ISIS foils attempt to depose Baghdadi: report

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Don't overlook the idea that al Baghdadi might have initiated this purge himself.

BEIRUT – ISIS has foiled a serious coup attempt aimed at deposing its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, according to a report published after the extremist group allegedly executed a top official in Mosul.

“For the first ever there has been an attempt to depose Abu Bakr al-Baghadi,” Alaraby Aljadeed quoted corroborative Syrian and Iraqi sources as saying.

The London-based daily reported that as a result of the attempted coup, thirteen prominent commanders in ISIS have been executed for their role in the conspiracy, including five high-ranking military officials.

“Most of the executed commanders were Arabs from the Arab Maghreb [northern Africa] region, Syria, Yemen and Kuwait. One Kurd and one Chechen were also executed,” the article said.

https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/NewsReports/565531-isis-foils-attempt-to-depose-baghdadi-report

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1. The war over Benghazi is still happening in Benghazi

A bit more than a year ago, I wrote a post on WorldViews with this headline: The war over Benghazi is actually happening in Benghazi.

It charted the violence rocking the Libyan coastal city at a time when politicos in Washington were feuding over that other Benghazi: an overheated, polarizing scandal that had become totally divorced from the city which gave it its name.

Fast forward 13 months, and the story is more or less exactly the same, only with a deeper, more tragic trail of death and suffering. Republicans and Democrats are still sparring over their Benghazi--the acrimonious aftermath of a 2012 terror attack in the city that led to the deaths of four Americans. But, meanwhile, Benghazi, Libya's second city, increasingly appears to be a ruin, hollowed out by an intractable civil war that has wrecked the country over the past year.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/07/03/the-war-over-benghazi-is-still-happening-in-benghazi/?tid=hpModule_04941f10-8a79-11e2-98d9-3012c1cd8d1e

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2. ‘ISIS is spreading through Africa’: Abraham

ISIS is spreading their tentacles across North Africa, says Shannon Abraham, the foreign editor of the Independent Media.

Abraham says that people are unaware that ISIS has a strong hold in Libya and uses it as a launch pad enter Tunisia, Algeria to the West and Egypt to the East.

“I think we all need to open our eyes, even if we are in the Southern part of Africa. We are not immune from the scourge of ISIS which is creeping into our continent,” says Abraham.

http://www.sabc.co.za/news/a/193f8f0048f7a5a385e38dcd12612d62/-

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3. India Sounds Alert as Isis Spreads its Territory to Afghanistan, Pakistan

The Indian intelligence agencies have sounded an alert following reports suggesting that the Islamic State (Isis) has been spreading its territory to the Afghanistan-Pakistan (AfPak) region as it poses great security threat to India.

The presence of Islamic State caliphate in Afghanistan's Farah and Nangarhar provinces is reported to be growing recently. And, as the Nangarhar province lies next to Pakistan, Indian intelligence agencies fear that if the Isis spreads across these regions, India will face a serious security threat.

"The Indian concern is that Nangarhar province sits on the mouth of the Khyber pass, which has been the route to enter into the Indus Valley and the Gangetic plains. Also, Farah province shares borders with Shia Iran. If IS manages to spread in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia, then India faces a serious security threat," Hindustan Times quoetd a senior intelligence official as saying.

The Isis has already established its presence in the AfPak region and this has been noted not just by India, but also by China and Russia.

http://www.ibtimes.co.in/india-sounds-alert-isis-spreads-its-territory-afghanistan-pakistan-638013

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4. The dramatic rise of the Islamic State in Tunisia

TUNIS: On 18 May, a little known Tunisian militant organisation calling itself Mujahedeen Tunisia Kairouan took to Twitter to declare its allegiance to the Islamic State group. It took IS three days to acknowledge the message. Few others paid much attention.

