Eye on Extremism December 27, 2016

Eye on Extremism December 27, 2016 Counter Extremism Project CNN: The Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer: CEP Spokesperson Tara Maller discusses the ongoing manhunt for Berlin Christmas Market attacker. CNN: The Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer: CEP Spokesperson Tara Maller discusses the challenge facing European officials in trying to prevent the type of attack that took place in Berlin. The Daily Beast: Top U.S. General: Two More Years To Beat ISIS “The general commanding coalition forces in Iraq predicts it will take two years of hard work to clear the so-called Islamic State from its twin capitals of Mosul and Raqqa, and then to burn out the remnants that will likely flee to the vast empty desert between Syria and Iraq. In a Christmas Day sit-down with The Daily Beast at his headquarters, Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend would not put specific timelines on the battle. But he mapped out a grinding campaign that he thinks is going slowly but as well as can be expected, considering how much time ISIS had to prepare and how brutal its fighters are willing to be.” The Washington Post: Weakened Militarily, ISIS Still Has Power To Sow Deadly Mayhem “In the past few weeks, the Islamic State has sustained a string of military defeats: ousted from its refuge on the Libyan coast, struggling to maintain its hold on the Iraqi city of Mosul, and losing ground in Syria. Yet as the deadly truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin made clear, those losses do not diminish the group’s extraordinary power to inspire terrorist mayhem around the world, and may even help fuel it. In just the past year, even while under near continuous bombardment by the American-led coalition, the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for more than three dozen attacks, stretching across 16 countries on four continents.” The Daily Caller: US Military Delivers A Lot Of Explosive Presents To ISIS On Christmas “U.S. military forces fighting Islamic State did not take the day off for Christmas, instead, they delivered tons of explosive ordnance to the terrorists. Operation Inherent Resolve coalition forces engaged in 18 strikes against ISIS forces in both Iraq and Syria on Christmas day, reported U.S. Central Command Monday. ISIS forces in Syria saw the most damage, with 14 strikes coming via attack, bomber and fighter aircraft. The remaining four strikes targeted ISIS forces in Iraq. Most of the strikes in Iraq targeted Mosul, ISIS’s de facto capital. Coalition forces ‘destroyed 11 fighting positions, four tactical vehicles, a heavy machine gun, and a VBIED [vehicle-borne improvised explosive device]; and damaged a supply route,’ according to CENTCOM.” Fox News: Tunisian Authorities Say Berlin Truck Attacker Wanted Nephew To Kill Uncle In ISIS Pledge “Authorities in Tunisia said the man who killed 12 people in a truck attack in Berlin last week urged his nephew to kill his uncle to prove his worthiness to Islamic State. A Tunisian police official told The Telegraph on Sunday Anis Amri also told Ferjani Fadi, 18, to kill the husband of one of Amri’s sisters, who is a police officer, in order to pledge allegiance to ISIS. Fadi and two others were arrested over the weekend in Oueslatia over suspicions of being part of a terror cell that support Amri. The Tunisian Interior Ministry said Amri sent Fadi money to join him in Europe before he drove a truck through a crowd of people at a Berlin Christmas market." The Hill: Scores Of ISIS Fighters Killed In Mosul “Nearly 100 fighters with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) were killed by Iraqi and coalition forces Sunday as the battle for Mosul continues, according to Monday reports. The 97 militants were killed in three separate incidents, Iraq's Joint Military Command reportedly said in a statement. In the first, Iraqi forces detonated two car bombs as ISIS fighters were trying to advance near a federal police position south of the city. The bombs killed 21 ISIS fighters, the Iraqi military said. The second incident happened as ISIS tried to launch attacks on military positions using car bombs and suicide bombers in the neighborhoods of Intisar, al Salam and al Shaimaa' in southeastern Mosul. Iraqi forces killed 51 ISIS fighters, according to the military.” New York Times: Aboard A U.S. Eye In The Sky, Staring Down ISIS In Iraq And Syria “Flying at 30,000 feet, the powerful radar aboard this Air Force jet peered deep into Syrian territory, hunting for targets on the ground to strike in the looming offensive to seize Raqqa, the Islamic State’s capital. It was on a mission like this several weeks ago that analysts discovered a hiding place in the central Syrian desert where the Islamic State was stashing scores of oil tanker trucks that provide the terrorist group with a crucial financial lifeline. Acting on that tip and other intelligence, two dozen American warplanes destroyed 188 of the trucks in the biggest airstrike of the year, eliminating an estimated $2 million in oil revenue for the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL.” Reuters: Fearful Christmas In Baghdad After Attacks On Christians “Christians in Baghdad celebrated Christmas on Sunday in a heightened state of fear after deadly attacks on Christian-owned shops that sell alcohol. Two shops next door to each other were riddled with bullet holes and spattered with blood after gunmen opened fire late on Friday in Baghdad's Ghadeer neighborhood. Police and medical sources said three people were killed and four wounded. Local activists gave a higher death toll. Rayan al-Kildani, commander of Babiliyon Brigades, a group of Christian volunteers formed to fight Islamic State militants, said eight Christians and one member of the Yazidi sect had been killed in the attack.” The Daily Caller: Turkey Is Reportedly Asking Apple’s Help In Unlocking iPhone Of Russian Ambassador’s Killer “Turkish and Russian authorities are trying to unlock the iPhone 