Eye on Extremism March 2, 2017

Eye on Extremism March 2, 2017 Counter Extremism Project The Washington Post: How Alleged ISIS Videos Are Creating A Headache For Wordpress “A group that monitors extremist activity on Wednesday called for the parent company of WordPress.com to shut down websites the group says are used by the Islamic State and al-Qaeda affiliates to publicize ‘vile’ and violent acts, including videos of beheadings and other atrocities. The Counter Extremism Project, a nonpartisan research and advocacy group based in New York, said U.S.-based tech companies have been providing crucial infrastructure for the propaganda of anti-American militant groups, often unwittingly. The group says several militant Islamic groups use the popular WordPress.com platform to host content on their propaganda sites.” The Washington Post: Russia And The Syrian Regime Bombed U.S.-Backed Fighters In Syria, U.S. General Says “Russian and Syrian regime forces bombed U.S.-backed fighters Tuesday in villages near the Syrian city of al-Bab, a U.S. general said Wednesday, characterizing the incident as a likely mistake. Army Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, who leads the fight against the Islamic State in both Iraq and Syria, told reporters Wednesday that he believes the pilots thought they were bombing militants, not the Syrian Democratic Forces that the United States trains and advises. U.S. forces, who were a couple of miles away to assist the Syrian fighters, called in the information and the Russians halted the airstrikes, Townsend said.” Reuters: Iraqi Forces In Mosul Fight Islamic State Counter-Attack “Islamic State fighters launched a counter-attack against advancing U.S.-backed Iraqi forces in western Mosul during an overnight storm, as the battle for control of the militants' last major urban stronghold in Iraq intensified. Explosions and gun fire rang out across the city's southwestern districts in the early hours of Thursday. The fighting eased in the late morning, although a Reuters correspondent saw an air strike and rebel mortar fire. A senior Iraqi officer said Islamic State staged its attack on units from the elite Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) when the storm hampered air surveillance and on-the-ground visibility. He said some militant fighters hid amongst displaced families to get close to the U.S.-trained troops. Iraqi forces captured the eastern side of Mosul in January after 100 days of fighting and launched their attack on the districts that lie west of the Tigris river on Feb. 19.” Voice Of America: Islamic State Takes Root, Grows Along Afghan-Pakistan Border “An Islamic State offshoot based near the Afghan-Pakistan border is expanding to new areas, recruiting fighters and widening the reach of attacks in the region, members of the movement and Afghan officials said. Some members of the so-called ‘Khorasan Province’ of Islamic State claimed responsibility for the recent attack on a Sufi shrine in Pakistan that killed 90 people, and IS gunmen were blamed for the deaths of six local aid workers in the north of the country, far from their stronghold in eastern Afghanistan. Any expansion would pose a new challenge for U.S. President Donald Trump, as he considers how many American troops to keep in Afghanistan where the main security threat remains the Taliban insurgency.” Daily Mail: ISIS Bootcamp: Iraqi Army Discover Jihadi Training Base Hidden 32 Foot Underground Where Foreign Fighters Were Prepared For War “With an ISIS flag on the wall and remnants of equipment bearing testimony to the jihadists' quick flight, this is the inside of a base where foreign fighters were trained to kill. Would-be terrorists could only enter the fortified base by crawling through a tunnel. It was discovered by the Iraqi army in the south of Mosul, which had been under ISIS control since 2014. The base would have been used to train jihadists to carry out atrocities.  A commander in the Iraqi army told Rudaw: 'The trainees, as part of their programs, should crawl onto these barrels and get themselves in the mud to pass this phase of training. As you see power has been extended to lighten this base.  'They have fully equipped it without any shortcomings. The majority of those who used to undergo training here were foreigners.'” The New York Times: U.N. Investigators Say Syria Bombed Convoy And Did So Deliberately “The Syrian Air Force first dropped barrel bombs from helicopters on a United Nations humanitarian aid convoy, then fired rockets from jets, then strafed survivors with machine guns, United Nations investigators said Wednesday in a report that found government forces had not only committed the attack in September but had done so deliberately, a war crime. The attack, which killed 14 aid workers and stoked international outrage, was ‘meticulously planned’ and ‘ruthlessly carried out,’ the report said.” Reuters: Taliban Claim Attacks In Afghan Capital, At Least 15 Dead “Afghan Taliban militants said they attacked police, military and intelligence targets in Kabul on Wednesday, as security officials confirmed attacks in two areas of the city that killed at least 15 people and wounded dozens. A powerful explosion