Eye on Extremism August 18, 2016

Eye on Extremism August 18, 2016 Reuters: Russia, Spurning U.S. Censure, Launches Second Day Of Syria Strikes From Iran “Russia launched a second day of air strikes against Syrian militants from an Iranian air base, rejecting U.S. suggestions its co-operation with Tehran might violate a U.N. resolution as illogical and factually incorrect. State Department spokesman Mark Toner on Tuesday called the Iranian deployment ‘unfortunate,’ saying the United States was looking into whether the move violated U.N. Security Council resolution 2231, which prohibits the supply, sale and transfer of combat aircraft to Iran. Russia bristled at those comments on Wednesday after announcing that Russian SU-34 fighter bombers flying from Iran's Hamadan air base had for a second day struck Islamic State targets in Syria's Deir al-Zor province, destroying two command posts and killing more than 150 militants.” The Guardian: 'The Worst Place On Earth': Inside Assad's Brutal Saydnaya Prison “Samer al-Ahmed remembers the size of the small hatch near the bottom of his cell door because he was regularly forced to squeeze his head through it. The prison guards would then straighten it out, so his throat was pressed against the edge of the hatch, and jump on his head with all their weight, until blood started flowing across the floor.” Sputnik: Largest Province In Afghanistan May Fall To Taliban ‘Any Time’ “As Lashkar Gah, the besieged capital of Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan, is suffering a major humanitarian catastrophe, officials warn that it may not be long before the whole province falls to the Taliban, Nasima Naiazi, a member of the provincial legislature, told Sputnik. She added that with the local airport in Lashkar Gah was now closed, dozens of flights had been cancelled and the roads all blocked by the militants; there was virtually no access to Kabul from Helmand. She also said that Helmand’s proximity to Pakistan allowed the Taliban fighters to easily cross into the neighboring country’s border regions and then move back.” The Washington Post: A Former CIA Asset Has Become A U.S. Headache In Libya “He’s a grandfather and longtime Washington suburbanite who now commands a powerful fighting force in northern Africa. He’s also a former CIA asset and anti-Islamist warrior who stands in the way of peace in Libya. The United States and its allies can’t figure out what to do about Khalifa Hifter, the Libyan general whose refusal to support a fragile unity government has jeopardized hopes for stability in a country plagued by conflict. Since he emerged as an important post-revolution figure in 2014, Western governments have struggled to define an effective policy to deal with Hifter, who has styled himself as an antidote to extremists while building his own power base and shunning the political process brokered by the United Nations.” The New York Times: Turkey To Release Tens Of Thousands Of Prisoners To Make Room For Coup Suspects “Turkey said on Wednesday that it would empty its prisons of tens of thousands of criminals to make room for the wave of journalists, teachers, lawyers and judges rounded up in connection with last month’s failed coup. The startling decision to put so many criminals convicted of nonviolent offenses back on the streets is a measure of the strains on the state as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expands a wide-ranging purge of those suspected of being enemies of the government. The efforts have created gaping holes in government institutions, the judiciary, schools, the news media and countless other professions. Acting under powers granted by a state of emergency and allowing the state to bypass Parliament to enact new laws, Turkey said in a decree issued on Wednesday that it would begin releasing up to 38,000 prisoners, or roughly one in five people behind bars. Most will be freed by the end of the week.” The Jerusalem Post: Police Arrest Terrorist Responsible For Jerusalem Stabbing Attack “Less than a week after stabbing a male Jewish teenager in the back and neck with a screwdriver in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of A-Tur, police announced on Wednesday that a Palestinian suspect living near the scene had been arrested. Last Thursday afternoon, the unidentified 18-year-old victim said he was accosted from behind, without provocation, while walking in the Arab neighborhood. He was moderately wounded and rushed to Hadassah University Medical Center on Mount Scopus. Following an intensive investigation, Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the terrorist, identified as Achmad Ashair, 20, was arrested on Tuesday in