The U.S. and Global Security Review - Blog by Michael Novakhov

NATO faces security threats on its southern, eastern and northern flanks, Deputy Defense Secretary Work said yesterday at the Nordic Deputies Meeting at the Norwegian Ministry of Defense in Oslo, Norway.

Top US General: Islamic State Fight 'Stalemated'
Thursday September 10th, 2015 at 11:40 AM

The fight against the Islamic State terror group has become 'tactically stalemated,' according to the United States' top general.

Three reasons to pay attention to Turkey's Kurdish war
Thursday September 10th, 2015 at 11:39 AM

As the world fixates on the Syrian refugee crisis, Turkey's conflict with Kurdish rebels has suddenly escalated rapidly. At least 30 security personnel have been killed in the past three days and Turkey confirmed today that its troops had entered Iraq in pursuit of fighters from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the first such incursion in years.

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Airstrikes Destroy ISIL Operating Base, Staging Area in Iraq
Thursday September 10th, 2015 at 11:38 AM

U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Pentagon Promises to 'Fix' US Program to Train Rebel Forces in Syria
Thursday September 10th, 2015 at 11:38 AM

Following a beleaguered and embarrassing start, and fresh reports that military officials had lost track of US-trained Syrian rebels, the Pentagon on Tuesday said it is looking to fix the $500 million program aimed at training and equipping 'moderate' forces in the fight against the Islamic State.

US Targets Iran Proxies
Thursday September 10th, 2015 at 11:37 AM

The U.S. State Department announced Tuesday that it is adding several top Hamas and Hezbollah operatives to its terrorism list. The timing of the announcement - just days before Congress is likely to vote on the recently struck nuclear deal with Iran - appears to be a signal from the Obama administration that it will intensify efforts to counter Tehran-backed militancy

US facing increasing pressure from allies to change its Syria strategy
Thursday September 10th, 2015 at 11:32 AM

Stars And Stripes

European officials have grown pessimistic about the U.S. strategy amid the daily influx of tens of thousands of migrants, many fleeing the Syrian fighting, and the failure of the U.S.-led coalition to dislodge the Islamic State.

UK officials say number of terrorism arrests at record high
Thursday September 10th, 2015 at 11:31 AM

Stars And Stripes

British officials say the number of people being arrested on suspicion of terrorism-related crimes has reached a record high.

Hamas Chief Holds Press Conference At Four Seasons Hotelby Adam Kredo
Thursday September 10th, 2015 at 11:29 AM

The Four Seasons hotel chain has come under fire for hosting a press conference this week in Doha, Qatar, by a top Hamas official who called for armed resistance “in all its forms” against Israel, according to a copy of the invitation for the event and video of the press conference.

Khaled Meshaal, a senior Hamas leader who is designated by the United States as a terrorist, rallied against Israel during remarks at the Four Seasons in Doha, raising questions about whether the prominent hotel chain could be in violation of U.S. laws barring material support to terrorist groups.

Izat Arashaq, a Senior Hamas official, publicized the event earlier this week on Twitter, sending out an invitation to the event in Arabic.

The tweet included “an invitation to attend and to cover the press conference of the brother Khaled Meshaal , vice president of the politburo for the Islamic Resistance movement (Hamas),” according to an independent translation.

The notice touts the event as being held in a ballroom at “the Four Seasons Hotel, Doha.”

The Four Seasons hotel chain is jointly owned by Kingdom Holding Company, which is headed by Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal of the Saudi royal family, and the Cascade Investment Firm, which is owned by Bill Gates.

Meshaal—who spoke in front of the image of a gunman during the event—urged the Palestinians to take up “resistance in all its forms” without “limits or restriction,” according to a video recording.

Meshaal, who resides in Qatar, has been reported to frequent the Four Seasons in Doha. He also has been provided shelter by the Qatari government, which is one of Hamas’s top backers.

Meshaal’s public appearance at the Four Seasons has led to questions about whether the hotel chain is in violation of laws prohibiting material support to any U.S.-designated terrorist group.

“First of all it is remarkable to me that the U.S. continues to consider Qatar an ally when Hamas operates openly on Qatari soil,” said Jonathan Schanzer, a former terrorism finance analyst at the Department of the Treasury.

