8 January 2014

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY THE PTSS DAILY began as a GLOBAL STRATEGIC OVERVIEW means of keeping PTSS Marshall Center Alumni abreast of news SPECIAL: THE STATE, THE INTERNET, AND CYBERSECURITY WITH PETER SINGER, related to terrorism. THE PTSS

PART I DAILY is neither an academic journal nor the effort of a research COUNTERTERRORISM NEWS BY directorate or a large staff. Early each morning, articles NATION & REGION that are cited in THE PTSS DAILY are culled from AFGHANISTAN hundreds of sources with the intent of providing you EGYPT INDONESIA with the most current news, discussions and commentary IRAN on terrorism and related issues such as piracy or narco- IRAQ terrorism. These articles, curated from news media, KENYA academic and international sources or submitted by LEBANON many of you, give our growing network a snapshot of this pernicious threat. NIGERIA PAKISTAN Every effort is made to ensure that credible articles are RUSSIA chosen, but the intent of THE PTSS DAILY is to deliver SYRIA wide coverage. You – the professional – must be the TURKEY final discriminator on the merit of a particular article and UNITED KINGDOM OF AMERICA its value to your profession. To ensure that THE PTSS YEMEN DAILY is both relevant and valuable to the reader, we GENERAL COUNTERTERRORISM NEWS welcome and highly encourage comments from you.

AL QA’IDA & AFFILIATES GEORGE C. MARSHALL COMMENTARY & OPINION EUROPEAN CENTER FOR SECURITY STUDIES CONVERGENCE LTG (Ret.) Keith W. Dayton, Director CYBER WARFARE Dr. Robert Brannon, Dean, College of International LEGAL ASPECTS & LAWFARE Security Studies TERRORIST FINANCING PTSS DAILY EDITORIAL STAFF TRANSPORTATION SECURITY MAJ Daryl DeSimone, Executive Editor WMD TERRORISM Mrs. Brenadine C. Humphrey, Managing Editor EVENTS & EDUCATION James Wither, Contributing Editor

Sam Mullins, Contributing Editor

Cristian Guerrero-Castro, Global Strategic Overview

Col (Ret.) Professor Nick Pratt (19xx – 2013)

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Thought for the Day | back to top |

This, perhaps, is terrorism’s fertile ground. Because if you grew up as I did, self- protection requires coming to terms with violence and terror. Violence becomes a vehicle of survival. ~ Kennedy Odede, New York Times, 8 January 2014

Read more at: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/09/opinion/terrorisms-fertile-ground.html Global Strategic Overview | back to top | Activists: Suicide Car Bombing By Al-Qaida Kills 20 Rebels Amid Infighting In Northern Syria Associated Press 8 January 2014 Activists say a suicide car bombing by an al-Qaida-linked group has killed at least 20 rebels amid clashes in opposition-held areas in Syria. Rami Abdurrahman of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Wednesday that the bombing took place the previous day near the northern city of Darkoush. Abdurrahman says the attack was carried out by the al-Qaida fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, who have been battling rebels from an array of Syrian rebel brigades… Read more at: http://www.startribune.com/world/239212331.html Judge Demands Death Penalty For 14 Suspects In Hezbollah Attack The Daily Star 8 January 2014 A Lebanese judge requested the death penalty Wednesday for 14 suspects accused of terrorist attacks including last year’s ambush of a Hezbollah convoy that killed one of the party’s fighters. In the indictment, Military Investigative Judge Imad al-Zein requested the sentence to men of Lebanese and Syrian nationalities for planting bombs along the Masnaa highway linking Lebanon to Syria with the aim of targeting passing vehicles and security forces. Seven of the suspects are in custody while the judge issued arrest warrants for seven others who remain at large. Read more at: http://www.albawaba.com/news/death-penalty-hezbollah-attack--545822 ISIL Calls On Iraq Sunnis To Keep Fighting Aljazeera 8 January 2014 Spokesperson for al-Qaeda linked group tells fighters in Anbar to keep battling the Shia-led government. An Al-Qaeda-linked group has called on Iraqi Sunnis who have seized one city and part of another to keep battling government forces, as fighting and attacks killed 56 people. Parts of Anbar provincial capital Ramadi and all of Fallujah have been outside government control since last week. It is the first time the fighters have exercised such open control in major cities since the height of the insurgency that followed the 2003 US-led invasion. "Oh Sunni people, you were forced to take up the weapon," Abu Mohammed al- Adnani, spokesman for al-Qaeda-linked group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), said… Read more at: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/01/isil-calls-iraq-sunnis-keep-fighting- 2014186554213170.html

