Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #CounterTerrorism

Most recents (24)

🧵[1/8]
A 2021 report published by @HudsonInstitute highlights #Pakistan's efforts to destabilize #India through Khalistan separatist activism within the United States.
Their strategy is to exploit the Sikh diaspora, using propaganda, financial support, and even direct… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… Image
[2/8] The report highlights how Pakistan's #ISI uses the Khalistan movement as a strategic asset against India. 🇵🇰 It's not just about supporting the cause; it's also about creating unrest in the region and weakening India's global standing. 🇮🇳 #proxywar
[3/8] Interestingly, the article points out how the US🇺🇸 has become a safe haven for Khalistani activism. 🗽 Due to the country's strong support for #freespeech and #humanrights, such movements can flourish without much scrutiny. 🌱
Read 8 tweets
#Russia #cyber ops in the war on #Ukraine - "We continue full spectrum operations w/a series of partners to include Ukraine to provide them assistance as they battle the Russians" @CYBERCOM_DIRNSA Gen Paul Nakasone tells lawmakers
#Russia "a very capable [#cyber] adversary" per @CYBERCOM_DIRNSA "We continue to work very tightly w/our other partners within the US gvt -CISA, @FBI- to ensure our US critical infrastructure is protected, and @NATO in general"
Background:

“If the conflict continues to not go well for #Russia, there is some chance that Russia will be increasingly brazen in its cyberattacks” an NSA spox told @VOANews “...will increasingly look outside of Ukraine's territorial borders"
voanews.com/a/us-bracing-f…
Read 22 tweets
Good morning and welcome to Day 2 of the #RaisinaDialogue2023!

We kickstart the day with ‘The #QUAD Squad: Power and Purpose of the Polygon’

Featuring @SecBlinken, @hayashi09615064, @SenatorWong, @DrSJaishankar & @SamirSaran

Follow this thread for live updates!

#Raisina2023
.@SenatorWong: We are interested in a stable, secure and prosperous #IndoPacific. #Quad’s focus and our engagement with the Pacific Island countries are aligned with #Australia’s interests.

#Raisina2023 #RaisinaDialogue2023
Read 16 tweets
In his speech to the Somali Parliament, the President of the Republic, His Excellency Ismail Omar Guelleh, emphasized that the Somali Parliament has a leading role to play in the fight against Al Shabab terrorists. #Somalia #AlShabab #terrorism Image
The President emphasized that the legislative and oversight power of the Parliament can contribute to the fight against terrorism by passing forward-thinking laws to combat the settlement of foreigners promoting terrorism. #Somalia #counterterrorism #legislation Image
The Republic of Djibouti supports Somalia in the fight against Al Shabab terrorists, including through its contingent in the African Transitional Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). #Djibouti #Somalia #AlShabab #ATMIS Image
Read 6 tweets
Author of the classic Understanding Terror Networks, Sageman has become only more critical of the U.S. govt’s approach to the problem.

He argues that U.S. society has been transformed for the worse by an extreme overreaction to a limited threat—limited, he insists, Image
by an extreme overreaction to a limited threat—limited, he insists, despite spectacular recent incidents, which he takes fully into account. Indeed, his discussion of just how limited the threat is marks a major contribution to the discussion and debate over the best way to a
just how limited the threat is marks a major contribution to the discussion and debate over the best way to a measured and much more effective response.
Read 56 tweets
Today, the @JoeBiden admin released its National Security Strategy. I’ll summarize its major points & put some thoughts on #terrorism & #Afghanistan specifically in this THREAD. 1/n
@JoeBiden (You can find the full text of the document here: whitehouse.gov/wp-content/upl…) 2/n
@JoeBiden The strategy exists in 5 parts: (1) overview of the problem; (2) sources of US strength (solutions); (3) global priorities; (4) strategy by region; (5) conclusion.

