Da’esh – The number of foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria has more than doubled since last year to at least 27,000, a report by an intelligence consultancy said on the 8 Dec 15 highlighting the global dimension of the conflict. The figures, compiled by The Soufan Group, indicate that efforts by countries around the world to stem the flow of foreign fighters to Iraq and Syria and blunt the appeal of violent organizations such as ISIS appear to have made little impact. “The foreign fighter phenomenon in Iraq and Syria is truly global,” the New York-based organization’s report said. “The Islamic State has seen success beyond the dreams of other terrorist groups that now appear conventional and even old-fashioned, such as Al-Qaeda. “It has energized tens of thousands of people to join it, and inspired many more to support it.” In all, between 27,000 and 31,000 foreign fighters from 86 countries have travelled to Iraq and Syria, the Soufan Group said, compared to a figure of around 12,000 foreign fighters in Syria when it last published a similar study in June 2014. The largest number travelled to the two countries, across which ISIS controls a swathe of territory, from the Middle East and the Maghreb, with around 8,000 foreign fighters each. Around 5,000 made their way from Europe, with a further 4,700 from former Soviet republics. The Soufan Group added that between 20 and 30 percent of foreign fighters were returning to their home countries, creating major challenges for domestic security agencies as ISIS in particular looks to carry out an increasing number of attacks overseas. The group claimed responsibility for a massive attack in Paris last month that left 130 dead, and its fighters have been held responsible for violence in a litany of countries ranging from Iraq to Bangladesh.
Figures on ISIS Arms and Their origins
Much of the formidable arsenal that has helped turn ISIS into the world’s most powerful extremist group comes from Iraq. In a report published on the 8 Dec 15, Amnesty International reviews what weapons have been acquired by the extremists’ but also explain how decades of irresponsible arms transfers to Iraq mismanagement by the Iraqi authorities led to unchecked proliferation. Some are the key figures are:
3: Number of conventional army divisions (40,000 – 50,000 soldiers) ISIS could have equipped with the arms it seized in June 2014 alone. (361: From a fleeing Iraqi army)
12%: The world arms market that was directed to Iraq in the 1980’s. (361: Probably to arm Saddam in the war against Iran)
15: Factor by which Iraq’s military expenditure increased over a decade to reach $9.5 Billion last year (2014). (361: In order to bring its decimated forces to date from years of aging Russian equipment and to defend itself in the Region)
25: Minimum number of countries of origin for the weapons and ammunition used by ISIS in Iraq and Syria. (361: Not forgetting the weapons and ammunition from Libya)
650, 000: The amount of unsecured ammunition America’s military estimated was widespread across Iraq in September 2003, months after the U.S. led invasion.
(Amnesty International Report: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/12/islamic-state-atrocities-fuelled-by-decades-of-reckless-arms-trading/)
Da’esh – ISIS is looking at potentially vulnerable oil assets in Libya and elsewhere outside its Syria stronghold, where the militant group controls about roughly 80 percent of the oil and gas fields, a senior U.S. official said on the 15 Dec 15. The official, who briefed reporters in Washington on condition of anonymity, said the United States was carefully examining who controlled oil fields, pipelines, trucking routes and other infrastructure in places that could be vulnerable to attack. Those include in Libya and the Sinai Peninsula, the official added. "They are looking at the oil assets in Libya and elsewhere. We'll be prepared," the official said. The United States has estimated ISIS was selling as much as $40 million a month of oil, which was then spirited on trucks across the battle lines of the Syrian civil war and sometimes farther. The United States recently targeted fuel trucks, part of a broadening of its strikes on ISIS's oil wealth that the U.S. official said had showed anecdotal signs of raising the costs of ISIS's oil operations. "The costs of the operation have gone up and the ability to move it around has gone down," the official said. Crude oil prices are barely above recent lows set during the depths of the 2008-2009 financial crisis. Worldwide, oil prices have declined over 50 percent since they began dropping in Jun 14. Low oil prices could be a double-edged sword in the fight against ISIS, helping reduce revenue the group gets in Syria but potentially accentuating vulnerabilities as companies elsewhere lay off workers. Some of the oil workers in ISIS-held territory were foreigners, the official said. "The reduction in oil prices actually adds another element of insecurity because companies have less money to spend on a variety of things," the official added. "There are more oil and gas employees ... who are out of work ... so they're easier targets to recruit around the world."