Afghan Police Kill 7 Militants Xinhua 8 January 2014 Units of Afghan police backed by the army have killed seven Taliban militants during series of operations across the country over the past 24 hours, Interior Ministry said in a statement released here Wednesday. During the operations, which have been conducted in Wardak, Herat and Helmand provinces, seven more militants sustained injuries and 16 others made captive, according to the statement. There were no casualties on the security forces. Taliban militants have yet to make comment. Read more at: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2014-01/08/c_133028288.htm Iraqi Forces Attack Al-Qaeda Militants In Ramadi Ahead Of The Fight For Fallujah EuroNews 8 January 2014 Iraqi military air strikes on the city of Ramadi have killed 25 al Qaeda-linked fighters. That is according to the government which is battling militants to regain control of Anbar province. Footage released by the Iraqi Defence Ministry is said to show attacks on members of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Government forces lost control of Ramadi and Fallujah at the weekend after the cities were infiltrated by the al Qaeda linked group. Thousands of civilians have been fleeing the area where the recent fighting has led to some of the heaviest clashes in Iraq for years. Read more at: http://www.euronews.com/2014/01/08/iraqi-forces-attack-al-qaeda-militants-in-ramadi-ahead-of- the-fight-for-fallujah/ 16 Killed In Nigeria Village Attack IANS 8 January 2014 Nigeria's police authority in central north state of Plateau on Tuesday confirmed 16 people dead in an attack on Shonong community, consisting of four villages in the restive state. Nine bodies were recovered from the scene of Monday's attack while seven others were burnt beyond recognition, Xinhua quoted state's commissioner of police Chris Olakpe as saying. About 20 houses were razed down, he said, adding that the number of people injured in the attack was still being collated. Read more at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/16-killed-in-Nigeria-village- attack/articleshow/28538148.cms Al-Qaeda-Linked Group 'Kills' Aleppo Captives Aljazeera 7 January 2014 Activists say the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has killed people in their custody in northern Syria. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has executed media activists, relief workers and other civilians that were held captive by the al-Qaeda-linked group in Syria's Aleppo, according to activists and a rebel fighter. The prisoners, who were held in the ISIL detention centre in Qadi al-Askar district, were killed on Monday evening as clashes raged across Syria's opposition-held areas between the ISIL and several other rebel groups. According to activist group the Local Coordination Committees, at least 50 were killed. Read more at: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/01/al-qaeda-linked-group-kills-aleppo-captives- 2014175161198234.html Military Operations Kill 16 Afghan Militants Within Day: Official Xinhua 7 January 2014 Sixteen militants were killed while 15 others wounded in military operations across Afghanistan within the last 24 hours, the Afghan Interior Ministry said Tuesday morning. "Afghan National Police (ANP), army and the National Directorate for Security (NDS) carried out cleanup operations in Nangarhar, Uruzgan, Logar, Ghazni, Paktiya, Herat

