al-qaida chief ayman al-zawahiri the coordinator 2015 part 19-138-caliphate- the state of...

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Al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri The Coordinator 2015 Part 19-138-Caliphate- The State of al-Qaida-45-Our Performance-28

“For us, there are no good or bad terrorists. All terrorists are bad,” the Turkish presidentDutch probe report of ISIS 'sleeper cell' among Muslim migrantsEuropean intelligence agencies' worst fears about 'refugee' influx apparently realized, as Holland hunts for jihadist sleeper cell. The Netherlands is investigating media reports that a sleeper cell of the Islamic State jihadist group (ISIS) has been hiding among migrants in a Dutch refugee camp, officials said Tuesday.

The Long War Journal 1assesses that Islamic State is being forced to deploy many of its “martyrs” because its territorial claims are being rolled back in Iraq, Syria and even Libya.The Islamic State claims to have executed 489 “martyrdom operations” in Iraq, Syria and Libya during the first five months of 2016. The figure comes from monthly data published by Amaq News Agency, a propaganda arm of the so-called caliphate that releases infographics summarizing the group’s suicide attacks. –LWJ The Islamic State’s prolific use of “martyrs” probably highlights both its strength and weakness. On the one hand, there are likely more people, predominately young men, willing to die for the jihadists’ cause today than ever. (It should also be noted that adolescents and even children have been used in suicide attacks.) On the other hand, most of the organization’s suicide attackers are being dispatched in areas where the “caliphate” is being challenged, including locations that were once under its control.

“Right now, there is a serious project, a plan being implemented in northern Syria. And on this project and plan lay the insidious aims of those who appear as 'friends'. This is very clear, so I need to make clear statements,” Erdogan said at an event in Istanbul on Saturday.The Turkish president warned that the US must understand that Kurdish armed forces, which are the main US-allies, in the region are just as bad as the Islamic State or Al-Nusra jihadists.“Some of our ally states respond to us by saying, ‘we support the PYD/YPG because they fight against Daesh’. Well, you accept Nusra Front as a terror organization and Nusra Front also fights against Daesh. Why don't you see them as partners, too?” Erdogan wondered.“For us, there are no good or bad terrorists. All terrorists are bad,” the Turkish president added. Turkey has criticized Washington over its active support of the Kurdish fighting force in Syria, branding the People’s Protection Units (YPG) as terrorists despite their latest successful advances on ISIS jihadists’ positions. The US-backed Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), launched an offensive at the end of May to capture the last segment of the Turkish-Syrian border still under Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) control and surrounded the city of Manbij on Friday. The US-supported coalition forces also continue to recapture settlements in the vicinity of IS stronghold of Raqqa on the north bank of the Euphrates River. Ankara has long been protesting against American support of the Kurdish YPG forces fighting alongside the SDF. Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish units to be terrorists with ties to the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is fighting its own battle against Ankara in Turkey.The ongoing anti-ISIS campaign conducted by both Russian and US-led forces also interferes with Turkish interests in the region. Turkish authorities have repeatedly threatened a military intervention if the YPG go west of the Euphrates.Ankara is worried that if the political Democratic Union Party (PYD) affiliated with the YPG

1 http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/06/the-islamic-states-prolific-martyrdom-machine.php

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establishes itself west of the river, Kurds will be able to unite the cantons of Kobane, Jazira and Afrin and create a uniform Kurdish entity in northern Syria.On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once again advised Washington to choose its allies. Erdogan stressed that the YPG crossing west of the Euphrates to recapture Manbij, is crossing a red line and that Kurds are only pursuing their fight against ISIS to secure more territory, Daily Sabah reports.

