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Old 02-20-2019, 06:05 AM
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Arrow Eye on Extremism February 20, 2019

Eye on Extremism
February 20, 2019
RE: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#al...bCNXxcVLRGqKld


Voice Of America: US-Backed Forces Warn Last Islamic State Fighters In Syria To Give Up Or Die

“A U.S.-backed militia in Syria is warning the last remaining Islamic State fighters there to surrender or die. Dozens of trucks appeared on the outskirts of the village of Baghouz on Tuesday to evacuate any Islamic State fighters who decide to give up, along with their families. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said they will attack after evacuating civilians. But U.N. human rights officials said they are concerned about the estimated 200 families holed up in Baghouz. They said IS fighters are actively preventing women and children from leaving. Thousands of people, including civilians and some suspected foreign fighters who had joined IS, have streamed out of Baghouz in the past several weeks. The Trump administration wants European countries to take back their fighters who fled home to join the militants.”

CNN: US Officials Warn ISIS' Afghanistan Branch Poses A Major Threat

“ISIS' Afghanistan-based affiliate has emerged as a major threat capable of carrying out direct attacks on the US and is actively using its members' social media to acquire contacts in the United States, a US intelligence official in Afghanistan tells CNN. “They are closest to having the capacity to attack the homeland from Afghanistan,” the official said, saying the US believes ISIS is gathering this social media information to determine whom they can use and whom they could exploit in potential future attacks on the US. “They represent a very sophisticated and dangerous threat that we have to stay focused on,” Gen. Joseph Votel, the commander of US Central Command, told reporters Tuesday while on a visit to Afghanistan. The terror group, known as ISIS-K, has been actively recruiting from schools and mosques and has been asking new recruits for their social media contacts and phone numbers of people they know in the US, to likely help their efforts to attack the US, according to the intelligence official. The official said that this intelligence has been gained from ISIS-K fighters that have been captured on the battlefield and interrogated by Afghan security forces. ISIS has the “mandate to attack across the Atlantic” and ISIS-K is one of its affiliates that has been “tasked to do that,” the official said.”

Fox News: ISIS Wife Dilemma: US-Born Citizens, Even Terrorists, Can't Be Barred From Re-Entry, Experts Say

“She married into one of the most brutal terrorist outfits in history, but now Alabama native Hoda Muthana, 24, wants to come home along with the 18-month-son she had with an ISIS husband. The question is weighing heavily among American legislators, law enforcement and intelligence analysts. What to do with the wives of the ISIS fighters and what threat do they pose to the homeland? “They should be brought home and charged criminally under terrorism, murder or other applicable laws. At the very least they should be charged with material support to a terrorist group,” Scott Stewart, VP of Tactical Analysis for Stratfor, a leading geopolitical analysis and forecasting firm, told Fox News. “These women should be held responsible for their choices and actions in support of a genocidal death cult.” Through her attorney, Hassan Shilby, Muthana has pledged her “deep regret” for having been “ignorant and arrogant” when she first fled her home in Hoover, Alabama in 2014 to become a jihadi bride. Shilby also underscored that his client is ready to face any legal consequences and wants to be a voice to stop others from committing the same mistake. “She is just another victim of these monsters,” Shilby, a lawyer for CAIR Florida who has represented the Muthana family since Hoda left the U.S., told a local Alabama paper this week.”

NBC News: Thousands Rally Against Anti-Semitism In France After Spike In Attacks

“Thousands of people rallied across France after a surge of anti-Semitic attacks in recent weeks that culminated on Tuesday with vandals daubing swastikas and anti-Jewish slogans on dozens of graves in a Jewish cemetery. Political leaders from all parties, including former Presidents Francois Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy, gathered in Paris filling the Place de la Republique, a symbol of the nation, to decry anti-Semitic acts with one common slogan: "Enough!" People also lined the streets of cities from Lille in the north to Toulouse and Marseille in the south. President Emmanuel Macron paid respects at one of the 96 desecrated graves in the village of Quatzenheim, near the eastern city of Strasbourg. "Whoever did this is not worthy of the French republic and will be punished... We'll take action, we'll apply the law and we'll punish them," he said, walking through a gate scarred with a swastika as he entered the graveyard.”

Reuters: U.S. Concerned Over Hezbollah's Growing Role In Lebanon

“Hezbollah’s growing role in the Lebanese government worries the United States, the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon said during a meeting with Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri on Tuesday, according to the U.S. embassy. The armed Shi’ite group, which is backed by Iran and listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, controls three of the 30 ministries in Hariri’s new cabinet, the largest number it has ever held. They include the Health Ministry, which has the fourth-largest budget in the state. U.S. Ambassador Elizabeth Richard, speaking after the meeting, said she had been “very frank ... about U.S. concern over the growing role in the cabinet of an organization that continues to maintain a militia that is not under the control of the government”, according to an embassy statement. Richard, who did not name Hezbollah, said the group “continues to make its own national security decisions – decisions that endanger the rest of the country”. It also “continues to violate the government’s disassociation policy by participating in armed conflict in at least three other countries”, she said. Lebanon’s official policy of disassociation is intended to keep it out of the region’s conflicts.”

