Eye on Extremism November 10, 2016

Eye on Extremism November 10, 2016 CBS News: Mosul Operation Is The Beginning Of The End Of ISIS, U.N. Says “The operation to liberate the Iraqi city of Mosul marks the beginning of the end of the Islamic State group’s so-called caliphate in Iraq, the U.N. envoy for the country told the Security Council on Wednesday. Jan Kubis said efforts by the Iraqi Security Forces, the Peshmerga and other allies are making steady progress in liberating the city, while seeking to minimize civilian casualties.” Fox News: ISIS Chief Reportedly Forming Backup Plan In Case Of Death “Is the end near for the Islamic State’s leader? Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, head of the ruthless terror group, reportedly is mulling the appointment of a first deputy to ensure someone is in charge if he gets killed, Iraq’s Alsumaria News reported. “ISIS media have started to circulate Baghdadi’s decision,” an anonymous source told the news station, adding that the person’s identity would not be announced out of fear of sparking divisions amongst militants.” Reuters: 'Crashing Waves' Of Jihadists Fray Soldiers' Nerves In Mosul Battle “A week after his tank division punched through Islamic State defenses on the southeast edge of Mosul, an Iraqi army colonel says the fight to drive the militants out of their urban stronghold is turning into a nightmare. Against a well-drilled, mobile and brutally effective enemy, exploiting the cover of built-up neighborhoods and the city's civilian population, his tanks were useless, he said, and his men untrained for the urban warfare they face. His Ninth Armoured Division and elite counter terrorism units fighting nearby seized six of some 60 neighborhoods last week, the first gains inside Mosul since the Oct. 17 start of a campaign to crush Islamic State in its Iraqi fortress.” Aljazeera: Syrian army makes 'significant gains' in Aleppo “The Syrian army says it has taken a strategic district of Aleppo in what would mark the most important advance in the divided city by the government and its allies in weeks. However, anti-government fighters say the battle is not over. The 1070 Apartments district is located on the southwestern outskirts of Aleppo and lies alongside the government's corridor into the parts of the city that it controls. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based group that reports on the war, said government forces and their allies seized full control of 1070 Apartments on Tuesday, calling it the most significant gain by the government in Aleppo since September.” Euronews: Refugees Flee ISIL's Syrian Stronghold Of Raqqa “Hundreds of refugees have begun to flee ISIL’s de facto capital of Raqqa in Syria as a US-backed coalition of Kurdish and Arab forces advances on the city. The offensive, named ‘‘Euphrates Anger’‘ is focused on areas north of Raqqa and aims to encircle and eventually recapture the jihadist stronghold. Those who managed to get out spoke of their ordeal under ISIL. “Daesh were punishing us for everything, bread was expensive, fuel was expensive, everything was expensive. They punished us for the smallest of things, but God will punish them,” one woman said.” Guardian: Yemen Army Says Operation Kills 30 Qaeda Suspects “An elite Yemeni force backed by Saudi-led coalition air strikes killed 30 suspected Al-Qaeda fighters in the southeast of the country in a 24-hour operation that ended Wednesday, the army said. The force raided an Al-Qaeda hideout west of the port city of Mukalla on Tuesday in a “very successful” operation that lasted 24 hours, it said in a statement. It said that 30 suspected militants were killed and several others were captured, increasing a Tuesday death toll of six alleged jihadists.” The Times Of Israel: Palestinian Shot Throwing Molotov Cocktail At Troops – IDF “Israeli soldiers shot and wounded a Palestinian man as he threw a Molotov cocktail at their position outside Ramallah on Thursday, the army said.  The troops had been guarding in Birzeit, north of Ramallah, when the assailant hurled the firebomb at them, an Israel Defense Spokesperson said. “Responding to the threat, forces fired toward the attacker,” the army said. No Israeli troops were injured in the incident.” RT: Spain Busts ISIS Recruitment Cell Targeting Children “Spanish police have arrested four people suspected of recruiting children and young adults for Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL). Officials said the arrests were made in Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta. The jihadist cell focused on “capturing, indoctrinating and sending young people and children to conflict zones in Syria and Iraq to turn them into future fighters,” the Spanish Ministry of Internal Affairs said on its website. The suspects – three men and one woman – had deployed a “fully operational and permanent recruiting network in Ceuta, focusing on young candidates, including children,” officials said.” Premium Times: Nigeria Police Train Local Hunters On Intelligence Gathering “In continuing efforts to rid the north-east of Boko Haram insurgents and bolster security in the region, the Nigerian