Eye on Extremism,August 3, 2016

Counter Extremism Project

The Cipher: The Private Sector Role

In Countering Violent Extremism

“As government efforts to challenge

terrorist propaganda online are

often met with distrust by the very

people they are trying to reach, the

private sector has moved in to help

navigate and confront the fraught

social media landscape where

extremist groups look for individuals

to radicalize. Countering violent

extremism (CVE) efforts largely

focus on trying to dissuade

individuals from acts of violence or

from adopting extremist ideologies,

and confronting extremist

messaging online has been a major

part of recent work to counter the

threat of homegrown terrorism.

Along with focusing on on-the-

ground work at the community level,

campaigns on social media are a key

part of CVE — but some recent

efforts have been hit with extensive

criticism and ridicule from both the

public at large and extremists

themselves.”

New York Times: How A Secretive

Branch Of ISIS Built A Global

Network Of Killers

“Believing he was answering a holy

call, Harry Sarfo left his home in the

working-class city of Bremen last

year and drove for four straight days

to reach the territory controlled by

the Islamic State in Syria. He barely

had time to settle in before members

of the Islamic State’s secret service,

wearing masks over their faces,

came to inform him and his German

friend that they no longer wanted

Europeans to come to Syria. Where

they were really needed was back

home, to help carry out the group’s

plan of waging terrorism across the

globe.”

NBC: New Counterterrorism 'Heat

Map' Shows ISIS Branches

Spreading Worldwide

“As the U.S. launched more

airstrikes Tuesday against ISIS

targets in Libya — representing an

expansion of the U.S. military

operations beyond Iraq and Syria —

NBC News has exclusively obtained

a map showing the global expansion

of the terror group. The map is part

of a classified briefing document

received by the White House dated

"August 2016" and prepared by the

National Counterterrorism Center. It

shows a stunning three-fold

increase in the number of places

around the globe where ISIS is

operating.”

Reuters: Obama Says Supporting

Libya's Fight With Islamic State Is In

U.S. Interest

“President Barack Obama said on

Tuesday it is in the U.S. national

security interest to support Libya's

emerging government's fight against

Islamic State, a day after his

administration said it launched air

strikes there. The move marks the

opening of a new front by the U.S.

administration in the war against

Islamic State, which, under added

pressure in its Syria and Iraq

strongholds, is increasingly

resorting to planning attacks

abroad.”

Newsweek: Who Is Winning The

Endgame Of The Aleppo Siege?

“Some four years after rebels

captured much of Syria’s largest

city, the regime and its allies finally

encircled their territory in Aleppo.

Through the final week of July 2016,

these forces severed the last

remaining opposition supply line,

Castello Road, and likely intend to

besiege rebel-held parts of the city

and their estimated 300,000

inhabitants.”

Wall Street Journal: U.S. Sent Cash

To Iran As Americans Were Freed

“The Obama administration secretly

organized an airlift of $400 million

worth of cash to Iran that coincided

with the January release of four

Americans detained in Tehran,

according to U.S. and European

officials and congressional staff

briefed on the operation afterward.

Wooden pallets stacked with euros,

Swiss francs and other currencies

were flown into Iran on an

unmarked cargo plane, according to

these officials. The U.S. procured the

money from the central banks of the

Netherlands and Switzerland, they

said.”

Reuters: Libya Car Bomb Targets

Security Forces In Benghazi, Kills

22: Officials

“A car bomb targeting security forces

in the eastern Libyan city of

Benghazi killed at least 22 people

and wounded 20 on Tuesday, a

commander of the forces and

medical officials said. The blast

occurred in a residential area in the

Guwarsha district, the scene of

fighting between security forces

loyal to Libya's eastern government

and an alliance of Islamists and

other opponents.”

Times Of Israel: Haniyeh Seeks To

Pay Hamas ‘Military Personnel’ With

Qatar’s Money

“Senior Hamas leader in Gaza Ismail

Haniyeh said Sunday he is working

to ensure money sent to the terror

group by Qatar will be used to pay

“military personnel” alongside

civilian government employees.”