The Hill: Patients, Health Data Experts Accuse Facebook Of Exposing Personal Info

“A group of patients and health data experts is accusing Facebook of misleading users about how their personal health information can be manipulated and exposed without patients' explicit permission. In a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) complaint released publicly on Tuesday, the group alleges that Facebook prompts its users to join online medical support groups under the guise that they are "private" – but does not make clear that users could expose their health data when they join those groups. "I think the highest-level deception is that they call [these medical support groups] safe," Fred Trotter, a security researcher and one of the complainants, told The Hill. He pointed out that Facebook executives, including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, have touted the medical support groups as an opportunity for patients to support one another, while failing to disclose that the group members' data could be mined for ad targeting and harassment.”

United States

The New York Times: 2 American Wives Of ISIS Militants Want To Return Home

“She was a 20-year-old college student in Alabama who had become convinced of the righteousness of the Islamic State. So she duped her parents into thinking she was going on a college trip, and instead bought a plane ticket to Turkey with her tuition money. After being smuggled into the caliphate, the student, Hoda Muthana, posted a photograph on Twitter showing her gloved hands holding her American passport. “Bonfire soon,” she promised. That was more than four years ago. Now, after being married to three Islamic State fighters and witnessing executions like those she had once cheered on social media, Ms. Muthana says she is deeply sorry and wants to return home to the United States. She surrendered last month to the coalition forces fighting ISIS, and now spends her days as a detainee in a refugee camp in northeastern Syria. She is joined there by another woman, Kimberly Gwen Polman, 46, who had studied legal administration in Canada before joining the caliphate and who possesses dual United States and Canadian citizenship. Both women, interviewed by The New York Times at the camp, said they were trying to figure out how to have their passports reissued, and how to win the sympathy of the two nations they scorned.”

The Hill: Federal Government Shares Terror Watchlist With Over 1000 Private Groups: Report

“The federal government shares its terrorist watchlist with more than 1,400 private groups, according to court papers reported on by the Associated Press. The AP reported Tuesday that Timothy Groh, the deputy director of the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center (TSC), said in a written statement to a federal court that 1,441 private entities can access the watchlist, which is compiled by the TSC. Groh's statement came as part of a class-action lawsuit in federal court in Alexandria, brought by Muslims who say they have been wrongly included on the list. To have access to the watchlist, the groups must be linked to the criminal justice system, Groh said, according to the AP. He reportedly pointed to police at private universities, security staff at hospitals and private correctional facilities as examples of groups who have access. The FBI did not immediately return a request for comment to The Hill. The government has previously denied disseminating the list to private groups, the AP noted. The AP reported that government lawyer Dena Roth said at a pretrial hearing last year that the TSC “does not work with private partners, and that watchlist status itself ... is considered law enforcement sensitive information and is not shared with the public.”

Syria

NBC News: ISIS Fighters Had Thousands Of Children. So What Happens To Them Now?

“Thousands of children have been born or raised in the Islamic State. Now the world’s governments have to decide how and whether to reintegrate them into their societies. As the militants retain only a tiny sliver of territory in Syria, Western countries are being forced to grapple with how to deal with minors who qualify for citizenship through their parents, including foreign fighters who carried out atrocities abroad. A plea last week by a British ISIS bride to return to the U.K. with her infant son illustrates the conundrum. The family of 19-year-old Shamima Begum — one of three British high school students who together abandoned their lives in east London in 2015 to marry ISIS fighters — has appealed for the U.K. government to help bring the pair home from a refugee camp. They cited the innocence of Begum's newborn child. Her baby is “blameless” and has “every right” to grow up in the “peace and security of this home,” the family said in a statement to ITV News just days before Begum's son was born. While it is not clear how deep Begum's involvement with ISIS went, she has been quoted as saying she had no regrets about moving to Syria. Such comments have triggered a debate in Britain about whether Begum can and should be rehabilitated back into society.”

