Eye on Extremism June 10, 2016

Eye on Extremism June 10, 2016 Reuters: Libyan Forces Fight Islamic State In Sirte, Predict City To Fall Soon “Forces aligned with Libya's unity government battled Islamic State on Thursday in the militant group's stronghold of Sirte, but faced resistance from snipers as they edged towards the city center. Brigades mainly composed of fighters from the western city of Misrata have advanced rapidly, driving the militants back along the coastal road west of Sirte before seizing strategic points on the edge of the city. A separate militia that controls terminals in Libya's oil crescent, the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG), said it had advanced further from the east to reach the town of Harawa, about 70 km (44 miles) east of Sirte.” Express: ISIS Leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi ‘Wounded In Air Strike’ “The so-called caliph was said to be travelling in a convoy with other senior ISIS figures when it was hit by jets operating under the banner of the international anti-ISIS coalition. Iraqi news channel Al Sumariya TV claimed local sources in Iraq's Nineveh province had confirmed that Baghdadi and other leaders in the Islamist group were wounded on Thursday in a coalition bombing raid on one of the ISIS command headquarters close to the Syrian border.” CNN: U.S. Goes After ISIS' Billion-Dollar Revenue Stream “The U.S. estimates that ISIS brought in $1 billion in revenue last year but that recent airstrikes on their cash holdings and oil infrastructure are beginning to squeeze the group's finances. Daniel Glaser, the Treasury Department's assistant secretary for terrorist financing, said Thursday that the U.S. efforts to cripple ISIS' ability to raise money are "bearing fruit." He pointed to airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS cash storage sites in Iraq and Syria as having destroyed "possibly" more than a $100 million of the group's money, along with strikes against oil infrastructure and distribution capabilities controlled by ISIS.” Associated Press: Setbacks Seen For Islamic State In Syria, Iraq, Libya “U.S.-backed fighters in Syria converged from three sides on an Islamic State stronghold near the Turkish border Thursday, while Iraqi special forces pushed deeper into Fallujah, one of the last bastions of the militant group in western Iraq. In Libya, IS militants were fleeing their stronghold of Sirte as forces loyal to a U.N.-brokered government advanced, with some fighters reportedly cutting off beards and long hair to blend in with civilians. The anti-IS offensives posed a significant challenge to the extremist group as it tries to stave off multiple attacks across parts of Syria and Iraq, where it declared a so-called caliphate in 2014, and in more recently seized territory in chaotic Libya. If the U.S.-backed Syria Democratic Forces capture Manbij, it will be the biggest strategic defeat for IS in Syria since July 2015, when it lost the border town of Tal Abyad, a major supply route to the militants' de facto capital of Raqqa.” Voice Of America: Israel Arrests Third Suspect In Tel Aviv Attack “Israeli security forces have arrested a third suspect in Wednesday's terrorist attack in Tel Aviv that killed four and wounded five. Police captured him Thursday in the West Bank town of Yatta. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the suspect a collaborator with the two Palestinian cousins from Yatta alleged to have opened fire on diners and shoppers at a popular marketplace. Both were in police custody. As promised, Israel reacted strongly to Wednesday's attack, suspending travel permits for 83,000 Palestinians during the holy month of Ramadan.” Newsweek: Hamas Promises Further ‘Surprises’ For Israel After Tel Aviv Attack “Palestinian militant group Hamas promised Wednesday that Israel will face further ‘surprises’ during Ramadan after the shooting attack that left four people dead in central Tel Aviv. Hamas said in a statement released after two Palestinian gunmen carried out the attack at the Sarona Market food and retail center Wednesday that the incident ‘is the first of many surprises that will be waiting’ for Israel in the next month. The group stopped short of claiming responsibility for the attack. The two attackers, clad in black suits, ordered drinks at the Max Brenner chocolate shop in Tel Aviv, breaking their Ramadan fast, before opening fire on diners outside the store. Israeli security forces shot and detained both shooters after the attack.” Al-Arabiya: Russia, Iran And Syria Coordinate In Tehran Talks “The defense ministers of allies Iran, Russia and Syria on Thursday held talks in Tehran on pressing the fight against opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The talks come as Damascus steps up its military campaign against both the ISIS militants and rebels in second city Aleppo whom it accuses of colluding with al-Qaeda’s