The Patriot Files Forums  

Go Back   The Patriot Files Forums > Military News > Terrorism

Post New Thread  Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 10-14-2019, 06:08 AM
Boats's Avatar
Boats Boats is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Sauk Village, IL
Posts: 21,783
Arrow Eye on Extremism October 14, 2019

Eye on Extremism
October 14, 2019
RE: info@counterextremism.com

As of October 14th - 2019:

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Military To Withdraw From Northern Syria

“President Trump directed a full withdrawal of U.S. troops from northern Syria, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said, effectively pulling them from the country, removing a last impediment to Turkey’s expanding incursion and marking an accelerated U.S. pullback from the campaign against Islamic State. Defense officials said on Sunday that many of the 1,000 members of the U.S. force would be moved to Iraq by the end of the month, but wouldn’t specify what other countries might be potential destinations. A small number of U.S. troops—about 125—would remain in southern Syria, officials said.”

Politico: ISIS Supporters Escape Amid Turkish Attack

“Turkish forces approached a key Kurdish-held town in northern Syria on Sunday, setting off clashes that allowed hundreds of Islamic State supporters to escape from a camp for displaced people and prompted U.S. soldiers to withdraw from a nearby base. A U.S. military official said the situation across northeastern Syria was “deteriorating rapidly” and that American forces were cut off from the Syrian Kurdish fighters they had previously partnered with. The official, who was not authorized to disclose operational details and spoke on condition of anonymity, said U.S. troops on the ground are at risk of being “isolated” and cannot travel overland without a “high risk” of armed confrontation with Turkey-backed forces. The camp in Ein Eissa, some 20 miles south of the border, is home to some 12,000 people, including 1,000 wives and widows of Islamic State fighters and their children. The Kurdish-led administration in northern Syria said in a statement that 950 IS supporters escaped after attacking guards and storming the gates. It was not immediately possible to confirm that figure. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Turkish warplanes struck villages near the camp on Sunday.”

The Telegraph: Turkey May Have Targeted US Forces With Artillery In Syria, Coalition Source Claims

“Turkey may have deliberately targeted US forces with artillery in northern Syria in order to push them out, coalition sources have told the Daily Telegraph. US officials confirmed an explosion occurred near where a small contingent of its special forces were based on a hill near the town of Kobane. They said the cause of the explosion had not been confirmed but local reports suggested it was either an artillery or air strike. No US personnel were injured.”

France 24: More Than A Dozen Killed In Northern Burkina Faso Mosque Attack

“Armed men stormed a mosque in the volatile north of Burkina Faso as worshippers were at prayer, killing 16 people and sending residents fleeing, security sources and locals said Saturday. The attack on the Grand Mosque in the town of Salmossi on Friday evening underscores the difficulties faced by the country in its battle against jihadists. One source said 13 people died on the spot and three succumbed to their injuries later. Two of the wounded are in critical condition. “Since this morning, people have started to flee the area,” one resident from the nearby town of Gorom-Gorom said. He said there was a “climate of panic despite military reinforcements” that were deployed after the deadly attack. Although hit by jihadist violence, many Burkinabes oppose the presence of foreign troops -- notably from former colonial ruler France -- on their territory. On Saturday, a crowd of about 1,000 people marched in the capital Ouagadougou “to denounce terrorism and the presence of foreign military bases in Africa.” “Terrorism has now become an ideal pretext for installing foreign military bases in our country,” said Gabin Korbeogo, one of co-organisers of the march.”

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Moves To Restart Taliban Peace Process

“U.S. officials and representatives of the Afghan Taliban have begun discussing ways to revive a peace process after talks fell apart last month, according to people familiar with the discussions. The top U.S. envoy for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, met international diplomatic counterparts in New York in late September and met with the Taliban in Pakistan earlier this month. The meetings touched on confidence-building measures that could include a possible prisoner swap or a reduction in violence, according to the people familiar with the discussions. President Trump last month declared that talks with the Taliban were dead, and abruptly canceled plans to meet Taliban officials at the Camp David presidential retreat to complete an agreement hashed out during a year of bilateral talks, amid opposition from top aides and cabinet members. At a rally in Minnesota last week, Mr. Trump appeared to signal openness to return to the table to end the 18-year-old war. “The single greatest mistake our country made, in its history, was going into the quicksand,” Mr. Trump said. “We’re pulling people out and we’re trying to make good deals and we’re going to bring our soldiers back home.”

Yall Africa: Nigeria: Shekau Breaks Silence, Says Boko Haram Members Will Never Stop Violence

“The Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, on Sunday broke his longtime silence to speak on the Borno governor's recent call on insurgents to lay down their arms and embrace government's amnesty programme. In an 18 minutes audio message, Mr Shekau, who spoke in his native Kanuri language and in Hausa, faulted the governor's claims that some of the insurgents that were forced to join Boko Haram are tired of fighting. The Boko Haram leader said none of his members was tired of fighting and that they would continue fighting till their last breathe. This is the first video by the terror group's fugitive leader in several months.”

