February 2016 Security News

DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 29 Feb 2016 [PDF]
Afghan Ex-IS Commanders Say Money, Not Ideology Drove Them VOA 26 Feb 2016 -- Two former Islamic State (IS) commanders who defected recently to authorities in Afghanistan told VOA's Ashna TV that they joined the extremist group not because of ideology but largely for money.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 26 Feb 2016 [PDF]
Obama Instructs National Security Team to Accelerate Fight Against IS VOA 25 Feb 2016 -- U.S. President Barack Obama says although the U.S.-led effort to combat Islamic State has made progress, the fight "remains difficult" and he has instructed his security team to ramp up efforts.
Virginia National Guard Assembles Troops to Provide Post-Storm Assistance AFPS 25 Feb 2016 -- The Virginia National Guard began alerting soldiers late yesterday, to go on state active duty to provide assistance in the wake of severe weather that impacted the central and southeastern regions of Virginia, officials said today.
Egypt president says 'terrorists' behind downing of Russian plane Press TV 25 Feb 2016 -- Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi says the Russian plane that crashed in Sinai in late October was downed by terrorists seeking to harm Egypt's tourism industry and ties with Moscow.
Apple Vs. FBI Pits Personal Against National Security VOA 25 Feb 2016 -- In defying the U.S. government's demands to help it break into a locked iPhone, Apple Inc. and its chief executive have added another chapter to the tech company's lore. The move has amplified its role, not only as an innovator of computing and communications, but also as a global guardian of privacy and security – and created a complicated challenge.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 25 Feb 2016 [PDF]
Long-Distance IS Threat Roils Bosnia, Top Islamic Cleric RFE/RL 24 Feb 2016 -- Authorities in Bosnia-Herzegovina are scrambling to provide extra security for the country's most senior Islamic cleric, Grand Mufti Husein Kavazovic, after a Bosnian thought to be fighting with the Islamic State (IS) militant group in Syria issued a threat via the Internet.
House Republicans Prepare Legal Fight to Stop Obama from Closing Guantanamo VOA 24 Feb 2016 -- Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are preparing to take legal steps to prevent President Barack Obama from closing the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and transferring some detainees to the United States.
France deploys forces to Libya to allegedly fight against Daesh Press TV 24 Feb 2016 -- A report says French special forces have been deployed in Libya under the pretext of fighting Daesh terrorists operating in the North African country.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 24 Feb 2016 [PDF]
Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest and Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL Brett McGurk The White House 23 Feb 2016
Guantanamo Closure Plan is Best Way Forward, Pentagon Press Secretary Says AFPS 23 Feb 2016 -- The plan submitted to Congress to close the detention facility at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is the best way forward, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said today.
Department of Defense Press Briefing by Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook in the Pentagon Briefing Room DoD 23 Feb 2016 -- Presenter: Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook
UN rights chief welcomes US President's plan to close Guantánamo detention facility UN News 23 Feb 2016 -- The United Nations human rights chief today welcomed United States President Barack Obama's plan to close the Guantánamo Bay detention facility in Cuba, expressing hope that "no further obstacles are placed in the way of its implementation."
Congressional Republicans: Obama's Guantanamo Plan Dead on Arrival VOA 23 Feb 2016 -- President Barack Obama is vowing to finally close down the military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as he pledged to do when he first ran for office eight years ago. But the Republican leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate was quick to reject the president's plan, calling it vague and dangerous.
Clinton, Sanders Support Plans to Close Guantanamo VOA 23 Feb 2016 -- Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders voice their support Tuesday for President Obama's push to close the military detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Anxiety Grows in Fight Against IS, Extremists VOA 23 Feb 2016 -- Even as U.S. officials highlight military gains against the Islamic State terror group in Iraq and Syria, there is a growing sense of unease among former officials and analysts that the current strategies are not enough.
Remarks by the President on Plan to Close the Prison at Guantanamo Bay The White House 23 Feb 2016
Background Press Call on the Closing of the Prison at Guantanamo Bay The White House 23 Feb 2016
Statement by Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook on Submission of Guantanamo Closure Plan DoD 23 Feb 2016 -- The Department of Defense formally submitted the administration's plan for closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facility to Congress today. As the president has stated, responsibly closing the Guantanamo detention facility is a national security imperative. For this reason, among others, Secretary Carter supports the president's commitment to bringing a responsible end to detention at Guantanamo.
