Eye on Extremism, August 9, 2016
Counter Extremism Project
“Hany Farid, a computer scientist at Dartmouth, is one of the original developers of PhotoDNA, a tool that allows companies to recognize and remove problematic images from their networks. It works by identifying the digital signature of images that are flagged by users and determined to be graphic. ‘Once identified,’ Farid says, ‘this content can be quickly, accurately, and automatically detected, thus preventing any future upload. Twitter, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, etc. are all using this technology.’ The tool was originally intended for removing child pornography and preventing its repeated dissemination, but Farid says it can be extended to ‘any content deemed in violation of the terms of service of a social media platform.’ While PhotoDNA has recently been extended to video and audio (in collaboration with the Counter Extremism Project), live video (such as Facebook Live) still poses a major challenge: ‘In my opinion, we do not have a fast, accurate, and automatic technology for reviewing live video for inappropriate content,’ Farid says. ‘This is an incredibly difficult problem and one that is going to require much more research.’”
CNN: Syrian Opposition Hails 'Miraculous' Victory After Claiming To Break Aleppo Siege
“Syrian rebels are vowing to retake the entire city of Aleppo after claiming to have broken a crippling government siege, in a victory that an opposition leader has hailed as ‘almost a miracle.’ After days of ferocious fighting in what it has named ‘The Great Battle for Aleppo,’ the Islamist-led rebel coalition known as Jaysh al Fateh broke through government lines in southwest Aleppo Saturday, capturing the strategic district of Ramouseh. Anas al-Abdah, president of the opposition Syrian Coalition, told reporters in Istanbul, Turkey, that the victory -- which saw rebel fighters defeat the might of the Syrian regime along with Iranian, Hezbollah and Russian military power -- was "almost a miracle."
Washington Post: ISIS Destroyed Almost Half Of An Ancient City In Syria
“The Islamic State has looted or destroyed a considerable portion of the Tal Ajaja archaeological site in northeastern Syria, according to Agence France-Presse. Khaled Ahmo, director of antiquities in Hasakah province, where the ancient mound is located, told AFP that “more than 40 percent of Tal Ajaja was destroyed or ravaged” by the extremist group’s fighters. The militants had overrun the area in 2014, but in recent months they were chased out of whole stretches of Hasakah by a campaign led by Kurdish militias. In the wake of the Islamic State’s departure, the extent of the damage the militants have wrought is being steadily discovered.”
Newsweek: ISIS In Afghanistan Claims Capture Of U.S. Weapons
“Militants aligned to the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) in Afghanistan claimed Saturday to have captured weapons and equipment belonging to the U.S. military in newly released photographs. The images purport to show a U.S. rocket launcher, grenades, a radio and a U.S. soldier’s identification card. There is no indication when the militants took the photographs. The soldier identified is U.S. Army Specialist Ryan Jay Larson but Washington has denied that the militants have captured any soldier. The U.S. command in Kabul said that Larson had ‘been accounted for and remains in a duty status within his unit.’”
“A new report estimates that over 100 Americans, almost all male and many military veterans, have joined up with militia groups in Iraq or Syria to fight ISIS, accounting for more than one-third of all anti-ISIS Western volunteer fighters. The report, published overnight by the London-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue, is based on a database of 300 foreign fighters from Western nations in anti-ISIS groups found in public accounts -- from media reports to social media. The report found that Americans are more prevalent in the groups than those from any other Western nation, with the U.K. following. Most of the volunteers are serving in Kurdish militias in Iraq or Syria.”
BBC: Turkey's Erdogan Unnerves West With Putin Visit
“Turkey has seen an upheaval in its foreign and domestic politics, exacerbated by the near-disastrous coup attempt on 15 July. In view of the current ‘frost’ in the AKP government's relations with both the US and the EU, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's decision to choose Russia for his first official visit abroad since the botched coup appears rich in symbolism. And Western leaders will be looking on nervously. The EU's migrant deal with Turkey has run into trouble and the US is under pressure to extradite self-exiled Islamic leader Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey blames for the coup. But Tuesday's visit is not a snap decision by the Turkish state in reaction to a perceived lack of visible and credible Western support in times of crisis, nor is it in appreciation of President Putin's swift support.”
