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Old 09-24-2018, 06:33 AM
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Arrow Eye on Extremism -9-24 -18

Eye on Extremism - September 24, 2018
RE: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ta...zmcWclTdvqmvrV

CNN: ISIS Video Claims To Show Attackers Of Iranian Military Parade

“A video circulating on the ISIS-affiliated Amaq News Agency claims to show three of the four assailants accused of carrying out a deadly terrorist attack on an Iranian military parade. CNN cannot verify the authenticity of the video, which Amaq said it "obtained" and published on Sunday, a day after the attack that killed 29 people and wounded 70 others. The video shows three men in military fatigues speaking to a camera inside a vehicle. None of them directly mention Saturday's attack in Ahvaz, Iran, nor do they say they're acting on behalf of ISIS, which has claimed responsibility for the attack but has not provided evidence to support that claim. Two of the men in the video speak Arabic and the third speaks Farsi. They offer short "goodbyes," thank God and call on those watching the footage to pray for them. "God willing, I'm going to die," says the man who speaks Farsi, claiming a "very strong guerrilla operation" will destroy the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.”

Al Jazeera: Hezbollah 'Financier' Arrested In Brazil

“Brazilian police arrested a fugitive who the United States accuses of being the financier for the Lebanese group Hezbollah. Assad Ahmad Barakat was arrested in Foz de Iguazu, a city in the border region between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, according to police. In 2004, the US Department of the Treasury said Barakat was one of the most influential members of Hezbollah, which the US considers to be a "terrorist" organisation, and accused him of using his businesses in the tri-border area as fronts for raising funds for the group. According to the Counter Extremism Project, an NGO, Barakat arrived in Paraguay in the mid-1980s having fled Lebanon during the country's bloody civil war, and was also involved in planning Hezbollah's military operations - including the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires.”

The New York Times: U.S. Weighs Next Steps As Syria’s Civil War Enters Climactic Phase

“As Syria’s seven-year civil war enters a climactic phase, the Trump administration is grappling with how to address the emerging political dynamics. President Bashar al-Assad has retaken control of most of Syrian territory, and experts said there is almost no chance that rebel groups will topple him or change the course of the war. But this week, Russia and Turkey proposed a demilitarized zone to stop a military offensive that Mr. Assad had planned against Idlib Province, the last major rebel enclave in Syria. Even a delay in the rampage would buy time for the United States to help draw up new strategies for dealing with Syria if it definitively falls under Mr. Assad’s rule. At next week’s meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, heads of state and top diplomats are expected to discuss how to protect Idlib’s residents from Mr. Assad and, ultimately, end the civil war. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, who has opposed Mr. Assad and deployed Turkish troops to Idlib, is scheduled to speak at the annual forum on Tuesday, as is President Hassan Rouhani of Iran, one of the Syrian government’s most loyal allies. President Trump will also address the world body that day. He has repeatedly threatened to withdraw American troops from Syria, where they are fighting the Islamic State in the country’s east.”

Arab News:

Russia To Send Modern S-300 Missile Defense Systems To Syria

“Moscow will bolster Syria's air defence with a S-300 system and jam radars of military planes striking from off the coast of the Mediterranean following the downing of a Russian plane, its military chief said. Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said that President Vladimir Putin has ordered additional security measures after a Syrian Soviet-era S-200 air defence missile shot down a Russian military plane by mistake, killing 15, in an incident last week that Moscow blames on Israel. "This has pushed us to adopt adequate response measures directed at boosting the security of Russian troops" in Syria, Shoigu said in a televised statement. "(Russia will) transfer the modern S-300 air defence system to the Syrian armed forces within two weeks.”

NPR: Alternative Influence: Broadcasting The Reactionary Right On YouTube

“NPR's Renee Montagne speaks with Becca Lewis of the research institute Data & Society about her recent study on right-wing influencers on YouTube. RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: YouTube, like other major social networks Facebook and Twitter, is a place for influencers - people who forge personal relationships with devoted, mostly young fans. They use those relationships to market their favorite brands, exercise routines and makeup tricks. A new report by the think tank the Data & Society foundation tracked connections among a group of political influencers. BECCA LEWIS: The thing that they were selling was not a product or service. It was ideology - and in some cases, far-right ideology and open white nationalism.”

United States

The New York Post: Pompeo Threatens Military Force Over Syrian Chemical Weapons

“Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday said the US wouldn’t hesitate to hold the “source of the bad behavior” accountable if Syria uses chemical weapons again – and wouldn’t rule out the use of military force. “We’ll have to analyze once the activity takes place. We pray that it doesn’t,” Pompeo said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “But we’ll do our intelligence, our forensics. We’ll do our hard work. And we will hold accountable those that are responsible for violating this fundamental principle, this idea that chemical weapons are fundamentally different than other types of weapon systems.” NBC anchor Chuck Todd asked whether Russia or Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is to blame. “The president is very clear. We will go to the source of the bad behavior,” Pompeo, the former CIA director, answered. He went on to note that the US joined with European allies to impose sanctions on Russia after British officials blamed the Kremlin for using a military-grade toxin to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in March in Salisbury. “The president is deadly serious to make sure that chemical weapons don’t become the norm in the way nations act around the world,” Pompeo said. “Have we ruled out using a military response?” Todd asked. “We’re not going to rule out a single thing,” Pompeo responded. The US in April 2017 launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian airfield after Assad bombed civilians with nerve gas, killing scores of his people, including many women and children.”

