Homeland Security Network Blog

The Washington Post ISIS in Africa behind a surge in terrorist attacks, officials say by Souad Mekhennet MARRAKESH, Morocco — The Islamic State’s regional affiliates in Africa are carrying out lethal attacks at a tempo far surpassing that of the parent organization that once ruled large swaths of Iraq and Syria, Morocco’s chief diplomat said Wednesday at a meeting of the global alliance battling the militant group. Sub-Saharan Africa, home to several branches of the Islamic State, now accounts for nearly half of all deaths worldwide attributed to the terrorist group, Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita said. “We remain lucid on the state of the ISIS threat, which has not diminished,” said Bourita, whose country is hosting a conference of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. He said that sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 48 percent, or 3,461, of the deaths worldwide attributed to ISIS in 2021. “Today, 27 terrorist...

  Associated Press US Sanctions Alleged IS Child Trafficking Financiers By FATIMA HUSSEIN WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. announced Monday that it is sanctioning five people accused of fundraising for the Islamic State group and using the funds to help traffic children to serve as fighters for the organization. U.S. Treasury says the actors are pivotal to helping extremists travel to Syria and other regions where IS operates. Dwi Dahlia Susanti and her accomplices are accused of facilitating money transfers from Indonesia, Turkey, and Syria, where the Treasury Department says Sustani used the funds to help “smuggle teenage children out of the camps to the desert, where they were received by (IS) foreign fighters, likely as child recruits” for IS. The sanctions, imposed by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, block any property or other assets the individuals have in the U.S. and those who engage in business with...

  The Wall Street Journal Suspected Terrorist Attack in Israel Kills at Least Three on Independence Day Israeli police were searching for the two unidentified assailants who fled the scene of the attack, which occurred in Elad, a largely ultra-Orthodox town adjacent to the occupied West Bank By Adam Rasgon and David S. Cloud TEL AVIV—A suspected terrorist attack in central Israel killed at least three people and injured several others late on Thursday, shaking the country as it celebrated Independence Day. Two unidentified assailants were involved in the attack, including one who was armed with an ax, according to Deputy Superintendent Mirit Ben Mayor, an Israeli police spokeswoman. It occurred in Elad, a largely ultra-Orthodox town adjacent to the occupied West Bank, and came in the wake of increased tensions at one of Jerusalem’s most contested holy sites, where Israeli police and Palestinians clashed in the morning. Full story https://www.wsj.com/articles/suspected-terror-attack-in-israel-kills-at-least-three-on-independence-day-11651786798

ISIS attacks in Syria have declined 'while new fighters join terror cells' Counter Extremism Project says recruits from Hassakeh jail break could be bolstering terrorist group's ranks. By Nicky Harley A significant drop in ISIS attacks in Syria is due to new fighters being integrated into the group, a terrorism monitor has said. The Counter Extremism Project (CEP), which keeps a monthly record of attacks by ISIS, suggests fighters freed in the Hassakeh prison break in January are joining new cells and being trained. Thousands of ISIS prisoners were believed to have initially escaped the Ghwayran jail in Hassakeh, Syria, when attackers detonated a car bomb near the prison gates. It led to a week of clashes inside and around the jail, which is run by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Hundreds died before US-led Kurdish forces recaptured the site. Full story https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/uk-news/2022/05/04/isis-attacks-in-syria-have-declined-while-new-fighters-join-terror-cells/

CBS News North Korea test fires its biggest ICBM yet — and it could apparently reach the entire U.S. Seoul, South Korea — North Korea said Friday it test-fired its biggest-yet intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) under the orders of leader Kim Jong Un, who vowed to expand the North's "nuclear war deterrent" while preparing for a "long-standing confrontation" with the United States.The report by North Korean state media came a day after the militaries of South Korea and Japan said they detected the North launching an ICBM in its first long-range test since 2017.The launch extended a barrage of weapons demonstrations this year that analysts say are aimed at forcing the United States to accept the idea of North Korea as a nuclear power and remove crippling sanctions against its broken economy that has been further damaged by pandemic-related difficulties. Seoul, South Korea — North Korea said Friday it test-fired its...

  The Wall Street Journal Iran Nuclear Deal’s Final Hurdle Is Lifting Terrorism Sanctions on Revolutionary Guards U.S. allies including Israel want the Iranian security force to remain on the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations by Laurence NormanWhile Iran says it isn’t trying to build nuclear weapons, a look at its key facilities suggests it could develop the technology to make them. WSJ breaks down Tehran’s capabilities as it hits new milestones in uranium enrichment and limits access to inspectors. Photo illustration: George DownsThe effort to revive the 2015 nuclear deal agreement now hinges on perhaps the most politically sensitive issue in the negotiations: whether to remove the U.S. terrorism designation for Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, the country’s powerful security force, diplomats said.The issue is galvanizing opposition to the nuclear deal in Washington and among Middle East allies such as Israel, where the government issued stinging public criticism of any attempt...