U.S. News & World Report: Air Strikes Hit Islamic State Pocket As Syrian Fighters Press Attack

“Air strikes targeted Islamic State's last pocket in eastern Syria late on Tuesday as U.S.-backed fighters pressed for a victory that would bring the jihadists' self-proclaimed caliphate to its bloody end. Dozens of trucks earlier headed toward Baghouz, a village on the banks of the Euphrates at the Iraqi border where hundreds of Islamic State militants were making their last stand. They were going to evacuate the remaining civilians, a source in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia said, a crucial step toward taking control of the area. But by nightfall the trucks had not departed, and reporters there witnessed two air strikes against the jihadists. Islamic State's defeat in Baghouz would herald the final collapse of a project declared in 2014, when their leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi stood in a Mosul pulpit to declare himself caliph, claiming sovereignty over all Muslim people and land. Nearly five years later, that dream has been crushed by separate military campaigns in Iraq and Syria that, though backed by foreign powers, have been fought mainly by local, mostly Muslim, forces. Though Islamic State (IS) fighters still hold out in a patch of desert in central Syria, and have staged guerrilla attacks in areas they have lost in both countries, their territorial state there is finished.”

The Independent: Around 200 Families Trapped In Final ISIS Territory In Syria As US-Led Airstrikes Continue

“Around 200 families are trapped in a tiny pocket of land in Syria still controlled by Isis and are being bombed by US-led coalition forces, the UN has said. The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are on the brink of defeating the terror group in its last enclave, which has been reduced to a few dozen tents in a small village in Deir ez-Zor. The group estimates around 300 Isis militants and about 2,000 civilians are under siege, and Michelle Bachelet, the UN’s human rights chief, said militants were stopping some families from fleeing. Many of the families “continue to be subjected to intensified air and ground-based strikes by the US-led Coalition forces and their SDF allies on the ground,” Ms Bachelet said in a statement. The SDF attacking Isis have an obligation under international law to take all precautions to protect civilians who are mixed in with the foreign fighters, her spokesman Rupert Colville told a briefing.”

The Jerusalem Post: Outrage In Syria, Iraq As ISIS Members Treated As Celebrities In West

“Mahmoud Sheikh Ibrahim has seen the worst of ISIS crimes over his years working with journalists covering the conflict in Syria and Iraq. Shocked to see the numerous interviews by Western publications with ISIS members in Syria and the sympathy some have garnered in the West, he emphasizes that these people don’t regret joining ISIS. Ibrahim is one of many in Iraq and Syria expressing bewilderment at the sudden attention “ISIS brides” and other ISIS members are getting in the media. Last week, The Times of London published an interview with Shemima Begum, a British woman who traveled to Syria in 2015 to join ISIS and married a Dutch convert. After her first interview she has become a celebrity in UK media, with Sky News and the BBC sitting down with her in a displaced persons camp in Syria. According to reports, she also gave birth to a child between giving her first interview and speaking to Sky News on Sunday. She said “it was nice” at first under ISIS. Executions were fine, “Islamically it was allowed,” she said. She is one of several thousand Westerners now held in Syria suspected of ISIS membership. They include people from 41 countries, as well as at up to 800 from European countries.”

Iran

The New York Times: Iran Says Suicide Bomber Who Hit Revolutionary Guards Was Pakistani

“Iran said Tuesday that at least three Pakistani citizens were among the assailants responsible for killing 27 members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps on a bus last week, including the driver of the explosives-laden car that rammed the vehicle. The Feb. 13 bombing in a restive southeast region along the Pakistan border was one of the deadliest attacks in years to strike Iran. At least 13 people were wounded and the bus was destroyed, according to Iranian news websites. Iran, which is predominantly Shiite Muslim, has often criticized Pakistan for harboring Sunni Muslim militants from the province, Sistan and Baluchistan, a haven for separatist groups and drug traffickers that have orchestrated attacks in recent years against Iranian security forces. But it is unusual for Iran to accuse Pakistani citizens. The accusation, reported by Iran’s Tasnim news agency, was made by a commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Brig. Gen. Mohammad Pakpur, at a ceremony held Tuesday to honor victims of the attack. Tasnim quoted General Pakpur as saying that two members of the terrorist team and the suicide bomber were from Pakistan, and that three others were from Sistan and Baluchistan. On Monday, the Revolutionary Guards announced three arrests in the attack, but did not specify the identities of the suspects.”

Reuters: Rouhani Says Iran-U.S. Tensions Are At 'A Maximum'

“Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that tensions between Tehran and Washington were at “a maximum” rarely seen in the decades-long contentious relations of the two countries. Animosity between Washington and Tehran - bitter foes since Iran’s 1979 revolution - has intensified since May when U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from an international nuclear deal with Tehran and reimposed sanctions lifted under the accord. “The struggle between Iran and America is currently at a maximum. America has employed all its power against us,” Rouhani was quoted as saying in a cabinet meeting by the state broadcaster IRIB. Rouhani said ties have rarely been as tense before. He also said that a conference on the Middle East and Iran organised by the United States in Polish capital Warsaw last week not achieved its goals. Senior officials from 60 nations gathered in Warsaw where the United States hoped to ratchet up pressure against Iran, but foreign ministers from major European powers still committed to the nuclear deal did not attend. “This is another failure of the U.S. regional policies,” Rouhani said.”