Police have conducted a five-day basic intelligence gathering programme for 251 members of vigilante groups from Adamawa and Taraba states. The vigilante groups, made up of local hunters, have been assisting Nigerian troops in the fight against Boko Haram. During the training programme, Wednesday, at Mobile Police 14 base in Yola, Adamawa, the state commander of the vigilantes, Murtala Aliyu, said the training would boost the capacity of members by providing them with necessary techniques to operate more effectively in supporting the police and other security agencies against the insurgency.” United States Associated Press: Hearing Set For Man Accused Of Trying To Join Islamic State “A bond hearing is set for an Ohio man accused of trying to travel to Libya to join the Islamic State group. A federal prosecutor in Columbus says Aaron Daniels wired $250 to an Islamic State group operative in January and told an undercover informant about his interest in traveling overseas to commit jihad. Daniels' court-appointed attorney has declined to comment. Daniels was taken into custody Monday at John Glenn Columbus International Airport after a months-long investigation. Prosecutors want the 20-year-old Daniels kept in jail. Magistrate Judge Terence Kemp scheduled a Thursday morning hearing.” The Guardian: US Airstrikes Killed 64 Civilians In Iraq And Syria Over 10-Month Period “Sixty-four civilians were killed and eight injured in 24 US airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria between 20 November 2015 and 10 September 2016, the US military said in a statement on Wednesday. “In each of the cases released today, the assessment determined that although all feasible precautions were taken and strikes complied with laws of armed conflict, civilian casualties unfortunately did occur,” Colonel John Thomas, a spokesman for US Central Command, said in a statement.” Syria Department of Defense: Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq “U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today. Operation Inherent Resolve - Targeted Operations Against ISIL Terrorists Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports. Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 12 strikes in Syria: Near Abu Kamak, a strike destroyed ISIL oil production equipment. Near Raqqah, two strikes destroyed two ISIL oil wellheads and an oil pump. Near Ayn Isa, seven strikes engaged six ISIL tactical units and destroyed three fighting positions, a vehicle and a vehicle bomb facility.” Daily Mail: US-Led Coalition Raid 'Kills 20 Civilians' Near Syria's Raqa “A US-led coalition air strike killed 20 civilians, including two children, overnight in a village near the Islamic State jihadist group's Syrian stronghold of Raqa, a monitor said Wednesday. The coalition confirmed that it had carried out strikes in the area, but said it was investigating whether they had killed civilians. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said dozens of people were also wounded in the strikes Tuesday night on the village of Al-Heisha, 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Raqa.” Iraq Reuters: Traces Of Islamic State 'Mass Grave' Rot In Iraqi Spa Town “On the banks of the Tigris river, men sit and watch, smiling with relief as Iraqi policemen, soldiers and local youths bathe in muddy spring water in a town that was recaptured from Islamic State just a few days ago. Across town, there is a grimmer scene: two stinking corpses, their feet tied together, rot in the sun in a large dirt quadrant walled by four man-made earth berms. One body is intact. The other has parts missing. A severed head lies next to them, its skull mostly visible. What appear to be several other corpses protrude from the dirt and detritus. A policeman cautions not to approach or touch the bodies, in case they are booby-trapped.” Iraqi News: ISIS Executes 3 Arab Suicide Bombers In Hawija “Leader at al-Hashd al-Shaabi, Odai al-Khedran, announced on Wednesday, that the Islamic State extremist group executed three suicide bombers, including a Saudi, in the district of Hawija, after escaping from a detention center. Khedran said in a press statement, “The ISIS executed three of his suicide bombers holding Arab nationalities, including a 20-year-old Saudi member, after escaping from a detention center in Hawija district, southwest of Kirkuk.” “The executed suicide bombers were informed to be prepared to launch a suicide attack using booby-trapped vehicles,” Khedran added. “The ISIS detains its suicide bombers inside prison-like centers to isolate them from any outer effects,” Khedran explained.” Saudi Arabia Washington Post: Saudi King Hopes Trump Brings ‘Security And Stability’ To Middle East “Saudi Arabia’s King Salman sent a message Wednesday to Donald Trump congratulating him on winning the United States presidency, according to the Saudi state-run news agency. In the message, the king expressed hope that Trump could “achieve security and stability in the Middle East region and the world as a whole.” Saudi Arabia has long been an Arab ally of the U.S., though recently the partnership has come under scrutiny in