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Old 04-16-2019, 06:25 AM
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Arrow Eye on Extremism / April 16, 2019

Eye on Extremism
April 16, 2019
RE: info@counterextremism.com

April 16, 2019


The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Treasury Targets Islamic State Financial Network With Sanctions

“The U.S. Treasury Department on Monday imposed sanctions on seven individuals and a money-services business that the agency said helped move money for Islamic State. The action comes less than a month after U.S.-backed forces captured the last territory controlled by Islamic State in Syria, marking the demise of the group’s so-called caliphate. The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control targeted six members of the Rawi Network, a financial organization based in Iraq that the department says helped Islamic State facilitate transactions across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The network was used by former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in the early 1990s to evade sanctions and later supported Islamic State by smuggling cash and using other techniques to launder money, the Treasury Department said. A Kenyan woman also was added to the U.S. sanctions list for allegedly facilitating transactions for Islamic State in East Africa. “Treasury is dedicated to ensuring the enduring defeat of ISIS by cutting off all remaining sources of their terror funding around the globe,” Sigal Mandelker, undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement.”

Associated Press: UN Says 146 Killed In Libya As Italy Calls For Cease-Fire

“At least 146 people have been killed since a Libyan military commander launched an offensive on the capital earlier this month, the U.N. said Monday, as Italy called for an immediate cease-fire and the withdrawal of his forces. The World Health Organization said 614 others have been wounded since the Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter’s self-styled Libyan National Army launched its offensive on April 5. It did not specify whether those killed and wounded were civilians or fighters. The fighting pits the LNA against rival militias loosely affiliated with a weak U.N.-backed government based in the capital, Tripoli. The U.N. says more than 13,500 people have been displaced.”

The Washington Post: UN Envoy: Yemen Parties Agree On Initial Hodeida Withdrawals

“The U.N. envoy for Yemen announced Monday that the government and Houthi rebels have reached agreement on the military plan for the initial redeployment of forces from the key port of Hodeida. Martin Griffiths told the Security Council by video link from Amman that “when — and I hope it is when and not if — these redeployments happen they will be the first voluntary withdrawals of forces in this long conflict.” He said agreement on the first phase of withdrawals was reached in negotiations between the parties and Lt. Gen. Michael Lollesgaard, who heads the U.N. operation monitoring a broader cease-fire and redeployment agreement reached in Sweden in December. Griffiths called Hodeida, whose port handles about 70 percent of Yemen’s commercial and humanitarian imports, “a test of many things,” including leadership, and he expressed hope “that we shall see in the coming days the people’s trust vindicated in this.”

Reuters: Taliban Team At Afghan Peace Talks In Qatar To Include Women - Spokesman

“Women will be included for the first time in the Taliban delegation to peace talks in Qatar this month, the movement’s main spokesman said on Monday, ahead of the latest round of meetings aimed at ending the war in Afghanistan. For a group notorious for its strictly conservative attitude to women’s rights, the move represents a step towards addressing demands that women be included in the talks, intended to lay the foundations for a future peace settlement. The April 19-21 meeting in Doha will be the latest in a series of talks between Taliban and U.S. officials and is also expected to include a 150-strong delegation of Afghan politicians and civil society figures. “There will be women among Taliban delegation members in the Doha, Qatar meeting,” Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s main spokesman, said by telephone. He did not name the women, but added, “These women have no family relationship with the senior members of the Taliban, they are normal Afghans, from inside and outside the country, who have been supporters and part of the struggle of the Islamic Emirate.”

The Telegraph: Politicians Are Missing Their Chance To Turn Shamima Begum Into A Poster Girl For The Strength Of British Values

“Shamima Begum is an improbable poster girl for British values. She is thoroughly unlikeable and has shown a depraved indifference to the murderous impact of the Islamist death cult she freely joined. Frankly, she’s easy to hate – which is why this guilt-free, emotive reaction continues to cloud the political and security implications of her case.”

Wired: 15 Months Of Fresh Hell Inside Facebook

“The streets of Davos, Switzerland, were iced over on the night of January 25, 2018, which added a slight element of danger to the prospect of trekking to the Hotel Seehof for George Soros’ annual banquet. The aged financier has a tradition of hosting a dinner at the World Economic Forum, where he regales tycoons, ministers, and journalists with his thoughts about the state of the world. That night he began by warning in his quiet, shaking Hungarian accent about nuclear war and climate change. Then he shifted to his next idea of a global menace: Google and Facebook. “Mining and oil companies exploit the physical environment; social media companies exploit the social environment,” he said. “The owners of the platform giants consider themselves the masters of the universe, but in fact they are slaves to preserving their dominant position ... Davos is a good place to announce that their days are numbered.”

