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Old 03-19-2019, 06:58 AM
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Arrow Eye on Extremism March 19, 2019

Eye on Extremism
March 19, 2019
RE: info@counterextremism.com

March 19, 2019
The New York Times: ISIS Spokesman Ends Silence By Calling For Retaliation Over New Zealand Massacres

“The spokesman of the Islamic State emerged from nearly six months of silence on Monday to mock America’s assertion of having defeated the group and to call for retaliation over last week’s mosque attacks in New Zealand. “The scenes of the massacres in the two mosques should wake up those who were fooled, and should incite the supporters of the caliphate to avenge their religion,” the spokesman, Abu Hassan al-Muhajir, said in a 44-minute audio recording. Mr. al-Muhajir portrayed the shootings by a white extremist, which killed 50 Muslims as they prayed in the city of Christchurch, as an extension of the campaign against the Islamic State. He likened the mosque attacks to the weekslong battle raging in the last village under ISIS control in Syria. “Here is Baghuz in Syria, where Muslims are burned to death and are bombed by all known and unknown weapons of mass destruction,” he said, painting the people in the town as regular Muslims when in fact coalition officials believe that the majority of them are either Islamic State fighters or their wives and children. Throughout his speech, Mr. al-Muhajir belittled the White House’s claim of victory over the terrorist organization, calling it a “state of confusion and contradiction that make it impossible for any observer to know what is meant by the word ‘victory.’”

CBS This Morning: New Zealand Attacks

“CEP President Fran Townsend discusses the aftermath of the New Zealand attacks and why Congress needs to revisit social media companies' exemptions.”

The Wall Street Journal: Iran-Backed Militias Step Up The Battle In Iraq

“Iran-backed Shiite militias in Iraq are growing more powerful and confident as they operate with increasing impunity. Gunmen murdered Iraqi novelist Alaa Mashzoub, a chronicler of Iraq’s lost Jewish community, as he rode his bicycle through his hometown of Karbala Feb. 3. Mashzoub was a bold critic of Iran’s increasing power in Iraq. His relatives believe that was what led Shiite militiamen to target him. A few days after the killing, Aws al-Khafaji, a powerful Shiite militia leader in his own right and Mashzoub’s kinsman, appeared on TV and denounced Iranian interference in Iraq. He was captured by the Shiite militias of the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Units and has not been seen since. The same week, in a less dramatic but equally ominous incident, Iraqi Shiite militiamen challenged a U.S. Army foot patrol near the al-Qathia base in eastern Mosul. Heavily armed men parked a vehicle in the way of the patrol and followed the U.S. troops, filming. The video clip released later triumphantly declared, against a background of tinny martial music, that the fighters of the Popular Mobilization Units’ Ninawah Command had successfully disrupted the American attempt to conduct a patrol in the city.”

ABC News (Australia): Social Media Companies Face Backlash After New Zealand Terror Attack

“CEP Senior Advisor Dr. Hany Farid discusses why social media platforms failed to detect and permanently remove videos of the New Zealand mosque shootings.”

Asharq Al-Awsat: Un Chief: Hezbollah Weapons Threaten Stability

“UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed “grave concern” that Hezbollah’s weapons would “endanger the stability of Lebanon and the region.” In an implicit reference to Iran, Guterres called on member states to “carry out their duties” in terms of not supplying arms and military equipment to entities and individuals in Lebanon. He also urged the Lebanese government to take “all necessary measures” to disarm the militias in accordance with the Taif Agreement and international resolutions. The new Lebanese government is encouraged to abide by the policy of dissociation, in line with the Baabda Declaration of 2012, said the secretary-general in his latest report on the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1701. He also emphasized that all Lebanese powers must “stop interfering in the Syrian war and other conflicts in the region,” denouncing the “alleged movement of fighters and military equipment across the Lebanese-Syrian border.” Turning to the Lebanese-Israeli border, Guterres voiced “deep concern” over the presence of tunnels along the Blue Line and urged the Lebanese army to conduct all necessary investigations to ensure that the border tunnels were no longer a security threat.”

NTD: Georgia Woman Charged With Helping ISIS Make ‘Kill List’ Full Of Americans

“A Georgia woman has been charged with helping the ISIS terrorist group make a “kill list” of fellow Americans. In early 2017, Vo recruited other people to create content to post online propaganda for ISIS, including a video that threatened a nonprofit based in New York City.The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) confirmed that it was the nonprofit that ISIS threatened. The video included the threat: “You messed with the Islamic State so expect us soon.” One scene shows a photograph of the nonprofit’s CEO and a former U.S. Ambassador, with a threat in text, and behind them a man who appears to be shackled with his throat slit and bleeding.”

Financial Review: Europe Leads The Pack In The Fight Against E-Terrorism

“Financial Review: Europe leads the pack in the fight against e-terrorism Germany took on-board these issues and ploughed ahead with its law, known as 'NetzDG', which came into force in January last year. The law creates a process by which people can complain to the companies about hate speech online. A study by the Europe-based Counter Extremism Project last November found that Twitter and Google were rejecting around 80 per cent of complaints. The report found other flaws in the law. Extremist videos can be re-uploaded, and this was happening with 91 per cent of ISIS videos. But the tech companies had won a campaign to ensure NetzDG didn’t capture re-uploads, so that each re-upload must be treated as an entirely new case.”