Turkistan Islamic Party leader criticizes the Islamic State’s ‘illegitimate’ caliphateBY BILL ROGGIO AND THOMAS JOSCELYN | June 11, 2016 | [email protected] |

The Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) has released another message attributed to its emir, Abdul Haq al Turkistani. The audio address, which was posted online on May 30, is the latest indication that Abdul Haq is still in charge of the group.The US thought it killed the TIP’s top man in a 2010 drone strike in Pakistan, but his death was never confirmed. The TIP claims Abdul Haq was severely injured in the strike and returned to lead the organization in 2014, after recovering from his injuries. He has appeared on at least a few occasions in the TIP’s media since then. [See LWJ report, Turkistan Islamic Party emir thought killed in 2010 reemerged to lead group in 2014.]In the new speech, the man identified as Abdul Haq calls on his followers to wage jihad “in any corner of the world, wherever they” may be.Abdul Haq also discusses the TIP’s role in Syria and elsewhere around the globe. He says the group’s primary mission in Syria is to train Muslims to wage jihad against all “enemies of Islam,” so they can help their brothers in “Sham” (Syria).But the TIP’s members in Syria should also be ready to return to China to fight the government in the western Xinjiang province. The Uighur jihadists must be prepared to wage jihad against the “infidel [Chinese] occupants” in all “spheres,” Abdul Haq says.Condemns Islamic State, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan

Abdul Haq has especially harsh words for the Islamic State and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).He denounces the Islamic State’s so-called caliphate as “illegitimate.” At one point in the TIP video, a still image of Abdul Haq is juxtaposed with images of Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. (See the screen shot on the right.) Abdul Haq delivers a stinging rebuke to Baghdadi and his followers during this scene.The TIP’s emir argues that the Islamic State’s “caliphate” lacks the consent of the Muslim community. Because Baghdadi and his subordinates did not garner the approval of Islamic leaders, Abdul Haq says, their “state” lacks the necessary theological footing. The TIP head also denounces the Islamic State’s wanton killing of Muslims, as well as the “caliphate’s” practice of branding others “apostates.”“Under the sharia law, a caliphate is not declared by a group of people,” Abdul Haq explains, according to a translation obtained by The Long War Journal. “It will be created on the basis of sharia rules and unity among the ummah [worldwide community of Muslims].”


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Al Qaeda and its branches, the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, as well as other al Qaeda-allied ideologues have all made this same argument repeatedly.

The IMU’s leader, Uthman Ghazi, officially broke from the Taliban-Al Qaeda axis in Aug. 2015, when he swore allegiance to Baghdadi. The TIP’s video includes footage of Ghazi swearing his fealty to the Islamic State’s “caliphate.” Ghazi is shown on the right side of the screen, with a photo of Abdul Haq on the left. (A screen shot can be seen on the reader’s right.)According to Abdul Haq, the IMU’s decision proved to be disastrous for the group. He chastises the IMU for abandoning its traditional allies in Afghanistan and Pakistan, “choosing the path of war” against the Taliban. Many IMU fighters who sided with the Islamic State were killed in clashes with the Taliban in Afghanistan shortly afterwards. This led to the collapse of the IMU, according to Abdul Haq. “The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, for which the oppressed ummah had great hopes, disappeared,” Abu Haq claims.Abdul Haq’s critique of the IMU is especially important. The TIP and IMU are known to have fought side-by-side in Afghanistan for years. For example, the United Nations notes that the TIP “has maintained close ties” to the IMU.A member of al Qaeda’s elite shura councilAbdul Haq, who is also known as Maimaitiming Maimaiti, became the leader of the Eastern Turkistan

Islamic Party (also known as the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement) in late 2003 after Hassan Mahsum, the group’s founder, was killed. Mahsum died during clashes with Pakistani troops at an al Qaeda training camp in South Waziristan in Oct. 2003.Abdul Haq quickly stepped into Mahsum’s shoes. His succession was not surprising. Abdul Haq helped run the TIP’s main training camp in the Tora Bora Mountains prior to the US-