United States

The New York Times: US Airstrike Kills Top IS Group Leader In Northern Somalia

“A United States airstrike killed a senior leader of the extremist rebels of the Islamic State in Somalia group involved in attacks in northern Somalia, U.S. military and a Somali official said Monday. The U.S. Africa Command said in statement that it carried out an airstrike near Xiriiro, a village in northern Somalia's semi-independent Puntland state on Sunday, killing Abdulhakim Dhuqub, the deputy leader of the Somali extremists linked to the Islamic State group. Dhuqub was responsible for the daily operations of the extremist group, planning attacks and getting resources, said the U.S. military statement. The airstrike targeted the vehicle carrying Dhuqub, said the statement. No civilians were injured or killed as a result of this airstrike, according to the U.S. military.”

Syria

Al Monitor: US To Ask Syrian Kurds To Let Turkish Forces Through The Door

“The United States is pressing its Kurdish allies in Syria to ease their resistance to allowing Turkish forces to deploy on their side of the Turkish-Syrian border, well-informed sources told Al-Monitor. The Turkish forces would be a part of the proposed safe zone in northeastern Syria. US officials are pushing for “a limited number” of Turkish forces to be allowed to deploy on the Syrian side of the border, along a stretch of territory running from the east of the Euphrates River to the Iraqi border, according to a senior official from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The source told Al-Monitor, “The subject has already been broached with us and we regard the presence of Turkish troops on our soil as extremely problematic and have made our position clear.” The source said that the Donald Trump administration’s Syria envoy, Ambassador Jim Jeffrey, was expected to travel to northeastern Syria in the coming days, when he is likely to renew demands that Turkish forces be allowed to enter northeastern Syria.”

Rudaw: Syria Imposes New Fuel Rations As Sanctions Bite

“Damascus on Monday imposed new limits on subsidised petrol for cars and motorbikes in regime-held areas of Syria, in the latest bid to curb a fuel crisis it blames on Western sanctions. Owners of private cars would now be allowed just 20 litres (about 7.5 gallons) of fuel every five days, said the ministry of petroleum and mineral resources. At petrol stations in the capital, queues hundreds of metres (yards) long have stretched along streets in the past few weeks, with drivers waiting for hours to get their fill. Qusay, a taxi driver in his 30s, said he had camped out in his car overnight to make sure he got some fuel from a station, so far to no avail. "I got to the front of the queue after midnight with less than 20 cars ahead, but then the petrol ran out at the station," he told AFP, adding that "it's still closed". Ahmad al-Hamawi, 45, gave up after four long hours of waiting. "I'll try to forget my car in the coming days and walk to work," said the radio programme director. The measures announced on Monday allow taxi drivers to fill up 20 litres every two days.”

The Washington Post: An Australian Woman Went To Syria To Find Her ISIS-Raised Grandchildren

“The fate of children raised by foreign fighters in the Islamic State has become an international issue following the collapse of the group’s caliphate over the past year. Facing a slow government response to issues surrounding her family, an Australian woman decided to take matters into her own hands. Karen Nettleton traveled to the Syrian refugee camp of al-Hawl to find three of her grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. When she finally embraced them after years apart, one of her granddaughters, Hoda Sharrouf, said that she couldn’t believe it. “I’m pretty sure I’m dreaming,” 16-year-old Hoda said, according to footage aired on Monday, captured by an Australian television crew with ABC-TV’s Four Corners. “You’re not dreaming. You’re not going to wake up,” Nettleton said in response. Hoda and her siblings — 17-year-old sister Zaynab Sharrouf and 8-year-old brother Humzeh Sharrouf — live with Zaynab Sharrouf’s two young daughters in the camp. They are believed to be the only surviving members of a family that fled to Syria and gained infamy in Australia.”