BBC: Boko Haram In Nigeria: Abu

Musab Al-Barnawi Named As New

Leader

“Abu Musab al-Barnawi, who was

previously spokesman for the

Nigerian-based Islamists, is featured

in the latest issue of an IS magazine.

It does not say what has become of

the group's former leader Abubakar

Shekau. He was last heard from in

an audio message last August,

saying he was alive and had not

been replaced - an IS video released

in April said the same.”

Washington Post: How The U.S.

Military Scrambled In Turkey To

Keep Working During The Coup

Attempt

“During the first night of the coup,

the lights went out here around 2

a.m., as local authorities shut off

this sprawling airfield’s power,

beginning what would be a kind of

siege of the joint Turkish-U.S. base.

U.S. Air Force Col. David Trucksa,

the commander of the 447th Air

Expeditionary Group, had been at

his post commanding a contingent

of U.S. ground attack aircraft and

refueling jets at Incirlik for little

more than two weeks when — on the

night of July 15 — his second in

command called and told him to flip

to the news.”

United States

Wall Street Journal: Obama Says

Airstrikes on Islamic State Came at

Libya’s Request

“President Barack Obama said his

decision to authorize U.S. airstrikes

on an Islamic State stronghold in

Libya for the first time was in

response to advances the country’s

government has made against the

group. Mr. Obama, speaking

Tuesday at news conference with the

leader of Singapore, said the

government requested the U.S.

airstrikes to assist in the Islamic

State fight.”

Syria

Mother Jones: One of Syria's Largest

Battles Is Unfolding Right Now

“Last month, the Syrian regime

successfully encircled the besieged

Syrian city of Aleppo and choked off

the last remaining rebel supply line.

Since then, Syrian forces and their

Russian allies have been

bombarding the rebel-held half of

the city, striking civilian

infrastructure including hospitals

and markets, and creating what

many are calling a "humanitarian

catastrophe." Muhammad al-Zein,

an administrator who helps oversee

hospitals in the rebel-held part of

Aleppo, told the Wall Street Journal

that airstrikes have hit five

hospitals, a clinic, and a medical

training institute since pro-Assad

forces took control of Castello Road,

which had been an access point for

food and medical supplies into the

besieged city.”

Reuters: Rescuers say toxic gas

dropped on Syrian town where

Russian helicopter shot down

“A Syrian rescue service operating in

rebel-held territory said on Tuesday

a helicopter dropped containers of

toxic gas overnight on a town close

to where a Russian military

helicopter had been shot down

hours earlier. The opposition Syrian

National Coalition (SNC) accused

President Bashar al-Assad of being

behind the attack. Assad has denied

previous accusations of using

chemical weapons.”

Iraq

BBC: Islamic State conflict: RAF

bombs Saddam palace in north Iraq

“A palace built by Saddam Hussein

which was being used as a training

centre for the Islamic State militant

group has been bombed by UK and

coalition forces. The Ministry of

Defence said the former dictator's

complex in Mosul, north Iraq, was a

"major" IS HQ and training centre for

foreign recruits. RAF Tornados used

guided bombs in what Defence

Secretary Michael Fallon called

"emphatic" airstrikes on Monday.”

New York Times: Iraq Prime Minister

Issues Travel Ban For Some

Lawmakers

“Iraq's prime minister issued a travel

ban on Tuesday for some sitting

lawmakers and politicians amid

corruption allegations that surfaced

during the questioning in

parliament of the country's defense

minister. Defense Minister Khaled

al-Obeidi told lawmakers on Monday

that parliament speaker, Salim al-

Jabouri, and other government

officials and businessmen had tried

to persuade him to secure specific

contracts and to reinstate employees

fired due to corruption. As well as

the parliament speaker, Al-Obeidi

mentioned the names of four sitting

lawmakers, one former lawmaker

and two parliamentary officials

affiliated with the speaker.”

Breitbart: Islamic State Leader Guns

Down His Own Troops at Iraq

Training Camp

“Tensions within the Islamic State’s

ranks appear to have boiled over at

a training camp in Iraq, where an

exasperated “foreign jihadi leader”

opened fire on his own disobedient

troops, sparking a gun battle that

killed two and wounded 20 more.

