Eye on Extremism November 21, 2016

Eye on Extremism November 21, 2016 Eye on Extremism Sunday World: Death Of A Dublin Jihadi Confirms Worst Fears Of The Enemy Within “In preparation for jihad, Kelly is believed to have moved in with the Jordanian, who cannot be named for legal reasons, earlier this year. Their movements were monitored by the Garda's Counter Terrorism International unit (CTI). Lucinda Creighton, the former Fine Gael minister and founder of Renua, is now monitoring Islamic extremism in Ireland as a senior consultant with the Counter Extremism Project in the US. She cites several Islamic leaders who claim there are more than 100 extremists here, and evidence that Isil supporters are "using the country as a logistics hub for the movement of foreign fighters and for fundraising.” University Of Rochester: Denying Extremists A Powerful Tool “Farid has partnered with the Counter Extremism Project, a nonprofit organization led by former officials from the Department of State and Homeland Security. He says the technology’s adoption should be a “no-brainer” for social media outlets. But so far, the project has faced resistance from the leaders of Facebook, Twitter, and other outlets who argue that identifying extremist content is more difficult, presenting more gray areas, than child pornography. In a February 2016 blog post, Twitter laid out its official position: “As many experts and other companies have noted, there is no ‘magic algorithm’ for identifying terrorist content on the Internet, so global online platforms are forced to make challenging judgment calls based on very limited information and guidance.” BBC: Afghanistan Kabul Mosque Suicide Attack Kills Dozens “Another 35 were wounded in the blast at the Baqir ul Olum mosque. The attacker was on foot and blew himself up among crowds inside the building, officials said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but it comes amid mounting sectarian attacks on Afghanistan's Shia community. This latest bombing took place during a service to commemorate the death of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad's grandson and Shia martyr. According to eyewitnesses, the service was almost over when the bomb was detonated on the first floor. "I was inside the mosque and the Mullah was reading the prayer," Ewaz Ali, 50 who suffered minor injuries, told the Associated Press news agency. "Suddenly a huge explosion happened, then everywhere was dark." Local reports suggest there are children among the dead.” Associated Press: Iraqi Forces Continue To Advance Against ISIS In Mosul “Iraqi troops advanced against Islamic State fighters toward the center of Mosul on Sunday, but were slowed down by sniper fire and suicide bombings as well as concern over the safety of civilians in a city that is home to more than 1 million people. A few hundred civilians emerged from rubble-strewn front-line neighborhoods in search of safer ground, including women and children, some of them carrying bags or small suitcases. Maj. Gen. Sami al-Aridi told The Associated Press that his special forces were searching homes in areas retaken from IS, looking for militants and vehicles rigged with explosives. Troops in those areas continue to be hit by mortar and sniper fire, he said.” Fox News: Increasingly Paranoid ISIS Leader Reportedly Refuses To Sleep Without Suicide Vest “As U.S.-backed Iraqi forces close in on the Islamic State's hub of Mosul, the leader of the terror network has become so insecure about his own safety that he refuses to emerge from his underground hideouts and never sleeps without his suicide vest on, Reuters reported. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi "has become intemperate," losing self-control and showing more signs of paranoia, according to messages sent from inside Mosul to the Iraqi military. Reuters reported Wednesday it had viewed the messages. Iraqi troops pushed deeper into eastern Mosul Saturday, backed by aerial support from the U.S.