4S of the killer who assassinated Russia’s ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov. Turkey reportedly asked Apple if it would decrypt the password of smartphone found on the gunman’s person following the terrorist attack, according to MacReports. Another Apple-focused blog, 9to5Mac, disputes this report that Apple has been asked to unlock the device, but does state that Russia and Turkey are trying to crack the code. The now-deceased perpetrator, Mevlut Mert Altintas, 22, was an officer for the Ankara police force who attended the opening event of an art gallery by reportedly pretending to be Karlov’s official bodyguard.” The Times Of Israel: Stabbing Attack Foiled In Jerusalem Old City “Police said Saturday that they foiled a planned stabbing attack in Jerusalem’s Old City, arresting a 35-year-old Palestinian woman. The woman arrived at checkpoint near the Austrian Hospice and aroused the suspicions of the security forces patrolling there. ‘They saw she had an object in her hand that looked like a knife and neutralized her,’ police said in a statement. There were no injuries to the security forces and the woman was not hurt either during the arrest. ‘During an initial interrogation, she said she planned to carry out a stabbing attack,’ police said, identifying her as a resident of East Jerusalem.” The Mirror: Austrian Police 'Foil Stabbing Attack After Arresting Two Afghan Men Armed With Knives Outside Synagogue' “Police in Vienna have reportedly arrested two men who were allegedly armed with knives outside a synagogue on the first night of Hanukkah. The men were reportedly of Afghan origin, with an Israeli media outlet claiming police had foiled plans for a possible stabbing attack. They were stopped outside the synagogue by police on Saturday and found to be carrying knives, it was claimed. The men were arrested after sitting on a bench outside the synagogue, Israeli media outlet Arutz Sheva reported. A security guard approached the pair and asked what they were doing near the synagogue, and they allegedly told him they were Jews waiting for the rabbi and other congregants.” The Times Of Israel: Hamas’s Deployment At The Gaza Border Carries Echoes Of South Lebanon “These are Hamas’s visible border positions. The Israelis can also point to several camouflaged observation points in open or built-up areas. They are located more deeply inside the Strip and contain more sophisticated equipment. On the horizon is an enormous flagpole on which, every morning, Hamas troops mount advanced observation equipment to keep an eye on what happens on the Israeli side. This is the situation to which Israel has resigned itself since the end of Operation Protective Edge in summer 2014: a massive military presence of Hamas on the border fence, which at any given moment could turn into a surprise attack on Israel. Echoes of Hezbollah’s border presence in the north prior to the 2006 Second Lebanon War are inescapable.” The Wall Street Journal: Drugs and Terror: Berlin Truck-Attack Suspect Followed Familiar Pattern “The 24-year-old Tunisian migrant suspected of killing 12 people in an attack in Berlin this week typified a new wave of young jihadists in Europe who mix drug dealing and other illegal activities with Islamist terror. Anis Amri, who was killed in a shootout with Italian police in Milan on Friday after days on the run, peddled cocaine in a hip neighborhood of the German capital, while becoming increasingly radicalized and declaring his allegiance to Islamic State. It is a pattern that has become increasingly common. Two brothers involved in the November 2015 attacks in Paris sold hashish from a bar in the Belgian capital, Brussels. One—Salah Abdeslam, the main surviving suspect in that assault—served time in prison for breaking into a garage. The other had repeated brushes with the law for theft, drugs and weapons possession.” Arab News: Riyadh: No Place In Iraq For Sectarian Militias “There is no place for armed sectarian forces in Iraq, Saudi Arabia reiterated on Monday. The Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq is a sectarian group led by Iranian officers, headed by Qassim Suleimani, said Saudi Foreign minister Adel Al-Jubeir, following a high-level meeting with his Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh. The talks focused on security issues and terrorism. Al-Jubeir emphasized the importance of supporting the unity, stability, and Arab identity of Iraq. He said: “With regard to the Popular (Mobilization) Forces … if we want Iraq to be unified and to see equality between different Iraqi groups, there is no place for armed sectarian forces.” Weekly Standard: U.N. Agency Publishes Secret Iran Deal Docs On Exemptions Obama Admin Dismissed “Iran was given secret exemptions allowing the country to exceed restrictions set out by the landmark nuclear deal inked last year, some of which were made public this week by the United Nations nuclear watchdog and others that are likely still being withheld, according to diplomatic sources and a top nuclear expert who spoke to THE WEEKLY STANDARD. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Friday posted documents revealing that Iran had been given exemptions in January that permit the country to stockpile uranium in excess of the 300 kilogram limit set by the nuclear deal, experts said. The agreements had been kept secret for almost a year, but recent reports indicated that the Trump administration intended to make them public.” NPR: Nigerian Government Pushes Boko Haram Out Of Stronghold, President Says “In a victorious statement on Saturday, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari announced the ‘long-awaited and most gratifying news of the final crushing of Boko Haram terrorists in their last enclave,’ declaring, ‘the terrorists are on the run, and no longer have a place to hide.’ The president congratulated Nigerian troops for "finally entering and crushing the remnants of the Boko Haram insurgents at Camp Zero," deep in the Sambisa Forest in northeast Nigeria. The Sambisa Forest is where it is thought Boko Haram was holding some of the more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped in April of 2014 from Chibok. The mass kidnapping brought international attention, and sparked the social media movement #BringBackOurGirls.” Daily Mail: 'We Don't Want Them Back': Tunisians Protest Against Returning Jihadi Fighters In The Wake Of The Berlin Lorry Massacre As It Is Estimated More Than 5,000 Could Be In Iraq And Syria “Hundreds of people gathered outside Tunisia's parliament to protest against letting jihadists who fought overseas to return to the country. Protesters in Tunis chanted 'no to freedom for terrorist groups' while others held placards saying 'lock the door to terrorism' and 'no tolerance, no return'. Organisers said 1,500 people attended the rally. It was held on the same day authorities said they had arrested three alleged jihadists connected to the suspected Berlin Christmas market attacker, Tunisian Anis Amri. Protestors slammed Rached Ghannouchi, head of the Islamist Ennahda party, who has in the past supported the idea of allowing Tunisian jihadists who 'repent' and renounce violence to return home.” United States NPR: U.S. Issues Travel Advisories For Egypt And Jordan “The U.S. State Department issued travel warnings for Egypt and Jordan on Friday, citing terrorist threats in both countries. The State Department recommends that U.S. citizens traveling in Egypt avoid the Western Desert and the Sinai Peninsula beyond the resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh. In the case of Jordan, the State Department warned against traveling to and throughout the entire country. As NPR's Nate Rott reports, ‘Earlier this month, a bombing near St. Mark's Coptic Cathedral in Cairo killed at least 25 people. And just earlier this week, an attack at a popular tourist destination in Karak, Jordan, killed 10’— including a Canadian tourist. Those attacks were the biggest in Egypt and Jordan in the last month, but far from the only ones. The Islamic State has claimed credit for both. The State Department reminded U.S. citizens that terrorist organizations in Jordan often target Westerners.” Newsweek: FBI Warns Of Isis Calls For Attacks On U.S. Churches “U.S. federal authorities cautioned local law enforcement on Friday to be aware that supporters of the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) have been calling for their sympathizers to attack holiday gatherings in the United States, including churches, a law enforcement official said. The warning, issued in a bulletin to local law enforcement, said there were no known specific, credible threats. The notice from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security was issued out of an abundance of caution after a publicly available list of U.S. churches was published on pro-ISIS websites.” Deutsche Welle: US Commander Signals New Advance Against 'IS' In Iraq's Mosul “US Lieutenant Colonel Stuart James, commander of a battalion assisting Iraqi security forces, said there would be a new assault on Mosul strongholds controlled by the so-called ‘Islamic State’ (IS) within days in the north of Iraq. ‘Right now, positioning forces and positioning men and equipment into the interior of east Mosul…it's going to happen in the next several days,’ James told the Reuters news agency in a report published Monday. The battle for Mosul involves 100,000 Iraqi troops, Kurdish security forces and Shiite militias. US advisers are part of an international coalition that has conducted thousands of air strikes and trained tens of thousands of Iraqi ground troops. They are to work directly with those forces and an elite Interior Ministry strike force. It may present the largest combat role for US troops since US President Barack Obama withdrew forces from Iraq in 2011.” Syria Fox News: Mass Graves, Booby Traps Found As Russians And Syrians Sweep Aleppo “Russia's Defense Ministry said on Monday that its troops had found mass graves in Syria's Aleppo with bodies showing signs of torture and mutilation. Dozens of bodies have been uncovered, according to Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov. He said some bore gunshot wounds. While the Syrian war is now largely fought with mortars, tanks, and air power, death has come at close quarters as well. Human rights observers and the media have recorded numerous examples of massacres and organized torture, perpetrated by the government, opposition, and the Islamic State group. The Russian Air Force has helped Syrian President Bashar Assad and its allies to capture Aleppo, Syria's largest city, after weeks of a siege. Russia has since dispatched military police to the city.” The Hill: Explosion Reported In Aleppo As Residents Return Home “An explosion hit the ravaged Syrian city of Aleppo on Saturday as residents returned to their homes after the government claimed full control of the city. Government media said a device left by rebels in a school in eastern Aleppo caused the explosion, according to The Associated Press. The state TV report said three people had been injured in the blast. Before the civil war, Aleppo was Syria's commercial hub, but the city has been a battle zone or under siege since 2012. Although Syrian and Russian airstrikes on eastern Aleppo have ceased since the government's victory, air attacks on surrounding rebel-controlled areas continued Saturday, the AP reported.” Associated Press: Assad Gains Aleppo, But Others Likely To Shape Syria's Fate “Under different circumstances, Syrian President Bashar Assad's capture of Aleppo would project an aura of invincibility. He has survived nearly six years of revolt. Instead, it has underscored his dependence on outside powers. Turkey, Iran, and Russia have tilted recent events in his favor, and it is those three players - and perhaps the incoming Trump administration - that are now best placed to determine Syria's endgame. The three nations met in Moscow last week for talks on Syria that pointedly included no Syrians, indicating they prefer to pursue a grand bargain among great powers rather than a domestic settlement between the government and the opposition.” Newsweek: Inside Syria’s Propaganda Wars “Wartime propaganda has a long history. The earliest records go back to the rise of the Persian king Darius. In the modern era, some of the most effective propaganda occurred during World War I, with reports of German soldiers bludgeoning babies during the ‘Rape of Belgium.’ The conflict in Syria has produced plenty of propaganda, as well. Only now the info war is playing out on Facebook and Twitter with a ferocity I’ve never seen. Both sides—Bashar al-Assad’s government forces aided by their Russian and Iranian allies—and the opposition, are involved. The regime has tried to depict the rebels, monolithically, as supporters of the Islamic State militant group (ISIS).” Iraq Associated Press: Iraq: Blasts In, Around Baghdad Kill At Least 11 “Iraqi officials say separate bombings in and around Baghdad have killed at least 11 civilians and wounded 34 others. Police say the deadliest in Sunday's attacks, all carried out with bombs and targeting commercial areas, took place in the southeastern Nahrawan district and southwestern Suwaib district, where three civilians were killed in each. A total of 15 civilians were wounded in these attacks. Medical officials confirmed casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information. No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks. Iraq witnesses near-daily attacks, including in Baghdad, which have been frequently claimed by the Islamic State group." Turkey Reuters: Cafeteria Manager Jailed For Insulting Turkey's Erdogan, Lawyer Says “Turkish authorities have arrested the cafeteria manager of the opposition Cumhuriyet newspaper for insulting the president after he said he would not serve tea to Tayyip Erdogan, one of the manager's lawyers told Reuters on Monday. Senol Buran, who runs the cafeteria at the Istanbul office of Cumhuriyet, was taken into custody after police raided his home late on Saturday, lawyer Ozgur Urfa said. The newspaper is among the few still critical of the government. Insulting the president is a crime punishable by up to four years in prison in Turkey.” Reuters: Turkey-Backed Rebels Kill 68 Islamic State Fighters Near Syria's Al-Bab: Military “Syrian rebels backed by Turkish warplanes killed 68 Islamic State militants in northern Syria overnight, the Turkish military said on Saturday, as intense fighting around the town of al-Bab continued. Rebels supported by Turkish troops have laid siege to the Islamic State-held town for weeks under the ‘Euphrates Shield’ operation launched by Turkey nearly four months ago to sweep the Sunni hardliners and Kurdish fighters from its Syrian border. Fighting around al-Bab has escalated this week with Turkish soldiers and 138 jihadists killed in clashes on Wednesday in the deadliest day since the start of Turkey's Syrian incursion. Sixty-eight Islamic State militants have been ‘neutralized’ in fighting and air strikes near al-Bab since Friday night, the military said in a statement.” Reuters: Kremlin Says Putin And Erdogan Discuss Syria By Phone “Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan discussed the Syria crisis in a phone conversation on Sunday, the Kremlin said in a statement. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who is visiting Russia now, also took part in the call, it added. Erdogan called Putin to express his condolences over the crash of Russian TU-154 plane near the Black Sea city of Sochi, the Kremlin said.” BBC: Turkey Targets 10,000 Social Media Users In 'Terror' Probe “Turkey is investigating 10,000 people on suspicion of using social media to support terrorism, its interior ministry has said. They are accused of insulting government officials online, or what the ministry called ‘terror-related activity’ on the internet. The ministry said the fight against terrorism was being carried out ‘with determination’ on social media. The authorities have held 3,710 people for questioning in the last six months. Of those, 1,656 have been formally arrested and 84 are still being questioned. Access to social media sites like Twitter and Facebook is often blocked in Turkey, especially after bombings. Internet monitoring groups believe the outages are calculated blackouts designed to block the spread of militant propaganda.” Afghanistan Voice Of America: China, Pakistan, Russia To Meet On Afghanistan, Angering Kabul Leaders “Top Foreign Ministry officials from China, Pakistan and Russia will meet in Moscow on Tuesday to review what they perceive as a ‘gradually growing’ threat to their frontiers posed by Islamic State extremists in Afghanistan. ‘This is an existing forum for undertaking informal discussions on issues of regional peace and stability, including the situation in Afghanistan,’ Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria told VOA. Pakistan's foreign secretary, Aizaz Chaudhry, will lead Islamabad's delegation, he added. Officials say future meetings could include Iran. Chinese, Pakistani and Russian officials say they were driven to joint action by the efforts of IS affiliates to establish a foothold in Afghanistan.” The New York Times: How Peace Between Afghanistan And The Taliban Foundered “The Norwegian peace track overlapped with efforts by other countries to bring the Taliban to the table, including the United States and Saudi Arabia, and for years seemed to be making the most progress toward bringing the Taliban and Afghan officials together. But it all eventually fell apart under the weight of military and intelligence maneuvering and of distrust among a host of countries that were taking a hand in Afghan affairs. Mr. Ramslien maintains that Pakistan, in particular, has been a central obstacle to any negotiated peace with the Taliban. Now, for the first time, Mr. Ramslien is laying out some of the behind-the-scenes moments of triumph and setback in the three years that he helped lead Norway’s efforts to broker