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Eye on Extremism
November 11, 2016
Counter
Extremism Project
War
On The Rocks: How Will Jihadist Strategy Evolve As The Islamic State
Declines?
“Later, an al-Qaeda cleric whom Suri influenced would fuse the
leaderless and leader-led jihad models. Anwar al-Awlaki, the al-Qaeda in
the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) official and propagandist whose YouTube
sermons frequently cite Suri’s teachings, called for individual attacks
even as AQAP organized centrally-directed terrorist plots. Awlaki
seemingly received a greater response to his calls for lone wolf attacks
than any other al-Qaeda leader. According to the Counter Extremism
Project, Awlaki has influenced as many as 88 known extremists in the
United States and Europe.”
CNN:
Sources: Top ISIS Commander Killed In Mosul
“A senior ISIS commander has been killed in the battle for Mosul, the
terror group's last major stronghold in Iraq, Iraqi military intelligence
sources tell CNN. Mahmoud Shukri al Nuaimi, a senior figure in the
militant setup who also is known as Sheikh Faris, was killed Tuesday in
an Iraqi-led coalition airstrike in western Mosul, the sources said. ISIS
confirmed his death in a video montage, referring to him as "the
martyr of the battle.”
Washington
Post: Iraq Troops Slow Mosul Advance As They Clear Neighborhoods
“Iraqi troops fired at positions held by the Islamic State group in
and around the northern city of Mosul on Thursday but did not advance as
they regrouped and cleared neighborhoods once occupied by the extremists,
military officials said. Troops are screening residents fleeing from
Mosul, searching for any IS militants trying to sneak out among the more
than 34,000 civilians fleeing to displacement camps and host communities
in nearby provinces. Amnesty International reported allegations against
security forces of arbitrary detention, forced disappearances and
ill-treatment of prisoners, including an account that up to six people
were “extrajudicially executed” in late October over suspected ties to
IS.”
Human
Rights Watch: Fleeing ISIS Forces Fired Toxic Chemicals
“Forces of the Islamic State (also known as ISIS) launched at least
three chemical attacks on the Iraqi town of Qayyarah. The use of toxic
chemicals as a means of warfare is a serious threat to civilians and
combatants in and around the embattled city of Mosul and is a war crime.
The attacks hit the town of Qayyarah, 60 kilometers south of Mosul, in
September and October after Iraqi government forces retook the town on
August 25, 2016. The attacks caused painful burns to at least seven
people consistent with exposure to low levels of a chemical warfare agent
known as “vesicants,” or blister agents, a chemical weapons expert told
Human Rights Watch.”
New
York Times: Tajik Police Commander, Trained In The U.S., Appears To Rise
In Islamic State Ranks
“In a propaganda video released last year, an Islamic State militant
wearing a black bandanna and cradling a sniper rifle made the usual grim
threats against the United States. Now, there may be a new twist to his
warnings. The militant, Gulmurod Khalimov, a former police commander from
Tajikistan, boasted of his extensive American military training —
truthfully, it turns out. But some news accounts say he was subsequently
promoted to military commander of the Islamic State.”
Fox
News: Lost Boys: Yazidis Fear Boys Brainwashed By ISIS Will Never Heal
“A driving storm had just swept through a sprawling refugee camp in
the small Iraqi-Kurdistan border town of Zakho, and while the other
children his age squealed as they played in the puddles outside,
8-year-old Zed sat with his back against his family's tent wall, arms
folded, eyes angry. "We are trying to convert him back to
Yazidi,” his mother, Seve, told FoxNews.com. “But sometimes he does not
agree. When he gets angry, he recites verses from the Koran. "And he
yells we should never have escaped, we should never have come back
here," she added.”
Afghanistan:
Fatal Attack On German Consulate In Mazar-E-Sharif
“Gunman attacked the building after the blast, in the city of
Mazar-e-Sharif, battling with German and Afghan forces. The Taliban said
it carried out the attack in retaliation for air strikes last week in
Kunduz province. Local police said at least one suspect had been arrested
in connection with the bombing. A Nato spokesman said there was
"massive damage" to the consulate. At least one car packed with
explosives was rammed into the wall surrounding the compound, the
spokesman said. Officials were also investigating whether a second car bomb
was involved.”
Aljazeera:
Israel: Iran Should Not Base Itself Militarily In Syria
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will not allow
Iran to turn neighbouring Syria into a base of military operations and
vowed to limit the Islamic Republic's influence in the war-ravaged
country. "We are determined to ... prevent Iran ... from
establishing itself militarily in Syria, on the ground, in the air or at
sea," Netanyahu said as he held talks with his Russian counterpart
Dmitry Medvedev in Jerusalem on Thursday.”