Reuters: Syrian Hospital Bombing Death Toll Rises To 13: Medical Charity
“Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said on Monday that 13 people including children had died in the bombing of a hospital in northwestern Syria, describing the weekend attack as an ‘outrage’ which violated international law. MSF said the air strikes had destroyed most of the hospital which specialized in children's medicine and served some 70,000 people in the town of Meles in rebel-held Idlib province. Five children and two women were among nine patients who died, in addition to four hospital staff, said MSF. Another six employees were wounded. Over the weekend the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based body which monitors the war in Syria, put the death toll at 10. MSF, which supports the hospital, said the strikes wrecked medical devices, the operating theater, pediatric and intensive care units, ambulances and the facility's generator.”
The New York Times: Airstrikes Barely Holding Off Taliban In Helmand, Afghan Officials Say
“The Afghan security forces are struggling to head off an intensified Taliban offensive in Helmand Province in recent weeks, heavily relying on American airstrikes as the insurgents have again tightened the noose around Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital, according to officials and residents. Even as Afghan and American officials insist that they will not allow another urban center to fall, concerned about the political ramifications for the struggling government in Kabul as well as the presidential campaign in the United States, residents and local officials describe Lashkar Gah as practically besieged. The main road connecting the city and the highway to the southern commercial and military hub of Kandahar has been repeatedly blocked in recent days by the Taliban, who blew up several bridges.”
The Times Of Israel: French Teen Held Over Suspected Islamic State Terror Plot
“Paris prosecutors say a counterterrorism judge is questioning a 16-year-old French girl who allegedly supports the Islamic State group and is suspected of trying to perpetrate an attack. The Paris prosecutor’s office says the girl was using a social media app to spread calls by IS to commit violent acts. Deputy prosecutor Laure Vermeersch said Monday that the judge may decide to file preliminary terrorism charges against the teenager who was arrested last week in a Paris suburb and has been held in custody since then. The investigators said the girl was ‘extremely radicalized’ and was the administrator of a chat group dedicated to IS propaganda on the Telegram app, which has been used by suspected jihadis to communicate.”
U.S. News & World Report: War Of Words In Boko Haram Extremist Leadership Struggle
“A struggle within Nigeria's Islamic extremist group Boko Haram is playing out in public, with a new leader named by the Islamic State group accusing the longtime leader of killing his own people and living in luxury while fighters' babies starve. The in-fighting could further weaken the Boko Haram militants, who are on the run from a multinational force in northeast Nigeria. The seven-year Boko Haram uprising has killed more than 20,000 people, forced 2.2 million from their homes and spread across Nigeria's borders. Boko Haram remains deadly, though it has not had a spectacular attack in nearly a year. Its ambush last month on a humanitarian convoy led the United Nations to suspend aid to newly liberated but still dangerous areas of the northeast where aid groups say about half a million people are starving. Shekau pledged allegiance to al-Baghdadi in March 2015, giving the Islamic State group its first franchise in sub-Saharan Africa.”
Facebook Denies Reluctance To Give Data To German Investigators
“Facebook rejected on Monday claims made by Germany's state authorities that it was reluctant to co-operate with them on criminal investigations, saying many of the requests it received for user data were incorrectly formulated. Several regional interior ministers have complained that the social media group is hesitant to respond to requests for data and have called on the Federal Justice Ministry to introduce new laws. But Facebook said it had provided ‘round the clock assistance’ to the authorities in Bavaria following a spate of violent attacks in Munich, Wuerzburg and Ansbach last month. A spokeswoman for the Justice Ministry said it was examining whether there was a need to change the law or whether there was a problem with its implementation. A recent spate of attacks in Germany has highlighted the importance security agencies give to working with social networks to uncover possible links to militant groups.”