peace in Afghanistan.” Voice Of America: Anger In Afghanistan At Female Pilot's US Asylum Bid “There was an angry reaction in Afghanistan to news that the first female fixed-wing pilot in the country's air force was requesting asylum in the United States after completing an 18-month training course. The Afghan Defense Ministry confirmed on Sunday that Captain Niloofar Rahmani, 25, had sought asylum after the Wall Street Journal quoted her as saying that she feared her life would be in danger if she returned home. A recipient of the U.S. State Department's ‘Women of Courage’ award in 2015, Capt. Rahmani had been a symbol of efforts to improve the situation of women in her country, more than a decade after the fall of the Taliban regime. Mohammad Radmanish, a Defense Ministry spokesman, said the government hoped that her request would be denied by U.S. authorities who have spent billions trying to build up Afghan security forces.” The Hill: Blast Kills 2 Civilians In Afghanistan “At least two Afghan civilians were killed in a bomb blast in eastern Laghman province, an Afghan official said, according to the Associated Press. The roadside bomb went off early Sunday morning near a shrine in Mihterlam, Sarhadi Zwak, a spokesman for the Laghman provincial governor said. The Associated Press reported no group has claimed responsibility yet for the attack. In the past, Taliban insurgents have made use of roadside bombs in an effort to attack Afghan security forces and government officials.” Saudi Arabia Reuters: Saudi Arabia Launches Campaign To Collect Funds For Syrians Displaced By War “Saudi Arabia has launched a fundraising campaign for Syrians displaced by a five-year civil war, including those evacuated from eastern Aleppo, state news agency SPA reported on Monday. More than 11 million Syrians - around half of the population - have been displaced by the fighting, which began in 2011 and has killed more than 300,000 people. Saudi Arabia has been one of the main supporters of rebels fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whom Riyadh regards as a tool of regional arch-rival Iran. Thousands of Syrian fighters and civilians have been evacuated from eastern Aleppo in a week-long operation this month after government forces backed by Russia and Iran closed in on their stronghold. Many of them are staying in temporary shelters in freezing temperatures.” Associated Press: Saudi Arabian Border Guard Killed In Exchange Of Fire “Authorities say a Saudi border guard has been killed in an exchange of fire with Shiite rebels in Yemen. Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki said in a statement carried Sunday by the official Saudi Press Agency that the clashes took place on Saturday. Al-Turki blamed Yemen's Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, for launching the attack and said the soldier died before reaching the hospital. Cross-border fire has killed repeatedly killed Saudi security agents and civilians since a Saudi-led coalition launched a campaign in Yemen against the rebels in March 2015. Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country, has been at war since the Houthis swept into the capital, Sanaa, in 2014.” Egypt Associated Press: After Years Of Conflict, Egypt Eases Pressure On Gaza “For most of the past decade, Egypt has been a quiet partner with Israel in a blockade on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip that has stifled the economy and largely blocked its 2 million people from moving in and out of the territory. But after a three-year crackdown, there are signs that Egypt is easing the pressure in a step to repair its shattered ties with the Islamic militant group. In recent months, Cairo has increased the number of people allowed to exit through the Rafah border crossing, Gaza's main gateway to the outside world. It also has begun to allow Gaza to import commercial goods through Rafah for the first time since 2013 and sent public signals that it is interested in improving relations.” Reuters: Egypt Confirms Al Jazeera Producer's Arrest For 'Provoking Sedition' “Egypt confirmed on Sunday that it had arrested an Al Jazeera news producer, accusing him of ‘provoking sedition’ on behalf of the Qatar-based broadcaster that it considers a mouthpiece of the banned Muslim Brotherhood. Judicial sources said Mahmoud Hussain, who was detained on Friday, was being held on charges of disturbing public security and spreading false news. The Interior Ministry said in a statement that Al Jazeera officials ‘had ordered some individuals collaborating with the channel inside the country to continue implementing its media plan of provoking sedition, incitement against the state, and spreading chaos through broadcasting false news’.” Middle East International Business Times: Christmas Riot In Bethlehem As Israeli Guards Fire Tear Gas At Palestinians Dressed In Santa Suits “Israeli border guards launched a tear gas attack at Palestinian protesters clad in Father Christmas outfits in a tense skirmish at the separation wall that runs through the West Bank on 24 December. One demonstrator wearing the traditional red-and-white Christmas outfit was pictured lobbing a tear gas canister back at the Israelis. Another Palestinian was seen lying on his back, gasping for breath after inhaling tear gas. The marchers, carrying the green, red, black and white flag of Palestine, were protesting against the separation wall that runs through Bethlehem and the West Bank area. The protest was launched under the banner ‘Terrorism and occupation are two sides of the same coin’. Around 100 protestors gathered in front of Checkpoint 300, where Israeli soldiers control Palestinian movement between the occupied West Bank cities.” The Times Of Israel: 2 East Jerusalem Men Arrested For Transfering Intel To PA “Israeli security forces recently arrested two Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem on suspicion of passing intelligence to Palestinian Authority security agents, police said Sunday. The two men, residents of the neighborhoods of a-Ram and Kafr Aqab, are accused of passing intelligence gathered from telecommunications databases they had access to through work, according to an Israel Police spokesperson. Police did not say what information was transferred. They were arrested in a joint operation by the Israel Police and the Shin Bet — Israel’s domestic security agency — on suspicion of meeting with a foreign agent, fraud and breach of trust.”  