and Nimroz provinces, killing 16 armed Taliban members, wounding 15 militants and arresting 13 others over the past 24 hours,"the ministry said in a statement. They also found weapons during the above raids… Read more at: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2014-01/07/c_133025357.htm Chechen Terrorist Challenges Sochi Olympics Deutsche Welle 7 January 2014 Chechen rebel leader and Russia's most wanted terrorist, Doku Umarov, has ordered his followers to sabotage the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi with whatever it takes, including attacks on civilian targets. The Winter Olympics in Sochi kick off on February 7, but there are already serious concerns that they will be the target of attacks. Fears have grown since two recent attacks in the Russian city of Volgograd which left 34 people dead, and especially after Russia's public enemy number one, Doku Umarov, said he was prepared to use "maximum force" to prevent President Vladimir Putin from holding the event.... Read more at: http://www.dw.de/chechen-terrorist-challenges-sochi-olympics/a-17341735?maca=en-rss-en-all- 1573-rdf Lebanon FM: Terrorist Saudi Al-Majed’s Death Blow To Justice FNA 7 January 2014 Lebanon’s Caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour described the death of Saudi terrorist Majed al-Majed, the commander of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, as a "blow to justice". Majed al-Majed was the head of an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group that claimed responsibility for the double suicide bombing outside the Iranian Embassy in Beirut on Nov 19, Al-Manar reported. "The death of the Abdallah Azzam Brigades’ leader Majed al-Majed was a blow to justice as gone with him is the plot he wanted to implement via his group inside and outside Lebanon," Mansour said… Read more at: http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13921017000354 Indian Separatists Battle Police In Kashmir Associated Press 7 January 2014 Separatist militants in India have clashed with police and paramilitary forces in a fierce gun battle that killed one officer in the troubled Himalayan region of Kashmir, according to police. Police were ambushed in Sopore city, about34 miles (55km) north of Srinagar, after receiving a tip that militants were operating in the area, Inspector General AG Mir said. Indian paramilitary forces were sent to reinforce police. Four officers were wounded, with one later dying from his injuries, Mir said. There was no immediate word on whether any militants had been hit. Read more at: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/07/indian-separatists-battle-police-kashmir Syrian Aircraft Strike Kills 10 In Rebel Town Miami Herald 7 January 2014 Syrian activists say a government airstrike has killed 10 civilians in a rebel-held town in the country's north. Two activist groups — the Aleppo Media Center and the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights — said Tuesday that the dead in the strike on the town of Bzaa included children. The strike happened on Monday. The town of Bzaa lies in a rebel-held area of the northern Aleppo province. Activists say Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar Assad have killed hundreds in bombing of rebel-held areas… Read more at: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/01/07/3856452/syrian-aircraft-strike-kills-10.html

Special: The State, the Internet, and Cybersecurity with Peter Singer, Part I | back to top | The State, The Internet, And Cybersecurity With Peter Singer, Part I Asia Institute 8 January 2014 On January 2, Dr. Emanuel Pastreich, director of the Asia Institute, sat down with Peter Singer, director of the Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence and a senior fellow in the Foreign Policy program of the Brookings Institute. Singer’s research focuses on three core issues: current US defense needs and future priorities, the future of war and the future of the US defense system. This is the first in a six-part series. Emanuel Pastreich: “When you chose to title your new book as Cyber Security and Cyber War did you intend to make a clear distinction between two discrete issues?” Peter W. Singer: “Cyber security and cyber war are two separate topics that are related in that within the new domain of cyberspace we see an overlap between what we traditionally refer to as the civilian sphere and the military sphere. Cyberspace is evolving as a realm that includes everything from commerce, entertainment and communications to forms of direct conflict. For example, 98% of all military communications travels through cyberspace, but, at the same time, the cyberspace they are channeling over is primarily civilian owned. Read more at: http://www.businesskorea.co.kr/article/2882/asia-institute-seminar-state-internet-and-cybersecurity- peter-singer-part-i Counterterrorism News by Nation & Region AFGHANISTAN | back to top | New Terror Weapon: Little Girls? (Opinion) CNN By Mia Bloom and John Horgan 7 January 2014 Disturbing reports are emerging from Afghanistan that a 10-year-old girl named Spozhmai was pre-empted from carrying out a suicide bombing attack against a police station in Khanshin. Though Taliban forces are already deploying female operatives in a limited capacity, it was the first report of a young girl who was groomed for martyrdom. It represents the latest development in a long history of terrorist organizations' use of children. Read more at: http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/07/opinion/bloom-horgan-afghanistan-girl/?hpt=hp_bn7 EGYPT | back to top | Cairo Criminal Court Adjourns Morsi's Trial to Feb. 1 Daily Times 8 January 2014 The Cairo Criminal Court, on Wednesday, adjourned the trial of ousted Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsi, to Feb. 1. Morsi is being tried for inciting the killing of protesters outside presidential palace during his rule. The Chinese News Agency, Xinhua, reported that the adjournment was due to bad weather that prevented Egyptian authorities from transferring Morsi from his prison in Alexandria to the court in Cairo. Read more at: http://www.dailytimes.com.ng/article/cairo-criminal-court-adjourns-morsis-trial-feb-1

