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Sino-India border friction: An attempt by about 15 China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers to enter the northern bank of Pangong Lake in Ladakh on Tuesday while Indians were celebrating Independence Day was the latest twist of the two-month standoff between India and China on the Dhoklam plateau, E Jaya Kumar writes. Although the situation in the lake area was quickly defused, things may spin out of control and lead to a conflict if more such incursion attempts occur on either side of the 3,488-km border dividing the two countries. The Pangong incident resulted in stone-pelting that caused minor injuries to soldiers on both sides. READ THE STORY HERE
UAE to grant $15 million a month to Gaza The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will begin contributing $15 million per month to support relief, humanitarian and development projects in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian politician announced Thursday. The news comes as Gaza’s ruling party, Hamas, tightens relations with Mohammed Dahlan, a UAE-based rival to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who exiled and expelled him from his Fatah party in 2011. Dahlan reached several agreements with Hamas in early July during a series of meetings in Egypt in a bid to alleviate pressure imposed on the movement and the besieged enclave.
Putin's brief and violent confrontation with North Caucasus Islam. Robert Service @hooverinst
"It is widely assumed that Russian foreign and domestic policies operate quite independently of each other. This is not the way to make sense of Russia and its Islamic world. Not the least of the reasons is that the manner in which the Kremlin treats its Muslim citizens is inextricably linked to the manner in which it deals with the neighboring Muslim states of the former Soviet Union. Thus, when Putin is affirming his benign intentions toward Muslims in those states, the question arises about how he is dealing with discontent in the Muslim-inhabited territories of the Russian Federation itself. Nothing gives greater cause for concern than the scorched-earth offensive in Chechnya that he ordered in 1999 when still only Yeltsin’s prime minister…" http://www.hoover.org/research/russia-wrestles-islam
AFRICOM playing catch-up against al-Shabaab in Somalia. @billroggio @thomasjoscelyn.
"US Africa Command (AFRICOM) launched two “kinetic strikes” against Shabaab, al Qaeda’s branch in Somalia and East Africa, earlier today. The US military has now targeted Shabaab in three separate operations over the past two weeks. Today’s two strikes took place “near the Banadir region in southern Somalia,” according to AFRICOM. Banadir is the administrative district which encompasses the capital of Mogadishu. AFRICOM did not provide the targets of the two strikes or announce if any Shabaab leaders or fighters, or civilians, were killed or wounded in the operation. AFRICOM said it would “continue to assess the results of the operation and will provide additional information as appropriate.” The last attack on Shabaab, which took place on July 30, killed Ali Muhammad Hussein, a Shabaab commander who is also known as Ali Jabal. According to AFRICOM, Ali Jabal “was responsible for leading al-Shabaab forces operating in the Mogadishu and Banadir regions in planning and executing attacks against the capital of Mogadishu.” FDD’s Long War Journal has recorded 37 such operations against Shabaab or the Islamic Courts since 2006. The number of US military operations in Somalia may well be higher, however, it has been difficult to track strikes against Shabaab as there are multiple actors involved in targeting the group, including Kenyan and Ethiopian sources. The US military has not released statements for every encounter. Additionally, for a long period of time, Iranian news outlets muddied the waters by attributing nearly every action against Shabaab in southern Somalia as a US drone strike. Verifiable press reporting has also been inconsistent. Under the Trump administration, the US military has stepped up its targeting of Shabaab since the group gained ground in 2016. The US State Department attributed some of Shabaab’s gains “due largely to lapses in offensive counterterrorism operations during 2016.” Last year, Shabaab attacks killed hundreds of African Union forces from Uganda, Burundi, Kenya, and Ethiopia. These Shabaab assaults have forced African Union troops to withdraw from some cities and towns in southern Somalia, including one as recently as last week, when Shabaab took control of the town of Lego."
Hamas terror camp for 120,000 children. @elalusa Report w/Malcolm Hoenlein @conf_of_pres.