Oddly, part 1 starts on page 6. Nitpicky, I know, but still weird--who counts the cover as page 1? 3/n
Read 29 tweets
Today the @StateDept held a presser and there were questions about today's announcement of the "#Afghanistan Fund." I'll string those together in this THREAD. 1/n
@StateDept (The link to the full presser is here: state.gov/briefings/depa…)

And here's a link to the announcement: home.treasury.gov/news/press-rel… 2/n
@StateDept Q: When is the soonest that this money could actually get to people or to organizations that could help people in #Afghanistan?

MR PRICE: The establishment of the Afghan Fund was recently finalized; it was announced publicly today early this morning... 3/n
Read 78 tweets
NEW: @DoD_IG report on US-#Afghanistan raises questions about Washington's "over-the-horizon" #counterterrorism strategy

Need for US planes/drones to fly long distances, loss of human intelligence "has significantly reduced the DoD’s
capacity to track terrorist targets"
"As of the end of the quarter [March 31], the DoD had not conducted any strikes on terrorist targets in #Afghanistan since its withdrawal last year" per @DoD_IG acting IG Sean O'Donnell

re: #ISIS #alQaida
#ISIS-#Khorasan estimated to have 2,000 members operating in #Afghanistan, per @DoD_IG citing @DefenseIntel

That's about half of estimates shared by the @UN in February
Read 15 tweets
As Chair of UN #Counterterrorism Committee, recalled developments in South & South East Asia:
🔹#terroristattack in 2019 in Sri Lanka, incl on 3 churches during Easter
🔹#Terror attack on Jammu-Srinagar Highway in 2019 by Jaish-e-Mohammed killing 40 Indian security personnel -1/3
🔹Since 2015, Jamaah Ansharut Daulah attacked churches in Indonesia, incl in Makasar
🔹Abu Sayyaf Group attacked Catholic cathedral in Jolo, Philippines in 2019
🔹In 2020, ISIL- Khorasan attacked Sikh Gurdwara in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing more than 25 people of Sikh faith -2/3
🔹In 2021, ISIL-K attacked Kabul International Airport, killing dozens
🔹1988 Committee report: Ties between #Taliban, thro Haqqani Network, & Al-Qaida & foreign terrorist fighters remain close
🔹Links between Taliban, Al-Qaida, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba & Jaish-e-Mohammed of concern-3/3
Read 3 tweets
NEW: "While we have significantly degraded the terrorist threat w/the last 20 years of sustained pressure, we still face a potent challenge" @DeptofDefense Deputy Asst Sec for Special Operations &Combating Terrorism Milancy Harris tells House lawmakers
"The terrorist threat to the US homeland from externally directed attacks is at its lowest since 9/11" per @DeptofDefense's Harris

"But we still face a number of terrorists groups committed to targeting US interests & personnel abroad"
Today's terror groups are agile, creative & "remain ideologically influential enough to motivate generations of new ppl to join them or to conduct attacks on their behalf" per @DeptofDefense's Harris
Read 24 tweets
This is an excerpt from a report supportive of Chinese government actions in #Xinjiang #EastTurkestan. It points to an expanded #China #PRC understanding of #CT #counterterrorism #GWOT, namely "cultural security." eurispes.eu/wp-content/upl…
The 2015 Anti-Terrorism Law specifies the government’s opposition "to the use of any form of 'distorted religious doctrines' or other ideologies that incite hatred or discrimination and/or promote violence and other forms of extremism, with the aim of eradicating the ideological
basis of terrorism from society. This should be understood as an attempt on behalf of the Chinese legislator to go beyond the simple prevention of the criminal act as such, in what could be defined a form of preventive prevention or pre-prevention."
Read 5 tweets
Oil and natural gas reserves is are increasingly becoming a target by #terrorists/ #insurgencies because it accounts for 6.5% of the global GDP. A good example is #Alshabaab attacks in Northern #Mozambique on the @TotalEnergies $20B offshore LNG facility that is the largest
Foreign investment project in #Africa. Cabo Delgado is also home to vast swaths of natural resource wealth.It also harbours the largest known graphite deposits & nearly half of the world's rubies lie under its soil.
#UnmaskingTerrorism
That thus makes #CaboDelgado a hotspot for real and perceived grievances, that are often exploited by #terrorists & proxy war mongers to sow unrest to explore these resources in a manner that won't benefit the locals.
#UnmaskingTerrorism.
Read 4 tweets
The findings show an absence of a systematic and coordinated plot to take over these schools and an absence of any concerted and deliberate plot to promote radicalisation and violent extremism of Muslim children in these schools or elsewhere