Al Arabiya: ISIS Member Tasked With 'Bringing In Migrants,' Newly Obtained Terror Group Documents Show

“ISIS has tasked one of its terror bosses with moving militants out of Syria and into Europe, newly procured documents show. Newly obtained documents by The Sunday Times show ISIS has a member tasked with “bringing in migrants and taking out brothers who have been given jobs” as a way to move fighters and money from Syria through Turkey into Europe. The documents were obtained by the paper after being found on a hard drive dropped by members of an ISIS cell during a battle near the group's tiny remaining stronghold in Syria earlier this year. In a bid to stay relevant, the terror group -- which recently lost nearly all of its self-proclaimed “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria -- is planning to launch a fresh wave of attacks in Europe and the Middle East inspired by past atrocities: the 2015 Paris attacks that killed 130 people and 2017 truck attack in New York City that left eight dead. Among the documents on the hard drive is a letter signed by six ISIS leaders and addressed to 47-year-old leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, which lays out the group's new strategy of operations involving bank robberies, vehicle rammings, assassinations and computer hacking.”

The National: The Orphans Of ISIS: Innocent Children Forsaken In 'Hellish' Syrian Camps

“The boy walked in worn out men’s trainers many sizes too large and stood apart as the fighters searched the cluster of women and children being evacuated from the last ISIS-held territory in Syria on a frigid March winter day. The fighters were from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the US-backed group that until last month was battling the last ISIS fighters holding territory in the Euphrates River valley. The boy was from Aleppo, but like more than 60,000 ISIS supporters and their children hailing from over 40 countries, he had ended up in Baghouz. The farming hamlet near the Iraqi border is where the extremist group had chosen to make its last stand. The boy spotted a pile of meals the SDF fighters had discarded some time in the past month that they had been screening evacuees in this desolate desert area. He picked up an egg, peeled it and ate it, then he picked up two more and ate them too. Then he opened a plastic styrofoam container and scooped grey mashed potatoes into his mouth. Finally satiated, the boy turned away from the fighters searching the niqab-clad women for weapons, explosives and cellphones, and stared across the windswept plain. A young SDF fighter saw the boy standing alone and spoke to him in Arabic.”

The Interpreter: ISIS: The Generational Problem

“The fate of perhaps as many as 70 children born to Australian mothers and caught up in the Iraq-Syria conflict has been the focus of Australian media attention. There are calls for them to be repatriated on the grounds that they should not be tarred with the same brush as their parents. An episode of the ABC’s flagship current events program Four Corners on Monday night featuring the three children of Australian jihadi Khaled Sharrouf ensures it remains a live issue. The Sharrouf case is about as straightforward as it gets. The children were taken to Syria without their consent, didn’t take part in any fighting, both parents are now dead and as Four Corners illustrated, they have what appears to be a wonderfully supportive grandmother ready, willing and able to be their guardian. It is unlikely any other children or family groups with claims to Australian citizenship are going to be this “lucky”. Uncertain parentage of children born in Syria or Iraq, dysfunctional family structures back in Australia, parents or siblings who were fully engaged with ISIS and who will face criminal trials in Iraq or Australia (and the associated need to gather admissible evidence to prosecute them) are challenges that will need to be addressed by and for this group.”

Foreign Affairs: Hard Truths In Syria

“Over the last four years, I helped lead the global response to the rise of the Islamic State (ISIS)—an effort that succeeded in destroying an ISIS “caliphate” in the heart of the Middle East that had served as a magnet for foreign jihadists and a base for launching terrorist attacks around the world. Working as a special envoy for U.S. Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, I helped establish a coalition that was the largest of its kind in history: 75 countries and four international organizations, their cooperation built on a foundation of U.S. leadership and consistency across U.S. administrations. Indeed, the strategy to destroy the ISIS caliphate was developed under Obama and then carried forward, with minor modifications, under Trump; throughout, it focused on enabling local fighters to reclaim their cities from ISIS and then establish the conditions for displaced people to return."

Iran

Reuters: U.S. Officially Designates Iran's Revolutionary Guards A Terrorist Group

“The United States officially designated Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization, according to a notice published in the U.S. Federal Register on Monday. U.S. President Donald Trump said last week he would make the symbolic but unprecedented move, which immediately was condemned by Iran and created concerns about reprisal attacks on U.S. forces. The IRGC is in charge of Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs. It also is involved with the country’s banking and shipping industries. The new designation makes it easier to prosecute companies or people in the European Union that do business with Iran. U.S. law already punishes U.S. persons who deal with the IRGC with up to 20 years in prison because of the group’s designation under the U.S. Specially Designated Global Terrorist list, a different U.S. sanctions program.”