-led international coalition -- but faced stiff resistance from ISIS fighters, Maj. Gen. Sami al-Aridi of the Iraqi special forces said.” CNN: Iraqi Battle For Mosul Prompts Fears Of More Sectarian Violence “Iraqi paramilitary forces are in a raging battle to take a key ISIS stronghold west of Mosul, but their presence is prompting fears that the fighting could result in the escalation of sectarian violence in Iraq. The Shia-led Popular Mobilization Units, or PMUs, have significantly advanced against ISIS in the Tal Afar area, with the help of the Iraqi air force targeting the terror group and killing 12 militants, according to Iraq's Joint Operations Command. Tal Afar is a predominantly Sunni city that was divided between Sunni and Shia Turkmens before ISIS captured it in 2014.” Chicago Tribune: Bolingbrook Man Given Almost 3 1/2 Years For Bid To Join Islamic State “Mohammed Hamzah Khan had just been sentenced to a little more than three years in prison Friday for trying to fly overseas to join the Islamic State terrorism group when the judge told him to pay close attention to the way he'd just been treated under U.S. law. Though Khan had faced up to 15 years behind bars, he'd instead been given a remarkable second chance, U.S. District Judge John Tharp said. He was afforded his right to counsel, his family and friends were allowed to support him in court and federal authorities had agreed to provide resources for years to come to get his life back on track. It was the opposite of what he would have faced under Islamic State's brand of justice, Tharp said.” Al Arabiya: ISIS’ Egypt Branch Executes 100-Year-Old Cleric “Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis – ISIS-affiliated extremist group in Egypt – has released images purporting to show the execution of a 100-year-old man. The group, who rebranded as ISIS-Sinai when they pledged allegiance to the extremist group holding swathes of Iraq and Syria, killed Sheikh Sulaiman Abu Haraz after kidnapping him earlier. Abu Haraz, considered one of the symbolic Sufi clerics and elders of the Sinai Peninsula, was taken by the group from in front of his house in Arish city under gun point.” Daily Caller: ISIS Still Has Up To 80 Operatives In Europe Ready To Attack, Official Claims “Islamic State has between 60 and 80 operatives spread out across Europe to launch an attack, a Dutch counterterrorism coordinator claims. Fewer foreign fighters are traveling to Syria and Iraq to fight for ISIS as the terrorist group is “asking them not to come to Syria and Iraq, but to prepare attacks in Europe,” Dutch intelligence official Dick Schoof told The Associated Press. “We have seen 294 [Dutch] terrorist fighters go overseas in Iraq and Syria and there are still 190 over there,” Schoof said in a Saturday interview with the AP. “And what happened in France and Brussels and Germany could happen to us.” The Indian Express: Somalia: 20 Suspected Al-Shabaab Members Arrested In Mogadishu “At least 20 people suspected to be members of Islamist group Al-Shabaab were arrested in an operation in the Somali capital of Mogadishu on Saturday night, police said. Banadir region police chief, Bashir Abshir Gedi, told journalists that troops from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali soldiers carried out the operation in Hamar Jajab and Waberi districts in Mogadishu to hunt down Al-Shabaab suspects.” The Guardian: Nigerian Clashes Cast Doubt On Claim That Boko Haram Is On Its Knees “Boko Haram has launched a series of attacks that have inflicted substantial casualties on Nigerian government forces and contradict claims by senior officials that the extremist Islamist group is on the brink of defeat. The group made headlines last month when it released 21 female students abducted more than two years ago. The women, taken in a night raid on a school in the small town of Chibok, were the focus of a global campaign and many analysts saw their liberation after negotiations with officials as evidence of Boko Haram’s weakness following an internal split." Syria Reuters: Syrian Family, Pupils Among Dozens Killed In Aleppo Attacks “Rebel shelling killed eight children at a school in the government-held part of Aleppo on Sunday and a barrel bomb killed a family of six in the rebel-held area, part of a heavy government bombardment that has knocked out all the hospitals. Hundreds of people have been killed since Tuesday in a concerted push by the government and its allies to quash resistance in the rebel-held eastern part of Aleppo to reestablish control over Syria's biggest pre-war city. On Sunday they advanced into the Hanano district on its northern edge, but rebels said the battle was still continuing and that some of the pro-government forces' gains had been reversed.” BBC: Syria Conflict: Aleppo Hospitals 'Knocked Out By Bombardment' “The World Health Organization says all makeshift hospitals there are out of service, after five days of air and artillery strikes by government forces. Other reports suggest some that hospitals are operational but people are too frightened to use them. A White House statement called the assault on hospitals "heinous". The Syria Civil Defence, a volunteer group also known as the White Helmets, said that 61 civilians had been killed in Saturday's air strikes on rebel-held eastern Aleppo.” Bloomberg: Obama Says ‘Short-Term’ Prognosis For Syrian Civil