DoD Submits Guantanamo Closure Plan to Congress AFPS 23 Feb 2016 -- The Defense Department submitted to Congress today the Obama administration's plan for closing the detention facility at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, President Barack Obama said.
Pentagon to submit plan for Guantanamo closure Press TV 23 Feb 2016 -- The United States Defense Department is set to submit a plan to the Congress to close the Guantanamo prison, a spokesman says.
Obama Presents Plan To Close Guantanamo, Says It 'Undermines' U.S. Security RFE/RL 23 Feb 2016 -- President Barack Obama has unveiled plans to transfer the last remaining detainees at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and shut down the controversial facility for good.
Obama: Guantanamo Prison Undermines National Security VOA 23 Feb 2016 -- U.S. President Barack Obama outlined his administration's plan for closing the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, saying the facility 'does not advance our national security, it undermines it.'
US Shifts Focus to Fate of 91 Terror Suspects at Guantanamo VOA 23 Feb 2016 -- The United States has held 779 suspected terrorists at its military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, since the 2001 al-Qaida attacks on New York and Washington. Now, however, the focus is on what to do with the remaining 91 people detained there, including 35 who have been cleared for release but are still being held as the U.S. searches for countries willing to accept them.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 23 Feb 2016 [PDF]
US Intelligence Collection 'Improves,' More Spies Needed to Fight Daesh Sputnik 22 Feb 2016 -- According to CIA Deputy Director David Cohen, the US needs to recruit additional spies to compensate for the lack of US ground troops in Syria.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 22 Feb 2016 [PDF]
Libyan Troops Reclaim Key Port From Daesh Press TV 21 Feb 2016 -- The Libyan army has regained a strategic port near Libya's second-largest city of Benghazi from Daesh jihadists, Arabic media reported Sunday, citing the Libyan military press service.
Ankara announces new anti-terror 'action plan' in wake of blast Press TV 20 Feb 2016 -- Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu says his country is set to introduce fresh security measures following a recent blast that claimed the lives of 28 people in Ankara.
Pakistan Probes Attack on Indian Air Base VOA 19 Feb 2016 -- Pakistan has formally initiated a police investigation into a deadly militant assault last month on an Indian air base and will try to bring to justice the "alleged attackers and their alleged abettors belonging to a proscribed organization,' counterterrorism officials said Friday.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 19 Feb 2016 [PDF]
Kenya Says It Killed Al-Shabab Intel Chief VOA 18 Feb 2016 -- Kenya's army says it has killed the intelligence chief for the Somalia-based militant group al-Shabab, but the group is denying the claim.
Turkey PM: Ankara Bomber Syrian With Kurdish Links VOA 18 Feb 2016 -- Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is blaming the Syrian Kurdish militia, the YPG, for killing 28 people in a car bombing of a military convoy Wednesday in Ankara.
Daesh used chemical arms against Kurds in Iraq: Sources Press TV 18 Feb 2016 -- Takfiri Daesh terrorists recently fired mortar shells believed to have been filled with a chemical substance at Kurdish forces near the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar, leaving 30 of them injured, officials say.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 18 Feb 2016 [PDF]
Statement from Secretary of Defense Ash Carter on Bombing in Turkey DoD 17 Feb 2016
Deadly Blast Rocks Ankara RFE/RL 17 Feb 2016 -- A big blast in the Turkish capital, Ankara, has left 28 people dead and 61 wounded.
Car Bomb Kills 28 in Turkey; Erdogan Vows Revenge VOA 17 Feb 2016 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is vowing to avenge Wednesday's car bomb attack in central Ankara that killed at least 28 and wounded 61.
Australia violated rights of David Hicks by jailing him after transfer from Guantanamo - UN experts UN News 17 Feb 2016 -- Australia violated the rights of David Hicks by keeping him in jail, as evidence shows that he was forced to accept a plea bargain with United States authorities as a condition for his return, United Nations human rights experts have said.
UN envoy warns of Daesh expansion in Libya Press TV 17 Feb 2016 -- The United Nations special envoy for Libya has warned against further postponement of a vote on a unity government in the North African state, saying delays in the task will result in the expansion of Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.