United States

Fox News: Family Of US Citizen Imprisoned In Lebanon Pleads For His Release: ‘This Is A Cry For Help’

“A New Hampshire family is pleading for President Trump to secure their father’s safe return from Lebanon, where he is being detained without charges and his family says he was physically abused by Lebanese authorities. Amer Fakhoury, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was arrested in his native Lebanon during a family trip last month after a Hezbollah-backed newspaper accused him of torturing Hezbollah and Palestinian prisoners in the 1980s and 1990s.”

Syria

The New York Times: Trump Orders Withdrawal Of U.S. Troops From Northern Syria

“Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said Sunday that President Trump ordered a withdrawal of American forces from northern Syria, a decision that will effectively cede control of the area to the Syrian government and Russia, and could allow a resurgence of the Islamic State. Mr. Esper, appearing on both Fox News and CBS News, said that American troops, mostly Special Operations forces, would leave the northeastern part of the country in the face of Turkey’s incursion into the section of Syria controlled by Kurdish forces, a group of fighters trained and backed by the United States government.”

The New York Times: Pullback Leaves Green Berets Feeling ‘Ashamed,’ And Kurdish Allies Describing ‘Betrayal’

“American commandos were working alongside Kurdish forces at an outpost in eastern Syria last year when they were attacked by columns of Syrian government tanks and hundreds of troops, including Russian mercenaries. In the next hours, the Americans threw the Pentagon’s arsenal at them, including B-52 strategic bombers. The attack was stopped. That operation, in the middle of the American-led campaign against the Islamic State in Syria, showed the extent to which the United States military was willing to protect the Syrian Kurds, its main ally on the ground.”

The Wall Street Journal: The Turk And The President

“President Trump prides himself on one-on-one diplomacy, but too often it results in rash and damaging decisions like his abrupt order Sunday for U.S. troops to retreat from northern Syria. Turkish strongman Recep Tayyip Erdogan is now dictating terms to the American President, and the consequences are likely to be felt far beyond Syria and Turkey. Mr. Trump made his decision after a phone call with Mr. Erdogan in which we now know the Turk said he wanted to follow through on his threat to invade. U.S. officials had been negotiating for months with Turkey to establish a safe zone in the region that would protect Kurdish and Turkish interests while maintaining the gains against Islamic State.”

The New York Times: 12 Hours. 4 Syrian Hospitals Bombed. One Culprit: Russia.

“The Russian Air Force has repeatedly bombed hospitals in Syria in order to crush the last pockets of resistance to President Bashar al-Assad, according to an investigation by The New York Times. An analysis of previously unpublished Russian Air Force radio recordings, plane spotter logs and witness accounts allowed The Times to trace bombings of four hospitals in just 12 hours in May and tie Russian pilots to each one.”

The Washington Post: U. S.-Allied Kurds Strike Deal To Bring Assad’s Syrian Troops Back Into Kurdish Areas

“Syrian government troops began moving toward towns near the Turkish border Sunday night under a deal struck with Syrian Kurds, following a chaotic day that saw the unraveling of the U.S. mission in northern Syria. Hundreds of Islamic State family members escaped a detention camp after Turkish shellfire hit the area, U.S. troops pulled out from another base and Turkish-backed forces consolidated their hold over a vital highway, cutting the main U.S. supply route into Syria.”

The New Yorker: Chaos In Syria: ISIS Detainees Escape As The U.S. Pulls Out

“In between rounds at his golf club, on both Saturday and Sunday, President Trump decided that he was done with Syria. He ordered the evacuation of a thousand U.S. Special Forces troops deployed to contain isis, the jihadi movement that still has tens of thousands of members waging an underground insurgency across Syria and Iraq. For five years, the Americans have been the backbone of support—providing air power, intelligence, and strategic advice—for the Syrian Democratic Forces. The Kurdish-led militia did the actual fighting against isis, losing eleven thousand fighters along the way. It evolved into one of the most important U.S. allies anywhere in the Middle East. More than seventy nations joined the coalition backing the S.D.F., but the United States has been the glue holding it together.”

NPR: U.S. Forces Prepare To Leave Northeast Syria

“U.S. forces fighting ISIS could leave northeast Syria in just days. They are caught between two opposing armies: the Turkish military and Syrian Kurdish forces.”

CNN: Mattis Warns 'ISIS Will Resurge' If US Doesn't Keep Pressure On

“Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis warned “ISIS will resurge” if the US does not keep the pressure on, days after the White House announced US forces in northern Syria would pull back in advance of a planned Turkish military offensive. “In this case, if we don't keep the pressure on, then ISIS will resurge. It's absolutely a given that they will come back,” Mattis told NBC in a clip released Saturday by the news organization ahead of Sunday's “Meet the Press.” Mattis resigned in December after President Donald Trump's plans to withdraw troops from Syria became public. The retired four-star general was privately adamant in urging Trump against the pullback. “ISIS is not defeated,” Mattis told NBC. “We have got to keep the pressure on ISIS so they don't recover.” The move to pull back troops from the area ahead of the Turkish military offensive drew widespread criticism, including from top Republicans like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. It was a major shift in US foreign policy and some lawmakers and the Syrian Democratic Forces have argued it effectively gave Turkey the green light to attack US-backed Kurdish forces, though Trump administration officials have argued Turkey would have invaded regardless of the presence of US troops.”