INDONESIA | back to top | Indonesian Militants Being Drawn To Syrian Civil War Jakarta Post 8 January 2014 The recent uncovering of plots to destroy Buddhist temples to avenge violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar has also cast a spotlight on Indonesians going to fight in Syria's civil war. One of the six shot dead in a counter-terrorism raid on New Year's Eve, Nurul Haq, was preparing to travel to Syria to fight alongside militants attempting to topple the government of President Bashar al-Assad, said police. This discovery lends weight to warnings issued by Indonesia's National Counter Terrorism Agency (BNPT). Its deputy for international cooperation Harry Purwanto has said his agency is tracking 50 Indonesians in Syria for suspected terrorist activities like fighting alongside militants or networking with extremists. Read more at: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/01/08/indonesian-militants-being-drawn-syrian-civil- war.html IRAN | back to top | Iran Sole Voice Of Reason In Mideast Press TV 8 January 2014 Just as much of the Middle East seems to be literally imploding, its nations pushed to the very limits of the tolerable as world agendas seek to sully the very values and faith that define the region’s people, Iran has once more emerged as the region’s champion, the only voice of reason amid a torrent of madness and bloodshed. Two years after the Islamic Awakening, at a time of great political, social and religious hardship in the region, Iran has managed to keep its cool, having been able to maintain an objective vantage point, strong of its own experience. Read more at: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/01/08/344397/iran-sole-voice-of-reason-in-mideast/ IRAQ | back to top | Shiite Movement Warns to Hit Riyadh in Reprisal for Saudi-Led Violence in Iraq FARS 8 January 2014 Iraqi Shiite movement, Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, urged Saudi Arabia to halt its support for the terrorist groups in the country, and warning that its interference in Iraq will result in dire consequences for Riyadh. “Saudi Arabia should know its limits,” Qais al-Khazali, the secretary-general of Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, said on Wednesday. He took Saudi Arabia responsible for supporting the al-Qaeda-linked groups in Iraq, and said, “The Saudi house is frailer than the spider’s web and our reaction to its meddling in Iraq will perplex Riyadh since it will be hit from a side which it has never thought of,” he underlined. Read more at: http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13921018000634 Government Airstrike Kills 25 Al Qaeda Militants, Iraqi Spokesman Says AP 7 January 2014 A government airstrike killed 25 Al Qaeda-linked militants in a besieged province west of Baghdad amid fierce clashes Tuesday between Iraqi special forces and insurgents battling for control of the key cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, Iraqi officials said.

The Al Qaeda gains in the Sunni-dominated province of Anbar -- once bloody battlegrounds for U.S. troops -- pose the most serious challenge to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Shiite-led government since the departure of American forces in late 2011. Read more at: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/01/07/iraqi-army-clashes-with-al-qaeda-linked-militants- near-fallujah/ KENYA | back to top | Terrorism’s Fertile Ground (Opinion) New York Times by KENNEDY ODEDE 8 January 2014 Terrorism is a global reality, and for me as a Kenyan, this struck close to home in September with the siege of the Westgate mall. Yet in many ways, growing up in Nairobi I was always in the midst of terror. As a boy living in extreme poverty in Kibera, one of Africa’s largest slums, I learned early on that I was disposable, that human life is not equally valued. Life expectancy in Kibera is estimated at 30 years, compared with 64 in the rest of Kenya and 70 worldwide. In Kibera, people are desensitized to death. Living is understood to be the exception. Read more at: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/09/opinion/terrorisms-fertile-ground.html On The Ground In Kenya Part 1: A Conversation With Our Legal Attaché In Nairobi FBI 7 January 2014 The FBI’s legal attaché, or legat, program places Bureau personnel in more than 60 countries around the world. Working primarily through U.S. Embassies, our employees serve at the pleasure of host country governments, and their core mission is to establish and maintain liaison with local law enforcement and security services. Such partnerships are critical in the fight against international terrorism, cyber crime, and a range of other criminal and intelligence matters. FBI.gov recently sat down with Dennis Brady, the Bureau’s legal attaché in Nairobi, Kenya, to talk about our partnerships with the Kenyans and our work in that region of the world. Q: What are the key threats in Kenya that impact Americans and U.S. interests? Brady: The terrorist organization al Shabaab has been the biggest threat we face. Members of that group use IEDs [improvised explosive devices] to carry out terrorist attacks. They are known to throw grenades into local buses and attack local police officers. They also have a history of kidnapping Americans in Somalia—an area that our legat office covers. Piracy in Somalia is also a continuing threat. Read more at: http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2014/january/a-conversation-with-our-legal-attache-in-nairobi- part-1/a-conversation-with-our-legal-attache-in-nairobi-part-1 LEBANON | back to top | Lebanon Welcomes Iran’s Probe Proposal Press TV 8 January 2014 Lebanon has welcomed Iran’s proposal to send a judiciary delegation to help Beirut with investigations into the recent terrorist bombings that targeted the Iranian embassy in the Lebanese capital. Mutual cooperation to stamp out terrorism is considered a positive measure in all countries, and the terrorist act outside the Iranian embassy in Beirut, in fact, amounted to an attack on Iranian soil, said Lebanese Justice Minister Shakib Qortabawi in a meeting with Iranian Ambassador to Beirut Ghazanfar Roknabadi on Tuesday. Read more at: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/01/08/344434/lebanon-welcomes-irans-probe-proposal/