A-Tur.” CNN: Libya: ISIS All But Defeated In Moammar Gadhafi's Hometown “ISIS is on the brink of being kicked out of the coastal Libyan city of Sirte -- the extremist group's most significant stronghold outside Syria and Iraq. Forces loyal to the the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, already in control of most of the city, liberated one of only three remaining districts under ISIS control on Tuesday, a security official told CNN Wednesday. Libyan forces started the campaign to liberate the Mediterranean city -- best known as Moammar Gadhafi's hometown before it fell into the hands of ISIS -- three months ago.” International Business Times: Theresa May Looks To Ban Hate Preachers From Mosques And Universities To Tackle Extremism “Theresa May's government is looking at ways to clamp down on hate preachers following the conviction of radical cleric, Anjem Choudary. Measures being considered include banning them from entering mosques and universities, as well as blanket bans to stop extremists from addressing large groups in public spaces in a bid to tackle radicalisation. The government is also exploring how it can force social media sites to remove hate-filled messages and videos online. Since taking office last month, May has made combating extremism one of her ‘top priorities’ and the measures would surpass laws brought in by David Cameron, the Telegraph reported. A new Extremism bill is set to be tabled in May 2017. Constraints surrounding the UK's anti-terror laws were back on the agenda after Choudary was finally found guilty of inviting support for the Islamic State (Isis) earlier this week after 20 years of playing cat and mouse with law enforcement.” The New York Times: Fighting For The ‘Soul Of France,’ More Towns Ban A Bathing Suit: The Burkini “The debate is now so heated in France that one could be forgiven for assuming that the burkini — the full-body bathing suit worn by some Muslim women — had invaded French beaches. Five towns have banned them. Three more are in the process of doing so. Prime Minister Manuel Valls supported the prohibitions on Wednesday, calling the garment part of ‘the enslavement of women.’ In fact it would be challenging to spot a burkini on most French beaches, and even some of the mayors considering the bans admit to never having seen one. But with a presidential election approaching next year, and the nation palpably on edge after a series of terrorist attacks — including 85 people killed this summer along the French Riviera — the burkini has become a new dividing line in France’s increasingly fraught relationship with its Muslim population, Europe’s largest.” Newsweek: Munich Bans Backpacks From Oktoberfest Over Extremism Fears “The German city of Munich is to ban backpacks from this year’s Oktoberfest beer festival and build a fence around its perimeter in the aftermath of three extremist attacks, two claimed by the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) and one by a far-right gunman, in Bavaria in July. Deputy mayor of Munich Josef Schmid said on Wednesday that bags larger than three liters (0.8 gallons) in capacity would not be permitted into the festival. The event is to be held between September 17 and October 3. The festival ‘won't become a high-security zone, but there will be important changes that affect all guests,’ Schmid said, speaking to reporters.” United States The New York Times: Does The U.S. Ignore Its Civilian Casualties In Iraq And Syria? “In barely a generation, air power has shifted from indiscriminate to discriminating. Thanks to advances in precision guidance, American bombs and missiles now generally get to where they’re intended. But human or machine error, bad luck or faulty military math still lead to unforeseen civilian deaths. And as the United States and its allies continue their bombing campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, many more noncombatants are perishing than they seem prepared to admit. The United States and its allies have taken care to mitigate harm to civilians, and the United States Central Command is investigating the July 19 incident. But with the fight moving deeper into the towns and cities of Iraq and Syria — where millions remain under the Islamic State’s thumb — the risk is rising. Denmark, a member of the coalition, recently warned that civilian deaths might be “unavoidable” in this new phase of the war. Yet the allies appear poorly equipped to properly assess the numbers already being killed.” Daily Caller: US Military Says There Are 80,000 Iranian-Backed Fighters In Iraq “As many as 80,000 Iranian-backed militia are currently fighting Islamic State in Iraq, according to a U.S. Army