NBC News: U.S. Troops To Withdraw From Northern Syria As ISIS Supporters Escape Amid Alleged Turkish Atrocities

“The U.S. military this weekend accelerated its plans to fully withdraw from Syria as Turkish forces continued their advance in the country's north and reports of human rights atrocities emerged. About 1,000 troops will leave the area “as safely and quickly as possible,” Defense Secretary Mark Esper told CBS' “Face the Nation” in an interview Sunday. President Donald Trump late Saturday signed off on the order, which would end most of the U.S. military's presence there, two U.S. military officials in the region told NBC News. Only around 300 soldiers would remain in the U.S. military's Al Tanf base in the south, the officials said. The order, which has not been carried out yet, came as the Turkish military escalated its military operation in the region, driving the area into further instability. Syrian government troops were set to deploy along the border with Turkey to help Kurdish fighters fend off the invasion, while hundreds of Islamic State group supporters escaped from a displacement camp earlier Sunday.Esper said that the spiraling conflict had become “untenable” for the U.S. military.”

The New York Times: Abandoned By U.S. In Syria, Kurds Find New Ally In American Foe

“Kurdish forces long allied with the United States in Syria announced a new deal on Sunday with the government in Damascus, a sworn enemy of Washington that is backed by Russia, as Turkish troops moved deeper into their territory and President Trump ordered the withdrawal of the American military from northern Syria. The sudden shift marked a major turning point in Syria’s long war. For five years, United States policy relied on collaborating with the Kurdish-led forces both to fight the Islamic State and to limit the influence of Iran and Russia, which support the Syrian government, with a goal of maintaining some leverage over any future settlement of the conflict. On Sunday, after Mr. Trump abruptly abandoned that approach, American leverage appeared all but gone. That threatened to give President Bashar al-Assad and his Iranian and Russian backers a free hand. It also jeopardized hard-won gains against the Islamic State — and potentially opened the door for its return. The Kurds’ deal with Damascus paved the way for government forces to return to the country’s northeast for the first time in years to try to repel a Turkish invasion launched after the Trump administration pulled American troops out of the way.”

The Wall Street Journal: Islamic State Affiliates Break Free From Camp In Syria

“Hundreds of foreign women and children linked to Islamic State escaped from a camp in northeastern Syria when Turkish-backed fighters attacked it, U.S.-backed Kurdish forces controlling the area said, raising fears that the Turkish offensive will undermine American efforts to eliminate the extremist group. The incident occurred at the camp of Ain Eissa, located along a highway Turkey had identified as strategic in the offensive it launched last week to drive Syrian Kurdish forces away from its border. The Kurdish-led administration that runs northeastern Syria said Islamic State affiliates inside the camp took advantage of the Turkish attack to overpower the guards and force the gates open, allowing 785 people to run away. A humanitarian worker in contact with people in Ain Eissa said the camp’s management had fled after Turkish bombardment in the area. The U.S. and other foreign governments have warned the Turkish offensive risks spreading more mayhem in the war-ravaged country and will distract the Kurdish-led militia, known as Syrian Democratic Forces, from combating Islamic State remnants and sleeper cells. The number of people displaced by the incursion had risen to 130,000 people by Sunday, the United Nations said.”

The Independent: Man Jailed For Fighting With Al-Qaeda In Syria After Being Filmed In Vice Documentary

“A man has been jailed for fighting with jihadis in Syria after being filmed in a documentary. Mohammed Yamin, now 25, initially denied joining al-Qaeda but investigators matched voice recordings made by police to previous recordings of a masked British militant caught on camera in 2013. Wearing a khaki balaclava, he appeared in a Vice documentary alongside fighters in Isis and Jabhat al-Nusra, which were both al-Qaeda factions at the time. Yamin was shown posing with an assault rifle in front of the black flag adopted by Isis, and threatening terror attacks in the UK. He urged British people to “remove your government” and made reference to the murder of Lee Rigby, adding: “You will take the blame for the crimes committed worldwide by Britain itself. So we have to fight, it’s part of our obligation to protect our honour, protect our women.” A court heard that Yamin went to Syria in July 2013 as a 20-year-old student and fought for a year before returning to the UK. Security services knew him as an associate of Jafar Turay, a Muslim convert and former London rapper who travelled to the warzone after fleeing Britain while being investigated over a stabbing. Yamin, who had previously been studying civil engineering, was arrested after landing at Heathrow Airport in 2014.”