ISIL 'losing appeal' in Iraq, but threat should not be underestimated – UN envoy UN News 16 Feb 2016 -- Iraq has been steadily gaining ground against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as Da'esh), which is gradually losing its appeal to the disenfranchised population, the United Nations envoy for that country told the Security Council today, as he also warned that its threat should not be underestimated.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 17 Feb 2016 [PDF]
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 16 Feb 2016 [PDF]
Experts Call for Comprehensive Approach Against Al-Shabab VOA 14 Feb 2016 -- In recent days, al-Shabab fighters killed individuals accused of collaborating with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in the town of Marka after the international force withdrew.
Al-Shabab Claims Responsibility for Somali Plane Bomb VOA 13 Feb 2016 -- Somali militant group Al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the bomb blast aimed at bringing down a Somali airliner earlier this month.
Daesh has used, can make chemical weapons: CIA director Press TV 12 Feb 2016 -- The Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group has used chemical weapons in its attacks and is capable of making small quantities of chlorine and mustard gas, says the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director.
CIA: Islamic State Has Chemical Weapons VOA 12 Feb 2016 -- The director of the Central Intelligence Agency said Islamic State fighters in Syria have used chemical weapons.
Pakistani forces detain nearly 100 militants in Karachi: Military Press TV 12 Feb 2016 -- Nearly 100 people have been arrested in Pakistan on suspicion of having ties to al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups and planning terror attacks across the Asian country, a military spokesman says.
Pakistan Dismantles Al-Qaida's Main Regional Network VOA 12 Feb 2016 -- Pakistan announced it has dismantled al-Qaida's main network in South Asia and foiled plans to break out of jail a man involved in the murder of journalist Daniel Pearl.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 12 Feb 2016 [PDF]
'They are our strongest allies,' UN political chief says, urging efforts to engage terrorism victims UN News 11 Feb 2016 -- At a Headquarters conference on the human rights of terrorism victims, the top United Nations political official today urged Member States to engage with victims of terrorism and violent extremism, especially the young and the vulnerable, to build on previous commitments and ensure that their human rights are fully respected.
Fourth Minnesota Terror Suspect Pleads Guilty of Trying to Join IS VOA 11 Feb 2016 -- A fourth Minnesota man pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to charges of conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State group.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 11 Feb 2016 [PDF]
French MPs Back Controversial Terror Measures VOA 10 Feb 2016 -- French lawmakers have approved controversial changes to the constitution the leftist government argues will help France better fight terrorism after last year's Islamist attacks. The vote Wednesday was just the first hurdle before the legislation becomes law.
Pakistan Warns of Islamic State's Growing Reach VOA 10 Feb 2016 -- A senior Pakistani intelligence official admitted on Wednesday that the Islamic State group (IS) is a growing threat in Pakistan, according to media reports.
NATO and the European Union enhance cyber defence cooperation NATO 10 Feb 2016 -- NATO and the European Union face similar challenges in protecting their networks against the growing threat of cyber attacks. To help both organisations better meet this challenge, today a Technical Arrangement on Cyber Defence was concluded between the NATO Computer Incident Response Capability (NCIRC) and the Computer Emergency Response Team of the European Union (CERT-EU). The Technical Arrangement provides a framework for exchanging information and sharing best practices between emergency response teams.
French Lawmakers Vote to Strip Terrorists of Nationality Sputnik 10 Feb 2016 -- France's national assembly has preliminarily approved a new constitutional measure that would make it possible to strip convicted terrorists of French citizenship.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 10 Feb 2016 [PDF]
'Unity and action' needed to counter expanding threat from ISIL, Security Council told UN News 09 Feb 2016 -- Given the ability of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) to adapt quickly to new circumstances and the steady stream of foreign fighters joining the group's ranks, United Nations Member States must mount a strategic response that includes addressing the underlying political and socio-economic causes of conflicts, particularly in Syria and Libya, the top UN political official told the Security Council today.
U.S. Witness Says He Worked With Pakistanis On Mumbai Attack RFE/RL 09 Feb 2016 -- An American convicted for his role in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks that killed 166 people told an Indian court that he attended training camps run by alleged masterminds in Pakistan and communicated with intelligence officers in that country.