was heard across the city as a car bomb was detonated near a police headquarters in the west of the city, the interior ministry said. The blast was followed immediately by gunfire between security forces and an unknown number of attackers.” The New York Times: Devices Seized In Yemen Raid Offer Some Clues To Qaeda Tactics “Computers and cellphones seized during a deadly Special Operations raid in Yemen in January offer clues about attacks Al Qaeda could carry out in the future, including insights into new types of hidden explosives the group is making and new training tactics for militants, according to American officials. But it is still unclear how much the information advances the military’s knowledge of the plans and future operations of Al Qaeda’s branch in Yemen, although it may give a glimpse of its evolving tactics, the officials said.” Associated Press: Iranian Film Hails Demise Of U.S. Navy In Imagined Gulf Battle “In a climactic battle at sea, an Iranian commander orders his forces to open fire on a much larger U.S. fleet, obliterating it with a barrage of rockets, some of which tear American flags from their masts. The scenario unfolds in "Battle of the Persian Gulf II," a new Iranian animated film more than four years in the making that imagines a devastating response to an American attack on the country's nuclear program. It might have seemed out of date this time last year, when a nuclear accord reached with world powers had lifted sanctions and raised hopes for a broader rapprochement between Iran and the West. But now tensions are rising again. President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized the nuclear deal, and his administration put Iran "on notice" last month after it tested a ballistic missile. Iranians were meanwhile angered over Trump's travel ban, which temporarily barred their entry to the United States before it was blocked by the courts.” Jerusalem Post: ISIS Fanatics Call On Supporters To 'Terrorize' Jewish People In The West “The full post read: "IF YOU'RE STILL IN THE WEST! Dress up like a Jew! Go to your nearest Jewish area! Make sure you have plenty of weapons under your coat!" and then urged followers to "unleash the pain of Muslims" on the potential victims.  The Daily Mail reported that an additional message included a list of Jewish communities in Britain for jihadists to target in their attacks.  This post was accompanied by a photo of Amedy Coulibaly, the Islamist gunman who carried out the Hyper Casher terror attack in Paris, France on January 9, 2015. Coulibaly, whose image is often used by ISIS-linked terrorists to hail terror attacks in the name of Islam, killed a French policewoman in a Paris suburb and then murdered four hostages at a kosher supermarket before being shot dead by police.” The Telegraph: Isil 'Regrouping In Southern Libya With Support Of Al-Qaeda And Preparing For Further Attacks' “Isil is regrouping in southern Libya with the support of al-Qaeda and preparing for further attacks, according to the Libyan defence minister, who claimed the effort was being spearheaded by Mokhtar Belmokhtar, one of the world's most wanted men. The unholy alliance of the world’s two most dangerous terrorist groups in Libya is at odds with the public animosity between al-Qaeda and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) leadership. Ayman Al Zawahiri, the head of al-Qaeda, recently launched a blistering public attack on Isil’s brutal methods and propaganda, branding them ‘liars’.” Reuters: Uighur IS Fighters Vow Blood Will 'Flow In Rivers' In China “Vowing to plant their flag in China and that blood will ‘flow in rivers’, a new video released this week purportedly by the Islamic State group shows ethnic Uighur fighters training in Iraq, underscoring what Beijing sees as a serious threat. China is worried that Uighurs, a mostly Muslim people from western China's Xinjiang region, have gone to Syria and Iraq to fight for militant groups there, having travel led illegally via Southeast Asia and Turkey. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the killing of a Chinese hostage in 2015, demonstrating China's concern about Uighurs it says are fighting in the Middle East.” The Wall Street Journal: ISIS Violence, Intimidation Escalate In Egypt’s Sinai “Women traveling on buses in northern Sinai say Islamic State fighters have boarded the vehicles, introduced themselves as religious police and threatened to whip them and splash them with acid if they don’t comply with the militants’ dress code. ‘They lectured us on how to dress according to Islamic Shariah [law], and warned that those who don’t wear full-face veils or travel without a male guardian will face punishment,’ said Marwa Elfar, a teacher who was traveling from Al Arish to Rafah, near Egypt’s border with the Gaza Strip.” New York Times: Tunisian Officers, Branded ‘Cowardly’ During Massacre, Face Charges “The gunman stalked through a Tunisian beach resort in Sousse, firing at will. He killed people on the sand, then moved into the grounds of a five-star hotel, picking off tourists by the pool, near the lobby and in the parking area. The Tunisian security forces were conspicuous by their absence. A marine guard who