One month, eight days and 39 lives later, that situation appears unimaginable. Last week’s deadly attack on tourists at a beach resort in Sousse by a Mujahedeen Tunisia Kairouan-linked gunman appeared to confirm the group’s ascendancy, and the ability of IS to outmanoeuvre al-Qaeda in wielding local influence.

The appeal of IS among some sections of Tunisian society, especially in the country’s economically deprived hinterland where anger and disaffection is most widespread, was already well entrenched.

Tunisia has contributed about 3,000 fighters to the war in Syria and Iraq. Less well known is the fact that the Tunisian interior ministry says it has prevented a further 12,490 people from joining the conflict. While that figure has been disputed, it offers a yardstick of the groundswell of resentment that the Tunisian state is facing.

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/dramatic-rise-islamic-state-tunisia-2003908909

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5. Terrorists in Tunisia attacks trained at Islamic State camp in Libya

WASHINGTON — The Tunisian terrorist who gunned down scores of mostly British tourists at a Tunisian beach resort last week trained at an Islamic State-affiliated camp in neighboring war-torn Libya. And so did the gunmen who killed 22 people, mostly European tourists, at the Tunisian capital’s renowned Bardo museum in March.

The radicalized student responsible for the beach massacre and the Tunisian gunmen in the Bardo attack are believed to have received weapons training, and ideological indoctrination at a jihadist camp in Libya at the same time in January, Tunisian security officials said Thursday.

The link between deadly attacks in Tunisia and terrorist training camps in Libya underscores the threat that chaotic and lawless lands prone to jihadist infiltration are posing to weak governments across the Middle East as they try to provide security and order.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Foreign-Policy/2015/0702/Terrorists-in-Tunisia-attacks-trained-at-Islamic-State-camp-in-Libya

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6. Turkey raids strike Isis

Counter-terrorism teams launched raids in three Turkish cities yesterday, seizing firearms and arresting suspected Isis militants as the Turkish military deployed troops and firepower to the volatile border with Syria.

Police raided 22 properties in eastern Erzurum and the coastal cities of Izmir and Isparta, according to local media reports, arresting seven militants.

Pistols, rifles, Isis flags and "organisational documents" were discovered during the raids. The operation came just days after the Isis attack in Tunisia.

"That kind of attack could happen in Turkey tomorrow," said Aaron Stein, a Turkey expert and Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute.Stein added: "That would be the end of tourism in Turkey, which is so important to the country."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11474893

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7. Morocco breaks up militant cell linked to ISIS

RABAT: Morocco said Thursday security forces had dismantled an Islamist militant cell affiliated to ISIS, including members with knowledge in handling weapons and explosives.

North African governments are on high alert after last Friday’s rampage by a gunman at a Tunisian beach resort in which 38 foreigners, mostly British vacationers, were killed. The attack was claimed by ISIS.

The Moroccan group of nine members was active in cities including Meknes, Tetouan, Tangiers and Laayoune in Western Sahara, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

It had been in contact with ISIS in Iraq and Syria and had tried to encourage young volunteers to fight for the group, the statement said.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2015/Jul-03/304887-morocco-breaks-up-militant-cell-linked-to-isis.ashx

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8. Islamic State of Russia: Caucasus Terrorists Pledge Allegiance to ISIS

While the world concentrates on Syria and Iraq, the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) inches closer to Russia’s North Caucasus region. Militants in Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia, and Kabardino-Balkaria declared allegiance to the terrorist group.

The group posted the announcement on YouTube:

“Obeying the order of Allah… we are declaring our allegiance to Caliph Ibrahim ben Awwad ben Ibrahim al Badri al-Qoureishi al Husseini for obedience and subordination,” the recording in both Arabic and Russian says, referring to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

“We testify that all mujahedeen of the Caucasus… are united in this decision and there are no disagreements among us on this issue,” the male voice says, listing the four Russian regions.