“The announcement of this press conference was brazen. The spokesman of Hamas seemed to have really no qualms about sharing the location of this press conference of a terrorist organization on social media,” said Schanzer, the vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

“He was blasting it far and wide,” Schanzer said. “We’re talking about a major hotel chain that is now providing material support to a terrorist organization, according to the letter of American law.”

When asked via email to comment on Meshaal’s appearance at the hotel, a spokesperson for the Four Seasons in Doha said that “we are unable to respond to any enquiries about people who may or may not be staying at the hotel.”

The spokesperson did not respond when asked whether the hotel endorsed the public Hamas press conference.

An email requesting comment from the Kingdom Holding Company also was not returned. The Cascade Investment Firm did not respond to a request for comment on Meshaal’s use of the hotel by press time.

Qatar has repeatedly come under fire from U.S. lawmakers and others for its longtime backing of Hamas.

Qatar has pledged at least $400 million to support Hamas in recent years and continues to shelter top officials such as Meshaal.

At the same time, Qatar enjoys close ties with the United States and has benefited from billions of dollars in arms deals.

“Qatar plays host to leaders of a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, but under current U.S. law it is not a designated State Sponsor of Terrorism,” said David Weinberg, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies who researches Gulf State monarchs. “Given that Israeli security forces have identified three separate Hamas officials based out of Qatar by name as directing terror cells in the West Bank, U.S. policy needs to keep pace with worrying realities overseas.”

“Perhaps the SST architecture needs to be updated by Congress so that U.S. allies hosting operatives of terrorist groups are subject to new penalties,” he said.

The post Hamas Chief Holds Press Conference At Four Seasons Hotel appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.

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Ahead of 9/11, Al Qaeda Trains for ‘Lone Wolf’ Attacksby Adam Kredo
Thursday September 10th, 2015 at 11:28 AM

Al Qaeda is disseminating training manuals urging “lone wolf” attacks on America ahead of the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, according to a copy of the terrorist group’s latest publication.

Al Qaeda on Wednesday published a list of targets and methods for individual terrorist attacks on the United States in the latest edition of its English language publication, Inspire, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), which released a copy of the terrorist manual.

Just days before the annual commemoration of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the group’s media arm, published a manifesto entitled “Assassination Operations,” according to the materials.

The contents of the publication are dated Sept. 15, and an editor’s note in the magazine urges lone Islamic extremists, or those not formally affiliated with a specific terrorist group, to take up arms against America and carry out a so-called “lone wolf” attack.

“Editor Yahya Ibrahim, after praising the January 2015 Charlie Hebdo attack [in France], notes that ‘in the coming days we are waiting for the anniversary of … the blessed 9/11 operation,’ and states that ‘We at Inspire, and in the cause of the events of 9/11, encourage the Muslims in the West to join the Lone Jihad caravan,’” according to MEMRI’s report on Al Qaeda’s latest call for violence.

The manual lays out “for the Lone Mujahid ways and methods to enable him to give victory to the religion and the prophet.”

Included is a step-by-step guide to carry out a terrorist operation without being detected by U.S. authorities.

This section, titled “Open Source Jihad,” explains “assassination operations,” as well as how to make “a timed hand grenade” and various “field tactics” to successfully complete a terror attack.

Other portions of the guide detail how to specify “a target,” how to collect information for reconnaissance purposes, how to generate a plan of attack, how to prepare for an upcoming terrorist operation, and how to successfully execute the operation.

The guide also points out weak spots in the U.S. security regime, particularly among the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which is responsible for guarding the nation’s airports.

“This issue includes graphics with text mocking Department of Homeland Security and TSA efforts and advising readers on how to circumvent them,” according to MEMRI. “One features a photo of a water bottle at airport security with the text: ‘Did you know that a TSA security officer is more likely to confiscate a water bottle than a bomb?’”

Al Qaeda has begun to encourage lone wolf attacks as its global terror network is dismantled by international efforts. Extremists who are not affiliated with a formal terrorist network have become indoctrinated via social media networks and other online outlets.