Israel – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the 7 Dec 15 named national security adviser Yossi Cohen to head the Mossad spy agency. A former fighter pilot, Cohen, 54, will replace Tamir Pardo whose mandate expires in Jan 16. Cohen is a Mossad veteran who served as deputy director of the agency between 2011 and 2013 when he took up the post of national security adviser. According to Israeli media, Cohen has served with Mossad for three decades and headed the department in charge of agents posted abroad. In remarks broadcast by television announcing Cohen’s appointment, Netanyahu stressed that Mossad’s main task was to protect Israel “against terrorist threats, the Iranian threat and other threats”. A father of four, Cohen hails from Jerusalem.
Saudi Arabia/Yemen – Saudi-led coalition has destroyed a Scud missile carrier near the Yemeni-Saudi border, it was reported on the 6 Dec 15. The carrier, belonging to Iran-backed Houthi militia and its ally deposed Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh forces, was destroyed by the coalition after studying their movements. It said the carrier was heading towards Saudi but did not specify where. Meanwhile, Yemeni Popular Resistance forces and those loyal to the internationally recognized President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi made advances in Sirwah west of Maarib city after heavy clashes with Houthi and Saleh militias. Marib is located about 120 km east of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.
Saudi Arabia/Middle East – Saudi Arabia has formed an alliance of 34 Muslim nations to fight ISIS and tackle 'the Islamic world's problem with terrorism' it was announced on the 15 Dec 15. The Saudi-led coalition, which will be based in Riyadh, includes powerful gulf states Egypt and Turkey but excludes Iran. Alliance members from the Middle East, Africa and Asia will work from the capital 'to coordinate and support military operations to fight terrorism', according to the SPA state news agency. Saudi defence minister and crown prince Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud said the aim was to tackle 'the Islamic world's problem with terrorism and will be a partner in the worldwide fight against this scourge.' Arrangements would be made for 'coordination with friendly peace-loving nations and international bodies for the sake of supporting international efforts to combat terrorism and to save international peace and security'. More than 10 other 'Islamic countries' had expressed support for the coalition, including Indonesia, it said. The United States has called for broader international participation in the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. It said Turkey needed to do more to control its borders with Syria, and Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states had been distracted by the conflict in Yemen. The announcement said the alliance is being established because terrorism 'should be fought by all means and collaboration should be made to eliminate it.' The statement said Islam forbids 'corruption and destruction in the world' and that terrorism constitutes 'a serious violation of human dignity and rights, especially the right to life and the right to security.' The new counterterrorism coalition includes nations with large and established armies such as Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt as well as war-torn countries with embattled militaries such as Libya and Yemen. African nations that have suffered terrorist attacks such as Mali, Chad, Somalia and Nigeria are also members. Saudi Arabia's regional rival, Shiite Iran, is not part of the coalition. Saudi Arabia and Iran support opposite sides of in the wars raging in Syria and Yemen. Saudi Arabia is currently leading a military intervention in Yemen against Shiite Houthi rebels and is part of the U.S.-led coalition bombing ISIS in Iraq and Syria. 'Currently, every Muslim country is fighting terrorism individually ... so coordinating efforts is very important,' the Saudi Deputy Crown Prince said. Smaller member-states included in the coalition are the archipelago of the Maldives and the island-nation of Bahrain. Other Gulf Arab countries such as Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are also in the coalition, though notably absent from the list is Saudi Arabia's neighbour Oman. But Iraq and Syria whose forces are battling to regain territory taken by ISIS and whose governments are allied with Iran are not in the coalition. Benin, while it does not have a majority Muslim population, is also a member of this new counterterrorism coalition. All the group's members are also part of the larger Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which is headquartered in Saudi Arabia.
Yemen – The governor of Yemen's city of Aden, Major General Jaafar Mohammed Saad, was killed in a car bomb attack along with five of his bodyguards. The incident happened on the 6 Dec 15 Sunday in Aden's Tawahi district in the country's south. Tawahi has in recent months become a stronghold for several armed groups, including al-Qaeda whose fighters have expanded across the area. Saad was recently appointed governor and was known to be close to President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who returned to Aden last month after several months in exile in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Pro-Hadi forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, have been battling Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen since Mar 15 when the Houthis overran the capital, Sanaa, and advanced south - forcing Hadi's government to flee. Saad's killing comes a day after the United Nations envoy in the country held talks with Hadi in Aden aimed at kick-starting peace talks between the warring sides. On the 5 Dec 15 masked gunmen on motorcycles carried out separate attacks on vehicles in Aden, killing Colonel Aqeel al-Khodr, a military intelligence official, and Judge Mohsen Alwan, who was known for sentencing al-Qaeda fighters. Three other people were killed in the attack on Alwan, which was not immediately claimed. Speaking from Sanaa, Hisham al-Omeisy, a Yemeni political analyst, said the assassination of the governor followed the pattern of other political killings in Aden in recent months. "Major General Jaafar Mohammed Saad was pro-secession of the south of Yemen and was under a lot of pressure," Omeisy said. "He was blocked from getting to his office several times in the past weeks and his movement in the city was very restricted. To a lot of people in Aden, this attack does not come as much of a surprise." The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack.
