, But Some Divisions Are Still Strong “Germany celebrated 26 years of reunification on Monday, but not everyone was convinced there was much to celebrate. In Dresden, eastern Germany's largest city, protesters called German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other politicians ‘traitors’ and shouted ‘Merkel must go.’ Those slogans have become common in the city, where anti-foreigner demonstrations have taken place every Monday for about two years now. In a tweet, the regional government of Saxony, which hosted the ceremony this year, condemned the slogans Monday morning, saying officials were ‘saddened and ashamed.’ Only a handful of people attended the demonstration. But their shouting put a painful public spotlight at the continuing divisions within Germany. Many eastern Germans feel left behind and excluded from the economic prosperity in the west.” Europe Newsweek: Hungary’s Government Lauds 'Historic' Result Of EU Quota Referendum “Hungarians went to the polls on Sunday, to choose whether they supported or opposed EU demands for quotas on refugee intake. The result was strongly against the EU policy, but the turnout was below 50 percent. In the aftermath the government shared its opinion with Newsweek. Rarely have so many Hungarian voters turned out to cast a ballot in support of one cause as they did in Sunday’s referendum. The 3.3 million ‘no’ voters constitute one of the strongest mandates of any vote in Hungary—be it a referendum or general election— since 1989. ‘The weapon will be strong enough even in Brussels,’ said prime minister Viktor Orbán on Sunday night as final results were coming in.” Fox News: Hungary Hopes To Deploy Thousands Of 'Border Hunters' In Bid To Stop Migrants “Hungary is recruiting thousands of so-called ‘border hunters’ to patrol its razor-wire boundary fence, planning to equip the special unit with night-vision goggles, riot gear and dogs in an effort to keep migrants at bay, The Washington Post reported. The nation is hoping to attract 3,000 border hunters to support the 10,000 police officers and soldiers already trying to keep migrants – many of whom have come from war-torn Middle Eastern countries such as Syria and Iraq – at bay in Serbia, the BBC reported. Hungary hopes to have the hunters in place by May. Recruits must be 18 and pass a psychological test. They will be trained for six months before going on duty.” BBC: Russian Blogger Anton Nosik Convicted Of Extremism “Anton Nosik, a well-known Russian blogger and internet entrepreneur, has been found guilty of extremism by a Russian court. He was fined 500,000 roubles (£6,000, $8,000) but avoided prison. The case centred on a blog post he wrote on LiveJournal in 2015 with the headline Wipe Syria off the Face of the Earth. Nosik was charged with inciting racial hatred after writing that he supported those who were bombing the country. Judge Yevgeni Naydenov said: ‘Nosik's actions sought to incite enmity and hatred towards Syrians, a group of people based on ethnic and geographic characteristics.’ Nosik wrote: ‘My opinion on this issue is that my statements do not contain any extremist views... I positively do not see any extremism in the fact that I will not feel sorry for the Syrian state.’ The case has divided opinion in Russia, with some accusing the state of double standards while others have criticised Nosik for his controversial views.” Associated Press: Italy: More Than 6,000 Migrants Rescued In Sea Off Libya “The Italian coast guard says 6,055 migrants have been rescued in one day in the Mediterranean off Libya. Nine bodies were recovered. The coast guard said it coordinated a total of 39 rescues Monday in the sea about 30 miles north of Tripoli. Smugglers took advantage of the first day of calm seas after days of rough waters to launch vessels crowded with migrants who pay them in hopes of reaching European shores. Most of the vessels were rubber dinghies, but there were also two rafts. Doctors Without Borders said the dead included a 23-year-old pregnant woman. Italian coast guard and navy ships, as well as vessels in European Frontex sea patrols and several humanitarian organizations, participated in the rescues.” India Newsweek: India Arrests ISIS Cell Suspected Of Plotting Attacks During Diwali “Indian authorities have dismantled what they called Monday a ‘terror module’ inspired by the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) that was planning attacks on notable individuals and public places during the Hindu festival of Diwali. The country’s national counter-extremism agency arrested six men who had gathered at a hilltop shrine in the southern state of Kerala, who it said were preparing explosives and bringing together other materials in order to execute attacks on the occasion known as the Festival of Lights at the end of October. ‘During the searches, incriminating material, including electronic devices have been seized from their possession and search of their premises,’ India’s National Investigation Agency said in a statement, Reuters reported.”