Eye on Extremism February 25, 2019

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Eye on Extremism
Date: February 25, 2019
RE: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#in...MDlHrZfHzrSzsq

The Wall Street Journal: Civilian Presence Slows Offensive to Oust Islamic State in Syria

“The continued presence of thousands of civilians, including families of Islamic State fighters, is slowing a push by U.S.-backed forces to oust the extremist group from the last patch of territory it holds in Syria. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, backed by coalition airstrikes, began an offensive to take the eastern village of Baghouz two weeks ago after more than 20,000 civilians fled the area. Thousands more have left the village in recent days as the assault was paused to allow their passage. At a gathering point in the desert outside Baghouz on Saturday, SDF fighters helped children and women covered in black onto open-air trucks to be transported to the al-Hol camp, the population of which has swollen to around 45,000 people in recent weeks. The forces underestimated the number of civilians remaining in the village, Adnan Afrini, an SDF commander, said late Saturday, while explaining why the operation has dragged on for longer than what many had initially expected. President Trump on Feb. 6 said he expected an announcement of the self-proclaimed caliphate’s collapse within a week.”

NBC News: ISIS Families, Supporters Remain Devoted As Last Syrian Territory Falls

“They were living in holes in the ground, with only dry flatbread to eat at the end. Those injured in an intense military campaign had no access to medical care, and those who were sick had no medicine. Yet, if it were not for the call from their leaders to leave, they would have stayed. Such is the devotion of several hundred men, women and children who were evacuated Friday from the last speck of land controlled by the Islamic State group, a riverside pocket that sits on the edge of Syria and Iraq. Hundreds, if not thousands, more remain holed up in Baghouz. They include militants, of course, but also their family members and other civilians who are among the group's most determined supporters. Many of them traveled to Syria from all over the world. And they stuck around as the militants' control crumbled. At least 36 flatbed trucks carried the disheveled, haggard crowd out of the territory to a desert area miles away for screening following airstrikes and clashes.”

The World Tribune: 'Alarming': Defeated ISIS Jihadists Streaming Back To Europe

“Earlier this month, EU authorities tightened restrictions on chemical sales in what they said was a bid to stop the returning ISIS jihadists from targeting Europeans with homemade explosives. The proposals, which have still to be signed off by the EU Parliament’s plenary, will place additional restrictions on the public’s ability to buy substances such as chemical fertilizers which can be used to make explosives, and require businesses to alert authorities to “suspicious transactions.” “The guys coming from Syria and Iraq very likely have built hundreds of IEDs [improvised explosive devices] in their time there, because that was one of the preferred methods used as an equalizer against the much-better-equipped Iraqi army,” Counter Extremism Project senior director Hans-Jakob Schindler said. Schindler said that while authorities were “never going to be able to 100 percent prevent access,” the EU’s move to increase restrictions on the sale of chemicals was “about increasing the hurdles for terrorists to get to the stuff.”

The New York Post: How ISIS Fanatics Helped Radicalize Hoda Muthana

“This is how Hoda Muthana became an ISIS fanatic on Twitter. The 24-year-old “ISIS bride” — who is currently in Syria begging to be allowed back into the US — ran off to join the terror group in November 2014 after being radicalized through the social media service, and posts on the site show how she interacted with other Islamic State enthusiasts in the months beforehand. According to the Counter Extremism Project, supporters of ISIS and other Islamic extremist groups often use “variants of the words ‘kafir’ and ‘kuffar’ to refer to their Muslim and non-Muslim adversaries in online forums, as well as on social media and through various propaganda materials.” Twitter, along with other social media services including Facebook and YouTube, has come under fire for failing to stop ISIS and other extremist groups from using their platforms to spread propaganda and recruit new members.”

The Wall Street Journal: You Give Apps Sensitive Personal Information. Then They Tell Facebook

“Millions of smartphone users confess their most intimate secrets to apps, including when they want to work on their belly fat or the price of the house they checked out last weekend. Other apps know users’ body weight, blood pressure, menstrual cycles or pregnancy status. Unbeknown to most people, in many cases that data is being shared with someone else: Facebook Inc. The social-media giant collects intensely personal information from many popular smartphone apps just seconds after users enter it, even if the user has no connection to Facebook, according to testing done by The Wall Street Journal. The apps often send the data without any prominent or specific disclosure, the testing showed. It is already known that many smartphone apps send information to Facebook about when users open them, and sometimes what they do inside. Previously unreported is how at least 11 popular apps, totaling tens of millions of downloads, have also been sharing sensitive data entered by users. The findings alarmed some privacy experts who reviewed the Journal’s testing.”

The Washington Post: A Pediatrician Exposes Suicide Tips For Children Hidden In Videos On Youtube And YouTube Kids

“Free Hess, a pediatrician and mother, had learned about the chilling videos over the summer when another mom spotted one on YouTube Kids. She said that minutes into the clip from a children’s video game, a man appeared on the screen — offering instructions on how to commit suicide. “I was shocked,” Hess said, noting that since then, the scene has been spliced into several more videos from the popular Nintendo game Splatoon on YouTube and YouTube Kids, a video app for children. Hess, from Ocala, Fla., has been blogging about the altered videos and working to get them taken down amid an outcry from parents and child health experts, who say such visuals can be damaging to children. One on YouTube shows a man pop into the frame. “Remember, kids,” he begins, holding what appears to be an imaginary blade to the inside of his arm. “Sideways for attention. Longways for results.”

United States

Fox News: Pompeo Rejects Legal Claim By ISIS Wife: 'She's A Non-Citizen Terrorist -- She's Not Coming Back'

“Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, speaking to “Fox News Sunday,” forcefully rejected a lawsuit filed against the Trump administration this week by the father of an Alabama woman who left the U.S. to join the Islamic State group, saying in no uncertain terms that she is a “non-citizen terrorist” who “is not coming back.” In the federal court filing, Ahmed Ali Muthana argued that his daughter, Hoda Muthana, 24, is an American citizen by birth and that the White House should recognize her citizenship and “accept Ms. Muthana and her son back into the United States and to use all available means to do so.” But Pompeo countered that Muthana had deliberately endangered U.S. soldiers and would not prevail in court. “She's a non-citizen terrorist; she has no legal basis for a claim of U.S. citizenship,” Pompeo told anchor Chris Wallace. ”She's not coming back to the United States to create the risk that someday she'd return to the battlefield and continue to put at risk American people, American kids, American boys and girls that were sent to help defeat ISIS -- she put them at risk, she's not a U.S. citizen, she's not coming back.” Muthana, 24, has pleaded with officials to let her back into the U.S. following her recent escape from ISIS and capture by Kurdish forces.”

