Several German politicians, lawyers, and human rights activists are filing a case against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on war crimes allegations.

The suit also targets ex-prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Interior Minister Efkan Ala, and a number of senior members of the army and the police.

The lawsuit focuses on events in the city of Cizre, in Sirnak region, Turkey, where a number of Kurdish residents were burned alive by the Turkish military in February 2016. NGO sources speak of 178 casualties. Eyewitness reports speak of troops pouring gasoline into a cellar filled with civilians and set it alight. German law obligates prosecutors to investigate such allegations to if there are grounds to charge.

The U.N. said in May it wants a probe on Cizre’s alleged massacre of more than a 100 civilians to proceed. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein, described reports of alleged Turkish military crime “extremely alarming.”

Appealing to the Code on International Criminal Law and German law,” Lawyers Britta Eder and Petra Dervishaj told the German public broadcaster ARD that their clients are assuming the “moral duty” to bring the200-page suit in Germany for crimes committed in Turkey.

The MPs undersigning the suit are Die Linke’s Ulla Jelpke and Andrej Hunko. The suit is also signed by a number of academics, refugee and aid organizations. Two survivors of the Cizre events and two Turkish MPs of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) are also included in the suit.

Relations between Germany and Turkey have been steadily deteriorating since President Erdogan filed a case against the German comedian Jan Böhmermann and the recognition of the Armenian genocide (1915-1916) by the German Parliament. Since the vote in the German Parliament, Ankara recalled its ambassador to Germany.

neweurope.eu

UK military support to counter-IED training in Tunisia has been extended for an additional year, the Defence Secretary has announced

www.gov.uk

Croatia’s Security and Intelligence Agency describes the country as stable although it warns that terrorist attacks in Europe have made the situation more complex in the region

A new report by Croatia’s Security and Intelligence Agency, SOA, says the security situation in the country is stable, although it adds that recent terrorist attacks in Europe show “a more complex situation in Croatia’s surroundings”.

The report, published on Sunday, says terrorist attacks in Europe, especially in France, Belgium and Bosnia, have increased the risk of terrorism in Croatia.

“Although the level of the terrorist threat from Islamist departures [Islamist fighters leaving for the Middle East] is very low for the Republic of Croatia, the level of the terrorist threat has increased for the whole of Europe as well as for Croatia,” it warns.

The report says local followers of radical interpretations of Islam number only a few dozens persons, most of whom do not advocate terrorism.

Although these groups pose no significant threat, the report warns of radical Islamic enclaves in neighbouring countries, noting that around 900 people, mostly from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia’s Sandzak region, went to Syria and Iraq to fight, mostly for ISIS and Al-Qaeda.

According to the SOA, around 300 of these self-styled jihadists have since returned to Croatia’s neighbouring countries.

The SOA report devotes more space to extremist groups within certain sports fan groups, which it says endanger Croatia’s security and reputation with their “violence and extremist rhetoric”.

The report mentions both left and right-wing extremist groups, but says they are small and poorly organised.

Nevertheless, it says potential for strengthening extremism lies in “consequences of war trauma and unresolved international relations,” noting Croatia’s rocky relations with Serbia and with the Serbs in Croatia.

Expression of support for Greater Serbia are strengthening in the region, gathering some supporters from Serbs in Croatia, according to the SOA.

“What is worrying is that expressions of Greater-Serbian and Chetnik [Serbian nationalist] extremism on the territory of Croatia are increasingly noticeable even among the younger population. In addition, supporters of the Chetnik movement express extremely anti-NATO attitudes,” report said.

Regarding the refugee crisis that hit Croatia and the Balkans last September, the SOA noticed that it passed off without significant security incidents, although some terrorist groups used the mass migration to transfer their members to Western Europe.

Regarding intelligence agents of other countries operating in Croatia, the report claims that they often “act as diplomats in embassies”, and are trying to shape public opinion by “abusing Croatia’s media space for their interests” and “representing Croatia’s foreign policy and Croatia’s allies in a bad light”.

balkaninsight.com

Belgian police have arrested two people, suspected of preparing terrorist attacks in the locations that are broadcasting European Football Championship, local media said Saturday.

According to the RTBF broadcaster, the operation was conducted in the Ensival district of the Belgian city of Verviers and in the city of Mons.

The arrested, one of which is 20-years-old, are suspected of preparing attacks in public places broadcasting European Championship, according to Mayor of Verviers Muriel Targnion

France is hosting the Euro 2016 football championship, which started on June 10 and is due to end on July 10.

abna24.com

The IS has expressed its delight over the economic impact on the UK and EU following the British referendum and called for attacks in Berlin and Brussels to “paralyse” Europe, according to a media report.

A jihadi Telegram — an encrypted messaging service popular with militants — praised the economic chaos that came in the wake of the EU Referendum and urged followers to strike at the heart of mainland Europe, the Mirror reported citing SITE intelligence group.