Iraq

The National: ISIS Re-Emergence In Iraq Likely Unless Social Grievances Resolved Says Head Of Canada Anti-ISIS Operations

“ISIS is likely to re-emerge in Iraq unless the grievances that birthed it are resolved by the country’s new government, the general in charge of Canada’s anti-ISIS operations told The National. In an exclusive interview on Tuesday General Colin Keiver said the long-term defeat of ISIS hinged on jobs, infrastructure and the provision of basic services such as water and power to Iraq’s war-scarred population. “The military side can only do so much in Iraq,” he said. “You have got to go after the cause of these grievances, and until you do that this is something that will continue.” ISIS was born in cities like Fallujah, in Anbar province, where a flagging economy, unemployment and anger made it a fertile environment for radicalisation. By 2014 its so-called caliphate had spread across a patch of Iraq and Syria equivalent to the size of Britain. Although Iraq declared territorial victory over ISIS in December 2017, the group has gone underground and is looking to reform in Iraq, Syria and Libya. “I think they know that the dream of the caliphate is dead,” said Mr Keiver. But “they are trying very hard to recreate themselves as an insurgency.” “The Iraqi people and their government need to come together in peace in the same way as they came together in war in 2014 to defeat ISIS.”

Voice Of America: For Yazidi Survivors Of Islamic State Killings, The Nightmares Go On

“Ever since Islamic State visited death and destruction on their villages in northern Iraq nearly five years ago, Yazidis Daoud Ibrahim and Kocher Hassan have had trouble sleeping. For Hassan, 39, who was captured, it is her three missing children, and three years of imprisonment at the hands of the jihadist group. For Ibrahim, 42, who escaped, it is the mass grave that he returned to find on his ravaged land. “They burnt one house down, blew up the other, they torched the olive trees two three times. ... There is nothing left,” the father of eight told Reuters. More than 3,000 other members of their minority sect were killed in 2014 in an onslaught that the United Nations described as genocidal. Ibrahim and Hassan lived to tell of their suffering, but like other survivors, they have not moved on. She will never set foot in her village of Rambousi again. “My sons built that house. I can't go back without them. ... Their school books are still there, their clothes,” she said. As U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to announce the demise of the Islamist group in Syria and Iraq, U.N. data suggests many of those it displaced in the latter country have, like Hassan, not returned home. Meanwhile, Ibrahim and his family live in a barn next to the pile of rubble that was once their home.”

Afghanistan

Financial Times: Kashmir Bombing Raises Fears Of Militant Shift From Afghanistan

“In public rallies, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi often boasts of his success in quelling cross-border terrorism — comparing the relative calm of his tenure with the trauma of the Mumbai terror attacks carried out by Pakistani militants during a Congress government a decade ago. At the heart of Mr Modi’s political mythmaking lies his government’s much-trumpeted 2016 “surgical strike” — a raid into Pakistani-held territory by a small team of elite troops, who destroyed a clutch of Pakistani “forward positions” in retaliation for the deaths of 19 Indian soldiers in a militant attack on an Indian army base. The raids have been celebrated in public functions and dramatised in a recent crowd-pleasing, big-budget Bollywood action film, which Mr Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata party has urged voters to watch before India’s upcoming parliamentary elections. But last week’s devastating suicide bombing in Kashmir — which killed 44 paramilitary police officers returning to duty in the restive Muslim-majority region — has come as a jarring reminder that the threat to India from cross-border terrorism has been more dormant than vanquished.”

Xinhua: Taliban Key Commander Killed In Northern Afghan Province

“A Taliban commander named Mullah Mohammad and his bodyguard were killed as government forces stormed their hideout in Baghlan-e-Markazi district of the northern Baghlan province on Tuesday, an army spokesman Mohammad Hanif Rezai said Wednesday. A weapon cache of the militant group was also destroyed during the attack, the official added. Taliban militants who operate in parts of Baghlan province haven't commented yet.”

Pakistan

The Washington Post: The Kashmir Attack Leaves The U.S. And India Facing A Dilemma About Pakistan

“A bloody suicide bombing in Kashmir last week has confronted the Indian government with a dilemma that both it and the United States have repeatedly faced: what to do about the sponsorship of Islamist terrorist groups by Pakistan, a nuclear-armed state. Diplomacy, sanctions and targeted military strikes haven’t worked; full-scale war is unthinkable. Yet the failure to impose accountability or establish deterrence only encourages the Pakistani military and its intelligence service to continue a policy of backing extremists in both India and Afghanistan. The attack on an Indian military convoy, which killed 40, was carried out by a bomber native to Kashmir, reflecting the growth of homegrown militants fighting Indian rule. Responsibility for the attack was quickly claimed by Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based organization that, while officially banned, has long had the support of military and intelligence officials. Its leader, Masood Azhar, is reported by Indian media to be in a Pakistani military hospital. Indian authorities said the planner of the bomb attack, who was killed Monday in a shootout, was a Pakistani national and known associate of Mr. Azhar. While the Indian government is saying it has “incontrovertible evidence” that Pakistan had a “direct hand” in the attack, Islamabad is responding with familiar dodges.”

