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Iraq: British Reaper drone hits Islamic State positions

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A British Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft System has attacked an Islamic State position and provided surveillance support to a coalition air strike in northern Iraq.

The Ministry of Defence say that as part of the UK’s contribution to the Global Coalition in the fight against Daesh, the Royal Air Force continues to fly daily missions against the terrorist movement in Syria and Iraq.

It is understood that an RAF Reaper maintained surveillance on a set of caves in Northern Iraq on Wednesday the 26th of August, which confirmed the presence of a number of extremists at the site.

“When terrorists were observed at the mouth of one of the caves, the Reaper’s crew engaged successfully with a Hellfire missile, then provided surveillance support to a follow-up attack by two coalition fast jets which struck the rest of the Daesh position.”

The Ministry of Defence say that since liberating the last territory held by Daesh, in March 2019, the RAF has flown daily armed reconnaissance patrols to “prevent the violent extremists from re-establishing footholds in Iraq or Syria”.

This section is intended to provide a bit of background on British efforts in the region and if you’ve read it before, please remember others may not have.

In September last year, the Ministry of Defence had announced that over 1,000 personnel were engaged in theatre and that the Royal Air Force had conducted around 1,000 airstrikes, flying over 2,800 sorties, killing over 3,000 Islamic State fighters.

Last year, it was reported that the Royal Air Force was operating at its most intense for 25 years in a single theatre of operation which far outstripped the UK involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan – RAF jets have dropped 11 times more bombs (1,276 strikes) on Syria and Iraq in the preceding 12 months than they had in the busiest year of action in Afghanistan a decade previously.

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Nigeria: ISWAP fighters kill 9 troops in Borno State

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At least nine Nigerian troops were killed in an offensive by jihadists in northeast Borno state, two security sources said according to thedefensepost.com.

Fighters from the so-called Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in 10 trucks fitted with machine guns overran a military position in the town of Magumeri late on Tuesday, killing nine troops, they said.

“The terrorists took over the (military) post around 4:00 pm (1500 GMT) and dispersed the troops, killing nine,” the first source told AFP.

The militants burnt three vehicles at the base, including an armored tank and an excavator used in digging fortifications to stave off jihadist incursions, said the second source who gave the same toll.

A military reinforcement from the regional capital Maiduguri engaged the retreating attackers in a fight and killed 20 insurgents, the sources said.

In a statement late Wednesday, ISWAP claimed responsibility for the Magumeri attack where it said 10 soldiers were killed, with weapons and vehicles seized.

The militants also claimed to have killed a similar number in another offensive against Nigerian troops near the fishing town of Baga on the Lake Chad area, according to the statement.

ISWAP have repeatedly attacked Magumeri in recent days, burning a clinic and local administration building as well as robbing residents of phones, money, and personal effects.

Troops have been deployed to protect the town after residents began to flee to escape the insurgents.

The decade-old conflict which started in 2009 has killed 36,000 people and displaced around two million from their homes.

The violence has spread to neighboring Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, prompting the formation of a regional military coalition to fight the jihadists.

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Shahab al-Muhajir is the new leader of Islamic State-Khorasan province

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Following leadership losses, defections, and operational setbacks, the Islamic State’s Afghanistan-based affiliate, the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP), appears to be struggling in Afghanistan. But the remnants of ISKP are trying to reconstitute the group. Recently, ISKP appointed Shahab al-Muhajir as its new regional chief. According to multiple sources, the newly appointed head of ISKP is an Arab from the Middle East who was previously with al-Qaeda in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. Muhajir’s promotion marks the first time that an individual from outside South Asia has been appointed as the top leader of the Islamic State’s franchise in the region, which could have significant implications for the group, like reported by lawfareblog.com.