The UK voted to leave the European Union after 43 years in the historic referendum. Leave won by 52 per cent to 48 per cent votes.

The vote — which saw an extremely high turnout of around 72 per cent — reverses the public verdict back in 1975, when the UK voted to remain a member of then European Economic Community, which later became the EU.

UK military chiefs have warned there is a “serious and direct threat to holiday resorts across Europe” from groups like IS. “There is considered to be a heightened threat of terrorist attack globally against UK interests and British nationals from groups or individuals motivated by the conflict in Iraq and Syria,” the UK’s Foreign Office (FCO) was quoted as saying.

Anti-terror police are believed to have foiled a major terror attack planned to take place during Ireland’s Euro 2016 match with Belgium this week.

thehindu.com/

Modern counterterrorism strategies are always a balance of deterrence and disruption, with the preference being for holistic approaches that minimize legal detentions and prioritize social intervention. Democratic societies are understandably concerned with relying on tactics that risk generating more sympathy (http://soufangroup.com/tsg-intelbrief-preventing-the-next-orlando/)  for extremism. European democracies that have erred on the side of liberalism are now struggling to combat violent extremism (http://soufangroup.com/tsg-intelbrief-europes-heightened-terror-concerns/)  under the framework of traditional crime.

Western Europe—and France and Belgium in particular—currently faces serious challenges pertaining to violent extremism.  Not since the 1970s has the continent faced such a widespread problem (http://soufangroup.com/tsg-intelbrief-unraveling-europes-terror-networks/) . On June 19, Belgium authorities announced the arrest of three men under various terrorism charges, some of them imminent. The arrests arose from a counterterrorism sweep that involved 40 people—most of whom were well known to security officials.

Recent threats such as the attacks in Brussels (http://soufangroup.com/tsg-intelbrief-brussels-and-the-difficulties-in-connecting-the-dots/)  and Paris (http://soufangroup.com/tsg-intelbrief-paris-and-the-pain-of-hindsight/)  have come from second-generation attackers, men who have lived for years among the societies they rejected. Most of them have criminal records. Law enforcement sweeps have recently targeted suspected terror cells (http://soufangroup.com/tsg-intelbrief-the-western-recruitment-networks-of-the-islamic-state/)  across Belgium, Germany, and France.

Security agencies within the EU are trying to balance assimilation with enforcement. The unprecedented influx of refugee migration (http://soufangroup.com/tsg-intelbrief-terrorism-and-the-refugee-crisis/)  presents a serious challenge to both local and EU security agencies. Prior to the attacks in Belgium and Paris, the working model for many EU law enforcement agencies was to put suspected individuals on watch lists. The act of placing someone on a watch list was believed to have a deterrent effect. The attacks, however, demonstrated the fallacy of assuming that a watch list, however comprehensive, would serve as a deterrent. Western counterterrorism agencies are overwhelmed with the scope of threats—both real and imagined. No security agency in a democracy can plausibly monitor all the terrorism threats it faces without devolving into a police state, and thus prioritizing suspects becomes paramount.

Western societies have struggled with counterterrorism strategies that generate more terror recruits than they thwart. Yet there is an increasing understanding that the majority of the active terrorists in countries such as France and Belgium have not been radicalized by counterterrorism practices, but rather that they are criminals (http://soufangroup.com/tsg-intelbrief-the-criminals-of-terror/)  long set in their paths. Aggressive tactics that disrupt their cells and activities—such as the persistent raids that keep these groups off balance—do not serve as a radicalizing tool; the targeted individuals are already criminals.

soufangroup.com

As many as 20 British jihadists are fighting in Libya with Islamist groups, including Isis, as the terrorist organisation seeks to cling on to its last stronghold in the country.

According to intelligence sources, some of the British fighters have fled Syria as a result of the coalition’s bombing campaign, while others have travelled directly to Libya from the UK .

Isis developed a strong presence in the city of Sirte, where Libya’s former dictator, Colonel Muammar Gadaffi, was killed 69 years after he was born in the desert nearby .

Isis also ran a network of terrorist training camps in Libya, including one attended by Seifeddine Rezgui, the gunman who murdered 30 British tourists on a Tunisian beach in June last year.

In an offensive by militias aligned with the new government of national accord, Isis has been driven from large areas of Sirte and has lost about a third of the 150 miles of coastline that it controlled in January.

Fierce fighting continues, with hundreds of Isis insurgents holed up in Sirte as others flee south into the desert.

The Sunday Times has learnt that during the recent offensive, UK special forces used drones to alert Libyan militias to possible Isis suicide counterattacks.

Small teams of elite soldiers from the Special Air Service and the Special Boat Service are acting as “listeners and watchers” for the local militias, and are using unmanned aircraft to monitor any attempts by Isis to launch attacks with lorries or cars laden with explosives.