Reuters: Islamic State Family Members Escape Camp As Turkey-Backed Forces Close In: Kurdish-Led Authority

“An offensive by Turkey and its Syrian allies is nearing a camp for displaced people in northern Syria holding thousands of members of “Islamic State families”, some of whom have managed to escape after the site was shelled, Kurdish officials said. The shelling of the camp at Ain Issa north of Raqqa represented “support for the revival of the Daesh organization once again”, the Kurdish-led administration for northern and eastern Syria said, referring to Islamic State militants.”

Iran

The New York Times: It’s Time To Talk To Iran

“This month, six years ago, we were in the midst of secret talks with Iran that led to the comprehensive nuclear agreement. It was a moment when diplomacy carried considerable risk, and considerable promise. Today, the promise has faded, and the risk is accelerating. The consequences of the Trump administration’s foolish decision to abandon that nuclear deal last year, with no evidence of Iranian noncompliance, were predictable — and predicted. We are now at a very dangerous point. The story of how we got here is one of faulty expectations on both sides.”

Iraq

Foreign Policy: Iraq Confronts Its Own Prisoner’s Dilemma

“With Turkish strikes on northern Syria underway, fears about the potential release of Islamic State fighters held in makeshift prisons there have grown. But as observers focus on Syria, the fate of fighters in Iraq may be more pressing. Indeed, a huge number of Islamic State members currently behind bars are Iraqi nationals. And Iraqi government policy toward them will have a direct effect on the Islamic State’s behavior, its support among the local population, and, as a result, the long-term stability of the country. To evaluate public perceptions of how the Iraqi government is treating the detainees, we conducted a survey of 400 civilians in Mosul, many of whom had been victimized by the Islamic State, as well as 200 people living in camps outside of the city with family members with declared affiliations with the Islamic State. The survey took place between December 2018 and January. The first set of questions dealt with who should even count as an Islamic State supporter. Both civilians from Mosul and people with Islamic State affiliations agreed that the group’s leadership and fighters should be prosecuted. That makes sense. Both groups of people surveyed see themselves as victims of Islamic State leaders, although for different reasons.”

Xinhua: 4 IS Militants Killed In Airstrike In Eastern Iraq

“Four Islamic State (IS) militants were killed on Saturday in airstrikes on their hideouts in Iraq's eastern province of Diyala, a provincial official said. Iraqi warplanes conducted airstrikes on three IS hideouts near Himreen Lake in north of the provincial capital Baquba, some 65 km northeast of Baghdad, Sadiq al-Husseini, head of the security committee of the provincial council, told Xinhua. The airstrikes destroyed the three hideouts and killed four IS militants inside, al-Husseini said citing intelligence reports. Despite repeated military operations in Diyala province, remnants of IS militants are still hiding in some rugged areas near the border with Iran, and in the sprawling areas extending from the western part of the province to the Himreen mountain range in north of Baquba. The security situation in Iraq was dramatically improved after Iraqi security forces fully defeated the extremist IS militants across the country late in 2017. IS remnants, however, have since melted in urban areas or resorted to deserts and rugged areas as safe havens, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians.”

Afghanistan

Radio Free Europe: Afghan Forces Retake Taliban-Controlled District

“Afghanistan's Defense Ministry says government forces have gained control of a district in the country's north from the Taliban. In a statement, the ministry said the Dash-e Archi district of Kunduz Province, along the border with Tajikistan, was retaken on October 12. Afghan special forces units stormed the center of the district and “destroyed enemy strongholds” and “inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy,” the statement said. The statement added that U.S troops supported Afghan forces. Dasht-e Archi has been largely under the control of the Taliban since 2015. The Taliban has maintained a strong presence in Kunduz, a strategically and economically important northern province. The militants took control of the provincial capital, Kunduz, for two weeks in 2015. The city, the country’s fifth largest, has come under attack several times since then. The Defense Ministry said government forces had retaken 12 Taliban-controlled districts in the provinces of Ghazni, Badakhshan, Kunduz, Takhar, and Faryab in the past six months. The Taliban contests or controls nearly half of the country.”

Yemen

Xinhua: 2 Yemeni Civilians Killed By Houthi Sniping Operation

“A total of two Yemeni civilians were killed on Saturday during a sniping operation carried out by the Houthi rebel group in the southern province of Dhale, a security official told Xinhua. The local security source said on condition of anonymity that a Houthi sniper killed two civilians near their house in the northern parts of Dhale, where fighting is still taking place. The Houthi operation was apparently aimed at the pro-government soldiers positioned in the area of Qataba, the source said.”

Financial Times: Riyadh Holds Talks With Houthis In Effort To Break Yemen Deadlock

“Saudi Arabia has been holding talks with Houthi rebels for the first time in more than two years in a sign Riyadh wants to de-escalate hostilities in Yemen in the wake of last month’s attacks on its oil facilities. The “back-channel” negotiations began after the Iran-aligned Houthis announced on September 20 that they would cease drone and missile attacks on the kingdom, people briefed on the talks said. A week earlier, the Houthis had claimed to have launched the strikes that hit Saudi Arabia’s biggest crude processing facility and the Khurais oilfield, temporarily knocking out half of oil production in the world’s top oil exporter and underscoring the vulnerability of its energy infrastructure.”