The New York Times: The Grave Threats Of White Supremacy And Far-Right Extremism

“Last week, federal agents in Maryland arrested a United States Coast Guard officer and said he was plotting to assassinate Democratic members of Congress, prominent television journalists and others. The officer, Lt. Christopher Hasson, apparently inspired by a right-wing Norwegian terrorist who slaughtered 77 people in 2011, stockpiled firearms and ammunition and researched locations around Washington to launch his attacks, according to investigators. Fortunately, the F.B.I. arrested him before he could act. This frightening case is just one of several recent reminders that white supremacy and far-right extremism are among the greatest domestic-security threats facing the United States. Regrettably, over the past 25 years, law enforcement, at both the federal and state levels, has been slow to respond. This is in part because of the limited number of enforcement tools available to prosecutors. But there are steps that can be taken to help the police and prosecutors address this growing threat — including, on the federal level, a domestic terrorism law.”

The Wall Street Journal: Trump’s North Korea Summit Goal: Lock In The Steps To Denuclearization

“President Trump will press North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to take his first irrevocable steps toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula when the two leaders meet this week for a second summit in less than a year. A top U.S. goal is to persuade Pyongyang to freeze its nuclear weapons and missile programs while the two sides continue far-reaching talks encompassing denuclearization and punitive international sanctions. The talks, which will take place in Hanoi, mark a historic attempt to bring North Korea into the international community, offering it a set of conditions that, if satisfied, may allow it to engage politically and economically with other countries around the world. Mr. Trump has touted the progress his administration has made. “Our hostages have come home, nuclear testing has stopped, and there has not been a missile launch in 15 months,” he said this month.”

Syria

The Washington Post: The Difficult Diplomacy Involved In Returning Former ISIS Fighters And Their Families

“Western countries are scrambling to figure out what to do with the thousands of their citizens who joined the Islamic State, as the militant group loses the last of its territory in Syria and a U.S. military pullout puts pressure on the camps where many have been living. In public, many countries appear to be doing their best to avoid taking back former fighters and their families. Although President Trump has insisted that Europe repatriate its fighters, the United States is contesting the citizenship of a New Jersey-born woman who wants to return home. Britain said it was stripping the citizenship of a 19-year-old from London who fled four years ago to become an “ISIS bride.” Belgium is appealing a court order that it repatriate six children and their Islamic State mothers. But some governments have begun quietly exploring what would be involved in retrieving their nationals. Even when the political will is there, officials are confronting a thorn-studded array of diplomatic and practical issues. Here are a few. Many of the former Islamic State sympathizers are in prison or refu*gee camps in northeastern Syria operated by Syrian Democratic Forces, a militia dominated by Kurds. But the militia isn’t an internationally recognized authority.”

The Washington Post: After Five Failed Attempts To Escape ISIS Slavery, She Tried One Last Time

“The walk to freedom lasted 53 hours, and the little boy cried all the way. It wasn’t their first escape attempt — she’d tried five times before to flee the Islamic State — but they would be shot on the spot if the militants caught them now. They passed corpses in the darkness, and when exhaustion overwhelmed them, they huddled together and slept on the dusty path. Faryal whispered reassurances to her 5-year-old son, telling him that his grandparents were waiting and that, after four years as prisoners of the Islamic State, they were finally going home. He wouldn’t believe her. “He was terrified,” she said, recounting their escape this month. “I held his hand and we just kept walking.” As members of Iraq’s Yazidi minority, a largely Kurdish-speaking religious group, the pair had escaped what the United Nations has called a genocide. Islamic State militants kidnapped thousands of Yazidis on a single day in August 2014, massacring the men and dumping them in mass graves, and forcing the women into sexual slavery. During her captivity, Faryal said she had six different owners, at times being passed on when a fighter wanted a new sexual partner or simply to settle a debt. “Monsters who treated us like animals,” is how she described them.”

Rudaw: Relatives Of ISIS Fighters Show Little Remorse As They Flee Al-Baghouz

“Among the thousands of people fleeing from the last Syrian ISIS holdout east of the Euphrates in al-Baghouz are the widows of ISIS fighters. Those fleeing are taken by Syrian Democratic Forces to camps elsewhere in the country. They say the widows who remain are considered to be ISIS members. "They fight for God. Each one of them dedicates his life to God. Those who are weak and can’t fight have to leave the town. We can’t fight. When my husband died, I was considered to be an ISIS member," said Ja Hassan, an ISIS widow who was among those leaving al-Baghouz. It is estimated that some 30,000 people have fled al-Baghouz. Every day new mass graves are found, some could contain kidnapped Yezidis or others the extremists used to try to establish their "caliphate." Suspected ISIS members are checked by the SDF before being transported. "We register their names including how many children they have and where they come from. Later, we take them to the security forces. They scan their fingerprints and eyes. There are ISIS foreigners. We speak with their countries. We have ISIS members form Iraq, Turkey and Syria," said Abdulkarim Sifuk, who works with the displaced people in Deir ez-Zor.”

Reuters: Tunnels, Civilians Slow Capture Of Islamic State's Last Syria Pocket

“More than a thousand foreign jihadists could still be sheltering among civilians in Islamic State’s final stronghold in east Syria, a shred of land riddled with defensive tunnels, an official with the U.S.-backed force trying to defeat them said on Sunday. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia has surrounded the militants at the village of Baghouz near the Iraqi border and is trying to complete an evacuation of civilians from the tiny area before storming it or forcing a surrender. Throughout its steady advance across the Syrian stretch of Islamic State’s self-declared caliphate, the SDF has been slowed by the group’s extensive use of tunnels and human shields - tactics it says are still being deployed in Baghouz. “It is expected that there are still undiscovered tunnels, even rooms underground,” said Mustafa Bali, an SDF spokesman. “This creates a military problem for us.” The capture of Baghouz will end a campaign of conventional warfare which began in the ruins of Kobani on Syria’s border with Turkey in late 2014, when the SDF’s strongest component, the Kurdish YPG militia, halted the jihadist advance.”

