Eye on Extremism December 16, 2016

Eye on Extremism December 16, 2016 Fox News: ISIS Has Three Surface-To-Air Missile Launchers In Syria, US Officials Say “ISIS has taken possession of three Russian surface-to-air missile launchers outside of Palmyra, Syria after retaking the ancient city last weekend, two U.S. defense officials told Fox News Thursday. The officials said the SA-3 launchers contain four missiles each. The 60s-era Soviet missile launcher has a maximum range of 15 miles and can strike aircraft flying at over 60,000 feet in the air. It was not immediately clear whether ISIS knew how to use the military technology. ISIS retook Palmyra over the weekend after Syrian regime troops escaped in a hurry, leaving behind a trove of weapons. A spokesman for Russia's Ministry of Defense said Thursday that an ‘insignificant number’ of weapons had been taken by the terror group.” Washington Post:  Aleppo Evacuation In Limbo Once Again As Gunfire Strikes Convoys “The dramatic evacuation of Syrian civilians and rebels from besieged eastern Aleppo was thrown into chaos Friday as Russia signaled that the convoys were ending even as thousands of people waited to be ferried to safer ground.Opposition fighters remaining in the embattled city, meanwhile, remanned positions in preparation for a possible renewal of battles amid reports that Syrian-allied militiamen seized civilians trying to flee before the window to escape closed.The showdown atmosphere quickly replaced the brief respite when the first buses and ambulances finally rolled out of Aleppo on Thursday under a deal that ended the siege and allowed passage for thousands of people. But it also effectively handed victory to Syrian government forces and delivered a huge blow to opposition groups in the nearly five-year conflict.” Reuters: Syria's White Helmets Accuse Russia Of Aleppo War Crimes: Letter “Russian air strikes in the Aleppo, Syria, region have killed some 1,207 civilians, 380 of them children, the Syrian White Helmets civil defense group told United Nations war crimes investigators in a letter seen by Reuters on Thursday. The White Helmets, the Syrian Network for Human Rights, Independent Doctors Association and the Violations Documentation Center outlined their accusations against Russia in a 39-page document submitted to the U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Syria. The document lists some 304 alleged attacks carried out primarily between July and December in the Aleppo region in which the groups say there is a ‘high likelihood’ of Russia responsibility.” Politico: How Iraq’s Army Could Defeat ISIS In Mosul—But Lose Control Of The Country “One of the few pieces of good news coming from Iraq recently has been that the Iraqi army is winning the battle to retake Mosul from the Islamic State. A victory in Mosul, the nation’s second largest city and Northern Iraq’s most important industrial center, would mark the Islamic State’s most significant battlefield setback since the U.S. began targeting the group back in August 2014. Iraq’s impending victory will be due almost exclusively to the Iraqi army’s elite 1st Special Operations Brigade, an American-trained counterterrorism unit of some 10,000 soldiers representing all of Iraq’s religious sects whose senior officers are graduates of the U.S. Army Ranger School.” Forbes: As Battle For Mosul Rages In Iraq, Observers Warn Of Risk Of 'ISIS 2.0' “Even as ISIS (aka Islamic State or Daesh) looks set to lose control over the Iraqi city  of Mosul, observers are warning of the danger of more insurgencies springing up in Sunni-majority areas of Iraq which remain alienated from the Baghdad government – in effect, this suggests Iraq could repeat the disastrous train of events from 2007, which saw the US military ‘surge’ defeat Al Qaeda in Iraq only to pave the way for ISIS. Iraqi forces have effectively surrounded Mosul and isolated the ISIS-held city, according to a Pentagon spokesman speaking on December 8.” Fox News: A Look Inside The Walls Of A Prison In Iraq, And Into The Tortured Minds Of Female ISIS Militants Held There “Behind the graffiti-speckled cement walls of the Women and Children's Prison here in the Kurdish capital of Erbil, an array of female ISIS jihadists languish along with scores of prostitutes, murderers and other criminals.  ‘Some have been tried, some are still waiting for their sentences,’ the facility's female manager, Diman Bayeez, tells FoxNews.com in her office. "They are here for various offenses … Because of ISIS, we have more and more terrorists.’ The facility is designed to hold as many as 150 inmates, but it has more than double that – about 325 women and children. Of those, only a fraction are accused of terrorism.” NPR: U.S. Files Lawsuit Against Isis Aimed At Recovering Looted Artifacts “U.S. government filed a federal case Thursday aimed at recovering antifacts looted by ISIS. It centers around an ISIS leader believed to be involved in mistreatment of American hostage Kayla Mueller. An unusual case on the docket of the federal court in Washington today. The plaintiff is the United States government. The defendants include two gold coins and a ring with a dark green gemstone. The Justice Department says the Islamic State looted these artifacts. The group has been selling historical treasures to finance its terror operations.” ABC News: Egypt Likely To See More ISIS Attacks, Needs To Change How It Fights Terror, Analysts Say “In the wake of a bombing that killed 24 people at a Cairo church, some analysts warn the largest country in the Arab world may face more attacks by ISIS. Sunday’s assault on civilians in the Egyptian capital signals that ISIS, which on Tuesday claimed responsibility for the attack, is escalating its offensive in the country and shows the need for the country to change how it fights terrorism. Egypt’s leadership downplayed the significance of the attack. In a speech Monday, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi called it a ‘desperate blow’ by terrorists.” The New York Times: Egypt Says Traces Of Explosives Were Found On Bodies From Paris Flight “Egypt said Thursday that explosive traces had been detected on the bodies of passengers retrieved from EgyptAir Flight 804, which plunged into the Mediterranean Sea in May and killed all 66 people on board. The announcement by the Civil Aviation Ministry offers the strongest suggestion yet that a bomb might have felled the airliner as it flew to Cairo from Paris. Previously, officials had focused on a fire as a likely cause. Still, it was not clear why Egyptian officials had taken so long to draw the conclusion about explosives — most of the bodies were recovered from the sea by July — and experts said the cause of the crash remained a mystery.” Newsweek: Turkey Has Silenced Almost All Independent Media Since Failed July Coup: Rights Group “Turkey has carried out a campaign that has ‘all but silenced’ opposition media in the country since July’s failed military coup, according to a report released by Human Rights Watch (HRW). The report alleges that Turkish authorities are targeting pro-Kurdish journalists and independent media critical of the government, on top of a crackdown on media workers linked to the movement of the exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan holds responsible for the failed July 15 coup.” The Guardian: Bama Trade Hub A Ghost Town After Boko Haram Rule “The houses are burnt-out shells, and charred cars and petrol pumps line the roads in the once-bustling Nigerian trade hub of Bama before it was razed by Boko Haram jihadists. As the second biggest town in northern Borno State, Bama was home to some 270,000 residents and a major trading post on the road to Cameroon. But today, 85 percent of it is destroyed. ‘Bama is no more,’ said teacher Mustapha Mallam, who like tens of thousands of others, lost everything when he had to flee his home when Boko Haram took over in September 2014. The fighters ‘burnt everything’ before being evicted by the Nigerian army in March this year, he said. When the soldiers entered the city, they found corpses and spent cartridges strewn across the streets. The only signs of life here now are a handful of soldiers and workers who are trying to repair Bama’s main avenue.” United States Will The US Continue The Fight Against ISIS In Iraq And Syria Under Donald Trump? “It only makes sense for the US to continue to pursue the fight against the so-called Islamic State under President-elect Donald Trump, said outgoing Secretary of Defence Ash Carter on Thursday. ‘I can't speak for the next administration,’ Carter reminded reporters during a joint press conference with UK Minister of Defence Michael Fallon in London. However, ‘it's logical, it makes sense and therefore I expect that logic will recommend itself to the future leadership of the United States,’ he said, ‘as it has recommended itself to the current leadership.’ Carter added he has ‘confidence in the future of’ the American-led coalition against ISIS, which started in June 2014 and involves 12 foreign governments –including the UK.” Deutsche Welle: Kerry: Aleppo Onslaught 'Nothing Short Of A Massacre' “The US Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday accused the Assad-regime and its allies, Russia and Iran, of carrying out ‘nothing short of a massacre’ in Aleppo.  As thousands of Syrian civilians prepare evacuated the city's final rebel-held enclaves following a temporary truce agreement, Kerry told reporters that the US was seeking an immediate and durable cessation of hostilities in Aleppo. ‘There is absolutely no justification whatsoever for the indiscriminate and savage brutality against civilians shown by the regime and by its Russian and Iranian allies over the past few weeks, or indeed over the past five years,’ he said. ‘We are seeing the unleashing of a sectarian passion.’” Syria Associated Press: The Latest: Putin Says Russia, Turkey Seek New Syria Talks “The Latest on the conflict in Syria where thousands more civilians and rebels are expected to leave the eastern part of the city of Aleppo under a key cease-fire deal Russian President Vladimir Putin says that he and his Turkish counterpart are working to launch a new round of peace talks between the Syrian government and the opposition — negotiations that would take place in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana. Putin, who spoke on a visit to Japan on Friday, says that Ankara had helped broker the rebel exit from Aleppo that is currently underway. He says he and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are