Friday, August 22, 2014

U.S., foreign intel assessing Islamic State threats

Authorities in France and Morocco detained citizens suspected of joining the Islamic State, but a U.S. intelligence bulletin issued Friday said there are no specific or credible threats on the U.S. homeland from the militant group.
The FBI and Homeland Security Department issued the bulletin as concerns rise that Islamic State supporters in the USA and Europe could attack anywhere with little or no warning.
White House Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes told reporters Friday "we monitor very closely whether or not ISIL will seek to develop plots that are aimed at the West, aimed at beyond this geographic area where they've been operating. We are doing that. We're actively consulting with European partners about how to watch the threat that they could pose to the West. We take their threats seriously, because we have to take every threat that's made against the United States seriously." But he said there is no indication the group is at this point planning a 9/11-type of attack on the U.S.
U.S. law enforcement has been trying to identify Islamic State supporters who would bring the group's brand of violent jihad to the United States. U.S. airstrikes against the group in Iraq intensified after militants beheaded American journalist James Foley. The group called Foley's killing revenge for previous strikes against militants in Iraq.
USATODAY
Islamic State goes beyond a terror group with its tactics
French authorities on Friday detained two girls, ages 15 and 17, using a security net to find citizens considering travel to other countries to join jihad.
France is prosecuting suspects who try to become foreign fighters, even before they leave French soil. Thousands of European citizens have traveled to Syrian battlegrounds, but there is no unified plan in Europe to prevent them from going or to deal with them when they return.
USATODAY
More British Muslims fight for Islamic State than Britain
A Kurdish soldier flashes the victory sign as they battle against Islamic State militants on Aug. 18 near Mosul, Iraq.
A Kurdish soldier flashes the victory sign as they battle against Islamic State militants on Aug. 18 near Mosul, Iraq. (Photo: Ahmad Al-Rubaye, AFP/Getty Images)
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  • A Kurdish soldier flashes the victory sign as they battle against Islamic State militants on Aug. 18 near Mosul, Iraq.
  • Iraqi army troops patrol a road in Anbar province, west of Ramadi.
  • A Shiite fighter loyal to Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr holds a position in support of the Iraqi army during a fight against Islamic State militants in the Jurf al-Sakher district on Aug. 18 outside Baghdad.
  • Shiite fighters back the Iraqi army during a battle against militants in the Jurf al-Sakher district.
  • A Shiite fighter holds a position.
  • Smoke rises from airstrikes on positions held by Islamic State militants at the Mosul Dam outside Mosul, Iraq.
  • Kurdish troops inspect the wreckage of a car painted with an Islamic jihadist flag after it was destroyed during an American air strike in Baqufa.
  • Iraqi army armored vehicles move down the main highway in Anbar province.
  • An Iraqi Yazidi woman sits with a child Aug. 17 under a bridge where displaced people of this religious minority found refuge after Islamic State militants attacked the town of Sinjar.
  • Smoke billows after an airstrike near a dam in Mosul, Iraq, as Kurdish forces battle for control.
  • A Kurdish peshmerga fighter prepares his weapon in Chamibarakat, Iraq. Kurdish forces took over parts of a nearby dam that was captured by the Islamic State extremist group.
  • A Kurdish fighter prepares his ammunition in Chamibarakat.
  • United Nations High Commission for Refugees staff members erect tents Aug. 13 at a new camp in Irbil, Iraq, for Iraqi Christian refugees forced to flee their homes.
  • An Iraqi Christian boy leans his head against a chair in a tent in Irbil, Iraq, that he shares with his family after being forced from their homes.
  • United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) staff members erect tents at a new camp in Irbil, Iraq, for Iraqi Christian refugees.
  • Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, center, and acting Defense Minister Sadun al-Dulaymi, attend the funeral of Maj. Gen. Majid Abdul-Salam in Baghdad. The pilot was killed in a helicopter crash in northern Iraq one day prior.
  • An Iraqi woman on Aug. 13 walks past the scene of an explosion that took place the previous night in Baghdad's commercial district of Karrada.
  • A member of the Iraqi security forces stands guard in central Baghdad.
  • Supporters of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki rally in Baghdad. Tanks and Humvees were positioned on Baghdad bridges and at major intersections with security personnel more visible than usual as pro-Maliki demonstrators pledge their allegiance to him. The placard reads, "al-Maliki is our choice."
  • People inspect the site of a car bomb attack in Baghdad. A string of attacks in and around the capital killed more than a dozen and wounded dozens more.
  • People clear the site of a car bomb attack in Baghdad.
  • Iraqis chant pro-government slogans in support of embattled Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad on Aug. 11. Al-Maliki is in a struggle to keep his job after Iraqi President Fouad Massoum nominated deputy speaker of the parliament Haider al-Abadi to replace him.
  • Iraqi security forces stand guard during a rally supporting al-Maliki in Baghdad.
  • Supporters of al-Maliki take part in a Baghdad rally.