spokesman. Col. Christopher Garver, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, confirmed to Fox News that of the 100,000 Shiite militia fighters operating in Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMUs), 80 percent are backed directly by the Islamic Republic of Iran. ‘The [Iranian-backed] Shia militia are usually identified at around 80,000,’ Garver told Fox News’s Lucas Tomlinson. The PMUs have have straddled the fence where it concerns dual loyalty between Iran and Iraq since they were first integrated into the conventional Iraq Security Forces (ISF). Baghdad essentially deputized the PMUs as a response to the startling rise of ISIS in 2014, but Iran is known to provide military advice and logistical support to the militias.” Syria Associated Press: The Latest: Airstrikes On Rebel-Held Syrian City Kill 17 “The Latest on the developments in the Syrian civil war, a day after Russia used a base in Iran to launch airstrikes in the Arab country (all times local): 9 p.m. A Syrian search-and-rescue group says 17 people have been killed in airstrikes on the rebel-held northwestern city of Idlib. The local branch of the volunteer Syrian Civil Defense group said the airstrikes on Wednesday wounded at least 30 others. The group, also known as the White Helmets, which operates in opposition-held areas, blamed the attack on government jets. A video report posted on the group's site showed rescue workers pulling bodies from wreckage along a heavily damaged street. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported the strikes, saying tens of civilians were killed and wounded. Monitoring groups say rebel-held territory in the country's northwest has come under increasing attack by Syrian and Russian jets in recent weeks.” Voice Of America: Frayed IS Fighters Plot Strategy In Northern Syria “Pushed from their strategic stronghold of Manbij in northern Syria in recent days by U.S.-backed forces, retreating Islamic State fighters are scrambling over how and where to next make a stand. Islamic State militants are becoming increasingly trapped in pockets along the Turkish border and are reportedly resorting to desperate measures, according to analysts and commanders of forces fighting Islamic State (IS). After months of fighting for Manbij, held by IS for nearly two years, U.S.-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance forces are bent on pursuing IS in other pockets that remain under its control. Losing Manbij was a severe blow to the militants, according to the Pentagon and local commanders.” BBC: Nearly 18,000 Died In Syria State Jails In 2011-15, Says Amnesty “Nearly 18,000 people died in government custody in Syria in 2011-15, an Amnesty International report says, alleging beatings and rape in prisons. Amnesty says its document includes interviews with 65 ‘torture survivors’, who have described appalling abuse in jails and detention centres. The human rights group urges the world community to pressure Damascus to end the use of torture. The Syrian government has repeatedly denied such allegations. A UN human rights report in February accused the Syrian government of carrying out a state policy of extermination, and said both sides in the war were suspected of committing war crimes.” Iraq Newsweek: Iraq Opens Airspace To Russia After Iran Deployment “Iraq has allowed the Russian air force to use its airspace if needed during airstrikes on Syria, following Russia’s decision to deploy aircraft to Iraq’s neighbors, Iran, on Tuesday. Russian government officials have previously not ruled out expanding the bombing campaign on militants from jihadist group Islamic State (ISIS) and others, from Syria to Iraq, though Russia’s Foreign Ministry has said this would require Iraq to ask for the airstrikes first. U.S. allies are supporting Iraqi forces with airstrikes already and, Russia’s deployment in Iran’s Hamedan base increases Moscow’s options, should wish to embark on any such operations on its own in future.” Turkey BBC: Turkey Fury Over Islamism Claims In Leaked German Report “The Turkish government has reacted angrily to a leaked German government document that suggested Turkey has become a platform for Islamist groups. The claims reflected a ‘distorted mentality’, a Turkish official was quoted as saying. The leaked document had been produced by the German interior ministry. The government in Berlin quickly moved to distance itself from the document and emphasised Turkey's importance in the fight against jihadism. A foreign ministry spokesman said it did not share the assessment of the document as published in the media. In further statements, Berlin officials also emphasised Ankara's role in curbing the