War Is Poor “President Barack Obama offered a depressing prognosis on Sunday for the bloody Syrian civil war, saying Russian and Iranian intervention on behalf of the country’s leader, Bashar al-Assad, has stymied any hope for peace. "I am not optimistic about the short-term prospects in Syria," Obama said at a news conference in Lima. "Once Russia and Iran made a decision to back Assad in a brutal air campaign and essentially a pacification of Aleppo, regardless of the potential for civilian casualties, children being killed or wounded, schools or hospitals being destroyed, then it was very hard to see a way in which even a trained and committed moderate opposition could hold its ground for long periods of time.” Iraq Iraqi News: 33 ISIS Militants, 9 Soldiers Killed As Anti-Terrorism Forces Stormed Mosul’s Aden “Thirty-three Islamic State militants and nine soldiers were killed when anti-terrorism forces stormed the district of Aden in Mosul, senior officer within the source told Anadolu Agency on Sunday. “Our forces began since yesterday (Saturday) to advance toward the district of Aden, one of the important neighborhoods for the group due to its strategic location,” Azzam al-Ebeidi, an anti-terrorism forces major told the agency. He said 21 soldiers were wounded, while two booby-trapped cars were detonated and two rocket launchers were destroyed.” Turkey Rudaw: Turkey Bombs ISIS Targets Near Syria’s Al-Bab, YPG Targets Near Manbij “The Turkish Air Force continued targeting of ISIS militants near the northwestern Syrian city of Al-Bab, ahead of a Free Syrian Army (FSA) offensive to capture the town from the group, the Turkish military said.  In a written statement cited by Hurriyet news on Monday the Turkish military said the airstrikes successfully destroyed 17 ISIS targets on Sunday, northeast of Al-Bab in the towns of Bzaghah, Qabasin and Suflaniyah.  Targets destroyed included four buildings which ISIS reportedly used as a headquarters.  Sunday’s airstrikes followed a bomb attack by ISIS near Al-Bab which left one Turkish soldier dead and two wounded on Saturday.” Associated Press: Turkey Calls On US, Allies To Reconsider Syria No-Fly Zone “Turkey’s president has called on the United States and other nations to re-assess his country’s proposal for the creation of a no-fly zone in northern Syria. Addressing a NATO parliamentary assembly meeting in Istanbul on Monday, Recep Tayyip Erdogan again criticized allies’ reliance on Syrian Kurdish fighters to battle the Islamic State group. Turkey considers the U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters an extension of outlawed Kurdish militants in Turkey. Although Turkey has repeatedly called for secure zones to protect Syrians, Washington has been unwilling to wade too deeply into the conflict.” ARA News: Turkey Says Allied Syrian Rebels Killed 12 Kurdish YPG Fighters, 8 ISIS Militants In Aleppo “At least 12 Kurdish fighters of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and eight ISIS militants were killed under attacks by Turkey-backed rebels in northern Syria, the Turkish Army said on Saturday. Supported by Turkey’s military forces, Syrian rebels of the Euphrates Shield Bridges reportedly bombed YPG headquarters near the Qereh Dagh town in Aleppo Governorate. The offensive coincided with another attack by Turkey-backed rebels on ISIS strongholds in the vicinity of al-Bab city, north of Aleppo, according to a statement by the Turkish Central Command, which reported the death of 12 Kurdish YPG fighters and eight ISIS members in the operations on Saturday.” Yemen Associated Press: 48-Hour Cease-Fire Declared In Yemen “The Saudi-led military coalition declared a 48-hour ceasefire in Yemen on Saturday, on the condition that Shiite rebels abide by it and allow humanitarian assistance into besieged cities, particularly the city of Taiz.  However, minutes after it went into effect, activists in Taiz said that rebel shelling continued in the city while a rebel-affiliated military spokesman said that there was no halt of fighting.  Col. Sharaf Loqman, a military spokesman, told The Associated Press that the fighting hasn’t stopped at any of the front-lines. He said that the rebels support a full cessation of hostilities, but that the reality at the moment is, “all parties are engaged in fighting.” Daily Star: Yemen Cease-Fire Extension In Doubt “Sporadic fighting shook parts of Yemen Sunday as the Arab-led coalition battling Iran-backed rebels warned that a fragile U.S.