United States
The Daily Beast: U.S. Ramps Up Airstrikes In Libya
“The United States ramped up its air campaign against the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Libya over the weekend, increasingly targeting jihadist snipers positioned in buildings around the city of Sirte, a U.S. defense official said. Since the U.S. military opened a new front against ISIS by launching strikes in Libya, the terror group has adjusted its tactics, U.S. officials said. ISIS still depends on snipers to maintain its control of the Libyan city, but the group is no longer is as mobile because of U.S. airpower. ‘ISIS knows we are in the air, and they are adjusting,’ a U.S. defense official told The Daily Beast. The ISIS fighters appear to be restricting their movement during the day in an attempt to avoid the air strikes.”
Reuters: U.S. Urges Russia To Halt Syria Sieges; Russia Slams Aid Politicization
“The United Nations Security Council must not allow civilians on both sides of the Syrian city of Aleppo to be cut off from humanitarian aid, the United States said on Monday as Russia accused Washington of politicizing a humanitarian issue. Insurgents effectively broke a month-long government siege of eastern, opposition-held Aleppo on Saturday, severing the primary government supply corridor and raising the prospect that government-held western Aleppo might become besieged. The United States, Britain, France, New Zealand and Ukraine organized an informal Security Council meeting on Aleppo on Monday with briefings by a ‘White Helmet’ rescue worker and two U.S.-based doctors from the Syrian American Medical Society who recently returned from Aleppo.”
Iraq
Associated Press: Iraqi, Lebanese Militias Deploy To Syria's Aleppo
“Iran-backed militant groups from Lebanon and Iraq are deploying hundreds of additional fighters to front lines in the Syrian city of Aleppo, Iranian media and militia officials said Monday, after Syrian rebels breached a government-imposed siege and cut a key government route to the contested city over the weekend. The reinforcements by at least four groups, described by officials and state media as ‘elite,’ will shore up Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces there as fighting over control of the city intensifies. Rebels breached the Syrian government siege on opposition neighborhoods in the city of Aleppo Saturday, opening a corridor in the south and marking a major military breakthrough. The push prompted an intensive airstrike campaign Sunday as insurgent groups put up a massive defense to protect the new corridor and gain new ground.”
Reuters: Iraq's Mosul Residents Feel Relief, Anxiety As 'Liberation' Nears
“As Iraqi forces prepare to attack Islamic State in its de facto capital of Mosul, residents inside the city and others who have managed to escape expressed relief at the prospect their home could be liberated from the extremist group's harsh rule. But they also warned that if the assault is successful, the city's Sunni-majority population would refuse to return to what they called the repressive yoke imposed by the Shi'ite-led government in Baghdad in the past. The Iraqi army and its elite units that will lead the offensive are gradually taking up positions around the city 400 km (248 miles) north of Baghdad, from whose Grand Mosque in 2014 Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a caliphate spanning regions of Iraq and Syria.”
Turkey
Reuters: Turkish Deputy PM: 216 Soldiers, Gendarmes Still At Large After Coup Bid
“Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said on Monday that 186 soldiers and 30 gendarmes, all suspected of plotting last month's failed coup, were still at large. They included nine generals, Kurtulmus told reporters after a cabinet meeting. He also said 10 foreign nationals had faced legal action, and four of them had been arrested, but did not give any details about their nationalities. Turkey has detained thousands of soldiers and dismissed more than 3,000 from the military over their alleged links to the July 15 coup attempt in which soldiers commandeered fighter jets, tanks and helicopters to overthrow the government.”
Reuters: EU Migrant Deal Not Possible If Turkey's Demands Not Met - Erdogan
“Turkey's migration agreement with the European Union may collapse if the EU does not keep its side of the deal on visa waivers, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told France's Le Monde newspaper. Erdogan's comments reflect a shift in stance at a time when he is rebuking Western leaders for their response to the July 15 coup bid. Erdogan vowed to keep Turkey's promises on the migrant deal as recently as July 26. ‘The European Union is not behaving in a sincere manner with Turkey,’ Erdogan said in comments published by Le Monde on Monday, noting that the visa waiver for Turkish citizens was supposed to kick in on June 1.”
