Eye on Extremism - December 19, 2016

Eye on Extremism December 19, 2016 Reuters: Gunmen Burn Buses, Aleppo Convoy Goes Through “Armed men burned five buses that were supposed to be used for an evacuation near Idlib in Syria on Sunday, stalling a deal to allow thousands to depart the last rebel pocket in Aleppo, where evacuees crammed into buses for hours before departing the city. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said the evacuation of the villages near Idlib had been postponed as a result of the incident. Five buses leaving Aleppo were held, packed with evacuees, for hours before they could drive the 5 km (3 miles) to rebel-held territory outside. In return for the evacuation of fighters, their families and other civilians from Aleppo, the mostly Sunni insurgents had agreed that people in the villages of al-Foua and Kefraya, Shi'ite villages that they have besieged near Idlib, should also be allowed to leave.” Reuters: Syrian Rebel Group Blames Iran For Holding Up Aleppo Evacuation “A senior Syrian rebel blamed Iran and its Shi'ite militias on Saturday of holding up the evacuation of civilians trapped in the remaining rebel bastion in Aleppo and urged Russia to live up to its commitment to implement the deal. Munir al Sayal, the head of the political wing of the Ahrar al Sham rebel group involved in negotiations over the deal, said Iran was insisting people be allowed to leave two besieged Shi'ite villages before letting the Aleppo evacuation happen. He said Russia was failing to restrain its ally. ‘Iran and its sectarian proxies are using the humanitarian situation of our people in besieged Aleppo and preventing civilians from leaving until the evacuation of their groups in al-Foua and Kefyra,’ Sayal told Reuters in a telephone interview.” CNN: Suicide Bomber Kills More Than 50 In Yemen, ISIS Claims Responsibility “ISIS is claiming responsibility for a suicide bombing in Yemen Sunday that left dozens dead. The attack in the southern Yemeni city of Aden killed at least 52 soldiers and injured 34 others, two Yemeni senior security officials told CNN. ISIS made its claim in a statement published on Twitter and tweeted by several ISIS supporters. CNN cannot independently confirm this claim. Emergency trucks flooded the area of the attack and streets were closed down by military forces. The injured soldiers were taken to four hospitals in the city.” Reuters: Turkey's Erdogan Blames Kurdish Militants After Bomb Kills At Least 13, Wounds 56 “A car bomb killed at least 13 soldiers and wounded 56 when it ripped through a bus carrying off-duty military personnel in the central Turkish city of Kayseri on Saturday, an attack President Tayyip Erdogan blamed on Kurdish militants. The blast near a university campus comes a week after deadly twin bombings targeted police in Istanbul and may further infuriate a public smarting from multiple attacks by Islamic and Kurdish militants this year, and a failed coup in July. It could also increase tension in the mainly Kurdish southeast, where militants from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) have waged a three-decade violent insurgency that has seen some of the worst fighting in the last year.” CNN: Jordan Says 10 Killed In 'Cowardly Terrorist Attack' “Ten people were killed and 34 were wounded Sunday in what a Jordanian official called a ‘cowardly terrorist attack.’ After firing at police officers at two locations, gunmen moved into an ancient castle popular with tourists in the city of Karak, Jordan's Public Service Directorate said. Security forces surrounded the castle and an hourslong standoff occurred. The PSD issued a statement around 11:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. ET) saying the siege had ended with four terrorists killed inside the castle. Seven members of security forces, two Jordanian civilians and a Canadian tourist were killed, the PSD said. Thirty-four people were wounded, including 15 members of security forces, 17 Jordanian civilians and two foreign tourists.” The New York Times: Hungry, Thirsty And Bloodied In Battle To Retake Mosul From ISIS “After two months, the battle to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from the Islamic State has settled into a grinding war of attrition. The front lines have barely budged in weeks. Casualties of Iraqi security forces are so high that American commanders heading the United States-led air campaign worry that they are unsustainable. Civilians are being killed or injured by Islamic State snipers and growing numbers of suicide bombers. As the world watches the horrors unfolding in Aleppo, Syria, where government forces and allied militias bombed civilians and carried out summary executions as they retook the last rebel-held areas, a different tragedy is transpiring in Mosul. Up to one million people are trapped inside the city, running low on food and drinking water and facing the worsening cruelty of Islamic State fighters.” The Atlantic: