Eye on Extremism December 6, 2016

Eye on Extremism December 6, 2016 Counter Extremism Project The Guardian: Facebook, Twitter, Google And Microsoft Team Up To Tackle Extremist Content “Earlier this year Hany Farid, the computer scientist who helped develop PhotoDNA, proposed a sister program for extremist content. He teamed up with the Counter Extremism Project to develop a system that could proactively flag extremist photos, videos and audio clips as they are posted online. ‘We are happy to see this development. It’s long overdue,’ he told the Guardian, explaining that he has been in conversations with Facebook and Microsoft since January. Despite welcoming the announcement he remained cautious, particularly because of the lack of an impartial body to monitor the database." Financial Times: Social Media Groups Join Forces To Counter Online Terror Content “The European Commission on Sunday signalled new laws might be implemented if the companies did not make a concerted effort to delete hate speech and radical content posted by terrorist groups more quickly. In the US, the state and justice departments have encouraged technology companies to develop ways to spread counter-extremism content, which targets those at risk of radicalisation with more moderate messages. The Counter Extremism Project, a US non-profit organisation, recently launched technology to identify terrorist content, based on techniques used to locate and take down child pornography.” Reuters: West Mosul Shelled As Iraq Steps Up Fight Against Islamic State “Western-backed Iraqi forces have begun shelling parts of west Mosul, residents said, in preparation for a new front against Islamic State seven weeks into a difficult campaign to drive the militants from the city. Federal police forces, stationed a few miles south of Mosul, on the west bank of the Tigris River that divides the city, have long said they aim to advance towards the airport on the southwestern edge. Military commanders hope that by opening a second front within the city they can increase pressure on the few thousand jihadists who have deployed suicide bombers, snipers and militant cells against elite Iraqi troops in eastern districts.” CNN: Syria War: Russia, China Vote Against Aleppo Ceasefire “Russia and China on Monday vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Syrian city of Aleppo to allow desperately needed aid into the war-ravaged zone. The United States and Russia verbally dueled before the vote, which called for a seven-day truce. Venezuela also rejected the resolution. The vote came as the Syrian regime continues to blitz Aleppo's east in support of its troops there, as part of an operation to seize control of the area held by rebels for more than four years. Dozens have been killed daily in the strikes and crossfire between regime forces and rebels since forces entered the area on November 26, activist groups say.” The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Seeks To Maintain Fragile Anti-ISIS Alliance In Iraq “The Obama administration is trying to preserve the fragile alliance between the Kurdish fighters and Iraq’s military that has made significant battlefield gains against Islamic State in Mosul but is now threatened by a budget battle in Parliament and uncertainty over the policies of the incoming Trump administration. Brett McGurk, President Barack Obama ’s top envoy for the U.S.-led international coalition fighting Islamic State, on Monday made a rare visit to a military checkpoint near Mosul, the militants’ last major stronghold in Iraq. There he assured Kurdish fighters, called the Peshmerga, that the U.S. would continue to stand by them as long as they remain united with the Iraqi government against Islamic State.” Voice Of America: Afghan Lawmakers To Investigate Growing Ties Between Taliban, Russia And Iran “The Afghan Senate on Monday said it will investigate growing military ties between Taliban insurgents and Iran and Russia. ‘Evidence of Russian and Iranian cooperation with the Taliban has been found,’ Fazal Hadi Muslimyar, chairman of the Afghan Senate said. He added that reports of foreign links to the Taliban are ‘worrisome.’ The probe comes after U.S. General John Nicholson, leader of NATO's Resolute Support Afghan mission, said over the weekend that Taliban connections to Russia and Iran are not advancing the cause of stability in the region.” ABC News: Man Sentenced In Capitol Plot Yells: 'Allah Is In Control!' “A federal judge who voiced doubts about a man's remorse and commitment against jihadist violence Monday sentenced him to 30 years in prison for plotting to attack the U.S. Capitol, drawing an outburst in support of Allah as he was led away in shackles. U.S. District Judge Sandra Beckwith also ordered lifetime probation after prison for 22-year-old Christopher Lee Cornell, including monitoring of his computer use and sharp restrictions on what he can do online. He earlier offered apologies and urged her to give him "a second chance," then afterward called the court system "rigged" and shouted: "Allah is in control, not this judge!" Beckwith said his plot was "horrific," saying Cornell "took active steps to commit mass murder. .... Additionally, he wanted to assassinate the president." Cornell, of suburban Cincinnati, earlier pleaded guilty to three charges including attempted murder of U.S. officials