Yemen

The National: Four Dead As Houthis Shell Market In Southern Hodeidah

“Four people died and 12 were injured when Houthi rebels shelled a public market in Al Mutaiyna in southern Hodeidah on Tuesday. “The Houthis hit the market with three mortar shells that killed four civilians including two children," a medical source told The National. "The injured were transferred to the public hospital in the district of Al Khokha to be treated but six were taken to Aden because their conditions were very serious." The source said that three of the dead civilians had been identified but the blasts left the body of the fourth unrecognisable. Witnesses said the market was shelled at noon when it was busy with villagers from across Al Jabaliya. It is the only public market to which many have access because the roads to the main public market in Al Tuhayta are unsafe. This latest incident follows the daily shelling by rebels of civilians across Al Tuhayta.”

Arab News: Yemen Government, Houthis To Start First Phase Of Hodeidah Pullout

“Yemen’s government and the Houthi militias have agreed on the first stage of a mutual pullout of forces from the port city of Hodeidah, a key entry point for humanitarian aid, the United Nations said. The Iran-aligned Houthi movement and the government agreed in talks in December to withdraw troops by Jan. 7 from Hodeidah under a truce accord aimed at averting a full-scale assault on the port and paving the way for negotiations to end the four-year-old war. “The parties reached an agreement on Phase 1 of the mutual redeployment of forces,” the UN spokesman’s office said in a statement without giving details on what was agreed. Under Phase 1, the Houthis would withdraw from the ports of Hodeidah, Saleef, used for grains, and Ras Isa, used for oil. This would be met by a retreat of Saudi-led coalition forces from the eastern outskirts of Hodeidah, where battles raged before a cease-fire went into effect on Dec. 18.”

Saudi Arabia

Reuters: Saudi Crown Prince Says Terrorism A Common Concern With India

“Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said on Wednesday terrorism was a common concern with India and that his country was ready to share intelligence to tackle it. Speaking at a joint press conference with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, the crown prince said Saudi Arabia was ready for political cooperation with India. ”On the issue of extremism and terrorism, which is a common concern, we want to tell India that we will cooperate in every way, including intelligence sharing,” the crown prince said. The crown prince’s visit comes days after a militant attack in the disputed region of Kashmir which involved a bombing of a security convoy in which 40 Indian paramilitary police were killed. The attack was claimed by a Pakistan-based militant group. During the press briefing, Modi said he had agreed with Saudi Arabia to strengthen cooperation on counter-terrorism, naval and cyber security. Earlier in the day, the crown prince received a ceremonial welcome at New Delhi’s imposing red sandstone presidential palace.”

Middle East

CNN: The Hunt For ISIS' Elusive Leader

“Despite being hunted by the world's best intelligence agencies, ISIS' leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi remains on the run, presumed to have moved around his old hiding grounds where his organization sheltered and bid their time to re-emerge.”

Egypt

Voice Of America: Suicide Bombing Kills 3 Policemen Near Cairo's Famed Bazaar

“The death toll from a late-night suicide blast near Cairo's famed tourist market rose to three on Tuesday after a police officer died of his wounds, Egypt's Interior Ministry said. The fatalities in the attack near the Khan el-Khalili bazaar in the heart of Cairo were all policemen. The explosion late Monday also wounded two other policemen and a woman, officials said. The attack was a rarity for the central area of Egypt's capital amid a years-long security crackdown under President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. The Interior Ministry said the attacker, 37-year-old al-Hassan Abdullah, blew himself up after police officers approached to arrest him. He was wanted in a bombing last Friday near a mosque in Cairo's district of Giza and the police had been monitoring his movements, the statement said. The attacker's affiliation was not known and no militant group claimed responsibility for the bombings. The ministry had blamed members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood for last week's attack, which it said targeted a security checkpoint and wounded three people. Following Monday's explosion, which shattered windows and blew curtains off nearby balconies, police and soldiers cordoned off the narrow streets around the bazaar.”

