ISIS caliphate has officially crumbled and last stronghold liberatedBy Benjamin Hall | Fox NewsBAGHOUZ, Syria -- The caliphate has crumbled, and the final offensive is over. While the official announcement hasn’t yet been made – Fox News has been told that this village, the last ISIS stronghold, is liberated.It’s the first time since we’ve been here in Syria for five days that the bombs have stopped dropping and the gunfire has disappeared. We have witnessed the end of the caliphate – the brutal empire that once ruled over 8 million people – is gone. Troops here are now bringing down the black flags of ISIS. The flags no longer fly over the town, instilling fear. Read more: https://www.foxnews.com/world/isis-has-officially-crumbled-and-last-stronghold-liberated-fox-news-has-learned...

FBI Director Discusses FBI Approach at Cybersecurity Conference ...

France 24 Business partners of French sugar giant Tereos have filed a complaint against the firm for allegedly supplying an artificial sweetener to Syria, where it is being used to make weapons, the plaintiffs' lawyer said Tuesday.Tereos, which denies the claims, is accused of "acts of terrorism and complicity in acts of terrorism", according to documents from the anti-terror prosecutor's office seen by AFP.The plaintiffs allege that Tereos had vowed to halt deliveries to conflict zones after an EU-mandated NGO found dozens of the company's bags containing sorbitol in a warehouse of the Islamic State (IS) group in Iraq after the liberation of Mosul in late 2016.Sorbitol, when mixed with potassium nitrate, can be used to make rocket propellants. Read more: https://www.france24.com/en/20190320-france-sugar-giant-tereos-syria-supply-weapons...

The Washington Times Border Patrol catches 400 illegal immigrants in five minutes  By Stephen DinanThe Border Patrol said that it caught more than 400 illegal immigrants trying to break into the U.S. in El Paso, Texas, during one five-minute span Tuesday morning.The migrants came in two separate mini-caravans. One, with 194 people, was found at 2:45 a.m. after they came across the border wall near a local high school. Five minutes later a group of 252 people was nabbed in downtown El Paso. Read more: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/mar/19/border-patrol-catches-400-illegal-immigrants-five-/...

ABC News Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen highlights terror, cyber threats Secretary Nielsen said "Islamist militants" are the biggest terror threat. By Quinn OwenThe biggest threat to the United States remains "Islamist militants" and their followers, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said on Monday.At an annual address on the state of homeland security, Nielsen also pointed to homegrown terrorism and state-sponsored hackers. She said her agency is working with the State Department to put countries on notice when they don’t meet new "more stringent" requirements "to crack down on terrorist travel." "Governments who work with us will make the world safer from extremists, while those that fail to comply will face consequences," she said. Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/homeland-security-secretary-kirstjen-nielsen-highlights-terror-cyber/story?id=61760442...

CNBC by Lauren Feiner           Key Points House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson wrote to the CEOs of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Microsoft requesting a briefing next week on the spread of violent content on their platforms. Thompson’s request follows Friday’s mosque shootings in New Zealand, where a suspected shooter livestreamed a video of one of the attacks, which was later shared repeatedly on tech platforms. Thompson said tech companies must display the same transparency around how they handle all forms of violent extremism, not just that of ISIS and Al-Qaeda. The House Homeland Security Committee chairman called on tech leaders Tuesday to explain how a violent video of Friday’s New Zealand mosque shooting spread on their platforms. Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/19/rep-bennie-thompson-asks-tech-to-explain-mosque-shooting-video-spread.html...

Utrecht shooting: Letter points to terrorist motive DW Dutch prosecutors are looking into a terrorist motive in the Utrecht shooting attack after a note was found in a getaway car. Meanwhile, investigators have yet to find a link between the suspect and the victim. Dutch investigators on Tuesday said they were "seriously" looking into a terrorist motive for the Utrecht tram attack after discovering a note in the main suspect's getaway car."So far, a terrorist motive is seriously being taken into account," said police and prosecutors in a joint statement. "This is based on a letter found in the getaway car among other things and the nature of the facts."Turkish-born Gokmen Tanis remains in custody on suspicion of fatally shooting three people with possible terrorist intent. The 37-year-old was arrested at the end of a seven-hour manhunt that followed the shootings in the 24 Oktoberplein crossroads. Read more: https://www.dw.com/en/utrecht-shooting-letter-points-to-terrorist-motive/a-47975329...