Figures on ISIS Arms and Their origins
Much of the formidable arsenal that has helped turn ISIS into the world’s most powerful extremist group comes from Iraq. In a report published on the 8 Dec 15, Amnesty International reviews what weapons have been acquired by the extremists’ but also explain how decades of irresponsible arms transfers to Iraq mismanagement by the Iraqi authorities led to unchecked proliferation. Some are the key figures are:
3: Number of conventional army divisions (40,000 – 50,000 soldiers) ISIS could have equipped with the arms it seized in June 2014 alone. (361: From a fleeing Iraqi army)
12%: The world arms market that was directed to Iraq in the 1980’s. (361: Probably to arm Saddam in the war against Iran)
15: Factor by which Iraq’s military expenditure increased over a decade to reach $9.5 Billion last year (2014). (361: In order to bring its decimated forces to date from years of aging Russian equipment and to defend itself in the Region)
25: Minimum number of countries of origin for the weapons and ammunition used by ISIS in Iraq and Syria. (361: Not forgetting the weapons and ammunition from Libya)
650, 000: The amount of unsecured ammunition America’s military estimated was widespread across Iraq in September 2003, months after the U.S. led invasion.
(Amnesty International Report: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/12/islamic-state-atrocities-fuelled-by-decades-of-reckless-arms-trading/)
Da’esh – ISIS is looking at potentially vulnerable oil assets in Libya and elsewhere outside its Syria stronghold, where the militant group controls about roughly 80 percent of the oil and gas fields, a senior U.S. official said on the 15 Dec 15. The official, who briefed reporters in Washington on condition of anonymity, said the United States was carefully examining who controlled oil fields, pipelines, trucking routes and other infrastructure in places that could be vulnerable to attack. Those include in Libya and the Sinai Peninsula, the official added. "They are looking at the oil assets in Libya and elsewhere. We'll be prepared," the official said. The United States has estimated ISIS was selling as much as $40 million a month of oil, which was then spirited on trucks across the battle lines of the Syrian civil war and sometimes farther. The United States recently targeted fuel trucks, part of a broadening of its strikes on ISIS's oil wealth that the U.S. official said had showed anecdotal signs of raising the costs of ISIS's oil operations. "The costs of the operation have gone up and the ability to move it around has gone down," the official said. Crude oil prices are barely above recent lows set during the depths of the 2008-2009 financial crisis. Worldwide, oil prices have declined over 50 percent since they began dropping in Jun 14. Low oil prices could be a double-edged sword in the fight against ISIS, helping reduce revenue the group gets in Syria but potentially accentuating vulnerabilities as companies elsewhere lay off workers. Some of the oil workers in ISIS-held territory were foreigners, the official said. "The reduction in oil prices actually adds another element of insecurity because companies have less money to spend on a variety of things," the official added. "There are more oil and gas employees ... who are out of work ... so they're easier targets to recruit around the world."
Israel – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the 7 Dec 15 named national security adviser Yossi Cohen to head the Mossad spy agency. A former fighter pilot, Cohen, 54, will replace Tamir Pardo whose mandate expires in Jan 16. Cohen is a Mossad veteran who served as deputy director of the agency between 2011 and 2013 when he took up the post of national security adviser. According to Israeli media, Cohen has served with Mossad for three decades and headed the department in charge of agents posted abroad. In remarks broadcast by television announcing Cohen’s appointment, Netanyahu stressed that Mossad’s main task was to protect Israel “against terrorist threats, the Iranian threat and other threats”. A father of four, Cohen hails from Jerusalem.
