Islamic State

Philippine Military Kills Islamists Isnilon Hapilon, Omar Maute

With the fighting in Marawi is drawing to a close, as Filipino military forces rout the remaining Islamist fighters holding onto the last footholds in the city, the military killed two of the leaders of the terrorists who have held Marawi since May 23. According to sources, army snipers killed both Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute in the fighting.

The fighting has been bloody in Marawi, with over 1000 dead, including 800 of the insurgents. But the army has kept the pressure on and the terrorists are now held in a small enclave which is expected to fall soon. Hapilon is on the US list of “most wanted terrorists”, was killed in the fighting during a pre-dawn attack along with another wanted militant, Omar Maute, the army said. Maute was one of two brothers who were head of the Maute Terror Group. His brother Abdullah is believed to have been killed in September.

“It will be just a matter of days before it will finally be declared that Marawi has been liberated from the clutches of terrorists,” army chief of staff General Eduardo Ano told a news conference. “There will be no let up.”
He held up photos of two bloodied faces he said were those of Hapilon and Maute, one of two brothers who head the region’s Maute insurgency group.
Hapilon was shot in the head and Maute died of a chest wound during a night-time operation, officials said. A freed hostage tipped off the authorities about their whereabouts.
Observers say the occupation of Marawi stoked fears that militant Islamist ideology is more prevalent on the island of Mindanao than had previously been imagined.
The region is the only Muslim-majority part of the otherwise largely Catholic Philippines.

With the terrorists holding just about 5 acres of Marawi, the military has to root out the remaining fighters, thought to contain 5-8 foreign fighters as well as about 30 civilians being held as hostages.

Besides the killing of Hapilon, the self-anointed “emir of the IS Caliphate” in Mindanao, the latest attack freed 17 hostages.

To read the entire article from BBC News, click here:

Photo courtesy Jack Murphy-SOFREP

Islamic State Fighters Fleeing Raqqa as the Battle Nears the End

U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), have agreed to a proposal with the Islamic State that allows Syrian jihadists to leave the city of Raqqa in exchange for the release of civilians held captive by the ISIS group.

A statement released by SDF stated ISIS fighters are fleeing as the SDF has nearly totally captured Raqqa. The SDF, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, on Saturday, launched what they deem their final assault against the remaining Islamic State fighters in the city, located in Northern Syria.

So far. Over 3000 civilians have fled the city as part of the evacuation agreement. Foreign fighters for ISIS are not covered in the agreement, however.

“Last night, the final batch of fighters (who agreed to leave) left the city,” said SDF spokesman Mostafa Bali, adding that no foreign fighters had left the city. The SDF later said in a statement that around 275 local fighters and their families had left as part of the deal.
“The final battle will continue until the entire city is cleansed of terrorists, who have refused to surrender,” the SDF said.
However, Omar Alloush, an official in the Raqqa Civilian Council, disputed the SDF’s claim and said a batch of foreign jihadists had also departed with the convoy of local militants.
The US had earlier protested a safe exit for the extremist group. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Friday the US would accept the surrender of IS militants who would be interrogated for intelligence purposes.
The tribal leaders said they appealed to the coalition and the SDF to allow IS fighters to leave the city to stem further violence.
“Because our aim is liberation, not killing, we appealed to the SDF to arrange for the local fighters and secure their exit to outside of the city with our guarantees,” the tribal chiefs said in a statement.

US statements from the Combined Joint Task Force did not support the freeing of ISIS or Daesh (the local term) fighters in any agreement. But the fight for Raqqa now is down to their final days. The IS also lost the Syrian town of Mayadeen to Syrian government forces that were backed by Russian airstrikes.

To read the entire article Deutsche Welle click here:

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State-Backed Iraqi Militias Attack Kurdish Positions in Kirkuk

Iraqi Kurdish officials said on Monday that federal forces and state-backed militias had launched a “major, multi-pronged” attack aimed at retaking the disputed northern city of Kirkuk that is held by the Kurdish peshmerga forces.