Reuters: Ataturk's Revival A Symbol Of Turkey's Fragile Post-Coup Unity
“After years of being gradually eclipsed as President Tayyip Erdogan forges a ‘new Turkey’ with Islam firmly at its heart, the secular republic's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk has, for now at least, made a comeback in the wake of a failed coup. At a rally of more than a million people in Istanbul on Sunday, Erdogan drew a parallel between the spirit of the young officer who founded modern Turkey in 1923 and the civilians who took to the streets on July 15 to try to stop rogue soldiers in tanks and helicopters from seizing power. ‘The belief that helped war veteran Mustafa Kemal start and win the war of independence was running through all Turkey's cities on July 15,’ Erdogan told the Istanbul rally, portraits of himself and Ataturk blowing in the breeze on either side of the huge stage.”
Reuters: Turkish Warplanes Hit Kurdish Militant Targets In Southeast, Killing 13 - Officials
“Turkish F-16 warplanes have launched air strikes on Kurdish militant targets in southeastern Turkey, killing 13 Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters, military officials said on Monday. The warplanes struck the targets the countryside of Siirt province on Sunday afternoon after a tip-off and search operations backed by drones were continuing in the area, the officials said.”
Afghanistan
CNN: American, Australian Kidnapped In Afghanistan, Police Say
“Investigators in Afghanistan are searching for an American and an Australian who were kidnapped in western Kabul, the city's police chief told CNN. The two men, lecturers at the American University of Afghanistan, were kidnapped Sunday evening when two gunmen stopped the car they were riding in, an Afghan security official told CNN. One assailant broke the passenger-side window with his gun and took the two men away. A driver and bodyguard were left unhurt, the official said. The kidnappers were wearing military uniforms, the official said, but not the design and color of the official Afghan army uniform.”
Voice Of America: Afghan Forces Claim Successes Against Taliban And IS
“Authorities in Afghanistan on Monday claimed to have made major successes against the Taliban and Islamic State, saying national security forces have killed hundreds of fighters, including key leaders linked to both groups. Major General Mohammad Habib Hesari, Director General of Military Operations, told a news conference in Kabul that fighting is still raging in the restive southern Helmand province, but that Afghan forces have the upper hand. He said Afghan forces conducted major counterinsurgency operations in several provinces, killing more than 700 Taliban insurgents over the past week, while scores have been wounded and approximately 50 arrested.”
Yemen
The New York Times: As Peace Talks In Yemen Crumble, Civilians End Up In Cross Hairs Again
“United Nations-brokered peace talks between the Houthis and the government of the ousted president, Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, collapsed on Saturday after more than three months. A cease-fire was in place for the talks, and despite many violations, it resulted in a significant decrease in coalition airstrikes, especially around major cities like Sana. Sunday’s airstrikes seemed to signal an end to efforts to respect the cease-fire. Several witnesses, reached by telephone in Nehm, said that the marketplace hit Sunday night had no military or Houthi presence, and that all of the victims had been civilians. The site of the attack was not far from another Nehm marketplace that was targeted in February, leaving at least 30 civilians dead, according to witnesses. Humanitarian officials have expressed concern that a resumption of large-scale airstrikes would greatly worsen the situation for a population that is already struggling to cope with 15 months of warfare that have claimed more than 6,500 lives.”
Saudi Arabia
The Wall Street Journal: Saudis To Help Berlin Investigate IS-Linked Terrorist Attacks
“Saudi authorities have offered Berlin help in investigating two attacks claimed by Islamic State in Germany last month, officials from both countries said on Monday. Authorities here said the terror militia abroad had not only inspired the attacks but appeared to have helped execute them by instructing both perpetrators in how to maximize casualties. The investigation had shown that IS members abroad had helped the perpetrators and that at least one of them had a Saudi cellphone number, a German official said. The findings, derived from a probe of the perpetrators’ electronic devices, suggest a more deliberate campaign by IS to attack Germany than authorities had expected in the immediate aftermath of the attacks, which left several people wounded but claimed no casualties except the two perpetrators.”