Saudi Arabia

The Wall Street Journal: Iran’s Expanded Missile Arsenal Presents Challenge For U.S., Saudi Arabia

“The U.S. announcement on Friday that it is delivering more missile-defense systems and troops to Saudi Arabia intensifies a face-off with Iran—which has warned that an attack on the country would trigger an “all-out war.” The Islamic Republic would be a vastly different opponent than it was when the U.S. last targeted the country directly in 1988. Iran now has thousands of missiles, many of them able to reach Israel, into the Mediterranean and, in some cases—according to the U.S.—evade Saudi defenses. It has troops or loyal militias able to fire missiles from Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. And it has more than two million regular and special forces, reserves and paramilitary fighters at its disposal.”

Egypt

The Washington Post: 9 Members Of Same Family Killed In Attack In Egypt’s Sinai

“A shell hit a truck carrying civilians in Egypt’s restive northern Sinai Peninsula on Saturday, killing at least nine people of the same family, security officials and medics said. The officials said the shell exploded in the small town of Bir al-Abd. At least six others were wounded and were taken to a hospital, they said. It was not immediately clear who was behind the shelling, which struck the family while they were returning home from their olive farm, according to two residents in the town. The residents spoke on condition of anonymity out of concern for their safety. Separately, officials say seven security forces were wounded when two explosive devices hit armored vehicles in Bir al-Abd and the town of Rafah, along the border with Gaza. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media. No group claimed responsibility for the attacks. Egypt is battling an Islamic State-led insurgency in the Sinai that intensified after the military overthrew an Islamist president in 2013. The militants have carried out scores of attacks, mainly targeting the security forces and minority Christians. Bir al-Abd was the site of a horrific 2017 attack on a mosque by Islamic extremists that killed over 300 worshippers.”

Africanews: Egypt Sentences Six Found Guilty Of Terrorism To Death

“An Egyptian court has sentenced six people to death on terror-related charges for carrying out a militant attack outside a hotel near the famed Giza Pyramids. The Giza criminal court on Saturday also sentenced eight defendants to life in prison on similar charges that include attacking security forces, and possession of weapons and explosives. Another 12 defendants received 10 years in prison. The verdict can be appealed. The charges stem from an attack in Jan. 2016 on an Egyptian security post outside the Three Pyramids Hotel. No one was hurt in the incident, but the attack damaged the hotel’s facade and also a bus parked in front of the building, which was in use by a group of visiting Arab Israelis.”

Nigeria

Sahara Reporters: Ten High-Ranking Boko Haram Leaders Captured In Borno

“The Nigerian Army has captured 10 suspected top leaders of Boko Haram in Borno. Alhaji Bukar Modu, who is on the wanted list published by the army, is one of them. In a statement by the Operations Media Coordinator, Colonel Aminu Iliyasu, the suspects were said to have been apprehended while attempting to sneak into some communities around Bitta in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State in a bid to escape. He added that most of the suspects are known to have operated combat vehicles during the attack in Gwoza in 2014. The statement read, “For instance, during a successful sting operation conducted on October 9, 2019 by troops of the 26Task Force Brigade, 10 suspected key Boko Haram members were reportedly captured while attempting to sneak into some communities around Bitta in Gwoza LGA of Borno State in a bid to escape the troops’ sustained onslaught against them. “Preliminary investigation reveals that the arrested criminals are ranked higher than the Amir in the criminals’ hierarchy. “Many of them have been identified to have operated combat vehicles during the infamous Boko Haram attack on Gwoza in 2014.”

Xinhua: 39 Militants Killed In NW Nigeria In One Week

“At least 39 armed men have been killed and others wounded in two different operations by the Nigerian army in Zamfara state, northwest Nigeria this week, an army spokesperson said Saturday. The operations were carried out in Bakura and Anka axis of the state, Oni Orisan, an spokesman for “Operation Hadarin Daji” said in a statement. He said 19 of the “bandits” were killed in an encounter with the army in the bushes of Anka while the 20 were killed in Bakura. Orisan reiterated that the soldiers would not attack any repentant militants, and those unrepentant ones who carry guns and move around in large numbers would be treated as hostile. He urged the unrepentant armed men to surrender their arms to constituted authorities and embrace the peace initiative of the state government. A series of “bandit” attacks have been recorded in the northwest part of the west African country since the beginning of this year, leading to more troops and equipment deployed to the area.”