The Washington Post: Iran Has A Europe Problem

“The Trump administration consistently admonishes our European allies for their cooperation with the Iranian regime. So the recent rhetorical flare-ups between Tehran and Brussels should come as a welcome surprise, although they have little to do with U.S. policy. While Europe shows no signs of abandoning dialogue with the Islamic Republic as Washington has, tensions are mounting. Europe, however, has economic leverage over Iran and seems prepared to use it as a means of reining in bad Iranian behavior. That’s something U.S. policy has failed thus far to achieve. Europe has been cooperating with Tehran on the nuclear deal and helping the Iranians to evade U.S. sanctions. Yet the relationship between Iran and Europe is hardly stable – and Iran’s leaders appear to be unnerved. “The Europeans should not believe that the Islamic Republic of Iran will wait for long,” Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said on Sunday, complaining about delays from Europe in implementing a non-dollar trade mechanism meant to lessen the blow of U.S. sanctions.”

Iraq

Iraqi News: Iraqi Troops Apprehend Islamic State Militant In Mosul City

“Iraqi security forces on Monday arrested an Islamic State militant in Mosul city, which once hosted the militant group’s self-styled caliphate, a security source was quoted as saying. Speaking to Al Madar News website, the source said that “the terrorist was apprehended in al-Qawsiat district in Mosul after his relatives lodged a complaint with police that he belongs to the Islamic State militant group.” He was handed over to the competent authorities for interrogation, added the source. Iraq declared the collapse of Islamic State’s territorial influence in November 2017 with the recapture of Rawa, a city on Anbar’s western borders with Syria, which was the group’s last bastion in Iraq. IS declared a self-styled “caliphate” in a third of Iraq and neighboring Syria in 2014. A government campaign, backed by a U.S.-led international coalition and paramilitary forces, was launched in 2016 to retake IS-held regions, managing to retake all havens, most notably the city of Mosul, the group’s previously proclaimed capital.”

Iraqi News: IS militants, dressed up in military uniforms, abduct two Iraqi brothers

“Islamic State militants kidnapped on Monday two Iraqi brothers in the northwestern province of Nineveh, a security source said as the kidnapping cases continue to rise in the country despite the defeat of the terrorist group in 2017. “The IS militants were dressed up in military uniforms when they kidnapped the pair in al-Ba’aj district in Nineveh,” the source told Baghdad Today news website without giving further details. The security situation in Iraq has been improved after Iraqi security forces fully defeated the extremist IS militants late in 2017. However, some security reports warn that the militant group still poses a threat against stability in the country. Violence in the country has surged with the emergence of Islamic State extremist militants who proclaimed an “Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq and Syria in 2014. The surge in violence between armed groups and government forces has resulted in over five million internally displaced persons across Iraq and left more than 11 million in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Islamic State once controlled 88,000 sq km of territory stretching from western Syria to eastern Iraq, imposing its brutal rule on almost eight million people.”

Afghanistan

Fox News: Kabul Announces List Of 250 Afghans For Talks With Taliban

“Kabul has announced a list of 250 people — including around 50 women — who are headed for Qatar for talks with the Taliban later this week, a gathering known as intra-Afghan dialogue. The list was released by the government on Tuesday although the Taliban have refused to talk directly with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's government, saying they would recognize participants only as “ordinary” Afghans. The talks are due to start Friday. The government's list includes representatives of political parties, government officials, opposition figures, former warlords, women's rights activists, war victims' families, clerics, youth and media groups, as well as tribal elders and members of the independent High Peace Council. The Qatar gathering could mark a significant step toward finding an end to Afghanistan's protracted war and U.S. troop withdrawal."

Voice Of America: 5 Killed, 15 Wounded At Afghan Wedding

“Officials in eastern Afghanistan say a gunman opened fire at a wedding, killing five people and wounding 15, before he fled the scene. Authorities say they are not aware of a motive for the attack Sunday in Khost province. The Taliban and other militant groups are active in the area that borders Pakistan, but shooting attacks on weddings are rare. The area, however, is rife with tribal rivalries, officials say. Also Sunday, at least seven children were killed and 10 others wounded when an unexploded mortar shell detonated in the eastern province of Laghman. Officials said the victims were playing with the explosive near the provincial capital of Mehtarlam. A provincial government spokesman, Assadullah Dawlatzai, said an investigation was underway to determine how the children found the mortar and why it exploded. He said all the victims were under 15.”