and employees in a plot in support of the Islamic State group.” The Times Of Israel: IS Loses Libya Bastion In Major Blow To Jihadists “Forces loyal to Libya’s UN-backed government said Monday they had seized full control of Sirte from the Islamic State group, in a major blow to the jihadists who battled for months to retain their bastion. The battle for the coastal city, which was the last significant territory held by IS in Libya, cost the lives of hundreds of loyalist troops as well as an unknown number of IS fighters. ‘Our forces have total control of Sirte,’ Reda Issa, a spokesman for pro-government forces, told AFP. ‘Our forces saw Daesh (IS) totally collapse.’” Reuters: Poverty, Prejudice Drive More Women To Join Boko Haram Militants “Failing to improve the lives of girls and women trapped in poverty and domestic drudgery in northeast Nigeria could drive them into the ranks of extremist groups, analysts said on Monday. Many girls and women have been abducted by the jihadist group Boko Haram and used as cooks, sex slaves, and even suicide bombers, according to rights groups including Amnesty International. Yet some women in the mainly Muslim northeast, frustrated by poverty, gender discrimination and deep-rooted patriarchy, have chosen to join Boko Haram voluntarily in the hope of a better life, an International Crisis Group (ICG) report said. ‘For some women trapped in domestic life, Boko Haram offers an escape,’ Rinaldo Depagne, West Africa project director for the ICG, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in Dakar, Senegal.” Fox News: Teen Stripped Of Suicide Vest Claims ISIS Brainwashed Him “A 15-year-old Iraqi boy caught by police moments before he could blow himself up last August is now speaking out, claiming the Islamic State terror group had brainwashed him. The boy said an older teenager ordered him to carry out the attack at a football stadium in Kirkuk. While under the guise of ISIS, the boy said the terrorists gave him a new name and put him through months of brainwashing and indoctrination. ‘No one ever called me by my real name again.’ The group controls an army of child soldiers, which it calls ‘cubs of the caliphate,’ and seeks to re-educate children at ISIS-run schools, drugging some of them, exposing children to violent acts, including beheadings in an effort to create a young army of suicide bombers.” United States Associated Press: Security Increased After Threatened Attack On LA Rail Stop “The FBI and local law enforcement agencies say they have stepped up security on Los Angeles County's commuter rail system after the FBI was informed a terrorist attack on the Universal City subway station was planned for Tuesday. Although the threat's credibility had not been confirmed, authorities were taking no chances, Deirdre Fike, assistant director of the FBI's Los Angeles office, told reporters Monday night. ‘Information was relayed this morning to the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force from our international partners that there was a potential threat from an anonymous phone call that was made on a public safety line,’ Fike said.” The Jerusalem Post: Top Republican Senator Pushing To Suspend Aid To Palestinian Authority, Egypt “Whether Israel likes it or not, the United States Senate will aggressively promote legislation next month aimed at cutting funding to two key allies of the Jewish state – the Palestinian Authority and Egypt, Sen. Lindsey Graham told The Jerusalem Post. A longtime and vocal supporter of Israel, former US presidential candidate Graham told the Post that as chairman of the Senate’s Foreign Operations Subcommittee, he will work to cut US aid to the PA for continuing to pay stipends to imprisoned Palestinian terrorists and to Egypt for its recent legislative crackdown on NGOs.” The Times Of Israel: US Muslim Cleric Fights Deportation Over Hamas Conviction “The leader of one of New Jersey’s largest mosques, who is accused of lying on his green card application, was in court Monday to fight deportation. Imam Mohammad Qatanani, the leader of the Islamic Center of Passaic County, didn’t disclose being convicted in Israel for being a member of Hamas, federal officials have said. Qatanani denies that he was ever a member of Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the US government. He says that he was only detained — like many others at the time — and was never told that he was convicted of anything. He also said he was subjected to physical and mental abuse while in detention.” Syria Reuters: Russia Says To Start Talks With U.S. On Aleppo Rebel Withdrawal “The Russian government said on Monday it would start talks with Washington on a rebel withdrawal from Aleppo this week as Russian-backed Syrian forces fought to seize more territory from rebels who are struggling to avoid a major defeat. The latest army attack, which saw fierce clashes around the Old City, aims to cut off another area of rebel control in eastern Aleppo and tighten the noose on opposition-held districts where tens of thousands of people are trapped. Advances in recent weeks have brought Damascus, backed militarily by Russia, Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah, closer to recapturing Syria's second largest city before the nearly six-year war and a prize long sought by President Bashar al-Assad.” Reuters: Aleppo's Fall Would Be Win For Russia, Defeat For U.S. In Mideast “U.S.