-brokered cease-fire would not be extended unless violations ended. Aid agencies have pleaded for unhindered humanitarian access in Yemen to allow the delivery of life-supplies to civilians reeling from a conflict that has left thousands dead. The 48-hour cease-fire began Saturday following an intervention by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry who met Houthi rebel representatives in Oman and urged President Abed Rabbou Mansour Hadi’s government to sign up.” Saudi Arabia Al Jazeera: Saudi Arabia Denies Arab Coalition Violated Yemen Truce “Saudi Arabia has denied that the Arab coalition it spearheads violated a 48-hour ceasefire by launching air strikes against the Houthi rebels in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. Major General Ahmed Asseri, the coalition spokesman, told Al Jazeera on Sunday from Riyadh the air raids were a response to violations by the Houthi rebels who control most of Yemen. "We told them that if they move their troops on the ground, if they try to gain position, there will be a response. This is what we are doing," Asseri said.” Libya Al Arabiya: Far From Mosul, ISIS Close To Defeat In Libya’s Sirte “After six months of heavy fighting, Libyan forces have advanced so deep into the strategic city of Sirte that they can pick out the Tunisian and Egyptian accents of their ISIS enemies as they trade insults over the frontline. Victory is imminent on this remote front of the war against ISIS, with the last few militants staging a last stand in a small area of just one square kilometer (0.4 square mile), US and Libyan officials say. But the battle has been long and hard, and holds lessons for US backed forces trying to force ISIS out of the much larger Iraqi city of Mosul more than 2,500 km (1,500 miles) away.” Nigeria Premium Times: Zamfara Killing Spree Continues, ‘25’ Killed In Fresh Attack “At least 25 people were killed on Saturday night when gunmen stormed three Zamfara State communities, an official said. The lawmaker representing Zurmi West in the Zamfara State House of Assembly, Yusuf Moriki, told the News Agency of Nigeria that the incident occurred at Dole, Tudun Bugaje and Kwangwami communities in Zurmi Local Government Area. Mr. Moriki said 25 were killed, while many others were injured during the attack. “So far, we have the record of 25 people who were killed during the attack, while many others injured have been taken to hospital for treatment,” he said.” France Al Jazeera: French Foreign Minister Calls For Renewed Syria Talks “The French foreign minister has condemned Syrian government air raids on the besieged eastern part of Syria's Aleppo and called for the revival of talks aimed at ending the war. Jean-Marc Ayrault's comments to Al Jazeera came after he met representatives of the opposition Syrian High Negotiations Committee in Qatar's capital Doha on Sunday. "Today's war is all out war. I condemn this in the name of France. I will take the initiative to bring together those who share the same vision for Syria’s future in the coming hours and days," he said.” CBS News: Teen Arrested In France For Alleged Links To ISIS Jihadi “French authorities say a teenager was arrested this week for allegedly being linked to a French jihadi who claimed responsibility for the Bastille Day truck attack in Nice on behalf of the Islamic State group.  The Paris prosecutor’s office said Friday that the 17-year-old boy was detained in the western town of Rennes and being questioned by a judge in Paris under a “criminal terrorist association” investigation. The office says the teen used social networks to communicate with Rachid Kassim, whose name has appeared in connection with at least four recent terror plots targeting France.” Asia Reuters: Sri Lanka Says 32 'Elite' Muslims Have Joined Islamic State In Syria “Thirty-two Sri Lankan Muslims from "well-educated and elite" families have joined Islamic State in Syria, the justice minister told parliament on Friday, promising that the government would clamp down on extremists. The statement by minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe was condemned by representatives of the Muslim minority, who complained of racism. "All these (Muslims) are not from ordinary families. These people are from the families which are considered as well-educated and elite," Rajapakshe said, adding that the government was aware of some foreigners coming to Sri Lanka to spread what he called Islamic extremism.” ISIS Akhbar Alaan: Mosul: ISIS's Fundraising Methods “After the successive financial blows suffered by ISIS in Mosul, mainly due to the loss of important oil installations, the organization has intensified its imposition of levies on local Mosul residents under various pretexts. A leaked document reveals that ISIS has been collecting funds from those designated as the "parish". This refers to citizens who reside in