The American Leader In The Islamic State “At dawn on a warm september morning in 2013, a minivan pulled up to a shattered villa in the town of Azaz, Syria. A long-bearded 29-year-old white man emerged from the building, along with his pregnant British wife and their three children, ages 8, 4, and almost 2. They had been in Syria for only about a month this time. The kids were sick and malnourished. The border they’d crossed from Turkey into Syria was minutes away, but the passage back was no longer safe. They clambered into the minivan, sitting on sheepskins draped on the floor—there were no seats—and the driver took them two hours east through a ravaged landscape, eventually stopping at a place where the family might slip into Turkey undetected. They disembarked amid a grove of thorny trees. Signs warned of land mines. The border itself was more than an hour’s walk away, through the desert. They’d forgotten to bring water. Tania dragged the puking kids along; Yahya carried a suitcase and a stroller. Midway, Tania had contractions, although she was still several months from her due date. They continued on. At the border itself, while the family squeezed through the barbed wire, a sniper’s bullets kicked up dirt nearby.” Fox News: ISIS Reportedly Training Child Suicide Bombers In Special Camps “An ISIS-trained teen said his sympathy for children led to his failed attempt to bomb an Iraqi soccer stadium over the summer. ‘When I reached the target, I knew it was wrong. When I saw the young kids, I knew it was wrong immediately,’ Mahmoud Ahmed, 15, tells Sky News in a story posted Sunday. ‘I returned back to [my trainer], but he said go straight back.’ The boy told the shocking tale of being trained at an ISIS camp for children while in custody at a juvenile detention center where he has been held since his arrest in August. Ahmed said he initially refused to return to the stadium, but his handler said it was ‘an order from Abu Islam,’ an ISIS commander.” NPR: For Iraqi Families With ISIS Links, Agonizing Choices — And Consequences “When the Iraqi army liberated her village from ISIS this year, Hamda Mahmoud made an agonizing choice: She handed her teenage son over to Iraqi security forces. Like hundreds of other boys in this area of northern Iraq, Ahmed, 15 and in fifth grade at the time, had joined ISIS. Mahmoud thought that by handing over her teenager, she was keeping him safe. Instead, he's disappeared into Iraq's murky justice system. His mother says she's heard he has been tortured — and possibly executed. Because her son had joined ISIS, Mahmoud, a widow, was expelled from her village of Imam Gharbi along with another son and a daughter-in-law. They now live in a tent in a camp for internally displaced people about 60 miles from Mosul.” The Times Of Israel: Israeli Lightly Injured In Shooting Attack In West Bank “An Israeli man was lightly injured in a drive-by shooting attack near the Israeli settlement of Halamish in the West Bank on Sunday, the Israeli military said. The injured man, said to be in his 20s, received medical treatment on the scene for wounds to his face from glass shards, sustained when the gunfire shattered the window on the driver’s side. He was later transfered to hospital. The vehicle sustained some damage. According to preliminary reports, the perpetrators opened fire from a passing vehicle on the road near the Palestinian village of Aboud, close to Ramallah.” The Jerusalem Post: Neo-Nazi Group Banned Under Terrorism Law For The First Time In The UK “'National Action' was banned under the Terrorism Act 2000 meaning that to be a member or open supporter of the group is now a criminal offense, punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment. ‘National Action is a racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic organization which stirs up hatred, glorifies violence and promotes a vile ideology,’ said Home Secretary Amber Rudd in a statement. Rudd laid an order before parliament on Monday to ban the three-year-old group. The Home Office said Rudd’s decision to proscribe the organization was made before the trial this year of Thomas Mair who was sentenced to life last month for the murder of Jo Cox, who was shot and stabbed to death in the street before a meeting with constituents.” The Daily Beast: Germany’s 12-Year-Old Terrorist “A European terror suspect has never been so young. The stalkers of the so-called Islamic State have been searching out, grooming and inciting young terrorists in France and Germany for more than a year now, and in the latest shocking incident, they appear to have used a boy who’s only 12 years old. On Friday, the German online magazine Focus caused a national uproar when it reported that two bombs had been planted in the city of Ludwigshafen by a local German-Iraqi youngster who was ‘very religiously radicalised’ and had possibly been ‘instigated or guided’ by an ‘unknown member’ of ISIS.” Voice Of America: Al-Shabab Kills Two