Syria affiliate al-Nusra Front. Iranian Defense Minister General Hossein Dehghan said he and his counterparts from Russia and Syria were determined to deliver a “decisive” battle against “all terrorist groups”. Dehghan said the goal could be achieved by “blocking or preventing” these groups from receiving political support or weapons that could enable them “to conduct wider operations”.” Associated Press: Suicide Bombings In And Around Iraqi Capital Kill 31 People “Two suicide attacks in and around the Iraqi capital on Thursday killed at least 31 people and wounded dozens, officials said. The deadliest attack took place in a commercial area of a majority Shiite neighborhood in Baghdad. At least 19 civilians were killed and 46 wounded, police said. Another suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into an Iraqi army checkpoint north of Baghdad, killing at least 12 people, police said. Seven civilians and five troops were killed in the attack in the town of Taji, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of the capital, a police officer said. At least 32 people were wounded, he added. Medical officials confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to brief the media.” The New York Times: An American Found In Iraq Fleeing From ISIS Is Charged “Federal prosecutors on Thursday charged that a former bank teller in the Washington suburbs joined the Islamic State in Syria in December, received religious training for months and pledged to become a suicide bomber. Nearly 90 people in the United States have been prosecuted in the last two years in connection with support for the Islamic State, but the case against Mohamad Jamal Khweis, 26, of Alexandria, Va., is among the most unusual. While more than three dozen Americans have been accused of trying to go to the Middle East to join the Islamic State, Mr. Khweis is one of a small number thought to have actually made it. And he is the only one who appears to have surrendered in a battle zone after changing his mind.” The Wall Street Journal: France Launches Terror Alert App Ahead Of Euro 2016 “The French government has launched a smartphone app to alert users to possible terror attacks and provide guidance on how to stay safe ahead of the Euro 2016 soccer tournament, which starts Friday. The app, called SAIP (Système d’alerte et d’information des populations), is part of the country’s efforts to enhance security ahead of the UEFA competition. The tournament, the continent’s largest sporting event, is expected to attract millions of people to the country. SAIP geolocates users who are near a potential attack and sends them an alert within 15 minutes with safety instructions, France’s interior ministry said Wednesday.” United States Associated Press: Official: US Moving To Expand Airstrikes In Afghanistan “After months of debate, the U.S. is moving toward a decision to expand the military's authority to conduct airstrikes against the Taliban as the violence in Afghanistan escalates, a senior U.S. defense official said Thursday. The official said a final decision has not been made. But there is a broad desire across the Obama administration to give the military greater ability to help the Afghans fight and win the war. The U.S. is likely to expand the authority of U.S. commanders to strike the Taliban and do whatever else is necessary with the forces they have to support the Afghan operations. The 9,800 U.S. troops still in Afghanistan, however, would still not be involved in direct combat. The official was not authorized to talk publicly about the discussions so spoke on condition of anonymity.” Reuters: Exclusive: Obama Approves Broader Role For U.S. Forces In Afghanistan “President Barack Obama has approved giving the U.S. military greater ability to accompany and enable Afghan forces battling a resilient Taliban insurgency, in a move to assist them more proactively on the battlefield, a U.S. official told Reuters. The senior U.S. defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the decision would also allow greater use of U.S. air power, particularly close air support. However, the official cautioned: ‘This is not a blanket order to target the Taliban.’ Under the new policy, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson, will be able to decide when it is appropriate for American troops to accompany conventional Afghan forces into the field - something they have so far only been doing with Afghan special operations forces, the official said.” U.S. News And World Report: Strong Senate Support For More Warrantless Collection Torpedoes Email Privacy Bill “Senate supporters of legislation requiring authorities to get a warrant to access U.S. emails older than 180 days pulled the plug Thursday after a committee appeared likely to repurpose the bill to expand the FBI's authority to take records without court approval. The House unanimously approved its version of the email warrant bill last month, but the reform now is on ice in the upper chamber. Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican and the bill's primary sponsor in the chamber, withdrew it from consideration in the face of an amendment from Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, that would expand the records the FBI can acquire using a national security letter, or NSL.” CBS News: Paul Ryan Releases National Security Plan “A national security plan for Speaker Paul Ryan and House Republicans' ‘A Better Way’ campaign was revealed Thursday. Ryan promoted the plan in his opening remarks at a Council on Foreign Relations event featuring speakers such as Homeland Security Committee Chairman, Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, and Virginia Rep. Bob Goodlatte. The four-step plan on the campaign's website includes points such as ‘defeat the terrorists,’ ‘protect the homeland,’ ‘tackle new threats’ and ‘defend freedom.’” Voice Of America: US Sees No Major Islamic State Links To Boko Haram, Despite Claims “After Boko Haram killed more than two dozen soldiers in Niger last week, it claimed the attack in the name of Islamic State-West Africa Province – a title meant to tell the world it is an arm of the Syria-based extremist group. But U.S. officials tell Reuters they see no evidence that Boko Haram has received significant operational support or financing from Islamic State, more than a year after the brutal West African group's pledge of allegiance to it. That assessment, detailed by multiple U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, suggests Boko Haram's loyalty pledge has so far mostly been a branding exercise designed to boost its international jihadi credentials, attract recruits, and appeal to the IS leadership for assistance.” Defense One: Inside the New US War With Brand ISIS “As the Islamic State, ISIS or Daesh, continues to lose territory in Iraq and Syria, it’s their next act that most concerns Michael Lumpkin, the Obama administration’s new counter-propaganda czar. “What I fear is that Daesh, once it’s constrained on the battlespace, it will rebrand itself as something else. And then we have to be ready for that,” Lumpkin, told Defense One in an interview at the State Department. “…but not two years after.” Lumpkin is referring to the State Department’s slow-to-launch campaign to fight ISIS’s robust online messaging campaign he was called in to turn into something, well better.” Syria Associated Press: Russia Calls For Targeting Groups In Syria That Breach Truce “Russia's foreign minister says opposition groups in Syria failing to respect a truce brokered by Moscow and Washington must be targeted. Sergey Lavrov said Thursday that it will be ‘counterproductive’ to keep waiting for opposition groups to abide by the cease-fire that went into effect on Feb. 27, adding they must bear full responsibility for violations. The Islamic State group and al-Qaida's branch in Syria, the Nusra Front, are not covered by the truce. Russia has demanded that other opposition groups, which Washington considers moderate, leave areas controlled by Nusra. Russia set a deadline for Syrian opposition units to withdraw from areas occupied by Nusra, but then agreed to give them more time to pull out. Despite the truce, fighting has continued to rage in many areas in Syria.” The Washington Post: Syria Aid Convoys Agreed To, But Proof Will Be In The Delivery “Syria has given initial approval for humanitarian aid convoys to 17 areas where civilians are encircled by government forces, the United Nations said Thursday. All of the deliveries are to take place before the end of June. U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura, who announced the approval in Geneva, noted that similar approvals in the past frequently have been rescinded or compromised. He said that the World Food Program has completed a plan for airdrops or landings of food and medical supplies to hundreds of thousands of people in besieged areas and that they are ‘still an option’ if land convoys do not succeed. But de Mistura acknowledged that airdrops, as well as land deliveries, ‘need government permission.’” The New York Times: Syria Violence Leads U.N. Envoy To Push Back Date For Peace Talks “As artillery shells and airstrikes shook several Syrian towns and cities, a United Nations mediator said Thursday that although the time was not right for new talks between the warring parties, it was urgent that they resume by early August. The United Nations’ special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, told reporters in Geneva that the next round of peace talks needed to produce concrete steps toward a political transition to end the war. He said Aug. 1 was the target date for resuming negotiations. That date represents a step back from a deadline, set in March by the 17-nation International Syria Support group, for achieving agreement on a political transition in Syria by the start of August.” Reuters: U.S. Allies Tighten Grip Around Islamic State Stronghold In Syria “U.S.