The New York Times: Defying U.N., Israel Prepares To Build More Settlements “Undeterred by a resounding defeat at the United Nations, Israel’s government said Monday that it would move ahead with thousands of new homes in disputed areas and warned nations against further action, declaring that Israel does not ‘turn the other cheek.’ Just a few days after the United Nations Security Council voted to condemn Israeli settlements, Jerusalem’s municipal government signaled that it would not back down: The city intends to approve 600 housing units in the predominantly Palestinian eastern section of town on Wednesday in what a top official called a first installment on 5,600 new homes.” Libya Bloomberg: Russia Urges Libya Leadership Role For UN-Defying Military Chief “Russia threw its weight behind a powerful Libyan army commander, Khalifa Haftar, who’s in conflict with the UN-backed government there, saying he must have a role in the leadership of the crisis-wracked state. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov criticized the United Nations’ envoy to Libya for favoring other political forces in the North African country. His comments marked Russia’s strongest endorsement yet of Haftar, which may complicate Western-led efforts to shore up the weak, internationally-recognized government in the capital, Tripoli. Russia says the UN-mandated body is ineffective.” Nigeria Daily Mail: Nigerian Female Suicide Bomber Is Lynched And Killed By A Mob After Her Explosive Vest Fails To Detonate In Market Square Attack Moments After Her Accomplice Succeeds “A female suicide bomber in Nigeria was lynched to death by an irate mob after her explosive vest failed to detonate. The woman was killed by people at the Kasuway Shanu cattle market in the central district of Kasuwa in Maiduguri in northeastern Nigeria.  She was killed shortly after another woman had successfully detonated her vest. It is understood the two attacks were due to be coordinated in order to maximise the number of casualties.  Police confirmed the first terrorist died in the attack while the second woman was 'lynched by an irate mob in her vicinity'.” BBC: Freed Chibok Girls Reunited With Their Families For Christmas “More than 20 Nigerian ‘Chibok girls’ who were released by the Islamist group Boko Haram in October have rejoined their families for Christmas. It is the girls' first return home since they were kidnapped from their school in Chibok in April 2014. The young women were freed in October after Switzerland and the International Red Cross made a deal with Boko Haram. Since then, the 21 girls have been held in a secret location for debriefing by the Nigerian government. One of the girls, Asabe Goni, 22, told Reuters news agency it was a ‘miracle’ that she was home again.” The Daily Beast: The Boko Haram Girl Hostages Nobody Talks About “On a week when a number of local airlines either cancelled or rescheduled flights owing to a scarcity of aviation fuel, all 21 recently released schoolgirls kidnapped in 2014 by Boko Haram militants in the northeastern town of Chibok managed to board a flight from Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, and travel back to the scene of their abduction. Their return was portrayed by the government as a kind of victory lap at a time when, it is said., no area in the region is held by the jihadists. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari announced on Friday that Boko Haram’s last remaining camp in the dense Sambisa Forest had being seized by Nigerian forces, although the so-called Islamic State, with which one faction of Boko Haram is allied, claimed on the same day that it had ‘killed and wounded many’ in an attack on an army barracks in Yobe, another state in the northeast.” United Kingdom BBC: Terrorism Bid Suspects Appear In Court “A man and a woman who were arrested during anti-terrorism raids have appeared in court charged with making preparations for a terrorism attack. Munir Hassan Mohammed, 35, and Rowaida El-Hassan, 32, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court. They face charges relating to the alleged acquisition and possession of chemicals capable of use in explosives. The pair were remanded in custody and will next appear at the Old Bailey on 12 January. Neither Mr Mohammed nor Ms El-Hassan, who were flanked by five police officers in the dock, indicated a plea. Mr Mohammed, of Leopold Street, Derby, and Ms El-Hassan, of Willesden Lane, London, were arrested by detectives from the North East Counter Terrorism Unit.” BBC: Prevent Scheme 'Fundamental' To Stop Terrorism “A senior police officer has called the government's Prevent anti-extremism programme ‘absolutely fundamental’ in countering terrorism in the UK. The programme has been criticised by MPs, the National Union of Teachers and the Muslim Council of Britain. But Leicestershire Chief Constable Simon Cole said it was sometimes wrongly presented in ‘hysterical’ terms as a spying operation. It was for those needing help and support, he told the Press Association. Around 7,500 referrals were made to the Prevent scheme last year to try to tackle home-grown extremism - the equivalent of 20 each day.” Daily Mail: Police Uncover ISIS Plot To Set Off Phone Bomb On UK Streets In The Run Up To Christmas After Two People Appear In Court Charged With Terror Offences “The other four suspects were later released, but Mohammed, of Derby, and El Hassan, from Kilburn, north London, were charged with eight terror offences between them and appeared in court on Christmas Eve. Westminster magistrates heard that Mohammed, an Eritrean seeking