Government Soldiers In Somalia's Mahaday District “Heavily armed al-Shabab fighters in pickup trucks moved into Somalia's Mahaday district in the Middle Shabelle region early Saturday, killing two government soldiers before voluntarily withdrawing, residents and officials said. The militants attacked about 4 a.m. local time, seizing a police station and administrative offices, residents said. The Mahaday district commissioner, Ahmed Husein, said officials had received word that militants were headed to the town, so they made a quick decision. "We got intelligence tips from the local people about their attack, and we made a strategic withdrawal for the safety of the innocent civilians," Husein said. "They briefly held the town and immediately withdrew once they realized that we would counterattack as the day wore on.” Yahoo News: 10 Arrested In Belgium For Plotting Terror On Christmas Day “Ten teenagers were taken into custody Saturday in Belgium for plotting terror attacks on Christmas carnivals in the country, according to reports. The arrests came at a time when the risk of such attacks remains high in Europe and several countries have stepped up their security. Saturday’s arrests were confirmed by Eric Van Der Sijpt, spokesman for the Belgium prosecutor's office, who said the teens received instructions online about how to kill a person and to make a bomb. “[The teenagers] were recruited by terrorist groups to prepare or commit terrorist acts,” the spokesman said, according to Sputnik news that cited Belgian newspaper Laatste Nieuws.” United States CNN: State Department Ups Reward For ISIS Leader To $25 Million “The United States is offering $25 million for information leading to the capture of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The Department of State released a statement Friday announcing the $25 million dollar reward for the self proclaimed caliph of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria -- more than doubling the reward announced previously. ‘The threat that al-Baghdadi poses has increased significantly since the Department of State's initial $10 million reward offer for information leading to his location, arrest, or conviction was announced in 2011,’ the department's Rewards for Justice Program said on its website. Under al-Baghdadi, ISIS grabbed swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria -- earning a reputation for unparallelled brutality.” MSNBC: Kremlin: Little Proof In Russia Hacking Scandal: CEP Senior Policy Advisor Tara Maller discusses why proof in the Russia hacking case has not been provided to the public. Syria Reuters: Russia's Lavrov Discusses Syria With Turkish, Iranian Ministers “Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held phone calls with the foreign ministers of Turkey and Iran on Saturday to discuss the Syria crisis, the Russian foreign ministry said. The ministers stressed the importance of joint efforts by the international community to provide humanitarian aid in Syria and facilitate a political resolution of the conflict, the ministry said in a statement, adding that the calls were made on Russia's initiative. The three ministers agreed to meet in the near future, it said.” Haaretz: Gunmen Burn Buses, Holding Up Evacuation Of Eastern Aleppo “Armed men burned five buses that were supposed to be used for an evacuation near Idlib in Syria on Sunday, holding up a deal to allow thousands to depart the last rebel pocket in Aleppo, where evacuees crammed into buses for hours, waiting to move. In return for the evacuation of fighters, their families and other civilians from Aleppo, mostly Sunni insurgents have agreed that people in the villages of al-Foua and Kefraya, Shi'ite villages they have besieged near Idlib, should also be allowed to leave. Videos posted on social media showed bearded men with guns cheering and shouting ‘God is great’ after torching the green buses before they were able to reach the villages and pick up the evacuees.”  Iraq Associated Press: Killings Of IS Prisoners By Iraq Government Militias “A militia backed by the Iraqi government killed suspected Islamic State fighters it had captured during the operation to retake the militant-held city of Mosul, according to an international human rights monitoring group. The Hashed al-Jabour militia, made up of Sunni tribal fighters and members of the Popular Mobilization Forces, killed four men it had captured in a village north of Mosul in November, according to a report published Sunday from New York-based Human Rights Watch. The report said witnesses to the incident said the men were shot in the presence of Iraqi security forces without any judicial proceedings. The Popular Mobilization Forces are an umbrella group of mostly Shiite militias who have been formally brought under the control of the government, but have repeatedly been accused of abuses of civilians.” CNN: Out Of Mosul, Into Limbo: The Refugees Fleeing ISIS “Between 700 and 1,000 