LIBYA | back to top | Ex-Guantanamo Bay Detainee Had Role In Benghazi Attack AFP 8 January 2014 US officials plan to designate three branches of Ansar Al Sharia as foreign terrorism organisations S officials have implicated a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner in the 2012 attack on the US mission in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, reported Tuesday. Militiamen led by Abu Sufian Bin Qumu, chief of extremist group Ansar Al Sharia in Derna city, took part in the attack that killed US ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, according to the daily. Read more at: http://gulfnews.com/news/region/libya/ex-guantanamo-bay-detainee-had-role-in-benghazi-attack- 1.1275057 NIGERIA | back to top | Terrorism: Police Partner University on Intelligence Gathering This Day Live by Yemi Akinsuyi 8 January 2014 As part of the efforts in curbing the activities of terrorists in the country, the Nigeria Police Force has partnered Novena University (NU), Ogume, Delta State to train its personnel in intelligence gathering to combat insurgency and insecurity in the country. Speaking with journalists shortly after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Force Headquarters in Abuja yesterday, the Deputy Inspector-General, 'E' Department, Marvel Akpoyibo, stated that the training of intelligence officers would help the police to battle complex crimes and terrorism. Read more at: http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/terrorism-police-partner-university-on-intelligence- gathering/168316/ PAKISTAN | back to top | Extremist Narrative (Editorial) Express Tribune by By M Ziauddin 7 January 2014 There are many theories about how and why the extremist narrative began to be heard in our country and how from being remotely audible initially, it has become a strident narrative out-shouting — almost — all other rational narratives. Some of the theories trace this narrative to the very genesis of Pakistan that morphed immediately following the partition of the subcontinent into a perpetual jihad between Muslim Pakistan and Hindu India over Kashmir. Some trace its origins to Pakistan subsequently becoming a security state. Some date it to General Ziaul Haq’s Islamisation efforts. Read more at: http://tribune.com.pk/story/656120/extremist-narrative/ RUSSIA | back to top | ‘Sochi 2014 To Be Safest, Most Secure Olympics Ever’ – Organizers RTT News 7 January 2014 The Volgograd suicide attacks prove that terrorism is a global threat, but Russia has everything to ensure top-level security during the Winter Olympics it’s hosting next month, the head of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee,