Muhajir’s appointment has been shrouded in mystery, and ISKP has done little to demystify it. In May, the U.N. Security Council’s Sanction Monitoring Team reported that Syrian national Abu Muhammad Saeed Khurasani was most likely to become the new leader of ISKP. Then, in June, Afghan journalist Bilal Sarwary reported that Muhajir had been named the new leader of ISKP. Khurasani and Muhajir might well be the same person; as Asfandyar Ali Mir, an expert on jihadism in South Asia at Stanford University, has noted, it is common for foreign jihadists to have multiple pseudonyms for security reasons. The Islamic State’s department of far-away provinces and ISKP’s media outlet, al-Milat Media, confirmed that Muhajir was the new chief of ISKP in July but didn’t provide a photograph or any other biographical details. Al-Milat released a recorded audio message written by Muhajir and read in Pashto by ISKP’s spokesman, Sultan Aziz Azzam, addressing ISKP members in Afghanistan.

Muhajir’s message added to the mystery about his identity but also might contain some clues. One possible explanation for having Azzam read his message is that Muhajir might not be fluent in the local languages of Afghanistan, such as Pashto and Dari, and requires a translator to communicate to the group’s base. If so, that lends credence to the claims in the U.N. Security Council report and from Bilal Sarwary that the new head of ISKP is an Arab, possibly from Syria or Iraq. The other possibility is that ISKP is hiding all details about its new leader in a bid to protect him, as he is likely to be targeted not only by the U.S. and Afghan governments but also by the Afghan Taliban.

The most significant question among analysts about Muhajir’s appointment has been about how his non-Afghan background will affect the organization and his ability to lead. Analysts with whom I have discussed the leadership transition believe the decision to appoint a non-Afghan as the chief of ISKP will further undermine the group. Amira Jadoon, a professor at West Point, argues that the appointment will not be accepted by the Afghan rank-and-file of the organization. Similarly, Borhan Osman, a senior consultant for International Crisis Group, believes that an Arab with little or no familiarity with the territory, culture and language of Afghanistan will struggle to lead the group.

Jadoon’s and Osman’s arguments align with the historical record of leadership dynamics of jihadist groups in Afghanistan, going as far back as the anti-Soviet jihad. Since then, non-Afghans have generally not been made leaders of armed groups comprising Afghans. The most prominent example is the Palestinian jihadist leader Shaikh Abdullah Azzam. Despite enjoying immense status among major Afghan jihadist groups, he struggled to establish himself as the leader of Afghan jihadists during the 1980s.

At the same time, given the peculiar internal politics of ISKP, there are at least three reasons why a non-Afghan with ties to the Middle East is better positioned to revive ISKP than someone with stronger local credentials. First, a non-Afghan is better positioned to deal with the internecine feuding among local factions, which has wrecked ISKP. Since its formation, ISKP has suffered from internal clashes regarding the ethnicities and nationalities of its leaders. These differences surfaced initially in the dispute between ISKP’s first chief, Hafiz Saeed Khan, and prominent Salafi leader Sheikh Abdul Rahim Muslim Dost. Dost refused to accept Saeed Khan’s leadership, apparently on the basis of policy issues, but his statements condemning Saeed Khan’s leadership demonstrated a clear dislike for his Pakistani background.

In comparison, Muhajir’s Arab ethnicity grants him unique advantages in the Afghan context. It carries a special premium in the jihadist communities of Afghanistan and Pakistan for historical reasons rooted in the anti-Soviet jihad. In addition to the prestige, it will also separate Muhajir from the ethnic and national conflicts that have affected Afghan and Pakistani officials in the organization. As a result, an Arab as the head of ISKP could enjoy unique authority in managing the group.

Second, Muhajir can leverage his networks in Iraq and Syria to energize ISKP. He can attract foreign fighters to Khorasan in a way that an Afghan or Pakistani leader could not. There are some reports that this process is already under way. According to the July 2020 U.N. Security Council Sanctions Committee report, two senior members of the Islamic State from the Middle East have arrived in Afghanistan recently.

Third, Muhajir can leverage his ties with al-Qaeda cadres to recruit from al-Qaeda’s organization in Afghanistan. This is likely to be on the minds of ISKP’s leadership, especially now, when some al-Qaeda leaders and personnel are concerned about the Taliban’s peace deal with the United States, which calls on the Taliban to repudiate the group. In the past, ISKP has had some success in poaching fighters away from al-Qaeda. From 2014 to 2017, many members of al-Qaeda, even some senior leaders, defected to ISKP. The peace deal may also prompt hard-line cadres in the Afghan Taliban to defect to other organizations, and a group headed by an Arab and former veteran of al-Qaeda is likely to be an attractive choice over rivals whose leaders’ ethnic and national status is a source of internal conflict.