people arrive daily from the embattled city of Mosul to the stretch of UN-run refugee camps just 20 kilometers east of the city's outskirts. There the transition begins -- out of the hell of life under fire in Mosul and into a life of limbo as a refugee. First, women and children are separated from the men so that each can undergo security screenings. Iraqi security officials are wary that ISIS militants may melt into the civilian population pouring out of the city. ‘It is a natural worry. There are 50,000 people here who all lived under ISIS for three years,’ camp manager Rizgar Obeid said. ‘But so far there has been no problem. The security forces have total control of the situation.’” Reuters: 'Liberated' Mosul Civilians Not Safe From Violence, Casualties Rise “Seven-year-old Anas lies in a hospital bed in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil, his little body wrapped in bandages following four surgeries to remove shrapnel that shredded his intestines. He is considered lucky for being alive. Two of his brothers did not survive the Islamic State mortar attack three weeks ago on their family's home in Mosul. One boy died immediately, the other after reaching the emergency room. ‘I saw them and then I fell to the ground and fainted,’ Anas said in a strained whisper, sometimes wincing from pain. Iraqi authorities do not release statistics about those killed or wounded in the Mosul campaign in an apparent effort to maintain morale, but a month ago the United Nations warned that civilian casualties were overwhelming the capacity of the government and international aid groups operating in the area.” Turkey Reuters: Turkey's Erdogan, Russia's Putin Speak By Phone Over Syria's Aleppo “Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin spoke by telephone about Syria's Aleppo on Sunday and emphasized the need to swiftly overcome the disruptions to the city's evacuation, sources in Erdogan's office said. Armed men burned five buses that were supposed to be used for an evacuation near Idlib on Sunday, holding up a deal to allow thousands to depart the last rebel pocket in Aleppo. Erdogan and Putin talked about intensifying efforts to allow humanitarian aid and to achieve a political solution in Syria. They once again discussed the idea of holding a meeting in Kazakhstan to bring together the representatives of Syrian government and opposition groups, the sources said.” The Wall Street Journal: Turkey Bus Blast Kills 13 Soldiers, Leaves Dozens Injured “A car bombing in Turkey on Saturday killed 13 soldiers who were leaving their base on weekend leave, less than a week after twin bomb blasts killed 44 people outside a soccer stadium in Istanbul. The blast in the central Anatolian city of Kayseri happened at around 8:45 a.m. local time and targeted a civilian bus carrying troops on weekend leave from a nearby commando base, Turkey’s armed forces said in a statement. At least 56 people, including 48 servicemen, have been injured in the attack, Turkish officials said. No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing, but officials said the terrorist attack bore the hallmarks of last Saturday’s attack in Istanbul that killed 37 policemen and seven civilians outside the stadium of Istanbul’s Besiktas soccer team. Kurdish militants claimed responsibility for the twin bombings.” Reuters: Turkish Jets Pound Islamic State Targets In Syria, Kill At Least 20: Military “Turkish warplanes have pounded Islamic State targets in northern Syria in the last 24 hours, killing at least 20 militants, the military said in a statement on Saturday. In addition to the 64 targets hit, the military said another 206 Islamic State targets were hit by artillery and other weaponry in its latest operations in northern Syria.” Afganistan BBC: Afghanistan Fuel Tanker Hits Bus, Killing At Least 14 “At least 14 people have been killed after a bus collided with a fuel tanker on a motorway in western Afghanistan, officials say. More than 40 others were injured in the accident on Sunday, said Mohammad Naser Mehri, a spokesman for the governor of Farah province. The bus was travelling from the western province of Herat to the Afghan capital, Kabul. It is not yet known how the incident occurred. ‘Around a dozen of the wounded are in critical condition,’ Mr Mehri said. Separately, four people were killed when another bus overturned late on Saturday in the south-western province of Nimroz, Afghan officials said.” The Wall Street Journal: Gunmen Kill Five Female Security Guards At Afghanistan Airport “Unknown gunmen killed five female security employees and their driver on their way to work at Kandahar airport in south Afghanistan, officials said, the latest episode of violence against women in the country’s security sector. The women were employees of Olive Group, a foreign company that is responsible for securing the airport, in Afghanistan’s second largest city. It is part of Constellis Group, which includes the firm