Asharq Al-Awsat: Mine Left By ISIS Militants Kills 20 In Syria

“A land mine left by the ISIS terrorist group struck a van packed with workers in eastern Syria on Sunday, killing more than 20 of them, Syria's state news agency said. The agency earlier reported that 24 people were killed. SANA said the explosion on Sunday morning near the central town of Salamiyeh was caused by explosives left behind by the militants when they controlled the area. A mine exploded in a nearby area earlier this month, killing seven people. SANA said the workers hit by Sunday's blast were heading out to pick desert truffles. ISIS has been driven from virtually all the territory it once held in Syria and neighboring Iraq, but the extremists left behind countless bombs and booby traps, and large areas have yet to be cleared. ISIS militants are now cornered by US-backed Syrian forces in a small area near the Iraqi border. Remnant ISIS militants are besieged in the village of Baghouz, hemmed in by the Euphrates River and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led militia spearheading the fight against ISIS following an intense push since September. Thousands of civilians have fled the area held by the extremists in recent weeks.”

The Jerusalem Post: Some 14% Of Hezbollah Kia In Syria Died For Purely Iranian Goals

“Some 43% of Hezbollah fighters who have been killed in the Syrian civil war died fighting for goals disconnected from Lebanese interests, according to an intelligence report released late on Saturday. The report by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center also said that 14% of the approximately 1,250 Hezbollah fighters who were killed in the war had died for purely Iranian goals. This means that more than half of Hezbollah fighters died for goals which many in Lebanon may not support. Although the center said that it has records indicating 1,139 Hezbollah fighters were killed, it estimates that over 100 more were killed, but their names were not properly recorded due to difficulties on the battlefield. The report also said that 46% of Hezbollah fighters died preventing the spread of jihadist terrorist groups into Lebanon, while another 11% died advancing general Shi’ite interests which could overlap with Lebanese interests.”

The Independent: They Came To Syria To Fight ISIS. Now They Want To Stay

“The rise of Isis attracted thousands of foreigners from around the world to Syria. But it wasn’t just religious extremists who were drawn here. While scores were travelling to Syria for jihad, a smaller but no less committed group of internationalists was heading to the other side of the battle. “People back home like to think Daesh [Isis] is just a problem for the Middle East and that’s it,” says Kyle Town, a mild-mannered 30-year-old from Thunder Bay, in Ontario, Canada, using the Arabic name for Isis. “But it doesn’t just exist here. It affects everyone.” Town, a former sheet-metal worker, is among thousands of westerners who travelled to Syria to fight Isis and take part in a “revolution” led by a hitherto little-known Kurdish group in the country’s north. Among them are former soldiers, charity workers, students, engineers and all manner of anarchists and leftists. Eight Britons – men and women – died in the fight against Isis in towns and cities unknown to most people back home. The volunteers have drawn comparisons to the International Brigades, the foreign fighters who travelled to Spain to battle Franco’s fascists in the 1930s and were made famous by George Orwell. This time, though, they are on the winning side.”

The Wall Street Journal: Wise Rethink On Syria

“The bad news about Donald Trump’s foreign policy is that he often makes damaging comments on impulse (see nearby on Huawei), but the good news is that he can be persuaded to change his mind. We’re glad to see Mr. Trump listen to advisers and decide to allow some 400 American soldiers to remain in Syria as part of an international coalition to prevent the return of Islamic State. Pentagon sources say the U.S. troops will stay in two places: in northeast Syria to assist the Kurds and others who helped to break up the ISIS caliphate; and in the south at Al-Tanf near the Jordan-Syria border. Americans at both locations will continue to help with intelligence and targeting of ISIS cells and leadership, but they will also play a role as an important deterrent to Iran’s desire to dominate Syria. The continuing U.S. presence means that some 1,000 soldiers from other countries will also stay in Syria as part of the coalition. The U.S. presence will also reassure Jordan, Israel and other allies that the U.S. isn’t abandoning the region to Iran, Russia and Sunni jihadists.”

Iran

CNBC: Iran's President Faces Calls To Resign Over Economic Crisis

“As Iran marked the 40th anniversary of its Islamic Revolution, a white-turbaned Shiite cleric at one commemoration targeted President Hassan Rouhani, a fellow clergyman, with this sign: “You who are the cause of inflation; we hope you won't last until spring.” Already lashed by criticism over his collapsing nuclear deal and renewed tensions with the U.S., the relatively moderate Rouhani faces anger from clerics, hard-line forces and an ever-growing disaffected public that now threatens his position. Iranian presidents typically see their popularity erode during their second four-year terms, but analysts say Rouhani is particularly vulnerable because of the economic crisis assailing the country's rial currency, which has hurt ordinary Iranians and emboldened critics to openly call for his ouster. Though such a move only has happened once in the Islamic Republic's four-decade history, the popular discontent heard on streets throughout Iran now could make it possible. “I don't care who is in the presidential palace: a cleric, a general or anybody else,” said Qassim Abhari, who sells hats and socks on the streets of Tehran. “We need someone who creates jobs and firmly pushes the brake pedal on rising prices.”

Military Times: Tehran: Iran Launches Cruise Missile From Sub During Drill

“Iran launched a cruise missile from a submarine for the first time during an ongoing annual military drill in the Strait of Hormuz, local media reported Sunday. The semi-official Fars news agency reported on the Sunday launch and released an image of a green submarine on the surface of the water launching an orange missile. It said other submarines have the same capability. It did not provide details on the missile's range. State TV showed a video of the launch in which a missile fired from a submarine hit a pre-determined target. Adm. Hamzeh Ali Kaviani, spokesman for the drills, said "by achieving various types of sub-surface missile and torpedoes, we have completed our chain of defensive power under water." Also on Sunday, the chief of the Revolutionary Guard's aerospace division, Gen. Amirali Hajizadeh said that enemies of Iran have failed to sabotage the country's missile program. "They were trying to carry out sabotage in part by exploding missiles in the air, but they failed to do anything since we had predicted and secured," the program, he said.”