influx of refugees into Europe from Turkey.” Associated Press: Turkey Detains Employees Of Banned Pro-Kurdish Paper “Turkish police have detained 24 employees of a pro-Kurdish newspaper after a court ordered its closure for allegedly engaging in ‘terrorist propaganda,’ a journalism group said Wednesday. The move comes amid heightened concerns over press freedoms in Turkey and raises the number of media workers placed behind bars since Turkey's July 15 failed coup attempt to almost 100. The government accuses U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen of masterminding the coup and has shut down 130 news outlets associated with his movement. Dozens of journalists and media employees working for Gulen-linked news organizations have been detained in the aftermath of the failed coup, which left at least 270 people dead. Turkey's government denies that the journalists have been jailed for their journalistic activity, insisting they face investigations or prosecution for terror or other crimes.” Afghanistan Business Standard: 19 Taliban Militants Killed In Afghanistan “At least 19 Taliban militants were killed in a gun battle with the security forces in an Afghan province on Wednesday, authorities said in a statement. ‘Security forces in crackdown against militants in Khan Abad and Chardara districts of Kunduz province have killed 19 rebels including notorious Taliban commander Qari Zabihullah,’ Xinhua news agency quoted the statement, adding that the operation was still on. Zabihullah was a key Taliban commander who had organised subversive activities, roadside bombings and attacks on government forces across the embattled province in northern Afghanistan.” Voice Of America: Rights Group: Use Of Afghan Schools For Military Missions Threatens Children’s Lives “A new report finds state security forces in Afghanistan are increasingly using schools in Taliban-held areas for combat missions, threatening children’s lives and education. Human Rights Watch in its report released Wednesday has demanded the government take immediate steps to stop putting schools at the center of the fighting and protect gains the Afghan education sector has made with the help of massive international investment in the post-Taliban era. The report principally focused on activities Afghan security forces have conducted in the northern Baghlan province, which has seen intense fighting over the past year in and around its capital city of Pul-e-Khumri, said Patricia Gossman, senior Afghanistan researcher at the New York-based organization.” Saudi Arabia The New York Times: Cross-Border Fire From Yemen Kills 7 In Saudi Arabia “Seven people were killed in Saudi Arabia when a missile fired from Yemen struck a commercial district in the city of Najran, the kingdom’s official news media confirmed on Wednesday. The attack, on Tuesday evening, appeared to have been carried out by Houthi militias in northern Yemen in retaliation for a series of deadly airstrikes by the Saudi-led military coalition on Monday and Tuesday. Those strikes killed 35 people, 17 of them in a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders in northern Yemen. A spokesman for the Houthi-backed army in Yemen, Brig. Gen. Sharaf Luqman, said Yemeni forces had escalated their missile strikes against Saudi Arabia in retaliation. While missile and rocket attacks across Yemen’s northern border with Saudi Arabia are common, and Houthis often claim to have hit Saudi military targets, this was one of the worst such strikes in recent months.” Nigeria CNN: Escaped Chibok Girl: I Miss My Boko Haram Husband “Escaped Chibok girl Amina Ali Nkeki says she misses her Boko Haram fighter husband and is still thinking about him three months afterescaping the militants' camp. Amina Ali, who was held hostage by the terrorist group for more than two years, says she was married off a year into her ordeal and later had a baby girl, Safiya. The couple and their daughter were found on the outskirts of Nigeria's Sambisa Forest in May. She says they fled the camp by themselves and were not rescued by the Nigerian military, contrary to reports. Her husband, identified as Mohammed Hayatu at the time of their escape, told a witness that he too had been kidnapped by Boko Haram. He was placed in military detention for interrogation by Nigeria's joint intelligence center.” United Kingdom Reuters: Who Is An Extremist? UK Faces Legal Challenge Over Strategy To Stop Radicals “To his detractors, including the British government, Salman Butt is an extremist whose views on Islam fly in the face of Britain's values and help foster an atmosphere where young Muslims can be radicalised by militants. Even though he is not accused