United States

The New York Times: The Anatomy Of White Terror

“Before he allegedly killed 50 Muslims praying at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Friday, Brenton Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian, reportedly posted a 74-page manifesto titled “The Great Replacement” online. In his tract, Mr. Tarrant wrote that he had only one true inspiration: the Norwegian political terrorist, Anders Breivik, who killed 77 people in 2011. I always thought that Mr. Breivik was at his most dangerous before we got to know who he was, when all we had was the photoshopped photographs he had posted online, the ones where he looked tall and well-built, blond and Aryan, posing with his gun. Mr. Breivik wanted fame. He wanted his 1,500-page cut-and-paste manifesto to be read widely, and he wanted a stage — his trial in Oslo. He called the bomb he set off outside the prime minister’s office in Oslo, and the massacre he carried out on the island of Utoya, his “book launch.” He told the Norwegian court he had estimated how many people he needed to kill to be read. He had figured a dozen, but ended up killing 77. Eight years after the massacre in Norway, the Norwegian political terrorist continues to be read by his desired audience: On far right forums on the internet the term “going Breivik” means a full commitment to the cause.”

Bloomberg: DHS Chief Connects New Zealand And U.S. Attacks As Terrorism

“Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen connected Friday’s New Zealand mosque attacks with acts of racist violence in the U.S., calling the perpetrators “domestic terrorists” and saying they’re an increasing concern for her agency. Nielsen drew a line on Monday between the New Zealand attacks, in a which a gunman who espoused hatred of Muslims killed 50 people at two mosques, and three attacks in the U.S. that authorities have blamed on racism or bigotry. “We, too, have seen the face of such evil with attacks in places such as Charlottesville, Pittsburgh, and Charleston,” Nielsen said in a speech at George Washington University in Washington. One counter-protester was killed at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in August 2017. Attacks at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018 and a predominantly black church in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015 killed 11 and nine people, respectively. Nielsen’s remarks connecting the New Zealand attack and incidents of racial violence in the U.S. contrasted with the reaction of her boss, President Donald Trump. He told reporters on Friday at the White House that he doesn’t consider “white nationalism” to be a growing threat. “I don’t really,” Trump said.”

The New York Post: Feds Were Watching Bike-Path Terrorist For Years Before Attack: Lawyer

“The ISIS-inspired man who is accused of killing eight people in a Halloween 2017 terror attack by driving a truck down a crowded bike path along the West Side Highway in Lower Manhattan was being watched by the government for years before the attack, according to a new court filing. A lawyer for Sayfullo Saipov, who faces the death penalty, argues in a heavily redacted Manhattan federal court filing submitted by his lawyers Monday that prosecutors should turn over information about surveillance of their client’s conversations with two unnamed associates. The government listened in on one of Saipov’s conversations with one of those associates as late as Oct. 30, 2017 — one day prior to the attacks, the filing states. In November, it was revealed that the government had been recording Saipov’s conversations with the associates for clues to his finances, contacts and potential exposure to material from the Islamic State. The government “must disclose any materials revealing Mr. Saipov’s alleged connection to ISIS so that he may adequately prepare for trial and a potential penalty phase,” argues Andrew Dalack, a member of Saipov’s court-appointed defense team, in the new filing.”

The New York Times: U.S. Pressures Iraq Over Embrace Of Militias Linked To Iran

“The United States’ attempts to isolate Iran, including by punishing Iraqi militias and politicians who are supported by Iranian officials, has deepened tensions not only between Washington and Baghdad but also within the Trump administration. American military and intelligence officials said the increasing pressure on Iraq risks infuriating its Parliament, including politicians linked to Iran, which could limit the movements of the 5,200 United States troops based in Iraq. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, whose confrontational stand on Iran has already strained ties with European allies, is leading the push for Iraq to confront its fellow Shiite-majority neighbor. He will arrive in the Middle East on Tuesday to speak with officials in Kuwait, Israel and Lebanon about containing Iran. Under plans recommended by Mr. Pompeo and some White House officials, the State Department would designate Iran’s military Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps as a foreign terrorist organization. It would be a first instance of the United States designating a unit of another government’s military as a terrorist group; American officials said it could put United States troops and intelligence officers at risk of similar actions by foreign governments.”

Syria

The Wall Street Journal: Hard-Core Islamic State Members Carry Ideology From Crushed Caliphate

“The baby was born during the death throes of Islamic State’s caliphate—when all that remained of its once vast domain was a cluster of tents in a remote corner of Syria. And yet far from renouncing the group and its ideology, the infant’s mother vowed he would grow up to fight for Islamic State when it rises again. “I will raise him according to the way of Islamic State,” said Umm Abdulrahman, 27, breast-feeding the child beneath the black fabric covering everything but her eyes outside the village of Baghouz. “Despite everything—the hunger and bombardment—we felt at ease.” She is one of thousands of women to emerge from this last sliver of territory held by Islamic State, unrepentant over the group’s atrocities and bent on passing its brutal brand of extremism onto the next generation. Few ever doubted that a U.S.-led coalition of 79 countries would ultimately prevail militarily over Islamic State. But the enduring appeal of the militants’ ideology among people like Umm Abdulrahman raises questions about the totality of its defeat. Even as Islamic State loses almost all territory and its less committed members fall away, a hardened core who remain in Syria, Iraq, Nigeria, the Philippines, Libya and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula present a daunting challenge.”