Al Monitor Islamic State Takes Advantage Of Ukraine War To Increase Attacks by Sultan al-Kanj The Islamic State has recently intensified its activity against the Syrian government forces and its allies, setting up a number of ambushes in the Syrian desert and killing dozens.The Islamic State (IS) regularly targets military bases and vehicles in the Syrian desert, which extends between the governorates of Homs and Deir ez-Zor on the border with Iraq, the area to which IS fighters have retreated since they lost their last stronghold in Syria in 2019.On March 6, Syria’s official SANA news agency quoted a government military source as saying that “13 soldiers were killed and 18 others were wounded when a military bus was attacked by terrorists in the Palmyra desert in the Homs countryside.”More recently, on March 16, IS militants staged an ambush against military targets belonging to Iranian forces in the Syrian desert, killing...

Russia claims first use of hypersonic Kinzhal missile in UkraineBy Paul KirbyBBC NewsRussia's military has fired a hypersonic ballistic missile and destroyed a big underground arms depot in western Ukraine, the defence ministry in Moscow has said.If confirmed it would be Russia's first use in this war of the Kinzhal, or Dagger, ballistic missile launched from the air, most likely by a MiG-31 warplane.What are hypersonic missiles?President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly highlighted Russia's investment in hypersonic missiles, which can travel at more than five times the speed of sound, or Mach 5.The statistics are impressive: according to Russian officials the Kinzhal can hit a target up to 2,000km (1,240 miles) away and can fly faster than 6,000 km/h. But does that make them any more dangerous than other missiles or even artillery which can cause just as much death and destruction?"I don't view it as that significant," says James Acton, nuclear...

  Washington Examiner Head Of Africa Command Says ‘Deadly Terrorism Has Metastasized’ On Continent by Mike Brest, Defense Reporter The head of Africa Command warned members of Congress about the multitude of threats to the United States emanating from the continent in testimony on Tuesday.Gen. Stephen Townsend, the commander of AFRICOM, testified in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee, where he laid out the terrorism landscape and provided insight into Russia's and China’s investments in Africa. “Due to a lack of effective governance and counter-terrorism pressure,” the terror group al-Shabaab “has only grown stronger and bolder over the past year,” while “Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslmin, or JNIM, has metastasized into a powerful, sprawling terrorist network now threatening Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and littoral West Africa,” he said in his written testimony. Townsend also expressed concern about the Islamic State, which he said exploits “ungoverned spaces, including recognition and creation of...

Washington Post After nuclear talks break down, Iran claims ballistic missile attack in IraqBAGHDAD — Iran claimed responsibility Sunday for a barrage of ballistic missiles that hit northern Iraq just after midnight, striking several kilometers from a U.S. compound and drawing sharp condemnation from the Iraqi and U.S. capitals.The semiofficial Fars news agency said that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps had launched “powerful missiles” in response to what it described as “recent crimes of the fake Zionist regime,” an apparent reference to the killing of two of its members last week in Syria, which it has blamed on Israel.The attack marked a significant escalation in the proxy and political conflicts playing out on Iraqi soil as talks between Iran and the United States to resurrect a nuclear deal shattered by President Donald Trump now stall as a consequence of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Story continues below advertisementLanding at 1:30 a.m. local time, the...

IS confirms its leader was killed in Syria, names new chiefBEIRUT (AP) — The Islamic State group confirmed for the first time on Thursday that its leader was killed in a U.S. strike in northwestern Syria last month and named his successor. It was the first official comment from the militant group about its leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi since U.S. officials said he blew himself up along with members of his family as American forces raided his hideout in the northwestern Syrian town of Atmeh, near the border with Turkey, on Feb. 3. In an audio message released Thursday, IS spokesman Abu Omar al-Muhajer confirmed the death of the leader, as well as that of the group’s former spokesman, Abu Hamza al-Qurayshi, in the raid. Al-Muhajer also said that IS has named a successor to the former leader, identifying him as Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi and saying the late IS...

NBC News U.S. Sends Saudi Detainee Accused Of Link To 9/11 Home From Guantanamo Mohammad Mani Ahmad al-Qahtani, 46, who has been held at the U.S. base in Cuba since 2002, will receive treatment at a psychiatric facility. By Courtney Kube, Mosheh Gains and The Associated PressA Saudi detainee at Guantanamo Bay who allegedly tried to take part in the 9/11 hijacking plot has been sent back to Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon said on Monday.Mohammad Mani Ahmad al-Qahtani, 46, who has been held at the U.S. base in Cuba since 2002, will receive treatment at a psychiatric facility. His lawyers maintain that he has displayed symptoms of schizophrenia since a young age, and in 2002 an FBI official saw al-Qahtani speaking to non-existent people, hearing voices and crouching in a corner of his cell while covering himself with a sheet for hours.A U.S. review board determined in 2021 that his detention...