Obama Seeking $19 Billion for National Cybersecurity VOA 09 Feb 2016 -- U.S. President Barack Obama Tuesday announced a national cybersecurity plan, calling cyberthreats among 'the most urgent dangers to America's economic and national security.'
U.S. Intelligence Chief: IS, 'Assertive' Russia Among Unprecedented Challenges RFE/RL 09 Feb 2016 -- U.S. National Intelligence Director James Clapper says that Russia remains intent on pursuing an 'assertive foreign policy' in 2016, including hampering Ukraine's Western aspirations.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 09 Feb 2016 [PDF]
Wife of IS Leader Charged in Death of US Hostage VOA 08 Feb 2016 -- The U.S. Justice Department has charged the wife of a now-deceased Islamic State leader for her alleged role in last year's death of American aid worker Kayla Mueller.
Russia arrests seven Daesh militants, thwarts terrorist attacks Press TV 08 Feb 2016 -- Russian security forces have detained seven Daesh terrorists who were planning to launch terrorist attacks in several cities across Russia.
China says will pay rewards for online terrorist tip-offs Press TV 08 Feb 2016 -- China says it will pay up to 100,000 yuan ($15,200) to anyone who reports online "terrorist" content, after handing out two million yuan worth of rewards last year.
Jailed American Testifies About Islamist Involvement in Mumbai Attacks VOA 08 Feb 2016 -- An American in a U.S. jail for his role in the 2008 terror attacks that killed 166 people in Mumbai, India, told an Indian court a Pakistan-based Islamic terror group made two failed attempts to mount terror strikes in the city in the months prior to the assault.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 08 Feb 2016 [PDF]
Somali Officials: Man Killed in Plane Bombing Given Laptop Before Flight VOA 06 Feb 2016 -- Somali security officials say they have identified a person they believe planned the bomb attack that was intended to bring down a Daallo Airlines flight last week.
UN chief says 34 militant groups pledged allegiance to IS People's Daily 06 Feb 2016 -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moonon Friday said that 34 militant groups worldwide had reportedly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) extremist group as of mid-December.
Airport Staff, Airline Employees Detained Over Somali Plane Blast VOA 06 Feb 2016 -- Somali authorities have detained at least five people for questioning about a midflight explosion aboard a passenger plane this week that killed one person and wounded two others, Somali intelligence sources said Saturday.
Australian Commander: IS Changing Tactics VOA 05 Feb 2016 -- As part of VOA's ongoing reporting on Iraq, correspondent Sharon Behn interviewed Air Vice Marshal Tim Innes, national theater commander for all Australian forces deployed to the Middle East region, including Afghanistan. Innes assumed command of Australia's Joint Task Group 633 on January 25, 2016. The following article is based in part on that interview.
Accelerating the Push Against Islamic State: What Will Work? VOA 05 Feb 2016 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said at a recent Rome meeting of the coalition fighting the Islamic State (IS) group that the challenge now is to push ahead with a strategy that will work, giving the militants 'no time to regroup, no place to run, no safe havens in which to hide."
Syria oppositionists linked to al-Qaeda: Russia Press TV 05 Feb 2016 -- A Russian envoy to the United Nations says the Western-backed opposition in Syria is affiliated with Jabhat al-Nusra, which itself is linked to the terrorist al-Qaeda group.
Islamic State Found Weaker In Iraq, Syria, Stronger In Libya RFE/RL 05 Feb 2016 -- The Islamic State (IS) militant group is growing weaker in Iraq and Syria but has gained strength in Libya, according to a new U.S. intelligence assessment.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 05 Feb 2016 [PDF]
Briefing: The new Jihadist strategy in the Sahel IRIN 04 Feb 2016 -- Security has been intense over the last few weeks in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, with police and soldiers on the streets, vehicle searches, and round-ups of alleged Islamist militants.
Al-Shabab Suspected in Mid-Flight Somali Plane Blast VOA 04 Feb 2016 -- Somali officials investigating an apparent bomb blast that forced a passenger jet to make an emergency landing in Mogadishu say the explosion was likely the work of militant group al-Shabab.