Somalia

Reuters: Mortar Bombs Strike Somalia's Mogadishu Airport, Six Injured: Source

“At least three mortar bombs were fired on Sunday at Mogadishu’s international airport, injuring at least six people in the compound where several embassies are located, a diplomatic source said. The missions of the United Nations and African Union, as well as several embassies, are based inside the perimeter fence. The Horn of Africa nation has been plagued by conflict since clan warlords overthrew a dictator in 1991. This was followed by fighting between rival clans and an Islamist insurgency. Al Qaeda-aligned Al Shabaab, which seeks to topple the U.N.-backed government, often launches attacks in Mogadishu and across the country. It did not immediately claim responsibility for Sunday’s attack and could not be reached for comment. The Somali government could also not be reached for comment. Residents living near the airport told Reuters several mortar bombs were fired at the compound. The diplomatic source said six people were injured after three mortar bombs were fired. “I am appalled by this blatant act of terrorism against our personnel...Thankfully, the majority of our staff is unhurt,” U.N. envoy James Swan said in a statement. Al Shabaab has been trying for years to oust the central government and implement its strict version of Islamic law.”

Africa

Bloomberg: Worst Jihadist Attack In Years Stokes Anger Over Mali’s Response

“One of the deadliest militant attacks in the seven-year Islamist insurgency in Mali has stoked fresh anger over the government’s failure to halt jihadist raids, months after protests forced the prime minister to resign. The Sahel region, the arid band on the southern fringe of the Sahara Desert, is experiencing unprecedented levels of violence as Islamist militants seek to extend their influence across West Africa. Terrorist threats are spreading in Burkina Faso and to border areas with Benin, Ghana and Togo to the south, according to the United Nations. The increasing insecurity is draining state coffers in the affected countries: Niger, one of the world’s poorest countries, and Mali allocate about a fifth of their annual budgets to defense. The latest attacks on Oct. 1 targeted two Malian army bases, including one at Boulkessi in a desolate area near the Burkina Faso border where at least 38 soldiers died. Several dozen others are still missing and details about the raid have been slow to emerge. Al-Qaeda’s West Africa affiliate on Oct. 8 claimed responsibility for the raids. There have been protests over the violence in the capital, Bamako, and other towns. As the government was compiling a death toll, the wives and children of army personnel took to the streets, demanding to know the fate of their loved ones.”

Voice Of America: Kenya: Police Chief Says Roadside Bomb Kills 11 Officers

“Kenya's police chief says a roadside bomb has killed 11 officers on the country's southern border with Somalia. Inspector General Hillary Mutyambai said Saturday the officers' patrol car was blown up on Damajale Hare Hare road near the town of Liboi. No one has claimed responsibility for the bomb, but al-Shabab militants from Somalia are suspected. The al-Qaida-linked group has increasingly targeted Kenyan security forces in recent years. It vowed to take retribution on Kenya in 2011 for sending troops into Somalia to target its fighters. In July, Kenyan border police killed three suspected al-Shabab members who allegedly blew up their vehicle near the Somali border. A January attack on a Nairobi luxury hotel complex by al-Shabab extremists killed 21 people.”

United Kingdom

Irish Examiner: 'Spike' In Dissident Activity Concerns Garda Intelligence Service Amid Brexit Uncertainty

“The Garda's security chief talks to Cormac O'Keeffe about dissidents, Brexit and the jihadist threat. The recent spike in bomb attacks in the North, aimed at killing police officers, is of particular concern for the Garda's top security chief. Apart from the obvious risk to the lives of Michael O'Sullivan's colleagues in the PSNI, the incidents flag a warning in relation to the increased bomb-making capabilities of dissident groups.”

The Guardian: Isis ‘Beatles’ Should Face Trial In UK, Says Former Director Of Public Prosecutions

“The UK government has been accused of acting like “a banana republic” after suppressing charges against the British group of Isis militants known as “the Beatles” out of fears that trying them at home could set a precedent for mass jihadist repatriations.Prosecutors charged one member of the group, Alexanda Kotey, with multiple counts of murder in 2016 but the Home Office made no attempt to bring him home to face justice because, sources say, then home secretary Theresa May felt it was politically problematic. Kotey was a member of the so-called “Isis Beatles” gang accused of beheading seven westerners, and last Thursday was transferred from Kurdish detention in Syria to US military custody in Iraq ahead of a potential US trial where he could face the death penalty. Court documents reveal that the 35-year-old was charged with five counts of murder and eight counts of hostage-taking in February 2016 by the Crown Prosecution Service and warrants were issued for his arrest. However, UK ministers continued to publicly claim it had no evidence against the Londoner, insisting the best chance of prosecution was to send him to the US, where he is now expected to be tried in Virginia, a state which has the death penalty.”

France 24: Manchester Stabbing Suspect ‘Acted Alone’, British Police Say

“British police said a man arrested over a stabbing incident officers initially treated as terrorism that injured five people in a shopping centre in northern England on Friday is now believed to have acted alone. The man attacked people around him and chased two unarmed officers shortly after entering Manchester’s Arndale shopping centre in the heart of the city at about 11.15 a.m. (1015 GMT), police said. He was overpowered by armed officers, with pictures on social media showing them using a stun gun to detain him. The man, in his 40s, who was arrested on suspicion of terrorism, has been assessed by doctors and is detained under the Mental Health Act, Greater Manchester police said in a statement. There is not believed to be any wider threat to the public and the attacker is believed to have acted alone, police said. “He was armed with a large knife and ... he began lunging and attacking people with the knife,” Assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson told reporters. “Two unarmed police community support officers ... attempted to confront the attacker. He then chased them with a knife as they were calling for urgent assistance. The man attacked people around him and we understand five people were injured by him.”