-backed moderate rebels' loss of the eastern half of Syria's largest city Aleppo to Russian-backed government forces would be a defeat for President Barack Obama's efforts to promote democracy and defeat terrorism in the Middle East, U.S. officials conceded on Monday. Their grim assessment reflected the expectation that the last rebel-held districts of Aleppo, where tens of thousands of civilians are trapped, will soon fall to the Syrian Army supported by Russia, Iran, and Shiite Muslim militias from Iraq, Lebanon and elsewhere. ‘The fall of eastern Aleppo will confront the United States with the reality that supporting a moderate opposition with any hope of becoming the future government of Syria is no longer a hope,’ said Paul Pillar, a former senior U.S. intelligence analyst.” The Washington Post: 2 Russian Nurses Killed In Rebel Shelling Of Syria’s Aleppo “Rebel shelling killed two Russian nurses and eight civilians Monday in Aleppo, and a Russian fighter jet crashed as it was returning to an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean after a sortie over Syria, but the pilot ejected safely, Moscow officials said. The shelling that targeted government-controlled western Aleppo was one of the most intense in recent days. It coincided with a crushing air and ground assault that has seen forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad recapture more than half of opposition-held eastern Aleppo. Russia and militias allied with Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah have been staunch supporters of Assad in his country’s bitter civil war, now in its sixth year.” Iraq Reuters: Islamic State Urges Supporters To Stage New Wave Of Attacks “A newly identified spokesman for Islamic State urged sympathisers around the world to carry out a fresh wave of attacks, singling out Turkish diplomatic, military and financial interests as the Islamists' preferred targets. Abi al-Hassan al-Muhajer, whose role as the group's mouthpiece was disclosed for the first time on Monday, also told Islamic State fighters to stand their ground in the town of Tal Afar, where they are threatened by Iraqi forces bearing down on the city of Mosul, the group's last major Iraqi stronghold. In a defiant online message, Muhajer described Islamic State's military losses this year as setbacks and said an array of forces in Iraq and Syria had failed to defeat the jihadists.” Turkey Reuters: Greek Court Rules Against Extradition Of Three Turkish Soldiers: Lawyer “A Greek court ruled against the extradition to Turkey of three Turkish soldiers who fled to Greece after an abortive coup attempt against President Tayyip Erdogan in July, their lawyer and court officials said on Monday. Turkey alleges the three were involved in the failed July 16 coup and has branded them traitors. They all deny playing a role in the attempt to dislodge Erdogan from power that led to a purge within the country's military and civil service. The case has exposed the sometimes-strained relations between Athens and Ankara, NATO allies who are at odds over issues from Cyprus to air rights over the Aegean.” Deutsche Welle: First Israeli Ambassador To Turkey In Six Years Starts Work “Turkey on Monday received its first ambassador from Israel since the two countries broke off ties in 2010, completing a final step of a rapprochement between once close regional allies. Eitan Naeh met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the sprawling presidential palace in Ankara, handing over his formal credentials and introducing staff. A video on the presidential website showed Erdogan, who has regularly lambasted Israel over the years, warmly shaking hands with the Israeli embassy staff. Naeh is the country's first ambassador since Israeli commandos in 2010 raided the Mavi Marmara humanitarian ship trying to break a blockade of Gaza, killing nine Turkish citizens and one Turkish-American." Afghanistan Reuters: In Afghan Province, Government Woos Allies Against Islamic State “Afghan authorities are appealing to local elders in the remote eastern province of Nuristan to help prevent militants loyal to Islamic State from expanding into new territory. The initiative comes as fighters and their families, scattered in recent months by U.S. and Afghan air strikes and special forces ground operations, seek new safe havens. The mountainous and thickly forested province bordering Pakistan is seen by Afghan authorities as a potential new base for the self-proclaimed offshoot of Islamic State, whose desire to stoke sectarian tensions was underlined this year in a series of high-profile attacks.” Yemen Reuters: Qaeda Militants Blow Up Yemen Gas Export Pipeline: Local Officials “Al Qaeda militants blew up Yemen's only gas export pipeline on Monday, local officials said, in a further blow to a moribund but vital piece of infrastructure for an impoverished country battered by 20 months of war. The explosion occurred in the remote desert area of al-Uqla in the southern province of Shabwa, the officials said, and severed the link between Yemen's gas-producing Marib region and the export terminal of Balhaf on the Arabian Sea. Oil and gas once accounted for most of Yemen's state revenue before a civil war and military intervention led by Saudi Arabia halted their export and unleashed a humanitarian