formerly known as Blackwater. No group immediately claimed responsibility for Saturday’s killings. The Taliban, who have previously carried out attacks against female police and government workers, denied any role.” Egypt Reuters: Bin Laden's Son Denied Entry To Egypt “Osama bin Laden's son Omar was refused entry to Egypt on Saturday, airport sources said, giving no reason why his name was on a list of people banned from the country. Omar, 34, Osama bin Laden's fourth-eldest son, was traveling with his British wife Zaina al Sabah from Doha, and they asked to be sent to Turkey, the sources said. The couple, who lived in Egypt for several months in 2007 and 2008, were previously denied entry to the country in 2008. Omar bin Laden broke with his father in 2001 after living in Afghanistan for much of 1996 to 2001. In an interview with Reuters in 2010, Omar said he was working with Saudi Arabia and Iran to end his separation from a group of brothers and sisters that dates back to the chaos in Afghanistan following the al Qaeda attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.” The New York Times: Egyptian Novelist Jailed On Obscenity Charges To Be Released “Egypt’s highest appeals court on Sunday suspended the prison sentence of Ahmed Naji, a prominent writer who had been convicted on charges of obscenity, in a decision that paved the way for his release, his lawyer said. Mr. Naji, 31, was charged last year with violating public morality with references to sex and drug use in his novel ‘The Use of Life.’ He was sentenced in February to two years in prison and fined over $1,200, spurring outrage among human rights defenders and artists across the world. In May, over 120 prominent writers and artists, including Woody Allen, signed a letter demanding Mr. Naji’s release. The letter was sent by PEN America, a group that promotes freedom of expression, which this year awarded Mr. Naji its annual Freedom to Write prize in absentia.” CNN: Egypt To Hand Over Egyptair Crash Victims' Remains “Egypt says it will release the remains of EgyptAir 804 plane crash victims nearly seven months after the plane plunged into the Mediterranean sea, killing 66 people. Prosecutor General Nabil Ahmed Sadeq has ordered the bodies to be handed to their respective families in coordination with foreign embassies, according to a statement from his office released Saturday. The Airbus A320 was en route from Paris to Cairo when it crashed May 19. Authorities are still working to piece together exactly what caused the crash. Details have been emerging about the doomed flight for months. Earlier this week an Egyptian investigative committee, citing a forensic report, said traces of explosive material were found on the remains of Flight 804's victims. The case was referred to Egypt's general prosecutor.” Middle East Associated Press: Hamas Mourns Killing Of Group's Drone Expert “Gaza's Hamas rulers are mourning the killing of a Tunisian aviation expert who supervised the militant group's drone program. Hamas has accused Israel of assassinating him. Hamas militants received dozens of mourners, including officials and gunmen from other Palestinian groups, in a tent erected in a Gaza City park. The 49-year-old Mohammed Alzoari was found gunned down in his car near his home in Sfax, Tunisia, on Thursday. Hamas says he joined its military wing in 2006 and led the development of its drones.” The Times Of Israel: Nazareth Holds Children’s Event That Honors Killer Of Israelis “Nazareth, the largest Arab-Israeli city, recently held a pro-reading and anti-violence event for children in honor of a Palestinian terrorist who murdered Israelis in Jerusalem last year. On December 10, the city, in conjunction with Inma’a Association for Democracy and Capacity Building, held its ‘Nazareth reads’ event, which saw hundreds of children sit and read in a line that stretched from the plaza of the Spring Square within Nazareth’s old city until the Church of the Annunciation, according to Palestinian Media Watch, which first reported the event in English.” The New York Times: Israel Reaches Agreement To Relocate Amona Settlers “With just days to go before a looming deadline for a court-ordered dismantling of this illegal Israeli settler outpost, Amona’s residents agreed on Sunday to a government proposal to relocate many of their homes to an adjacent plot of land on the same West Bank hilltop — a solution critics have denounced as just as illegal. The deal was intended to avert a forced evacuation that many feared could turn violent. Tires were piled up by the roadside on the approach to the outpost, ready to burn and hamper the arrival of the security forces. Hundreds of supporters, mostly teenagers, had holed up in a makeshift synagogue and in residents’ homes, poised to resist the removal of the outpost’s 42 Orthodox Jewish families, around 300 people. Protesters banged on the car of a visiting government minister and threw eggs at it.” Libya Reuters: Suicide