ISKP continues to engage in violence in Afghanistan. Despite losses of territory, it has conducted major attacks in Kabul and Nangarhar. In August, ISKP conducted its largest attack yet, a coordinated assault targeting the central prison in Nangarhar province. ISKP spokesman Sultan Aziz Azzam claimed the attack was directed by Muhajir. The ISKP’s statements about the attack seem designed to burnish Muhajir’s credentials as an effective leader and to signal to other jihadist groups that he means business. Despite the group’s constraints, it is premature to write off ISKP. The group and its new leader pose an enduring threat to peace and stability of Afghanistan.

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Islamic State attacks Iraqi border guards in Anbar, leaves 5 casualties

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An Islamic State attack against Iraqi security forces in western Anbar province left at least five casualties, sources said on Thursday.

A security source confirmed to several local media outlets that in a sudden attack, late at night, the Islamic State targeted the border guards’ headquarters in the Makr al-Naam region, near the Iraq-Saudi Arabia borderline, killing two policemen and wounding another three soldiers.

In the past few weeks, the Islamic State has escalated its insurgent attacks, especially outside cities, using guerrilla warfare methods following its defeat in 2017. Senior Iraqi officials say the Islamic State continues to be a threat in many areas that were under its control during its takeover of large territories in the country six years ago.

Iraqi Security Forces recently launched a new military sweep and capture operation in the “Wadi Houran” area in the border town of Al-Qaim, as part of military campaigns included in the vast areas to take down Islamic State members. The Iraqi army has stated several times that the sprawling and rugged area is a stronghold of the terrorist group’s remnants.

Elsewhere, eyewitnesses and a security source confirmed to Kurdistan 24 that a Katyusha rocket targeted a security company headquarters in Al-Qadisiyah neighborhood, next to Al-Karkh in Baghdad.

At the same time, the Iraqi army, in a statement, said an explosive device (bomb) detonated on the international highway in Babil province, after a convoy of a civilian transport company contracted with the International Coalition passed, causing damage to a civilian vehicle.

“The civilian convoy was carrying supplies for the US-led coalition forces in southern Iraq, and as a result of the blast, a civilian was wounded,” security sources confirmed.

This is the most recent targeting of civilian convoys in contract with the international coalition in Iraq, as a series of similar attacks in Dhi Qar, Diwaniyah, and other southern cities occurred in the past weeks.

The attacks that targeted the convoys in the past did not result in loss of life but did cause material damage, in a series of similar incidents in recent weeks.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

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German Intelligence: Iran seeking technology potential used for nuclear weapons

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Multiple sources reported earlier this week that a German state intelligence agency has confirmed that the Iranian government was seeking to acquire weapons of mass destruction (WMD) technology and ballistic missile systems. Saarland’s Department for the Protection of the Constitution said the Islamic Republic was one of three foreign countries that sought to advance its WMD program on German soil, like reported by nationalinterest.org.

“Iran, Pakistan and to a lesser extent Syria, made efforts to procure goods and know-how for the further development of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems,” wrote the intelligence officials for the Saarland reported The Jerusalem Post.

“Delivery system” would refer to the capability to launch missiles. Israel, the United States and many Persian Gulf nations all believe Iran has continued to seek to develop nuclear weapons and could obtain such technology by the end of this year.

Germany, along with France and Great Britain, has supported the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known commonly as the Iran nuclear deal or Iran deal.

Multiple German intelligence reports have also confirmed that Tehran sought to purchase components used in the development of nuclear and missile weapons in 2019.

Saarland’s Department for the Protection of the Constitution is just one of the domestic intelligence services. Each of the sixteen German federal states has its own intelligence agencies, and each issues an annual report that documents threats to the state’s democratic system.

A report from the Baden-Wurttemberg state intelligence agency also reported that “countries like Iran, Pakistan and North Korea are making efforts to optimize corresponding technology,” Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Sunday.