crisis.” Saudi Arabia Associated Press: Iran Seeks More Cooperation With Saudi Arabia “Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman says the Islamic Republic and its regional rival Saudi Arabia can and should cooperate to resolve regional crises. Bahram Ghasemi told reporters Monday in his weekly briefing that the recent OPEC agreement to cut oil production and the Lebanese presidential election were both recent examples of Iran-Saudi cooperation. Despite initial reluctance Tehran signed on to an OPEC agreement to cut oil production in order to drive up slumping petroleum prices. In November, the Lebanese parliament elected President Michel Aoun, an Iran ally, after a 29-month vacuum in the country's top post. He designated Saad Hariri, a close ally of Saudi Arabia, as prime minister.” Libya Newsweek: ISIS Loses Libya’s Sirte, The Only City It Controlled Outside Of Iraq And Syria “Libyan forces allied to the country’s U.N.-backed government said on Monday they had liberated the central coastal city of Sirte from the Islamic State militant group (ISIS). It was the only city outside of Iraq and Syria that the group controlled. ‘Our forces have total control of Sirte. Our forces saw Daesh [ISIS] totally collapse,’ Reda Issa, a spokesman for pro-government forces, told AFP news agency. The battle to recapture the city took more than six months of fighting and cost the pro-government force hundreds of lives, with ISIS launching counter-attacks and using snipers, suicide car bombs and improvised explosive devices to maintain control of the city.” Nigeria Newsweek: Nigeria Buys Military Aircraft From Russia And Pakistan As U.S. Demurs “Nigeria has turned to Russia and Pakistan for warplanes following refusals by the United States to sell military aircrafts to the West African country. At a media briefing in the Nigerian capital on Sunday, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar said that the Nigerian Air Force also had more than 700 troops training in various countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Russia and China, at a media briefing in the Nigerian capital on Sunday, Nigeria’s Premium Times reported. The Nigerian Air Force shared pictures on its Facebook account on Monday of the chief of the Pakistani air force, Sohail Aman, at a ceremony in northern Nigeria marking the sale of the aircraft.” Newsweek: Somalia: Seven Militants Killed In First Military Clash With ISIS-Aligned Forces “Somali security forces clashed with fighters claiming allegiance to the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) over the weekend, reportedly the first military confrontation with the group in the Horn of Africa country. The governor of Bari, a region in the semi-autonomous Puntland state in northeastern Somalia, told Voice of America’s (VOA) Somali service that Puntland security forces had killed seven militants after encountering a landmine laid by the group, which they attempted to dismantle. Bari Governor Yusuf Mohamed Dhedo said that three soldiers were injured in a firefight, and that all of the militants killed were Somalis.” United Kingdom BBC: Segregation At 'Worrying Levels' In Parts Of Britain, Dame Louise Casey Warns “Segregation and social exclusion are at ‘worrying levels’ and are fuelling inequality in some areas of Britain, a report has found. Women in some communities are denied ‘even their basic rights as British residents’, the Casey Review said. Dame Louise Casey accused public bodies of ignoring or condoning divisive or harmful religious practices for fear of being called racist. Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said he would study the findings ‘closely’. Dame Louise's review into the integration of minorities was commissioned by former Prime Minister David Cameron as part of the government's efforts to tackle extremism.” BBC: 'Prevent' Counter-Extremism Strategy Faces Legal Challenge “A key part of the government's counter-terrorism strategy, Prevent, is to face a legal challenge in the High Court on Tuesday. Salman Butt, a British Muslim activist, has launched legal action, saying he was named as a ‘non-violent extremist’ by the government. He says aspects of Prevent breach free speech rights. The Home Office has accused Dr Butt of expressing views that violate British values, something Mr Butt denies. A Home Office spokesman said: ‘It would be inappropriate to comment on ongoing legal proceedings.’” Daily Mail: May's Deal To Tackle Airport Terror Threat: Britain Set To Offer Six Middle East States Help To Improve Screening Of Travellers “Britain is to help six Middle East countries to boost their airport security in a bid to prevent terrorist attacks. Theresa May will today meet six leaders of Gulf states in Bahrain to sign a new package of joint measures to improve screening at the region’s airports. The UK will work with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other nations to help them improve traveller screening systems and to share expertise to make it more difficult for terrorists to avoid detection. It is hoped the plan will help build on successes such as the foiling of the ink cartridge bomb plot of 2010, when plastic explosives hidden in a printer were found aboard a US-bound flight at East Midlands airport following a tip-off from Saudi Arabia.” Europe Reuters: Red Cross Says Survey Shows Alarming Rise