Beyond the Wire - 06 March 2018
March 6, 2018
Your daily briefing on the state of the world, and the state of the art for all things Transnational Threats. We welcome your feedback! Drop us a line at tnt@csis.org.
South and Central Asia
U.S. Says Taliban Must Talk to Kabul, Not Washington
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani proposed a negotiated solution to the Taliban conflict last week. In exchange for a cease-fire, he offered the Taliban the possibility of an office in the capital of Kabul, Afghan passports, reintegration into Afghan society for group members and the removal of the group from international blacklists. Mr. Ghani’s offer comes after a recent spate of attacks in Kabul that were claimed by the Taliban, including an ambulance bombing that killed more than 100 people. (Wall Street Journal)
Afghans Fear IRGC May Deploy Fatemiyoun Fighters to Afghanistan
With a minimum 868 losses, the Afghan Fatemiyoun Division, is an almost entirely Afghan militia unit, which has sacrificed the second largest combat fatalities in Syria, only surpassed by Lebanese Hezbollah. Syria, however, was probably just a testing ground for the militia, which may be deployed in Afghanistan. Last November, Haji Mohammad Mohaqeq, a deputy to Afghanistan’s Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, triggered an outcry in Afghanistan, when he hailed the Fatemiyoun Division during his speech at the Islamic Awakening Conference in Tehran. (Middle East Institute)
At Least 31 Suspected Militants Killed in Afghanistan, Army Says
Seventeen suspected militants were wounded and two were arrested, the ministry said in a statement. At least 13 air strikes were carried out across the country to target suspected insurgent hideouts and weapons caches, the statement said. (Gandhara)
Sri Lanka Declares State of Emergency After Buddhist-Muslim Clash
Tension has been growing between the two communities in Sri Lanka over the past year, with some hardline Buddhist groups accusing Muslims of forcing people to convert to Islam and vandalizing Buddhist archaeological sites. The government ended a 26-year civil war in 2009 with the defeat of Tamil separatist rebels. Muslim communities were occasionally caught up in that violence but on the whole, Muslims managed to stay out of the war. (Reuters)
Middle East and North Africa
Red Cross Says Violence Halts Aid Delivery to Syria's Ghouta
Violence in Ghouta, where some 393,000 people are trapped, has left more than 600 civilians dead since government forces and their allies escalated their offensive on the Damascus suburb on February 18, according to activists. (RFE/RL)
Iraq Orders Execution of Foreign Women for IS Involvement
Humanitarian officials estimate Iraq is holding about 1,700 foreign women and children. Many of the women are accused of being affiliated by marriage to IS fighters or of providing aid. Trials began after military operations ended and the country declared itself liberated from IS on Dec. 9. Just last week, 16 Turkish women were sentenced to die. Others have been sentenced to life in prison. (Al-Monitor)
Pentagon: Operations Against ISIS in Eastern Syria 'Paused'
A Pentagon spokesman, Col. Rob Manning, called it an "operational pause." He said that although ground operations have been temporarily suspended in the Euphrates River Valley near the Iraqi border, U.S. airstrikes against IS holdouts in that area are continuing. This includes areas around the city of Abu Kamal. (Military.com)
Yemeni Army Seizes Control of Last Houthi-Held Site in Nehim
The Media Centre of the Armed Forces confirmed late Monday that the army had “liberated the last posts of the Houthi coup militia” in Nehim. It said on Twitter that 13 Houthi fighters, including two field commanders, were killed in fierce clashes in Dhabwa in the Nehim district. (The National)
Sub-Saharan Africa
West African Leaders Vow to Fight Jihadists After Burkina Attacks
The double assault highlighted the growing risk from jihadists in the Sahel five years after the French intervention. France is pinning hopes on the so-called G5 Sahel force — comprising the armies of Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad — to enable it to start withdrawing the 4,000 troops it still has stationed in the region. (Reuters)
Tillerson to Stress Security, Trade on Africa Trip, as U.S. Seeks to Set Priorities
Tillerson is due to meet top officials in Chad, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria—America’s top regional security allies—several of which host bases or are helping battle jihadist insurgencies affiliated with al Qaeda and Islamic State. Islamist insurgencies have proliferated in Africa even as Islamic State has suffered defeats in Iraq and Syria. Militants loyal to the group ambushed a Special Forces patrol in Niger in October, killing four U.S. Army soldiers. (Wall Street Journal)
Nigeria: Bicycle Riding Suicide Bomber Kills Three, Injures 17 in Maiduguri - Police
Muna Garriage is one of the suburbs of Maiduguri that has been plagued by suicide bombing since 2016. More than 30 cases of suicide attacks have been recorded in the area with a total casualty figure of about a hundred persons either killed or injured. (All Africa)
Western Hemisphere
Fernandez Faces Trial on Charges of Covering Up Iran's Role in Bombing
Fernandez, who was president from 2007 to 2015, denies any wrongdoing or involvement in any cover-up involving Argentina's worst terror attack. The 1994 bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association Center in Buenos Aires killed 85 people and wounded hundreds. Iran denies any involvement. (Radio Farda)
He Turned on Al Qaeda and Aided the U.S. Now He’s on Food Stamps and Needs a Job.
Captured in 2008 after training for months at Qaeda camps, Mr. Vinas quickly turned on his fellow jihadists and began helping American investigators dismantle the group. Even the federal judge who sentenced him described his cooperation as “remarkable.” (New York Times)
Europe and Eurasia
Russian Spy Mystery: UK Counter-Terror Police Investigate Suspected Poisoning of Sergei Skripal
Colonel Skripal, who formerly served in Russia's GRU military intelligence service, was granted refuge in the UK in 2010. He had previously been sentenced to 13 years in prison in Russia in 2006 for betraying dozens of Russian agents to British intelligence in exchange for financial reward. (The National)
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