#TrojanHorse

tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.108…
language used to talk about the issues of “radicalisation” & “extremism” is itself the subject of considerable debate (Kundnani 2012; Lynch 2013). There is also a difficulty in understanding fully these issues cos there is a lack of an objective or universally accepted definition
As soon as the media took hold of the allegations, there was huge publicity about the promotion of extremism, radicalisation & terrorism.
At the time, the press also expressed many irrational anxieties about these Muslim majority schools (Arthur 2015). Even though, from the
Read 80 tweets
#Abizaid warned that #CounterTerrorism officials are concerned about efforts by #Iran & by its proxy, to lash out at the U.S.

she warned that Iranian leaders remain "intent on retaliating in the US for the Jan. 2020 killing of former IRGC Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani.”
Abizaid testify before a Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee hearing to discuss security threats, Sept. 21, 2021, Capitol Hill.
@ODNIgov @ODNI_NIC @mvhaydencenter

Abizaid further warned in written testimony of #Tehran’s ongoing efforts to “build operation
capacity against U.S.-based organizations and people.”
"The threat from #Iran also faces us overseas, particularly in #Iraq, whet Iraqi Shia militant groups pose the most immediate threat to US interests" per #NCTC's Abizaid

@CIA @DefenseIntel @FBI @inteldotgov @WHNSC
Read 5 tweets
Good observations by @AaronBlake.👇

We just published opinion piece by @LisaCurtisDC.

"I witnessed first-hand the Taliban’s obstinance to breaking ties with al-Qaeda ... The most the U.S. negotiators could extract from the Taliban was a flimsy pledge."

justsecurity.org/77823/take-tim…
2. Longer (without internal ellipses):

"I witnessed first-hand the Taliban’s obstinance to breaking ties with al-Qaeda during countless hours of negotiations in Doha, Qatar. The most the U.S. negotiators could extract from the Taliban was a flimsy pledge"
justsecurity.org/77823/take-tim…
3. Her larger point here is about the decision whether (if ever) to recognize the Taliban government, the need for #HumanRights conditions, and to see actual compliance with human rights and #counterterrorism demands.

And a critique of both Trump and Biden actions.
Read 4 tweets
Comments on #Afghanistan from ⁦@PentagonPresSec⁩’s #DOD presser today in this THREAD. 1/n defense.gov/Newsroom/Trans…
Q: The #Taliban have made some significant gains in recent weeks & even as recently as past weekend…especially in the North. Is @SecDef considering recommending a slowdown in the withdrawal or other changes to minimize a chance of an early collapse of the Afghan forces? 2/n
MR. KIRBY: I would say w/o speaking specifically to the #Taliban advances you spoke to, as @SecDef has said, the withdrawal is on pace. It is a dynamic situation & we've said that from the very beginning, which means that he, the chairman, & Gen McKenzie, are constantly… 3/n
Read 47 tweets
In this issue of Survival: Global Politics & Strategy, @LaurelMillerICG brings some hard truths about Biden's decision to withdraw from #Afghanistan. Some highlights to follow... 1/n

tandfonline.com/doi/epub/10.10…
"The ‘ending forever war’ slogan may be in vogue among critics of involvement in #Afghanistan, but it is hard to imagine that, had Biden believed that truly crucial goals were at stake, he would have declared that time was up simply because it was taking too long to achieve them"
"The problem was not that American involvement in the war was endless; it was that the US found itself unable to end its involvement on the terms that it preferred..." 3/n
Read 12 tweets
Comments on #Afghanistan from yesterday's #DOD presser w/@PentagonPresSec in this THREAD. 1/n

defense.gov/Newsroom/Trans…
Q: @usairforce Acting Sec, John Roth, yesterday told Congress that for now the over-the-horizon capability to support #Afghanistan will be from the existing footprint that the USAF has in the region & I'm wondering if that means there haven't been any inroads made... 2/n
...w/potentially new locations to move US forces to provide that over-the-horizon capability?