Reuters: U.S.-Backed Force Says It Has Taken Positions In Islamic State Syria Camp

“U.S.-backed fighters said they had taken positions in Islamic State’s last enclave in eastern Syria and air strikes pounded the tiny patch of land beside the Euphrates River early on Monday, a Reuters journalist said. Smoke rose over the tiny enclave as warplanes and artillery bombarded it. Another witness said the jihadists had earlier mounted a counter attack. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia said in an update on Monday that tens of militants had been killed during what it called fierce clashes, and one SDF fighter had been injured. It said Islamic State had sent four suicide bombers to points close to SDF fighters. Late on Sunday, an SDF spokesman, Mustafa Bali, said on Twitter that several enemy positions had been captured and an ammunition storage area had been blown up. The enclave resembles an encampment, filled with stationary vehicles and rough shelters with blankets or tarpaulins that could be seen flapping in the wind during a lull in fighting as people walked among them. An Islamic State spokesman said on Monday the displacement of “the weak and poor” from Syria’s Baghouz would not weaken the group.”

Reuters: U.S.-Backed SDF Says It Captured 157 Militants, Mostly Foreigners

“The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia besieging Islamic State’s last enclave in eastern Syria said on Tuesday it had captured “157 experienced terrorists, mostly foreign nationals.” The operation was carried out at Baghouz, the site of the Islamic State enclave, by SDF special forces, said Mustafa Bali, the head of the militia’s media office, on Twitter. He did not say when the operation took place.”

CBS News: ISIS Militants Vow To Keep Fighting As Final Battle In Syria Drags On

“The battle for the last scrap of land held by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Syria has taken longer than expected, with the terror group vowing to fight to the last man in Baghouz. In the shadow of moonlight alone, U.S.-backed forces took CBS News to the closest point yet overlooking the last of ISIS. Soon after, you could hear bullets whizzing overhead. For weeks, U.S. and coalition airstrikes have been battering a tiny area now down to just a few hundred square yards. Yet on Monday, soldiers of the Syrian Democratic Forces were locked in a firefight with ISIS militants who continue to survive the onslaught. On a hilltop within the sites of ISIS snipers, a lone SDF gunner took aim at targets down below. The so-called caliphate has been reduced to a junkyard, a tangled maze of wrecked vehicles surrounded on all sides. While it's unclear how many ISIS fighters remain, it's enough to put up a fight. Human shields have been the biggest hurdle. An estimated 1,500 people at first turned out to be closer to 30,000. Yet that is not enough to explain how ISIS has made a last stand that has withstood the might of the most powerful military in the world and its allies here on the ground for so long. Commanders have quit trying to predict when this fight might be over.”

The Guardian: Foreign Nationals Suspected Of ISIS Links 'Not Wanted' In Syrian Camps

“An estimated 7,000 women and children from more than 40 nations, including the US, UK, Australia and Europe, are living in tense and chaotic conditions in camps in north-eastern Syria, where they are “not wanted” due to their supposed affiliation with Islamic State. Among them are hundreds of unaccompanied or separated children, some just babies as young as five months, according to aid groups and other sources. To ease potential tension among the many groups, the foreign nationals – hailing from countries as varied as Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Somalia and Trinidad and Tobago – have been segregated into separate annexes in two of the three camps, which include Ain Issa, al-Roj and the severely overcrowded al-Hawl centre, where Shamima Begum’s baby son died just under a fortnight ago. “The message that they are not wanted is growing stronger,” said Unicef’s regional director for the Middle East, Geert Cappelaere. “They are not wanted in the camp. They are often not wanted in their countries of origin, still waiting for third countries to come forward and offer resettlement.” Up to 5,000 children in the camps are believed to be foreign nationals, according to Save the Children’s Syria response director Sonia Khush, a figure that does not include Iraqi children.”

Iran

Voice Of America: Iran Hints At Using Foreign Militias In Domestic Crackdown

“An influential Iranian cleric says Iran might bring Shiite militias to the country from other parts of the Middle East to fight threats to the government. Musa Ghazanfarabadi, head of the Tehran Islamic Revolution Courts, told religious students in Qom this month that his government could use foreign fighters to crack down on potential popular uprisings in Iran. "If we don't support [our] revolution, the Iraqi Hashd al-Shaabi, the Afghan Fatemiyoun [Brigade], the Pakistani Zainebiyoun and Yemeni Houthis will come and support the revolution," he said. Ghazanfarabadi was referring to Shiite militias from Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen that have been formed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). These armed groups have played a major role in conflicts in Iraq and Syria, supporting the governments of both countries. In Yemen, the Iran-backed Houthis have been fighting Saudi-backed government forces for years.”