The Straits Times: Militants Bomb Another Girls' School In Western Afghanistan

“Anti-government militants have attacked and bombed another girls' school in the second attack against education facilities in Afghanistan's western province of Farah within a day, a local official said on Tuesday (April 16). “Armed men blew up Amir Shir Ali Khan High School with explosives in Nawda locality, on the outskirts of Farah city, the capital of western Farah province, on Monday night,” Mr Mohammad Azim, head of the provincial education department, told Xinhua. The school building was destroyed, but no one has been injured as the school, accommodating over 1,000 students, was closed during the overnight attack, he noted. An investigation was underway, the official said. On Sunday night, a girls' school was bombed and destroyed in a similar attack in Tosaak locality of the city, 695km west of the country's capital, Kabul. No group has claimed responsibility for the incidents so far. Taleban militants have in the past been blamed for such incidents as they oppose girls' education. More than 9.5 million Afghan children, around 40 per cent of them girls, attend 15,000 schools across the country. Over 3.7 million school-age children have no access to education due to poverty, conflicts and insurgency, according to education officials.”

The Washington Examiner: Taliban Going For The Win In Afghanistan

“The peace talks with the United States may have only emboldened the Taliban to believe it can cut a deal to end the 18-year war that leaves it in a position to control the country and dismiss the U.S.-backed government in Kabul. “The name of this year’s offensive, Al-Fath or Victory, indicates that the Taliban believes it will soon prevail in the 18 year long conflict against NATO and Afghan forces,” writes Bill Roggio, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “The statement is yet another clear indication that the Taliban will not share power with the Afghan government, but instead seeks to impose its will on the country.” Roggio has posted the full Taliban statement at FDD's Long War Journal site and notes that unlike previous years, in which U.S. and NATO forces were the prime target, the Taliban focuses on the Afghan government and security services. “The Taliban said it seeks to reestablish an ‘Islamic system’ of governance five times in the statement. It also refers to itself four times as the ‘Islamic Emirate,’ the name of the Taliban’s government when it ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001,” Roggio writes. “This is yet another clear sign that the Taliban’s goal is to retake full control of Afghanistan once U.S. and NATO forces leave, and impose its harsh version of sharia or Islamic law on the Afghan people.”

Pakistan

Fox News: Shootout In Northwest Pakistan Kills Policeman, 5 Militants

“Pakistani authorities say a raid by security forces on a militant hideout in the northwestern city of Peshawar triggered a 15-hour shootout in which a police officer and at least five suspected militants were killed. Shaukat Yousafzai, a government spokesman in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said police and commandos surrounded a home in the city on Monday night, acting on intelligence about planned attacks. He says the suspects were asked to surrender but instead, they opened fire on the security forces. Police say the suspects also threw grenades, which killed an officer. The operation is ongoing and the security forces are trying to get into the basement of the house, where one or two more suspects might be hiding. Peshawar is the provincial capital in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan.”

Long War Journal: Al Qaeda Linked Kashmiri Terror Chief Denounces Pakistan, Calls For Renewed Jihad

“Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, an al Qaeda linked terror outfit operating in the Kashmir region, released an audio message last week featuring its chief and former Hizbul Mujahideen commander, Zakir Musa. Musa uses the message to paint a picture for the future of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind’s jihad in the Kashmir–a jihad without ties to Pakistani guidance, with fighters sourced from throughout the region, and focused on the implementation of Sharia, or Islamic law, in Kashmir through terror. He also eulogizes the death of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind’s deputy commander Rehan Khan. The group’s Al-Hurr Media disseminated the audio message, which featured approximately fifteen minutes of Musa speaking over intermittent B-roll imagery and related videos. This is the first message from Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind since September of 2017, when they released a similar production also featuring remarks from Musa. While Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind has not publicly sworn allegiance to al Qaeda or any of its leaders, evidence suggests that the outfit is closely tied to al Qaeda’s operations in South Asia. As FDD’s Long War Journal editor Thomas Joscelyn has pointed out before, “Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind released a three–page statement on Aug. 20th, 2017 emphasizing that it is ‘free from the influence of all’ intelligence agencies.”

Yemen

Arab News: Yemen’s Houthi Militia Storing Aircraft Near Neighborhoods In Sanaa: Arab Coalition

“The Arab coalition on Monday said it had shot down 11 drones launched by the Iranian-backed Houthis targeting Seiyun and that Saada and Amran governorates were still being used by the militia as storage areas for ballistic missiles. Coalition spokesman Col. Turki Al-Maliki told a news conference in Riyadh that the coalition was committed to preventing the delivery of sophisticated weapons to the Houthis and it was taking all necessary measures to protect civilians and vital locations against the threat of drone attacks. The coalition also welcomed the convening of Yemen’s Parliament, its first session since the 2014 Houthi coup. It was held in the city of Seiyun in the eastern province of Hadhramaut on Saturday and attended by 141 members, as well as international envoys and security personnel.”