Voice Of America: Taliban Warns US Against Engaging With 'Fake' Insurgent Envoys

“The Afghan Taliban has warned the United States against meeting "fake" and "fraudulent" insurgent delegations, saying such contacts could "seriously harm any possible genuine process of dialogue." The Islamist insurgency issued the warning following media reports of meetings between American and unidentified "high-ranking" Taliban officials in Dubai and Bagram, the largest U.S.-run military base in Afghanistan. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid rejected the reports as completely false, and as rumors, saying neither any member of the insurgency nor any delegation visited Bagram or held talks with anyone in Dubai. In a statement sent to journalists Sunday, Mujahid emphasized again the insurgency operates its "Political Office" out of Qatar for diplomatic activities, and the United States and other countries are able to freely contact and visit them. "It is entirely possible that some self-interested individuals, for financial and other motives, could have tried to fool the Americans with such actions and posed as representatives of the Islamic Emirate to the Americans who have fallen for similar traps multiple times," Mujahid noted. The only known contact between the United States and the Taliban in several years took place last July when a senior State Department official for regional diplomacy, Alice Wells, held an "preliminary" round of talks with insurgent negotiators in their Qatar office.”

Syria

Reuters: Syrian FSA Rebels To Cooperate With Turkey In Idlib, Wary Of Russia

“Turkey-allied Syrian rebels said on Saturday they would cooperate with Turkish diplomatic efforts that have halted a Russian-backed government offensive in Idlib, but they will not surrender their weapons or territory. Turkey and Russia struck a deal on Monday that will create a demilitarized zone between government and rebel fighters in northwestern Syria, sparing the area a major offensive for which pro-government forces had been mobilizing. Under the agreement, “radical” insurgents must withdraw from the zone by Oct. 15. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the zone will be 15 to 20 km (10 to 12 miles) deep and run along the contact line between rebel and government fighters. It will be patrolled by Turkish and Russian forces. The National Front for Liberation, which groups a number of Free Syrian Army factions deemed moderate by Turkey, announced “our complete cooperation with the Turkish ally in making their effort succeed in sparing civilians the calamities of war”. In a statement, it added “we remain cautious and alert to any treachery by the Russians, the regime and the Iranians, especially after the issuance of statements by them that indicate this agreement is temporary.”

Iran

Haaretz: ISIS Releases Video Purporting To Show Iran Military Parade Attackers

“Islamic State's Amaq agency has posted a video of three men in a vehicle who it said were on their way to carry out an attack on an Iranian military parade, which killed at least 25 and wounded 60 others. A man wearing a baseball cap emblazoned with what appears to be a Revolutionary Guard logo discussed the impending attack in Farsi in the video. "We are Muslims, they are kafirs (non-believers)," the man says. "We will destroy them with a strong and guerrilla-style attack, inshallah (God willing)," he adds. Four assailants fired on a viewing stand in the southwestern city of Ahvaz on Saturday, where Iranian officials had gathered to watch an annual event marking the start of the Islamic Republic's 1980-88 war with Iraq. Soldiers crawled about as gunfire crackled. Women and children fled for their lives. The assault, one of the worst ever against the most powerful force of the Islamic Republic, struck a blow at its security establishment at a time when the United States and its Gulf allies are working to isolate Tehran.”

Reuters: Significance Of Attack On Military Parade In Iran

“A deadly assault on an Iranian Revolutionary Guards parade dealt a stunning blow to Iran’s security establishment, which has often said it can repel any threat no matter how big, even from the United States and its chief Middle East ally Israel. Saturday’s shooting attack, among the worst ever on the Guards, illustrated that Iran’s elite force, which answers directly to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, can be vulnerable to guerrilla-style operations. Iran had enjoyed relative stability compared to Arab neighbors who have grappled with political and economic upheaval touched off by popular uprisings in 2011. The Guards have vowed to retaliate for the attack. Iran blamed the United States and its Gulf Arab neighbors for the bloodshed. But it has presented no evidence. An Iranian ethnic Arab opposition movement called the Ahvaz National Resistance, which seeks a separate state in oil-rich Khuzestan province, claimed responsibility for the attack.”

Al Jazeera: What Does Iran Want In Northern Syria?

“In early September, the Trump administration finally announced what various officials had been suggesting over the past months: that US troops will stay "indefinitely" in Syria. US President Donald Trump signed off on this reversal in policy after previously declaring that he wanted to pull US soldiers out of the country. Just two weeks earlier, during a visit to Israel, Trump's national security adviser John Bolton demanded that Iran withdraws its forces from Syria. Tehran responded by sending Iranian Defence Minister Amir Hatami to Damascus where he signed a military cooperation agreement which effectively ensured Iran's continued defence role in Syria and which made it clear that it did not intend on leaving anytime soon. Facing mounting pressure by the US and Israel, Iran is not only refusing to withdraw, but in fact, intends to consolidate its position in the Middle East. In Syria, Iran's ultimate goal is to push back against the US, curb its influence and make its military presence there costlier. To do so, it is focusing its efforts on northern Syria, where it is trying to establish new realities on the ground with the help of Russia and Turkey.”