One local Iraqi Kurdish commander said federal forces had seized an oil and gas company and other industrial sites south of Kirkuk, in fighting with Kurdish forces that caused “lots of casualties.”

State-sanctioned Iraqi militias have taken up positions inside the disputed northern city of Kirkuk after federal forces clashed with Kurdish forces outside the city.
The mostly Shiite Arab militias, known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, are viewed with deep suspicion by the city’s Kurdish community. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had previously vowed they would remain outside the city.
An Associated Press reporter on Monday saw the militiamen at posts in Turkmen areas on the western side of the city that had been abandoned by Kurdish forces.
Kurdish forces were falling back from their positions around Kirkuk as federal forces advanced on the city. Kurdish commanders say they have sustained casualties in the clashes, without providing specific figures.

Tensions have reached a high point between the Kurds and Iraqis since the Kurds voted for independence last month in a non-binding referendum rejected as unconstitutional by Baghdad.

Both sides are receiving US support in the fight against the Islamic State. Official U.S. spokesman U.S. Army Col. Ryan Dillon tweeted that the coalition is “closely monitoring sit. near Kirkuk; urge all sides to avoid escalatory actions. Finish the fight vs. #ISIS, biggest threat to all.”

To read the entire article from The ABC News click here:

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War in Syria Has Transformed Hezbollah Into a Regional Power

Hezbollah was borne out of a struggle against Israel and now the large organization has transformed into a much larger force since its experience in the civil war in Syria. Their success in fighting against the Islamic State, or Daesh, as they call it, have them flush with new recruits.

But while they have fought for the Syrian government that has always supported them with arms and sanctuaries, their ultimate goal is still the same. And now they consider themselves a regional power.

Hezbollah, considered a terrorist organization by Washington, has gained extensive battlefield experience in Syria, and it claims it is prepared for another war with Israel if necessary.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah recently warned Israel of “heavy losses” if it underestimates his organization’s capabilities.
The official said the Iran-backed group’s “decisive and essential” role in Syria has turned it into a major military force in the Middle East.
“That was not our aim when we intervened in Syria,” he said. “All we wanted is to defend the resistance and defend a state that has stood by and supported the resistance since its inception in 1982 until now.

And the organization that has lost anywhere between 1300-1500 fighters during the war in Syria has had no problems in attracting new Shia recruits to their flag. In fact, their numbers have grown as Hezbollah leaders are using a sort of theology to attract the young to their cause.

Naim Qassem, the Deputy Chief of Hezbollah has attended funerals for young killed fighters where he linked the deaths to the concept of fate, which is predestined by God and therefore unchangeable.

And now the next question is, what happens next? Many thought that Hezbollah would just return to Lebanon after the war was over. But their leaders aren’t so quick to acknowledge that, stating that they’ll “go where they are needed.”

To read the entire article from Middle East Eye click here:

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How Did IS Emerge in Afghanistan Under the US Watch? – Karzai

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai continues to blame the U.S. for the problems in Afghanistan and wants to know, how under the US watch, with a massive military and intelligence apparatus in place, an organization like the Islamic State was able to take root in the country.

“The US came to Afghanistan to bring peace and stability and defeat extremism — [yet] we have more of it today. Why? That is what we should be discussing,” Karzai said. “Clearly bombings, killings, prisons and the harassment of people [in Afghanistan] have not worked.”
Noting that has emerged in Afghanistan over the past few years, Karzai asked: “Who did this under the watch of US intelligence and military in Afghanistan and how come?”
“We are grateful for what Britain has done in Afghanistan; it was a much, much softer version of what the US did,” Karzai said, admitting, however, that Helmand is no longer in control of the Afghan government today; rather, it is under the Taliban.
“How come there is more extremism in spite of millions of dollars and loss of lives?” Karzai asked. When the interviewer followed up with a question about “proof,” Karzai added: “The proof is what is happening in Afghanistan.”