Arab News: Yemeni Government And Houthi Militants ‘Accept’ Hodeidah Troop Redeployment Plan

“Both sides in the Yemen conflict have agreed to a new plan to redeploy their troops in the port of Hodeidah, the UN envoy to the country said on Monday. The breakthrough comes months after a ceasefire deal for the port city was struck in Sweden between the Iran-backed Houthi militia and Yemeni government forces. However, implemenetation of the deal in Hodeidah, which became the main focus of the conflict, has stalled with the Arab coalition supporting government troops accusing the Houthis of dozens of violations of the deal. Martin Griffiths told a Security Council meeting that the breakthrough of the two sides agreeing to a new “detailed redeployment plan” for Hodeidah was “extremely welcome.” He said the redeployment “would be the first voluntary withdrawal of forces in this long conflict.” “We all need to see tangible progress in Hodeida before moving to focus on the political solution,” Griffiths added. The detailed plan on the pullback was negotiated by Danish General Michael Lollesgaard who heads a UN monitoring mission. Following the deal on the first stage, Lollesgaard will now focus on the second phase and seek to resolve disputes over the deployment of local forces in areas from where there has been a pullback.”

Libya

The Libya Observer: Interior Ministry Apprehends ISIS Terrorist In Tripoli

“The Libyan Interior Ministry of the Presidential Council said Monday it had arrested an ISIS terrorist in Tajoura, Tripoli, saying he is the second to be apprehended in ten days. In a statement on Facebook, the ministry said the militant named Mohammed Abdulhakim Al-Hanid was arrested on Saturday and he was an active member of the terrorist group with a nickname of Al-Farouk, adding that he was trying to obtain the explosive materials C4. Upon interrogations, the terrorist confessed to be a member of the Hisba Office in Derna within the ISIS group, saying he met with ISIS Emir in Derna Abu Mouad Al-Iraqi and that he has contacts with many ISIS leaderships in Libyan desert. He also confessed that he was tasked by ISIS to monitor the ministries and vital targets in Tripoli and that he wanted to obtain explosives to make explosive belts for attacks in western Libya, especially in Tripoli. Last week, the Interior Ministry said it had arrested Ana Abrik Al-Zouki, A.K.A. Abu Abdullah Al-Dernawi, who is also an ISIS militant.”

Associated Press: In Libya, A Rogues’ Gallery Of Militias Prepare For War

“Libya is on the verge of an all-out war involving a rogues’ gallery of militias, many of which are little more than criminal gangs armed with heavy weapons. The country slid into chaos after the 2011 uprising, in which rebels overthrew and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi and looted his vast arsenal. Even more weapons have flowed in since then, despite a U.N. arms embargo, as Arab states have backed local allies and Western nations have partnered with militias to combat extremists and stem the flow of migrants. A former general is now marching on the capital, Tripoli, where an array of militias — which have fought each other in the past — have for now joined forces to prevent a return to one-man rule. The fighting has already killed around 150 people, according to U.N. figures. The International Crisis Group, a Washington- and Brussels-based think tank, said last week that the two main coalitions “appear equally matched,” with fighter jets, gunships and heavy artillery.”

Nigeria

The Defense Post: Nigeria-Chad Operation ‘Kills 27 Terrorists’ Near Wulgo As ISIS Claims Multiple Attacks

“A joint Nigeria-Chad military operation against “Boko Haram terrorists” in the Wulgo area of Borno state on Saturday, April 13 left 27 militants dead, the Nigerian Army said, as Islamic State claimed multiple attacks in the Lake Chad area. Troops conducting joint clearance operations “had a fierce encounter with Boko Haram terrorists at the northern part of Wulgo, Tumbuma, Chikun Gudu and Bukar Maryam villages,” Colonel Sagir Musa said in a Monday statement. Musa said 27 “terrorists” were killed while there were no casualties among the Nigerian and Chadian forces. One Land Cruiser vehicle was destroyed, and a wide range of arms, ammunition and materiel were recovered, including five technicals, “several” motorcycles, a Land Cruiser Buffalo and a Nissan GT, two anti-aircraft guns, two General Purpose Machine Guns and a PK Machine Gun, five AK-type assault rifles, a Heckler & Koch G3 rifle, a Galil rifle, an M21 sniper rifle, and four rocket-propelled grenade launcher tubes. Musa said that a “coordinated military operation is ongoing especially in the fringes of Gombaru – Ngala and surrounding areas” dealing with militants fleeing the Multi-National Joint Task Force’s ongoing Operation Yancin Tafki.”