buildings held by some of the organization's leaders. The rents are collected from the tenants by ISIS, rather than by the original landlords who refused to finance ISIS. Excluded from payment demands are the relatives of ISIS's dead militants. The document, representing an exchange of messages between ISIS's so-called Diwan al-Jund (Soldiers' Department) and Diwan al-Aqarat and al-Kharaj (Real Estate and Land Tax Department), reveals the percentages of the rent received by each Diwan. Actually this income goes into the pockets of the heads of the Diwans.” Sputnik: ISIS Seeks New Sources Of Funding “Omar Badr a-Din, a researcher specializing in the affairs of armed groups, said he has obtained confirmed information indicating that the terrorist ISIS organization is currently looking for new sources of financing. This comes as ISIS is under siege in several regions. The researcher claimed that representatives from the {terror} organization have been touring several countries to collect donations from its supporters. According to Badr a-Din, in a statement on Sunday, ISIS is looking for any and all means of support to prevent its disintegration amid fierce battles being waged by its militants in both Iraq and Syria, i.e. in Mosul and Aleppo. In addition, ISIS is attempting to "flirt" with other organizations backed by certain Gulf states, to use their fighters in its operations.” Muslim Brotherhood Innfrad: Muslim Brotherhood Relies On Several Factors In Maintaining Its Interests In London “The Muslim Brotherhood in the United Kingdom considers this country to be their "mother-land" for hosting their leaders. The group relies on several factors in maintaining its interests in London. The foremost factor is the Islamic associations, many of which have been dominated by the Information Office of the Muslim Brotherhood in London and are working on its behalf. Note that the Islamic associations are involved in economic ventures in the British capital, which have enabled the group to form economic ties with British officials. The Brotherhood also makes periodic visits to members of the British Parliament. This comes amid instructions by their Information Office in London to maintain constant contact with Parliament members, especially the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. During these encounters, Brotherhood officials submit reports on injustices inflicted on it, in an attempt to lure some of the MPs to its side. The group continues to engage regularly with some British newspapers, whether to publish editorials by some of its leaders, or ask some British journalists to write editorials defending the group.” Gulf Eyes: Ansar Alsonna Association Appeals Dissolution Decision For Its Alleged Affiliation With Muslim Brotherhood “Abdul Salam Bali, Chairman of the Ansar Alsonna al-Muhammadiya Association, is appealing in the Administrative Court of the State Council in Cairo the decision of the Social Solidarity Minister to dissolve the association after having [alleged] affiliation with Muslim Brotherhood. The appeal claims that the Association's officials were surprised to see their names mentioned in the media in the context of associations whose assets in Egyptian banks were frozen, their activities banned and their members' money confiscated. These measures came to implement the ruling which bans the Muslim Brotherhood.” Almesryoon: 50% Of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood Asset Freeze Committee Members Resign “Five judges of the Muslim Brotherhood Asset Freeze Committee announced they would not continue to serve in it. They have decided to return to the positions they held prior to being appointed to serve on the Committee. Judicial sources attributed the reason for this move by the judges to the governmental discussions underway to terminate the Committee and issue a law to form a new judicial committee for the same task. The Brotherhood Asset Freeze Committee has rejected 90% of the appeals submitted by Brotherhood-affiliated individuals and entities whose assets were seized. Sources claimed that the Committee appropriated funds owned by nearly 1,400 Brotherhood members. The estimated value of these individuals' seized assets in banks comes to a total of 154,758,000 million Egyptian pounds ($10 million), along with $2,199,000, 135,000 euros and 9,000 British pounds.” Veto: Qatar Hosts International Conference On "Terrorism And How To Treat It" Attended By Muslim Brotherhood Leaders “On Sunday, the international conference on "Terrorism and Ways to Treat It," opened in the Qatari capital, Doha. The event features attendance by leaders of Muslim Brotherhood's International Organization. The