Volume 1 | Issue 1 October 18, 2017
WEEKLY INTELLIGENCE BRIEF
Published by the Chanticleer Intelligence Brief at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina, USA
IMAGE CREDIT: GEOPOLITICAL INTELLIGENCE SERVICES INC.
AMERICAN AND NIGERIEN TROOPS
KILLED AT NIGER AND MALI BORDER
Allison Reilly, Head, Africa Desk | October 11, 2017
On October 4, four US soldiers and four Nigerien soldiers were
killed in an ambush near the Mali border. It is unclear as to who
is responsible for the attack, but militant groups Al-Qaeda in the
Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Boko Haram are active in the region.
The United States Africa Command released a statement that reports
two additional US soldiers in stable condition after sustaining injuries
during the attack.
The US soldiers were the first Americans killed in Niger from an attack
since the beginning of the US Africa Command deployment, according
to The New York Times.
BBC reports that the US Special Forces soldiers and Niger’s counterterrorism
unit were conducting a training mission when they came under
hostile fire.
While US President Donald Trump has not released an official statement,
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed that the
President was briefed about the attack.
The Nigerien and US military personnel continue to monitor the country
and take measures to prevent the operations of AQIM and Boko
Haram in the area.
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AL-QAEDA RECRUITER
ARRESTED IN INDIA
Jake Lewis, Member, Africa Desk
September 27, 2017
Samiun Rahman, a British national, was
arrested by authorities in New Delhi, India,
on September 17, reportedly while trying
to recruit new members for al-Qaeda.
The Hindu newspaper reports that Rahman
was radicalized in 2012, was recruited by
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and
fought alongside Jabhat al-Nursa. According
to Daily News and Analysis, Rahman
had been arrested in Bangladesh in 2014 for
terrorism-related activities and released in
2017. In July of this year, Rahman relocated
to India to set up militant bases in
Mizoram and Manipur, according to India
Today. The Times of India states that Rahman
was tasked with recruiting Rohingya
Muslims in hopes waging attacks on India
and Myanmar. With Al-Qaeda speaking
openly about the current situation involving
Myanmar and Rohingya Muslims, it is
likely that more recruiting attempts will be
made to capitalize on the influx of Rohingya
refugees fleeing Myanmar.
USE OF ENCRYPTION
BY TERRORISTS, CRIM-
INALS, GROWING
Eric Winter, Head, Cyber Desk
October 11, 2017
FBI Director Christopher Wray gave his
first testimony before a senate committee
and said the two biggest concerns
are the “growing danger of drone and
cyber terror”, with cyber encryption capabilities
increasing.
In the first 10 months of the year the FBI
was unable to access the content of more
than 6,000 mobile devices according to Director
Wray’s testimony. FBI used “appropriate
and available technical tools”, he
said, and had legal authority to conduct
searches of the mobile devices. These
were devices that are usually easily accessed
by the FBI. I believe that ISIS and
other terrorist organizations’ cyber capabilities
will continue to increase, along with
their encryption techniques. Director Wray
stressed that the FBI will adapt to and overcome
the increasing technological sophistication
of terrorist and cyber-criminals.
PHILIPPINE-BASED ISIS MEMBERS
PLOTTED ATTACK ON NEW YORK
Fabio Molano, Member, Asia Desk | October 11, 2017
An undercover FBI agent in the Philippines intercepted money
and messages from members of the Islamic State detailing plans
to bomb Times Square and multiple subway stations in New York.
Three conspirators were arrested in three different countries.
ISIS leadership in Syria has direct lines of contact with ISIS militants
in the Philippines and have been funding them with thousands of dollars
according to a report by the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict.
According to Newsweek, Russell Salic, a Philippine citizen, was arrested
for his involvement in funding the plot with hundreds of dollars
that were used to purchase explosive material.
The Daily Caller reports the Salic refused to name other conspirators,
however two more have been arrested in connection, Abdulrahman El
Bahnasawy, a Pakistani-American, and Talha Haroon, a Canadian.
According to CNN, the US is seeking to extradite Salic and Haroon
from the Philippines and Pakistan.
The Philippine National Bureau of Investigation is currently working to
identify and apprehend other conspirators but only these three men
have been arrested and charged as of 10/10/17.
CUBAN-US RELATIONS CONTINUE TO
DETERIORATE AFTER SONIC ATTACKS
Joseph Cain, Member, Americas Desk | October 10, 2017
In a speech delivered on October 9, Miguel Diaz-Canel, First Vice
President of Cuba, rejected United States President Donald Trump’s
demand for “democracy and capitalism” in Cuba, saying that the
island country will never trust imperialistic motives. The speech
was comes after the recent alleged sonic attacks on US embassy
staffers.
Time reports that since November 2016 at least 22 American embassy
staffers have been targeted in unexplained attacks in Havana.
The US State Department responded on September 29 by pulling all
non-essential staffers until Cuba takes proper measures to ensure
safety.
On October 3, the US announced that 15 Cuban diplomats would be
expelled from America but not deemed persona non-grata.
US Senator Patrick Leahy commented on the American response stating,
"whoever is doing this obviously is trying to disrupt the normalization
process between the US and Cuba."
The comments by Diaz-Canel, who is the most likely to succeed Raul
Castro as leader of Cuba, mark a stark turn in US Cuba relations that
seemed to be improving until the time of the attacks.
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