led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001. The training facility provided rudimentary instruction on light arms to new recruits. Several detainees held at Guantanamo identified Abdul Haq as the chief instructor. [See LWJ report, “The Uighurs in their own words”.]US officials at the detention facility in Guantanamo found that the TIP’s camp was sponsored by Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda. Indeed, the UN found that the TIP has “received significant support from” al Qaeda and the Taliban. The group has had a “close financial relationship with” al Qaeda and the “major sources of funding” for its “activities came from” bin Laden, as well as other sources.After the Taliban lost control of Afghanistan in late 2001, Abdul Haq helped reestablish the TIP’s camps in Pakistan’s lawless, tribal areas. The Chinese government has pressured Pakistan to dismantle the camps in the past.In 2005, according to the US Treasury Department, Abdul Haq was awarded a seat on al Qaeda’s elite shura (or advisory) council. He was designated as an al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist by Treasury in 2009. The UN also added him to the al Qaeda sanctions list.Abdul Haq’s influence among jihadists in Afghanistan and Pakistan is readily apparent. He has served as a mediator in disputes between rival Taliban groups, and has also represented al Qaeda’s shura council in important military matters.In June 2009, he was reportedly spotted in Pakistan’s tribal areas attending an important meeting with


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Baitullah Mehsud, then the Pakistani Taliban’s overall commander. According to press reports, Abdul Haq and a senior delegation of Taliban and al Qaeda leaders traveled to Pakistan’s tribal areas to discuss the Pakistani military’s operation in South Waziristan. Among those in attendance was Sirajuddin Haqqani, who was then the operational commander of the Haqqani Network and is now one of the Taliban’s top two deputies. Abu Yahya al Libi, a senior al Qaeda leader who became the organization’s general manager before he was killed in a US drone strike, was also reportedly in attendance.Like other jihadists in al Qaeda’s network, Abdul Haq has devoted his time to both guerrilla warfare and planning terrorist attacks.“In early January 2008,” according to Treasury, he “directed” the TIP’s “military commander to attack various Chinese cities, particularly focusing on the cities holding the Olympic Games.” His men “planned to sabotage the Olympic Games by conducting terrorist attacks within China before the Olympics began.” Abdul Haq has also “sent terrorists to the Middle East to raise funds and buy explosive materials for terrorist attacks against Chinese targets outside China.”The TIP is part of al Qaeda’s networkThe TIP is not subtle about its role in al Qaeda’s international network.Islam Awazi, the TIP’s official media arm, spliced together Abdul Haq’s audio message with various images of al Qaeda ideologues and leaders.Unlike Baghdadi, Abdul Haq has nothing but praise for al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri.

One scene from the video includes photos of several al Qaeda figures at once. A similar image was used in the online banner advertising the production, which can be seen at the beginning of this article.In addition to Zawahiri, the TIP video shows AQAP ideologues Harith bin Ghazi al Nadhari and Nasser bin Ali al Ansi (both of whom were killed in US drone strikes in 2015), Abu Sulayman al Muhajir (a senior al Qaeda religious official in Syria), Abdallah Muhammad al Muhaysini (an influential jihadi ideologue based in Syria who is likely a senior al Qaeda official), as well as Abu Qatada and Abu Muhammad al Maqdisi (two jihadi clerics who are, at a minimum, aligned with al Qaeda).The TIP fights alongside Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s regional branch in Syria, on a regular basis. The group has played a role in offensives led by Al Nusrah in Jisr al Shughur, Hama and Latakia, the Abu Duhour Airbase, the Al Ghab plain, Khan Touman, and elsewhere.The TIP’s arm in Syria has established training camps, including facilities for children.Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of The Long War Journal. Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for The Long War Journal.

One Day Prior To Tel Aviv Terror Attack, Article On Hamas Website Calls On Muslims To Wage Jihad – 'The Pinnacle Of Islam' – During Ramadan, 'The Month Of Jihad'On June 7, 2016, the day before the shooting attack in Tel Aviv in which four were killed and several wounded, Hamas's military wing, the 'Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, published an article on its website encouraging jihad and martyrdom during the month of Ramadan, which began this week. The