Egypt Today: Sisi Urges African Judicial Collaboration To Face Terrorism, Extremism

“President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi received on Tuesday the chief justices of African constitutional and supreme courts who were taking part in the third African judicial conference hosted by Egypt. The president expressed his support for the conference, and his appreciation for the role played by top courts to ensure the judicial protection of African citizens. President Sisi highlighted the long experience and the well established judicial traditions of Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court which was founded decades ago. The president said that such features enabled Egypt’s top court to face many challenges throughout the past years. The president affirmed Egypt’s eagerness to exchange judicial experience with African counterparts, and vowed to back the conference’s recommendations, particularly those asserting to hold the conference periodically and training African judicial personnel. The president announced that Egypt will launch an electronic platform to better connect African top courts together, and improve cooperation among them. The president discussed with the African justices the subject matters tackled by the conference including anti-corruption measures, environmental laws, and achieving balance between counterterrorism and human rights preservation.”

Nigeria

Voice Of America: Death Toll From Northwest Nigeria Attack Doubles To 130

“The death toll from an attack last week by gunmen in northwestern Nigeria has doubled to more than 130, the Kaduna state governor said on Tuesday, adding it appeared to have been a deliberate plan to "wipe out certain communities." Governor Nasir el-Rufai did not elaborate on what he meant. Those killed in last week's attack were mainly from the Fulani ethnic group, who are usually Muslim and have been involved in clashes in recent years with people from the Adara ethnic group, who are predominantly Christian. El-Rufai told reporters that police were still investigating the motive for the attack in the Kajuru local government area in the south of the state, and there had been arrests. He did not say how many people had been detained. "The more the police dig into this matter, the more it is clear that there was a deliberate plan to wipe out certain communities," he said, adding that the latest report on the incident showed more than 130 people had been killed.”

Sahara Reporters: Breaking: Boko Haram Slaughters 18 Firewood And Charcoal Scavengers In Borno

“At least 18 persons who worked as firewood and charcoal scavengers have been slaughtered by suspected Boko Haram members in Koshebe general area of Jere Local Government Area of Borno State, SaharaReporters has learnt. The incident happened on Monday when the victims went to the village to scavenge for firewood and charcoal and sale to residents of Maiduguri, but unfortunately they were ambushed by insurgents. A security source who participated in the evacuation confirmed to SaharaReporters that at least 16 bodies had so far been evacuated to Maiduguri. “At first, we evacuated 10 dead bodies from the scene of the attacks to Maiduguri, but we plan to return tomorrow so as evacuate to the remaining dead bodies,” he said. He noted that they had mobilized security for searching of their bodies in the Kadamari axis on Wednesday. “There was an ambush on firewood sellers who had gone to the bush to fetch their products by suspected members of Boko Haram terrorists in Koshebe general area of Jere Local Government Area of Borno state,” a second security source said on Tuesday. “Eighteen dead bodies were seen at the scene of the attacks, but as it is, only 10 dead bodies have recovered and evacuated so far by our security forces in conjunction with members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF).”

United Kingdom

The Independent: As The UK Debates What To Do With ISIS Suspects, One Country Has Taken Back 1,000 ‘Terrorists’

“More than 1,000 “terrorists” have returned from conflict zones to Tunisia, according to one of the country’s top security officials. Mokhtar Ben Nasr, head the national counterterrorism commission, said the figure accounts for the number of jihadi suspects who have come back since 2011, according to Mosaique FM radio. The news comes as the UK and other European countries debate how to deal with its citizens who were captured abroad on suspicion of being members of Isis. Thousands of men and women left Europe to join the Isis caliphate when it was declared in 2014. At that time, it stretched across two countries over thousands of miles, but over the last few months its territory has been reduced to a tiny pocket in eastern Syria. All but a few hundred of its former members have been killed or ended up in the custody of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).”

The New York Times: Family Of Shamima Begum, ISIS Teenager, Says Britain Plans To Revoke Her Citizenship

“The British government has told the family of Shamima Begum, a 19-year-old woman who traveled to Syria to marry an Islamic State fighter four years ago, that it intends to revoke her citizenship, according to a family lawyer. Through a statement released by the lawyer, Tasnime Akunjee, Ms. Begum’s family said it was “very disappointed with the Home Office’s intention to have an order made depriving Shamima of her citizenship.” “We are considering all legal avenues to challenge this decision,” it added. In a letter sent to Ms. Begum’s mother and obtained by the broadcaster ITV News, the British Home Office said the decision had been made by Home Secretary Sajid Javid on Tuesday. Ms. Begum will be allowed to appeal the order through the courts, according to the letter. British law prevents the government from stripping someone’s citizenship if doing so would render the person stateless. But British news outlets reported that because Ms. Begum’s mother has a Bangladeshi passport, the Home Office decided that it could remove her British citizenship. A Home Office spokeswoman said of Mr. Javid in a statement: “In order to protect this country, he has the power to deprive someone of their British citizenship where it would not render them stateless.”

