Eye on Extremism - August 1, 2016

Eye on Extremism August 1, 2016 Counter Extremism Project Jerusalem Post: ISIS – The Terrible Twos “The rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) took much of the world by storm. In a 2014 interview with The New Yorker, US President Barack Obama pronounced the blood-spattered theocratic gang to be no more than a “JV squad” (compared with the varsity squad, al-Qaida), with limited capacity to fulfill its mad totalitarian vision. Within the month, ISIS’s blitzkrieg sacked Falluja and would soon conquer fully a third of Iraq in addition to bulldozing its border with Syria. By June 2014, Iraq’s well-equipped but inept army abandoned Mosul, the country’s second largest city, in the face of the ISIS onslaught. The caliphate was born.” Reuters: U.S.-backed forces win control of most of Syria's Manbij from Islamic State: spokesman U.S.-backed forces have now seized control of almost 70 percent of Manbij in northern Syria from Islamic State after making rapid advances over the past two days, a spokesman said on Sunday. Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) have pushed back the ultra hardline Sunni militants into the old quarter after seizing most of the western, eastern and southern sectors of the city, Sharfan Darwish of the SDF-allied Manbij military council told Reuters in Beirut by telephone. Daily Beast: Have U.S. Officials Given Up on ‘Defeating’ ISIS? Officially, the Obama administration is still committed to defeating ISIS. But at the annual gathering of national security chiefs in Aspen, no one was talking about beating the terror army and its adherents. Instead, grim resignation and dark warnings of a long hard fight to come dominated the discussion, with every official predicting a global rise in terror attacks, including in the United States. Reuters: Many Islamic State leaders trying to flee to Syria: Iraqi minister “Many Islamic State leaders have fled Mosul with their families toward Syria ahead of a planned offensive by U.S.-backed Iraqi forces on the city, Iraq's defense minister said on Saturday. Khaled al-Obeidi said he had intelligence of increasing conflict, especially over financial issues, among ultra-hardline militants of the group known as Daesh in Arabic by its enemies. "Many Daesh families and leaders in Mosul have sold their property and sneaked out towards Syria, and a segment even tried to sneak out towards (Iraq's Kurdish) region", he said in an interview on state television.” Wall Street Journal: European Prisons Fueling Spread Of Islamic Radicalism “After his capture in Belgium, the Paris terror suspect Salah Abdeslam was transferred to a prison cell in France where the paint on the walls was still fresh. Prison staff had spent three weeks renovating the space, bolting down furniture and installing video cameras to make sure the 26-year-old’s solitary confinement went smoothly, said Marcel Duredon, a guard at Fleury-Mérogis, the high-security facility on the outskirts of Paris.” Reuters: Islamic State calls on members to carry out jihad in Russia “Islamic State called on its group members to carry out jihad in Russia in a nine-minute YouTube video on Sunday. "Listen Putin, we will come to Russia and will kill you at your homes ... Oh Brothers, carry out jihad and kill and fight them," a masked man driving a car in the desert yelled while wagging his finger in the last couple of minutes of the video. The video with subtitles showed footage of armed men attacking armored vehicles and tents and collecting arms in the desert. "Breaking into a barrack of the Rejectionist military on the international road south Akashat," read one subtitle.” Times of Israel: Its Pockets Lined With Qatari-Paid Wages, Hamas Is On The Rise “It’s hard to predict at this stage whether Israel’s decision to allow Qatar to pay the salaries of Hamas officials in Gaza is valid for July only, or whether Doha, with Israel’s consent, will continue to pay them for the next two months. Officially, Israel refuses to comment on the measure or publicize any information about it, even though the government should be fully transparent, especially in light of the dramatic change of direction in its policy.” BBC: Kabul explosion: Foreign compound targeted by Taliban “A huge explosion was heard across the city about 01:25 local time on Monday (20:55 GMT Sunday). Kabul police chief Abdel Rahman Rahimi told the BBC a lorry bomb went off at the gate of the North Gate compound and then two gunmen went inside. In a gun battle one police officer and both attackers were killed, and the attack is now over, police say.” CNN: 'One ISIS attack every 84 hours' spurs dread and anger in Europe “In the past week I have seen flowers and candles carpeting a street in Munich, the tranquility of a small Bavarian town shattered by a suicide bomb and a small church in suburban France sealed off after its octogenarian priest had his throat cut. Before these horrific events, there was a knife-wielding teenager on a German train. And before that, much deadlier attacks in Nice, Brussels and last November, in Paris.” Wall Street Journal: France Widens Probe of Latest Terrorist Attack but Admits to Mistakes “French authorities have detained a Syrian refugee and are investigating whether he conspired with Islamist radicals who killed a French priest in a Normandy church this past week, officials said Friday. Also Friday, authorities placed a 19-year-old under formal investigation on preliminary charges of terrorist conspiracy in the attack. He had been detained on Monday, the day before the priest’s slaying, after authorities discovered a video in the suspect’s home showing one of the