The Independent: Former Islamist And Far-Right Extremists Unite Forces To Fight Rising Hate

“In June 2009, Anjem Choudary acolyte Jesse Morton was working with al-Qaeda supporters to spread the call to jihad across America. More than 3,500 miles away, in the British seaside town of Lowestoft, single father Ivan Humble was helping form the English Defence League (EDL). For years, the two men fought ideological battles on opposing sides, using each other’s groups to accelerate a cycle of radicalisation spreading across the English-speaking world. Mr Humble’s campaign against Choudary’s extremism morphed into broad anti-Muslim hatred, while Mr Morton’s writings inspired terrorists including the London Stock Exchange bomb plotters and the man who planned to blow up the Pentagon.In 2011, both their journeys were brought to an end. Mr Morton was arrested and jailed for threatening the creators of animated TV sitcom South Park for mocking the prophet Muhammad. In the UK, a chance meeting with a Muslim started a process of dialogue that led Mr Humble to quit the EDL. Now, both men have joined forces to fight both Islamist and far-right extremism by using their experience to prevent others from following the same path. Speaking to The Independent, they warned that authorities “haven’t learned the lessons” of the chain reaction sparked by Choudary and his followers in the Noughties, and were letting extremism rise once more.”

Germany

The Times Of Israel: Rooting Out Evil

“While Germany has confronted its past and continues to educate and advocate, not enough is being done to confront its historical record. Campaign posters in so-called ‘Luther country’ Thuringia have raised the specter of antisemitism in recent days. Apparently and according to reports, the NPD party, which is classified as a “neo-Nazi party by the Counter Extremism Project,” is using images of Martin Luther and slogans like “defend the homeland” on campaign signs.”

The New Yorker: A Terrorist Attack On Yom Kippur In Halle, Germany

“Ezra Waxman likes being Jewish in Europe. There is an opportunity, he says, to lay the roots of a new, living Jewish culture. Originally from Boston, he moved to Berlin two months ago, for a postdoc position in mathematics at the Technical University of Dresden. He’d been invited, along with a dozen or so other young Jewish expats, to spend Yom Kippur in Halle, a small city about a hundred miles from the capital. Halle’s prewar Jewish population was around thirteen hundred; by 1944, around ninety remained. Today, most of the Jewish community in Halle came to Germany from the collapsing Soviet Union, as part of a refugee program called Kontingentflüchtlingsgesetz. Waxman, who is thirty-one, earnest, and gently provocative, had been excited to share with them the singing and dancing that he’d grown up with in the U.S. “Even just knowing the songs helps create a choir and gives a lot more power to the service,” Waxman said. “It raises the bar of the religious experience.” This past Wednesday, fifty or so older, Russian-speaking Jews and ten young Americans, a few Germans, a Pole, an Austrian, and a Brit had gathered in the synagogue, rebuilt after the war in the pseudo-Moorish style, its sceptre-like domes rising from behind a brick wall, the men in the front of the mid-century sanctuary and the women in the back.”

Deutsche Welle: Support Falls For Germany's Far-Right AfD After Halle Attack

“The deadly anti-Semitic attack in the eastern city of Halle has already dented approval ratings for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, according to polling done for German broadcasters RTL and n-tv published on Saturday. Support for the nationalist party dropped two points in two days, from 13 percent on Wednesday morning, before news of the assault on a Halle synagogue broke, to 11 percent by Friday. Perhaps even more striking than the loss in support, the poll found that an overwhelming 90 percent of Germans who do not vote AfD agreed with the sentence “as a result of their positions and choice of words, the AfD paves the way for right-wing extremist acts of violence.” Furthermore, 76 percent of Germans who do not support the AfD said they are worried that far-right ideologies and xenophobia are becoming dangerously acceptable. The AfD, which is openly anti-immigration and Islamophobic, and has had high-profile members linked to anti-Semitic statements and incidents, was the target of hefty critique both before and after the attack that left two people dead and two injured when a right-wing extremist opened fire. Shortly before the violence in Halle, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer accused the AfD of inciting hatred, accusing them of attempting to commit “spiritual arson” in the public discourse.”

Europe

Irish Examiner: Watchdog To Police Online Terrorist Content

“He said this is despite warning from “security experts” that it is inevitable Ireland will be targeted and that our services are not prepared for it. This was stated in a recent report by the Counter Extremism Project, detailed in the Irish Examiner recently. The Garda chief said it is difficult to say how many suspected jihadists they are supervising here, but said that “fewer than 50” people are of interest because of “Salafi Jihadism”, referring to an extreme version of Islam.”