Reuters BAGHOUZ, Syria (Reuters) - Falling bombs raised smoke over Islamic State’s last enclave in east Syria on Sunday, obscuring the huddle of vehicles and makeshift shelters to which the group’s self-declared “caliphate” has been reduced. Air strikes and artillery began hitting the area and smoke billowed overhead late in the afternoon as U.S.-backed forces resumed their weeks-long attack, a Reuters reporter said.After dark, a Kurdish TV channel broadcast live footage showing fires raging and the swift glow of rockets pounding into the enclave accompanied by the sound of intense gunfire.During an earlier lull in fighting, tiny figures of people still inside were clearly visible walking among hundreds of trucks, cars and minibuses clustered around a few concrete buildings by the bank of the Euphrates. Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-islamic-state/battle-rages-for-last-islamic-state-syria-enclave-idUSKCN1QY0DY...

The Boston Globe Editorial New Zealand mosque attack should be a wake up call for big tech The horrifying terrorist attack in New Zealand on Friday, during which a white supremacist gunman mowed down 49 worshipers at two mosques while live-streaming the attack on his Facebook page, came three days after the world marked a sadly relevant anniversary. It was 30 years ago Tuesday that computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee sketched out his plan for an invention he called the World Wide Web.That invention has been, on the whole, an enormous force for good. But it has also introduced a host of unanticipated new social problems that the attack in Christchurch throws into stark relief. The Web, and in particular social media platforms, has provided a fertile environment for hate groups to form and grow, and for far-flung and isolated racists to find a community that affirms and reinforces their beliefs....

ABC News At least 3 dead in shooting on Netherlands tram, suspect arrested Police are asking the public to stay away from the area in Utrecht. By Alexandra Svokos At least three people are dead and five others are wounded after a suspect opened fire on a tram Monday morning, local authorities said.Utrecht Mayor Jan van Zanen confirmed the fatalities in a video posted to Twitter in Dutch.  The shooting occurred near the 24 Oktoberplein station in Utrecht, located about 30 miles southeast of Amsterdam in central Netherlands.The main suspect, a 37-year-old Turkish-born man, was apprehended, the mayor and Rob van Bree of the Utrecht police said in an early evening press conference. At this time, a motive remains unknown.A second person was also arrested they said, although that person's identity and connection to the incident is unclear.Earlier in the day, Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg, the national coordinator for counterterrorism and security,...

News Hub Christchurch terror attack: Monday live updatesby Dan Satherley and Sophie Bateman What we know: Fifty people were killed at two Christchurch mosques on Friday, and 50 hurt The victims' ages range from three to 77 The terror suspect - Australian citizen Brenton Harrison Tarrant, 28 - has been charged with murder, but police say other charges will follow He has reportedly sacked his duty lawyer, and plans to represent himself Jacinda Ardern says he will face justice in New Zealand The suspect's sister's home has been raided by Australian police A national day of mourning is planned, the date yet to be decided New Zealand's largest gun show in Kumeu has been cancelled Cabinet will meet on Monday to discuss gun control measures and why Tarrant wasn't on intelligence agencies' radar Four people have been arrested in the UK over "frankly disgusting" comments made about the attacks Read...

  Iran Inches Closer to its Goal: "Wipe Israel off the Map" by Majid Rafizadeh  •  Gatestone Institute As Iran's theocratic establishment believes that the Supreme Leader is Allah's representative on earth, whatever words or desires the Supreme Leader utters are considered Allah's wishes, which must be brought to life by Allah's true believers. Iran has built, or is in the process of building, more than 10 military bases in Syria, some of which are near the Israeli border. When will the international community begin to take the Iranian's government clear verbal threats and physical aggression seriously? Or would the international community secretly like to see Israel destroyed, under Europe's Orwellian inversion of the words: "the peace process"? Read more: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13893/iran-wipe-israel-off-map...

At least 49 killed, 20 seriously wounded in New Zealand mosque shootings Reuters WELLINGTON, March 15 (Reuters) - At least one gunman killed 49 people and wounded more than 20 during Friday prayers at two New Zealand mosques in the country's worst ever mass shooting which Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern condemned as terrorism.A gunman broadcast live footage on Facebook of the attack on one mosque in the city of Christchurch, mirroring the carnage played out in video games, after publishing a "manifesto" in which he denounced immigrants.New Zealand was placed on its highest security threat level, Adern said, adding that four people in police custody, three men and one woman, held extremist views but had not been on any police watchlists. The visiting Bangladesh cricket team was arriving for prayers at one of the mosques when the shooting started but all members were safe, a team coach told Reuters.Police Commissioner...