tried to confront the gunman fainted in panic and dropped his gun. When he came to, he fled to the beach and hid behind an umbrella. A second security team, armed with assault rifles and wearing protective vests, was just around the corner. But instead of rushing to the shooting scene, the team’s members went for reinforcements. By the time they returned, 30 minutes had passed and 38 people were dead.” Deutsche Welle: Turkey 'On The Road To Autocracy,' Venice Commission Watchdog Says “The Venice Commission, an advisory body of constitutional law experts, has described a ‘dramatic decline in democratic order’ in Turkey, the German newspaper ‘Süddeutsche Zeitung’ reported on Wednesday. The Commission, which advises the Council of Europe, one of the continent's human rights bodies separate from the European Union, reported that the proposed changes to the constitution in Turkey place the country ‘on the road to an autocracy and a one-person regime,’ according to the newspaper.” United States USA Today: Homeland Security Boss Pledges Help For Jewish Communities “Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly pledged his department's assistance Wednesday to Jewish community centers throughout the nation that have been besieged by a rash of bomb threats and other anti-Semitic intimidation tactics. ‘Over the past several weeks, the country has seen unacceptable and escalating threats and actual harassment directed at faith-based communities around the country, with a particular focus on threats to Jewish Community Centers,’ Kelly said. ‘As a complement to on-going law enforcement efforts . . . . DHS is working closely with Jewish communities to advise and support on protective measures they can put in place to help keep people in their community safe.’” Voice Of America: US Military: Number Of IS Members In Afghanistan Reduced To 700 “Afghan security forces backed by American air support have conducted ‘successful’ operations against the Islamic State (IS) group in Afghanistan during the past year, reducing the number of its militants to about 700. U.S. military spokesman Brigadier General Charles Cleveland provided the latest assessment Wednesday at a news conference in Kabul. He praised Afghan partners for their successes against the affiliates of the Middle East-based terrorist group. Cleveland said a year ago there were somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 IS members mainly in eastern Nangarhar province near the border with Pakistan.” Fox News: US Reconsidering Membership In UN Council, Urges End To Israel 'Obsession' “President Trump's administration confirmed it is reviewing the United States’ participation in the U.N. Human Rights Council, warning Wednesday that it wants the international body to reform its agenda and end its ‘obsession with Israel.’ Washington critics have argued that the Geneva-based council unfairly targets Israel over allegations of human rights violations and alleged war crimes against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. ‘The United States ... remains deeply troubled by the Council’s consistent unfair and unbalanced focus on one democratic country, Israel,’ Erin Barlacy, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state, told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Switzerland. ‘No other nation is the focus of an entire agenda item. How is that a sensible priority?’” Voice Of America: US Commander Downplays Chance Of Big Iraq, Syria Troop Hike “The top U.S. commander in Iraq on Wednesday downplayed the chances that the United States would deploy a large number of additional coalition forces to battle Islamic State, even as President Donald Trump weighs options to speed the campaign. Army Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend also delivered a robust defense of Kurdish fighters that have been America's strongest allies on the ground in Syria, despite concerns from Turkey that they pose a threat. He even signaled some role for Kurdish forces in an upcoming offensive for the city of Raqqa.” Syria Reuters: Both Syrian Sides See Gains In Peace Talks As Russia Weighs In “Syrian peace talks in Geneva edged forwards on Wednesday, for the first time in six days of U.N.-led talks, as both sides saw hope of shaping the agenda to their liking and opposition negotiators met a senior diplomat from powerbroker Russia. The opposition said President Bashar al-Assad's negotiators had been pushed by his Russian allies to address the issue of political transition - which Assad's opponents say must involve him handing over power. A source close to the Syrian government delegation said there was agreement that tackling ‘terrorism’ - a broad term which Damascus uses to describe all armed opposition to the president - would also be on the agenda. It remained unclear whether the two goals were compatible or if the two sides were on a collision course, as in past negotiating rounds a year ago.” Reuters: Syrian Government Forces Enter Palmyra, Drive Back Islamic State: Monitors “Russian-backed Syrian government forces and their allies fought their way into Palmyra on Wednesday, driving back Islamic State militants who have held the historic city since December, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported. A Hezbollah-run media outlet earlier reported that the Syrian army and its allies had recaptured the Palmyra citadel, on the city's western outskirts, and seized a modern palatial complex to the southwest. Islamic State has captured Palmyra, whose ancient ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, twice during Syria's six-year conflict. The army recaptured the city from the ultra-hardline group in March last year, but Islamic State seized it again in December.” Iraq The Wall Street Journal: In Mosul, Residents Rebuild As Iraqi Forces Fight Islamic State “Ibrahim Akram carried a 3-foot hookah pipe down a bombed-out street recently in the part of Mosul recaptured from Islamic State by Iraqi forces, basking in the freedom to enjoy a smoking habit that drew beatings from the extremists. As Mr. Akram, who is 20, stopped to join a group of friends, an Iraqi helicopter in the sky behind him let loose a volley of rocket fire at Islamic State targets across the Tigris River, where Iraqi forces are fighting street-by-street to recapture the rest of the city. Mr. Akram, unfazed, turned to watch the attack in the distance. He said he had no sympathy for the terror group. ‘If my brother was with Islamic State, I would kill him,’ he said.” Reuters: Iraqi Army Controls Main Roads Out Of Mosul, Trapping Islamic State “U.S.-backed Iraqi army units on Wednesday took control of the last major road out of western Mosul that had been in Islamic State's hands, trapping the militants in a shrinking area within the city, a general and residents said. The army's 9th Armored Division was within a kilometer of Mosul's Syria Gate, the city's northwestern entrance, a general from the unit told Reuters by telephone. ‘We effectively control the road, it is in our sight,’ he said. Mosul residents said they had not been able to travel on the highway that starts at the Syria Gate since Tuesday. The road links Mosul to Tal Afar, another Islamic State stronghold 60 km (40 miles) to the west, and then to Syria.” Turkey Reuters: Purge Of Academics Leaves Future Of Turkish Universities In Doubt “Standing at a blackboard in an Ankara park, Sevilay Celenk delivers her lecture, titled: ‘Resisting with Stories’. Several hundred students huddle in heavy coats against winter cold to listen as she describes the fears and struggles that echo through literature across societies. This small amphitheatre has become her unofficial classroom since she was fired from her post as a media and communications lecturer at Ankara University, one of nearly 5,000 academics dismissed following July's failed army coup. The ‘intellectual massacre’, as some academics have taken to describing it, has hit faculties from physics and biology to drama and politics at some of Turkey's best universities, chilling teachers and students alike.” Reuters: Iran, Turkey Presidents Meet To Defuse Tensions “Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan agreed on Wednesday to improve ties, including in the fight against terrorism, Iran's state news agency IRNA said, following some angry exchanges between the regional rivals. Tehran and Ankara support opposite sides in the conflict in Syria. Largely Shi’ite Muslim Iran backs the government of President Bashar al-Assad, while Turkey, which is majority Sunni, has backed elements of the Syrian opposition. Last month Erdogan and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu both accused Iran of trying to destabilize Syria and Iraq and of sectarianism, prompting Tehran to summon Ankara's ambassador.” Afghanistan Deutsche Welle: Why Is Northern Afghanistan Increasingly Unstable? “Once considered the safest region of Afghanistan, many northern provinces have transformed into the new battlefield between Afghan security forces and its armed opponents. Incidents of Taliban fighters storming district capitals and launching suicide attacks in cities like Kunduz, Mazar-e-Sharif and Maimana are becoming more frequent. ‘The government controls Kunduz city and district centers but the Taliban are in charge of the rest of the province,’ Abdul Ahad Turyal Kakar, a member of the provincial council in Kunduz, told DW. Local residents and officials from other northern provinces are facing a similar situation. They say that the Taliban and members of extremist groups from Central Asian countries like Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have now expanded their operations into northern Afghanistan and are establishing bases in provinces like Faryab.” Forbes: Pakistan's Duplicity And Broken Promises On Afghanistan “This week, Afghanistan lodged repeated official complaints against Pakistan’s violations of international agreements, including Pakistan’s Afghan border closings and forced repatriation of Afghan refugees. The border closings are contrary to World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, and Pakistan’s forced repatriation of refugees breaks its agreements with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Pakistan is a member of the WTO and U.N., so these actions are the latest in a series of broken promises on the issue of Afghanistan. These are confirmation that