two killers, Abdel-Malik Nabil Petitjean, threatening France. Security servifces were unable to locate Petitjean before he mounted his attack.” Yemen Al Jazeera: Key facts about the war in Yemen “For more than a year, Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country, has been wracked by a bloody war between the Houthi rebels and supporters of Yemen's internationally recognised government. The Houthis and the Yemeni government have battled on-and-off since 2004, but much of the fighting was confined to the Houthis' stronghold, northern Yemen's impoverished Saada province.” Turkey Wall Street Journal: Turkey Captures 11 Suspected Of Trying To Kidnap Erdogan In Coup Attempt “Turkish authorities have captured 11 suspected commandos who have been on the run since the failed kidnap operation against the country’s leader two weeks ago, officials said Monday. Using drones and helicopters, security forces tracked and seized the men who had been hiding in a forested area around 50 kilometers (30 miles) away from the Marmaris seaside resort where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had been on vacation when the coup erupted, the officials said." Syria Washington Post: Syria's Jabhat al-Nusra splits from al-Qaeda and changes its name “Syria’s al-Qaeda affiliate split from its parent organization and changed its name Thursday in a move widely interpreted as a bid to head off a U.S.-Russian plan to launch joint airstrikes against the group. Jabhat al-Nusra announced that it would henceforth be known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham — or Front for the Conquest of Syria — and said it no longer owes allegiance to al-Qaeda.” Afghanistan Reuters: Afghan troops press offensive against Islamic State “When Afghan troops pushed into Kot, a district close to the border with Pakistan, this week, they found many of the houses empty, with posters plastered on the walls and black flags left by departing Islamic State fighters. Backed by U.S. special forces troops and airstrikes that authorities say have killed hundreds of Islamic State fighters in recent weeks, the Afghan army has launched an offensive against the movement, which is now believed to be confined to three or four districts in eastern Afghanistan.” Iraq New York Times: At the Front in a Scarred Falluja “I accompanied Iraq’s elite counterterrorism force and other units from the Iraqi military and the federal police into Falluja at the end of June, during the final days of their long battle to wrest back control of the city from the Islamic State. Falluja was the first Iraqi city to fall to the Islamic State, more than two years ago, and the militant group had all that time to learn the city, sowing traps everywhere. It was only after a long siege that the Iraqi forces moved to take the center.” CNN: Militants Killed, Hostages Freed After ISIS Attack On Oil Field Near Kirkuk, Iraq “An ISIS hostage-taking at an oil field near the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk has ended with the attackers killed and their captives safely freed, a senior security source in the city told CNN. Four hostages -- employees of the Iraqi North Oil Company -- were taken captive after four attackers, believed to be wearing suicide vests, stormed the Bai Hassan oil field northwest of Kirkuk on Sunday, the source said.” Middle East Arutz Sheva: Social Media Darling Revealed To Be Daughter Of Terrorist “The heartwarming story of a simple act of kindness that went viral just became much more complex. Social media outlets were abuzz this weekend when a Facebook post by a young Muslim mother in the United States on Saturday spread, recalling a chance encounter with an elderly Jewish man in a local Barnes & Noble bookstore. Noticing the mother’s clearly Islamic attire, the man, named Lenny, approached the woman, offering his “heartfelt apology for the general anti-Muslim sentiment in our society today,” the woman wrote on Facebook.” Nigeria Times of India: Islamic State training 'next generation' fighters: Report “Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists are training the children of foreign fighters+ in Syria and Iraq to create the "next generation" of militants, according to a latest European report. In its annual report on terrorism in the European Union (EU), Europol said children raised under the group's rule are of "particular concern". "In their propaganda, ISIS has often shown that they train these minors to become the next generation of foreign terrorist fighters, which may pose a future security threat to member states," the report said.” France Reuters: RPT-French church attacker: from troubled childhood to altar killer “France, July 29 Adel Kermiche was an attention-seeking child whose behavioural problems frequently led him to a psychiatric hospital and later a specialist school. He died a coldblooded killer who slit the throat of an elderly French priest in the name of Islamic State.” BBC: France seeks more influence over mosques to stop jihadists “They issued separate appeals in the Journal du Dimanche (JDD) newspaper, as France remains in shock from the murder of a priest by Islamist extremists last week. The 41 prominent Muslims and Mr Valls said a French Muslim foundation set up in 2005 must be relaunched. Mr Valls's stance drew some criticism. Two politicians in the right-wing opposition party The Republicans - Eric Ciotti and Christian Estrosi - accused Mr Valls of hypocrisy for failing to prevent the opening of a Saudi-funded mosque in Nice.” Hezbollah The Guardian: Brazilian Police Arrest Lebanese Former Hezbollah Member Before Olympics “In a continued roundup of suspects linked to terrorism