of supporting militant groups or violence, the British authorities believe it is only by cracking down on activists like Butt and denying a forum for their ideas to be widely heard that the threat posed by jihadis and groups such as Islamic State can be countered. But critics, ranging from civil rights groups to leading academics and lawmakers, say what the government is trying to do amounts to a curb on free speech which could drive a wedge between the authorities and Britain's 2.8 million Muslims.” Germany Reuters: German Police Find IS Items At Home Of Man Arrested For Explosives “A man arrested in Germany on Wednesday on suspicion of storing materials that could be used as explosives had items in his apartment glorifying Islamic State, the regional police chief told broadcaster rbb. Hans-Juergen Moerke told rbb that no attack plans had been found but a search of the flat had uncovered pyrotechnics, a gas mask, a replica Kalashnikov, camouflage suits and ‘many other IS trappings i.e. things that glorify IS’. Nerves are raw in Germany after a spate of attacks on civilians, including two claimed by the Islamic State group and a mass shooting in Munich by a deranged 18-year-old that was also initially seen as terrorism-related.” Bloomberg: Merkel Says Refugee Influx Isn’t Root Cause Of Islamist Terror “German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Islamist terrorism predates last year’s record influx of refugees, seeking to separate the two issues after a series of attacks last month eroded her popularity. Addressing a party event in the northern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on Wednesday, Merkel said it’s ‘apparent’ that terror groups are seeking to win recruits among asylum seekers in Germany. She also cited Islamic State operatives involved in the Paris attacks in November who entered Europe with the wave of migrants from the Middle East. Emerging from a shortened summer break, Merkel spoke three weeks after defending her refugee policy in the face of public outrage over four attacks in southern Germany during a week in July. Two of the attacks were committed by asylum seekers who had pledged allegiance to Islamic State.” Reuters: Germany Resumes Weapons Deliveries To Kurds In North Iraq “The German military on Wednesday said it had resumed deliveries of weapons to Kurdistan after the government of the northern Iraqi region vowed to ensure the arms did not end up on the black market. A defense ministry spokesman said Germany had delivered 70 tonnes of weapons, including 1,500 rifles, 100 shoulder-fired rockets and three armored vehicles, to the Kurdistan Regional Government in Erbil on Tuesday. Germany halted weapons deliveries in January after media reports that some weapons sent to Kurdistan to help it fight Islamic State militants had later been offered for sale on the black market. An investigation by the Kurdistan government completed earlier this year found that about 30 weapons of over 28,000 delivered by Germany had been sold illegally or lost. Kurdish authorities arrested several people as a result.” France Sputnik News: French Security Council Discusses Fight Against Terrorism, New Safety Measures “French President Francois Hollande on Wednesday held a meeting of the country's Defense and Security Council to discuss the fight against terrorism and national security after a recent series of attacks, the Elysee Palace said. Earlier in August, the French government said it planned to beef up security at schools in the aftermath of the deadly terrorist attacks in Nice and near Rouen. France has been in a state of emergency since the Paris attacks last November. It was prolonged for six months in July after a truck attack in the seaside resort of Nice killed 84 people. Later that month, two radicalized men murdered a priest in a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray near Rouen.” Europe BBC: Russia St Petersburg: 'Militants' Killed In Counter-Terrorism Raid “Four suspected militants have been killed in a shoot-out with Russian special forces during a raid on an apartment block in St Petersburg. Russia's counter-terrorism committee said at least three of the men had been wanted for links to a series of terror attacks and attempted assassinations. The men were ordered to surrender but killed when they opened fire, according to an official statement. Russia has long been battling extremism in the North Caucasus. But the BBC's Moscow correspondent Sarah Rainsford says it is rare that raids against suspected Islamist militants are carried out in St Petersburg. The committee says weapons and explosive devices were found in the apartment but it is unclear whether officers were