An additional report from Baden-Wurttemberg on the proliferation of atomic, biological and chemical weapons also revealed how those countries listed above have continued illegal procurement efforts in Germany to perfect the range, deployability and even the impact of the respective weapons.

Saarland’s intelligence service also noted the apparent illicit nuclear weapons of Pakistan in Germany and abroad and reported, “Pakistan also operates an extensive nuclear and carrier technology program and continues to endeavor to expand and modernize, in order to retain a serious deterrent potential against the ‘Arch enemy’ India.”

Many experts believe Pakistan’s nuclear stockpile has been steadily growing, and the German report only confirms such concerns.

Russian Style Tactics

The Saarland agency also reported that Iran—along with China—is replicating Russia’s tactics to target dissidents and opponents within Germany.

“The intelligence staff there (Iran), supposedly working as diplomats or journalists, conduct open or covert information gathering themselves or provide support in intelligence operations that are carried out directly by the headquarters of the intelligence services in their home countries. In addition, intelligence services also carry out operations without their legal residences being involved. The focus of their respective procurement activities is based on current political requirements or economic priorities.”

The Jerusalem Post also reported that Tehran has used German territory for surveillance and assassination operations targeting Iranian dissidents, pro-Israel advocates and Israeli and Jewish institutions. The Islamic Republic’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security has been known for its secrecy and efficiency, and now it appears that it has taken root—deep roots at that—within Germany.

 

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Erdogan to Turkish military leadership: sink a Greek ship or shoot down a fighter jet

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Shocking is the exposé of the German newspaper Die Welt, which presents the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asking his generals to provoke a political incident by sinking a Greek ship or shooting down a Greek fighter jet.

The German newspaper article cites Turkish military sources in Constantinople and the reaction of Turkish generals to Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s order generates interest.

The post states:

“A few days ago, President Erdogan ordered his generals to sink a Greek ship but try not to cause loss of human lives. The generals refused to do so and the next idea was to shoot down a Greek fighter jet. There, again, the idea was for the pilot to get off the plane and save his life.”

In other words, the goal was to cause a hot episode but without human losses. According to Welt, these plans were rejected by the Turkish generals, otherwise we would already have had a heated incident in the southeastern Mediterranean.

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Six million Nigerians flee Islamist Boko Haram terror attacks in 10 years, says report

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In the last 10 years, an estimated six million Nigerians have fled their homes for fear of extermination, abduction, and other forms of treatments by the Boko Haram group in Nigeria, a recent report has revealed, according to guardian.ng.

The report, titled, ‘Managing Internal Displacement Crisis in Nigeria: Toward Global Best Practices in Guaranteeing the Rights of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) through the Media’, was published by Journalists for Christ with support from the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) and the Waldensian Church’s Otto Per Mille.

The research, which is a follow –up of an earlier project titled, ‘Monitoring Media Reportage and Portrayal of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs): Cases studies of Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya’, stated that in the Northeast alone, the decade-long attacks by the group have displaced over 1.8 million people.

According to the study, the Internally Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) estimates the total number of IDPs in the country between January and December 2018 to be above two million with Borno State alone accounting for 1.4 million of that figure.

The report said about 2, 000 new IDPs in the first half of 2019 were displaced by a natural disasters, namely flooding, while violent conflicts were responsible for more than 140, 000 cases within the same period.

IDPs in over 80 camps and camp-like locations are reported to be made up of an estimated 53 to 54 per cent women, 46 to 47 per cent men while 56 per cent are said to be children compared to adults that make up 44 per cent.

The report said only a sizeable number of IDPs conservatively estimated to be over 2.5 million are living within the camps.

A large population of IDPs, according to the report, may continue to pose daunting challenges for the country due to unresolved conflicts over resources, most especially, land making reference to the frequency of clashes over cattle grazing as well as other land-related volatile disputes across communities.

The study also identified the proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALWs) as critical factors associated with high propensity of deepening violent conflicts with potential for displacement of the population.

The group said the proliferation of SALWs in the country has led to a growing number of private armies with a heighten tempo of armed violence orchestrated by inter-ethnic militancy as well as worsening criminalities by armed gangs.