Pakistan can no longer be trusted as a negotiating partner on Afghan-related issues.” Middle East The Times Of Israel: Gaza Rocket Strikes Field South Of Ashkelon; None Injured “A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip struck an open field south of the coastal city of Ashkelon on Wednesday night, causing neither injury nor damage, the army said, the second attack in a week. The alert siren did not go off, as the rocket was headed toward an unpopulated area. The projectile struck the Hof Ashkelon region shortly after 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces said. Israeli troops began searching the area to locate the rocket, the army said.” Haaretz: Israeli Wounded In West Bank Stabbing, Shoots Palestinian Assailant, Army Says “An Israeli was lightly wounded in a stabbing attack in the West Bank, the Israeli army said Wednesday. The alleged assailant, a Palestinian, was shot dead by the wounded 33-year-old Israeli, the IDF said. According to local settlers, the attack took place within the victim's home in the settlement of Teneh Omarim, in the southern Hebron Hill region of the West Bank. Paramedics who arrived at the scene declared the alleged assailant dead and treated the Israeli man.” The Jerusalem Post: Israeli Shoots, Kills Terrorist During Attack In Family Home “A Palestinian terrorist was killed after he infiltrated the caravan home of an Israeli family in a West Bank outpost in the South Hebron Hills. The homeowner, Shabtai Koshobalski, opened his door Tuesday afternoon after hearing a suspicious noise outside. Standing in the doorway was a Palestinian man armed with two knives, according to a spokesman for the South Hebron Hills Regional Council. Koshobalski stepped back inside to get his gun from his living room and the terrorist followed him inside, the spokesman said. The terrorist stabbed Koshobalski, lightly wounding him, an army spokeswoman said.” The Jerusalem Post: 'Hamas Doesn't Want War, But The Situation In The Palestinian Territories Is Explosive' “IDF Military Intelligence chief Maj.-Gen. Herzi Halevy said Wednesday before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that there are low chances for the outbreak of war with either Hamas or Hezbollah, because the two terror organizations are not interested in a military confrontation with Israel. According to sources who were present at the closed-door discussion, the MI chief explained that Hezbollah is embroiled in fighting in Syria and does not want to open an additional front with Israel at the moment. However, he added that whenever the next conflict with Hezbollah does break out, the Lebanese army will join the war because of Lebanon's growing dependence on Iranian aid.” Libya Voice Of America: Neighbors Work Quietly To Broker Fresh Libyan Political Accord “Clashes between rival militias in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, last week overshadowed behind-the-scenes political talks sponsored by Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria, and their tenacious efforts to bring together Libya's major political forces. A militia turf war in Tripoli subsided after rival commanders agreed to suspend their clashes and stop trying to encroach on their adversaries' positions. Libyan media showed extensive damage to homes, vehicles and some public buildings. Despite the flare-up, patient diplomatic efforts by the three neighboring countries to bring Libya's warring political factions together have continued, but drawn few headlines.” Newsweek: Kremlin Condemns Nato’s ‘Barbaric’ Libya Intervention Ahead Of Pm Visit “The Kremlin has revived its criticism of the U.S.-led intervention in Libya, days ahead of a possible visit by the war-torn north African country’s prime minister, state news agency Itar-Tass reports. The NATO operation in 2011 toppled Libyan authoritarian leader Muammar al-Qaddafi quickly but the limited planning for rebuilding the country politically resulted in a collapse into civil war. Islamist extremist groups have risen to prominence in the country and ex-U.S. President Barack Obama pointed to the lack of planning as his worst mistake in his last year in office.” United Kingdom Reuters: Two British Medics Who Joined Islamic State Killed In Iraq - BBC “Two British medics who abandoned studies in Sudan to join Islamic State with a group of other students have been killed in fighting in Iraq, the BBC reported on Wednesday. Ahmed Sami Khider and Hisham Fadlallah died at the weekend, the BBC said, with Khider believed to have been killed in a convoy as it left the city of Mosul, which U.S.-backed Iraqi forces are trying to retake from IS militants. Britain's Foreign Office said it was unable to confirm the deaths. The two men had been part of a group of nine mainly British-Sudanese medical students from Khartoum's University of Medical Sciences and Technology who had joined IS in 2015. Five other Britons from the institution joined them soon afterwards and at least four had now been killed, the BBC said.” Germany Deutsche Welle: Journalists Lament Uptick In Hatred And Violence Directed At Media “The Deniz Yücel case currently illustrates how dangerous simply pursuing one's profession can be for journalists. The correspondent for the German ‘Die Welt’ newspaper is in pretrial detention. If and when he will be released is completely uncertain. In addition, there are the many reporters, photographers, cameramen and -women who even lose their lives. The record of journalists killed in the line of duty, submitted on an annual basis by the journalists' organization ‘Reporters Without Borders,’ is horrifying.” Associated Press: Merkel Visits Egypt, Tunisia To Talk About Migration “German Chancellor Angela Merkel is heading to Egypt and Tunisia this week to discuss migration and development in the North Africa nations. Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said Wednesday that Berlin is interested in helping Egypt strengthen its coastguard and clamp down on illegal trafficking across the Mediterranean, which leads to thousands of deaths each year. Merkel will visit Egypt on Thursday and Tunisia on Friday. Beyond meeting the two countries' leaders, she will talk to Muslim and Coptic Christian faith leaders and members of civil society.” ISIS 24: Kuwait Bans Eight Citizens From Traveling And Freezes Their Funds Due To Their Affiliation With Isis And Al Qaeda “Kuwait began the enforcement of UN Security Council Resolution 1267 by imposing a travel ban on eight citizens and freezing their assets. Resolution 1267 and its extended articles deal with the fight against ISIS and Al-Qaeda and affiliated individuals and organizations. On Thursday (today) Kuwait's Al-Rai newspaper quoted a "senior diplomatic source" in Kuwait as saying that "the Council of Ministers assigned the Foreign Ministry, in coordination with the relevant authorities, with the implementation of the decision by the Sanctions Committee affiliated with the Security Council. The Committee asked Kuwait to impose sanctions on eight Kuwaitis, including a freeze on their assets, travel bans, and blocking the supply of arms.” Sputnik: Libya: ISIS Forcing Filipino Nurses To Treat Its Militants “Libyan rights activist and expert on terrorist groups, Mohammed Jibril Allafi, claimed that ISIS has been forcing Filipino nurses to provide medical services to its militants in Libya. It has also compelled them to organize first-aid training courses to enable militants to treat themselves in case of emergency. The Filipino nurses work in the main hospital in Sirte, which was used by ISIS to treat its wounded gunmen. The expert also noted that previously the terrorist organization ordered doctors to preserve human organs extracted from its dead fighters in order to sell them to dealers of human organs, to obtain money for the purchase of weapons to be used in its armed operations. He urged relevant institutions and organizations to expose the {horrific} practices committed by this terrorist group.” Shabab Al-Ahram: Egypt: Salafi Jihadi Chieftains Recruit Youth To ISIS In Exchange For $10k Each “A security source said that charges against a high school student, identified as M. A., confirms that Egypt is filled with agents of terrorist organizations whose mission is to recruit youth. These agents are not only active on Facebook, but there are some that meet {potential recruits} face to face. According to tribal sources in Sinai, a number of Salafist Jihadist Sheikhs known for their extremist views have contributed to the transport of dozens of youth from North Sinai Governorate, alone, to join ISIS. This is in return for $10k per recruit. The recruiting operations are taking place in some small prayer sites or through agents tasked with luring youth who worship in central mosques.” Muslim Brotherhood Elfagr: Economist: Muslim Brotherhood Still Trading In Dollars To Fabricate Monetary Crisis “Dr. Fakhry Elfiky, a former Assistant Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund, asserted in a statement that the decision taken by the Egyptian Minister of Finance to devaluate the customs dollar by 0.25 pound is a strategic decision designed to encourage foreign investments. According to Elfiky, there are third- and fourth-string Muslim Brotherhood activists, unknown to authorities, whose aim is to foil the country's economic development. He stressed that Muslim Brotherhood's sleeper cells are involved in purchasing and selling dollars to fabricate crises in various {economic} sectors. The expert also noted that the results of the Minister's decision to lower prices will not be felt immediately by citizens but will take some time.” Houthi Yemen Akhbar: Source: Houthis' Drones Are Completely Iranian Made “Saudi Arabia's Alwatan newspaper reported that the unmanned drone, whose production and possession were announced by the Houthis, is 100% Iranian-made. The newspaper quoted a source close to the Sanaa-based government, who confirmed that the unmanned drone presented by the Houthis at a gala event in the capital is being manufactured by Iranian experts. The event was attended by Abdel Aziz bin Habtour, Prime Minister of the Houthi-affiliated government, and Saleh Alsamad, Chairman of the Yemeni Supreme Council. The source added that the Houthis had smuggled the drone in pieces concealed in boxes. They were then installed, in Yemen's Al Hudaydah Governorate, with the aid of Iranian experts.”