  • Iraqi army armored vehicles patrol a street in Baghdad, amid tighter security after Iraq's prime minister said he would sue the president in a desperate bid to cling to his job.
  • Peshmerga forces hand out water bottles and show the way to displaced Iraqi families from the Yazidi community as they cross the Iraqi-Syrian border at the Fishkhabur crossing, in northern Iraq.
  • Displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community cross the Iraq-Syria border over the Tigris River in northern Iraq.
  • Displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community cross the Iraqi-Syrian border over the Tigris River in northern Iraq.
  • A displaced Iraqi boy from the Yazidi community crosses the Iraqi-Syrian border in northern Iraq. Many from the Yazidi, besieged by jihadists on a mountain in northern Iraq have safely escaped to Syria.
  • Displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community cross the Iraqi-Syrian border over the Tigris River in northern Iraq.
  • A displaced Iraqi man from the Yazidi community carries his daughter as they cross the Iraqi-Syrian border in northern Iraq.
  • Displaced Iraqi children from the Yazidi community ride in the back of a truck across the Iraqi-Syrian border at the Fishkhabur crossing in northern Iraq.
  • Humanitarian goods are unloaded from a French Air Force plane at Erbil airport in Iraqi Kurdistan on Aug. 10.
  • An Iraqi Yazidi, who fled her home a week ago when Islamic State militants attacked the town of Sinjar, sits with a baby, on Aug. 10, in a building under construction where Yazidis found refuge in the Kurdish city of Dohuk.
  • Iraqis Yazidis, who fled their homes a week ago when Islamic State militants attacked the town of Sinjar, sit on makeshift beds inside a building in the Kurdish city of Dohuk in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region where Yazidis found shelter.
  • U.S. and Kurdish flags flutter in the wind while displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community cross into Syria at Feeshkhabour border point in northern Iraq.
  • Syrian Kurdish Peshmerga fighters stand guard as displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community settle at a camp in Derike, Syria.
  • Displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community settle at a camp at Derike, Syria. Kurdish authorities at the border believe some 45,000 Yazidis passed the river crossing in the past week and thousands more are still stranded in the mountains.
  • An F/A-18C Hornet coming from Iraq lands on Navy aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush, on Aug. 10, in the Persian Gulf.
  • Female members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party take position on the front line in Makhmur, south of Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq where clashes with Islamic State militants are ongoing on Aug. 9.
  • U.S. Air Force Sgt. Lynn Morelly watches bundles of halal meals parachute to the ground during a humanitarian airdrop mission on Aug. 9 over Iraq.
  • Kurdish troops defend a position during a battle against militants from the Islamic State of iraq and the Levant on June 23 near Taza Khormato, Iraq.
  • Kurdish soldiers battle Islamic militants near Taza Khormato.
  • Iraqi soldiers patrol an area along the border between Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
  • Iraqi soldiers guard a position on the border between Iraq and Saudi Arabia near Karbala.
  • A photograph released on June 23 shows militants from ISIL remove statues of religious figures and Iraqi cultural icons in Mosul on June 19.
  • Militants removed statues and cultural icons in Mosul.
  • Iraqi Turkmen forces patrol a checkpoint in Tuz Khurmatu on June 21.
  • An Iraqi Shiite militiaman, a follower of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, breaks a sign with the name of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant during a parade, in Kirkuk.
  • Militants stand with a captured Iraqi army Humvee at a checkpoint outside Beiji oil refinery on June 19 near Baghdad.
  • An Iraqi army tank was destroyed after an attack by Sunni militants near Beiji.
  • A militant stands guard at a checkpoint captured from the Iraqi army outside the Beiji refinery.
  • Smoke rises from the Beiji oil refinery.
  • Iraqi volunteers train in Najaf City. More than 2 million Iraqis have volunteered to fight against Sunni militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.
  • Iraqi volunteers attend a training session at the Ibrahimiya police camp outside Karbala.
  • An image from British broadcaster Sky television shows Kurdish soldiers battling militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on June 18 near Jalula, Iraq. Kurdish security forces fought the Sunni militants, using heavy artillery and rockets to attack their positions.
  • A Kurdish soldier fires a heavy machine gun at militants near Jalula.
  • Kurdish troops run down a street during a battle with Sunni militants in Jalula.
  • A Kurdish solider fires at militants with ISIL.
  • Kurdish troops leave a transport vehicle.
  • Kurdish troops ride in an armored vehicle.
  • Iraqi special forces troops deploy in West Baghdad.
  • Militants from ISIL parade with a captured Iraqi army vehicle in Baiji.
  • Militants from ISIL celebrate in Baiji.
  • A photograph released on June 17 by Albaraka News allegedly shows a militant fighter from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant tying up a captured Iraqi soldier at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq on June 12.
  • A photograph released on June 17 by Albaraka News allegedly shows fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant inspecting vehicles belonging to the Iraqi army after they were captured at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq.