Australia

Daily Mail: Right Wing Extremist Accused Of Terror Plot Allegedly Wrote A 'Patriot's Cookbook' Urging Others To Attack Muslims

“A man charged with plotting against left-wing Melbourne groups allegedly tried to make a how-to terror guide he hoped would lead to 'thousands upon thousands' of attacks. Phillip Galea, 34, is charged with one count of preparing for a terrorist attack on the Melbourne Anarchist Club and Melbourne Resistance Centre between August 2015 and 2016. Galea equated the 'left wing' with Muslims and held the former responsible for the 'Muslimisation of Australia,' prosecutor Richard Maidment QC told a Supreme Court jury on Monday. The accused terror plotter also worked on a document called the 'Patriot's Cookbook,' aimed at inciting others to violence.Galea said it would lead to 'thousands upon thousands' of terrorist acts, Mr Maidment alleged. The accused was associated with the far-right group Reclaim Australia, spoke about targeting left-wing rallies and googled 'kill Muslims,' the prosecutor said.”

The Guardian: Christchurch Attack: New Zealand Tries New Tactic To Disrupt Online Extremism

“The New Zealand government will create a dedicated investigative team to find and prosecute terrorist and extremist content online, seven months after a gunman live-streamed the mass murder of 51 worshippers at two Christchurch mosques. Prime minister Jacinda Ardern said NZ$17m would be spent over four years to employ 17 new full-time staff, allowing the department of internal affairs to double its investigative, forensic, intelligence and prevention work in partnership with other countries.”

Southeast Asia

The Australian: Asia Faces A Rise In Terrorism Recruits

“Southeast Asia faces a resurgence of ISIS recruitment and potential lone wolf terror attacks as a result of the chaos in northeastern Syria where hundreds of Islamic State-linked detainees escaped from a Kurdish camp late Sunday, regional terror experts have warned. As many as 700 Indonesians and more than 50 Malaysians, among them hardened ISIS fighters but mostly their wives and young children, are believed to be among tens of thousands held in camps and pop-up prisons across Kurdish-held Syria.”

Xinhua: Indonesian Police Arrest Alleged Militants Plotting Strike In Bali

“The anti-terror squad of Indonesian national police has nabbed two alleged militants who had secretly planned to launch a strike in the country's Bali resort island, a police officer said on Saturday. Achmad Taufikurrahman and his son Zaid AliIbrahim were arrested in Jembrana of the island on Thursday, spokesman of police office in Bali province Senior Commissioner Hengky Widjaja said. “The two persons were captured in Bali island,” the spokesman said, adding they are loyal to a leader of IS terrorist group Abu Bakar Al Bagdadi. Both terrorists had carried out preparation for launching an attack in Bali island, the center of Indonesian tourism industry, said Hengky. The two militants also have linkages with Syaril Alamsyah alias Abu Rara, the assailant who stabbed Indonesian chief security minister Wiranto on Thursday, local media reported. Wiranto was attacked as he was getting out of a car in a town square in Banten province. Militants had staged several terrorist strikes in Indonesia, including the multiple suicide attacks in East Java and Riau provinces in May, 2018, and suicide strikes at a police station and a Starbucks Cafe in the heart of Jakarta which killed eight people in January 2016.”

The Pioneer: Hizb-Ut-Tahrir Bigger Menace Than ISIS

“Following India’s decision to revoke the special status of Jammu & Kashmir, there were protests by anti-India elements outside the India House in London during the Independence Day celebrations. One such protest was organised by Hizb-ut-Tahrir or “the Party of the Liberation”, a radical Islamist group which calls for the establishment of the caliphate in the Muslim world with a view to uniting the Muslim ummah. Following allegations that the Pakistan envoy to Bangladesh, Mohammad Mazhar Khan, had laundered money for Hizb-ut-Tahrir and other Islamist groups in Bangladesh, the envoy was recalled, according to a report in the Counter-Extremism Project.”

Technology

The Daily Beast: Tales Of Crypto-Currency: Bitcoin Jihad In Syria And Beyond

“When President Donald J. Trump talks about the withdrawal of American forces from Syria, he’s turning his back on more than U.S. allies and the problem of their hardened prisoners from the so-called Islamic State. The president also turns his back on what has in many ways become a proving ground in the war on terrorism. Syria has been an incubator for every innovation to the global jihad in the last decade: social media recruitment, lone-wolf inspiration, and, as of the last few years, the essential pillar of any terrorist group: financing. A terrorist organization cannot exist without money, and since 9/11 draining those resources has been an indispensable component of fighting them. But what progress the world has made against terrorist financing in Syria is becoming increasingly irrelevant as ISIS, al Qaeda, and other jihadi groups are reviving once-dying fundraising machines with a previously untapped resource: crypto-currency. When I began tracking terrorist financing rings in the late 1990s, they relied on charities and person-to-person resources like hawalas, which are systems of transferring money between different networks of families and trusted associates. As technology evolved, so too did terrorists, embracing services like Western Union, Moneygram, and PayPal."
__________________
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"
sendpm.gif Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

All times are GMT -7. The time now is 05:42 AM.


Powered by vBulletin, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.