-backed militia drew within firing distance of the last road into an Islamic State stronghold in northern Syria on Thursday, part of a wave of new offensives putting unprecedented pressure on the self-declared caliphate. The effective encirclement of Manbij by a militia called the Syria Democratic Forces is part of an assault launched last week, backed by U.S. air power and American special forces, to seal off the last stretch of Syrian-Turkish frontier. It marks the most ambitious advance by a group allied to Washington in Syria since the United States launched its military campaign against Islamic State two years ago. Simultaneously, Russia is backing a separate advance by forces of the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against Islamic State in another part of the country.” Iraq Reuters: Islamic State Video Shows Assyrian Temple Blown Up In Iraq “Islamic State insurgents have posted a video showing a 3,000-year-old temple being blown up at the Assyrian city of Nimrud in northern Iraq, in their latest assault on some of the world's greatest archaeological and cultural treasures. The United Nations confirmed in a statement on Wednesday evening that satellite imagery showed ‘extensive damage to the main entrance’ of the temple of Nabu, the Babylonian god of wisdom. Nimrud was a 13th century BC Assyrian city, located 30 km (20 miles) south of the modern city of Mosul, which the hardline Islamic State militants seized control of in June 2014. The date of the Islamic State video was unclear and Reuters could not independently verify its authenticity.” Turkey Associated Press: PKK Claims Attack Against Police In Southeast Turkey “A Kurdish rebel group has claimed responsibility for a suicide car bombing at a police station in southeastern Turkey. The outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, issued a statement on Thursday identifying the bomber as ‘Dirok Amed.’ The attack in the town of Midyat on Wednesday killed three police officers and three civilians. Turkish officials also suspect the PKK -- considered by Ankara and its allies to be a terrorist group -- was behind a Tuesday car bomb attack in Istanbul. That attack targeted a police vehicle during morning rush hour and killed 11 people. Turkey is suffering from a surge of violence since last summer when a fragile truce with the Kurdish rebels collapsed. The PKK has fought the Turkish state for decades in a conflict that has claimed thousands of lives.” BBC: German Genocide Vote Inflames Tensions With Turkey “A few metres from Berlin's Brandenburg gate, a huge red Turkish flag obscures the summer sky. There are several thousand protesters. There is music, shouting. An old man grins, front teeth missing, and waves a placard: ‘Germany's Turks reject the accusation of genocide!’ But Germany's MPs do not. The ‘genocide’ in question happened more than 100 years ago in a corner of the crumbling Ottoman Empire. Its forces rounded up the Armenian Christians living in Eastern Anatolia and either killed them or drove them into the desert and left them for dead. Armenia says 1.5 million people died. To this day, the Turkish government disputes that figure and denies an organised programme of ethnic cleansing.” Afghanistan Reuters: Taliban Gains In Afghanistan Threaten Costly U.S. Reconstruction Effort “The United States has wasted billions of dollars in reconstruction aid to Afghanistan over the past decade, and now a renewed Taliban insurgency is threatening the gains that have been made, the U.S government’s top watchdog on Afghanistan said. ‘The bottom line is too much has been wasted in Afghanistan. Too much money was spent in too small a country with too little oversight,’ John Sopko told Reuters. ‘And if the security situation continues to deteriorate, even areas where money was spent wisely and gains were made, could be jeopardized.’ The nearly $113 billion Congress has appropriated for reconstruction since 2001, when U.S.-led forces invaded the country and toppled the Taliban regime, has long been plagued by corruption, waste and mismanagement, according to a series of reports from Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR).” Voice Of America: Drone Strike Strains US-Pakistani Talks On Afghanistan “The U.S. drone attack that killed the Afghan Taliban’s leader last month in Pakistan damaged ‘mutual trust’ between Islamabad and Washington, intensified hostilities in Afghanistan and seriously set back peace efforts for that war-ravaged country, a Pakistani authority said on the eve of new talks. As senior U.S. officials and their Pakistani counterparts prepare to meet Friday, the Pakistani prime minister's adviser on foreign policy, Sartaj Aziz, said the drone attack put fresh strains on the already uneasy U.S.-Pakistani relations. He predicted the issue would have ‘long-lasting implications.’ The U.S. delegation visiting Islamabad includes Peter Lavoy, senior director for Afghanistan and Pakistan at the U.S. National Security Council, and Richard Olson, the U.S. special representative to the two neighboring countries.” Egypt International Business Times: ISIS Attack On Egyptian Pyramids Unlikely Authorities Insist After Islamic State Video Threatens To Blow Up Giza Sites “Egyptian authorities took to local media outlets this week to reassure the public the ancient pyramids in Giza are safe from any potential attacks by the Islamic State group despite recent threats. Citing an anonymous source in the tourism ministry, ANSAmed reported historic sites in the North African nation had 24-hour security that would prevent any incidents. The pyramids alone are watched by nearly 200 surveillance cameras. Alarm was raised Tuesday after the Daily Mail published a video purportedly from the extremist organization also known as ISIS. The clip showed the group exploding the temple of Nabu, a 2,500-year-old structure in Iraq, and then revealing its next targets: the Great Pyramid and Great Sphinx of Giza. A fighter on screen says ISIS plans to ruin ‘ancient sites built by the infidels’ and ‘demolish them with the help of God,’ Vocativ reported.” Middle East NPR: After Attack, Israel Imposes New Movement Restrictions On Palestinians “Israel says it is suspending tens of thousands of movement permits for Palestinians a day after a mass shooting at a Tel Aviv food and retail center that killed four Israelis. Israeli police identified the gunmen as two Palestinian cousins in their 20s. They were apprehended Wednesday night, and one of them ‘remains in an Israeli hospital after being wounded by security forces responding to the attack,’ NPR's Emily Harris tells our Newscast unit. Israel has ‘frozen permits for more than 80,000 Palestinians to visit relatives in Israel or pray in Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which started this week,’ Emily reports.” Libya The New York Times: U.N.-Backed Libyan Fighters Push Toward ISIS Stronghold Of Surt “Libyan fighters aligned with the United Nations-backed unity government on Thursday battled their way toward the center of Surt, the Islamic State’s coastal stronghold, in a rapid offensive that has confounded expectations and upended Western strategic calculations. Only a few months ago, American generals were touting a plan to dislodge the Islamic State from Surt with a campaign of airstrikes. Yet the three-week-old Libyan ground offensive, led by a brigade from the nearby city of Misurata, has gradually closed in from the west and south, capturing an airfield, military bases and a traffic junction where the Islamic State has hanged dozens of people. The swiftness and extent of these successes and the seeming inability of the Islamic State to hold on to territory has surprised observers inside and outside Libya.” United Kingdom Buzzfeed: UK Government To Spend £1 Million Polling British Muslims On Extremism “The Home Office plans to commission a series of telephone polls to survey British Muslims’ attitudes towards extremist ideas and ideologies, BuzzFeed News has learned. Ministers hope that the polling will not only measure respondents’ existing views but also allow them to track the effectiveness of counter-extremism initiatives such as the controversial Prevent programme. But Muslim leaders voiced concerns that the polling reinforced the notion that the Muslim community was suspect, and said sampling difficulties meant the results could be ‘plain wrong’.” BBC: West Midlands Police Arrest Syria Terrorism Suspect In Kent “A man has been arrested on suspicion of Syria-related terrorism offences. Officers from the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit arrested the 31-year-old man in Margate, Kent. He is being held on suspicion of preparing for terrorist acts contrary to Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006, West Midlands Police said. Officers from the terror unit were helped by Kent Police and are carrying out searches at the address where the arrest was made. Police said the arrest was pre-planned and intelligence-led and posed no threat to public safety.” BBC: IS Suspect 'Jihadi Jack's' Parents Remanded In Custody Over Terrorism Offences “The parents of a man alleged to have joined so-called Islamic State group have been remanded in custody after being charged with terrorism offences. Jack Letts, 20, from Oxford, who has been dubbed ‘Jihadi Jack’ by some newspapers, is said to have left for Iraq aged 18. John Letts and Sally Lane, denied providing money for suspected terrorism at Westminster Magistrates' Court. They are due to appear at the Old Bailey on 23 June. They are both charged with three counts of arranging the availability of property or money to another person knowing or having reasonable cause to suspect it could be used for