Hamas's summer camps in the Gaza Strip, whose motto this year was "Marching on Jerusalem,"[1] opened on July 9, 2017 and were attended by 120,000 children and teens. According to Hamas officials, their goal is to train the generation "that will lead the campaign of liberation."[2] In addition to Quran lessons, sports and technology activities, games and entertainment, the camps also offered extensive military indoctrination and training, including weapons training.[3] Explaining the rationale behind the camps' motto, Hamas's former education minister, Osama Al-Muzaini, said: "Jerusalem is the compass of the Palestinian cause and the central issue of the conflict with the occupier... It is part of the Islamic faith, and its liberation is first a religious duty and then a national one." He added that the camps' goal is "to train the generation of victory and liberation, which will have the honor of liberating Jerusalem and uprooting the occupation."[4] Many of the camps had names alluding to Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa, such as the "We Are the Keepers of the Gates" camp, while others were named for Palestinian martyrs, such as the Muhannad Al-Halabi camp, named for a man whose stabbing of two Israelis in Jerusalem's Old City in October 2015 sparked off the Al-Quds Intifada,[5] or the "Eastern Area Martyrs" camp.[6] https://www.memri.org/reports/motto-hamas-summer-camps-year-marching-jerusalem-their-goal-train-generation-will-liberate Cast into disarray: Pakistan celebrated its 70th Independence Day amid rising political polarization as ruling and opposition political parties joust over the supremacy of parliament and proposed plans to curb the powers of the influential military and judiciary, FM Shakil writes. The ruling Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz, or PML(N), has been cast into disarray since the Supreme Court disqualified prime minister Nawaz Sharif on asset concealment charges, setting the country’s rival parties on a collision course. Will the military eventually step in? READ THE STORY HERE
Tillerson presses Middle East on religious freedom Secretary of State Rex Tillerson took several US allies to task in his remarks accompanying the release of the State Department’s annual International Religious Freedom Report on Tuesday. Tillerson called out Saudi Arabia and Bahrain for their treatment of their Shiite minorities and Turkey for failing to grant non-Sunni Muslims the same rights as other religious groups. The secretary also singled out Iran for criticism, with the bulk of his remarks taking aim at the Islamic State as he reaffirmed the US conclusion that the group is responsible for genocide against Yazidis, Christians and Shiites. Tillerson’s remarks were particularly noteworthy because of President Donald Trump’s reluctance to raise human rights issues with US allies and partners. Riyadh’s Shia Two-Step
By Rodger Shanahan, Lowy Interpreter: “There is little doubt that Gulf states have decided to try a carrot-based approach towards Iraq Shia leaders in attempting to blunt Iranian influence in Iraq, rather than flail around by either ignoring or working against the system.” Detente in the Persian Gulf is in Everyone's Interests By Paul R. Pillar, The National Interest: “Regimes that crave U.S. support in their regional rivalries are apt to strike two different postures that may seem contradictory but really aren’t. ” Tunisia stops Islamic State plot to seize territory in the south
Tunisian authorities have foiled attempts by the Islamic State to seize part of the country’s south, the Interior Ministry said Tuesday. The ministry’s statement said that the “terrorist plot” was aimed at targeting police and military buildings in the southern city of Ben Guerdane. Tunisian authorities arrested five people allegedly involved in the plot. The security situation in Tunisia has remained fragile since a series of terrorist attacks killed dozens of people in 2015 CRIMINALIZATION OF POLITICAL DIFFERENCES CONTINUES IN ISLAMIC NATION STATES, LIBYA. . TEETERING. . .8/16/2017 Eastern Libyan forces arrest commander after ICC request The eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) arrested one of its commanders on Thursday after the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague alleged that he executed dozens of prisoners in eastern Libya. The arrest of special forces commander Mahmoud al-Werfalli comes two days after the ICC issued an arrest warrant accusing him of having personally shot or ordered the execution of 33 people in the city of Benghazi and surrounding areas in June and July. The LNA, which controls eastern Libya on behalf of the Tobruk-based government, said it will share the results of the ongoing investigation with the ICC, but did not indicate whether it plans to hand Werfalli over to the court. ICC seeks arrest of Libyan National Army commander
The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague issued an arrest warrant on Tuesday for a Libyan National Army (LNA) commander for his alleged involvement in the execution of dozens of people. Mahmoud al-Werfalli is suspected of having personally shot or ordered the execution of 33 people in the city of Benghazi and surrounding areas in June and July. Several videos have been leaked showing the execution of prisoners detained by the LNA, which operates under the command of Gen. Khalifa Hifter. The LNA, which controls eastern Libya on behalf of the Tobruk-based government, has vowed to conduct its own investigations into any potential war crimes. Iran signs oil and gas drilling deal with Russia and TurkeyIran signed a $7 billion trilateral agreement on Tuesday with Russia and Turkey to drill for oil and natural gas inside the country. Turkish energy company Unit International issued a statement noting that the drilling would take place in three Iranian oil fields and one large Iranian natural gas reserve. Unit International estimates that there are about 10 billion barrels of oil between the three oil fields and that the deal will yield 100,000 barrels per day.
