Eye on Extremism December 30, 2016

Eye on Extremism December 30, 2016 Counter Extremism Project The Daily Beast: Philippines President Duterte Says U.S. Special Forces Should GTFO “‘They’re less ideological and more violent and they’re more interested in their own survival, in making money,’ says Marielle Harris, a research analyst with the Counter Extremism Project. ‘The average Abu Sayyaf fighter would fail a basic test on Islam.’ Abu Sayyaf raked in almost $7.5 million from ransom kidnappings in the first six months of 2016, according to a confidential report from the Philippine government cited by Harris. The group, which operates mostly in the Sulu Archipelago and Zamboanga Peninsula, has been turning to kidnapping the crews of foreign tugboats, according to the military/police threat assessment report.” RT: Google Will Not Censor ‘Pied Piper Of Jihad’ Who Inspired 7/7 London Bombings “Google is refusing to censor the rants of al-Qaeda terror preacher Anwar al-Awlaki, who reportedly influenced the attackers who committed the 7/7 London bombings. Dubbed the “pied piper of Jihad,” al-Awlaki’s hateful teachings are easily searchable using Google’s enhanced search function and are believed to have inspired jihadist terrorists and radicalized many more. The prompting of these extra search terms has been described as ‘incredibly dangerous’ by terrorism experts. Julie Shain of the Counter Extremism Project told the Times: ‘This incentivizes people to search for these things and suggests it’s normal to do so.’" Bloomberg Television: CEP Spokesperson Tara Maller discusses hacking's influence on geopolitics and President Obama's imposition of sanctions against Russia for cyber attacks associated with the 2016 election The Washington Post: Cease-Fire Brokered By Russia And Turkey Begins Across Syria “A cease-fire announced by the Syrian government went into ­effect across the country early Friday as part of a broader deal that includes a return to peace talks to end more than five years of war. Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad reestablished control over the northern city of Aleppo earlier this month, forcing rebels to flee what was once their largest stronghold and handing the government a victory that appeared to bring the war’s endgame into view. The Assad government, backed by Russia and Iran, is now in its strongest position since the start of the war, while rebel groups are mostly boxed into the northwestern province of Idlib and hold no strategically significant urban areas.” Politico: U.S. Sidelined As Putin Calls The Shots On Syria Cease-Fire “President Barack Obama’s administration tried for months to broker a durable cease-fire in blood-soaked Syria, practically begging Russia to come to terms but ruling out the possibility of using U.S. military force against the Syrian regime to back up its diplomatic pressure. Early Friday, a truce was set to take hold in Syria, but the United States was left out of the process that led to it. Instead, Russia, working with Turkey, took the lead, not long after its warplanes helped the Syrian regime of Bashar Assad crush rebels in the northern city of Aleppo.” Fox News: ISIS 'Gang Leader' Killed In Syria, US Officials Say “A top Islamic State military commander described as a ‘gang leader’ for the terror group was killed by a coalition airstrike in Syria, the U.S. military confirmed on Thursday. The strike on Monday killed Abu Jandal al-Kuwaiti near Tabqa Dam, outside Raqqa in northern Syria, U.S. officials said. They added that he was a former member of the terror network's ‘War Committee’ and helped ISIS storm and recapture the historic Syrian city of Palmyra. ‘His death will degrade ISIL's ability to defend Raqqah and launch external operations against the West,’ the U.S. military said in a statement, using another name for the Islamic State.” The Daily Beast: Inside An ISIS Bunker “The ISIS fighter’s black-hooded jacket is still hanging on a hook on the wall, and his sleeping blankets cover the floor tangled with pillows and abandoned clothes in the now-empty cave. It’s perhaps 50 feet deep down a long dark, claustrophobia-inducing tunnel beneath the missile-blasted house above. Along the hallway, what looks like an oxygen tank is connected to fans that once circulated air from the outside, and the tunnels are lined with electric wires and light bulbs every few feet. There is a now-empty TV frame on the smooth white walls, constructed of some sort of wood paneling to insulate the room from the bare earth. A second room was a few feet down another branch of the tunnels, another nest-like sleeping area for more fighters hiding from coalition bombs above, according