Libya
Reuters: U.S. Air Strikes Show Limits On Libya Intervention
“While U.S. jets and drones are pounding Islamic State in the Libyan city of Sirte, Western powers are unlikely to expand their military involvement rapidly, anxious to avoid exacerbating factional divisions as the government they support struggles to establish itself. The United Nations-backed government asked for the U.S. air strikes which began on Aug. 1, but it has still not made a long-awaited request for broader security help - including a possible easing of an international arms embargo on the factions which emerged during and after the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi. ‘They know that the international community is ready to help with training and advice, but specific requests are not emerging yet,’ said a Western diplomatic source.”
United Kingdom
RT: MI5 ‘Mind Reading Unit’ Foils Potential Terrorist Attacks
“Up to seven potential terror attacks across Britain have been uncovered and stopped over the past year by a special MI5 unit which reads the minds of would-be attackers, the agency says. MI5's Behavioural Science Unit (BSU), made up of criminologists, psychologists and other academics, was launched in 2004 to analyse suspects’ behaviours to determine whether they are about to carry out an attack. The BSU’s aim is to find out whether those flagged as potential threats are ‘talkers or walkers’ – those who boast or those who are prepared to act, according to The Sunday Times. People selected for surveillance are chosen through intelligence gathered from the agency’s network of informants, as well as from the public. Research by MI5 shows that more than 60 percent of lone wolf attackers provide clues that they are about to strike with changes in their behaviour, the agency says.”
The Guardian: Pictures Appear To Show British Special Forces On Syrian Front Line
“The first images of what appear to be British special forces operating on the ground in Syria have emerged, showing vehicles patrolling near the scene of an attack by Islamic State. The pictures were taken in June and were first published on Monday by the BBC. It is believed to be the first time British forces have been photographed operating inside Syria. The images depict British special forces sitting atop Thalab long range patrol vehicles as they move around the perimeter of a rebel base close to the Syria-Iraq border. Thalabs are heavily modified Toyota-based off-roaders reportedly built in Jordan. The images seem to show British forces securing the perimeter of the rebel base following an attack by Isis, according to the BBC. The soldiers can be seen carrying anti-tank missiles, sniper rifles and other heavy artillery.”
France
Sputnik: France Expels Mauritanian Man For Posing Terror Threat
“A Mauritanian man was sent back from France to his country of origin on Monday for having links to a jihadist movement, the French Interior Ministry said in a statement. Aly Kebe was accused of ‘involvement in a radical movement’ and ‘activities of terrorist character that in case of his staying would have posed particularly serious threat to public security.’ France has been on high security alert since last November’s attacks in Paris, which killed 130 people. The state of emergency was extended for six months in July after a truck attack in Nice claimed 84 lives. The Interior Ministry has vowed to utilize all legal means at its disposal to fight terrorism. It said it had expelled 82 people since 2012. French media reported that the Mauritanian was the third migrant to have been deported from France in a week.”
Europe
The Guardian: 'Countries With Strong Public Service Media Have Less Rightwing Extremism'
“Countries that have popular, well-funded public service broadcasters encounter less rightwing extremism and corruption and have more press freedom, a report from the European Broadcasting Union has found. For the first time, an analysis has been done of the contribution of public service media, such as the BBC, to democracy and society. Following Brexit and the rise in rightwing extremism across Europe, the report shows the impact strong publicly funded television and radio has had on voter turnout, control of corruption and press freedom. The EBU, which founded Eurovision, carried out the study across 25 countries after noticing that the more well-funded a country’s public service outlets were, the less likely the nation was to endure extremism.”
CNBC: Europe Terror Attacks: Why They Don't Make Consumers Stay Home
“European travelers became increasingly worried about safety after deadly attacks in Paris last November left 130 innocent people dead. Since then, a slew of horrific terror incidents in Belgium, Turkey, France and Germany have further heightened travelers' fears. For now, some of Singh's clients are shifting trips to countries like Spain or Portugal, which haven't had major terror attacks in the last few years. Gauges of consumer confidence typically slide in the weeks or months after terror incidents, only to rebound soon after. Now, the frequency of the recent attacks in Germany and France is making some businesses consider whether there will be a longer-term economic impact. But people including Singh are not concerned yet that travelers will stop calling altogether. And he's not alone.”