The Times of Israel Two rockets fired at Tel Aviv from Gaza for first time since 2014 war After sirens blare in central Israel, army says rockets exploded in open areas causing no injuries; Hamas denies involvement, says it will act against those responsible By Michael Bachner and Jacob Magid        Read more: https://www.timesofisrael.com/two-rockets-fired-at-tel-aviv-from-gaza-for-first-time-since-2014-war/...

Santa Fe New Mexican Federal grand jury indicts 5 on terrorism charges in Amalia caseBy John Miller | Taos News Five adults arrested in a raid of a compound in Taos County in August 2018 are now facing federal terrorism charges, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.A federal grand jury in Albuquerque on Wednesday returned an indictment for the new offenses, which also include kidnapping and firearms violations, against Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, 40; Jany Leveille, 36; Lucas Morton, 41; Hujrah Wahhaj, 38; and Subhannah Wahhaj, 36.The five were previously charged in an indictment Sept. 11 in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque for possession of firearms and ammunition by an alien illegally living in the United States.Investigators have said Leveille is an illegal immigrant from Haiti, and previously presented evidence to suggest she and the four other defendants were planning to train 11 children who were...

The Times of Israel The Times of Israel is liveblogging Thursday’s events as they unfold. Rocket alert sirens wail in Tel Aviv and surrounding central townsBy Jacob MagidIDF investigating after two rockets said launched from Gaza, one intercepted by Iron Dome; no injuries reported. The IDF has confirmed two projectiles were launched from Gaza toward the Tel Aviv area.The Home Front Command has not given any special instructions to Israelis and says they can continue to carry on as normal. Read more: https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-march-14-2019/...

France 24 Around 3,000 Islamic State members have surrendered from the group's last holdout in Syria, Kurdish-led forces said Tuesday, as air raids and shelling resumed after a brief lull.A ragged tent encampment in the eastern Syrian village of Baghouz is all that remains of a once-sprawling IS group's "caliphate" declared in 2014 across large swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq.The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have been trying to crush holdout IS fighters for weeks but the mass outpouring of men, women and children from the riverside hamlet has bogged down its advance.Backed by the US-led coalition, the SDF renewed its assault Sunday after warning remaining IS fighters their time was up. Read more: https://www.france24.com/en/20190313-syria-thousands-surrender-islamic-state-group-nears-defeat-baghouz...

American Military News The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Jeremy Redmon Authorities arrested a 20-year-old woman south of Augusta on Tuesday for allegedly supporting an Islamic State-linked group that has called for killing thousands of people in the New York City area, including U.S. troops.Three years ago, Kim Anh Vo — who also goes by “Zozo,” “Miss.Bones” and “Kitty Lee” — allegedly joined the United Cyber Caliphate, an online group that has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, the U.S. Justice Department announced in a news release. The organization, according to the federal agency, is “committed to carrying out online attacks and cyber intrusions against Americans.”Since Vo joined the group, Justice Department officials said, it and its subgroups have disseminated online “kill lists,” identifying U.S. soldiers and U.S. State Department workers. One such list from April 2016 identified about 3,600 people in the New York City area, declaring...

Clarion Project The man said to be Hezbollah’s top financier Nader Mohamad Farhat faces extradition to the United States from Paraguay. Billions of dirty dollars flow through the South American country, according to American officials, and some of that ends up in the hands of the Iranian-backed terror organization.“Farhat is a known money launderer for narcotics organizations and other illicit organizations,” New York federal prosecutor Charles Kelly declared in a court filing.He was arrested in May of last year for his alleged money-laundering activities for Hezbollah, the Lebanese daily al-Akhbar reports (Arabic link).Clarion’s Shillman Fellow and Arab Affairs analyst Ran Meir offers this take on the story:    “One must understand the influence of the activities of a man like Farhat in Paraguay. It contributes directly to increasing Hezbollah’s budget by means of drugs and money laundering in amounts that can reach millions, and by using the back door, it contributes...

Jerusalem Post IDF soldiers shoot Hebron terrorist - video A terrorist from Hebron, Yaser Fawzi Shwaiki, attempted a stabbing attack earlier this week. The terrorist was shot dead by soldiers as he attempted to flee into a Jewish family’s home. By JERUSALEM POST STAFF A terrorist from Hebron, Yaser Fawzi Shwaiki, attempted a stabbing attack earlier this week. The terrorist was shot dead by soldiers as he attempted to flee into a Jewish family’s home, according to an IDF spokesperson. The terrorist was attempting to attack soldiers positioned at an IDF post in Kiryat Arba. Read more: https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/IDF-soldiers-shoot-Hebron-terrorist-video-583256...