Congress.” Middle East Washington Post: Islamist Extremists Celebrate Trump’s Election Win “Shortly after Trump was declared the victor, a number of prominent Salafist ideologues linked to jihadist outfits in the Middle East took to social media to cheer the prospect of a Trump presidency. The remarks signaled the militants' apparent belief that the victory of a candidate like Trump, who has suggested potentially unconstitutional blocks on Muslim immigration and advocated torture, undermines the United States' moral standing in the world.” Al Nusra Front Al-Manar: Campaign To Raise Donations For The Benefit Of Al Nusra Front “Al Nusra Front has launched a campaign to raise donations to finance its present and future military operations. Although the campaign was originally launched by Al Nusra Front-affiliated social media accounts under the title of "The cry of the wounded" claiming to treat wounded combatants from the recent battles in Aleppo, many Twitter users urged Gulf businessmen to donate their money to finance the fighting against the Syrian Army. Al Nusra Front is suffering a financial crisis, due to corruption within the organization. This was indicated by numerous sources close to the group, and even by {its leader, Abu Mohammed} al-Joulani himself, who said in a leaked audio recording that $1-1.5 billion has been squandered. Note that al-Joulani is being accused of mismanagement of the group's finances.” Muslim Brotherhood Veto: Egypt: Hearing To Overturn Decision To Seize Brotherhood-Affiliated Al Safwa Hospital Funds Postponed “The Egyptian State Council's Administrative Court, headed by State Council Vice President Judge Bekheet Ismail, decided to postpone the review of the case filed by Lawyer Ahmed Ibrahim. The appeal demands annulment of the decision to seize funds owned by {Brotherhood-affiliated} Al Safwa Hospital. The next session will be held on January 17th, 2017. The suit was filed against the {Egyptian} Minister of Justice and Chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood Asset Freeze Committee. It claims that the {original} decision violates the law and the Constitution. The lawsuit claims that the appropriation of the Hospital's funds was based on false information linking it to the Muslim Brotherhood.” Alshahedkw: Kuwait: Muslim Brotherhood Transfers Savings Of Egyptians In Installments To Harm Their Homeland's Economy “An investigative report indicates that the floating of the Egyptian pound has led to the elimination of the {foreign currency} black market in Kuwait. Before that, a large gap existed between money transfers inside the banking system and outside of it. The report claimed that the "shadow" dealers who belong to the Muslim Brotherhood tried to "kill" the pound amid constant rumors surrounding its illegal transfers, which negatively affect the overall {Egyptian} economy. The report revealed that there are currency-exchange offices in Kuwait that continue to exchange money at lower rates than those published by Egyptian banks. They cover this discrepancy through dollar trading. Evidence of this is that some black-market traders collect money from the Egyptians in Kuwait, which is then deposited in Egyptian banks with the aim of flooding the Egyptian economy. The report disclosed that there are four unauthorized companies which operate secretly to obtain the money from Egyptians working in Kuwait. They then transfer these funds to their relatives in Egypt, in installments over a period of three months, thus hoping to harm the Egyptian economy.” Innfrad: Egypt: Security Service Directs Painful Blow To The Muslim Brotherhood Electronic Committees “{Egypt's} security agencies have inflicted a 'fresh wound' on Muslim Brotherhood activists through the arrest of a prominent member in its "Electronic Committees." The detainee has been charges with running pages on social media instigating acts of chaos, sabotage and violence, and calling for {participation in} mass demonstrations on November 11th. This senior member in the Brotherhood's Electronic Committees admitted to adopting the ideology of the terrorist group, using the social media pages for dissemination of misinformation and inciting against the State institutions, army and police personnel. He also admitted embracing militant jihadist ideology in the hope of restoring the Brotherhood regime in the country.” Houthi Yemen Akhbar: Yemen: Houthi Group Offers Multiple Military Assets For Sale “Yemeni media sources revealed a Houthi plot which, if executed, would dismantle the Yemeni army, block its sources of funding and eliminate the last hopes of restoring it. The sources claimed the Houthi group is conducting secret negotiations to sell the army's economic interests. It has offered them to a number of businessmen at a low price not exceeding $2 billion riyals ($8 million). The Media Center for the Resistance {Forces} stressed that the army's economic establishment provides thousands of diverse employment opportunities for Yemeni youth. Therefore, what stands behind the offer for its sale extends beyond the simple desire of achieving material gains or capitalizing on the value of this deal.”