ISIS
Alwafd: ISIS Lures Women With $50 Per Month
“The Observatory of Takfiri Fatwas and Extremist Ideologies at Egypt's Dar al-Ifta said that the ISIS terror organization is fine-tuning its method to recruit women to practice "sexual jihad". It said the organization uses social media to search for females seeking to join its ranks, by describing the kind of family life the women wish for. The Observatory emphasized that ISIS has opened the door, according to news websites it owns, for enrollment of women into two brigades, namely "Al-Khansaa" and "Um Al Rayyan." Admission is restricted to single women between 18 and 25 years of age. ISIS pays every woman a sum of 25,000 Syrian pounds, equivalent to roughly $50 per month, subject to their undertaking full-time work with the organization.”
Muslim Brotherhood
“Egyptian MP Emad Gad, a member of the country's Foreign Relations Committee, commented on the decision by the British government to grant political asylum in Britain to supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, saying it had been anticipated. He stressed that the decision is in line with Britain's national security. Gad noted that the life of Brotherhood members in Britain would now be much easier than life in Turkey. He added that this is especially true since the Brotherhood controls economic entities in London which will help them maintain a presence in the UK and live in comfort.”
Elfagr: Report Finds Eight Sources Funding Muslim Brotherhood
“The financial crunch faced by the Muslim Brotherhood has led to a heated debate about the group's financing sources, especially following the successive security strikes to dry up these sources. The crisis was exposed by the group's office in Alexandria, which claimed its monthly budgets were being blocked. According to experts in the affairs of Islamic movements, the group relies on eight sources for its funding and for covering its needs and those of its members' families. These sources include companies and private schools; external support (a clandestine source which is known only to the four members of the Secretariat Committee); donations and membership fees; billionaire financier Yusuf Nada; various businessmen; global conferences; donations raised at charity events; the Righteousness Committee which is responsible for taking care of needy Brotherhood families or those whose members were killed or wounded.”
“Major-General Mohammed Ibrahim, former director of the Egyptian branch of Interpol, stated that any member of the Muslim Brotherhood against whom a prosecution order was issued or is wanted by the Egyptian public justice system has been put on the "Red Notice" by Egyptian Interpol. Ibrahim stressed that the "Red Notice" was sent to all countries to extradite them to Egypt. He called on parliament to devote efforts inside Europe to promoting this case. He wondered: "What is preventing parliament from passing a law declaring the names of all fugitives abroad and giving them a precise deadline to return to Egypt or face the confiscation of their properties in Egypt?"
Houthi
Buyemen: Houthis Raid Sanaa Merchant's Home, Robbing 0.5 Billion Riyals
“Houthi militias attacked a home in Sanaa belonging to a wealthy merchant and stole 0.5 billion riyals (equivalent to $2.3 million). Prior to the raid, Houthi gunmen surrounded the house, which is located near Bab al-Yemen in the capital. Eyewitnesses said that more than 18 teams of Houthi gunmen laid siege on the house of wholesaler Al Utayri, stormed into it and walked away with 0.5 billion riyals. They took the money under the pretext of returning it in the upcoming days. The Houthis added that the raid was a security measure taken to save the local currency.”
Iran
Alkhaleej Online: Iran Pays $700 - $1,000 Per Month For Each Iraqi Fighte
“Iraq's al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) militia is poised to dispatch militants to Syria to fight alongside Assad's forces. This move comes following Iranian orders to send combatants to reinforce the fronts in Aleppo and Damascus, a source close to al-Hashd al-Shaabi confirmed. It should be noted that the salaries of the fighters in the ranks of the Iraqi militias range between $700 and $1000. This means that their salaries will reach $2000 when the fighters take part in the warfare in Syria.”