ISIS welcomed the news of the new allegiance in an already volatile region.

http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/07/02/islamic-state-of-russia-caucasus-terrorists-pledge-allegiance-to-isis/

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9. Gulf Ministers Vow United Stand Against ISIS Mosque Bombings

Interior ministers of the Gulf states today vowed to take a united stand against a string of deadly bombings targeting Shiite mosques claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group.

Holding an emergency meeting in Kuwait, the scene of the latest suicide attack that killed 26 people last Friday, the ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states stressed the attacks are a threat to the stability of the region.

Around 50 people have been killed and hundreds wounded in suicide attacks on three Shiite mosques in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait during the past two months, all claimed by IS.

The Sunni jihadist group considers Shiites heretics and has repeatedly targeted them in attacks across the Middle East.

http://www.outlookindia.com/news/article/gulf-ministers-vow-united-stand-against-isis-mosque-bombings/905076

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10. From Syria to Bosnia: Isis and its affiliates around the world

Islamic State’s incursions in Iraq and Syria have left large areas of both countries under the militant group’s control. The extremists’ beheadings of western hostages sparked outrage across the world. But since its military successes, other jihadi groups have flocked to affiliate themselves with the radical movement.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/03/isis-and-affiliates-around-the-world

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11. Is ISIL winning the psychological battle?

It is a terrible world in which decapitation is so routine it becomes nearly mundane and mass executions fail to shock. Despite this desensitisation, the events of June 26 - the mass killings across three continents - have grabbed all the headlines.

Contrary to appearances, these actions might spell the beginning of the end of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's (ISIL) larger "psychological battle". They may present those who oppose them with the opportunity to unite, and bring about ISIL's downfall.

Many wars have been lost before the battles truly began. Those that have played competitive sport may recall the feeling of impending doom when facing an opponent appearing to be your superior - the David and Goliath scenario.
Inside Story: ISIL's tactics in Iraq

Genghis Khan and his Mongol hordes won many of their battles based upon their fearsome reputation and the widely circulated tales of their merciless post-victory actions.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/06/isil-winning-psychological-battle-150629104951958.html

[KoKo]

18. Interesting article...

in his view about ISIL being a bogeyman instilling fear in populations and the consequences:

Contrary to appearances, these actions might spell the beginning of the end of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's (ISIL) larger "psychological battle". They may present those who oppose them with the opportunity to unite, and bring about ISIL's downfall.

Many wars have been lost before the battles truly began. Those that have played competitive sport may recall the feeling of impending doom when facing an opponent appearing to be your superior - the David and Goliath scenario.

But, doesn't his prescription seems questionable? How would a coalition of more "boots on the ground" work? Where would they be placed given the increasing pockets of ISIL (or its sympathizers) doing random terrorist acts in different countries. How would a coalition of "boots" assemble to fight splinter groups and their terrorists activities. Where would they focus? And what countries would allow them to do this?

ISIL is simply no match physically for a global coalition lead by the US, UK, GCC, Australia, etc. These countries are going to need to provide more support forces and perhaps even "boots on the ground".

With a unified coalition in place, or at least promised, the determined effort to win the critical psychological battle can begin in earnest - a mental battle fought in the minds of the masses which is required for the physical war to realistically succeed. Only then might we witness the beginning of the end of ISIL's reign of terror.

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19. I would disagree that you have to defeat them militarily first.

Which is what he seems to suggest there. He has it backwards, but that inversion (military solution first, control first) is dogma in US political circles, tactics before strategy, they think invading some place is a strategy, see, and the "critical psychological battle" somehow they never get serious about, that's tactics to them.

It's mainly interesting to me because of the use of terror to win battles, it explains ISIS tactics,

[KoKo]

21. That's what I was thinking, also...

And, agree that making ISIL as a Bogeyman is exactly what ISIL wants. Still as you say..."they they think invading some place is a strategy, see, and the "critical psychological battle" somehow they never get serious about, that's tactics to them."