also working for an overall truce in Syria. The Russian leader says that once the Syrian army secures control of all of Aleppo, civilians will be able to return to their homes.” BBC: Aleppo Syria Battle: Evacuation Continues As Truce Holds “The evacuation of Syrian civilians and rebels from eastern Aleppo is continuing round the clock, as a truce was reported to be holding overnight. The International Committee of the Red Cross told the BBC aid workers wanted to keep the momentum going. More than 3,000 people were bussed out on the first day of the evacuation on Thursday, but the UN says as many as 50,000 are still trapped there. Syria's army, backed by Russia, has taken nearly all rebel-held districts. The US accused the Syrian government of carrying out ‘nothing short of a massacre’ in the city.” CNN: How Russia's Playbook Transformed The War In Syria “It's a war where nothing is unthinkable for long -- but the rebel loss of eastern Aleppo felt unthinkable. It will likely come with the massacre of many surrendering fighters and innocent civilians, and take weeks to put into effect. But now as the Syrian regime claims to have control of all of the largest city, we are dealing with yet another ‘unthinkable’ happening. Their progress has been slow, and rebels in these ranks say that now their fight is purely against ISIS, taking pressure off the Syrian regime. That option may appear less attractive for some fighters who have just seen their homes pounded by the Syrian and Russian advance in Aleppo.” Turkey Reuters: After Aleppo, A Chapter Closes On Turkey's Ambitions In Syria “The recapture of Aleppo by Syrian government forces deals a humiliating blow to years of Turkish policy in Syria, leaving in ruins its efforts to force President Bashar al-Assad from power and handing a major victory to main regional rival Iran. But Turkey's support for the Syrian rebels withdrawing from their last major urban stronghold is far from over, as it intensifies a campaign to drive Islamic State and Kurdish militia fighters from a strip of Syria's north. Some of the rebel brigades from Aleppo are expected to be redeployed as part of ‘Operation Euphrates Shield’, an offensive launched by Turkey four months ago to secure a roughly 90-km (56-mile) stretch of Syrian territory across its border.” Reuters: Turkey Will Have Backup Plans If EU Visa Deal Falls Through, Erdogan Says “Turkey will have back-up plans if its deal with the European Union over visa-free travel to the bloc falls through, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday. Erdogan made the comment at a joint news conference with the president of Slovenia, without elaborating. Under a deal reached with the European Union to stem the flow of migrants to the bloc, Turks are supposed to get visa-free travel into the EU. However, that end of the bargain has been held up as Europe says Turkey's anti-terrorism laws are too broad. Turkey says it must keep the laws as they are, citing its multiple security threats.” Reuters: Turkish Army Says Killed 29 PKK Militants In Air Strikes In Northern Iraq “A Turkish warplane bombardment killed 29 militants in an operation targeting Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq on Dec. 11, Turkey's military said on Thursday. Fighter jets struck and destroyed a main headquarters, gun positions and shelters used by PKK militants in the operation in the Zap region of Iraq, the army said.” Yemen Reuters: Exclusive: Yemen Traders Halt New Wheat Imports As Famine Approaches “Yemen's biggest traders have stopped new wheat imports due to a crisis at the central bank, documents seen by Reuters show, another blow to the war-torn country where millions are suffering acute malnutrition. Nearly two years of war between a Saudi-led Arab coalition and the Iran-allied Houthi movement has left more than half of Yemen's 28 million people ‘food insecure’, with 7 million of them enduring hunger, according to the United Nations. At the same time, aid agencies are warning that Yemen - the Arabian peninsula's poorest country - is on the verge of famine, although they have yet to declare one.” Egypt The Economist: Egypt Is Hit By Terror Attacks “Security and order have always been the priority for Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, Egypt’s president and self-proclaimed protector. Since toppling a democratically elected but unpopular Islamist government in 2013, Mr Sisi, a former general, has attempted to stabilise the country with draconian laws and a crackdown on dissent. Without his firm hand, Egypt would look like its blood-soaked neighbours, say his supporters. One problem with this argument is that Egypt itself looks increasingly volatile. On December 9th a bomb targeting a police vehicle in the city of Kafr al-Sheikh killed a civilian and injured three policemen.” The Guardian: American Held Over 900 Days In Egypt Begs US For Help Before Trump's Reign “On the night of 1 May 2014, Egyptian police climbed the six floors to the offices of the Belady Foundation, an organisation aiding Cairo street children, and arrested everyone inside. Officers gathered laptops and phones that would later be investigated for evidence, and also arrested several of the street children cared for by the NGO. Its founders – American-Egyptian citizen Aya