The latest issue of Inspire was disseminated by al Qaeda-affiliated groups via Twitter, where it is easier to avoid detection by intelligence agencies.

The post Ahead of 9/11, Al Qaeda Trains for ‘Lone Wolf’ Attacks appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.

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House Armed Services Chief: Intel Losses, Including Clinton Emails, Caused Serious Damage by Bill Gertz
Thursday September 10th, 2015 at 11:28 AM

Intelligence compromises over the past five years, including the transfer of top-secret data on Hillary Clinton’s private email server, inflicted serious damage on U.S. national security, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said Wednesday.

Rep. Mac Thornberry (R., Tex.), who has headed the committee since January, said the combined effect of disclosures to the anti-secrecy website Wikileaks, the theft of over a million National Security Agency secret documents by the renegade NSA contractor Edward Snowden, and now the potential loss of secrets from Clinton’s use of a private email system is helping American adversaries such as China, Russia, and the Islamic State.

“It has certainly helped our primary adversaries,” Thornberry said during a wide-ranging interview in his office at the Rayburn building.

The chairman said he believes the compromise of intelligence information over the past five years is “probably the most damaging thing that’s happened to U.S. national security.”

“Whether it was Wikileaks or Snowden or now the Hillary emails, we have done more to hurt ourselves than the Russians, the Chinese, the terrorists, or anybody else that you want to name.”

“This is serious business when you have top secret emails on a private server, and then you think it all goes away by saying ‘I’m sorry.’ It’s just… The damage to the country is just enormous when you put these compromises together.”

In the interview, Thornberry also said Congress is close to finishing work on a House-Senate conference on the fiscal 2016 defense authorization bill that will provide some relief for Pentagon budget woes by allowing the use of funds slated for overseas operations.

The White House has threatened to veto the bill over the provisions, though the legislation funds the president’s budget request of $561 billion.

On other issues, Thornberry said:

• Legislation is being prepared that will partially undo Budget Control Act limits on spending in ways that will not increase the federal deficit.

• The Iran nuclear deal lacks adequate verification provisions and will not resolve issues of past nuclear arms work. Also, the president’s assertion that rejecting the Iran nuclear deal would lead to war is a “straw man” argument meant to defend a bad agreement. The agreement “strengthens” the Islamist regime in Tehran and makes Iran less likely to moderate its behavior over the next 15 years.

“The president made a fundamental miscalculation” about Iran’s future, he said, noting that Iran’s Quds forces will be strengthened by the pact and the release of billions in frozen funds.

• Congress will be briefed this week on Iran’s continuing covert support to terrorists and insurgents in Yemen, Lebanon, and Afghanistan, as well as on Iran’s missile programs, which will be “unconstrained completely” after embargoed funds are released.

• The administration will undermine significant gains made by the U.S. military against insurgents in Afghanistan by pulling out all U.S. troops. At least 10,000 troops should remain to support Afghan security forces as they are strengthened.

• Terrorism is resurgent in Afghanistan as the Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS or ISIL) grows, and the Taliban is becoming more violent as a result of a split within its ranks.

• The U.S. military has been severely restricted in the current bombing campaign in Syria and Iraq, raising questions about the administration’s stated commitment to destroy and degrade IS.

“It raises questions about whether the United States is serious about degrading ISIS,” Thornberry said.

• Russia’s nuclear and conventional military buildup, as well as China’s modernization and Iran’s nuclear ambitions, should lead to a major reassessment of U.S. nuclear strategy and a reinvigoration of strategic nuclear modernization.

“[Russia’s] economy may be in trouble but they are making key investments in a number of weapons systems that cause us a lot of problems. And the Chinese are as well.”

• The Pentagon has become “alarmed” at some of China’s advanced military capabilities that appear designed for use in a conflict with the United States and to prevent the American military from operating in the Pacific.

On the damage caused by intelligence compromises, the Russian and Chinese governments and Islamic terrorists benefitted from NSA leaks, Thornberry said.

“The terrorists adapted their tactics with all the Snowden leaks,” he said. “They saw what we do, and how we do it and changed accordingly.”

Thornberry also said that Russia and China were “informed” by the NSA disclosures. He did not elaborate.