to the troops-turned-tour guides.” Newsweek: Iraqi Forces Begin Second Phase Of Mosul Offensive Against ISIS “Iraqi security forces on Thursday began the second phase of their offensive against Islamic State militants in Mosul, pushing into some eastern districts where the battle has been in deadlock for nearly a month. Thousands of federal police troops who redeployed from Mosul's southern outskirts two weeks ago also pushed into a handful of southeastern districts, state television reported. ‘This is the second phase of the operation to liberate Mosul conducted by the special forces, the federal police and us on this front,’ General Nejm Jabouri, a senior army commander, told Reuters in a village just north of Mosul.” The Wall Street Journal: After Mosul, Will Iraq’s Shiite Militias Head To Syria? “When Islamic State collapses in Iraq, a lot will ride on whether the Iraqi Shiite militias taking part in that campaign will stop at the international border or will cross into Syria and open a new phase of that country’s war. The Hashed al-Shaabi or Popular Mobilization Forces, which unite several of Iraq’s powerful Shiite militias, were established to combat Islamic State in mid-2014. At the time, the regular Iraqi army collapsed as the extremist group seized the country’s second-largest city of Mosul and advanced all the way to the outskirts of Baghdad, the capital.” The Daily Caller: While Obama Blames Israel, Hamas Prepares For Another War “The Obama administration spent the better part of the last week admonishing Israel, meanwhile Israel’s archenemy Hamas is arming itself for another war. Hamas celebrated its 29th anniversary Dec. 14 by engaging in a massive parade featuring its infamous al-Qassam brigades. Tens of thousands of Palestinians, including armed men and children with fake weapons, participated in the Gaza Strip parade which showcased the group’s military equipment. Hamas leaders stated their intent to continue their jihad against Israel until it is completely destroyed.” Wall Street Journal: Critics Say Kerry’s Israel Speech Could Backfire On Obama Administration “John Kerry’s speech on the Mideast peace process has drawn an exceptionally sharp reaction in Washington, with lawmakers in both parties warning it could further inflame the fraught state of the relations between Israel and the Palestinians that the secretary of state described. Some top Democrats including incoming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said the speech, which attempted to defend and preserve President Barack Obama’s approach to resolving the conflict, could yield the opposite effect, leading to an unraveling of the long-held push for a two-state solution. “While he may not have intended it, I fear Secretary Kerry, in his speech and action at the United Nations, has emboldened extremists on both sides,” Mr. Schumer said in a statement late Wednesday.” Telegragh: Advanced Braking System In Truck Used In Berlin Christmas Market Terrorist Attack Prevented Even Worse Carnage  “An automatic braking system fitted to the truck used in the Christmas market terrorist attack in Berlin prevented the vehicle from ploughing further into the crowds and averted even worse carnage, German authorities said on Thursday. Anis Amri, the 24-year-old Tunisian asylum seeker who allegedly carried out the attack, killed 12 people and injured 48 others when he rammed the lorry into a Christmas market in the German capital on December 19. The 40-tonne truck was halted by the automatic braking system, bringing it to a standstill after about 250ft and ‘preventing even worse consequences,’ said Frauke Koehler, a spokeswoman for German prosecutors.” International Business Times: ISIS In Russia: Alleged Islamic State Terrorist Cell Busted By Russian Security For Planning New Year's Attacks “The Russian Federal Security Service busted an alleged Islamic State group-affiliated terrorist cell that planned to execute attacks in Moscow during New Year’s celebrations, targeting areas with large crowds, the FSB said in a statement Thursday. Seven alleged terrorists were arrested in Makhachkala, the capital of the restive Dagestan region in the North Caucasus, the statement said. A search of the suspects’ homes turned up a large number of firearms and other weapons, including grenades and components for improvised explosive devices.” Daily Mail: Assassin Who Gunned Down The Kremlin's Ambassador To Turkey Had A ‘Relationship With A Russian Woman Who Was Planted By Western Secret Services’ “The Turkish assassin of the Kremlin's envoy in Ankara had been involved in a sexual relationship with a Russian woman who could have been planted by Western secret services, according to a sensational new report. Ambassador Andrey Karlov was gunned down in Ankara by 22-year-old police recruit Mevlut Mert Altintas who shouted 'Allahu Akbar' and 'Don't forget Aleppo' as he murdered the respected diplomat before he was shot dead.  