Reuters: Iran Warns U.S., Israel Of Revenge After Parade Attack

“The deputy head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned U.S. and Israeli leaders on Monday to expect a “devastating” response from Tehran, accusing them of involvement in an attack on a military parade in the city of Ahvaz. “You have seen our revenge before ... You will see that our response will be crushing and devastating and you will regret what you have done,” Hossein Salami said in a speech before the funeral of the victims broadcast live on the state television. Thousands of people packed the streets of the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz to mourn the victims of Saturday’s assault that killed 25 people, including 12 members of the elite Revolutionary Guards. Many chanted “death to Israel and America”. The coffins, wrapped in the flag of the Islamic Republic, were carried by the mourners. Many held pictures of a four year old boy killed in the attack, one of the worst against the most powerful military force of the Islamic Republic.”

CBS News: Haley: U.S. Allies Doing Business With Iran "Have A Decision To Make" To Avoid Sanctions

“U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley says allied countries like the U.K. shouldn't count on winning exemptions from sanctions against doing business with Iran stemming from President Trump's decision to pull out of the 2015 nuclear deal. Asked on "Face the Nation" on Sunday whether remaining signatories of the nuclear pact could face penalties for continued business relationships with Iran, Haley said those countries will have to weigh the benefit of dealing with Iran against the risk of U.S. sanctions. "The Europeans have a decision to make. And I think that decision is already being made. If you look, they are dropping business from Iran left and right," Haley said. "We will have decisions to make in terms whether they get exemptions or not, but I'll tell you right now, we're going to be really tough on Iran. We're not giving them a pass.”

NPR: Iran Attack Kills 25, Wounds 60

“Iran is promising a crushing response to yesterday's attack on a military parade that left at least 25 people dead and wounded some 60 more. Iran's president says a U.S.-backed country is responsible. Washington denies the charge as NPR's Peter Kenyon reports. PETER KENYON, BYLINE: Iranian state media described a shooting attack by four men in Ahvaz. The southern Iranian city was one of several locations staging military parades to mark the Iran-Iraq War fought for much of the 1980s. Among the victims was a 4-year-old boy. It was a relatively rare terrorist attack for Iran. And President Hassan Rouhani quickly blamed the U.S. and its regional allies. The attack was claimed by an Arab separatist group that describes itself as supported by Saudi Arabia, Iran's most powerful regional rival. Foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that, quote, "terrorists recruited, trained, armed and paid by a foreign regime carried out the attack," adding that, quote, "Iran holds regional terror sponsors and their U.S. masters accountable for such attacks." He said Tehran's response would be swift and decisive. Iran summoned a charge d'affaires for the United Arab Emirates following the attack.”

The New York Times: Iran’s President Condemns Gulf State, And U.S., After Deadly Attack

“President Hassan Rouhani of Iran said on Sunday that a Persian Gulf country allied with the United States was behind the attack on a military parade that killed 25 people and wounded nearly 70 others. Mr. Rouhani did not identify the country he was blaming for the attack, which was claimed by both the Islamic State and an Arab separatist group. But Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are close military allies of the United States that view Iran as a foe, particularly because of its support for militant groups across the Middle East. “All of those small mercenary countries that we see in this region are backed by America,” Mr. Rouhani said. “It is Americans who instigate them and provide them with necessary means to commit these crimes.” The attack on Saturday, in which militants disguised as soldiers opened fire on an annual military parade in Ahvaz, in the oil-rich southwest, was the deadliest in the country in nearly a decade. The chaos was captured live on state television.”

The Wall Street Journal:

Russia And Iran, Military Allies, Are Fast Becoming Economic Rivals

“A military alliance between Russia and Iran to back Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is giving way to an economic rivalry as Syria’s war winds down, a contest Moscow is leading. The friction is adding pressure on Tehran as U.S. sanctions squeeze Iran’s economy. Russia’s ascendancy also illustrates the muscular role it is playing in the Middle East through oil diplomacy and strategic economic ties. Russia also has increased arms and commercial trade with Iran’s regional arch rivals, Saudi Arabia and Israel, and continues to tussle with Iran over rights to natural resources in the Caspian Sea. In Syria, Russia is outdoing Iran for lucrative opportunities to rebuild the shattered country, even as the two continue to cooperate on the battlefield. Russian oil production has soared in recent months as Iran’s exports have fallen, drawing criticism from Iranian officials that Moscow is taking advantage of Tehran's vulnerability. “Iran is in an unenviable position,” said Mark N. Katz, professor at George Mason University and expert in Russian relations in the Middle East. “And Moscow is taking advantage of the situation.”

Iraq

Iraqi News: Eleven Islamic State Members Killed In Operation, West Of Anbar

“Eleven Islamic State members were killed, while three booby-trapped vehicles were destroyed in an operation, west of Anbar, a security source from the mobilization forces of the province said on Friday. Speaking to Almaalomah website, the source said “security troops, backed by army jets, managed to kill eleven Islamic State members in an operation that targeted Wadi al-Halkoum region and caves in the northeast of Akashat region in Rutba, west of Anbar.” Security troops, according to the source, also destroyed three booby-trapped vehicles as well as other weapons. On Thursday, seven Islamic State members were killed in an operation carried out by the Iraqi troops in the western desert of Anbar. Fifteen militants were killed on Wednesday in a joint operation, by the Jazeera Operations Command, in collaboration with the U.S.-led Coalition troops, in Akashat region in Anbar. Islamic State continues to launch sporadic attacks across Iraq against troops. Security reports indicate that the militant group still poses threat against stability in the country. The group still has dormant cells, through which it carries out attacks, across Iraq like it used to do before 2014. Thousands of Islamic State militants as well as Iraqi civilians were killed since the government campaign, backed by paramilitary troops and the coalition was launched in October 2016.”