Fewer Fighters in Iraq/Syria as IS Focuses on 'Third Capital' VOA 04 Feb 2016 -- Some U.S. officials are heralding new intelligence on the number of Islamic State (IS) fighters as a sign the tide is starting to turn in the battle against the terror group but there are concerns the self-declared caliphate's larger, global strategy remains very well intact.
Pakistani Cleric Threatens More Attacks on India VOA 04 Feb 2016 -- A Pakistani Islamist leader accused of masterminding the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed more than 160 people has threatened that India faces a wave of violence unless it stops "military oppression" of the people in the disputed Kashmir region.
Daesh big guns moving to Libya, intelligence official says Press TV 04 Feb 2016 -- Top commanders of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group are increasingly moving from Syria and Iraq to Libya, making the crisis-stricken country their safe haven, says a Libyan intelligence official.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 04 Feb 2016 [PDF]
Lebanon kills senior Daesh figure: Report Press TV 03 Feb 2016 -- The Lebanese army has reportedly killed a senior member of the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group during a large-scale operation in the east of the country.
French Cabinet Proposes Draft Law to Extend State of Emergency Sputnik 03 Feb 2016 -- The state of emergency in France will be prolonged until the law on new judicial procedures against terror suspects is implemented, according to the French government's spokesman Stephane Le Foll.
Somali Authorities Believe Body Fell From Plane After Explosion VOA 03 Feb 2016 -- Somali authorities have found the body of a missing passenger from a plane that made an emergency landing at Mogadishu airport after a blast ripped a hole through it Tuesday.
Islamic State Widow Shames IS Leaders VOA 03 Feb 2016 -- The widow of an Islamic State fighter has voiced rare open criticism of the terror group's leaders, complaining about the treatment of the widows and families of dead fighters. Her protest letter, posted online, has been circulated widely on pro-IS social media sites.
Pakistan Arrests Suspect in Deadly University Raid VOA 03 Feb 2016 -- Authorities in Pakistan have arrested the suspected main facilitator of last month's attack on a university that killed at least 21 people, mostly students.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 03 Feb 2016 [PDF]
Remarks at the Ministerial Meeting of the Small Group of the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL US Dept. of State 02 Feb 2016 -- Remarks by John Kerry, US Secretary of State, and Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni
Statement by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Small Group of the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL US Dept. of State 02 Feb 2016
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 02 Feb 2016 [PDF]
DEA and European Authorities Uncover Massive Hizballah Drug and Money Laundering Scheme Drug Enforcement Agency 01 Feb 2016 -- United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) today announced significant enforcement activity including arrests targeting Lebanese Hizballah's External Security Organization Business Affairs Component (BAC), which is involved in international criminal activities such as drug trafficking and drug proceed money laundering. These proceeds are used to purchase weapons for Hizballah for its activities in Syria. This ongoing investigation spans the globe and involves numerous international law enforcement agencies in seven countries, and once again highlights the dangerous global nexus between drug trafficking and terrorism.
Zika virus an 'international public health emergency,' UN health agency declares UN News 01 Feb 2016 -- Meeting today on the Zika virus outbreak, the World Health Organization announced that the recent cluster of neurological disorders and neonatal malformations reported in the Americas region constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.
Indonesia Probes IS Leader's Contacts From Behind Bars VOA 01 Feb 2016 -- The Indonesian government says it is investigating how the imprisoned leader of the Islamic State group in Indonesia has been communicating with his followers from behind bars.
US Seeking Details from Saudi Arabia on Reports of American Detainees VOA 01 Feb 2016 -- The U.S. State Department says it is seeking details from the government of Saudi Arabia about reports that nine Americans have been detained in the kingdom as terror suspects.
Saudi to give millions of dollars to citizens who foil terror attacks Press TV 01 Feb 2016 -- Saudi Arabia says it intends to give anyone assisting the government in foiling terrorist attacks seven million riyals ($1.86 million) as a reward.
Report: Saudi Arabia Arrests 9 Americans Among Terror Suspects VOA 01 Feb 2016 -- A Saudi newspaper reported Sunday that authorities there have arrested nine American citizens and 24 people as terror suspects during the past week.
DHS-IAIP Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 01 Feb 2016 [PDF]

NEWSLETTER

Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list

Homeland Security

February 2016 Security News