“And so we are helping our adversaries and hurting ourselves by not being as careful as we should have been with this information.”

Former NSA Deputy Director Chris Inglis and former NSA Director Michael Hayden told theWashington Times last year that the Islamic State learned from leaked NSA documents how to avoid NSA surveillance.

The Clinton email scandal surfaced last month when the U.S. intelligence community inspector general disclosed that top-secret information was placed on Clinton’s private email server that she used while serving as secretary of state.

The top-secret classified data included intelligence information derived from satellites and electronic communications.

Clinton at first denied any classified information was stored on some 60,000 emails on the private server. Later she revised her stance to say that no “marked” classified information was contained in the emails.

This week the Democratic presidential contender said she was sorry for using the server. The apology followed a second U.S. government security review that uncovered additional classified data.

Clinton aides have sought to downplay the security compromises by asserting that it involves a dispute over classification between the State Department and intelligence agencies.

The FBI is investigating the compromise of top-secret information that was discovered last month in a sample of some 60,000 emails exchanged by Clinton and her aides while she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.

About 30,000 emails were provided to the FBI and investigators are attempting to recover an estimated 32,000 emails that Clinton said were “personal” and unrelated to her work.

Earlier damaging intelligence breaches included the electronic theft of hundreds of thousands of classified military and diplomatic documents by Army Sgt. Bradley Manning that were given to Wikileaks in 2010. Manning was convicted of espionage, theft, and fraud in July 2013 and is serving a 35-year prison term.

Months later, Snowden, who has said that he believes the NSA is conspiring to usurp American democracy through illicit electronic surveillance, used his access to top-secret documents while working as an NSA computer administrator to download an estimated 1.7 million classified documents. Those documents were provided to several journalists.

Snowden fled to Hong Kong and later Russia, where he is currently under Russian government protection. He faces prosecution from the Justice Department in America.

Thornberry declined to say which Republican presidential candidate he will support.

“There is a big field,” he said. “I am most interested in who is going to be the best commander-in-chief to clean up the mess that’s going to be left on his or her desk on day one. I don’t know who that is but that’s sure what I’m listening for.”

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Islamic State Selling Norwegian, Chinese Captives on Black Market by Adam Kredo
Thursday September 10th, 2015 at 11:26 AM

The Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS or ISIL) terror group has taken out advertisements offering to sell on the black market two of its captives, one from Norway and the other from China, according to full-page ads placed in the terror group’s propaganda magazine.

The advertisements, published in IS’s latest issue of Dabiq, a propaganda magazine detailing the group’s terror campaigns, list the two individuals as for sale to anyone who will “pay the ransom for his release and transfer,” according to the ads, which were published Thursday by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

Included in the ads are multiple pictures of the captives and biographical details outlining their age and country of origin. Contact information for an encrypted Telegram application can be seen at the bottom of the listing, which is dubbed as a “limited time offer.”

The offer to purchase the two captives is being made to other terror groups, “crusaders,” and “human rights organizations.” IS claims that both prisoners were “abandoned by their government, which did not do its utmost to purchase [their] freedom.”

IS’s latest publication also outlines the group’s violent militant operations across the Middle East, according to MEMRI.

“Other articles include highlights of ISIS military actions; news from territory controlled by ISIS; and previous releases of ISIS videos and reports,” according to the report.

The publication also urges those who cannot travel from their country of origin to join IS’s fight to carry out lone wolf attacks at home.

One article “encourages those who are unable to emigrate to the Islamic State to wage jihad in their own lands, and suggests specific cities and organizations to target,” MEMRI reports.

“As for the Muslim who is unable to perform hijrah from dārul-kufr to the Khilāfah, then there is much opportunity for him to strike out against the kāfir enemies of the Islamic State,” IS writes in the publication. “There are more than seventy crusader nations, tāghūt regimes, apostate armies, rāfidī militias, and sahwah factions for him to choose from. Their interests are located all over the world. He should not hesitate in striking them wherever he can.”

The post Islamic State Selling Norwegian, Chinese Captives on Black Market appeared first onWashington Free Beacon.