  • A photograph released by Albaraka News shows smoke rising from Iraqi army vehicles during an attack by fighters from ISIL near the border between Syria and Iraq.
  • A photograph released by Albaraka News shows militants from ISIL firing at advancing Iraqi troops at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq.
  • <p>Men flash victory signs as they leave a recruiting center to join the Iraqi army in Baghdad. Young Shiite men are joining the army to battle a Sunni militant force advancing from the north.</p>
  • Demonstrators chant slogans of support for ISIL in front of the provincial government headquarters after the militant group captured Mosul.
  • Shiite tribal fighters raise their weapons and chant slogans against the Islamic State of Iraq in the Shula neighborhood of Baghdad.
  • Militants parade down a main road in Mosul. Days after Iraq's second-largest city fell to the militant fighters, some Iraqis are already returning to Mosul, lured back by insurgents offering cheap gas and food, restoring power and water and removing traffic barricades.
  • A photograph from a militant website appears to show militants from the al-Qaeda-inspired Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant taking aim at captured Iraqi soldiers wearing civilian clothing after capturing a base in Tikrit. ISIL has posted photos that appear to show its fighters shooting dead dozens of captured Iraqi soldiers in a province north of the capital Baghdad.
  • A verified image from a militant website appears to show militants from ISIL leading away captured Iraqi soldiers who are wearing civilian clothing in Tikrit.
  • Iraqi military trucks transport volunteers to Muthanna base in central Baghdad.
  • Military trucks transport army volunteers to Muthanna base.
  • Children play with an Iraqi army helmet on June 13 in Mosul.
  • Children walk through a refugee camp near Erbil in northern Iraq.
  • An Iraqi army armored vehicle destroyed during fighting with militants sits on a street on June 12 in Mosul. Militants belonging to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have captured Tikrit and Mosul after soldiers and security forces abandoned their posts.
  • Burned Iraqi army armored vehicles litter a street in Mosul. The militants have vowed to march on to Baghdad.
  • An image made from an Iraqi0Revolution video shows a militant standing in front of a burning Iraqi army Humvee in Tikrit.
  • An image from video posted by Iraqi0Revolution, a group supporting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, shows militants on the Al-Sharqat military base north of Tikrit.
  • Militants walk through the captured Al-Sharqat military base.
  • Teenagers ride on an armored vehicle belonging to the Iraqi army in Tikrit on June 11. Al-Qaida-inspired militants seized effective control Wednesday of Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, expanding their offensive closer to the Iraqi capital as soldiers and security forces abandoned their posts following clashes with the insurgents.
  • Men chant slogans against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant outside the main army recruiting center as they volunteer for military service in Baghdad.
  • An Iraqi soldier flashes a victory sign at an army recruiting center.
  • Wounded refugees from Mosul arrive at the Khazir refugee camp outside Irbil.
  • Kurdish police officers stand guard while refugees from Mosul enter Irbil.
  • Iraqi security forces drive to Baghdad from Mosul.
France, which has a Muslim population of about 5 million — the largest in Western Europe — is leading the way on the continent. French authorities say there are some 900 people from France who have fought in a religious war abroad, plan to join one, or are returning from one. Several dozen have been killed.
A proposed law would allow passports to be confiscated from suspects planning to fight in Syria or Iraq and would create new measures to prosecute jihad wannabes or returnees. France also is planning to join other European countries in blocking Internet sites that espouse the jihad cause.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve pointed to the man suspected of killing four people at the Jewish Museum in Brussels in May as evidence of the need to consider tough new measures to be debated this fall. The suspect, Frenchman Mehdi Nemmouche, fought in Syria.
"Must I wait for a new Mehdi Nemmouche to fire before I act?" Cazeneuve said in a recent interview with online publication Mediapart. Not all the proposed anti-terrorism measures will compromise civil liberties, he said.
USATODAY
Returning Islamic State fighters could threaten USA
Morocco also announced Friday the arrest of two suspected members of the Islamic State. The men, who had connections to foreign extremists, were planning to train in Syria with the group before returning to carry out attacks in Morocco, according to the government statement.
The Moroccan military is on high alert, stationing anti-aircraft missile batteries around major cities, as well as along the borders with Algeria and Mauritania. There has been no official explanation for the sudden high visibility of military units around the country, but the local press has said it is in response to fears of a terrorist attack related to two Airbus airliners stolen recently in Libya.
Morocco says at least 1,000 of its citizens are fighting on the side of Islamic extremists in Syria and Iraq.
USATODAY
Hagel says U.S. will not relent in pursuit of militants
Similar concerns occupy authorities in Britain and Germany as well.
"It is impossible to quantify the risk of terrorist attacks by returning foreign fighters," Nigel Inkster, a former counterterrorism chief for Britain's M16 spy agency, wrote Friday on his blog for the International Institute of Strategic Studies. But he said those returning from Syria and Iraq "are likely to be better trained and motivated and more battle-hardened" than those who trained in Pakistan's tribal areas over the past decade.
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