Iraq

Financial Times: Fears Mount For Abandoned Children Of Iraq’s ISIS Suspects

“Ali Saeed was still asleep when men with guns barged into his tent in a displaced persons camp in northern Iraq this month. Iraqi security forces had come for his mother, part of a sweeping campaign to detain and arrest suspected members or supporters of Isis, the Sunni extremist militant group that once ruled a swath of territory in Syria and Iraq but has since been beaten back by local and international forces. The 16-year-old and his four young siblings watched as the security forces arrested Najla Jumar Mohammad, who was weeping in fear as she was hustled from their tent in Nineweh in her slippers. They have not seen her since and have had no word on her whereabouts. With his father missing since 2017, Ali is now the de facto head of the family and has no idea how he will cope. “I can’t work or anything, I don’t know how to provide for them.” The detention of thousands of suspected Isis members or supporters has left children such as Ali without guardians, worsening the traumatic ordeal children have suffered during the conflict, and raising concerns that neglect, ostracisation and opaque justice processes could leave them prey to radicalisation.”

Voice Of America: US-Backed Syrian Forces Hand Over 150 IS Militants To Iraq

“Iraqi security officials say they have received custody of a second batch of 150 Iraqi Islamic State fighters from U.S.-backed forces in Syria. Two officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of media regulations, said the Syrian Democratic Forces handed over Iraqi nationals on Saturday night. The fighters will be interrogated about their participation with the jihadist group, the officials said. The SDF has told Iraqi authorities it has captured 650 Iraqi militants in the fighting for Baghouz, an IS-held village in eastern Syria, according to the officials. On Thursday, the SDF handed over 150 militants, in the first significant transfer to Iraq. Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi has said Iraq is also preparing to receive thousands of Iraqi women and children living in SDF camps in Syria.”

Fox News: Iraq: 5 Fishermen Killed In Suspected IS Attack

“An Iraqi security official says five fishermen have been killed in an attack by Islamic State group militants on a camp site near the Therthar lake, 100 kilometers (60 miles) northwest of Baghdad. Naim Kaoud, head of the Anbar province security council, says the militants attacked the fishermen's site in the early hours of Saturday. Kaoud says three of the militiamen were wounded in a subsequent firefight. A federal Iraqi security official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of media regulations, confirmed the casualties. Hundreds of IS fighters have slipped into Iraq from Syria, The Associated Press reported Friday, to link up with 5,000 to 7,000 militants already in the country. The militants are believed to be behind a string of ambushes, kidnappings and killings in the countryside.”

Kurdistan 24: ISIS Militants Assault Village In Kirkuk, Injure Civilian: Source

“Islamic State militants on Sunday attacked a village in the disputed province of Kirkuk and after an extended standoff, fled the area, a local source said. “Da’esh [ISIS] militants assaulted Sayf Saad village,” Mohammed Omar, the head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) office in Qara Tapa, told Kurdistan 24. Qara Tapa is a sub-district in Kirkuk province where the village is located. The gunmen fired multiple RPG rockets on the village, whose residents, in turn, resisted the attackers. The skirmish ended after a while with one villager injured and another missing, believed to have been kidnapped by the militants, Omar added. Despite Iraq declaring “final victory” over the Islamic State in December 2017, the group continues to launch insurgency-style attacks, kidnappings, and ambushes in the disputed provinces of Kirkuk, Diyala, Nineveh, and Salahuddin as well as the Iraqi province of Anbar. Kirkuk’s security remains precarious over a year after Iraqi troops and the Hashd al-Shaabi's assault on it and other disputed territories, pushing Kurdish Peshmerga forces from them. Though recent steps have been taken to increase coordination between the two governments on security matters, a burgeoning partnership remains to be seen to provide a more stable environment for the citizens of the majority Kurdish but ethnically diverse province.”

Turkey

Reuters: Erdogan Says Safe Zone On Syria Border Must Be Under Turkey's Control

“Any safe zone along Turkey’s border with Syria must be under Turkish control, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday in an interview with broadcaster CNN Turk. He was speaking after a senior U.S. administration official said on Friday Washington would leave about 400 U.S. troops in Syria, a reversal by President Donald Trump that could pave the way for U.S. allies to keep troops there. “If there is to be a safe zone along our border then it must be under our control. Because that is my border,” Erdogan said. Trump ordered the withdrawal of all 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria in December after saying they had defeated Islamic State, a decision criticized by allies and U.S. lawmakers. He was persuaded on Thursday that about 200 U.S. troops should join what is expected to be a total commitment of some 800 to 1,500 troops from European allies to set up a safe zone in northeastern Syria, a U.S. administration official said. Ankara regards the Kurdish YPG militia, which controls that region and has been a key U.S. ally against Islamic State, as a terrorist group. Turkey has repeatedly threatened to intervene militarily against the YPG east of the Euphrates river where the safe zone is planned.”

Ahval: Turkey Frees Man U.S. Charges With Helping Kill U.S. Servicemen

“Turkey has released a Turkish citizen wanted by the United States for his involvement in an attack that killed two U.S. troops in Afghanistan, U.S.-government funded news outlet Voice of America reported on Sunday. When Germany deported Adem Yılmaz to Turkey earlier this month, Turkish authorities detained the Turkish national at Istanbul airport for two days before setting him free, his lawyer told VOA. "There is no court case against Adem Yılmaz in Turkey since he never lived in Turkey before," said Michael Murat Sertsöz. "If they had not released him, that would have been a double punishment. It is not allowed for the same crime.” Sertsöz was referring to double jeopardy, a legal term in which a suspect convicted of a crime in one country cannot be tried again for the same crime in a different country.”

Afghanistan

The New York Times: Taliban And U.S. Set To Begin Highest-Level Talks Yet On Ending Afghan War

“The highest-level negotiations yet between American diplomats and the Taliban are expected to begin in Qatar’s capital on Monday, with the presence of the Afghan insurgents’ deputy leader raising hope of progress toward ending the long conflict that is taking lives in record numbers. The talks in Doha, which will be the fourth time Taliban officials have met with American negotiators in recent months, are expected to focus on the details of two issues that both sides said they reached an agreement on in principle last month. Under that framework, the Taliban would agree to keep Afghan territory from being a haven for terrorists, opening the door to a deal that could include an American troop withdrawal. After the last round of talks, American officials said that any withdrawal deal must include the Taliban’s agreeing to a cease-fire and to joining talks with the Afghan government. The Taliban negotiators, the American officials said, did not have the authority to discuss a cease-fire or negotiations with the Afghans, and asked for time to return to their leadership. Now, the presence at the talks of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the movement’s deputy chief and head of their political commission guiding the negotiators, could bring the Taliban team the decision-making authority they were lacking before.”