Voice Of America: Britain Debates Whether Islamic State Recruits Should Be Given Second Chance

“British-born Sumaiyyah Wakil was 16 years old when she sneaked away to war-torn Syria, flying first to Bulgaria, then Turkey, to join the Islamic State terror group. Once in IS’s de facto capital, Raqqa, she bragged, according to British court documents, about watching the public stoning of a woman, describing the killing as “so cool.” But now her family say the British authorities should repatriate her when she re-emerges, likely soon, from IS territory as well as other British teenagers who joined the militants. Wakil’s parents and the families of IS recruits argue their offspring were manipulated by jihadist recruiters and were too young to know what they were doing when they went off to Syria. A combination of handout CCTV pictures received from the Metropolitan Police Service shows (L-R) British teenagers Kadiza Sultana, Amira Abase and Shamima Begum passing through security barriers at Gatwick Airport, south of London, Feb. 17, 2015. The predicament of surviving young foreign IS recruits — especially of the women, most of whom left like Wakil, as schoolgirls without family approval or prior parental knowledge — has sparked a ferocious moral, political and legal debate in Britain, as well as other European states, about whether they should be readmitted to their birth countries, let alone helped to return and given a second chance.”

The National: Anti-Extremism Activist Maajid Nawaz ‘Racially Attacked’ In London

“An anti-extremism campaigner said he could be scarred for life after being racially attacked outside a theatre in central London. Maajid Nawaz said he was racially abused and hit in the face by a white male as he stood alone outside Soho Theatre. The LBC radio presenter posted images to social media of showing a deep cut to his forehead, which he said could have been caused by a signet ring. Mr Nawaz wrote on Twitter after the incident: “Tonight I was racially attacked while alone outside Soho theatre, from behind, as I bent down to pick up my phone.” He said the attacker had called him “f***ing P***” before hitting him and then “ran away like a coward”. “He took nothing,” the presenter added. “He was just a racist.” London’s Metropolitan police said they were called to a report of racially aggravated assault at 7.10pm GMT on Monday. An investigation has been launched but no arrests have been made, police said. Mr Nawaz wrote on Twitter: “My forehead will probably be scarred for life. But we will find you, you racist coward, and you will face British justice.” The presenter, a Briton of Pakistani heritage, is the founder of counter extremism organisation the Quilliam Foundation. Formerly an extremist, he later became a critic of radical Islamic movements.”

France

The New York Times: Thousands Rally Against Anti-Semitism In France

“Thousands rallied against anti-Semitism in Paris on Tuesday night, summoned by France’s major political parties, the country’s Jewish organizations, and by a sharp spike in anti-Semitic incidents, including the desecration of a Jewish cemetery the night before. That act of vandalism drew France’s president to a small village in the northeast, hours before huge crowds filled one of the capital’s historic squares, Place de la République, and stood silently in the winter twilight for brief remarks by a rabbi and a rendition of the national anthem, before dispersing in solemn silence. At the square, there appeared to be many Jews and some non-Jews, students and well-dressed Parisians, many retired people and a scattering of the young. Many said they had come because of a new, unaccustomed fear. “Fear in my gut. With all that’s going on,” said Joelle Malachane, a retired office worker at the rally with her daughter. “I’m scared for the future of the Jews. It’s not easy being a Jew now.”

Europe

Voice Of America: 6 Migrants Suspected Of Terrorism Links, Smuggling Detained In Bosnia

“Six Afghan migrants suspected of links to terrorism and people trafficking have been detained in Bosnia since the beginning of the year, the country's service for foreign affairs said on Tuesday. The six are among more than 25,000 migrants and refugees, most from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq or Iran, who have entered Bosnia since January 2018 after other states, notably European Union members Hungary and Slovenia, sealed their borders. Five of them are suspected of links to international terrorism and the sixth of migrant trafficking and organized crime, the agency said. They represent “a threat to public order and security,” the agency said in a statement, and will be expelled from the country. The suspects were found in the capital, Sarajevo, and the northwestern town of Bihac, where more than 5,000 migrants have been stuck for months as the cold winter and Croatian police make it virtually impossible for them to continue their journey. Bosnia was bypassed in 2015 and 2016 when more than a million migrants passed through the Balkans to Western Europe, but since then it has become a major transit country.”

Technology

USA Today: Amazon Drive Is Hosting Terrorist Content. Here's What Jeff Bezos Should Do About It.

“Terrorist groups usually find ways to exploit the ever expanding services offered by major online platforms and tech companies, and Amazon Drive is no exception. Designed for storing and sharing photos, videos, PDFs and other forms of content, it has been adopted by the Islamic State, al-Qaeda and other organizations as a stable and reliable platform for disseminating their content. They upload it and then share the links to it with followers and sympathizers, primarily using the encrypted messaging app Telegram — terrorists' “app of choice.” Amazon Drive, established in 2011 and previously known as Amazon Cloud Drive, can store subscribers' photos, videos and other files for access from mobile devices, desktops or Amazon Fire devices. According to the Amazon website, “All photos, videos and other files you upload to Amazon Drive are securely and privately stored in your Files and your Amazon Photos library.” While Amazon has guidelines for its many platforms, including specific bans on terrorism, “bigotry, hatred, or illegal discrimination,” or the use of its services by anyone who is “the subject of U.S. sanctions or of sanctions consistent with U.S. law imposed by the governments of the country where you are using Amazon Services,” it has not been proactive in removing terrorist content.”