Bomber Kills Seven In Libyan City Of Benghazi: Officials “At least seven people were killed and eight wounded when a suicide bomber targeted forces loyal to Libya's eastern government in Benghazi on Sunday, medical and security officials said. Islamic State said it carried out the bombing, in the besieged district of Ganfouda. The area is one of the last pockets of resistance holding out against the Libyan National Army (LNA), a self-styled force loyal to eastern commander Khalifa Haftar. Haftar has been waging a military campaign in Benghazi for more than two years against Islamists and other opponents. The fighting is part of a broader, low-intensity conflict in Libya, which splintered into multiple political and armed factions after the uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.” United Kingdom The Daily Mail: Undercover SAS Troops Will Be Deployed To Protect Christmas Shoppers And New Year's Eve Revellers Against ISIS As Hundreds Of Fighters Return Home To The UK  “SAS anti-terror troops will mingle with Christmas shoppers and New Year's Eve revellers to counter the threat from returning ISIS fighters. Elite troopers will operate undercover in major British cities including London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. They will work closely with MI5 intelligence officers to identify terror suspects, while Army bomb disposal experts will also be on hand to deal with suspicious devices. Expert snipers trained to kill suicide bombers moving through crowds will also be on hand to boost security.  A source told the Star: 'MI5 believes hundreds of Britons who fought with Islamic State in Syria and Iraq will be returning to the UK in the next few months.” Germany Daily Caller: Senior Taliban Member Tries To Get Asylum In Germany Under Fake Identity “The Taliban’s health minister during the late 1990s recently tried to seek asylum in Germany under a fake identity. Abdul Rauf Mohammad and his family were caught using fake passports as they tried to get through customs at Frankfurt Airport in November. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees was surprised when they realized the man was actually a high-ranking Taliban member, Der Spiegel reported Friday. Mohammed reportedly met with al-Qaida founder Osama bin Laden on several occasions before leaving Afghanistan after a fallout with the Taliban leadership.” NBC News: Germany's 'Rent A Jew' Project Aims To Fight Anti-Semitism “Do you wish you knew a Jew? If so, you can now rent one. That is the attention-grabbing idea behind a project that aims to promote cultural understanding and dialogue by offering face-to-face encounters with Jews living in Germany. Amid the rise of far-right political parties and anti-Semitism across Europe, organizers believe the seminars provide an important chance to overcome prejudice and could serve ‘as a long-term prevention project.’ The ‘rented’ Jews are not professional speakers but volunteers of different ages and backgrounds who visit schools, universities and churches free of charge.” Deutsche Welle: German Police Arrest Neo-Nazis After Occupation Of Dortmund Church “Protestant church leaders strongly criticized the actions of a right-wing extremist group on Saturday after they occupied a church tower in the western German city of Dortmund. ‘We feel it is disrespectful to abuse our church for right-wing propaganda purposes,’ Ulf Schlüter, the superintendent of Dortmund's Church of St. Reinold where the occupation took place, told German news agency DPA. ‘There is no place for racism here,’ Schlüter emphasized. The neo-Nazi group barricaded themselves in the steeple of the Lutheran church on Friday at 6:40 p.m. (1740 UTC), Dortmund police said in a statement.” Deutsche Welle: Germany Pledges Millions To Support Fight Against Terrorism In Nigeria “During a visit to Nigeria on Sunday, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen announced that Berlin will give 4.2 million euros ($4.4 million) worth of equipment to support the West African nation's fight against terrorism. Germany is set to supply Nigeria with three radar stations, 180 mine detectors and a mobile field clinic to help combat the militant Boko Haram group. Von der Leyen said the support was also part of a larger initiative to stem flows of migrants from Africa to Europe. The support to Nigeria is also part of Germany's policy of encouraging partner countries in crisis regions to achieve stability and security. Germany has allocated 230 million euros ($240 million) towards this goal in 2016 and 2017 in Jordan, Tunisia, Nigeria, Niger and Mali.” Europe Reuters: Austria Searches Freight Trains In New Frontline On Illegal Migration “Austrian police have started searching freight trains travelling from Italy at night to tackle illegal migration and avert further deaths after two stowaways died earlier this month. A man and a woman from Eritrea who had hidden on a train bringing trucks from Italy were crushed to