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article, titled "Ramadan – The Month of Jihad, Fighting and Victory over the Enemies," noted that throughout the ages Ramadan had been the time of the greatest Muslim victories, beginning from the days of the Prophet Muhammad. Allah, it said, had commanded, and urged, the Muslims to wage jihad, for it is the pinnacle of Islam. The article stressed that Muslims' sad situation today is due to their abandonment of jihad, and called on them to follow the example set out in their glorious, jihad-saturated history.The following are excerpts from the article:[1]"Ramadan is the month of jihad, fighting, and fasting. Therefore, after the jihad fighter dedicates himself to the study of Islam by day he sets forth to defend his homeland, Palestine, by night. This month has seen the actualization of exceptional Islamic victories. Today, the ummah is bleeding in many countries, and none care about the deep wound of Palestine and the oppressive siege on the Gaza Strip."About a year ago, the Palestinian resistance, chiefly the Al-Qassam Brigades, fought the most impressive battles of heroism and martyrdom. Al-Qassam's jihad fighters, as they were fasting, dealt the enemy fatal blows in the eastern parts of the Gaza Strip, as part of Operation Eaten Straw [the 2015 Gaza war], and Allah helped them achieve such a great number of victories that they [shattered] the myth of the undefeatable [Israeli] army, expelling it, defeated, from the Gaza Strip."Jihad for the sake of Allah is the pinnacle of Islam. By this means, honor is acquired in this world and in the world to come. It is one of the best and most noble deeds. The Muslims became inferior only when they abandoned jihad and pinned their hopes on this world [and not on the world to come]; that is when the enemies fell upon them...'"The mention of jihad during this blessed month is a mention of a glorious past, whose [example] we must follow in order to emerge from a crisis that has lasted so long that we now lag behind all nations, and despite our large number, have become as worthless as scum upon water. Allah removed our enemies' fear [of us] and placed weakness in our hearts [that is embodied by] a love of this world and a hatred of death. "Mentioning the past should lead [us] to learn its lessons and benefit from it as we create our present and outline a glorious course for our future. This is because Allah the Almighty commanded us to wage jihad, urged us to do so, and wanted it so much that he named anyone sacrificing their life for Him as having sold their soul to Allah – and what a pleasant transaction this is[2] ..."The blessed month of Ramadan is the month of jihad, and saw the two most important battles in the life of the Prophet [Muhammad]. The first is the great Battle of Badr [624 CE], which was the divine proof by means of which Allah distinguished truth from lie, and which led to Muslim honor and steadfastness. The second is the Conquest of Mecca, by virtue of which the first renunciation of Islam was defeated, the banners of paganism in the holy city [of Mecca] fell, and Islam became invincible throughout in the Arabian Peninsula."However, [despite] the life of humiliation that our Arab world is living today, since it abandoned jihad, there is still hope. [As a hadith attributed to the Prophet Muhammad states:] 'A group from among my ummah still fights and stands for truth until the Day of Judgement.'"Likewise, Ramadan is a way station for educating and comprehensively training and preparing the soul to enter the vortex of jihad. For the jihad fighters excel during this month, and make [this month] a school and a way station in order to fill in the cracks in their weakness and reinforce their means, so as to become closer to Allah and heed the calls of jihad."

Endnotes:[1] Alqassam.ps, June 7, 2016.[2] Allusion to Koran 9:111: "Indeed, Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties [in exchange] for that they will have Paradise. They fight in the cause of Allah , so they kill


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and are killed. [It is] a true promise [binding] upon Him in the Torah and the Gospel and the Qur'an. And who is truer to his covenant than Allah ? So rejoice in your transaction which you have contracted. And it is that which is the great attainment."

AQIM and ISIS in Algeria: Competing CampaignsBy Emily Estelle, Brenna Snyder June 2, 2016

The Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS) and al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) are competing to be the dominant Salafi-jihadi group in Algeria. ISIS first gained a foothold in Algeria through the defection of small AQIM factions and pledges of support from groups previously associated with AQIM.[1] ISIS Wilayat Jaza’ir, ISIS’s affiliate in Algeria, launched a campaign of ambushes and small explosive attacks targeting Algerian security forces in late 2015.[2] It is recruiting by calling for the immediate overthrow of North African regimes.[3] ISIS Wilayat Jaza’ir now operates in Skikda, Jijel, Constantine, Tipasa, Tizi Ouzou, Bejaia, Boumerdès, Bouira, Mèdèa, Blida, Chlef, Ain Defla, Tebessa, El Oued, and Illizi provinces. It will likely attempt to increase its operational tempo in Algeria and may also conduct a spectacular attack to rally Algerians to its cause.ISIS’s expansion in northern Algeria threatens AQIM’s dominance in its historical base.[4] AQIM continues to operate in a number of provinces, including: Batna, Tizi Ouzou, Jijel, Bejaia, Boumerdès, Bouira, Mèdèa, Blida, Chlef, Ain Defla, Tebessa, El Oued, Illizi, Adrar, and Tamanrasset. It is countering ISIS’s call with regular leadership statements that argue against ISIS’s strategy and attack the group’s legitimacy by elevating its own activities in Algeria.[5] AQIM will sustain its attacks against Algerian security forces and will also continue to target foreign companies operating in the country. The March 2016 attack on a BP-Statoil facility sought to exploit popular discontent with foreign companies that drain Algerian resources and the regime that supports them.[6] AQIM may increase the tempo of its attacks against Algerian security forces to compete with ISIS Wilayat Jaza’ir.


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ISIS’s rise in Algeria, supported by its rapid ascendancy in neighboring Libya and Tunisia, is driving AQIM to re-orient on Algeria.[7] The contest between ISIS and AQIM for dominance in Algeria will result in an increase in small-scale attacks against Algerian security forces, especially in the north. This contest is unlikely to destabilize the Algerian regime in the near term. [1] “Jund al Khilafa in Algeria Renews Pledge to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi,” SITE Intelligence Group, September 22, 2014, available by subscription through www.siteintelgroup.com; “Former AQIM Division in Algeria Pledges Allegiance to IS Leader,” SITE Intelligence Group, July 7, 2015; “Fighters from ‘Al-Ansar Battalion’ in Algeria Pledge to IS in Audio,” SITE Intelligence Group, September 4, 2015; and “AQIM Division in Algeria Pledges Allegiance to IS Leader Baghdadi in Video,” SITE Intelligence Group, September 22, 2015.[2] “IS Claims Bombing on Algerian Forces in Constantine,” SITE Intelligence Group, December 1, 2015; and “IS Claims Second Bombing on Algerian Soldiers in Constantine,” SITE Intelligence Group, December 18, 2015.[3] “IS Claims Bombing on Algerian Forces in Constantine,” SITE Intelligence Group, December 1, 2015; “IS Claims Second Bombing on Algerian Soldiers in Constantine,” SITE Intelligence Group, December 18, 2015; “IS-Linked ‘Amaq News Reports Killing, Wounding of Algerian Soldiers in Skikda,” SITE Intelligence Group, January 29, 2016; “One Terrorist, Quantity of Ammunition Recovered in Medea,” Algeria Press Service, January 12, 2016, http://www.aps.dz/en/algeria/10281-one-terrorist,-quantity-of-ammunition-recovered-in-medea; “Algeria releases a report finding that the 25 terrorists killed last month planned to establish an ISIS state in Algeria,” al Chourouk, June 8, 2015, http://www.alchourouk.com/113376/566/1/-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%B1:_%D8%A5%D8%AD%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B7_%D9%85%D8%AE%D8%B7%D8%B7_%D9%84%D9%80%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%B4_%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AE%D8%AA%D8%B7%D8%A7%D9%81_%D8%B4%D8%AE%D8%B5%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA_%D9%88%D9%85%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%B6%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%A7_%D8%A8%D8%A5%D8%B1%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%8A%D9%8A%D9%86_%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%AA%D9%82%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%86_%D9%81%D9%8A_%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%86%D8%B3_%D9%88%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A7-.html [Arabic]; Caleb Weiss, “Islamic State Claims Killing Algerian Soldiers,” Long War Journal, February 21, 2016, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/02/islamic-state-claims-killing-algerian-soldiers.php; “IS’ Algeria Province Releases First Video, Participates in Media Campaign to Recruit in North Africa,” SITE Intelligence Group, January 20, 2016; and Gilad Shiloach, “ISIS Targets North Africa—And Rival Al-Qaeda—In Massive Media Blitz,” Vocativ, January 20, 2016, http://www.vocativ.com/273357/isis-targets-north-africa-and-rival-al-qaeda-in-massive-media-blitz/. [4] Zachary Laub and Jonathan Masters, “Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb,” Council on Foreign Relations, March 27, 2015, http://www.cfr.org/terrorist-organizations-and-networks/al-qaeda-islamic-maghreb-aqim/p12717. [5] “AQIM Official Calls Fighters to Deploy to Libya 'Between the Hands of Aggression... Beware,’” SITE Intelligence Group, January 14, 2016.[6] Caleb Weiss, “AQIM claims attack on Algerian gas plant,” Long War Journal, March 19, 2016, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/03/aqim-claims-attack-on-algerian-gas-plant.php; Borzou Daragahi, “Environmental movement blocks fracking in Algeria’s remote south,” Financial Times, March 9, 2015, http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/db622d4c-c0f6-11e4-88ca-00144feab7de.html#axzz3TSYrTt9r; and “Repression on the rise in Algeria as peaceful protesters face imprisonment,” Amnesty International, May 18, 2016,