Evening Standard:

Corruption Is Now Biggest Threat To Iraq After Defeat Of IS, Warns British Envoy

“Corruption has become the biggest threat to the future stability of Iraq following the defeat of Islamic State, Britain’s ambassador in Baghdad has warned. Jon Wilks said that although there were “remnants” of IS still present, the country was “settling down ahead of expectations” and starting to recover from decades of war and insurgent attacks. But he warned that corruption — which this month sparked violent protests in Iraq’s second city Basra — still posed a significant risk because of the negative effect that it had on business investment and public confidence. Mr Wilks added that rapid population growth, with the number expected to double in Iraq by 2050, also meant that the government in Baghdad had “not got a lot of time to get this right”. His comments came in an interview with the Standard during a visit by this newspaper to Iraq to examine educational reform and integration programmes run by the British Council. The aim of these initiatives is to raise school achievement, reduce conflict, and freeze-out extremism to create the foundations on which Iraq’s economy, and the prosperity of its people, can advance. Mr Wilks said that he was “hopeful” that these efforts, combined with the support of the World Bank and investment from British business, could succeed, but that action to eliminate corruption was essential. “It’s building pathways through corruption. These are stones that we are placing through the swamp. Eventually it will be paved. Social scientists and stabilisation experts say that a country takes on average 30 years to recover from civil war and major conflict.”

Turkey

The Washington Post: Turkey Faces Perilous Mission In Northern Syria — And Possible Disaster If It Fails

“As the chief backer of Syria’s embattled opposition, Turkey now faces a perilous task. It must disarm its rebel allies in Syria’s Idlib province, under a new agreement with Russia, and eliminate the hardcore jihadists in their midst. If not, Syrian and allied Russian forces have threatened an all-out assault to retake the territory — a battle that aid agencies say would be the most devastating of the war. The cost to Turkey itself could be immense. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, announced an 11th-hour plan on Sept. 17 to avert the bloodshed, giving Turkey more time to persuade its proxies to disarm. Under the pact, Turkish and Russian troops would patrol a demilitarized zone — about nine to 12 miles deep and free of extremists and heavy weapons — and eventually open Idlib’s highways to traffic. Idlib’s roughly 3 million residents may have a reprieve, but the fate of the province remains uncertain. It represents the opposition’s final stronghold in Syria after nearly eight years of conflict, and the stakes for Turkey are high because it borders the province and has troops stationed there.”

Kurdistan24: Islamic State Militant Who Fought In Kobani Arrested At Turkish Hospital

“Turkish police apprehended a former Islamic State (IS) fighter, Ahmad Issa, codenamed Abu Ayub, on Sunday at a hospital in the southern city of Adana where he was receiving treatment. Issa (24) entered the country posing as a wounded refugee last year and has been to different hospitals for treatment, getting his right leg amputated in the process, the private Demiroren news agency reported. Upon learning about Issa, the Adana police raided the hospital where he last stayed. During an interrogation, he told the Turkish police that he had fought against Kurdish forces in late 2014 when, in an all-out assault, IS besieged the town of Kobani in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava). There was also a bounty of up to 100 thousand US Dollars on his head put by the US-backed Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), he claimed, according to the agency. Kurdistan 24 could not independently verify the claim. The YPG, backed by Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga army, and the US airforce gave IS its first major defeat in the battle for Kobani, paving the way for the group’s gradual degradation and ultimate destruction, whose final days are counted in Syria’s eastern Deir Ez-Zor province. Police found gruesome pictures of cut-off human heads in Issa's phone.”

Afghanistan

BBC News: Afghan Children Killed In Police Station Bomb Blast

At least eight children have been killed and six wounded in a bomb blast in Afghanistan's northern Faryab province. Police in the Shirin Tagab district blamed the Taliban for planting a mine in the area, which fell into the group's control last week. The children were playing near a police station when the explosion happened, witnesses said. They are said to be aged between six and 12 years old.”

New York Times: The Death Toll For Afghan Forces Is Secret. Here’s Why.

“Taliban insurgents killed so many Afghan security forces in 2016, an average of 22 a day, that by the following year the Afghan and American governments decided to keep battlefield death tolls secret. It’s much worse now. The daily fatalities among Afghan soldiers and policemen were more than double that last week: roughly 57 a day. Seventeen years after the United States went to war in Afghanistan, the Taliban is gaining momentum, seizing territory, and killing Afghan security forces in record numbers. Last week was especially bad, with more than 400 killed, according to an account by diplomats. But even the average numbers in recent months — from 30 to 40 a day, according to senior Afghan officials — represent a substantial upswing from two years ago and appear unsustainable in a country that has been shattered by decades of war. The growing losses have made recruiting fresh soldiers more important than ever, but also harder than ever. Most days at the Afghan Army’s recruitment center in Helmand, the southern province that has seen the war’s worst fighting, there are only two or three applicants, said Abdul Qudous, the center’s head. “Sometimes we don’t see any recruits for weeks,” he said. “People don’t want to join the army any more because the casualties are too high.” This is not just a matter of lives lost, which reverberate through families already traumatized by decades of war. It is also a sign that the stalemate between the Taliban and government forces is tipping in the insurgents’ favor.”