And now there are claims in Turkish media that Altintas had a lover from Russia or another associate, who may have brainwashed him into committing the murderous act last week.” Newsweek: Why The Resilience Of Islamist Militants Will Threaten Security Across Africa In 2017 “On December 23 the Nigerian army achieved a significant milestone in its long war against Boko Haram, capturing what was described as the Islamist militant group’s last stronghold in the remote Sambisa Forest in the country’s northeast near the border with Cameroon. On Christmas Eve, President Muhammadu Buhari triumphantly tweeted that it was the ‘final crushing of the Boko Haram terrorists’ who were ‘on the run and no longer have a place to hide.’ The remarkable turnaround of the conflict in less than two years deserves to be applauded, but the latest victory is unlikely to put an end to terrorist attacks in Africa’s most populous country, much less extinguish the flame of militancy and violence that presents one of the biggest obstacles to the otherwise the buoyant economic prospects for the continent, with 2016’s moderate average growth expected to accelerate to 4.5 percent in 2017.” United States The Wall Street Journal: NYC Officials Say New Year’s Eve Security To Be Most Extensive Ever New York City officials on Thursday said security for the New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square will be the most extensive ever, with some 7,000 police officers assigned and 65 sand-filled garbage trucks stationed to block city streets. The enhanced security—and specifically the placement of sanitation trucks and some 100 other vehicles around Times Square to close off streets and serve as bomb barriers—are largely in response to recent terrorist attacks in Berlin and Nice, France. In those attacks, terrorists used large trucks to drive into crowded areas, killing dozens. The Guardian: US Military Says Mosul Airstrike May Have Killed Civilians At Hospital “An airstrike by the US-led coalition operating against Islamic State militants near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul hit a van in a hospital compound parking lot and may have killed civilians, the US military said on Thursday. A van carrying Isis fighters was targeted and hit in the airstrike, the Combined Joint Strike Force said in a statement. ‘The van was struck in what was later determined to be a hospital compound parking lot resulting in possible civilian casualties,’ it said. Earlier this month, the US said it had targeted a hospital complex in Mosul which was being used by Isis fighters.” PBS Newshour: What It Means That The U.S. Is Not Part Of The Syria Cease-Fire “Other groups are excluded, the Islamic State, which controls a swathe of Syria, the al-Qaida offshoot Jabhat Al-Fateh Al-Sham in the northwest, and the Kurdish militia YPG battling Islamic State’s forces in cooperation with the U.S. Iran is also a major ally of the Assad government, and is expected to be involved in peace talks. Absent entirely from the negotiations, the United States. Three years of talks between Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, produced a number of cease-fires, but they didn’t hold. Instead, 15 months ago, Russia launched a fierce bombing campaign to bolster the Syrian regime. Earlier this month, the rebel stronghold in Eastern Aleppo finally fell.” CNN: US Aware Of Recent ISIS Leader Baghdadi Movements Following Months Of No Known Sightings “After months of no signs of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, a US official told CNN on Thursday, ‘in the last few weeks we've been aware of some of Baghdadi's movements.’ Unverified social media reports circulated in recent weeks that Baghdadi might have been injured or killed, but several US officials have said those reports are not accurate, and this latest information would indicate Baghdadi is still alive. The official had access to some of the most recent US government reporting on ISIS, but because of the extreme sensitivity of the information, that official declined to offer more details. That includes whether intelligence indicates if he is in Syria or Iraq, or to what extent he is hiding. One longstanding theory by US officials is that Baghdadi has remained in Raqqa, Syria.” Syria The New York Times: The State Of The War In Syria “The Syrian government and Russia agreed to a cease-fire with Turkey and Syrian rebels on Thursday after the surrender of rebel-held parts of Aleppo to the Syrian government. Here are some of the major developments in Syria surrounding the truce. Rebel-held districts of Aleppo were fully evacuated on Dec. 22, giving complete control of the city to the Syrian government for the first time since 2012. The Syrian government’s victory came thanks to heavy military support from Russia, Iran and Shiite militias.” USA Today: Syria’s Cease-Fire Holding Despite Minor Violations “A nationwide cease-fire in Syria between government forces and rebels that went into effect at midnight was holding Friday despite minor violations, according to opposition activists. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said there no were reported deaths after the agreement started, although it said sporadic clashes between troops and rebels were taking place in the province of Hama and near the capital Damascus. The truce backed by Russia and Turkey could prompt a political settlement of a nearly 6-year-old civil war and a dramatic shift in U.S. policy under a Donald Trump presidency. The agreement, announced by Syria's military on Thursday, does not cover the Islamic State and the al-Qaeda affiliate operating in Syria.” Iraq The Wall Street Journal: Iraqi Forces Shift Tactics In Mosul As Forces Advance On New Fronts “Iraqi security forces began a dramatic shift in tactics Thursday in their stalled offensive to retake Mosul, Islamic State’s last major stronghold, advancing on new fronts and bringing federal police into the battle after counterattacks inflicted heavy casualties. Iraq’s military announced a multi-sided offensive on the city’s northern, eastern and southeastern neighborhoods in an attempt to choke off supplies of weapons and new fighters. In the past week, Iraq’s military has begun using heavy artillery in the crowded city, in spite of the risk to civilians, and has moved forces from Baghdad and other areas to support the Counter Terrorism Forces. Some 4,000 federal police have been shifted from the capital and south of Mosul to support the fight in the east.” RT: ISIS, Sectarian Conflict & Chaos: Iraq 10 Years After Saddam Hussein’s Death “A decade after Saddam Hussein was tried, convicted and executed, Iraq is struggling to defeat Islamic State and cope with sectarian strife and other consequences of the US-led invasion. Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti ruled Iraq from July 1979 to April 2003, as leader of the Arab Socialist Ba’ath (“Resurrection”) Party. He was put on trial by a tribunal established by the US-led occupation authorities. On November 5, 2006, Hussein was convicted of crimes against humanity over the 1982 killing of 148 people in the town of Dujail, following an attempt on his life. He was hanged at dawn on December 30, 2006, on the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice.” Turkey CNN: How Russia And Turkey Brokered Peace In Syria — And Sidelined The US “Call it a pop-up alliance. After spending much of this year berating each other after Turkey shot down a Russian jet over the Syrian-Turkish border, the two governments are suddenly the ‘honest brokers’ of a ceasefire in Syria -- one that is designed to lead to political negotiations. The United States, which has long championed the stuttering diplomatic process on resolving the Syrian conflict, is nowhere to be seen. The ceasefire -- negotiated between Russia, Turkey and the Syrian government as well as Iran and Syrian rebel groups supported by Turkey -- explicitly excludes factions deemed by the United Nations Security Council as ‘terrorists.’ This rules out the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, the former al Qaeda affiliate in Syria that used to be known as Jabhat al-Nusra.” Reuters:Turkish Parliamentary Commission Approves Constitutional Change Draft Law “Dec 30 The Turkish parliament's constitutional commission approved a draft constitutional reform law on Friday, paving the way for the general assembly to debate a bill expanding the president's powers, parliamentary sources said. After a parliamentary vote, Turkey is set to hold a referendum on the changes by spring, a move that would enable President Tayyip Erdogan to acquire the executive presidency he has long sought. The commission completed approval of the draft in a marathon 17-hour session that finished early on Friday, the sources said. The draft was presented to the commission on Dec. 10 with 21 articles, but the approved version was reduced to 18 articles.” Reuters: Turkish Journalist Accused Of Spreading Propaganda; Leading Writer Freed “Prominent Turkish journalist Ahmet Sik was detained on Thursday on suspicion of spreading terrorist propaganda, state media and