“There are strong indications that violent communal conflicts and forced displacements will continue unless the proliferation of SALWs is curtailed. There is a growing concern that the population of IDPs in the country may continue to pose management challenges if deadly conflicts heighten, considering the mixed bags of militia groups with access to SALWs to prosecute grievance against targeted enemies and as a form of rebellion against the Nigerian State,” the report said.

The group said though the camps remain the only source of immediate succour for victims of communal related violence, virtually all of them are inadequate with basic facilities to make life meaningful for the victims.

Beyond serving as makeshift shelters, survival in these camps has become a nightmare for most IDPs due to acute shortfall in provisions of basic amenities and household essentials worsened by poor management of available resources, corruption, and human rights abuse, it was revealed in the report, which also examined other issues on the crisis of internal displacement in Nigeria, underling factors triggering forced displaced, the dilemma of prolonging conflicts and insecurity.

It focused on lack of robust institutions and structures for emergency response and the failure of the existing management system to protect the rights of displaced citizens and ensure the dignity of IDPs, as well as, explored global best practices in relation to international instruments of the United Nations (UN) and regional treaties.

The report showed global best practices in the management of IDPs as an expression of the rights and privileges recognised and guaranteed by international and regional statutes to which Nigeria is a signatory.

The study revealed that the UN Guiding Principles on IDPs, the Kampala Convention on the rights of IDPs and the International Humanitarian Law are some of the statutes that underline best practices that the country should strengthen to guarantee the rights and dignity of IDPs as citizens.

It also stressed the need to strengthen legislative and institutional frameworks with a commitment to enforcing global best practices in line with international standards to ensure greater sense of responsibility and accountability amongst actors concerned with the management of IDPs in the country.

It also underlined the need for the legislative and institutional framework to consider prioritising the compelling need for rehabilitation and resettlement of IDPs and to guarantee livelihoods as well as freedom of any form of inhibition to the expression of the rights of IDPs to be part of the decisions leading to voluntary and safe return to their homes.

The study proffered action plans for the media, civil society groups, ministries, and international partners. Among other things, it urged the media to prioritise support for journalists to encourage investigation and reporting of IDPs, highlights reports on the state of hygiene, sanitation, and the conditions of inmates; underlines legislative and institutional gaps requiring the attention of institutions of democracy and political functionaries.

The report charged the civil society groups to demand improved transparency of public accountability of funds allocated or donated for the management of IDPs, while urging the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development (FMHDSD) to undertake the task of ensuring credible national database for IDPs in the country and collaborate with stakeholders to develop the template for a credible national database.

The study advised international partners to work closely with the country non-state actors to improve the management of IDPs, put pressure, and task the Nigerian government to account on abuses of IDPs by security agencies, and prioritise funding of empowerment programmes and provision of support items such as start-up kits to sustain livelihoods.

While handing copies of the report over to Acting Editor of The Guardian, Mr. Alabi Williams, a member of Journalists for Christ, Gbenga Oshinaike, said the group in an international outreach operating for 22 years that comprises Christian journalists. He said the report is about managing internal displacement in the country and create awareness on how the crisis camps could be managed.

Another member, Harrison Edobor, urged the media to amplify their reports on the plights of IDPs.

He also urged the Federal Government to come up with frameworks to help make laws that would safeguard the rights of IDPs so that they could be reintegrated into the society. He hoped the report would put the government on her toes to take responsibility to cater to displaced citizens within the country.

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US report accuses Turkey of sending Islamic terrorists, looters to Libya

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Turkey has recruited Syrian mercenaries and sent 5,000 of them to fight in Libya under dubious circumstances that may violate an embargo on the country that was designed to reduce the civil war. Undisciplined mercenaries may harm the security situation and they are accused of theft, sexual assault, and links to terrorist extremism. The recent findings in a US Lead Inspector General report covering Africa illustrate how Ankara has added fuel to the fire in Libya and sent poverty-stricken Syrians, many of them having already lost their homes in a civil war in Syria, to fight and die for Ankara’s energy interests in north Africa, like reported by jp.com..