Al Monitor: What Rouhani’s Visit To Iraq Tells Us About Iran’s Syria Policy

“Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s recent landmark trip to Iraq was closely monitored and discussed from various aspects by the media and analysts around the world. Some observers put their focus on the bilateral aspect, talking about the importance of the visit in terms of Iran’s growing influence in Iraq, while others analyzed it within the context of Iran’s plans to overcome the US sanctions. There have been also debates on the meaning of Rouhani’s trip for internal political divisions in Iran and Iraq. But a largely ignored — and yet very important — aspect of the Iranian president’s three-day visit to Iraq is the explicit and implicit implications of the trip for Iran’s policy in Syria.The first point in this regard is related to Iran’s plans for the process of Syria’s postwar reconstruction. After concluding a number of economic agreements and memorandums of understanding with the Syrian government over the past several months, it seems that Iran is moving forward with more concrete plan for playing an active role in Syria’s reconstruction. One of the main agreements signed during Rouhani’s visit to Baghdad was on the construction of a railway connecting Iran’s Shalamcheh border crossing to Basra.”

Iraq

The Wall Street Journal: Iraq To Open Vital Border Crossing With Syria

“Iraq plans to open a vital border crossing with Syria in the coming days, allowing for the increased flow of goods to Syria from Iran along a route the U.S. worries would ease Tehran’s transport of weapons to its allies. The reopening of the border in al-Qaim, which Iraq closed in 2013 as it hunted al Qaeda militants, will boost trade links between Syria and Iraq and help their war-shattered economies. The Iraqi army’s chief of staff, Gen. Othman al-Ghanmi, made the announcement alongside his counterpart from Iran and Syria’s defense minister, in a rare public appearance together that indicates growing ties among the three Middle East neighbors. Iraq, Syria and Iran have differing foreign-policy agendas but are united in the fight against extremist groups Islamic State and al Qaeda. The three officials reiterated that the security of their respective countries is interconnected. But the opening of the border crossing by a key partner of Washington also illustrates the complications the U.S. faces as it tries to isolate Iran and its allies in the region. The U.S. has long opposed Iran’s alleged plans to establish a land corridor passing through Iraq to Syria, which it worries would facilitate arming of Iranian-backed militias that could help Iran entrench in the region.”

The New York Times: ISIS Kidnaps And Kills Truffle Hunters In Iraq’s Western Desert

“As he hunted for a seasonal delicacy, Mohaned Salah Yasseen scanned the ground intently, searching for places where the soil is cracked and slightly raised — the telltale sign a desert truffle lies below. So he failed to notice the two pickup trucks, driven by men in military uniforms, until they were almost upon him. “They ordered me to get into the truck,” said Mr. Yasseen, a 31-year-old pharmacist. “I thought about saying no, but they were armed.” As he climbed in, he became the latest victim in a new campaign by the Islamic State. Driven out of most of the territory it controlled in Iraq and Syria, the group has gone underground, its remaining fighters in Iraq carrying out sporadic attacks.”

Reuters: Iraq Sentences Belgian Man To Death For Belonging To Islamic State

“An Iraqi court sentenced a Belgian man to death by hanging on Monday for being part of the Islamic State militant group, one of dozens of foreign nationals facing the death penalty in Iraq. Iraq has put hundreds of suspected members of the ultra-hardline jihadist group on trial, many of whom were arrested as Islamic State lost a string of strongholds to U.S.-backed military campaigns throughout Iraq. The Central Criminal Court in Baghdad handed Belgian national Bilal al-Marchohi, 23, the death penalty for belonging to and conducting operations on behalf of Islamic State (IS). During an hour of proceedings, the presiding judge read out portions of Marchohi’s signed confession and showed a video and photographs that he said proved his membership of IS. The images from a phone found in his possession at the time of his arrest showed Marchohi carrying a gun and making a hand gesture affiliated with the militants. Several pictures showed him cradling his infant son. Marchohi denied all allegations against him in open court, including that he was a member of IS at any time. ”I shouldn’t be prosecuted in Iraq,” Marchohi said. “I should be prosecuted in Belgium. I am a Belgian citizen.”

Turkey

Reuters: Turkey, Iran Carried Out Joint Operation Against Kurdish Militants: Minister

“Turkey and Iran carried out a joint operation against militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) on Monday, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said according to state-owned media. “We started carrying out an operation with Iran against the PKK on our eastern border this morning (and) will announce the result,” news agency Anadolu quoted Solyu as saying. State broadcaster TRT Haber also cited him commenting on the operation. Turkey’s military regularly carries out air strikes against PKK militants in northern Iraq and has carried out operations to arrest alleged members of the group in Turkey. The PKK is deemed a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and European Union.”

Afghanistan

The Washington Post: Afghan Government, Shut Out Of U.S.-Taliban Peace Talks, Running Short On Options

“Excluded from peace talks with the Taliban, estranged from Washington after sharply attacking its peace envoy and under growing pressure to postpone July elections, the Afghan government is running short on time, friends and options. President Ashraf Ghani, who once hoped to win reelection as a champion and orchestrator of peace after 17 years of grueling conflict, has been denied that role at Taliban insistence. Some of his rivals, meanwhile, have held high-profile meetings with the insurgents, and U.S. officials have held weeks of closed-door sessions with them abroad. Frustrated at being outmaneuvered on all sides, Ghani has lashed out at U.S. officials through his national security adviser, Hamdullah Mohib. Mohib stunned Washington last week by saying a U.S.-Taliban deal would “dishonor” fallen U.S. troops and by denouncing Zalmay Khalilzad, the Trump administration’s peace envoy, as an American “viceroy” with ambitions to head an interim Afghan government. In response, the State Department said Mohib was summoned by a senior U.S. official and told that his attacks on Khalilzad could hurt bilateral relations and the peace process. According to reports in the Afghan and U.S. media, Mohib, who previously served as Ghani’s ambassador to Washington, was also barred from future dealings with U.S. officials.”