acting on intelligence about a possible attack.” The Wall Street Journal: Belgian Authorities Hunt Former Iraq Detainee Over Brussels Bombings “Belgian authorities are seeking a man they believe helped organize the March 22 bombings in Brussels, the Belgian prosecutor office said Wednesday. Oussama Atar, a 32-year-old Belgian Moroccan who served time in Iraqi prisons, was the target of unsuccessful police raids last Thursday. In addition to his role in the March 22 attacks, Mr. Atar is related to other people who have been arrested in connection with other planned attacks in Belgium. Mr. Atar’s role, if confirmed, suggests there may be direct ties between the cell that plotted the March 22 attacks and groups plotting follow on strikes." ISIS Veto: ISIS Takes Over Homes And Money Belonging To Civilians “ISIS terrorist organization is evacuating civilians from their homes in Al Bab, north of Aleppo, in preparation for the next battle with the Syrian Democratic Forces. This comes after the Democratic Forces announced that their next target after liberating Manbij is the city of Al Bab. Local sources reported that leaders of the organization in the city (of Al Bab) have begun to confiscate properties belonging to civilians in order to take shelter inside them during the impending battle. In addition, ISIS has confiscated funds owned by civilians.” Muslim Brotherhood Veto: Egypt Seeks To Open Communication Channels To Retrieve Funds Smuggled By The Muslim Brotherhood “The International Cooperation Department (ICD) at the Egyptian Ministry of Justice is working to recover funds smuggled abroad, mainly by key figures in Mubarak's regime and leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood. ICD is also making an effort to open channels of communication with parliament members in various European countries, especially Switzerland, England, and France, as well as the US Congress. A judicial source claimed there are countries, such as Qatar, Turkey and Britain, which refuse to extradite terrorists who are in their territories, especially those belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood. The source stressed that the ICD, in coordination with the Ministry of Justice, sent these countries many pleas, but they insist on rejecting them, despite existing agreements with Egypt which allow Cairo to demand the extradition of these terrorists. The source noted that the Egyptian Interpol, which is affiliated with the public security sector at the Ministry of Interior, has already announced the inclusion of 42 Brotherhood leaders on the Interpol's lists of "Red Notices" and is circulating them to all member states.” The Seventh Day: Arrest Of Official In Charge Of Financing The Muslim Brotherhood In Dakahlia “On Wednesday, National Security officers in Dakahlia apprehended a Muslim Brotherhood member in charge of financing the group. Mostafa Alnemer, head of the Dakahlia Security Directorate, was notified by General Magdy Alkamry, Chief of the Investigations Department, that national security officers had detained the suspect nicknamed "Mukhtar", who is active in the field of real estate and construction of residential towers. He was detained in Mansoura City's University Neighborhood in possession of 140,000 pounds ($16,000).” Hezbollah Elwehda: Sources In Lebanon: US To Impose New Sanctions On Hezbollah “Sources close to the Governor of the Bank of Lebanon Riad Salameh, claimed on Wednesday that the United States is preparing to issue a new list of individuals and institutions to be included in the sanctions imposed on Hezbollah. A Lebanese newspaper quoted the sources as saying that this (new) list will not lead to any complexity inside the Lebanese political scene, especially in terms of the relationship between Hezbollah and the Governor of the Bank of Lebanon. This is after all the banks decided to apply the mechanism that forbids expansion of the punitive measures to include individuals and institutions not covered by the sanctions.” Houthi Akhbar Alaan: $14 Billion In Losses For Yemen Since The Houthi Coup “Losses resulting from damage to the economy and infrastructure due to the ongoing war in Yemen have exceeded $14 billion so far. According to a confidential report, the conflict in Yemen has thus far caused damage (to infrastructure alone) estimated at roughly $7 billion. Economic damage, associated with production and service provision, are put at more than $7.3 billion. The internationally recognized Yemeni government, headed by President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, is embroiled in a bloody war against Iran-backed Houthis as well as Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.”