Karzai has grown more and more vocal about his criticism at Washington although it was the government of President Bush that helped him take power in 2001 when they ousted the Taliban.

Karzai also said that the US has used Pakistan in a “way that was not human” in getting Afghanistan’s neighbor to aid them in ousting the Soviets in the late 1980s. He claims that the US policies will hinder economic development for both Afghanistan and Pakistan

To read the entire article from The Dawn, click here:

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Iran Warns US Against Further Sanctions, Terrorist Designation

In a bizarre turn of events that seem to be lost on the powers that be in Tehran, the Iranian government warned the United States that further sanctions against them or labeling Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization could result in attacks against US bases near the Iranian border.

In other words, the Iranians have basically stated that if the US labels them a terrorist organization, the Revolutionary Guard will act like terrorists and attack US bases. Their state-run news also threatened missile attacks to the limit of their range.

Iran warned the United States Sunday against imposing new sanctions, as well as against declaring Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization.
The head of the elite military unit also made a veiled threat to attack US military bases in the region.
The state-run IRNA news agency quoted General Mohammad Ali Jafari as saying: “If new sanctions go into effect, the country [US] should move its regional bases to a 2000-kilometer radius, the range of Iranian missiles.”
The US has military bases in countries neighboring Iran, about 300 miles (500 km) from Iran’s borders. They include sites in Bahrain, Iraq, Oman, and Afghanistan.

The Iranians also claim that they will label the US military a terrorist organization in a tit-for-tat move, which they said is akin to deeming the US the equivalent of the Islamic State. The latest war of words has to do with the nuclear deal the previous US administration struck with Iran. President Trump made a campaign promise to void the deal which essentially guarantees a nuclear-capable Iran.

Regardless of whether or not the US voids that deal, there is expected to be sharper sanctions against the Iranians due to their disregard of the nuclear deal’s limits on missile testing, cyber-attacks and their continued support of terrorism.

To read the entire article from The DW, click here:

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Iraqi Forces Drive Islamic State Fighters Out of Central Hawija

Military forces from Iraq are driving out fighters from the Islamic State in their last bastion in Iraqi territory. On Tuesday, the military announced that they’ve driven ISIS troops out of the center of the town of Hawija.

In heavy fighting, the Iraqis claim to have killed 196 ISIS fighters and recaptured 98 small villages that surround the town. Hawija is the last big enclave of the Islamic State in Iraq. Once they’ve been ousted, they will control only a small strip of land between Iraq and Syria.

On Tuesday, Iraqi forces captured the Rashad air base south of the city, which was used as a training camp by the militants.
The UN said on Tuesday up to 78,000 civilians were still trapped in Hawija. Iraqi security forces said IS militants were preventing some people from leaving and might have laid explosives around the town.
About 12,500 people had fled since the army’s operation began two weeks ago, according to the UN. It is unclear though how many civilians have escaped in the past couple of days.

Lieutenant General Abdel Amir Yarallah, the Iraqi force commander, told the press that a combined force of military, police, and paramilitary had captured the center of Hawija and are continuing the advance. The Islamic State had held Hawija since moving into Iraq in 2014.

To read the entire article from the BBC, click here:

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ISIS Claim of Responsibility for Las Vegas Shooting a Sign of Desperation?

Counterterrorism experts are stating that the ISIS claims for responsibility for the Las Vegas shooting on Sunday are another sign that the terror group is growing increasingly desperate to remain relevant as they lose their “caliphates” in Syria and Iraq.

One former Department of Homeland Security official, Peter Vincent stated to media sources that by making such false claims that ISIS is becoming “somewhat of a joke among the terrorist elite.”