Pakistan

Gulf News: Islamabad Hotel A Symbol Of Resilient Effort Against Terrorism

“Nothing attracts attention in the lobby of Islamabad’s Marriott Hotel like the 1922 dark-coloured Rolls-Royce decorating the entrance of the building. There is nothing that appears unusual. No sign of fire damage. Nothing is there that brings back the memory of what happened at the hotel 10 years ago. The hotel seems like any five-star establishment in the world: elegant interior designs, big chandeliers dangling from the ceiling and a smiling and professional member of staff wherever the eye looks. Giant paintings decorate the walls, mainly in the hotel’s different restaurants. However, massive security measures have been taken around the hotel. Barriers and steel gates are erected around the building. Such fortification may be normal in a country that has fought a fierce war against terrorism for several years. Back on the eve of September 20, 2008, terrorists attempted to ram a truck loaded with 600 kilogrammes of explosives through the gate barrier of the Marriott Islamabad.”

Associated Press: 7 Pakistani Soldiers, 9 Militants Killed In Shootout

“Pakistan's military says security forces have raided militant hideouts setting off a shootout that left seven soldiers and nine militants dead. In a statement Saturday, the military said the operation was carried out in the Gharlamai and Spera Kunar Algad areas of North Waziristan near the border with Afghanistan. The military said an army captain was among those killed. The military provided no details about the militants killed. North Waziristan has long been a sanctuary for the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups. Pakistan has carried out a number of military operations there in recent years and claims to have eliminated militant safe havens, but attacks persist."

Yemen

Arab News: Yemen Government Condemns Assassinations After Education Official’s Death

“The Yemeni government condemned continued assassinations after gunmen shot dead an education ministry official at the southern port city of Aden on Sunday. The government released a statement, quoted by the official news agency, condemning repeated crimes and assassinations in the temporary capital of Aden. Masked gunmen assassinated Ramzi Sagheer, Director of a private school and a member of the education department in Aden province. Assailants targeted Ramzi with a barrage of bullets fired from silenced weapons while he was leaving his own private school in Mansourah district of Aden. Ramzi participated in many campaigns about the importance of teaching women in Yemen.”

The Atlantic:

Gulf Country That Will Shape The Future Of Yemen

“In the August heat, Yemen’s port city of Mukalla gleams like a gem. Its ancient, whitewashed houses and mosques lie nestled between ragged mountains and the crystal blue waters of the Indian Ocean. On the sidewalks of the city’s rundown roads, a stream of stall owners and fishermen dressed in colorful sarongs ply their wares. The placid hum of the souq belies the city’s recent history. Just two years ago, Mukalla was under the firm grip of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). When AQAP swept into Mukalla on April 2, 2015, Yemen was falling apart. The Houthis, a Zaidi Shia rebel group, had seized control of the country, prompting a coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to launch a military operation to push them back and restore President Abdrabbuh Mansur and Yemen’s internationally recognized government. As AQAP entered the city, Yemeni troops in the province largely stood by or fled, leaving it to the militants. Once things settled down, AQAP laid down roots, collecting customs fees, installing sharia courts, carrying out public executions, and even holding screenings of jihadi-themed films in the center of town.”

Al Arabiya: Yemeni Army Kills Prominent Al-Qaeda Leader

“The Yemeni national army backed by the Arab coalition launched a successful military operation against a hideout run by al-Qaeda terrorist organization in Khor district west of Ataq which is a major town in the governorate of Shabwah. The operation which was launched in the early hours on Friday, resulted in the killing of Naif al-Sayari al-Daiyani, a prominent leader in al-Qaeda terrorist organization. A military source said that three others from the terrorist group were captured. The military operation comes as a continuation of the efforts of the Yemeni security forces supported by the coalition to support legitimacy in Yemen. The move comes in accordance with security and military operations that are in line with the pursuit of terrorist organizations inside Yemen and to eliminate them and protect the Yemeni people from terrorist organizations and the Iranian-backed coup militias.”

Al Arabiya: Yemeni Army Clears 500 Mines Planted By Houthi Militias In Saada

“The engineering teams of the Yemeni army supported by the coalition were able to extract 500 mines and improvised explosive devices planted by the Houthi militias in a number of areas of the Kataf district of Saada. A source on one of the engineering teams in Saada confirmed that they were continuing demining operations from the liberated areas to secure them before the citizens are able return to their homes. The source pointed out that the Houthis have disguised hundreds of mines within populated areas. He said that the amount that has been extracted so far distributed between 200 mines and armored vehicles, and 300 explosive devices weighing between 3-80 kg. He also revealed that the most prominent of these mines and the bombs were planted by the militias between farms and civilian housing and public roads in the villages that were recently liberated.”

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Gazette: UN Warns Of Worsening Famine Threat In Yemen; Houthis Plunder Resources

“The UN Security Council warned on Friday during an emergency session on Yemen that the fight against famine is being lost in the war-ravaged country. The session was called upon by the British envoy to the UN Karen Pierce. For her part, US Ambassador Nikki Haley who chaired the session said: “All of us support the efforts of Special Envoy Martin Griffiths to find ways to reduce the violence and return to talks. The tragedy that is building in Yemen is almost beyond comprehension.” The Permanent Representative of Yemen to the UN Ahmed Bin Mubarak said that the suffering — of thousands of Yemeni families in areas under the control of the pro-Iranian Houthi militias — is due to the fact that the bread earners of these families are either in Houthi prisons or because the militias confiscate 70 percent of the state’s resources leaving these families with no incomes. Mubarak added during the session that the pro-Iranian militias has reached a climax in its coup against the legitimate government and destroying the state’s institutions. In the same context, Kuwait envoy to the UN Mansour Al-Outaibi held the Houthi militias responsible for the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Yemen due to the militias’ obstruction of the political process, the disruption of negotiations and ignoring international resolutions.”