According to the UK Daily Mail, the

fight broke out when local recruits

from the area around the Islamic

State’s Iraqi stronghold of Mosul

grew “outraged” at foreign jihadis

taking plum jobs in the Islamic

State’s police force, sharia courts,

and training camps.”

Egypt

Al-Monitor: Why Turkey and Egypt

won’t reconcile anytime soon

“On July 26, the Egyptian

parliament took steps toward

approving a resolution to recognize

the 1915 Armenian genocide at the

hands of Ottoman Turks, marking a

new turn in a bitter row that has all

but severed diplomatic ties between

Egypt and Turkey. The motion was

presented to parliament by legislator

Mustafa Bakry, a controversial

politician with a track record of

championing polarizing policies that

favor increasing state powers. It

highlighted the increasingly

detrimental influence of regime

hard-liners on Egypt’s regional

policies, as a wave of political

attacks against Turkey’s president

following the failed coup attempt

renewed tensions and threatened to

damage relations with Ankara

beyond repair.”

Middle East

Daily Star: Leaked ISIS ‘Heat Map’

Shows Terror Network Growing

Worldwide

“ISIS – also known as Daesh – now

has “branches” in 18 countries, a

briefing map prepared for US

president Barack Obama reveals.

This is almost a three-fold increase

on 2014, when the terror group

operated in just seven countries.

The death cult has also inspired

“lone wolf” terror attacks in other

countries – including Britain.”

France

BBC: French Priest Funeral:

Jacques Hamel Mourned In Rouen

“A public ceremony was led by the

city's archbishop, after which Father

Hamel was to be interred in a private

burial. French Interior Minister

Bernard Cazeneuve and senior

Roman Catholic clerics attended the

service. Father Hamel had his throat

cut when two men stormed his

church during Mass.”

Euro News: France: Islamic Funding

Reform

“The organization and financing of

the Muslim faith in France, has

come under fire from politicians

after the succession of jihadist

attacks in recent months. The

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve

followed Prime Minister Manuel

Valls in promising action. ‘The

Foundation of Islam in France’ will

be launched in October with the aim

of developing a counter-narrative to

discredit extremist discourse and

creating more transparency in the

foreign funding of mosques.”

Europe

Reuters: Italian police arrest Syrian

suspected of trying to join militants

“Italian police arrested a Syrian man

in the northern city of Genoa on

Wednesday on suspicion he was

planning to travel to his home

country to join Islamist militants.

Police said in a statement their anti-

terrorism unit had arrested an

unemployed man, 23, who they said

was planning to return to Syria to

join the rebel group Nusra Front. He

was arrested on suspicion of

supporting international terrorism.

The Syrian Islamist rebel group,

which emerged at the start of the

Syrian conflict, re-branded itself last

week as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham and

cut ties with international jihadist

network al Qaeda.”

Hamas

Arutz Sheva: Hamas criticizes Israel

for killing terrorists

“The Hamas terrorist organization is

continuing to encourage Palestinian

Arabs to carry out terrorist attacks

against Israel, but is also criticizing

Israel for killing terrorists who

harmed Israelis. In recent days, the

organization has distributed video

guides on how to kill Jews by

stabbing them, and educating the

younger generation in schools and

summer camps on the ethos of

violence and terror aimed to kill the

Jews in “Palestine”.”

Jerusalem Post: Hamas and Fatah

battle over arrests ahead of

municipal elections

“Hamas accuses the Palestinian

Authority of attempting to

undermine its municipal election

campaign in the West Bank by

arresting and summoning a number

of its members on Monday,

according to al-Quds al-Arabi. Abdul

Rahman Zeidan, a Hamas

representative of the Palestinian

Legislative Council, said that the

Palestinian Authority Security

Forces are carrying out an arrest

campaign in the West Bank that is

“shaking Hamas’s confidence in the

PA’s, the government’s and Fatah’s

seriousness in organizing

democratic elections.””