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Islamic State's attacks in Saudi Arabia test security of hajjby Aya Batrawy
Thursday September 10th, 2015 at 11:25 AM

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Islamic State group is extending its reach in Saudi Arabia, expanding the scope of its attacks and drawing in new recruits with its radical ideology. Its determination to bring down the U.S.-allied royal family has raised concerns it could threaten the annual Muslim ...

Al Qaeda calls for attacks on Koch brothers, Gates, Buffett, Bloomberg by Kellan Howell
Thursday September 10th, 2015 at 11:22 AM

An al Qaeda magazine is calling for more lone wolf attacks specifically targeting U.S. economic leaders including Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg and Charles and David Koch.

The list of al Qaeda targets in Inspire magazine also included Internet entrepreneur Larry Ellison, casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and former Federal Reserve Chairman ...

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield hacked; 10.5M patients affectedby Andrew Blake
Thursday September 10th, 2015 at 11:22 AM

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, a health insurance provider in upstate New York, said a recently discovered data breach allowed hackers to potentially compromise the personal information of 10.5 million people.

The Rochester-based insurer said Wednesday that its IT systems were targeted by "a sophisticated cyberattack" in December that affected upwards of ...

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NATO echoes U.S. concern over Russian military buildup in Syria by Kellan Howell
Thursday September 10th, 2015 at 11:16 AM

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday the alliance is concerned about Russia's growing military involvement in Syria's civil war and called on leaders to find a political solution rather than escalating the bloody conflict.

Russia's military involvement "will not contribute to solving the conflict," Mr. Stoltenberg said, Reuters

Israeli defense minister says Russian troops are already in Syria to help Assad against IS
Thursday September 10th, 2015 at 11:16 AM

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli defense minister says Russian troops are already in Syria to help Assad against IS.

Israeli defense chief: Russian troops already in Syriaby ARON HELLER
Thursday September 10th, 2015 at 11:16 AM

JERUSALEM (AP) - Russian troops have arrived in Syria in recent days to aid Bashar Assad's beleaguered government in the battle against Islamic State militants, Israel's defense minister said Thursday. The development could help the Syrian president reverse his recent battlefield losses in the country's bitter civil war, now in ...

Clapper Concerned Islamic State Will ‘Infiltrate’ Syrian Refugees Fleeing to US, Europe by Morgan Chalfant
Thursday September 10th, 2015 at 11:15 AM

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper expressed “huge concern” Wednesday that Islamic State militants might infiltrate crowds of Syrian refugees fleeing to the West and thereby enter Europe or the United States.

TheWashington Timesreported that Clapper pointed to IS (also known as ISIL or ISIS) gaining access to Western countries as an “obvious issue” with the thousands of Syrian war refugees flooding to Europe and the U.S. in order to escape the chaos in the Middle East.

“As they descend on Europe, one of the obvious issues that we worry about, and in turn as we bring refugees into this country, is exactly what’s their background?” Clapper said during remarks at an annual U.S. intelligence community conference in Washington, D.C.

“We don’t obviously put it past the likes of ISIL to infiltrate operatives among these refugees.”

He deemed the possibility a “huge concern” among officials in the intelligence community as Western countries endure increasing pressure to accept Syrian refugees amid the Syrian civil war.

The United States has allowed in under 2,000 Syrian refugees. While Clapper on Wednesday lauded the “pretty aggressive” means by which U.S. authorities screen refugees attempting to enter the country, he added that he does not have as much faith in the systems set up by European nations.

Approximately 4.1 million refugees are fleeing from Syria to avoid the conflict in the country. European countries have received hundreds of thousands of asylum requests from Syrian refugees amid the civil war, and the wave of refugees to the region has intensified in recent months.

The Washington Free Beacon reported Thursday that al Qaeda, which has suggested cooperation with the Islamic State, is dispersing training manuals calling for “long wolf” attacks on America ahead of the 9/11 anniversary.

The post Clapper Concerned Islamic State Will ‘Infiltrate’ Syrian Refugees Fleeing to US, Europeappeared first on Washington Free Beacon.

U.S. Hits Hamas Officials, Company with Sanctions by Reuters
Thursday September 10th, 2015 at 11:15 AM