Arab News:

Saudi Arabia Intercepts Ballistic Missile Launched By Yemen's Houthi Militia Towards Jazan

“Saudi Arabia said its air defense forces intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Yemen by Houthi militia toward the southern province of Jazan on Saturday evening. It is the latest in a long line of missiles fired by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia toward the Kingdom, which have so far caused the deaths of 112 civilians and residents and injuring hundreds.”

Lebanon

BBC News: 'Hezbollah Treasurer' Barakat Arrested In Brazil Border City

“Police in Brazil have arrested a man accused by the United States of being one of the main financial operators of the Lebanese militant group, Hezbollah. Assad Ahmad Barakat was detained near the border with Paraguay and Argentina. He is wanted for identity theft in Paraguay, where he previously served six years in prison for tax evasion. The police in Argentina have accused Barakat of laundering $10m (£7.6m) on behalf of Hezbollah at a casino in the Iguazu Falls area. Barakat, a Lebanese national, was detained in the Brazilian city of Foz do Iguaçu. The US has long expressed concern about Islamist activities among the sizeable Arab community in the region, known as the Triple Frontier. The area attracts tourists from all over the world, who travel to see the waterfalls and the luxuriant tropical forest. But it also has a reputation as a centre for large-scale smuggling and drug-trafficking.”

Qatar

The New York Times: A ‘Hillbilly’ From Arkansas, Doing Life In Qatar

“Qatar’s central prison is just down the road from the Al Udeid Air Base, the biggest United States military operation in the Middle East. John Wesley Downs has joked, perhaps with a tinge of resignation, that maybe American soldiers there could break him out. For more than 13 years, Mr. Downs, 62, a geophysicist from Arkansas, has been incarcerated in Qatar, a tiny but affluent Persian Gulf emirate. He was arrested in 2005 and sentenced to life on a spying conviction for plotting to sell information about the country’s vast natural-gas deposits to Iran. He is the only American in the prison, a two-story building in the desert that houses a motley collection of offenders, Qatari and foreign, separated by gender. Among them are Colombian drug dealers, a wealthy Arab sheikh and a “couple of nice Palestinian friends who passed bad checks,” Mr. Downs said in a recent telephone interview.”

The Times: Jacob Zuma Flies Under Radar For Secret Trip To Qatar

“Former president Jacob Zuma left government officials scrambling this week after sneaking out of SA to attend a mystery meeting in Doha with the Emir of Qatar. Zuma did not inform the presidency, the department of international relations and co-operation (Dirco) or the South African embassy in Doha of his trip, despite protocol requiring former heads of state to do so. News of his meeting with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani only came to light after SA’s ambassador to Qatar raised concern about Zuma’s visit. Officials were alerted after the visit was mentioned to SA’s ambassador to Qatar, Faizel Moosa, who wrote to Dirco minister Lindiwe Sisulu and her advisers raising concern about the “unusual” trip. The purpose of Zuma’s visit remains unknown as his office did not respond to questions sent to it on Friday.”

Egypt

Agence France Presse: Brotherhood Chief, 65 Others Get Life For Egypt Attack

“An Egyptian court on Sunday sentenced 66 people to life in prison, including Muslim Brotherhood chief Mohammed Badie, over an August 2013 attack on a police station in Minya. Death sentences were meted out to 183 people over the deadly attack on the police station in the southern province, before a retrial was ordered. On Sunday, around 700 people were tried again in this case, defence lawyer Abdel Moneim Abdel Maqsood told AFP. Sixty-six of the 700 were sentenced to life imprisonment, which is 25 years in Egypt, 288 were acquitted, six have died since the first trial and the rest were sentenced to between three and 15 years in prison. Badie, 75, was on Sunday convicted of inciting his supporters to violence in the Minya case following the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. Badie, on trial in 35 cases related to the Brotherhood, has been sentenced to death in several of them but the verdicts have been overturned by the court of cassation. He got life sentences in more than five cases. Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands arrested since the military ousted Morsi. Elected after the 2011 uprising against president Hosni Mubarak, Morsi served as president for a year before being toppled after mass protests against his divisive rule.”

Libya

The National: Tripoli Chaos Worsens As Al Qaeda Joins The Fighting

“An Al Qaeda-linked group has been involved in the recent attacks on the Libyan capital Tripoli, a powerful militia propping up the UN-backed government has claimed. Fighters from the coalition of the Benghazi Shura Revolutionary Council, which held Libya’s second largest city for two years and included groups that pledged allegiance to ISIS and Al Qaeda, are believed to have been seen on the outskirts of Tripoli by pro-government brigades. It is the first time that the government has named the group and accused it of involvement in the clashes. Over a hundred people have been killed since a grouping of anti-government militias launched an offensive on Tripoli in late August. On Sunday, heavy shelling of residential areas in the south and centre of the city was reported. “Yes, (BSRC) are here. Many wanted criminals are involved in the assault on Tripoli. They fight alongside Salah Badi, who has no mandate from any government body to attack the capital,” Ahmed Ben Salim, spokesman for the pro-government Special Deterrence Force known as Rada, told The National.”