Sources say the British special forces have helped to foil two attacks. On one occasion British personnel tracked the preparation of two Isis vehicle bombs.

Eight hours after being loaded with explosives, the vehicles began moving towards Libyan troops, prompting a British team to call a 6am meeting with commanders in the city of Misrata. The militia commanders were given the co-ordinates of the vehicles and used artillery to destroy them.

“They [the British] have drones that they use to get the co-ordinates of where the enemy is concentrated, especially when they are preparing for a suicide attack,” a Libyan commander confirmed.

Britain, America and France are all believed to have sent special forces troops to Libya because of fears about the jihadist threat on Europe’s doorstep. They have reportedly been armed with shoulder-launched anti-tank weapons.

“They don’t actually engage in any fighting, but they scan and monitor the area and give information and intelligence so that we can eliminate targets ourselves,” the commander said.

“When we take out these targets, we say that it was our troops, but the reality is that we do not fire on targets until we receive exact co-ordinates, positions and instructions from our foreign friends.”

It was estimated two months ago that there were 6,000 Isis fighters in Libya, and intelligence agencies feared the group could send terrorists across the Mediterranean and into Europe.

Despite the battlefield setbacks suffered by Isis, one intelligence official warned this weekend that the “arc of instability” posed by the terrorist group would continue to grow as its fighters were forced to disperse.

“The more dispersed the Isis fighters become, the more difficult it is going to be for us to keep track of them,” the source said. “At least in Syria we know where they are — caught up in a big fight. It’s a worrying trend that around 20 of the British jihadists have travelled to Libya, and no doubt others will follow.”

About 100 British military personnel are said to be based in buildings around the northwestern city of Misrata.

An employee of a local construction firm said a contract had been issued in early May to boost security at the site by building a high wall.

The British troops are likely to be using US drones for their surveillance missions. Whitehall sources insist that none of the RAF’s 10 Reaper drones is operating over Libya.

Earlier this year the Italian government reportedly began allowing armed US drones to fly from an airbase in Sicily.

Lorry bombs have been used by Isis militants in Iraq, Syria and Libya to help the group make breakthroughs on the battlefield.

Local sources claim Isis is now changing its tactics by disguising suicide vehicles as family cars and filling them with “blankets and bedding” to make it appear they are being used by refugees fleeing Isis territory.

The Ministry of Defence said it did not comment on special forces activity.

thetimes.co.uk

Three migrants, who are thought to be members of the Al-Nusra Front and a Shia militia, were arrested by Austrian police at asylum homes in Tirol

The three migrants who were arrested by Austrian police in Tirol are said to have been members of terrorist militia groups in both Iraq and Syria. National Police Director Helmut Tomac said: “The refugees are said to have fought among other militias in Syria and Iraq or helped those that are classified as terrorist organisations in Austria.”

One of the men, a 27-year-old Syrian, is also said to have been involved in the executions of at least 20 soldiers in President Bashar Assad’s Syrian Arab Army, Kronen Zeitung reports.

All three men, a 27-year-old Syrian and two Iraqis aged 19 and 28, were housed in separate asylum homes across the region of Tirol. Peter Oehm, Director of the State Office for Protection of the Constitution, Austria’s domestic intelligence service, said: “The 27- year-old Syrian is suspected of being a member of Jabhat al-Nusra or Kataib Al Farouq in the Syrian civil war between 2011 and 2014 and while fighting the regime shot supporters and troops of Assad.” The Syrian is said to have confessed to killing at least 20 soldiers of the Assad regime and various prisoners in the group’s captivity. 

The eldest of the Iraqis captured, according to authorities, is a member of an Iraqi militia group called Al-Hashd al-Shaabi. The militia group, who are funded mostly by Iran, fought against Islamic State forces in Iraq’s northern provinces and were even supported by the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in 2015.

The 19-year-old Iraqi was also a member of Al-Hashd al-Shaabi, and is said to have been involved with aiding the group rather than fighting for them. Neither Iraqi has currently confessed to being a member of the Shia militia, according to Mr. Oehm.

While all three men did sneak into Austria as migrants through Turkey and Greece, police say there is little evidence so far that any were planning terror attacks. The Austrian authorities also noted that so far none of the suspects showed any signs of active terrorist links in Europe or any communication with radical Islamist groups. 

The presence of Islamic State members and other terrorists have become an increasing worry for authorities in Europe who recognise that radical jihadists may have infiltrated EU countries during the migrant crisis. Two of the Paris attackers in November came to Europe during the migrant crisis, and multiple fighters from Islamic State have been arrested in migrant homes across the continent. 

breitbart.com

Belgian police arrested 12 people suspected of planning new attacks after about 40 houses were searched across the country overnight, the federal prosecutor’s office said on Saturday.

independent.ie