In Acceptance Of Torture In War “There has been an alarming rise in the acceptance of torture and civilian deaths during war, especially in countries at peace, the Red Cross said on Monday as it released a global survey of public views around war. More than a third of respondents in the study published by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) believed a captured enemy combatant could be tortured to obtain information. Just under half believed it was wrong to torture enemy fighters compared to two-thirds in a 1999 survey. ‘We all need to redraw a line in the sand: torture in any form is forbidden,’ ICRC President Peter Maurer said in a statement. ‘We demonize our enemies at our own peril. Even in war, everyone deserves to be treated humanely.’” Terrorist Financing  Almada Press: European Bank Halts Dealings With Iraqi Banks Due To Suspicions Of Terrorist Financing “The Iraqi Central Bank confirmed the commitment of the country's banking institutions to laws and regulations for combating crimes involving money laundering. It warned of repercussions of non-compliance with the legislation, which would be liable to create terror financing channels. Meanwhile, the Association of Private Iraqi Banks claimed that several of the statements made by {local} politicians were "irresponsible", which prodded a leading European bank to halt its dealings with Iraq. For his part, Ali Allaq, Governor of Iraq's Central Bank, was quoted as saying: "The Central Bank has assigned priority to the issue of closing channels used for terror financing. We have succeeded to a large extent in this regard over the past two years—preventing hundreds of financial institutions and companies from executing such activities after we uncovered suspicious (financial) cases in coordination with international parties.” ISIS Elaph: Detained ISIS Official: Organization Receives Money Through Turkey “The Iraqi judiciary claimed that during an air commando operation (the date of which it does not disclose), a financial official from the ISIS organization was captured. The operation was launched on the heels of tips provided by the Iraqi intelligence service. The judiciary added that the suspect, who appeared before the Central Investigating Court, revealed information about how ISIS received support from organizations in Arab and foreign countries in the form of money transfers. The financial official, nicknamed "Abu Yasser", is a Syrian national, born in 1992 and living in the city of Manbij. Reports indicated that most of the fighters located in Manbij are non-Syrians, mainly from European countries, who fear disclosing their real names in transactions for receiving money from abroad. The solution came through Abu Yasser's business. He confided to his brother, who has worked as a merchant in Turkey for several years, that he needed to secure the delivery of cash to Manbij across the border with Syria.” Hezbollah Elnada: Expert: Hezbollah's Financial Wealth Is Huge “The Riyadh-based King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies hosted a lecture entitled "Politics and Security of the Middle East." The lecture focused on Hezbollah's global impact and the treatment of the ISIS terrorist organization and Iran in the context of the new Middle East. During the lecture, Matthew Levitt, director of the Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, stressed that Hezbollah is involved in illegal smuggling of weapons as well as espionage through phone devices, aimed at obtaining funds for financing terrorist schemes. The American expert noted that the Lebanese group has a great deal of money, which it obtains illegally. He added that Hezbollah has recruited agents in America and Europe in exchange for large amounts of money to provide for all their needs. These agents use passports and forged documents to infiltrate into (foreign) countries.” Hamas Hnmnews: Hamas Condemns Egypt's Flooding Of Gaza Tunnels “The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) denounced Egyptian authorities' flooding of tunnels running between the besieged Gaza Strip and Egypt for the purpose of smuggling goods. This came after the bodies of four Palestinian workers were recovered from flooded tunnels on Sunday evening. In a statement released by the Palestinian movement, it stated that it condemns "this tragic incident", stressing that there is no justification for the use of such dangerous methods in dealing with besieged Gazans. In the statement, the movement called on Egyptian authorities to open the Rafah border crossing permanently "to end the suffering of the people of Gaza.” Houthi Nshr News: Houthi Militia Imposes Fees On Dhamar University Students “Local sources from the University of Dhamar said that the Houthi militia and loyalists of ousted Yemeni president Ali Saleh, who control the University, have imposed high fees on students in exchange for receiving university cards. Sources at the University's Faculty of Arts disclosed that under orders of the University's governing body, recently appointed by the Houthis and Saleh loyalists, each student was imposed a fee of 3000 riyals ($12) in exchange for receiving a university card valid for one term only. The sources added that the University administration ordered the students to pay these fees quickly, threatening punishment of those who do not meet the deadline.”