Asharq Al-Awsat: 10 Killed In Latest Militia Clashes In Libyan Capital

“Ten people have been killed in the latest round of fighting between rival militias in the Libyan capital, Tripoli. In a statement Saturday, the medical authorities said 59 people were also wounded when fighting erupted the previous day, taking the death toll to 106 since armed conflict first began there late last month. They said a total of 18 people remain missing from the fighting that originally erupted on August 26. The Government of National Accord of Fayez al-Sarraj called on the UN to take "concrete and effective" action to protect civilians and halt the fighting. In a statement late Friday, the GNA called on the UN mission to "present the Security Council with the reality of the bloody events in Libya so that it can... protect the lives and property of civilians". Despite a ceasefire deal reached on September 4, renewed fighting erupted this week, especially in the Salaheddin neighborhood and on the road to Tripoli's disused international airport, which was destroyed in 2014. The feuding militias come mostly from Libya's third city Misrata and the town of Tarhouna southeast of the capital. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was "alarmed by the increasing number of violations of the ceasefire agreement", his spokesman said on Friday. Guterres called on the militias to respect the truce and to "refrain from any actions that would increase the suffering of the civilian population.”

Nigeria

Premium Times: Nigerian Military Accuses Journalists Of Working For Boko Haram

“The Nigerian military has accused “some journalists” of working for the terror group, Boko Haram, after reports showed security forces had suffered heavy losses in recent months. In an apparent targeting of the media, the military said it was “known that some journalists work for Boko Haram and fraternise with terrorist commanders”. The military provided no evidence backing its claim. Its statement on Thursday came amid reports showing the army has lately faced a string of heavy losses, with over a hundred soldiers killed by Boko Haram. In July, PREMIUM TIMES reported that no fewer than 23 Nigerian soldiers went missing after insurgents ambushed a military convoy at Boboshe village in Bama local government area of Borno State. Five officers, 18 soldiers and eight trucks were missing after the attack. More attacks have occured since then with at least 31 soldiers killed in a September onslaught, military sources told PREMIUM TIMES.”

The Guardian: Boko Haram Landmines In Nigeria Killed At Least 162 In Two Years – Study

“Hundreds of people have been killed or maimed by landmines in north-east Nigeria, research shows. Mines laid by Boko Haram, the extremist group that has waged a deadly insurgency in the Lake Chad region, killed 162 people in two years and wounded 277 more, according to the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), a landmine clearance charity. Casualties rose from 12 per month in 2016 to 19 per month in 2017-18, making Nigeria’s casualty rate from mines the eighth highest in the world. After nine years of the insurgency, locally produced landmines, unexploded bombs and improvised explosive devices are scattered across the north-east. “All around here people are dying. Just looking for firewood is very risky,” said Saleh Ibrahim, the deputy leader of a camp in Ngala, in Borno state, that shelters more than 100,000 people. “Last November, five girls between eight and 17 years old found a metal ring on the ground. Two were young daughters of my sister. They thought it might be jewellery. One picked it up but it was linked to a bomb. They all died.” MAG’s Avishek Banskota, who is based in Maiduguri, said: “Everyone I have met in Borno state has been affected in one way or the other, whether losing a family member, a friend or a house. People can’t move around freely in most of the region and much of the land can’t be used to farm or collect firewood, so the impact on communities is huge.” According to the police, militants use pipes, pots and other items to make their own munitions and harvest explosives from undetonated ordnance.”

Daily Post Nigeria: Boko Haram: Army Reveals Plan To End Insurgency

“The Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Abba Dikko, has charged troops to redouble their efforts in the fight against Boko Haram terrorists. He also stated that, troops of the Rapid Development Force (RDF) will soon arrive Kinnasara Cantonment Mongono for deployment. The TC made the call at Monguno while addressing troops of Sector 3 conducting Operation ‘Last Hold’ within the theatre. The TC stated that success recorded during the counter-attack in Damasak where Boko Haram terrorists were mercilessly dealt with and their equipment recovered while attempting to attack 145 Battalion was a great achievement. He, therefore, charged the troops to be more committed and proactive within the theatre while conducting operations. He assured troops that he will organise in-theatre training for troops that will be deployed to the Sector to support the ongoing operations. In his remarks, the Acting Commander, Sector 3, Brigadier General Uwem Bassey, thanked the Theatre Commander for the visit and assured him that, the successes recorded in Damasak had gingered the troops of the Sector to achieve more.”

Somalia

Associated Press: US Airstrike Kills 18 Al-Shabab After US Attacked In Somalia

“A U.S. military airstrike has killed 18 al-Shabab extremists after U.S. and local forces on the ground came under attack in southern Somalia, the U.S. Africa Command said Saturday. No U.S. or Somali forces were killed or injured in the attack, an AFRICOM spokesman, Nate Herring, told The Associated Press. The airstrike was carried out Friday in self-defense after extremists were "observed maneuvering on a combined patrol," while the U.S. also responded with "indirect fire," the spokesman said. The confrontation occurred about 50 kilometers (31 miles) northwest of the port city of Kismayo, the U.S. Africa Command statement said. Two other al-Shabab extremists were killed by Somali forces "with small arms fire during the engagement," it said. The operation was Somali-led, the AFRICOM spokesman said. There was no immediate comment from Somali authorities. The U.S. has carried out more than 20 airstrikes this year against the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab, the deadliest Islamic extremist group in sub-Saharan Africa. U.S. military involvement in Somalia has grown since President Donald Trump early in his term approved expanded operations against al-Shabab. Dozens of drone strikes followed.”