ahead of the Rio Olympics, Brazilian police have announced the arrest of a Lebanese man who was a former member of the militant group Hezbollah and wanted for drug trafficking. Fadi Hassan Nabha, 42, was arrested late on Thursday at his home in Caieiras, a suburb of São Paulo, on orders from the justice ministry that has been seeking to expel him from Brazil, a spokesman for the military police said.” Times Of Israel: Hezbollah Releases Boastful Documentary On Attack That Sparked 2006 War “The Lebanese terror group Hezbollah publicized new footage from its July 2006 attack that launched the Second Lebanon War. Three IDF soldiers were killed and two — Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev — were captured in the raid. Five more IDF soldiers were killed shortly thereafter in a failed Israeli rescue attempt. The 34-day war, which saw thousands of Hezbollah rockets pummeling northern towns, claimed the lives of 165 Israelis, including 44 civilians. Over 1,100 Lebanese, including both Hezbollah fighters and civilians, were killed.” Financing of Terrorism Elaph: Reports reveal two organizations funding and supporting terrorists “The Charity Commission in the UK has issued reports regarding two separate organizations that claim to be raising funds to help the Syrian victims of war and the Muslim Kurds in Birmingham, while in fact they are financing and supporting terrorists. It was proven in one case that several charities established by Adeel Ul-Haq, 21, of Sutton-in-Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, had collected donations through social media websites and used the money to purchase equipment such as a high-powered laser pointer, night-vision goggles and a waterproof money pouch. Ul-Haq was already sentenced last February to 12 months in jail after a separate police investigation found he had been financing terrorism by sending funds he collected to an ISIS fighter in Syria.” Veto: Use of Bitcoin to finance terrorism “A security source stated that the General Administration of Information Technology in Egypt is closely monitoring any deals using Bitcoin on the internet, due to the seriousness of this phenomenon and its contravention to the law. The security official disclosed that money transfers in this currency are mainly used to buy banned narcotic substances such as cocaine, tramadol and cannabis and to import them into the country. In addition, Bitcoin deals are generally intended to back terrorists and provide them with financial support. The source stressed that though Bitcoins are used in many countries, they have only recently emerged in Egypt. He disclosed that the first such case involved a doctor who was found in possession of $13,000 after executing Bitcoin transactions.” Elmihwar: Feared usage of Algerian funds to carry out jihadist attacks “Many European countries have expressed concern in view of the growing number of Algerian property owners in their countries and the increasing value of the funds being transferred to bank accounts throughout Europe (from this Arab country). The European countries are anxious about the possible exploitation of these funds in the financing of new jihadist attacks by terrorist groups. Specifically, the Algerian government and its European counterparts fear the use of these funds in support of terrorist groups. They also suspect that ties exist between those transferring these funds and al-Qaeda. Recently, reports have resurfaced in Algeria about money laundering deals based on the acquisition of real estate and restaurants in the posher neighborhoods of Europe's major cities. Sources confirmed that dozens of barons of drugs, arms and spare parts that are active predominantly in eastern Algeria, in the regions of Oum el-Bouaghi, Ain Fakroun and Barika, have been moving their money to European countries for the purchase of real estate in the largest and most prestigious neighborhoods in European capitals.” ISIS 3roba News: Penalties imposed on owners of satellite dishes “ISIS punishes owners of satellite dishes in Deir al-Zour province (north-eastern Syria) with 50 lashes and a fine of 10,000 Syrian pounds ($46). In June, ISIS stepped up its campaign to ban the use of satellite dishes in the territories under its control in Syria and Iraq because they "disseminate rumors and lure Muslims away from their religion." Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that a man was shot and killed by extremists in the al-Bukamal region in Deir al-Zour province near the Iraqi border on suspicion of involvement in "human trafficking outside the territories of (ISIS) organization." Addiyar: ISIS sells oil at deep discounts “Officials claim that ISIS, after losing more than half of the territory it seized in 2014, has suffered a near-collapse in its revenues from smuggled oil. This has forced it to reduce its fighters' salaries and impose new taxes and fines on anyone who violates its religious laws. The organization, which still controls several oil fields, is compelled to sell what it produces at large discounts, and persuade truck drivers to collect and transport the oil while eluding US-led air strikes.” Muslim Brotherhood Shorouk: Brotherhood youth accuse "old guard" of seizing membership fees in Egypt “The Muslim Brotherhood Administrative Office in Alexandria Governorate, which is affiliated with the Higher Administrative Committee, and also known in the media as 'the youth leadership', has accused the veteran leadership, led by Acting Supreme Guide Mahmoud Ezzat and his representative in Egypt, Dr. Mohammed Abdel Rahman, of embezzling membership fees. They have also been accused of dipping their hands into the money donated