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https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/05/repression-on-the-rise-in-algeria-as-peaceful-protesters-face-imprisonment/. [7] Emily Estelle, “ISIS’s Courses of Action: Out of Sirte,” AEI’s Critical Threats Project, April 29, 2016, http://www.criticalthreats.org/libya/estelle-isis-courses-of-action-out-of-sirte-april-29-2016; and “Update and Assessment: May 4, 2016,” AEI’s Critical Threats Project, May 4, 2016, http://www.criticalthreats.org/threat-update/may-4-2016, slide 9.

Russian, Syrian defense ministers arrive in Tehran for 'strategic meeting'Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu arrived in Tehran on June 9 to meet with Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan and Syrian Defense Minister Fahd Jassem al-Freij to discuss "regional developments and ways to strengthen and expand the fight against terrorism." According to Iranian media, "the strategic meeting" was called by Iran. After the meeting, Dehghan discussed Iran's position on Syria and the region. On the cease-fires in Syria, which all sides have been accused of violating, Dehghan said, "We agree with cease-fires that do not result in the strengthening of terrorists in this country." Iranian officials refer to the armed opposition groups as terrorists and do not distinguish between the Islamic State, al-Qaeda and other Salafi-Jihadi groups. Dehghan accused the United States, Saudi Arabia and other regional countries of "justifying the support of terrorists under the cover of supporting moderate rebels." He said that this support "proves the falsehood of [the United States] being against terrorism," and that "claimants of human rights are closing their eyes to the most immoral acts and crimes of terrorists" in Yemen, Syria and Iraq.Dehghan added that Iran would support a cease-fire that is a "complete cease-fire, providing disaster relief and humanitarian action while simultaneously preventing the arming and supporting of terrorist movements while at the same time taking decisive military action against terrorists." It is possible that Dehghan's third point about cease-fires — decisive military action against terrorists — is likely the reason for the meeting between the three ministers. In a televised speech to Syria's new parliament June 7, President Bashar al-Assad hinted at the purpose of the meeting when he said, "We will liberate every inch of Syria from the hands of the opposition."Dehghan also requested of the Syrian groups currently in talks with the Syrian government to "collaborate to take steps to establish peace, calm and expel the terrorist threat." He also said that Iran has always supported Syrian-Syrian negotiations as a path to resolve the crisis in the country.Dehghan thanked the Russian and Syrian defense ministers for meeting with him in Tehran to "exchange ideas, cooperation and adopting of strategic decisions to defeat the dangerous plot that has [sought] instability, disintegration and the distortion of the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of countries in the region."Since Russia entered the Syrian civil war in September 2015 in order to back Syrian troops and Iranian forces, the tide of the war has changed. Armed Syrian opposition groups, backed by regional countries and Western countries, have mostly been in retreat. Iranian media has covered extensively successive Syrian army victories. Two June 9 articles from Tasnim News agency had the headlines "Advance of Syrian army on the suburbs of Damascus" and "The continued advancement of the Syrian army in Raqqa and the alarm of [IS]." Attacks on hospitals in opposition-held areas, such as ones that have happened recently in Aleppo, rarely make it into Iranian headlines.Shoigu will also meet with Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council.