death in Austria's Tyrol province, likely having lost consciousness due to freezing winter temperatures. Since early November, police have picked up about 90 African migrants heading for Germany on railways in Tyrol, which are used by most cargo trains going from Italy across the Alps.” Financing of Terrorism Nessma: Tunisia: Wife Of Well-Known Politician Involved In The Financing Of Terrorism “A reliable security source in Tunisia disclosed that the security authorities in the North Ariana province recently issued a search warrant for the wife of a well-known Tunisian politician. This is the result of monitoring {and discovery} by security units of financial transfers to the wife from Turkey. Competent security agencies suspect these transfers were earmarked for financing terrorism and terrorist groups. The value of the money-transfers is estimated at more than 350,000 dinars (roughly $150,000). To date, security forces have failed to arrest the politician's wife, and it is believed she has fled the country. Meanwhile, security forces took the testimony of the politician with regard to these money transfers.” Muslim Brotherhood Almesryoon: Egypt: Demands To Use Muslim Brotherhood Funds To Compensate Victims Of St. Peter's Church Attack “A prominent (Egyptian) parliament member demanded using funds confiscated from the Muslim Brotherhood to pay fitting compensation to the families of the victims of St. Peter's Church bombing. He vowed to raise this issue for discussion in parliament and to request a vote on the matter. The MP, Mohammad Al-Ghoul, who is on the {parliamentary} Human Rights Committee, urged the State to take all necessary steps to obtain court orders to allow the seizure of funds belonging to the group's leaders at home and abroad, to compensate the families of the victims.” Almal News: Egypt: Namaa Co.'S Clients Appeal To Muslim Brotherhood Asset Freeze Committee To Release Their Funds “40 investors, clients of Namaa Securities Brokerage Company from the city of Damanhour in Boheira Governorate, appealed to the Muslim Brotherhood Asset Freeze Committee to release their seized financial assets. They claim the total value of their assets comes to 200,000 pounds ($10,800). Hassan Ibrahim, a shareholder of "Namaa" who was affected by the seizure, claimed he opened three accounts for his family, in the Damanhour branch of "Namaa." After the Brotherhood Committee issued its decision, all the assets belonging to the company in banks were frozen, including clients' {personal} funds. This was caused by the fact that all the clients' funds were registered in banks under Namaa. Now clients claim they have suffered hefty financial losses. It should be noted that in August 2015, the Egyptian Stock Exchange announced that Namaa is banned from profiting from trading or any services and facilities offered by the stock market based on the decision of the Brotherhood Asset Freeze Committee to appropriate the company's funds. This was a precautionary measure after information indicated Namaa's ownership by Brotherhood-affiliated businessmen.” Almesryoon: Egypt: Issuance Of 274 Rulings Invalidating Appropriation Of Funds Belonging To Muslim Brotherhood And Their Supporters “A judicial source disclosed that 274 rulings have been issued by Egypt's Administrative Court in favor of Muslim Brotherhood supporters. These rulings invalidate previous resolutions to seize funds and properties belonging to members of the group. The source added that the Brotherhood Asset Freeze Committee, headed by Judge Mohammed Yasser Abu El-Fotouh, received 274 rulings by the Administrative Court affirming the invalidity of seizure resolutions it previously issued. The source pointed out that the time period during which these rulings were issued for the benefit of the 274 Brotherhood figures and entities dates back to 2014 to the present. The source revealed that the most prominent of these rulings was the one in favor of retired Al Ahly Soccer Club legend Mohammed Abu Treika, calling to invalidate the decision to appropriate his funds and properties in April 2015.” The Seventh Day: Muslim Brotherhood Exploits Social Media Websites To Dominate Public Opinion “According to social media experts, the Muslim Brotherhood formed an "electronic committee" whose task is to dominate public opinion among social media users. The committee focuses on spreading certain ideas which represent the group. This is being done through the use of bogus pages bearing phony names. Some members of the group are paid monthly salaries for this work {in the social media}. Their job is to post comments and create hashtags which serve the interests of the group and present the Egyptian state as being weak and backward. In addition, the Brotherhood's electronic committee coordinates and engages with pro-Brotherhood "celebrities" and influencers, who have many followers and fans on Twitter and Facebook, in order to publish the views of the group and its ideology