by Brotherhood members to the families of victims and detainees from recent incidents in Egypt. The Office said in its statement, "The Committee for Supporting the Muslim Brotherhood's Families of Prisoners and Martyrs has been providing a monthly allowance for persons who have no (official) title in the province and did not take part in the elections (inside the group). This is to get closer to some of the families and obtain their support for the viewpoint of Dr. Mohammed Abdel Rahman's in the internal conflict. By this, 70% of the Brotherhood of Alexandria are being punished, including the families of martyrs and prisoners." Bwabtk: Brotherhood owner of currency exchange company accused of converting Egyptians' money via the black market “On Saturday, the Public Funds Prosecution in Alexandria, headed by Judge Mohammed Mandoor, launched investigations in case No. 188 of 2016, into a gang specializing in collecting the savings of Egyptians abroad and converting them into Egyptian currency on the black market, outside the banking and financial systems. By conducting this illicit activity, gang members profited from the disparities in the currency rates. Judge Mohammed Mandoor heard the statements of several public funds investigation officers who uncovered the gang. They claimed it is headed by the owner of a prominent currency exchange company tied to the Muslim Brotherhood in Alexandria.” Alwafd: Former Chief of Public Funds Investigation Department: Brotherhood - One of the reasons behind Egypt's dollar crisis “General Farouk Elmakrahy, Egypt's former assistant to the interior affairs minister and Chief of Public Funds Investigation Department, outlined the need for cooperation between the Central Bank of Egypt and the Public Funds Investigation Department in controlling the dollar rate on the black market. He disclosed that a team from the Public Funds Investigation Department had concluded a 20-day fact-finding tour of Arab states to ascertain who is involved in trafficking foreign currency in Kuwait, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. This was prompted by the desire to take legal action against these people and stabilize the foreign exchange market. Elmakrahy attributed the main reason for the rising dollar rate to the barring of Public Funds officers from entry to currency exchange offices without directives from the Central Bank. He also underscored the role of the Muslim Brotherhood and their supporters abroad in halting the flow of foreign currency into Egypt. The former official noted that Brotherhood activists were buying the $US dollar in foreign exchange offices and banks abroad at rates significantly higher than its rates in Egypt.” Elbalad: Egyptian media personality: Muslim Brotherhood leads a mafia of dollar trading manipulators “Egyptian media personality Rasha Magdy expressed her dismay at what she called 'a mafia for foreign-currency trafficking and dollar-trading manipulation'. This prompted the government to launch far-reaching security crackdowns targeting the "emperors" of foreign currency trafficking outside the banking market. This offensive has been pursuing gangs that concentrate on the savings of Egyptians abroad and convert them into Egyptian pounds on the black market. This action makes the state unable to benefit from the flow of hard currency. She added that the mafia's control of dollar trafficking and foreign exchange markets is not new. It goes back to the eighties, when some foreign exchange companies owned by leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood started manipulating the rates of foreign currencies. Subsequently, they gained increasing control of Egyptian and Arab markets and exploited them for their political interests.” Albawabh: Muslim Brotherhood leaders accused of embezzling $2.2 million from the group's funds “Prominent Muslim Brotherhood defector, Amr Abu Khalil, accused the group's old-generation leaders of embezzling funds estimated at $2.2 million. He urged leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood's office in Turkey to issue a statement detailing the fraud that was carried out by several of its leaders. Abu Khalil wrote on Facebook: "The case is based on informed sources that are trusted by the youth and involves a donation to the Muslim Brotherhood in Istanbul valued at $2.2 million. However, Muslim Brotherhood former Secretary-General Mahmoud Hussein, Mohammed Al-Buhairi, in charge of African and Sudanese Affairs and Mahmoud El-Abiary, a Muslim Brotherhood leader in London, pocketed the donation to purchase real estate under their names in the Kocatepe district of Istanbul.’” Houthi Gulf Eyes: Secret deal between deposed president and Houthis exceeds $1 billion “Informed sources claim that the agreement signed between the Houthi militias and ousted president (Ali) Saleh came following undisclosed deals surrounding their shared funds and business interests. The agreement rewards Saleh for mobilizing his party members, who had till now kept silent (vis-à-vis the ongoing Yemeni conflict), and for drawing them into the fighting alongside the Houthi militias. The deposed president set several conditions to get his party directly involved after the failure of the Houthi militia to run state affairs and nearly causing the country's economic collapse. His main conditions were: release of $0.5 billion belonging to his party after this sum was frozen at the Central Bank by President Hadi in 2013; release of over $600 million – the value of deals between the military economic establishment and the Ministries of Defense and Interior, as well as many businessmen belonging to the ousted president's party.”