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☆ Opinion | Sensible Ways to Fight Terrorism
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

First, as the authors note, pulling all U.S. troops and intelligence assets from fragile conflict zones is a boon to globalized terror movements. Second, we must reckon with the underlying grievances that make violent anti-Western ideologies, including militant jihadism, attractive to so many in the first place. These include the ill effects of globalization, and a “rules-based” world order increasingly insensitive to the needs of developing countries and regions. Simply maintaining a military or intelligence presence in terror hot spots does nothing to reduce the sticky recruiting power of militant movements. Stuart GottliebNew YorkThe writer teaches American foreign policy and international security at Columbia University.

Persons: Hasn’t, Christopher P, Costa, Colin P, Clarke, Stuart Gottlieb Organizations: ISIS, Columbia University Locations: Iraq, Afghanistan, United States

For all of the counterterrorism wins that the United States has had in its fight against the Islamic State — and there have been many — we still have not figured out how to defeat it. It served as the latest deadly reminder that the Islamic State — and particularly its Khorasan branch, ISIS-K, which is active in Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan — remains a potent threat. Several ISIS-K plots in Europe have been disrupted, with arrests in Austria, France, Germany and the Netherlands. All of these events point to what we now know: Stripping the Islamic State of its self-proclaimed caliphate is not the same as beating it. Forced from this redoubt, ISIS has reconstituted itself in other countries, going underground in less detectable — but more dangerous — forms.

Persons: “ Organizations: Islamic, —, ISIS Locations: United States, Russian, Moscow, Khorasan, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Kabul, Turkey, Europe, Austria, France, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Britain, State, Levant, Southeast Asia

The group got a dramatic second wind soon after the Taliban toppled the Afghan government that year. The attack raised ISIS-K’s international profile, positioning it as a major threat to the Taliban’s ability to govern. Counterterrorism officials in Europe say that in recent months they have snuffed out several nascent ISIS-K plots to attack targets there. And now the group has claimed responsibility for the attack in Moscow. “ISIS-K accuses the Kremlin of having Muslim blood in its hands, referencing Moscow’s interventions in Afghanistan, Chechnya and Syria.”

Persons: Biden, Michael E, “, Qassim Suleimani, Vladimir V, Putin, Colin P, Clarke, ” Organizations: Taliban, U.S, Islamic State, ISIS, military’s, Command, Counterterrorism, Soufan, Kremlin Locations: Kabul, Afghanistan, Moscow, State Khorasan Province, U.S, United States, Persian, Europe, Kerman, Iran, Gen, Iranian, Russia, New York, Chechnya, Syria

☆ What we know about the Moscow concert hall attack — and why ISIS-K is claiming responsibility
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A group of unidentified individuals opened fire at the Crocus City Hall, a music venue located on the western edge of Moscow, on Friday evening. The Ministry of Emergency Situations told the Russian news agency that a third of Crocus City Hall was engulfed. If ISIS-K is confirmed to have carried out the attack, the group may have done so on Friday simply because they were ready, Byman said. The warning was partly based on intelligence that indicated an ISIS-K presence in Russia, two US officials told The Washington Post. Three days before the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed the warnings, calling them "provocative."

Persons: —, Mikhail Murashko, Amaq, Hamid Karzai, Daniel Byman, Byman, Michael Kugelman, Vladimir Putin, Colin P, Clarke Organizations: Service, Crocus City Hall, TASS, Federal Security Service, Business, Crocus City, Associated Press, Russian, Ministry, ISIS, CNN, The New York Times, Islamic, Center for Strategic & International Studies, CSIS, Wilson, Reuters, Washington Post, Soufan, New York Times, Kremlin Locations: Crocus, Moscow, Russian, Russia's, Khorasan Province, Afghanistan, Islamic State, Washington, DC, Pakistan, Kabul, Russia, Chechnya

The United States collected intelligence in March that Islamic State-Khorasan, known as ISIS-K, the branch of the group based in Afghanistan, had been planning an attack on Moscow, according to officials. In addition to publicly warning on March 7 about a possible attack, U.S. officials said they had privately told Russian officials about the intelligence pointing to an impending attack. It is not clear how much information the United States gave Russian officials beyond what was in the public warning. Western intelligence agencies had collected intelligence about possible planning by ISIS-K to bomb the service. As in Russia, ISIS-K claimed responsibility for that attack.