an opposition lawmaker who spoke to the reporter said. Sik works for the daily Cumhuriyet, one of the few dailies still critical of the government as Turkish authorities have purged tens of thousands, largely from the state apparatus, in the wake of a coup attempt last July. Prosecutors could not be reached for comment but Sik himself tweeted that he was being taken to the prosecutor's office.” The Wall Street Journal: How A Top International Judge Was Trampled By Turkey’s Purge “About 40,000 people have been arrested. The first wave swept up mostly military personnel and civil servants who allegedly participated in the coup attempt or had ties to Mr. Gulen. Mr. Gulen denies any involvement. The purges have since expanded to public figures, politicians and activists—in effect, those who have opposed Mr. Erdogan and his ruling party. Among the criteria cited by the government are Twitter posts or newspaper headlines that allegedly show support for the Gulenists. Turkey has classified the group as a terrorist organization.” Afghanistan Newsweek: Making The Case For Afghanistan: Why Now Is Not The Time To Abandon The Country “In a year filled with blockbuster headlines, Afghanistan remained under the radar for much of 2016. That is, of course, not necessarily a bad thing, but plenty of newsworthy issues remain—only on December 21 did Taliban gunmen attack the Kabul home of a member of parliament, killing eight people. The Afghan national mood is at a record low, according to the latest Asia Foundation survey, with two-thirds of respondents stating the country is ‘going in the wrong direction,’ more than double the proportion who thought so in 2012. This is not surprising: the security situation has worsened; the relationship between the country’s top political leaders remains volatile; economic growth has decelerated; and, although a peace deal was signed, it was not with the Taliban.” Egypt Bloomberg: Egypt Cabinet Approves Saudi Border Pact As Court Ruling Nears “Egypt’s government approved a maritime border deal that transfers two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia and triggered the largest protests during President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi’s rule. The cabinet on Thursday referred the agreement, which is currently being disputed in Egyptian courts, to parliament for approval, according to an e-mailed statement. It was unclear whether the legislature would consider the matter before an expected court ruling on Jan. 16. The deal was struck at the tail-end of a visit to Cairo in April by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, during which he also pledged billions of dollars in investments and aid to Egypt. El-Sisi said Egypt was returning two islands, known as Tiran and Sanafir, that belonged to Saudi Arabia ‘by right.’” Middle East The Times Of Israel: Stabbing Foiled At West Bank Checkpoint, Assailant Wounded “Security forces shot and wounded a Palestinian woman on Friday at the Qalandiya checkpoint in the West Bank as she tried to carry out a stabbing attack, police said. There were no other injuries. ‘She approached the security forces with a knife in her hand. She did not respond to the calls of the soldiers to stop,’ police said, adding that the threat was ‘neutralized.’ Soldiers fired at her legs when she refused to stop. She was ‘lightly’ wounded and arrested, police said. There have been a series of attempted stabbings at the Qalandiya checkpoint, a major crossing point between Jerusalem and the Qalandiya refugee camp north of the capital.” NPR: 7 Things To Know About Israeli Settlements “When Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Six-Day War, no Israeli citizens lived in the territory. The following year, a small group of religious Jews rented rooms at the Park Hotel in Hebron for Passover, saying they wanted to be near the Tomb of the Patriarchs, one of the holiest sites in Judaism (as well as Islam and Christianity). The Israeli government reluctantly allowed them to stay ‘temporarily.’ From that beginning, hundreds of thousands of Israeli Jews now reside in the West Bank, citing religion, history and Israel's security among their reasons for being there. But the Palestinians, along with the rest of the world, see their presence as one of the key obstacles to a peace agreement and the creation of a Palestinian state.” United Kingdom International Business Times: UK Police 'Adjust' New Year's Eve Counter-Terrorism Plans After Berlin Lorry Attack “Lorry attacks in Nice and Berlin during 2016 have had an impact on the Metropolitan Police Service's plans for London's New Year's Eve, according to a senior police officer. Around 3,000 ordinary police officers and specialist armed units will patrol the streets of the capital on Saturday night as hundreds of thousands of revellers pour into the city centre to watch the annual firework display. Detective Superintendent Phil Langworthy was keen to stress that the Met's plans had not been informed by intelligence relating to a specific threat. But he admitted that they have evolved in the wake of lorry attacks in Berlin and Nice this year where a total of 98 people were killed by terrorists driving heavy goods vehicles into crowds.” Germany The Daily Caller: Despite Refugee Attacks, Most Germans Don’t Blame Merkel “Nearly 70 percent of Germans don’t blame German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s open-door refugee policy for the slew of recent terrorist attacks, a recent survey says. The survey follows the Dec. 19 truck attack by Tunisian refugee Anis Amri on a crowded Berlin Christmas market. The attack killed 12, and injured nearly 50. Amri was a known violent jihadi who German security services wanted to deport but couldn’t because the Tunisian government refused to verify his identity. After Amri was killed by Italian authorities on Dec. 22, videos surfaced online of him declaring his allegiance to the Islamic State.” Newsweek: The Case Of The ‘Preacher Without A Face’ Points To German Security Flaws Before Berlin Attack “On November 8, heavily armed German police, clad in balaclavas, raided an apartment complex in the small northern city of Hildesheim in Lower Saxony. Their target was a 32-year-old Iraqi man, known to be a key supporter of the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) and dubbed the ‘preacher without a face’ for his video appearances draped in black robes, his face hidden from the camera. Police arrested Ahmad Abdulaziz Abdullah A., known as Abu Walaa, alongside four other men in his ultra-conservative Salafist network. All five are currently awaiting trial, charged with terrorism offences. They are suspected of recruiting for ISIS and helping at least one family reach Syria to join the group. At least 20 German ISIS fighters currently in Syria or Iraq are believed to have ties to the network.” France Associated Press: France Raises 'Terror Tax' To Support Victims Of Attacks “French citizens will contribute an extra 1.60 euros ($1.67) on their property insurance policies to help finance a fund for victims of the extremist attacks that have recently hit the country. The measure comes into force on Sunday and requires policy holders to contribute 5.90 euros instead of 4.30 euros. French government officials said in October when they revealed the scheme that about 90 million insurance policies are floating the fund, which currently has reserves of 1.45 billion euros. More than 200 people have died in France in attacks over the last 20 months. The Bastille Day truck attack in Nice that left 86 dead this summer costed between 300 and 400 million euros, approximatively the same as the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris, which killed 130 people.” Australia Reuters: Australian Police Charge Man Over New Year's Eve Threats In Sydney “Australian counter-terror officers arrested a 40-year-old man at Sydney Airport, after he disembarked from a flight from London, and charged him with making online threats ‘relating to New Year's Eve’ festivities in Sydney, police said on Friday. The arrest follows police raids across the southern city of Melbourne a week ago, which authorities said foiled an Islamic State-inspired plot to attack prominent sites in the city on Christmas Eve. Damien O'Neil was arrested late on Thursday and refused bail by a court on Friday. He was charged under criminal laws relating to suicide or encouraging suicide, not terrorism laws, police said in a statement. Police did not reveal his nationality.” Asia The Wall Street Journal: Asia’s Rising Terror Risk “How long until Islamic State gets lucky in Asia? ISIS and its followers haven’t hit the region with their worst terrorist horrors, but recent arrests in several countries show this isn’t for lack of trying. Much of Asia is increasingly fertile ground for terrorist recruitment, and ISIS setbacks in Syria and Iraq could bring hardened foreign fighters back to sow terror at home. Days after last week’s ISIS truck attack at a Christmas market in Berlin killed 12, authorities in Australia arrested seven men allegedly planning to plant bombs in central Melbourne over the holidays. This was ‘one of the most substantial terrorist plots’ of recent years, said Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, with possible targets including a train station and a cathedral featured in a recent ISIS video.”