Voice Of America: Officials Confirm Taliban Captured 58 Afghan Soldiers

“Authorities in Afghanistan confirmed Monday that the Taliban captured 58 government forces during recent fighting in a northwestern district bordering Turkmenistan. Another 58 Afghan soldiers who had taken refuge in the neighboring Central Asian country after fleeing the insurgent offensive in Bala Murghab have returned home, the Defense Ministry said. It added a search operation was underway in the border district to free the hostages. The Afghan foreign ministry, in a separate statement, said it "appreciates the warm welcome extended to the citizens of Afghanistan and health care provided to them" by the Turkmenistan government. The Taliban has kept the hotly contested Afghan district in the Badghis province under pressure for more than two weeks, killing dozens of government forces and reportedly capturing about 200 others. While many parts and key security outposts are said to have fallen to insurgents, Afghan officials insist government forces are still holding the Bala Murghab district center. The Taliban on Sunday released pictures on social media of 72 captured Afghan security forces, saying they "surrendered" to the insurgents in the fighting in Bala Murghab. It was not possible to independently verify the claims. A major Taliban attack a week ago in the district eliminated an entire Afghan National Army company.”

Politico Magazine: Trump’s Bad Deal With The Taliban

“Last week, Afghanistan’s national security adviser, Hamdullah Mohib, launched into a broadside against Zalmay Khalilzad, the chief American diplomat responsible for negotiating with the Taliban. Addressing reporters in Washington, Mohib insinuated that Khalilzad is seeking to install himself as the “viceroy” of a new “caretaker government.” The State Department quickly issued a sharp rebuke, saying that any condemnation of Khalilzad was really a critique of its leader, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. While Mohib’s specific charge may have been hyperbole, it almost certainly wasn’t a slip of the tongue. Mohib has been around Washington for years, including as Afghanistan’s ambassador to the U.S., so he knew how his words would be received. His harsh critique of Khalilzad reflects the Afghan government’s deep mistrust of the Trump administration’s plans. Everyone knows that President Trump wants out of Afghanistan, and the Afghans know that the State Department’s dealings with the Taliban will not deliver “peace.” Instead, Khalilzad’s talks have further empowered the same jihadists America has been fighting for nearly two decades. The Taliban has repeatedly dismissed the elected Afghan government as an illegitimate “puppet” of the U.S. and refused to talk with President Ashraf Ghani’s representatives.”

Xinhua: Afghan Military Kills 39 Militants In N. Afghan Provinces

“As many as 39 Taliban militants were killed and 10 others wounded following operations in Afghanistan's northern turbulent Faryab and Kunduz provinces, an army source said Monday. The Afghan Air Force bombed the militants' hideouts in Qaysar district of Faryab late on Sunday night, killing up to 28 Taliban fighters and wounding eight others, Hanif Rezai, spokesman of army Corps 209 Shaheen based in the region, told Xinhua. The strike was a retaliatory sortie against a Taliban attack on security checkpoints in Qaysar on Saturday night that left 21 army soldiers and policemen dead and 10 others injured. Elsewhere in Kunduz province, Afghan forces launched a military operation in Aykhanum area of Chahar Dara district, leaving 11 militants dead, two wounded and eight others including one of Taliban local commander named Mullah Mohammad Yousuf arrested, the spokesman said. Arms, ammunition and several militants' motorcycles have also been seized during the operation, according to the source. No security forces or civilians have been reported dead or injured, and no comment was made by the Taliban militants on the operation yet.”

Middle East

The Jerusalem Post: Eisenkot: Hezbollah Was Planning To Infiltrate Israel With 5,000 Troops

“Hezbollah was planning to send 5,000 to infiltrate Israel," said Former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot in an event commemorating former Mossad Chief Meir Dagan on Monday. "Looking at my term as chief of staff three years back, there were many events in which escalation was a hair's breadth from happening," stressed Eisenkot. Eisenkot revealed that Hezbollah were planning to "send 5,000 to infiltrate Israel through the tunnels, guns blazing, but we stopped them." "There is a new threat that the IDF deals with, the threat of cyber warfare," said Eisenkot. "I believe that that threat will be more and more relevant in the future." Eisenkot concluded by comparing the threats Israel faces to an iceberg, saying that the public "only sees the tip of the iceberg - the threat of Gaza and the West Bank," while the IDF deals with threats that are invisible to the naked eye, "The Iranian nuclear threat, their rocket capabilities and military power.”