the purpose of terrorism. It is alleged the couple, both of Chilswell Road, Oxford, transferred £223 on 2 September last year, £1,000 on 31 December 2015 and £500 on 4 January 2016.” The Guardian: Britain Aims To Close EU Information Gap In Wake Of Terror Attacks “Theresa May, the home secretary, is expected to throw her weight behind an EU counter-terrorism plan to extend information sharing, after the attacks in Brussels and Paris exposed deadly shortcomings. In future, police and border guards across the EU may be able to make a single search for terrorist suspects across national and European databases. Ministers will also discuss how to bridge the information gap between the 26 countries within Europe’s passport-free zone and those countries outside it, such as the UK and Ireland. A single-search interface is one of the top priorities in the plan to improve information sharing, which EU home affairs ministers are expected to sign off this Friday.” Germany Sputnik: Germany Calls For Creation Of All-European Database Of Terrorists “In the situation when the terrorists are connected across the globe, European intelligence services need to unite their efforts: ‘In Europe, we need an alliance in the field of security. Outside Europe, [we need] a partnership in the field of security. This begins with the exchange of the data in the area of security protection between law enforcement and intelligence services. We want to create an all-European database of individuals who have joined terror organizations. European intelligence services should share information in this area and work with each other closely,’ he said in the German Parliament.” Associated Press: Islamic State Suspect Faces Terrorism Charges In Germany “German prosecutors say they've charged a 30-year-old man with membership in the Islamic State group, alleging that he fought with the group in Syria in 2013. Prosecutors said Thursday that German citizen Abdelkarim El B., whose last name wasn't given in line with privacy laws, took part in fighting near Aleppo. He's alleged to have filmed on his cellphone as he and others cut the ears and nose off the corpse of an enemy fighter, and fired shots into the head. He was arrested in February 2014 after he left Syria for Turkey. After his release nearly a year later he returned to Germany where he was arrested in February 2015. He is charged with membership in a terrorist organization along with breaches of humanitarian and weapons laws.” France Time: France To Kick Off Euro 2016 Under Shadow Of Terror Threat “The soccer championships will test the country's ability to secure itself against further terrorist attacks This was supposed to be a week of wild excitement for France, as millions of soccer fans and 24 national teams arrive in the country for the four-yearly European Football Championships—a month-long tournament of the world’s most beloved sport, featuring many of the best players on the planet. Leaving aside the ongoing demonstrations—including a strike by French pilots that is due to begin on Saturday—the championships have emerged as the crucial test for the country’s ability to secure itself against further terrorist attacks. ‘The level of threats has never been so high as today in regard to the Islamic State and other jihadists,’ says Jean-Charles Brisard, chairman of the Paris-based Center for the Analysis of Terrorism. ‘So the timing is a real challenge for everyone.’” Newsweek: France Admits Special Forces Operating On Ground With Rebels In Syria “French special forces are operating alongside rebels in northeastern Syria in an advisory capacity to aid the capture of the town of Manbij held by the Islamic State militant group (ISIS), a military spokesman said Thursday. French army spokesman Colonel Gilles Jaron confirmed that France is playing a logistical and advisory role in an offensive aimed at cutting ISIS fighters from a key route along the Syrian-Turkish border, Reuters reported. ‘We never go into details about anything to do with special forces, which are by their nature special. You won’t get any details to protect these men’s activities,’ he said at a news briefing.” Europe The Daily Beast: Ukraine’s Out Of Control Arms Bazaar In Europe’s Backyard “The ideological and ethnic conflict that has torn Ukraine apart over the last two hears has attracted radical nationalists from different countries, some of them involved in weapon smuggling. Among these, notably, were a few French volunteers, ideological supporters of pro-Russian forces who were fighting in eastern Ukraine two years ago. News reports of law enforcement officials discovering underground arsenals have grown commonplace. Former volunteer militia and regular military often smuggle weapons from the war-torn Donbas region to Kiev. Last week police discovered a big underground arsenal of hand grenades, guns, explosives, and other weapons in a garage on the outskirts of Kiev.”