Hijazi, and her husband Mohammed Hassanein – were arrested along with two other employees. Four more were simultaneously arrested across Egypt’s capital.” The Daily Beast: Egyptair Flight 804: Why Is Egypt Sitting On Key Evidence? “Once more Egyptian officials have managed to add mystery rather than light to an air crash investigation. The country’s Civil Aviation Ministry said Thursday that traces of explosive have been found on some victims of EgyptAir Flight 804 that dived into the Mediterranean Sea on May 19 this year. The officials said that they are now launching a criminal investigation into the disaster, which killed 66 people. This obviously implies an act of terrorism—that a bomb had been planted on board the Airbus A320. But the brief announcement is an extraordinarily inadequate step in publicly addressing questions of what happened to the flight. The Egyptians must have a great deal more evidence than is revealed by this one statement; they have had six months in which to examine the airplane’s two black boxes, the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder.”  United Kingdom RT: UK Must ‘Up Game’ To Defeat ISIS In 2017 – Defence Secretary “Britain must up its game if it wants to defeat Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in 2017, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has said ahead of a key anti-IS coalition conference. In a lengthy comment piece in the Telegraph newspaper, Fallon said he would be discussing strategy from Tuesday in a series of meetings with the defense secretaries of 13 allied nations including Iraq.  He cited Aleppo as an example of what can happen without military intervention, before laying out what he presented as the three key issues for the UK in defeating the terrorist group in Iraq and Syria: warfighting, returning stability and tracking down jihadists.” RT: Terrorists Hiding In Migrant Flows Could Appear Anywhere, Warns British Military Chief “Terrorists are using refugee and migrant flows to hide themselves, meaning that they could emerge anywhere, the head of the armed forces claims. At his first lecture at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach said he was sure terrorists were ‘hiding in plain sight’ by posing as migrants. He said there was now ‘a potential network of combat experienced terrorists’ at large around the world. ‘They are losing territory rapidly, foreign fighters are being killed and displaced but they are moving in migrant flows, hiding in plain sight.’” The Guardian: Most Terrorism Arrests Lead To No Charge Or Conviction, Figures Show “The overwhelming majority of people arrested for alleged terrorism offences over the past 15 years have been freed without charge or conviction, official figures show. Fewer than two in 10 people detained by police since September 2001 were convicted directly of terrorism or a terrorism-related offence. The figures released by the Home Office showed that 3,349 people in England and Wales were arrested under terrorism laws since the 9/11 attacks on the US. Of those arrested for terrorism and related offences, 17.8% were convicted in relation to involvement in violent jihad, for instance plotting attacks, funding or facilitating.” Germany Reuters: Dozens Of Afghans Deported From Germany As Merkel Takes Firmer Line “A group of 34 rejected Afghan asylum-seekers arrived in Kabul from Germany on Thursday, the German interior ministry said, the first to be deported under an agreement reached between the two countries this year. Their expulsion is in line with a tougher approach from the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has faced domestic criticism for letting in more than a million migrants since the start of 2015. As she prepares to run for a fourth term next year, she is throwing out those who do not qualify as refugees. ‘It was early morning and I was sleeping when four policemen came to my home and arrested me,’ said Ali Madad Nasiri, one of the men on board a charter plane that landed in the Afghan capital from Frankfurt.” Europe Associated Press: Belgian Police Move On Libya Arms Smuggling Ring “Belgian authorities have detained four people after a series of raids to break up a weapons smuggling ring trying to send guns into Libya in defiance of a U.N. arms embargo. The Federal Prosecutor's office said Thursday that the raids are part of an inquiry into money laundering and arms smuggling involving companies in the U.S., United Arab Emirates, Niger and Belgium. It said the weapons were imported and exported with fake ‘end user certificates.’ None of the four people detained had permits to import or export weapons or military equipment.” Reuters: EU Offers More Funds To Africa Curb Migration “The European Union offered Niger 610 million euros (£511.4 million) on Thursday to curtail migration from Africa through the Mediterranean to Europe and said it was seeking more such money-for-migration deals ahead. Some 1.4 million refugees and migrants arrived in Europe this year and last, and the EU wants to cut back on the uncontrolled influx of people. Niger's desert city of Agadez is a popular waystation for people trying to cross the Sahara to reach Libya and eventually Europe via Italy. This year has become the deadliest on record for those seeking to make the journey.”