According to the arms embargo on Libya it is prohibited to export, sell, supply or transfer military goods and technology to Libya. The UN has complained about “blatant” violations of the embargo. Turkey is a member of NATO and it is not usual for NATO members to recruit mercenaries from refugee populations to fight in foreign wars. However, Ankara’s increasingly militaristic regime of Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been hosting Hamas and pushing an agenda that has seen Turkey threaten Greece, France, Israel, Iraq, Syria, the United States and other countries. In November, after having invaded northern Syria and forced the US to withdraw from areas in eastern Syria, Turkey signed a deal with the Tripoli-based Government of the National Accord in Libya to demarcate water and energy rights in the Mediterranean.

Over the last six months reports about the thousands of Syrians shipped to Libya have appeared in major media. The Syrians were sent to help bolster the GNA’s fight against the Egyptian backed general Khalifa Haftar who is based in Benghazi. Egypt, Greece, the UAE, Russia, and France appear to back Haftar. Libya is now part of a proxy war. In recent months Egypt and Greece signed a deal over water rights, the UAE sent F-16s to Crete, Turkish F-16s harassed Greek F-16s, Turkey sent a naval flotilla to harass Greece, the French and Greeks and Egypt held naval drills, Israel backed Greece against Turkey, Turkey threatened to “liberate Al Aqsa” from Israel, the US ended an arms embargo on Cyprus, France signed a defense agreement with Cyprus, and Israel, Greece and Cyprus signed a pipeline deal for the eastern Mediterranean. In short: Turkey’s involvement in Libya and its shipment off mercenaries helped set in motion a series of escalations over the last six months.

US African Command and the report is supposed to be presented to Congress quarterly. This one deals with East Africa counterterrorism operations and also North and West Africa counterterrorism. Groups like Al-Shabab, Boko Haram, al Qaeda and others are preying on Africa and caused widespread terror across the Sahel. The US has used secret, and non-so-secret, drone and military bases from Djibouti to Niger to kill terrorists. However ISIS recently took over a port in Mozambique and France’s operations in the Sahel are hampered by a coup in Mali. Hard times lie ahead to fight terror in Africa. Turkey’s export of Syrian rebels, some of them religious extremists and others linked to war crimes against Kurds and minorities, does not bode well.

The US report confirms what is largely know, which is that Turkish military aircraft are likely flying in the “Syrian mercenaries.” In addition US AFRICOM assess that “several dozen military trainers from a private military company, Sadat, were deployed to Tripoli to train both the GNA-affiliated militias and Syrian fighters.” The US says that the fighters number around 5,000 and that they are paid. Other reports have suggested that small payments are often late.

“In addition to Turkish-Supported Syrian Opposition mercenaries, Turkey has also deployed several hundred regular military forces to Libya. These individuals included trainers, advisors, ordnance disposal personnel—a large number of IEDs have been found in southern Tripoli—and operators and maintainers of Turkish air defense systems,” the US says. Turkey’s air defense helped turn the tide against Haftar in April. But then Egypt’s government drew a red line near Sirte and warned Turkey against more advanced. In July a mysterious airstrike by unknown planes hit Turkish positions near the key military base at Watiya which Ankara had helped the GNA re-take. Since then Ankara has gotten the message the Libya may not be an easy walk in the park the way its invasion and alleged ethnic-cleansing of the Kurdish region of Afrin in Syria was when Turkey invaded in January 2018.

The new US report covers the period April to June but was released only in late August. The US says that the presence of the Syrian mercenaries “will continue to negatively affect the overall security situation in Libya. USAFRICOM described the Syrian mercenaries fighting in Libya as ‘inexperienced, uneducated, and motivated by promises of considerable salary.’” This sounds like the same rabble that Ankara has deployed in Al-Bab, Afrin, Idlib and Tel Abyad where pro-Ankara groups are accused of kidnapping women, rape, holding women in secret prisons, smuggling ISIS members, and destroying the graves of minority Yazidis, as well as targeted killings of activists such as Hevrin Khalaf and others. “USAFRICOM added that there were increasing reports of theft, sexual assault, and misconduct by those mercenaries, which is likely to further degrade the security situation and generate backlash from the Libyan public. USAFRICOM said that extremists with previous terrorist links were involved in the Tripoli fighting, although it is possible they were fighting for financial and personal reasons rather than ideological reasons.”