Voice Of America: Cameroon Authorities Detain 30 Nigerians Allegedly Linked To Boko Haram

“Cameroon authorities have detained 30 Nigerians who crossed the border Saturday on suspicion of links to Boko Haram Islamist militants. Police say the group of mainly women and children did not have permission to cross the border or identification cards, and failed to answer their questions, as Cameroon security forces say they traced a bus transporting the detained suspects as it illegally crossed the border Saturday from Gamborou Ngala, a former stronghold of Boko Haram militants in Nigeria. Chetima Malla Abba, the highest-ranking police officer in Cameroon’s Far North Region, which borders with Nigeria, says when stopped by police, the 30 Nigerians, mainly women and children, raised further suspicions. He says they have been detained for not being able to present any identification papers, not being able to give the names of the people they claim they want to visit in Cameroon, and for entering the country from a Boko Haram alert zone without obtaining the necessary clearance. Abba gave no further evidence for the Nigerians’ alleged links to Boko Haram. But police say they take such suspicious crossings from Nigeria very seriously. Boko Haram militants, they say, have in the past disguised as commuters, merchants or even clerics to launch attacks in Cameroon.”

North Korea

The Wall Street Journal: ‘We Got Them’: A U.S. Destroyer Hunts For North Korean Oil Smugglers

“An American P-8 surveillance plane had spotted three ships huddled together in the East China Sea. About 80 miles northwest, the USS Milius and a Japanese warship were following a tanker blacklisted by the United Nations for smuggling oil into North Korea. The Milius broke away, hoping to catch other ships engaged in the illegal activity. Powered by four engines similar to those used in Boeing 747s, the destroyer raced to the site, where two of the vessels were suspected to be secretly transferring petroleum products to a tanker bound for North Korea. The three ships had all switched off transponders signaling their locations to other vessels, a common tactic for ships engaged in illicit trade. As the ships came into view two hours later under a bright, clear sky, the Milius picked up excitable, broken ship-to-ship radio chatter in Chinese. “What did you say? Speak slowly!” said one person. “I don’t need to anchor,” said another. “OK! OK!”

United Kingdom

BBC News: Four Men Released By Counter-Terror Police

“Four men arrested by counter-terrorism police hours after flying into the country have been released under investigation. The Sri Lankan arrived at Luton Airport on Wednesday and were arrested by police on suspicion of being members of a banned organisation the next day. The Metropolitan Police said the men were stopped under the Terrorism Act 2000 and arrested under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. All four men were released on Friday. Membership of a proscribed organisation is contrary to section 11 of the Terrorism Act 2000.”

Germany

Daily Sabah: Suspected Far-Right Extremist Attacks Muslim Woman Wearing Headscarf In Berlin

“A suspected far-right extremist verbally and physically assaulted a Muslim woman at a Berlin metro station, police said on Monday. The incident was the latest in a string of xenophobic attacks in the German capital in recent months targeting people of foreign appearance, including Muslim women with headscarf or Jews wearing a kippah. The 33-year old Muslim woman told police on Sunday that a man uttered racial slurs and later assaulted her at the Greifswalder metro station. The suspected far-right extremist showed the illegal Nazi salute before running away from the scene, she said. The woman received medical treatment for her injuries, according to the police. Germany has witnessed growing violence by far-right extremists in recent years, fueled by the propaganda of neo-Nazi groups and the Islamophobic AfD party. Every day, at least three people become a victim of far-right, racist or xenophobic acts of violence in Germany, according to the VBRG, an umbrella group of counseling centers for victims of right-wing violence.”