two-day conference, organized by Qatar University, is being attended by leading scientists, intellectuals, academics and experts in the religious, social, political and media fields. Vice-President of Tunisia's Islamist Ennahda Party, Abdelfattah Mourou, who is also Deputy Speaker of the Tunisian Parliament, underlined the "role of scholars, thinkers and educational institutions in building the minds of the nation through their curriculum." Warning of the threat of terrorism and extremism, Mourou also alerted participants to the danger posed by extremists "who link terrorism to a great nation which served humanity over the centuries with an undeniable cultural contribution. This {nation} is capable of rising again….” Hamas Al Jazeera: Hamas Uses Palestinian Dual-Citizens To Smuggle Money “Israeli "Walla" news website reported that Hamas continues to strengthen its infrastructure in the West Bank in light of the information available to the Israeli security services. It added that Hamas is attempting to exploit Palestinians with dual citizenship, who can move more easily within the Palestinian territories and abroad. The same practice is used by other {terror} organizations such as al-Qaeda and ISIS. Hamas assigns these individuals the task of smuggling money into the West Bank, a method which is not new to the movement. The report explained that Hamas currently operates offices across the Middle East and North Africa. In addition, its cadres are active in every European capital, where they meet with Western diplomats. They are hosted in European research centers sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, enabling the movement to establish a public relations network in the continent. Note that these {Hamas} offices are being used to transfer money to Hamas {operatives} in the Palestinian territories.” Houthi Gulf Eyes: Houthi Leaders Buy Villa In The Capital Sanaa From Donations “A Houthi leader asked his friends and fans on Facebook to guide him towards a reasonably priced villa or building. Recently, Houthi leaders have purchased villas in the capital Sanaa from money they collected from citizens under the banner of donations to the Central Bank and for the sake of their war effort. The Houthi leader, named Fares Abo Bareah, who is a member of the group's Supreme Revolution {Committee} wrote: "I purchase villas or buildings at a reasonable price. How are prices today? Anyone who knows of any building or villa for sale at a reasonable price, please communicate with me privately.” Hezbollah Inponews: Spread Of Corruption Within Hezbollah “A Lebanese website published a recent report concerning the shift among Hezbollah members from integrity and flawless conduct, for which they were famous in the past, to corruption and violation of taboos. The Al-Janoubia website claimed that corruption, which has recently come to light in the ranks of Hezbollah, emerged most notably since the July 2006 War [against Israel]. This is because Hezbollah's financial resources have since doubled, in addition to the organization's involvement in contraband trafficking and smuggling. The website noted that Hezbollah has recently adopted a policy of public "admission" regarding the financial scandals and corruption among its members and regarding the collaborations of some of its members with Israelis and Americans. The report added that "the most striking cases of corruption within the organization, which Hezbollah avoids talking about, include the brother of a now-dead leader, who allegedly stole funds equivalent to $4 million.” Alwatan: Syria: Competition Between Hezbollah And The Regime Over The Drug Market “Syrian activists claim that Hezbollah exploits its military presence {in Syria} to cover up its drug-trading operations. They claim that reports by the media outlets affiliated with Bashar al-Assad's regime, concerning seizures of hashish at entrances to the town of Al-Qusayr, confirm the suspicious activities being conducted by Hezbollah. The reports also verify the differences between the two sides regarding drug trafficking. According to the reports, a patrol by the Assad regime forces seized, at one of the town's entrances, a truck coming from the northern Lebanese Bekaa region, which is controlled by Hezbollah. It was loaded with two tons of hashish enroute deep into Syrian territory. Local sources indicated that the confiscation of smuggled quantities of narcotic substances and publishing that information in the regime's media could only happen in the event of a conflict of interest between the Hezbollah militia and members of the regime. These are most likely [a reflection of] disagreements over quotas, markets and clients.”