The Washington Post: Report Shows Spike In Civilian Deaths In Afghanistan As Taliban Talks Are Set To Resume This Week

“A record-high number of civilians lost their lives last year in Afghanistan, due to a mix of increasing aerial attacks by foreign troops and militant ground attacks, the United Nations reported Sunday, as meetings were set to resume Monday in Qatar between Taliban and U.S. negotiators on a potential settlement to the 17-year conflict. The report from the U.N. Assistance Mission to Afghanistan said that 3,804 civilians died in 2018, including 930 children. That reflected an 11 percent overall increase from 2017, a year that also saw near-record levels of civilian war-related deaths. In the past decade, it said, more than 32,000 noncombatants have been killed and almost 60,000 injured. “The level of harm and suffering inflicted on civilians in Afghanistan is deeply disturbing,” Tadamichi Yamamoto, the U.N. special representative for Afghanistan, said in a statement issued with the report. “It is time to put an end to this human misery.” He said the best way to do that is to “stop the fighting” and use all efforts to “bring about peace. I urge all parties to seize every opportunity to do so.” The expected resumption of talks Monday comes after a period of confusion, mixed signals and setbacks for the peace process that began four months ago when the Trump administration sent a special envoy, Afghan-born diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad, to jump-start the long-stalled negotiations and press for a quick settlement to the war.”

Xinhua: Airstrikes Kill 12 Militants In Afghan Southern Province

“Airstrikes against Taliban fighters in Afghanistan's southern province of Uruzgan left 12 militants dead, an army statement released here Sunday said. The fighting aircraft, according to the statement, pounded Taliban hideouts in Kotwal area outside the provincial capital Tirin Kot and Deh Rawad district on Saturday evening, killing a total of 12 insurgents in the sorties. Taliban militants who are active in parts of the restive province haven't commented yet.”

Pakistan

Financial Times: Pakistan’s Terror Threat Explained

“Nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan have been engaged in a fierce war of words since last week, when a suicide bomber in Kashmir killed 44 Indian paramilitary police — carnage for which Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad claimed responsibility. Since then, New Delhi has angrily accused Islamabad of giving “full freedom” to Masood Azhar — JeM’s founder — to “operate and expand his terror infrastructure” so that it can attack India with impunity. Islamabad denies the charge, calling it a “knee-jerk reaction” and a “well-rehearsed tactic from the Indian playbook”. Yet India’s anger over Kashmir is the latest in a long string of allegations that Pakistan is a state sponsor of terrorism, using Islamist militants as tools to advance its strategic aims. Last year, the US military said it was cancelling $300m in aid to Pakistan because of its failure to act against militant groups. Police inspect the mangled wreckage of the bus hit in last week's attack on Indian paramilitary forces in Kashmir How did Pakistan become a base of operation for militant groups?”

Yemen

Bloomberg: Yemeni Forces Recapture Largest Al-Qaeda Training Camp In Abyan

“Yemeni forces backed by warplanes from the Saudi-led coalition have recaptured the area’s largest training camp for al-Qaeda militants, in the southern province of Abyan, local newspaper Aden Al-Ghad reported. Antimilitant operations are continuing in the region after security forces recaptured the camp, at Omairan valley in the district of Mudiah, the newspaper said. Abyan has been one of the main strongholds of the group known as al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and was under the full control of the militants in 2011 before they were driven out the following year.”

Reuters: Yemen's Houthis To Quit Two Ports Monday Under Peace Deal: Sources

“Iranian-aligned Houthi forces have agreed to draw back from two Yemeni ports on Monday while withdrawal from the main Hodeidah port will occur later alongside a retreat by coalition-backed forces massed outside the city, U.N. and Yemeni sources said. Houthi forces will withdraw 5 km (3 miles) from the ports of Saleef, used for grain, and Ras Isa, an oil terminal, as a first step agreed with the internationally recognized government, three sources said. The Houthi withdrawal from Hodeidah port and the pull-back by coalition forces 1 km away from the city’s “Kilo 7” eastern suburb would take place as a second step, they said. An orderly troop withdrawal from Hodeidah, now a focus of an almost four-year war, is key to U.N.-led efforts to avert a full-scale assault on the port and pave the way for political negotiations. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed Yemen to the brink of famine.”

Xinhuanet: 12 Yemeni Soldiers Killed In Houthi Missile Attack Near Saudi Border: Official

“At least 12 soldiers loyal to Yemeni exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi were killed and 60 others wounded in rebels' missile attack toward southern border of Saudi Arabia on Sunday, a military official said. The attack hit the soldiers in a popular market near al-Buqa border crossing in the afternoon, the official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. He said the injured were transported to hospital inside the southern Saudi border province of Najran. Meanwhile, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported a ballistic missile attack on al-Buqa border crossing, killing at least 40 loyal soldiers. Linking the Saudi southern province of Najran and Yemeni rebel-held northern province of Saada, the shared border crossing al-Buqa was seized control in 2016 by Yemeni government forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition.”

Saudi Arabia

Daily Caller: Qatar May Escalate Conflict With Saudi Arabia And The UAE With Turkish Troops

“The recent bilateral agreement signed between Turkey and Qatar, the first of its nature in a century, could signal danger and the possible escalation of an already hostile conflict between Qatar and Saudi Arabia in the Gulf and the Middle East. Saudi Arabia is already surrounded by Iran-trained and backed Houthi rebels on the Yemeni border in the the south of the Kingdom. To the north, Saudi Arabia is bordered by Iraq, which is essentially under the control of Iran. In September, the U.S. State Department ordered the evacuation of the American consulate in Basra after a series of attacks by militias that are supported by the Iranian government’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Forces (IRGC-Quds) and under the control of the Shiite nation’s powerful commander, Qasem Soleimani.”