Al-Qaeda
In Yemen Threatens UAE-Enlisted Forces
“In a new video, al-Qaeda's branch in Yemen has threatened to escalate
attacks against forces recruited by the United Arab Emirates, which is
part of the Saudi-led coalition against the Yemen's Shiite rebels, known
as Houthis.The video obtained Thursday, titled "deterring
aggression," accused the UAE of waging an "immoral war" in
which its warplanes undertake airstrikes under the banner of fighting
terrorism while allegedly slaying civilians.The UAE has recently formed a
new force in southern Yemen dubbed the "Security Belt" led by
the ultraconservative Salafists. With better armaments and financing
compared to regular army units, it carries out raids and arrests among
suspected al-Qaeda militants.”
Africa
News: Nigeria: 3 Female Suicide Bombers Neutralized In Maiduguri
“The Nigerian army shot and killed three women strapped with explosive
device on their bodies while attempting to invade Maiduguri in the early
hours of Friday, an official said. Explosions were heard across the Borno
State capital when two of the bombs went off on the assailants, killing
all three of them. Local media portals quoted the police spokesperson in
the state, Victor Isuku, as having confirmed the incident.”
United
States
Defense
One: White House: $11.6B More Needed For ISIS Fight, Afghanistan
“The White House told Congress Thursday that it needs an additional
$11.6 billion to pay for the campaign against Islamic State militants and
the war in Afghanistan. The request raises the price tag for both wars to
$85.3 billion in 2017. The money “is vitally important for our national
security, and I strongly urge Congress to adopt it,” U.S. Defense
Secretary Ash Carter said in a statement Thursday evening. Some $5.6
billion would go toward military operations against ISIS in Iraq and
Syria. The U.S. has been carrying out the bulk of the coalition
airstrikes, and has been training and advising Iraqi security forces.
Some of the funding would also help support the Afghan National Defense
and Security Forces.”
Syria
Associated
Press: Food Running Out In Syria’s East Aleppo
“A U.N. official says the last food rations inside besieged eastern
Aleppo will run out by next week. Speaking in Geneva, Jan Egeland, the
special adviser to the U.N. envoy for Syria, said the last time the over
a quarter of a million people inside east Aleppo received any
humanitarian aid was at the beginning of July.”
Associated
Press: Russia Says Militants Used Chemical Weapons in Syria
“The Russian military says its officers have found evidence of
chemical weapons use by Syrian militants. Russian Defense Ministry
spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Friday that ministry experts
have found unexploded ordnance and fragments of munitions containing
chlorine and white phosphorus on Aleppo's southwestern outskirts.
Konashenkov said the discovery proves the militants have used chemical
weapons against civilians and Syrian army soldiers.”
Iraq
Iraqi
News: US Coalition: 1363 ISIS Fighters Killed Since Launch Of Mosul
Battle
“The United States-led military coalition fighting the Islamic State
in Iraq and Syria said Thursday that 1363 fighters from the militant
Islamist group were killed since the coalition and joint Iraqi forces launched
a campaign to liberate the city of Mosul in October. Iraqi joint forces,
assisted by US aircraft and popular Iraqi militias, continue a weeks-old
campaign to liberate the city of Mosul, ISIS’s last stronghold in Iraq,
regularly reporting successes towards the clearing of the whole city. On
Wednesday, Yan Kubish, UN special representative to Iraq, said during a
UN Security Council briefing that the UN mission had recorded 58000
deaths in Iraq since ISIS took over Mosul in 2014 and until September 2016.”
Rudaw:
Nineveh Mps To Visit Ankara After Meeting Iraqi Pm Over Mosul's Future
“Iraqi members of parliament representing Nineveh province met with
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Thursday to discuss the future of Mosul
and the mainly Sunni province after ISIS. Khasro Goran, a Kurdish
Iraqi MP who also served as Mosul's deputy governor in the past, told
Rudaw the lawmakers will hold similar meetings with top Turkish officials
in Ankara in the coming days to reach a possible consensus about
post-ISIS Mosul and its governing structure. "There are no political
deals as yet, but there is a security agreement and coordination between
Erbil and Baghdad about Mosul's ongoing liberation," Goran said.”
Bahrain
Associated
Press: Bahrain Opposition Leader Fears 'Whitewash' Of Crackdown
“Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla began wrapping up their
trip to Bahrain on Friday, as a leader in the island's secular opposition
warned their visit could "whitewash" an ongoing crackdown on
dissent. Ebrahim Sharif of the Waad Party, who himself has been detained
by the island's Sunni rulers, said he hoped the Prince of Wales brought
up human rights issues behind closed doors with leaders here. "The
government may listen," he told The Associated Press. "They
need friends." Bahrain, a small island off the coast of the Arabian
Peninsula, put down Arab Spring protests in 2011 with the help of Saudi
Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.”
Turkey
Daily
Sabah: Turkish Jets Not Participating In Airstrikes In Syria
“Turkish jets have not been participating in airstrikes against
terrorist organizations under the scope of Operation Euphrates Shield for
the past two weeks, official Anadolu Agency reported on Thursday.
According to the report, the last time Turkish jets participated in
airstrikes against terrorists in Syria was on October 23, three days
after around 200 PKK/PYD terrorists were killed. As part of Operation
Euphrates Shield, which was launched in August to rid the Syrian border
area of terrorists, Turkey has been supporting the FSA against Daesh in
northern Syria. The campaign has seen both Daesh and the PKK/PYD targeted
by the FSA and Turkish tanks, artillery and aircraft.”