Daily Sabah: Germany Under Threat Of Widening Far-Right Network

“Germany's domestic intelligence agency (BfV) has warned of a formation of an extensive network between different far-right groups. In a statement to the Welt am Sonntag newspaper, BfV security agency chief Thomas Haldenwang said that developments in recent years show that more attention should be paid to right-wing formations in the country. “We observe that various extremist right-wing groups are building a dense network with each other,” said Haldenwang, underscoring the danger stemming from the extreme right-wing. Intelligence services have for years been increasing surveillance of ultra-right groups which are seen as a growing threat and capable of carrying out terrorist attacks similar to those that left 50 dead at two mosques in New Zealand. In Germany, intelligence agencies will devote 50 percent more staff in 2019 to fighting right-wing groups, Haldenwang said last year. A number of neo-Nazi groups have been broken up over the past years in Germany. German authorities are increasingly concerned over growing right-wing terrorism in the country. Since 2016, Germany has conducted an increasing number of nationwide raids targeting right-wing groups, including houses, apartments and other properties believed to be owned by members of such groups, targeting the so-called “Reich citizens' movement,” known as the Reichsbürgers”

Europe

Fox News: Belgian Man Arrested On Terror Charges

“Belgian authorities say they have arrested a man on suspicion that he was part of a terrorist group and might have been planning an attack. Federal prosecutors said Monday the 22-year-old Belgian man, identified as Jimmy K., is charged with “taking part in the activities of a terrorist group.” Searches were conducted in three Belgian towns in connection with the arrest but no weapons or explosives were found. No other details were provided. State broadcaster RTBF says the man was detained early Sunday at his grandmother's house in Wavre, 30 kilometers (19 miles) southeast of the capital, Brussels. It said he had converted to Islam and become radicalized and was in the early stages of preparing an attack. RTBF did not identify the source of its information.”

Australia

The Guardian: Adelaide Woman Jailed For Three Years For ISIS Membership

“An Adelaide woman has been jailed for three years after she was found to be a member of the Islamic State terror group. Zainab Abdirahman-Khalif communicated with other members and organised a trip to join Isis before she was arrested, lied to police and showed no remorse for her involvement. The 24-year-old was last year found guilty by a supreme court jury, in South Australia’s first terrorism trial, and showed no emotion as Justice David Peek sentenced her on Tuesday. She was handed a non-parole period of two years, three months, backdated to her arrest in May 2017. Abdirahman-Khalif was stopped by police at Adelaide Airport while trying to board a plane to Istanbul, Turkey, in July 2016. She told officers she was taking a last-minute holiday, despite having a small amount of clothing, no return flight and less than $200 in funds. Justice Peek said he agreed her secret trip to Turkey was “in order to engage with the terrorist organisation, IS”. “There is no getting around the fact that you blatantly lied to police about this matter,” he said. The Somalian refugee was later released but arrested at the Port Adelaide Tafe campus in May 2017, following a police investigation. Peek said Abdirahman-Khalif had repeatedly expressed support for Isis and jihad by playing chants about martyrdom, infidels, extreme violence, killing and death.”

Venezuela

Newsweek: Russia, China And Iran Defend Support For Venezuela, Warn U.S. Cannot Tell Them Or Latin America What To Do

“China, Iran and Russia have defended their support of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as the U.S. criticizes them for backing the socialist leader it is trying to oust. During an interview Saturday with Voice of America Spanish, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo once again asserted that "all options [are] on the table" in ensuring the departure of Maduro, whose country has faced a historic economic crisis exacerbated by U.S. sanctions and is experiencing a political challenge by National Assembly President Juan Guaidó. Washington has been joined by Latin American allies in calling for Maduro to transfer power to the opposition, but Beijing, Tehran and Moscow are among the world powers backing the president. "The Americans are openly meddling in the internal affairs of sovereign countries," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the 27th Assembly of the Council of Foreign and Defense Policy in Moscow on Saturday. "Venezuela is on everyone’s lips. Their regime-change blitz has failed. But the Americans are not giving up their aim to topple the legitimate president.”

Southeast Asia

The Straits Times: Singaporean Charged Over Allegedly Helping Fund ISIS Propaganda

“A man who allegedly provided money to support the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria's (ISIS) propaganda efforts yesterday became the first Singaporean to be charged under the Terrorism (Suppression of Financing) Act. A Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) statement said investigations found that Imran Kassim, 35, had provided $450 to an individual in Turkey on Oct 31, 2014, for the publication of ISIS propaganda. Providing money in support of terrorist purposes - regardless of the amount - is a serious offence under the Terrorism (Suppression of Financing) Act, said MHA. A former managing director of a logistics company, Imran has been detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) since August 2017, and was issued with a detention order for intending to undertake armed violence overseas. MHA said the detention order against Imran will be cancelled if he is convicted, and he will serve the prison term imposed by the court. He will be held separately to prevent him from spreading his radical ideas to other inmates, and continue to undergo rehabilitation while serving his prison sentence, the ministry added. “An assessment will be made at the end of his sentence whether he has been successfully rehabilitated or remains a threat to society.”
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O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
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