Lebanon

The Washington Post: Lebanon’s Hezbollah Suspends Official Over Parliament Spat

“Hezbollah’s top commanding body suspended the political activities of a leading legislator because of his spat with rival politicians in Parliament last week, a Lebanese politician said Saturday. Legislator Sami Gemayel, who heads the Christian Phalange party, said last week that Hezbollah’s wide influence was seen when it got its ally elected president in 2016. Hezbollah legislator Nawaf Musawi responded saying “it’s an honor” for the Lebanese that President Michel Aoun came to his post alongside “the rifle of the resistance,” a reference to the Islamic militant group, and “not on an Israeli tank.” Musawi’s last reference was to late President-elect Bashir Gemayel who was assassinated in 1982 days after being elected during Israel’s invasion of Lebanon. Gemayel’s son, Nadim, an MP, called Musawi’s statements “unacceptable.” Two days later, the head of Hezbollah’s 13-member bloc in parliament, Mohammed Raad, apologized during a meeting of the legislature saying that Musawi “crossed lines.” The politician who is familiar with Hezbollah’s internal affairs spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.”

India

The New York Times: After Terror, Polarizing Politics In India

“On Feb. 14, a 19-year-old drove a vehicle filled with explosives into a convoy of Indian paramilitary forces in Indian-administered Kashmir and killed 49 soldiers. Jaish-e-Muhammad, or the Army of Muhammad, a Pakistan-based terrorist group, claimed responsibility for the attack. Over the past five years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party has governed India and been part of the local government in Kashmir as well, thus controlling India’s policy approaches to the disputed, conflict-torn region. Mr. Modi embraced a militaristic approach and shunned a political process involving dialogue with the separatists in Kashmir. Consequently, the number of civilian and security personnel killed in the region have increased, and a growing number of young Kashmiris, like Adil Dar, the 19-year-old suicide bomber, joined militant groups. These are inconvenient facts for Mr. Modi, who has continually attacked India’s opposition parties for being soft on terror and compromising national security. As the deaths of the soldiers come three months before a general election, an honest evaluation of Mr. Modi’s failed policy should have led to him to being held accountable. Such questions, naturally, receded into the background in the immediate aftermath of the Kashmir bombing, in a national outpouring of grief.”

Egypt

The National: Sisi Urges Joint Arab-European Action On Terrorism And Migration

“Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi made a strong appeal for a joint strategy against terrorism as he opened a landmark Arab-European summit on Sunday. Mr El Sisi also called for a framework allowing “organised and safe” migration to Europe, for the benefit of both regions. “We need a joint vision to deal with the dangers since it is clear that it’s difficult to do so unilaterally,” he told the leaders of Arab League and EU states gathered at the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh for the two-day meeting. Mr El Sisi, who has invested significant time and effort since taking office in 2014 to cultivate close economic and security ties with Europe, said the summit was proof that what brings the two regions together outweighs what separates them. The unprecedented, 50-nation meeting is the fruition of more than a decade of talks between representatives of the Cairo-based League and the EU, with the first round taking place in 2008. The Saudi delegation is led by King Salman, while the UAE's representatives are led by Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Ruler of Fujairah.”

Nigeria

The Washington Post: In Nigeria, Delayed Election Takes Place Amid Polling Glitches And Boko Haram Attacks

“Tens of millions of Nigerians went to the polls on Saturday, a week after a last-minute election delay, as Africa’s most populous nation struggles with challenges including a stumbling economy and an ongoing Islamist insurgency by Boko Haram militants. Just before polls opened, one soldier was killed and 20 others were injured as Boko Haram fighters waged attacks in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state and the largest city in the northeast. The election delay was announced just five hours before polls opened, amid reports that voting material had not been delivered to all parts of the country. The postponement was expected to push turnout lower. Nigeria has no absentee voting system, and so many who returned to their hometowns to vote on Feb. 16 returned to where they live, not being able to afford a week away from work. The delay also sparked widespread doubts in the integrity of the poll, with the ruling and main opposition parties trading accusations of backdoor influence over the commission. There were reports of sporadic violence, but there appeared to be no major disruptions — even though some polling station opened so late that voting in those areas could be extended to Sunday. Results are expected by early next week.”

The Nation: Boko Haram Attack Stops Yobe Gov From Voting

“Yobe State governor Ibrahim Gaidam could not travel to Bukarti, his country home, in Yunusari Local Government Area of the state to vote due to an early morning attack on Geidam by Boko Haram insurgents. Abdullahi Bego, Director General, Media affairs to the governor, confirmed the development in a statement released to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Damaturu. Bego stated that the governor could not partake in the exercise. “The security agencies would naturally seek to reinforce and increase security around the governor for him to travel to cast his vote. “The increased security around the governor will mean that vital security resources that are needed elsewhere in the state would have to be diverted and allocated to the governor,” the governor’s spokeperson said. NAN reports that the governor, in consultation with security agencies decided that it was more prudent to make the sacrifice. “It is better and more useful for the security agents, including soldiers, police, civil defence, DSS, to focus their attention on providing security for the election than devoting large security contingent for the governor to cast his vote,” Bego said. Gaidam, who is also a senatorial candidate in the Presidential and National Assembly election, commended security agencies for their effort to ensure a peaceful and successful election across the State.”

Reuters: Islamic State Claims Election Day Attack On Northeast Nigerian City

“Islamic State on Saturday said it carried out a morning attack on the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri as the country holds elections, although the army has denied an attack took place and says sounds of fighting were drills. In a statement on its news agency Amaq, the militant group’s West Africa Province said the attack targeted Maiduguri airport, a Nigerian army base and a government building. Security sources have told Reuters that militants struck in the town, and Reuters journalists heard blasts and gunfire. However, the Nigerian army has denied any attacks took place and said the sounds were of military exercises.”

Somalia

Fox News: US Says 4 Airstrikes In Somalia Kill 2 Al-Shabab Fighters

“The United States military says it has killed two al-Shabab extremists in four airstrikes in Somalia. The attacks eliminated checkpoints and facilities used by al-Shabaab to collect taxes to fund their violent campaign in Somalia, said a statement Sunday from the U.S. Africa command. “In addition to creating enhanced security, airstrikes help to disrupt al-Shabaab operations and the network while preventing future attacks by this terrorist group,” said Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Gregg Olson, U.S. Africa Command director of operations. According to the statement, two airstrikes on Saturday hit the Kunyow Barrow area, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) southwest of the capital, Mogadishu. Another strike was in the Awdeegle area, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) west of Mogadishu and a fourth was near Janaale, about 75 kilometers (46 miles) southwest of Mogadishu. No civilians were injured or killed in the attacks, said the statement. With these four airstrikes, the U.S. military has carried out at least 16 such airstrikes this year in Somalia against al-Shabab, the deadliest Islamic extremist group in Africa and which is linked to al-Qaida. The United States has dramatically stepped up airstrikes against al-Shabab since President Donald Trump took office.”