The Verge: Lawmakers Want To Question Facebook About The Privacy Of Groups

“Lawmakers are looking to question Facebook about its privacy practices after allegations that the service revealed sensitive health information in groups. In a Federal Trade Commission complaint, filed last month and publicly released yesterday, a security researcher and health advocates said the company was failing to keep sensitive data secure. The complaint stemmed from an incident last year, when members of a group for women with a gene mutation called BRCA learned that information like names and email addresses could be accessed from “closed” groups. Facebook has since removed the ability to harvest that information, but it has denied that there was ever a security loophole, and has pointed to the option to create less discoverable “secret” groups. The complaint argued that, despite the change, personal information is still too accessible by people within sensitive groups. Now, a letter from lawmakers on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce is questioning whether Facebook users were “potentially misled” about what data they would reveal by joining a closed group. The letter, addressed to Mark Zuckerberg, questions whether the company “may have failed to properly notify group members that their personal health information may have been accessed by health insurance companies and online bullies, among others.” The letter requests a staff briefing about the issues raised in the complaint.”

Terror Financing

Iraq News: Security Expert: Financing Is The Lifeline Of Terrorism

“Economist Ahmed Khattab asserted that the sources of terrorism are numerous and diversified, but it can be said that the largest and most important of these sources are the countries and organizations that aid and abet terrorism. They are all known, according to Khattab, especially because they host the leaders of terrorist groups. Another source is "innocuous" funds such as donations to charities for the protection of orphans, construction of places of worship or others. But, de-facto, they are used to finance terrorism without the donors' knowledge. For his part, security expert Major-General Zakaria Nasser claimed that "financing is the lifeline of terrorism." He pointed out that the funds obtained by terrorist groups from various sources are directed toward luring and training terrorists and for procuring equipment and weapons used in the execution of specific terrorist operations. He stressed that financing is the basis for the success of terrorist operations and the active factor in the implementation and achievement of their objectives.”

Muslim Brotherhood

Elwatan News: Expert: Qatar Paid A Muslim Brotherhood Leader $10 Million To Launch Terrorist Attacks

“Tharwat El-Kherbawy, a former Muslim Brotherhood member and present-day researcher on Islamic groups, stated that newly released documents show that the Qatari Intelligence Agency had, in the past, paid $10 million to a Muslim Brotherhood leader currently serving as the head of its Office for Egyptians Abroad in Istanbul. This leader was assigned to send these funds to Mohammed Kamal, a senior leader within the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, who was {later} killed during clashes with the Egyptian police. The latter was tasked with channeling the said sum of money to the armed "qualitative cells" of the banned Islamist group in Egypt with the purpose of carrying out terrorist attacks, the expert disclosed.”

Elwatan News: Financial Crisis Hitting Muslim Brotherhood In Turkey Worsens

“The Muslim Brotherhood in Turkey continues to deteriorate in the wake of the acute financial crunch that has recently hit the group there. The monetary troubles of the Brotherhood have magnified to the point that one of its senior leaders, Gamal Heshmat, recently begged Turkish business people to hire his sons. Heshmat publicly posted his petition on his Facebook page. On his part, Khaled Al-Zaafarani, an ex-leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, commented that the recent internal disputes surfacing within the organization have, in fact, exposed the identities of the group's leaders who had amassed great wealth at the expense of the young rank-and-file members. The younger members of the Muslim Brotherhood are now well-aware of these leaders, who have exploited them to get rich under various guises, Al-Zaafarani mentioned.”

Houthi

Baghdad Post: The Houthis Are Trying To Spread Counterfeit Banknotes

“The Governor of the Central Bank of Yemen Mohammed Zammam, said that the Houthis, who are backed by Iran, execute money laundering operations in various ways, most notably the sale of oil derivatives entering the local ports. The Houthis sell them in Yemeni riyals, although these products are provided free of charge, and then turn the proceeds into dollars, which they smuggle abroad. The Governor of the Central Bank stressed that his government is seeking coordination with neighboring countries to close the border to any violations of the rule of law, the most prominent of which is thwarting attempts to import funds unofficially, which has a negative impact on the economy of the country. Zammam pointed out that the terrorist group has introduced fake banknotes, but it is difficult to assess their value. Authorities have been detecting and seizing them. He added that from the seized funds so far, it is clear these banknotes were forged in a primitive way.”
__________________
Boats

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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