Somalia

All Africa: Somalia: Locals Gang-Up Against Al-Shabaab, Kill 4 Militants

“Four militants were killed by villagers over the weekend. At least 4 members of the Al-Sbabab terror group were rounded up and killed by villagers in Wanlawyen, North of Mogadishu over the weekend. Self-organised locals infuriated with Al-Shabaab continuous extortion killed four militants including a senior leader who was in-charge of Zakawat in Wanlaweyn town of Somalia. Wanlaweyn is a small town in the coastal southeastern Lower Shebelle region of Somalia. Situated around 50 miles northwest of the capital Mogadishu. The fighting which initially broke out late Friday entered its second day on Saturday. According to Omar Sheikh Mohamed, the head of the self-organised group, they killed four Al-Shabaab fighters including a senior Zakawat and operations officers. Credible sources confirmed that bodies of slain fighters were brought to Wanlaweyn town. Al-Shabaab has not yet commented on victory claimed by locals in Lower Shabelle region over its fighters.”

Africa

Reuters: Mali Weekend Attack Killed 23 Soldiers In Total - Army

“The final casualty toll from a weekend attack by suspected jihadists on a Malian army base was 23 soldiers killed, the army said in a statement on Monday. Gunmen attacked and briefly seized a Malian army base early on Sunday in the village of Dioura, in the central Mopti region, with initial estimates of the death toll at 16. “You are not alone. All peace loving Malians support you,” Defence Minister Tiemoko Sangare was quoted as saying while addressing Malian troops on a visit to Dioura. “Do not listen to the siren songs whose sole purpose is to destabilise the country,” he added. Violence by jihadist groups has worsened almost every year since it first exploded in Mali in 2012, when Islamists and allied Tuareg rebels took over the north and advanced towards the capital, Bamako. A French-led intervention pushed them back the following year.”

Defense Post: Nigeria: Boko Haram Blamed As Roadside Bomb Kills 8 Near Gwoza

“Eight people were killed and seven other injured near Gwoza in northeast Nigeria’s Borno state when a vehicle hit a roadside bomb on Monday, March 18, security sources told AFP. Military and civilian militia sources blamed Boko Haram for planting the mine, underlining the persistent threat to civilians in the remote region. One vehicle, part of a civilian convoy under military escort, veered off the road in an attempt to overtake another vehicle when it hit the device. “The vehicle exploded and all the eight people inside were killed,” said a military officer. “Seven more people from the other vehicle we’re injured from the explosion.” The convoy had left Gwoza and was heading to Pulka around 18 km (11 miles) away when the incident occurred at about 10 a.m. at Warabe village, around 5 km (3 miles) south of Pulka, civilian militia leader Umar Ari said.”

United Kingdom

Fox News: British Actor Who Joined Anti-ISIS Fight Says He's Having Trouble Gaining Re-Entry To England, U.S.

“As the final ISIS enclave in eastern Syria shrinks almost into non-existence – a sign that the terror group's last fragment of territorial control that once spawned large swaths of Iraq and Syria is almost over – one Western fighter, Michael Enright, who left his Hollywood career to take up arms against the brutal insurgency, says he has been left languishing without a country to safely return to. “I always felt I owed America a debt because it had always been so good to me. I love Americans and I love America. I didn’t go (to Syria) to help the Kurds, I went there to fight for America,” British-born Enright, 55, told Fox News. “I ended up falling in love with the Kurds, but I went there for America and because of what ISIS did to Americans.” In particular, it was the video that emerged in August 2014 of journalist James Foley being beheaded by British jihadist Mohammed Emwazi, who operated under the alias Jihadi John, that riled him enough to abandon his Los Angeles life in early 2015. “When I first left America I knew there would be a risk I would not be able to come back, but I felt so compelled to go,” he explained. “I had first come to America when I was 19. I had no work experience and no family there, but it became my home.”

Germany

Voice Of America: Iraqi Who Allegedly Killed US Troops Charged In Germany

“German authorities have charged three Iraqi men with membership in a terrorist organization on allegations they fought for the Islamic State group in their home country, including one suspected of attacks that killed American soldiers. Federal prosecutors said Monday Mohammed Rafea Yassen Y., whose last name wasn't given for privacy reasons, joined IS in his hometown of Rutba. The 28-year-old is accused of 13 bomb attacks in the city from 2006-2008, causing death and injuries to “U.S. forces, the Iraqi army, local police and civilians." He also faces war crimes and accessory to murder charges. Muqatil Ahmed Osman A., 29, and Hasan Sabbar Khazaal K., 27, are both suspected of fighting for IS. They came to Germany in 2015 and have been in custody since they were arrested last summer.”

Europe

The Washington Post: Dutch Authorities Arrest Suspect In Shooting On Utrecht Tram That Left 3 Dead

“A man opened fire Monday on a tram in the Dutch city of Utrecht, killing three people and injuring five in a shooting that authorities said may have been motivated by terrorism. After an hours-long manhunt across Utrecht, police arrested a 37-year-old Turkish-born man, Gokmen Tanis, who they said was the main suspect. They also took into custody another person they said was connected to the attack, although they offered no further details. “Today an attack took place in Utrecht, literally in the heart of our country,” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said at a news conference after the arrest. “We will not succumb to these terrible events.” He said that authorities consider terrorism a possible motive but that they are also still trying to understand what happened. Tanis was known to authorities, said Dutch Justice Minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus, standing alongside Rutte. He declined to elaborate, citing the need for an unbiased investigation. Police spent hours searching for Tanis, releasing a surveillance photo from what appeared to be the tram taken minutes before the attack unfolded — an unusual step in a privacy-conscious country, underscoring the concern sparked by the incident.”