MR. KIRBY: We already have an over-the-horizon #counterterrorism capability there & other parts of the world, & we are already using that OTH capability in #Afghanistan. 3/n
Read 18 tweets
Points on #Afghanistan from yesterday's #DOD presser w/@PentagonPresSec in this THREAD. 1/n

defense.gov/Newsroom/Trans…
Q: Gen Milley has recently mentioned that securing Kabul Airport will be essential for keeping embassy presence not just for the US but for other countries after the withdrawal is completed & that there could be an int'l force assembled to do that... 2/n
...I wondered whether @SecDef agrees w/this & whether he's been talking to @NATO partners or others about organizing such a force.

MR. KIRBY: Certainly the secdef recognizes the key hub that is the airport there in Kabul & the impact that will have... 3/n
Read 29 tweets
Interest items on #Afghanistan from yesterday's #DOD presser w/@PentagonPresSec in this THREAD. 1/n

defense.gov/Newsroom/Trans…
.@SecDef spoke w/#Pakistan's COAS, Gen Bajwa, to discuss shared regional interests & objs. During the call, the sec reiterated his appreciation for PAK's spt for the #Afghanistan peace negotiations & expressed his desire to cont to build on the US-PAK bilateral relationship 2/n
Q: Getting back to #Pakistan, its Foreign Ministry put out a statement today ruling out the possibility of any US mil bases for the post-withdrawal from #Afghanistan #counterterrorism effort. Is there anything that the US is looking for right now from PAK... 3/n
Read 20 tweets
I attended #SOFIC today, at which GEN Rich Clarke, the commander of @USSOCOM spoke. My notes from his speech (paraphrases, not quotes unless specified) are in this THREAD. 1/n
- #COVID19 has impacted @USSOCOM's operating culture—caused #SOF to look at where they need to be, how they interact, etc
- The withdrawal from #Afghanistan will bring changes. SOF were first ones in, will be the last ones out. Will spark a new era of opportunity for SOF. 2/n
- #SOF today are almost unrecognizable from SOF that invaded #Afghanistan in 2001. 20 years of the necessity of combat has been the mother of all inventions. SOF have had urgent warfighting needs for 20 years, and will continue to have these going forward. 3/n
Read 26 tweets
I’ve been asked a number of times the past couple of days what I think of @joebiden’s announcement to withdraw all US troops from #Afghanistan by September. I haven’t had the time to write a proper op ed, so instead I’ll give you my thoughts in this THREAD. 1/n
My top-line take is this: What choice did @joebiden really have? If you examine his situation through the lenses of #Afghanistan, terrorism risk, credibility, domestic politics, & global US priorities, you’ll see the answer is “he had to do it.” 2/n
Let’s start w/#Afghanistan. Recognize first that the US isn’t in South Asia! We were always visiting, which means at some point, we would leave. Only Q has been when that would happen. That Q was answered in the US-#Taliban Agreement: We would leave by 1 May. 3/n
Read 22 tweets
This is the #DemPartyPlatform for 2020. This part is called: 🇺🇸 Mobilizing the World to Address Transnational Challenges: Terrorism
🇺🇸Only one party will respond to the growing threat from white supremacist and other right-wing terrorist groups. 1/11
So long as violent extremists continue to plot attacks on our homeland and our interests, #Democrats will maintain a vigilant focus on counterterrorism. 2/11 #DemPartyPlatform #Terrorism
#Democrats recognize that the threat landscape has evolved dramatically since September 11. 3/11 #DemPartyPlatform #Terror
Read 11 tweets

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