Saudi Arabia/Yemen – Saudi-led coalition has destroyed a Scud missile carrier near the Yemeni-Saudi border, it was reported on the 6 Dec 15. The carrier, belonging to Iran-backed Houthi militia and its ally deposed Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh forces, was destroyed by the coalition after studying their movements. It said the carrier was heading towards Saudi but did not specify where. Meanwhile, Yemeni Popular Resistance forces and those loyal to the internationally recognized President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi made advances in Sirwah west of Maarib city after heavy clashes with Houthi and Saleh militias. Marib is located about 120 km east of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.
Saudi Arabia/Middle East – Saudi Arabia has formed an alliance of 34 Muslim nations to fight ISIS and tackle 'the Islamic world's problem with terrorism' it was announced on the 15 Dec 15. The Saudi-led coalition, which will be based in Riyadh, includes powerful gulf states Egypt and Turkey but excludes Iran. Alliance members from the Middle East, Africa and Asia will work from the capital 'to coordinate and support military operations to fight terrorism', according to the SPA state news agency. Saudi defence minister and crown prince Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud said the aim was to tackle 'the Islamic world's problem with terrorism and will be a partner in the worldwide fight against this scourge.' Arrangements would be made for 'coordination with friendly peace-loving nations and international bodies for the sake of supporting international efforts to combat terrorism and to save international peace and security'. More than 10 other 'Islamic countries' had expressed support for the coalition, including Indonesia, it said. The United States has called for broader international participation in the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. It said Turkey needed to do more to control its borders with Syria, and Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states had been distracted by the conflict in Yemen. The announcement said the alliance is being established because terrorism 'should be fought by all means and collaboration should be made to eliminate it.' The statement said Islam forbids 'corruption and destruction in the world' and that terrorism constitutes 'a serious violation of human dignity and rights, especially the right to life and the right to security.' The new counterterrorism coalition includes nations with large and established armies such as Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt as well as war-torn countries with embattled militaries such as Libya and Yemen. African nations that have suffered terrorist attacks such as Mali, Chad, Somalia and Nigeria are also members. Saudi Arabia's regional rival, Shiite Iran, is not part of the coalition. Saudi Arabia and Iran support opposite sides of in the wars raging in Syria and Yemen. Saudi Arabia is currently leading a military intervention in Yemen against Shiite Houthi rebels and is part of the U.S.-led coalition bombing ISIS in Iraq and Syria. 'Currently, every Muslim country is fighting terrorism individually ... so coordinating efforts is very important,' the Saudi Deputy Crown Prince said. Smaller member-states included in the coalition are the archipelago of the Maldives and the island-nation of Bahrain. Other Gulf Arab countries such as Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are also in the coalition, though notably absent from the list is Saudi Arabia's neighbour Oman. But Iraq and Syria whose forces are battling to regain territory taken by ISIS and whose governments are allied with Iran are not in the coalition. Benin, while it does not have a majority Muslim population, is also a member of this new counterterrorism coalition. All the group's members are also part of the larger Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which is headquartered in Saudi Arabia.
Yemen – The governor of Yemen's city of Aden, Major General Jaafar Mohammed Saad, was killed in a car bomb attack along with five of his bodyguards. The incident happened on the 6 Dec 15 Sunday in Aden's Tawahi district in the country's south. Tawahi has in recent months become a stronghold for several armed groups, including al-Qaeda whose fighters have expanded across the area. Saad was recently appointed governor and was known to be close to President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who returned to Aden last month after several months in exile in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Pro-Hadi forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, have been battling Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen since Mar 15 when the Houthis overran the capital, Sanaa, and advanced south - forcing Hadi's government to flee. Saad's killing comes a day after the United Nations envoy in the country held talks with Hadi in Aden aimed at kick-starting peace talks between the warring sides. On the 5 Dec 15 masked gunmen on motorcycles carried out separate attacks on vehicles in Aden, killing Colonel Aqeel al-Khodr, a military intelligence official, and Judge Mohsen Alwan, who was known for sentencing al-Qaeda fighters. Three other people were killed in the attack on Alwan, which was not immediately claimed. Speaking from Sanaa, Hisham al-Omeisy, a Yemeni political analyst, said the assassination of the governor followed the pattern of other political killings in Aden in recent months. "Major General Jaafar Mohammed Saad was pro-secession of the south of Yemen and was under a lot of pressure," Omeisy said. "He was blocked from getting to his office several times in the past weeks and his movement in the city was very restricted. To a lot of people in Aden, this attack does not come as much of a surprise." The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack.
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