The report reads eerily similar to reports about the depravity and abuses done by similar Ankara-backed extremists during attacks on Afrin in 2018 and Tel Abyad in 2019 when there was widespread looting of property. In June videos emerged of women who had been able to flee a secret prison run by Turkish-backed gangs and extremists. Many Kurdish and minority families have said that Syrian rebel extremists backed by Ankara have kidnapped women, stolen property and committed widespread abuses. Reports to the UN and human rights groups have had the same allegations. It now appears that Ankara has exported these abuses to Libya under the guise of helping the GNA, but primarily so Ankara can use the mercenary support as leverage for energy deals and conflict with Greece and Egypt

 

 

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Ottoman-Turkey’s war threats: France is deploying aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to the eastern Mediterranean Sea

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France is deploying the flagship of its Navy, the nuclear-powered surface vessel, aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The deployment comes in the wake of Turkey’s war threats.

Citing sources of the French General Staff, French media report that the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is expected to arrive in the area soon.

The aircraft carrier is coming to the area with a full military load.

The Charles de Gaulle will be accompanied by an unknown number of ships and submarines of the French Navy.

According to the French sources, the Charles de Gaulle has departed from the port of Toulon with the aircraft carrier described as being “battle ready”.

The Charles de Gaulle is in “unspecified mission” report French media like lemarin.ouest-france.fr, so Greek state broadcaster ERT.

The aircraft carrier’s combat load reportedly includes a number of Rafale fighter jets, maximum-range missiles, anti-submarine arsenal, as well as advanced electronic tracking, targeting and electronic interception systems.

French Defense Minister Florance Parly confirmed that the deployment is due early September.

The deployment of the French navy in the Eastern Mediterranean follows recent statements by French President Emmanuel Macron that “Turkey understands only actions.”

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan directly threatened Greece and France on Monday, saying that hey will pay a heavy price.”

“Those who think they drew a red line in the Eastern Mediterranean are challenging our country’s resolute stance,” Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

On Friday, Macron said he had adopted a “red-line policy” in the region backing Greece against Turkey over the exploration of energy resources, wrote Turkish media.

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Macedonia: 3 returning Islamic State fighters arrested, explosive belts and weapons found

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In a police raid carried out by the Ministry of Interior (MOI) of North Macedonia, in cooperation with the National Security Agency (NSA), and by order of the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office for Prosecuting Organised Crime and Corruption (BPPO-POCC), three terrorists who organized themselves upon ISIS’ model and have conspired terrorist actions, were arrested yesterday, like reported by meta.mk.

During the arrests, explosive belts were also found. The arrested had fought for ISIS in the Middle East and had been jailed in North Macedonia on charges of terrorism, informed MOI and BPPO-POCC.

MOI has filed criminal charges to BPPO-POCC against B.A. (aged 28) from Kumanovo but with a residence in Skopje, for “terrorist organization” and “terrorism” including charges against B.A (aged 22) and E.Lj (aged 25), both from Kumanovo, for the same felonies.

B.A., V.A., and E.Lj. are returnees, who were charged for “Participation in a foreign army, police, paramilitary or parapolice formations” and were legally convicted and imprisoned.

They have acquired large quantities of weapons, ammunition, and military equipment, which was hidden close to the local road between the villages Biljanovce and Pchinja near Menkova Koliba.

During yesterday’s police action, which was conducted after receiving confidential information, the police found: 5 automatic rifles, 1 machine gun, 18 rounds for an automatic rifle with 30 bullets each, rifle cartridge with 15 bullets, three wooden rifle buttstocks, tactical wooden rifle buttstocks, three grenades for a rocket launcher RD 40mm, five grenade fuses for a rocket launcher, two balaclavas, two hats with black and grey colors, two pairs of gloves, two tactical vests, four camo tactical vests, a flag with written Arabic letters (ISIS), and a scarf with Arabic writing.

The police also conducted four raids in the homes of the arrested, in Kumanovo and Skopje, and found two explosive belts, metal balls attached to cardboard, two fuses for hand grenades improvised for ignition of the belts, two handheld radios, two laptops, nine mobile phones, tactical uniforms, two tactical knives, an Audi A3, etc.

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