New Zealand

CNN: Why Terrorists Kill: The Striking Similarities Between The New Zealand And Pulse Nightclub Shooters

“The decision to kill innocent civilians who are strangers -- whether you are a jihadist terrorist or a white nationalist militant -- can never be easily explained, but there does seem to be a common profile for “lone actor” Western terrorists today, irrespective of their ideology. First, they are radicalizing because of what they read online. ISIS created a vast global library of propaganda that influenced terrorists such as Omar Mateen, who killed 49 people in the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, in June 2016. Mateen never met with anyone in ISIS and never traveled to Iraq or Syria where ISIS was headquartered. His radicalization was entirely driven by what he viewed on the internet. Similarly, Brenton Tarrant, the terrorist who allegedly carried out the New Zealand attacks, killing 50 people, tapped into a large library of white nationalist material from around the world on the internet, according to the document that Tarrant posted about his motivations for the attacks. Nationalism is trending, and Trump isn’t doing anything about it.”

Australia

The Sydney Morning Herald: Australia's Right-Wing Extremist Problem: Are We Doing Enough?

“Extremism experts and police insiders say far-right radicals pose a growing threat of violence in Australia and will become a greater focus of authorities in the wake of the Christchurch massacre. Several respected experts said right-wing extremists in Australia were being emboldened by the tone of mainstream political discussion on issues such as immigration, race and crime. All said that far-right violence was a growing problem. Police and intelligence agencies continue to sift through alleged killer Brenton Tarrant's background. It is understood that his travels in eastern Europe are a particular focus of the investigation. Far-right groups have a strong presence in eastern Europe. It remains unclear what, if any, connections Tarrant had to groups in Australia. Since the 2015 anti-Islam Reclaim Australia rallies, the far-right has steadily grown, splintering off into dozens of medium-sized groups that predominantly spread their message through Facebook. Significant groups include the United Patriots Front and the Antipodean Resistance. Some far-right Facebook pages, such as Nationalist Uprising - run by Neil Erikson, one of the men who called former Labor senator Sam Dastyari a “monkey” in a Melbourne pub in 2017 - have more than 100,000 followers and routinely put out anti-Islamic content.”

Southeast Asia

ABC News Australia: Indonesian Terror Group Leader Abu Umar Jailed For 10 Years Over Extremist Teachings

“The chief agitator behind last year's child suicide bombings in Indonesia's second-biggest city, Surabaya, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Abu Umar, also known as Syamsul Arifin, was the East Java provincial leader of the terrorist group Jamaah Ansharud Daulah (JAD) and held regular motivational meetings attended by some of Indonesia's most extreme militants. Prosecutors, who recommended a 15-year jail sentence, said the defendant was responsible for mass casualties through his teachings for JAD. Among those he recruited was Dita Oepriarto, the mastermind of the Surabaya bombings, who led his wife and children — one of them just nine years old — to commit suicide attacks against churches during Sunday mass in May 2018. The day after the church bombings, Tri Murtiono and his family, riding two motorbikes, bombed the Surabaya police headquarters. The chief agitator behind last year's child suicide bombings in Indonesia's second-biggest city, Surabaya, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Abu Umar, also known as Syamsul Arifin, was the East Java provincial leader of the terrorist group Jamaah Ansharud Daulah (JAD) and held regular motivational meetings attended by some of Indonesia's most extreme militants.”

Technology

Bloomberg: Facebook Told To Face Up To Extremism After New Zealand Attack

“Pressure is building on Facebook Inc. and other social media platforms to stop hosting extremist propaganda including terrorist events, after Friday’s deadly attacks on two mosques in New Zealand were live-streamed. Australia’s prime minister has urged the Group of 20 nations to use a meeting in June to discuss a crack down, while New Zealand media reported the nation’s biggest banks have pulled their advertising from Facebook and Google. “We cannot simply sit back and accept that these platforms just exist and what is said is not the responsibility of the place where they are published,” New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told parliament on Tuesday. “They are the publisher, not just the postman. There cannot be a case of all profit, no responsibility.” Facebook said it had been working directly with New Zealand police and across the technology industry to "help counter hate speech and the threat of terrorism." The lone shooter accused of killing 50 people in the New Zealand city of Christchurch live-streamed the murders, with the video continuing to be widely available on a range of platforms hours after the attack. The suspect, an Australian, uploaded his hate-filled manifesto online shortly before launching his assault.”

NBC News: In New Zealand Shooting Aftermath, Tech's Role In Spreading Extremism Comes Under Scrutiny

“The spread of a video across the internet that was apparently recorded by a shooter who killed 50 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, has reignited a debate around how tech companies moderate their platforms — and whether they've done enough to crack down on the spread of white supremacists online. Critics of the companies, led by U.K. politicians, say that Facebook and YouTube have not done enough to address white supremacist groups on their platforms, pointing to a successful effort to control Islamic extremist content on the sites as proof that the problem is well within the power of the companies. Those calls have been countered by warnings from some in the tech industry who say that pushing tech companies to further regulate extremism will not fix the deeper problems of online radicalization. Digital copies of the video, which was captured from a Facebook livestream, were repeatedly uploaded to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube in the hours after the attack, though most versions were removed by Friday afternoon in the U.S. The shooter's manifesto referred to a variety of internet-based influences, leaving behind a pattern familiar to researchers who study online radicalization.”