Dutch probe report of ISIS 'sleeper cell' among Muslim migrantsEuropean intelligence agencies' worst fears about 'refugee' influx apparently realized, as Holland hunts for jihadist sleeper cell. The Netherlands is investigating media reports that a sleeper cell of the Islamic State jihadist group (ISIS) has been hiding among migrants in a Dutch refugee camp, officials said Tuesday. "We have heard these reports and an inquiry is being undertaken into this," Justice


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Minister Ard van der Steur told MPs during a parliamentary session.He refused to go into any detail, saying only that "in this kind of case information is internationally shared at every level." The French newspaper Le Monde reported Tuesday that a Syrian suspect who turned himself into French police had revealed the existence of the sleeper cell, split between a camp in the eastern Dutch town of Nijmegen, close to the German border, and the German city of Duesseldorf.The suspect, identified as Saleh A, said there were about 20 people in the cell of which he and another man Hamza C. were the heads, Le Monde said. Contacted by AFP, the Dutch prosecution service refused to make any comment about the report.German federal prosecutors announced last week that three Syrian men had been arrested in Germany over an alleged plan to launch a suicide attack there for Islamic State. According to the suspects' plan, two attackers were to detonate suicide vests while the others were to kill passersby with guns and explosives in Duesseldorf, prosecutors said in a statement. Saleh A. and Hamza C. had joined IS in early 2014 in Syria, where "they were ordered by the group's leadership to carry out an attack in the old town of Duesseldorf," the German prosecutors said.Since the November attacks in Paris and the March suicide bombings targeting the Brussels airport and metro, Dutch officials have repeatedly sought to reassure people that they are being vigilant about security. The Netherlands took in a record 58,800 migrants last year, almost double the number which arrived in 2014 as Europe grapples with its worse refugee crisis since World War II.Some 3,000 have been housed in Nijmegen, the biggest camp in the country erected to house asylum seekers. AFP contributed this report.

Regards Cees***Obama Widens U.S. Afghan Role in Final Months in Office by Robert Burns, Associated PressFar from ending the two wars he inherited from the Bush administration, Barack Obama is wrestling with an expanded set of conflicts in the final months of his presidency, from Iraq and Afghanistan to Libya and Syria, with no end in sight. In Afghanistan, where a Taliban resurgence has upset Washington's "exit strategy," Obama is giving the U.S. military wider latitude to support Afghan forces, both in the air and on the ground.The White House says U.S. forces are not taking on a new mission in Afghanistan but rather will "more proactively support" government forces. That amounts to an acknowledgement that the Afghans need more help than the Pentagon had anticipated last year, and it is a signal to allies not to abandon the U.S.-led coalition. Defense Secretary Ash Carter will be discussing this next week in talks at NATO headquarters in Brussels. The 9,800 U.S. troops in Afghanistan are scheduled to drop to 5,500 by the end of this year, but the pace of that decline has yet to be decided. One factor in deciding future troop levels is the extent to which NATO allies are willing to remain involved in training and advising the Afghans…… The Obama administration and its strongest opponents in Congress may not have all that much in common, but one thing they do share is the constant misuse of the word “strategy.” Strategy does not consist of stating a broad policy goal and empty rhetoric. It consist of stating an actual plan with clearly defined goals, specific means to achieve, milestones for action, estimates of the necessary resources and their availability, estimates of cost-benefits and risks, and metrics to measure success. A sound bite that fits in Twitter or a fortunate cookie is not a strategy.

Al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri endorsed the Afghan Taliban guerrillas, a move that may boost the group's insurgency in Afghanistan after President Barack Obama approved the expansion of the U.S. military's role in the war-plagued nation.


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