There is a disconnect in our Military Strategy... But, then that's been true for awhile and changing it seems to be so difficult that we end up digging ourselves deeper and deeper into situations that we can't always control although there is still the belief that we can.

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12. ISIS and the Victim Mentality

I was impelled to write this post by a fascinating article that just appeared in the Christian Science Monitor, How Islamic State teaches hate: insights from an ex-Al Qaeda jihadist.

Modern society has been shocked by the incredibly sadistic violence of ISIS, whose fighters have been massacring thousands of people, mostly their own Muslim brethren, and filming themselves cold-bloodedly beheading people or burning them alive.

Last year we were shocked by Elliot Rodger, a young man of privileged background who went on a killing spree against college students in Santa Barbara.

A couple of years ago, we were shocked by Christopher Dorner, who waged a Rambo-like war against his former employer, the Los Angeles Police Department.

http://www.mercatornet.com/articles/view/isis-and-the-victim-mentality/16446

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13. Donald Trump says he'll 'bomb the hell' out of ISIS, targeting its oil, if elected president

Claiming that the Islamic State is competing with his wealth, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he will "bomb the hell" out of the extremist group if elected to the White House in November 2016..

In an interview with Newsmax TV, the billionaire businessman said he will order airstrikes against the ISIS targeting its sources of oil, which he said is the main resource providing wealth to the jihadist group.

"They're building a hotel in Syria. ... They're wealthy. You know why they're wealthy? From the oil. I would absolutely cut off their source of wealth, which is the oil. I would bomb the hell out of them," Trump said.

The US presidential aspirant also said he will hunt down countries suspected to be providing financial aid to the ISIS, particularly Saudi Arabia.

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/donald.trump.says.hell.bomb.the.hell.out.of.isis.targeting.its.oil.if.elected.president/57878.htm

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14. . nt

[KoKo]

15. Thanks for pulling the ISIL articles together in a thread.....

It's so much easier to scan the whole picture, this way, for a weekend read.

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17. I suppose I am painting a picture, sort of.

I recommend #12.

[KoKo]

16. duplicate delete.

Last edited Fri Jul 3, 2015, 10:47 AM - Edit history (1)

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20. The expanding threat of IS

Over the course of the last year, the Islamic State (IS) has moved from being a ‘terrorist group’ to being a state entity albeit without defined borders or international recognition. But the fact is that it occupies and more importantly administers large areas of Syria and Iraq, and is active across the Levant and the Maghreb. It is wealthy, very well armed and attracts volunteers from across the globe. It is a week since a lone gunman, seemingly with ties to IS and probably trained by an IS cadre in Libya, killed 38 tourists in Sousse, Tunisia, and almost certainly killed — for the time being — that country’s tourism industry. On the same day as the Sousse massacre, a mosque in Kuwait was bombed, this being claimed by IS, and there is little reason to doubt the claim. Now the IS is raiding into Egyptian territory, hitting five Egyptian checkpoints in the Sinai peninsula on July 1, killing 17 soldiers and injuring at least 30 others.

Egypt has responded by saying that it is “100 per cent” in control of the situation in northern Sinai and that 100 “terrorists” had been killed in the engagement. The IS went to social media and announced its attacks on Twitter. There is a depth of competency and diversity about IS operations that speak of a sophisticated organisational infrastructure that has both military and civilian components, and a mature and effective command structure. To mount an attack in strength on five Egyptian posts simultaneously would test the competencies of a professional army anywhere in the world. Anybody — or indeed any state — making the mistake of dismissing the IS as a rag-tag bunch of gun-toting zealots puts themselves and the peoples of those states at hazard. Egypt, riven politically and having virtually returned to its default position of military dictatorship, is a country vulnerable to the predations of the IS. It is strong militarily but internal schisms are ripe for exploitation. Our own leadership remains largely in denial of the IS threat, and it does so to the peril of all.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/914350/the-expanding-threat-of-is/