through their pages and accounts. One social media expert described the Brotherhood's activity in this field as "social media business", indicating the large sums the group invests in this field.” Elmonzar: Egypt: "Muslim Brotherhood" Group Uses Donations To Fund Terror “A high-level government source (in Egypt) disclosed that extensive investigations have begun into donations made by citizens in several mosques. Authorities suspect the funds are being exploited by Brotherhood terrorists to support not only its own members in the governorates, but also jihadist groups in Syria, Iraq and Libya. This is done through charitable donations obtained in mosques in El Zaytun, Misr al-Qadima (Old Cairo), Helwan and Alexandria. Brotherhood activists collect the donations under the pretext of helping {needy} people in distress. Security agencies have obtained evidence indicating that the Muslim Brotherhood members are using these donations to obtain visas for militants belonging to extremist groups to enable them to travel to Syria and later on to Iraq. Young people are leaving {Egypt} under the pretext of work {abroad}, when in fact they are headed for jihadist camps in Iraq, Libya, Syria. The donation money is also used to purchase weapons and train Brotherhood members to take up arms.” Hamas Asharq Alawsat: ISIS In Sinai Prevents Transfer Of Weapons And Goods To Hamas Exacerbating Its Financial Crisis “Palestinian sources disclosed that for the past fortnight ISIS in Sinai has been preventing merchants from using the tunnels between the Palestinian side and the Egyptian side of Rafah to smuggle goods into the Gaza Strip. ISIS took this measure as punishment for Hamas, which has stopped its coordination with ISIS in the Sinai and {even} detained hundreds of ISIS affiliates and supporters in Gaza. The sources confirmed that ISIS militants in Sinai have been holding back weapons, ammunition, military and raw materials used in the manufacture of rockets, explosives and other military means used by the military wing of Hamas. ISIS is also preventing the entry of any commodities whatsoever into the Gaza Strip. Due to ISIS's ban on the use of tunnels, a financial crisis has erupted inside Hamas. In addition, markets {in the Strip} have suffered from a shortage of goods while local merchants complain about the situation via local media.” Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Erem News: Iran's Revolutionary Guard Controls Iraq's Mosul Dam “Vice President of "Khatam al-Anbiya Group", the most important company owned by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, disclosed over the weekend that it controls the Mosul Dam, one of the largest dams in Iraq. The Iranian official confirmed that "Khatam al-Anbiya Group" gained control of the Mosul Dam and prevented its collapse by dispatching experts and engineers specializing in dams." He stressed that control over this dam was achieved in coordination with the Baghdad-based Iraqi government. It is worth mentioning that "Khatam al-Anbiya Group," which is considered the economic arm of the Revolutionary Guards, appears on the international sanctions list due to its terror financing and money laundering activities.” Houthi Yemen Akhbar: Houthi Group Raids Homes In Sanaa Forcing Residents To Pay Royalties “Yemenis harassed by loyalists of Houthi and ousted President Ali Saleh in Sanaa and Ibb reported that these militias launched a raid on homes to force residents to pay royalties for their so-called "war effort." This comes amid the harsh economic conditions sustained by Yemenis due to non-payment of their salaries. Meanwhile, millions of riyals were robbed on Saturday from the coffers of Ibb University in central Yemen at a time when other armed groups stormed homes and coerced residents to pay royalties and levies for the "war effort." Those afflicted claimed that early Saturday morning Houthi militants stationed near Ibb University stormed the administration building and went directly to the financing office. There, the militants, some in civilian clothing, broke open the metal safe of the university, using electrical and welding tools. They took off with all the contents of the safe – cash money estimated at over 200 million Yemeni riyals ($800,000).” ISIS Ammon: Iraqi Minister: War On ISIS Drains 30% Of State's Spending “Iraqi Planning Minister Dr. Salman Al-Jumaili claimed that the war launched by Baghdad against ISIS has drained 30 percent of state spending. This is further aggravating the financial crisis in the country, which started with the decline in oil prices {in international markets}. Al-Jumaili stated that the "war's spending demands and military operations are draining 30% of the budget allocations. This has contributed to the rise in poverty rates to around 30%." Note that Iraq, the second largest oil producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), relies on oil revenues to finance up to 95% of the state's expenses.”