Algerian president fires PM after three months in officeAlgerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika sacked Prime Minister Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Tuesday, replacing him with Ahmed Ouyahia. The new government leader has already served three terms as prime minister and more recently served as the president’s chief of staff. He is also the leader of Algeria's second largest party and a crucial ally of Bouteflika's National Liberation Front. Tebboune was named prime minister three months ago following the country’s parliamentary elections in May but drew Bouteflika's ire with his failure to rein in the cash-strapped country's bill for imports. A government source said he was dismissed because his “vision was not in line” with the president and both men had difficulties communicating.
U.S., QATAR: War Room 2.0? U.S. Air Force Upgrades Middle East Command Center
By Phil Stewart, Reuters: “With its wall-sized screens simultaneously showing America's air wars in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, this war room at the heart of America's biggest military campaigns is already something of a technological marvel.”
U.S., AFGHANISTAN: U.S. Military Kills ISIS-K Province Leader in Kunar
By Bill Roggio, FDD's Long War Journal: "The US military killed the leader of the Islamic State’s Khorasan province for Kunar in an air strike on Aug. 10. The commander, known as Abdul Rahman, was a “primary candidate” to take control of Khorasan province after the US took out previous emir Abu Sayed last month, according to US Forces Afghanistan." DANIEL PIPES MIDDLE EAST FORUM
Israel is building another wall to protect itself from its enemies. But rather than a major eyesore, much of this one will be invisible. In the coming months, military officials say, the army will be accelerating construction of a subterranean barrier around the Gaza Strip, designed to cut off tunnels running beneath the border into Israel like the ones Hamas militants used to ambush Israeli military posts during the summer-long war of 2014. – New York Times
Israel on Thursday released detailed intelligence on how Hamas is using newly constructed residential buildings in the coastal strip to disguise the expansion of underground tunnels and command centers from which the Jewish state says the group plans to wage urban war against it. – Defense News U.S., SOMALIA: AFRICOM Targets Shabaab Twice in Southern Somalia From FDD's Long War Journal: "US Africa Command (AFRICOM) launched two “kinetic strikes” against Shabaab, al Qaeda’s branch in Somalia and East Africa, earlier today. The US military has now targeted Shabaab in three separate operations over the past two weeks. Today’s two strikes took place “near the Banadir region in southern Somalia,” according to AFRICOM. Banadir is the administrative district which encompasses the capital of Mogadishu. AFRICOM did not provide the targets of the two strikes or announce if any Shabaab leaders or fighters, or civilians, were killed or wounded in the operation. AFRICOM said it would “continue to assess the results of the operation and will provide additional information as appropriate.” West Africa
The leader of Senegal's main opposition group said on Wednesday it would not participate in any future elections because the parliamentary polls that delivered a large majority to the ruling coalition were a "masquerade". - Reuters Twenty people escaped custody after assaulting police officers at the courthouse in Ivory Coast's main city Abidjan, justice official said on Wednesday, the latest in a series of attacks on police in the West African country. - Reuters East/Central Africa Kenya's election commission dismissed claims on Wednesday by opposition leader Raila Odinga that its systems and website had been hacked to produce a "fictitious" lead for Odinga's long-time rival President Uhuru Kenyatta. - Reuters Six Red Cross volunteers were killed in an attack on a health center in southeast Central African Republic on August 3, the aid organization said in a statement on Wednesday. - Reuters Southern Africa After narrowly winning a no-confidence motion that would have brought his presidency to an abrupt and humiliating end, Jacob Zuma was quick to hail the vote as a victory for his African National Congress…But it was a victory that threatens to come at a cost for the ANC. The narrowness of the vote exposed the depth of division in the ruling party – Financial Times South Africa's opposition called on Wednesday for parliament to be dissolved and a national election held, a day after its no-confidence motion in President Jacob Zuma was defeated. - Reuters Zimbabwe's cash-strapped government plans to build a $1 billion university named after 93-year-old President Robert Mugabe, the higher education minister said on Wednesday, a move that was quickly criticized by the opposition as a waste of resources. - Reuters |
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