Persons: ”, Vladimir V, Putin, Colin P, Clarke, Qassim Suleimani Organizations: Islamic State, United, ISIS, Soufan, Kremlin, United States Locations: Moscow, United States, State, Khorasan, Afghanistan, Russia, Europe, New York, Chechnya, Syria, Iran, U.S, United

☆ Opinion | Why the World Is Watching Iran
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Colin P. Clarke | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

Now, in the wake of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, Israel appears to be preparing to invade Gaza. At the center of these mounting tensions is Iran, which has been engaged in a shadow war with its chief regional rival, Israel, for years. It also gives Tehran leverage as its proxy groups develop political wings, helping Iran play kingmaker in local and national politics in Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen and elsewhere. As the conflict intensifies, there are growing concerns that Israel may be headed toward a more direct confrontation with Iran. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram.

Persons: Biden, Iran’s, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ismail Qaani, Khamenei, ”, “, —, Colin P, Clarke Organizations: United, Navy, Pentagon, U.S, Training, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Quds Force, Israel Defense, longtime, Israeli Defense Forces, Soufan Group, New York, Facebook, Twitter Locations: Saudi Arabia, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, United States, Yemen, Iran, Tehran, Washington, Doha, Qatar, meddle, Iraq, Jerusalem, U.S, Amman, Jordan, Istanbul, New York City

CNN —When Hamas militants broke through the Gaza fence in this month’s unprecedented attack on Israel, the kibbutz of Mefalsim – less than two miles from the border – was on the front lines. That precision, local Israeli security personnel say, was no accident: The fighters seemed to have known exactly where they were headed. CNN has reviewed documents that Israeli officials say were Hamas attack plans, which suggest that the group collected remarkably granular detail on its targets. Two local Israeli security personnel told CNN they independently saw photos of the plan, and it closely matched the Hamas fighters’ tactics during the attack. But like in Mefalsim, Hamas did not successfully attack Sa’ad – no one died, according to the first responders group.

Persons: CNN —, Mefalsim, ”, Yarden, –, “, ” Reskin, Matthew Levitt, Hamas, ” Levitt, who’s, Reskin, Eli Levi, Levi, ” Levi, Colin P, Clarke, ” Clarke, Israel, Sa’ad, ’, Ilia Yefimovich, Sarah Pollack, ” Pollack, Pollack Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Toting AK, intel, Israel, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, AK, Wall Street Journal, NBC News, ” CNN, Getty, Gaza Locations: Gaza, Israel, Mefalsim, Hamas, Sa’ad, Arad

☆ Opinion | The Wagner Group Is Always Ready for a Coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Colin P. Clarke | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

But the nation’s successive elected governments were at least willing to cooperate with Washington, allowing the U.S. military to conduct regional counterterrorism activities. Washington has stopped short of calling the crisis a coup — a move that would require the United States to halt security and economic assistance. Wagner will be ready. Their operations have frequently resulted in the deaths of civilians, with credible accusations of sexual violence, torture and extrajudicial killings. Within days of Wagner’s aborted advance on Moscow, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said that Wagner’s African footprint would remain.

Persons: Jama’at Nusrat al, Barkhane, jihadists, Wagner, —, Al Qaeda, Bazoum, Prigozhin’s, Wagner’s, Sergei Lavrov, Prigozhin, Putin Organizations: U.S, United, Nigerien, Islamic, West, Central African, Kremlin Locations: Sahel, Africa, Islamic State, Greater Sahara, Haram, Islam, Niger, Washington, United States, America, Mali, Libya, Central African Republic, Sudan, Moscow, St . Petersburg

☆ Putin’s Options for Dealing With the Wagner Group Aren’t Great - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Colin P. Clarke | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

(Those who did participate could join Mr. Prigozhin in Belarusian exile.) Even if Wagner fighters do decide to join Russian military units en masse, it won’t be easy for Moscow to integrate them. Another option would be for Mr. Putin to leave Wagner’s overseas operations as is, and install a new leader to replace Mr. Prigozhin. Mr. Prigozhin was revered by Wagner fighters, many of whom may chafe at the prospect of new leadership or a drastic change in organizational culture. Corporation is another Russian private military company, founded by Russian nationalist Igor Mangushev, with some experience abroad, but is much less influential and experienced than Wagner.

Persons: Putin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, —, Prigozhin’s, Sergei Lavrov, ”, Wagner’s, Igor Mangushev Organizations: Russian, Ministry of Defense, Russian Ministry of Defense, Central African, Corporation, Gazprom Locations: Russia, Russian, Moscow, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Africa, Mali, Central African Republic . Russia, Syria, Burundi, Central African Republic, Gabon, Yemen

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