The EPOCH Times by Jack Philips Russia’s Defense Ministry on Sunday warned that any country that offers the use of its airfields to Ukraine’s military for attacks on Russian assets could be considered as having entered the conflict.“The use of the airfield networks of these countries to base Ukrainian military aircraft and their subsequent use against the Russian armed forces may be regarded as the involvement of these states in an armed conflict,” Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told the Interfax news agency on Sunday evening local time.Konashenkov said Russian officials are aware of “Ukrainian combat planes which earlier flew to Romania and other neighboring countries,” without elaborating.Since the conflict started on Feb. 24, the United States, its NATO allies, and other European nations have flooded Ukraine with missiles, anti-tank missiles, ammunition, weapons, and other supplies. There have also been reports claiming that European and NATO countries are working to...

The Washington Post Justice Department Accuses Ericsson Of Failing To Fully Disclose Alleged Fraud And Possible Payments To ISIS The telecom giant said it was told it had breached a billion-dollar legal settlement after media reports of wrongdoing in IraqBy Greg Miller and Louisa Loveluck The Justice Department has accused telecommunications giant Ericsson of violating a billion-dollar legal settlement by failing to fully disclose evidence of alleged corruption and possible payments to terrorists in Iraq, the company said Wednesday.The revelation raises substantial legal risks for the Swedish company, including the possibility of steep fines or a new criminal investigation three years after Ericsson paid more than $1 billion to avoid prosecution in other cases.The disclosure came three days after The Washington Post and other news organizations published details of an internal Ericsson probe that had uncovered evidence of extensive fraud by company officials, decisions to send workers into territory controlled by...

  The Jerusalem Post Israel Seizes Cryptocurrency Destined For Hamas Terrorism Funding The Al'matchadun currency exchange company was accused of assisting Hamas with the transfer of tens of millions of dollars per year by the Defense Ministry. By JERUSALEM POST STAFF A seizure order for Hamas-destined cryptocurrency worth tens of thousands of shekels was signed by Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Monday morningThis marks the third time within a year that Israel has seized cryptocurrency accounts funding terrorism.The 12 digital accounts and 30 digital wallets belonged to businesses associated with the Al'matchadun currency exchange company, the Defense Ministry said. The company, owned by the Shamlach family, is alleged to be affiliated with terrorism networks.The Shamlach family has been accused by the Defense Ministry of assisting Hamas with the transfer of tens of millions of dollars per year.Some of the cryptocurrencies announced today as confiscated by the ministry were owned by the...

The Jerusalem Post Ukraine-Russia negotiations begin in Belarus as war rages across Ukraine By GADI ZAIG , TZVI JOFFRE , REUTERS Talks between Russia and Ukraine began in Belarus on Monday morning, as fighting continued on the fifth day of Russia's invasion of its southwestern neighbor.Negotiations ended early in the evening, and the delegants returned to their respective countries for deliberations before another round of negotiations.In a phone conversation with France's President Emmanuel Macron, Putin set three conditions for the end of the war: Ukrainian recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea, solving problems of "demilitarization and denazification of the Ukrainian state" and ensuring Ukraine's "neutral status", according to Pravda. The Belarusian Foreign Ministry shared a photo of the room where negotiations were taking place, tweeting that they were just waiting for delegations to arrive. The Ukrainian delegation arrived on Monday morning. The head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, stated that...

Reuters Missiles rain down around Ukraine By Natalia Zinets and Aleksandar Vasovic KYIV/MARIUPOL, Ukraine, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces battled Russian invaders on three sides on Thursday after Moscow mounted an assault by land, sea and air in the biggest attack on a European state since World War Two.After Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war in a pre-dawn televised address, explosions and gunfire were heard throughout the morning in Kyiv, a city of 3 million people.By nightfall, a picture was emerging of fierce fighting across multiple fronts.An adviser to the Ukrainian presidential office said Russian forces had captured the Chernobyl former nuclear power plant, just 90 km (60 miles) north of the capital, and Hostomel airport in the Kyiv region, where paratroopers had earlier been landed.Heavy exchanges of fire were also taking place in the regions of Sumy and Kharkiv in the northeast and Kherson and Odessa, home to a...

Reuters U.S. Begins Counter-Terrorism Training In Africa Amid Upheaval JACQUEVILLE, Ivory Coast, Feb 20 (Reuters) - The United States' yearly counter-terrorism training program for African forces began on Sunday in Ivory Coast at a time of upheaval in which Islamist fighters control large areas, coups are on the rise and French forces are winding down.The training program, known as Flintlock, will bring together more than 400 soldiers from across West Africa to bolster the skills of forces, some of which are under regular attack by armed groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State.Those not present included forces from Guinea and two countries worst-hit by Islamist violence, Mali and Burkina Faso. Military juntas have snatched power in those three countries since 2020, raising concerns about a return to West Africa's post-colonial reputation as a "coup belt".Central to this year's training is coordination between different forces fighting the same enemy."A main focus...