Pakistan
Pakistan
Asserts Leadership Of Haqqani Network In Afghanistan
“Pakistan says recent killings of Haqqani Network leaders in Afghanistan
show that allegations Islamabad is harboring the terrorist group are
misplaced. Afghan and U.S. officials have long alleged Haqqanis use
sanctuaries on Pakistani soil with the help of the neighboring country’s
spy agency for plotting deadly cross-border attacks in support of the
Taliban insurgency. Pakistan's government has consistently rejected the
charges.”
Yemen
The
Daily Star: 14 Injured In Saudi Arabia By Projectiles Fired From Yemen:
Civil Defense
“Fourteen civilians were injured on Thursday by projectiles fired by
Yemen's Houthi group into Saudi Arabia, Saudi civil defense reported, the
latest in a series of cross-border attacks by the Iran-allied group.
State news agency SPA quoted a civil defense spokesman as saying that 13
Saudi citizens and an expatriate from Bangladesh were injured in the
attack in Dhahran al-Janoub province in the Asir region, near the border
with Yemen. "The victims suffered various injuries and were taken to
hospital for treatment," the agency said, quoting the civil defense
spokesman, Colonel Mohammed al-Assemi.”
Saudi
Arabia
ARA
News: Iranian Kurds Deny Being Supported By Saudi Arabia
“Iranian Kurdish officials have denied renewed allegations by Iranian
authorities that Kurdish armed groups received a Saudi armed support with
the blessing of the Kurdish president Masoud Barzani. Top Military Aide
to the Iranian Supreme Leader Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi accused
the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq of allowing
Saudi Arabia to arm Kurdish groups.”
Egypt
Reuters:
Egyptian President Upstages World Leaders To Congratulate Trump
“Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi was the first world leader to
call to congratulate Donald Trump on his US election victory on
Wednesday, in a move welcomed by many Egyptians who shrugged off the
president-elect's anti-Muslim rhetoric. Sisi, who held a friendly meeting
with Trump during a visit to New York in September, said he hoped the
business magnate's election would breathe new life into US-Egyptian ties.
"The US president-elect Donald Trump expressed his utmost
appreciation to the president, pointing out that his was the first
international call he had received to congratulate him on winning the
election," a presidency statement said.”
Libya
Reuters:
East Libyan Factions See Possible Boost In Trump Victory
“Allies of Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar, the dominant figure in the
divided country's east, have welcomed Donald Trump's victory in the U.S.
election, betting on more support for their anti-Islamist stance. The
result could boost pro-Haftar factions with strong ties to Egypt and
increasingly to Russia, while diluting Western support for a U.N.-backed
government in Tripoli that Haftar and his allies have opposed, analysts
say.”
Germany
Reuters:
Germany Extends Detention Of Syrian With Links To Islamic State
“Germany's highest court has approved the extended detention of a
19-year-old Syrian man who was arrested in March for links to the Islamic
State militant group, saying he had scouted out key tourist sites in
Berlin for potential attacks for months. In its decision, the Federal
Court of Justice said the man, who was not identified by name, could be
held for three more months to allow investigators to continue their work,
and given the high risk that he could flee the country. It said
prosecutors expected to file formal charges soon.”
RT:
Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag In Berlin Were Among Possible ISIS Targets –
Court Data
“A Syrian man, 19, arrested in March on suspicion of being a member of
Islamic State (IS, former ISIS/ISIL) terrorist group, plotted to carry
out terrorist acts near Berlin’s major tourist attractions, a report
released by a German court says. The suspect chose Berlin’s central
Alexanderplatz square, which is a major sightseeing area and a transport
hub, as well as the Brandenburg Gate and the area near Reichstag –
Germany’s federal parliament building – as targets, the report released
by the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) on Thursday says.”
Associated
Press: German Lawmakers Keep Planes In Turkey In Anti-IS Campaign
“German lawmakers have approved plans to keep reconnaissance and
refueling aircraft at a Turkish base in the campaign against the Islamic
State group, despite tensions with Turkey's government. Parliament
approved a one-year deployment extension Thursday by 445-139 with two
abstentions. German-Turkish relations have been tense since Germany's
Parliament voted in June to label killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks
a century ago genocide. Ankara had refused to let German lawmakers visit
personnel stationed at the Incirlik base, but relented after Germany
stressed the resolution isn't legally binding.”
Europe
Associated
Press: Belgium Freezes Assets Of 15 People Linked To Terrorism
“Belgium has frozen the assets of 15 people allegedly linked to
terrorism, including a Belgian man identified as being a possible
organizer of the deadly attacks on Paris and Brussels. A royal decree
announcing the freeze says the 15, including alleged organizer Oussama
Atar, are "suspected of committing or attempting to commit terrorist
acts; to aid or participate in them." The decision, which took
effect Wednesday, also imposes a ban on directly or indirectly providing
funds or economic resources to them.”
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