Russia

The Telegraph: Russia Blames 'Misleading' Israeli Intelligence For Downed Plane In Syria

“The Russian military on Sunday said "misleading" information from the Israeli airforce caused the downing of a Russian plane in Syria, and denounced the "adventurism" of Israeli pilots. Military spokesman Igor Konashenkov presented the results of an investigation of how a Russian Ilyushin-20 with 15 troops on board was shot down by a Syrian air defence missile on September 17. Moscow has accused Israel's fighter pilots of using the bigger Ilyushin as cover, resulting in Syria's Soviet-era S-200 air defence system interpreting the Russian plane as a target. Israel denied this version of events and its air force commander flew to Moscow following the incident, which President Vladimir Putin called a result of a "chain of tragic accidental circumstances." It was the deadliest known case of friendly fire between Syria and key backer Russia since Moscow's game-changing 2015 military intervention.”

United Kingdom
The Times: Extremists Hizb Ut-Tahrir Targeting Inner-City Youth In Birmingham

“An extremist group banned in more than a dozen countries has launched a recruitment drive in an inner-city neighbourhood that is linked to more homegrown terrorists than anywhere else in the UK, The Times has learnt. Hizb ut-Tahrir, whose purpose is to re-establish the caliphate in the Middle East with Sharia law, has relocated to the Sparkhill area of Birmingham, which has been home to several convicted terrorists, including the UK’s first al-Qaeda inspired terrorist. Campaign materials for its youth roadshow, launched in July, make no mention of the group’s name and do not feature its usual logo of the Islamic state flag. They instead aim to present the group, which two prime ministers considered banning, as an innocuous community organisation.”

The Independent: Terrorists Being Released From UK Prisons Could 'Slip Through Net' And Carry Out Attacks, Government Warned

“The growing number of terrorists being released from British prisons could “slip through the net” and attack because authorities do not have the capacity to monitor them, the government’s former extremism tsar has warned. Ian Acheson, an ex-prison governor who reviewed Islamist extremism in the UK’s jails, said the record number of terrorists being locked up could accelerate radicalisation already taking place. “There has been a problem for years and the organisation [HM Prison and Probation Service] has been asleep,” he told The Independent. “Islamist groups offer a very seductive message and if the prison doesn’t have an alternative, because it can’t offer a full regime and rehabilitation programmes, it’s a clown show. “There is no capacity for staff to challenge ideologies – we have got ungoverned spaces and that’s where extremism thrives.”

The Telegraph: British Pharmacist Suspected Of Fighting For Islamic State Detained By Kurdish Forces In Syria

“A British suspected Islamic State fighter has been caught by the UK’s partner forces in Syria. Mohammed Anwar Miah, 40, from Sparkhill, Birmingham, was filmed by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) being detained near the town of Hajin in Deir Ezzor province, eastern Syria. Appearing blindfolded and handcuffed in the footage, which was released on Saturday, he tells his captors that he left the UK for Syria in 2014 and had been living in the so-called caliphate for the last four years. He claims to be a trained pharmacist who has been working in a hospital. “I’m a doctor,” he said when asked when he joined the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil). “The area was controlled by Daesh - I can’t do anything about that. But I came to work with the people,” he said, using the derogatory Arabic acronym for the group. Around 1 month ago a #YPG #SDF patrol arrested this ISIS terrorist from the city of #Birmingham #UK in #DeirEzzor near #Hajin. He claim he's only a doctor (Yeah right lol) and that he worked in #ISIS territory for the last 4 years.”

Germany
The Wall Street Journal: Is Germany Slouching Toward Weimar Again?

“Agitators and their opponents were marching through town. In-your-face Nazi symbols were brandished. Racist and anti-Semitic slogans filled the air. Arms were raised in a Hitler salute. Bottles were hurled into a Jewish restaurant. One person died; many were wounded. The police couldn’t separate the combatants. Charlottesville, Va., in August 2017? No, Chemnitz at the end of last month: a city of 120,000 in former East Germany. On Aug. 25, right-wing groups took to the streets in reaction to the alleged murder of a local man by Arab immigrants. The clash came at a tense time, as Chancellor Angela Merkel’s shaky coalition was sinking in the polls. If there were an election today, the government might lose its majority. As horrifying as the clashes were between antifa and neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, only the deranged would argue that the U.S. was descending into fascism. But history keeps hounding Germany. Even after 70 years of continuous democratic development, the shibboleth of the day is “Weimar”: Germany’s first try at popular rule after its defeat in World War I.”

Associated Press: Germany Arrests Woman Accused Of Islamic State Membership

“German police have arrested a 20-year-old woman on suspicion of serving in the Islamic State group. Federal prosecutors said Friday the German-Algerian woman, identified as Sarah O. for privacy reasons, is accused of membership in a foreign terrorist organization. Prosecutors say she traveled to Syria as a teenager in October 2013, where she received firearms training and married an IS fighter from Germany in 2014. German authorities say she and her husband conducted “guard and police duties” in IS-controlled areas. She is also alleged to have tried to recruit others in Europe to join IS and, together with her husband, received about $118 a month from the group. Prosecutors’ spokeswoman Frauke Koehler said the woman’s children were taken into care upon their arrival at Duesseldorf airport from Turkey on Friday.”
__________________
Boats

O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
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