ISIS claimed Monday that Stephen Craig Paddock — who Las Vegas police say killed 58 people, in addition to himself, and injured at least 500 others — was a “soldier of the Islamic State” but gave no evidence to back up its claim.
Citing a “security source,” the group’s media arm, Amaq, said Paddock, a 64-year-old retiree from Mesquite, Nevada, carried out the attack “in response to calls to target coalition countries.” Unusually, ISIS doubled down on the claim, releasing a second statement claiming Paddock had recently converted to Islam and identified him as “Abu Abd El Bar.”
The FBI quickly dismissed ISIS’s claims, saying at this stage there was no evidence Paddock had no connection to any international terrorist group.

While some terror experts are arguing that this latest claim by ISIS for responsibility has undermined its credibility, still others are arguing that the opposite is true. Shiraz Maher, deputy director of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence at King’s College London said that this move by the Islamic State was a disinformation operation to spread panic, hinder the on-going investigation and to help recruit new operatives.

Stating that this latest ISIS move is a form of psychological warfare, Maher stated that “In a sense it doesn’t matter if ISIS lies about this — their supporters will see it as a victory,” he said. He also brought up the valid point that any follower of ISIS would never believe the FBI’s statement anyway, so the terrorist world will see this as a victory.

To read the entire article from NBC News, click here:

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Trump, Mattis Relax Rules of Engagement for Troops in Afghanistan

Back in August, President Donald Trump pledged to lift the restrictions and expand the authorities for US troops in Afghanistan in a move to break the stalemate in the sixteen-year long war. And now Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis has overturned a stipulation in the rules of engagement that US troops must be in contact with enemy forces before opening fire.

“You see some of the results of releasing our military from, for example, a proximity requirement — how close was the enemy to the Afghan or the U.S.-advised special forces,” Mattis told the Senate Armed Services Committee. “That is no longer the case, for example. So, these kind of restrictions that did not allow us to employ the airpower fully have been removed, yes.”
Mattis also confirmed the changes at a later hearing, saying, “We are no longer bound by the need for proximity to our forces. It used to be we have to basically be in contact with that enemy.”
“Those units with NATO and American advisers win, and those without them often do not win,” he said. “So we are going to spread the number of units with advisers to bring that air support to win.”

The move easing the requirement of being in close proximity to the enemy as well as pushing the U.S. advisers down to lower level Afghan units is seen as a small but important step in breaking the stalemate with the Taliban who still control large areas of the country.

Mattis was quick to point out however, that these changes do not mean an increase in Afghan civilian targeting stating that U.S. forces will do everything “humanly possible” to avoid civilian casualties.

To read the entire article from Fox News, click here:

Photo courtesy Department of Defense

U.S. Backed SDF Scours ISIS Base in Raqqa For Intelligence

US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces are moving thru the Islamic State’s former bastion at Raqqa as now 90 percent of the city has been taken. Their fighters on Monday were slowly recovering communication equipment and weapons used by the ISIS forces in their former command centers.

After battling thru the western edge of the city, the SDF in the vicious no-quarter-given fight were now slowly moving from house-by-house in the search weapons or intelligence left behind by ISIS.

“This neighbourhood was a strategic place for Daesh. Most of their bases were here, including command centres and ammunition depots,” said local SDF commander Gabar Derek, using the Arabic acronym for IS.
Many of the buildings in the area are large stone complexes formerly used by Syria’s government, then taken up as bases by IS before the SDF moved in.
“A few days ago we advanced into a position used by IS and found walkie-talkies. We took out a lot but there was a part we could not remove until today,” said Derek, 25.
As he spoke, his fighters unloaded an armoured vehicle full of dozens of walkie-talkies, military fatigues and boots, a gas mask, rocket-propelled grenades, and even a serrated sword retrieved from the former IS command centre.

The SDF fighters are finding a treasure trove of weapons, equipment and documents as the Islamic State are leaving behind a mountain of gear in an attempt to flee. Radios with frequencies and call-signs and documents will all be gone thru carefully by the group as they finish up the task of evicting ISIS from the last big bastion in Syria.

To read the entire article from AL-Monitor, click here:

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