Terror Financing

Mansheet: Attempt To Smuggle

Money To Terrorists In Sinai

Thwarted

“Egyptian Army Spokesman,

Brigadier General Mohammad

Samir, claimed that as part of the

effort to block the financing of

terrorists, border guards in the

region of the Third Field Army

managed to stop a 4-wheel vehicle

carrying a sum of 367,700 Egyptian

pounds (roughly $41,000). The car

was commandeered near Ahmed

Hamdi Tunnel and delivered to the

competent authorities for further

legal action. Meanwhile, in the

region of the Second Field Army,

(Egyptian) security forces uncovered

two hand grenades, two automatic

rifles, six magazines for automatic

rifles,100 bullets and a wireless

device.”

ISIS

Mansheet: Libyan Militias Request

Funds For Elimination Of ISIS

“Libyan media reports reveal that

the leaders of armed militias from

Misrata wish to obtain external

financing. They claim that money is

needed before any progress can be

made on the ground, under the

cover of American airstrikes, and

before the battle of Sirte against ISIS

fighters, who control this coastal

city, can be decided. Mukhtar

Fakroun, Spokesman for the Air

Force in Misrata, which is at the

center of the campaign to liberate

Sirte, stated, "We have asked for

United States support so that the

operation can move quickly and we

won't lose any more fighters." One

day after the United States began its

campaign of air strikes against

ISIS's stronghold in Libya, factions

opposing the terror organization

welcomed Washington's

intervention. Nonetheless, they

remained cautious about the

advancement of the forces, fearing

minefields and snipers.”

Muslim Brotherhood

Albawabh News: Documentary

Sheds Light On Financiers Of The

International Organization Of The

Muslim Brotherhood

“In the second segment of his

documentary film entitled "The

Organization", producer Youssef Al

Hosseiny exposed the leaders of the

International Organization of the

Muslim Brotherhood who are

operating through the Group's

headquarters in London. The list

includes many names, topped by

Mr. Hashim Bin Mohammed Al

Awadi, a Qatari citizen, who heads

the Media Department at Eid

Charity; Sheikh Ahmed Eid Bin Al

Thani, a Qatari citizen, the official

designated by the Qatari

government to combat money

laundering and terror financing, and

founder of Eid Charity Association

which backs the Muslim

Brotherhood; Abd al-Wahhab al-

Humayqani, a Yemeni citizen and

supporter of al Qaeda in the Arabian

Peninsula; Abdulalrahman Al-

Naimi, a Qatari citizen, whom the

United States and the European

Union have named as a financier of

al Qaeda in Iraq and the Arabian

Peninsula, in addition to Nusra

Front and Harakat al-Shabaab al-

Mujahideen.”

Shorouk News: Hearing To Overturn

The Invalidity Of The Seizure Of

Funds Owned By Brotherhood-

Affiliated Al Waha Schools

Postponed

“Appeals Inspection Chamber of the

Supreme Administrative Court,

headed by Judge Fawzi Abd El-Radi,

decided on Monday to postpone the

appeal submitted by the Egyptian

Ministers of Education and Justice.

The appeal demands the

cancellation of a previous ruling to

invalidate the seizure of funds

owned by Muslim Brotherhood-

affiliated Al Waha Language

Schools. The next hearing will be

held on November 7th. The

Administrative Court (court of first

instance) issued a ruling on the

invalidity of the seizure of funds

belonging to Brotherhood-affiliated

schools. However, the Ministers of

Education and Justice filed an

appeal to the Supreme

Administrative Court against this

ruling.”

The Seventh Day: President Of Cairo

University: Brotherhood Employees

Of Ministry Of Youth Used The

Universities' Funds In The Service Of

The Group

“President of Cairo University, Dr.

Jaber Jad, said that the Muslim

Brotherhood "jumped on the wagon"

of the January 25th Revolution and

'Brotherhoodized' it. They seized the

opportunity when the Egyptian

people were without a leader and

began to penetrate into public

consciousness. The president of the

university stressed that the group

had infiltrated into both academia

and government departments. Its

leadership managed to exploit state

funds to fulfill the aspirations of the

Group and its members. He went on

to say that Brotherhood employees

at the Ministry of Youth had

channeled the universities' funds in

the service of the Group."