The New York Times: The Case For Investigating Facebook

“A year ago, the world learned that Facebook allowed a political consulting company called Cambridge Analytica to exploit the personal information of up to 87 million users, to obtain data that would help the company’s clients “fight a culture war” in America. Since then, a torrent of reports has revealed that the Cambridge Analytica scandal was part of a much broader pattern of misconduct by Facebook. It has paid teenagers to spy on their behavior, even asking users “to screenshot their Amazon order history page,” according to the website TechCrunch. The company has secretly collected highly sensitive data through the back doors of other apps, such as ovulation trackers, to target ads at users “even if no Facebook account is used to log in and if the end user isn’t a Facebook member,” The Wall Street Journal reported. And in its pursuit of dominance, Facebook gave at least 60 device makers direct access to its users’ data. Those actions are under criminal investigation, The Times reported last week. Facebook has also engaged in campaigns to obstruct congressional oversight and to smear and discredit critics — tactics reminiscent of the big tobacco playbook.”

The Independent: Facebook Allows Far-Right Group Britain First To Set Up New Pages And Buy Adverts Despite Vow To Combat Extremism

“Facebook has allowed far-right group Britain First to set up new pages and pay for adverts, despite vowing to crack down on extremists. Days after the social media giant was used to livestream the New Zealand terror attack, The Independent can reveal Facebook anti-Muslim leader Paul Golding set up two new platforms. One was functioning as Britain First’s official page and had more than 7,300 followers, with Golding posting pictures from a “Britain First defenders” training day and telling people to “pray for churches” in response to the Christchurch mosque shooting. He shared a link to a conspiracy theory claiming the alleged culprit Brenton Tarrant, a white supremacist who deliberately targeted Muslims, was “linked to left-wing groups”. The second page, called "authentic Paul Golding", was a personal profile but also named him as the leader of Britain First and linked users to the group's website.”

The Guardian: 'A Perfect Platform': Internet's Abyss Becomes A Far-Right Breeding Ground

“No depth goes unplumbed on the far-right forum 8chan. Its threads reveal a seething, toxic mass of rabid antisemitism, neo-Nazism, Islamophobia, gratuitous violence, coded inside jokes and conspiratorial ravings published by anonymous users. Nothing has changed in the days after the Australian alleged gunman Brenton Tarrant, 28, came to 8chan boasting of the imminent massacre in Christchurch. Posts have since praised Tarrant as a “hero” and called for copycat attacks, or, alternatively, denounced him as a pawn in a false flag conspiracy. 8chan, which describes itself as the “darkest reaches of the internet”, is just one of a series of online forums populated by the extremist right. Studies in the UK suggest far-right forums are growing in number, giving a bigger platform to violent, racist messaging. It begs the question: why is it that users are flocking to the internet’s abyss? And what roles do such forums play in radicalising those in the far right, alongside newspapers, broadcasters, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook?”

The New York Times: Why A Big Tech Breakup Looks Better To Washington

“A decade ago, when the greed and carelessness of the financial industry came close to destroying the American economy, the overwhelming response by politicians and the public was: Meh. Almost instantly, all was forgiven and forgotten. Now the tech industry — which, among other impressive innovations, provides the world’s knowledge on demand, lets people freely broadcast their diverse opinions and has made shopping as easy as pushing a button — has made some mistakes of its own. It has abused privacy, squeezed the competition and casually spread hate. And that’s just the beginning of the list. Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple might not get away as cleanly as Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts senator who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, released proposals this month that would force tech breakups and impose severe restrictions on what remained. Another Democratic presidential candidate, Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, covered more briefly some of the same ground, saying, “We have a major monopoly problem.”

Fox News: YouTube Struggled To Remove New Zealand Shooting Videos. This Is Why

“Not long after a man gunned down dozens and killed at least 50 worshipers inside two New Zealand mosques while wearing a body-mounted camera to record the carnage, the video quickly spread on YouTube — it was repeatedly taken down and then posted again, with uploaders able to work around the video platform's artificial intelligence detection tools. Experts on online radicalization and terrorist content said that social media companies like Facebook, Twitter and Google must do more to combat it. "Reports say Facebook needed 17 minutes to remove the livestream. ... The technology to prevent this is available. Social media firms have made a decision not to invest in adopting it," Counter Extremism Project Director David Ibsen said in a statement.”

Which-50: Facebook, Google, Twitter All Failed To Control Their Own Platforms In Wake Of NZ Shooting

“Global social networking giants Facebook, Twitter and Youtube all failed to adequately respond when a white supremacist gunman murdered 51 people in New Zealand, live streaming the event on the internet. The failure of the platforms to adequately respond again raises questions about why technology giants which boast they can discern the intent of one buyer out of a billion in a millisecond, are unable to intervene more rapidly when their platforms are used to propagate violent events and hate speech. Quoted in Bloomberg, Hany Farid, a computer science professor at the University of California at Berkeley’s School of Information and a senior adviser to the Counter Extremism Project told the news service, “Once content has been determined to be illegal, extremist or a violation of their terms of service, there is absolutely no reason why, within a relatively short period of time, this content can’t be eliminated automatically at the point of upload. We’ve had the technology to do this for years.”
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O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
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