Africa

The Wall Street Journal: In West Africa, Violent Extremism Spreads As U.S. Trims Military Footprint

“U.S.-led special-operations exercises that got under way in the scorched scrublands of Burkina Faso last week look much like they have for the past 15 years, with some 2,000 commandos from 32 African, Western and allied countries swapping notes on their martial craft. American Green Berets coached Senegalese special forces on their favorite techniques for breaking down doors and conducting room-to-room searches. An Austrian soldier trained headquarters troops from Burkina Faso on the mechanics of running offensives. Belgian and Nigerien soldiers road-tripped together for 24 hours across barren landscape to reach a camp in Ouagadougou, the capital city. But this year’s event has taken on a new sense of urgency in a region facing an onslaught of Islamist militancy, the real world ablaze just outside the schoolyard. With remarkable speed, several countries in the Sahel, the semiarid belt south of the Sahara, have found themselves infested with violent extremist groups, bolstered by seasoned jihadists returning from Iraq and Syria. The host for this year’s commando exercises, Burkina Faso, is facing an aggressive insurgency spawned from several al Qaeda affiliates. Niger is fighting militant armies on multiple borders.”

United Kingdom

The Guardian: Met Police Kept Families Of ISIS Schoolgirls ‘In The Dark’

“The families of a group of Bethnal Green schoolgirls who went to Syria to join Islamic State have accused the Metropolitan police of Islamophobia over its handling of their cases. The relatives – including those of Shamima Begum, the 19-year-old whose UK citizenship was revoked by the home secretary last week – were treated as suspects and were not privy to intelligence that may have prevented three of the eight girls reaching Syria, according to lawyers, a former senior Scotland Yard officer and community sources. They claim that counter-terrorism officers were more interested in acquiring intelligence than fulfilling their duty of care and allege the Met also attempted to smear the reputations of some of the children. Dal Babu, a former chief superintendent who has been instructed to speak on behalf of the families, has called for an investigation into what he says were serious cultural failings. “There was a lot of Islamophobia. What happened was that they [the police] made assumptions. You had a police service with very little understanding of cultural issues, a failure to understand the Muslim community, a group of white men and women who, without understanding the community, decided what should happen and what shouldn’t,” said Babu.”

BBC News: Man Arrested In Leeds On Suspicion Of Terrorist Acts

“Counter-terrorism police in Leeds have arrested a man on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of terrorist acts. The 33-year-old was arrested on Saturday and is being held as part of a pre-planned operation into suspected extreme right-wing activity, West Yorkshire Police said. The force added that a property in Leeds was being searched by officers. Supt Chris Bowen said public safety was their “top priority”. He added: “If you see or hear something that could be terrorist related, act on your instincts by reporting your concerns.”

The Jerusalem Post: British Report: UK To Outlaw Hezbollah's So-Called Political Wing

“The United Kingdom’s home secretary plans to outlaw all of Hezbollah’s organization this week. According to a report by The Telegraph report by the paper’s Sunday political editor Edward Malnick, “Sajid Javid is preparing to ban Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group, as soon as this week.” The article said, “The Home Secretary [Sajid Javid] is expected to proscribe the entire Shia organization as a terrorist group, preventing supporters from parading its flag through the streets of Britain. The move will have to be approved by Parliament, raising the prospect that it could be opposed by Jeremy Corbyn, who once referred to members of the group as ‘friends.”’ The United Kingdom and the European Union merely classify Hezbollah’s so-called military wing a terrorist entity. Hezbollah political members operate in the United Kingdom and appear at the annual al-Quds day rally in London with Hezbollah flags. The rally promotes the destruction of the Jewish state.”

Germany

Atlantic: Germany Is Testing The Limits Of Democracy

“When Germany’s domestic-intelligence chief announced last month that his agency would begin keeping tabs on parts of the Alternative for Germany, the country’s biggest far-right party, and was considering putting the entire grouping under surveillance, he framed it as a matter of merely doing his democratic duty. Thomas Haldenwang’s announcement sparked cheers from many here who view the AfD as an extremist party, and outrage from AfD leaders who have since taken legal action against what they called a politically motivated and stigmatizing move. On a broader scale, though, the intelligence agency’s decision is the latest and most high-profile way the AfD is testing German democracy—and prompting fundamental questions about the benefits and boundaries of the unique protections Germany has put in place to prevent a repeat of its Nazi past. What kinds of “early warning systems,” as Haldenwang said in January, can and should government institutions here employ?”

Europe

The New York Times: Ex-Soldier Is Convicted Of Violating Swiss Neutrality By Fighting ISIS

“A former Swiss soldier who commanded a Christian militia fighting the Islamic State in Syria has been found guilty of violating Swiss neutrality. The case of the former soldier, Hanna Johannes Cosar, is a rare example of European countries prosecuting citizens for fighting against, rather than with, jihadist forces in Iraq and Syria. Mr. Cosar was convicted on Friday of breaching Switzerland’s ban on fighting for another country without first obtaining permission from the government. He was fined 500 Swiss francs, or about $500, a relatively lenient punishment. A former sergeant in the Swiss Army, whose family had moved to Switzerland from Syria three generations ago, Mr. Cosar was accused of joining a private army — the Syriac Military Council — whose aim was to defend Syriacs, one of the world’s oldest Christian communities, against Islamic State forces. “As Christians, we are not only fighting against the Islamic State; we are fighting against a state that hates us,” Mr. Cosar said in a 2014 interview with the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, one of several appearances he made in the media. “The idea was to create an internal military force that could defend the territory and towns of our people and other civilians, there was a primary need to organize ourselves militarily,” he added.”