asylum in Britain, was a member of IS who was allegedly preparing to blow up an unknown target in the lead up to Christmas. He had a manual on how to make bombs from mobile phones which he sent to other potential terrorist recruits, it was claimed. El Hassan is accused of helping him prepare for an attack, as well as owning similar terrorist materials.” Germany Associated Press: Investigators Seek Supply Network For Slain Berlin Attacker “Investigators on Saturday worked to determine if the Berlin Christmas market attacker got any logistical support to cross at least two European borders and evade capture for days before being killed in a police shootout in a Milan suburb. Tunisian fugitive Anis Amri's fingerprints and wallet were found in a truck that plowed into a Christmas market in Berlin on Monday night, killing 12 people and injuring 56 others. Despite an intense, Europe-wide manhunt, Amri fled across Germany, into France and then into Italy, traveling at least part of the way by train, before being shot early Friday in a routine police stop outside a deserted train station. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the Berlin attack, but so far little is known about any support network backing up the 24-year-old fugitive.” The Times Of Israel: Germany Releases Brothers Suspected Of Mall Attack Plot “German police said Saturday they had released two brothers suspected of planning an attack on one of the country’s biggest shopping centers, citing a lack of evidence. The two men, aged 28 and 31 and originally from Kosovo, were arrested on Friday as Germany was on high alert following a jihadist attack on a Berlin Christmas market earlier in the week. But police in the western city of Essen said in a statement that ‘despite careful investigation’ the allegations against the pair could not be substantiated.” Europe Voice Of America: Fears Growing Islamic State Successfully Weaponizing Refugees “Western security officials are increasingly worried that the Islamic State terror group may be a step ahead of their renewed efforts to stop terrorist infiltration of their countries. Fears once centered on IS using migrant and refugee flows to sneak in highly trained operatives bent on carrying out attacks. Now they have expanded to include an equally dangerous possibility. A growing number of officials now warn that the terror group may be looking to essentially weaponize refugees and other vulnerable immigrant populations after they have successfully crossed Western borders and passed through what look to be ever-tougher vetting processes.” Reuters: Europe On Edge For Christmas After String Of Attacks In 2016 “Security measures were heightened across Europe and beyond as Christians prepared to celebrate Christmas Eve in the shadow of terrorism. Germany's capital, Berlin, was particularly on edge after last week's truck attack. Security was tight at many major European churches and cathedrals as worshippers gathered to celebrate Christmas Eve Mass on Saturday. In addition to heightened security across Germany, where last Monday's attack in Berlin cast a long shadow over Christmas celebrations, other cities also beefed up security in a bid to ensure peaceful celebrations. In France, 91,000 gendarmes and soldiers were deployed to guard public spaces including churches and markets. Italian police were also out in force, with concrete barricades erected around the historic Piazza del Duomo with Milan's cathedral.” The Washington Post: Russia Avoids Suggesting Terrorism Caused Plane Crash That Killed 92 En Route To Syria “Russia on Monday played down the likelihood that terrorism was behind the crash of a Soviet-era military jet that killed 92 people on Christmas Day, a disaster that prompted a national day of mourning and that has drawn added scrutiny as Russia’s role in the war in Syria increasingly marks it as a target.  Russia’s Federal Security Service told the Interfax news agency that there has been no evidence ‘indicating the possibility of a terrorist attack or an act of sabotage on board’ the Tu-154 jet, which lost contact with air traffic controllers Sunday just one minute after taking off from the southern Russian city of Sochi.” Counter-Terrorism Algpress: Algeria: Plan To Combat Recruitment Of Youth To Terrorist Groups “The Algerian Minister of State and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ramtane Lamamra, said, "The Algerian government has launched a plan to counter the phenomenon of Algerian youth recruitment by terrorist organizations. Its implementation will involve several ministries." According to the minister, the number of Algerian nationals fighting in the ranks of the terrorist ISIS organization dropped to only several dozen; whereas at its peak the figures ranged between 200 and 250 militants.” Alwan TV: President Of The Union Of Arab Banks Calls For Implementation Of UN Security Council Resolution To Fight Terror Financing “Sheikh Mohammed el-Jarrah el-Sabbah, Chairman of the Union of Arab Banks, stated that the Union is currently working on issues of global concern, particularly crimes related to countering money laundering and terrorist financing. He stressed the Union's cooperation with international banks seeking to implement UN Security Council resolution in this regard, especially in terms of drying up the flow of money to ISIS.” ISIS Alkhaleej: Saudi Arabia: ISIS Involved In 26% Of All Terrorist Attacks “Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki revealed that ISIS and its supporters were involved in 26% of the terrorist operations that have targeted the Kingdom since 2000. The total number of these operations comes to 126. Al-Turki explained, during a symposium on the role of the Kingdom in the fight against terrorism, that "some of these terrorist operations targeted al-Qatif and Dammam (east of the country), while the remainder of these crimes, numbering 36, occurred in other regions." He pointed out that "these terrorist groups have exploited the tragedies of Islamic countries, most notably Syria, to