Southeast Asia

The Washington Post: Hijacking Suspect Killed After Dubai-Bound Flight Makes Emergency Landing

“A Dubai-bound flight made an emergency landing in southeastern Bangladesh on Sunday after a man attempted to hijack the plane, authorities said. The man, described by authorities as a terrorist, was fatally shot by military commandos who stormed the plane after it landed at an airport in Chittagong, an official told the Associated Press, declining to specify exactly where the shooting occurred. The flight, operated by state-run Biman Bangladesh Airlines, took off from Dhaka, the country’s capital, in the afternoon and had to make the emergency detour just 40 minutes and 150 miles later, officials said. More than 140 passengers and seven crew members were on the Boeing 737-800 jet, and all were safely evacuated from the plane, an air vice marshal for the Bangladesh Air Force said at a news conference. The pilot decided to make the landing and alert authorities after a crew member noticed the potential hijacker’s “suspicious behavior,” Reuters reported. Agence France-Presse said one passenger saw the man “fire twice” while the plane was in the air. The suspect, an unnamed Bangladeshi man believed to be 25, threatened the pilot and demanded to talk to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, army Maj. Gen. Matiur Rahman said, AP reported.”

Technology

The Sydney Morning Herald: Facebook Targeting Of Extremists, Fringe Movements In Australia Stokes Civil Unrest Fears

“They could also be used to target users interested in “far left politics”and “far right politics” as well as fringe conspiracy movements such as “vaccine controversies”, “climate change denial” and “flat earth”. In a statement, Facebook defended its ad-targeting tools, but several interest categories highlighted by the Herald and Age in this story are now under review. “We believe advertising should be safe and civil and not seek to divide or discriminate based on what pages people choose to follow or the interests they may have,” the company said. “We’re undertaking a review of targeting options on our platform and recently removed more than 5000 options to help prevent misuse.” While some of these options were used in legitimate ways to reach people interested in a certain product or service, we think minimising the potential risk of misuse is more important. “We're also doing more to help advertisers understand their obligations under our policies and encourage them to report any inappropriate targeting fields directly in the ads interface.” Facebook has been criticised for the role it has played in the political process around the world, with its ad targeting tools used by politically motivated groups to spread misinformation and sow unrest in countries such as the US, France and Myanmar.”

News.Com.Au: Woolworths, Coke, Commbank Freeze Ads Over Paedophilia Controversy Engulfing Youtube

“High-profile Australian brands Coca-Cola, Optus, Woolworths, the Commonwealth Bank and the Australian government have frozen advertising deals with YouTube after it was revealed it unknowingly allowed softcore paedophilia rings to congregate in its comment sections. Major media-buying groups IPG Mediabrands and Dentsu Aegis Network have paused deals with the video platform, The Australian Financial Review reports, joining US brands Nestle, AT&T, Disney and Epic Games. The backlash is based on claims a community of potential child abusers used the Google-owned site to gather in the comments thread and share suggestive videos of children. The videos contain innocent material such as gymnastics or children singing in front of a mirror. But blogger Matt Watson exposed the dirty tricks used by the users, describing the actions as a “softcore paedophilia ring” operating in plain site using hidden methods. The users often included suggestive remarks and highlighted parts of the videos that showed children in compromising positions.”

Terror Financing

Al-Ain: Growing Terrorist Group Funding Via Sophisticated Technology

“Experts warn of the growing financing operations by terrorist groups through sophisticated technological means, including Bitcoin digital currency, which has become popular over the past few years. These experts called on the security services in the Arab countries to constantly update their capabilities to monitor and track the funding routes of these groups, which are being bankrolled by countries and intelligence agencies. Several days ago, officials from some 40 countries and international organizations discussed, during a conference in Cairo, how to strengthen international cooperation in the fight against money-laundering and terror financing. In its recommendations, participants called for serious cooperation to develop high-efficiency techniques to detect and track the sources of terrorist financing and to prevent the flow of funds and support to terrorist groups. The financing of terrorism is an international concern, especially in the Middle East, which is witnessing escalating armed conflicts in Yemen, Syria and Libya. For years, the encrypted Bitcoin currency has become part of the financing tools of terrorist groups.”

Al-Ain: Expert Calls To Unify All Money Transfer Restrictions In Order To Prevent Terrorist Financing

“General Gamal Madhloum, an Egyptian military expert, hailed the recommendations issued by the "First regional conference for the Middle East and North Africa on strengthening international cooperation in confronting the escalating threat of terrorist financing and money laundering," which was held recently in Cairo. "These recommendations enlighten the world with the immense efforts devoted by Middle Eastern and North African countries in the realm of combating and besieging terrorism and its sponsor states," General Madhloum stressed. The topmost of these proposals is the crucial need to unify all restrictions applied on money remittances via banks in order to prevent money-laundering and terrorist financing activities, the military expert noted. General Madhloum also emphasized the importance of having strict global rules and regulations to force the terrorism-sponsoring states to stop harboring and supporting terrorists.”

ISIS

Alanbat News: The Arrest Of Suspect In Charge Of Financing ISIS Gangs Through Crude-Oil Supply

“Iraqi security forces on Saturday arrested the leading financier of ISIS gangs by means of crude-oil deliveries in the city of Mosul. The security forces in Mosul arrested the suspect, who is in charge of supplying crude oil to the terrorist gangs in the Kokagli area on the left side of Mosul, Interior Ministry sources said. The sources added that the detainee was handed over to the competent authorities to complete the necessary legal procedures against him. They emphasized that he is one of the most dangerous leaders of the ISIS gang.”

Muslim Brotherhood

Elfagr: Muslim Brotherhood In Africa Trades In Spices, Arms And Drugs

“A recently released investigative report by the Elfagr news portal shows that the investments of the Muslim Brotherhood leaders, who are residing in Africa, are divided into two categories: legal and illegal activities. The legitimate business activities of those Africa-based traders, who are affiliated with the banned Islamist organization, primarily include land reclamation and exports of spices. The illicit practices of those Muslim Brotherhood-linked businessmen comprise illegal human trafficking, drug trading and weapons smuggling, particularly to ISIS cells, according to this report.”

Houthi

Alyaman Alaraby: Houthis Loot Funds Of Yemenis Under The Guise Of Zakat

“The Iran-backed Houthi militants persist in their arrogance and violations against the Yemeni people. The group's leaders recently amended one of the constitutional articles, which is related to Zakat (alms giving). The Houthis amended the Khomos (fifth of one's income) tax in their self-proclaimed "House of Representatives." The aforementioned amendment allows the insurgency leaders to officially collect one-fifth of the Yemenis' wealth and Zakat payments.”