collect money from philanthropists and use it to support terrorist acts.” Almodon: Syria: New Directives From ISIS To Gold Dealers “In the Syrian city of Al-Mayadin in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, ISIS recently issued a decision to restrict the sale and purchase of gold exclusively to its silver dirham and golden dinar currencies. It has threatened to arrest any merchant who violates this order and stand him on trial in ISIS courts. The new decision was conveyed verbally to the gold dealers in Al-Mayadin. According to Ahmed al-Dairi, a local gold dealer, merchants set the selling price of one gram of gold at 13.48 silver dirhams while the purchase price was set at 13.18 silver dirhams. Meanwhile, the price of a single gram of gold came to 18,800 Syrian pounds ($36). The same source confirmed that at the beginning of the current month, ISIS disbursed the salaries of its militants in Al-Mayadin and Al-Bukamal in its dirham currency, in a measure aimed at expanding its use.” Muslim Brotherhood Albawabh News: Muslim Brotherhood Youth Turn To "Ask" Website To Explain Their Extremist Ideology “Muslim Brotherhood youth, who have adopted an ideology of violence, inaugurated an account on "Ask" website. In this account, they are asked questions about the jihadist ideology. The "Resistance Media" social media page, which belongs to the group, published a link to the new account in "Ask", urging followers to leave questions there after choosing the option "Ask Anonymously" in order to prevent security services from identifying the user. Brotherhood activists on "Resistance Media" Facebook page wrote: "We have opened a channel of communication with the public... Through it we will receive your messages and inquiries and answer your questions. We will keep the sender's identity hidden to ensure secure communication.” Gulfeyes: Report: Muslim Brotherhood Obtains $57 Million Annually From Zakat Funds “Kuwaiti media personality, Mohammed Al-Mulla, disclosed that a recent Arab report indicates that the number of Muslim Brotherhood members in the Gulf region comes to over four million, 200,000-300,000 of whom reside in Kuwait. The report claims that the Muslim Brotherhood compels its members abroad to pay Zakat, based on their financial situation. Members of the first group need to pay $1,250 a year since their annual income is at least $50,000. Members of the second group, whose annual income is at least $100,000, pay $2,500. Members of the third group pay $5,000 for an annual income of $200,000. Based on a simple calculation, according to authors of the report, the annual total obtained by the organization from Zakat alone comes to roughly $357 million.” Albawabh News: Ex-Leader: Cannabis Trafficking Is One Of The Most Important Funding Sources Of The Muslim Brotherhood “Ibrahim Rabia, a dissident leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and one of the group's most important leaders in Giza, stated: "Afghani hashish is one of the key sources of income obtained by the Muslim Brotherhood. You should know that they trade in anything and everything. They are very active in the Bahamas, Singapore and Malaysia, because the controls in these countries are not strict. This allows the group to execute commercial activities freely." In response to a question about the size of Brotherhood's worldwide budget, Rabia replied that it is not less than $600 million. He added that the international organization of the Muslim Brotherhood, since the June 30th revolution, has paid at least $6 billion to global public relations and media firms to discredit Egypt and incite against it.” Alwan TV: Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood Businessman Hassan Malek Does Not Show Up For His Detention Hearing Brotherhood businessman Hassan Malek failed to attend a court session to renew his detention on charges of membership in a terrorist group, and {intentionally} harming the economy and national security. Egypt's Supreme State Security Prosecution charged Malek with several crimes, including harming national security and undermining the state's economic pillars. He was also accused of consenting to hold several meetings with fugitive Muslim Brotherhood leaders abroad, where they discussed finding alternative ways and methods to protect the group's financial sources. The scheme {they came up with} was based on smuggling foreign currency out of Egypt with the goal of escalating the instability of the dollar exchange rate and ultimately ruining the economy. Parlmany: France: Association Tied To Muslim Brotherhood Dissolved Due To Involvement In Terrorist Acts “France's Council of State issued a court ruling endorsing the decision by French President, Francois Hollande, to dissolve an association affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. This Islamic association's assets were confiscated and its officials put under house arrest. Authorities accuse it of involvement in the financing and backing of terrorist activities and businesses. The ruling came in support of the French President's decision to disband the Brotherhood-affiliated "Sanabel Islamic Association" amid suspicions that it has supported terrorists and jihadists, adopted a policy of discrimination and hatred and encouraged violence. These accusations are based on Article 121-1 of the Internal Security Act, which in France are regarded as acts of terror.” Houthi Yemen Akhbar: Sanaa: Houthi Militants Sabotage Mall Due To Owner's Refusal To 'Donate' Money “Militants belonging to the Houthi group vandalized and looted the al-Dasha Commercial Center in the capital Sanaa. This comes after the owner refused to hand over money to them under what has become known as the "war effort." Surveillance cameras documented the militants damaging the contents of the center. The video, dating back to last Wednesday, according to the date-indicator at the top of the screen, shows a group of militants - one wearing a military jacket - demolishing the center and throwing items onto the floor.”