Dmitry Chernyshenko said. “From the beginning of the construction phase, security was given paramount importance in the preparations for the Games,” Chernyshenko told RT's Paul Scott in Sochi. “And in the opinion of all international experts and the IOC [International Olympic committee], the Russian state authority is providing incredible measures and procedures to guarantee the safest and the most secure Games ever.” Read more at: http://rt.com/news/chernyshenko-sochi-olympics-security-276/ SYRIA | back to top | Syria Says No Deal With Terrorists Press TV 8 January 2014 Syrian minister of information Omran al-Zou’bi has said the Syrian government is keen for a successful outcome in Geneva 2 peace conference, affirming that Syria does not open dialogue with terrorists or anyone carrying a weapons against the government. He reiterated that the main goal of participating in the international conference is to stop terrorism. Al-Zou’bi further described groups such as the so called Syrian National Coalition- the main opposition faction outside the country as not representative of the Syrian people. Read more at: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/01/08/344350/syria-says-no-deal-with-terrorists/ Rebels Issue Ultimatum To Al Qaeda In Syria: Surrender Or Face 'A Massacre' NBC News by Charlene Gubash, Producer 7 January 2014 Rebel commanders in Syria issued a 48-hour ultimatum to al Qaeda-affiliated fighters Tuesday, ordering them to surrender or face “a massacre.” The resurgent Free Syrian Army is taking back areas previously lost to a splinter group known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) – a faction that has turned the deadly civil war into a complex battle in which opponents of President Bashar Assad’s regime are also fighting each other. More than 274 people have been killed in the rebel-on-rebel clashes since Friday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition monitoring group. FSA commander Gen. Mna’ Rihal told NBC News that ISIL must end its campaign and abandon its attempts to create “religious division” between anti-Assad forces. Read more at: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/07/22217888-rebels-issue-ultimatum-to-al- qaeda-in-syria-surrender-or-face-a-massacre?lite TURKEY | back to top | Turkey Axes 350 Police Officers TIME By Kharunya Paramaguru 7 January 2014 Turkey removed 350 police officers from their posts in a midnight purge in Ankara on Tuesday, as the government continues its response to a sweeping public corruption probe. The 350 officers were part of units covering terrorism, intelligence, organized crimes, financial crimes, cyber crimes and smuggling, the Hurriyet Daily News reports. Read more at: http://world.time.com/2014/01/07/turkey-axes-350-police-officers/

UNITED KINGDOM | back to top | Science Teacher Arrested On Suspicion Of Plotting Terror Attack In Syria Manchester Evening News By Richard Wheatstone 7 January 2014 Jamshed Javeed, 29, from Levenshulme, was arrested by counter-terrorism officers as part of an investigation into concerns surrounding travel to Syria. A science teacher has been arrested on suspicion of plotting a terrorist attack in war-torn Syria. Jamshed Javeed, 29, from Levenshulme, was arrested by counter-terrorism officers as part of an investigation into concerns surrounding travel to Syria. Javeed, a teacher at Sharples High School in Bolton, was arrested on December 22 and has since been released on bail until March 5, pending further enquiries. Read more at: http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/science-teacher-jamshed- javeed-levenshulme-6476695 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | back to top | Robert Gates: The Iraq War Undermined U.S. Efforts in Afghanistan The Atlantic by CONOR FRIEDERSDORF 8 January 2014 The former secretary of defense also says that American foreign policy is too militarized and that politicians can't be trusted to do what's right. Within the Republican Party, a substantial faction still refuses to acknowledge and may not even believe that the Iraq War was a historic catastrophe that weakened America. So it is worthy of note when a former secretary of defense who served under Presidents Bush and Obama writes this in his forthcoming memoir: President Bush always detested the notion, but our later challenges in Afghanistan—especially the return of the Taliban in force by the time I reported for duty—were, I believe, significantly compounded by the invasion of Iraq. Resources and senior-level attention were diverted from Afghanistan. U.S. goals in Afghanistan—a properly sized, competent Afghan national army and police, a working democracy with at least a minimally effective and less corrupt central government—were embarrassingly ambitious and historically naive compared with the meager human and financial resources committed to the task, at least before 2009. This critique is nothing new. It helped Barack Obama to get elected president in 2008. But perhaps hearing it from Robert Gates will make the point more palatable to Republicans: Read more at: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/01/robert-gates-the-iraq-war-undermined-us- efforts-in-afghanistan/282905/ No US Troops To Iraq To Combat Resurgence Of Terrorists: Pentagon Policy Chief RTT News 8 January 2014 The United States will not deploy troops to Iraq to combat a resurgence of al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorists, according to Departing Pentagon Policy Chief. James N. Miller, who has been Undersecretary of Defense for Policy since May 2012, leaves his post on Wednesday, and reflected on his term during a roundtable discussion with reporters. The war in Iraq officially ended shortly before Miller took office. Iraq has continuing problems, Miller said, and the United States will continue to work with the Iraqi government to solve them. Still, he added, the United States will not deploy troops to Iraq to combat a resurgence of al-Qaida-affiliated terrorists. Read more at: http://www.rttnews.com/2248267/no-us-troops-to-iraq-to-combat-resurgence-of-terrorists- pentagon-policy-chief.aspx?type=gn&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=sitemap

US Designates Afghan Taliban Commander Qari Saifullah A Global Terrorist RTT News 7 January 2014 The US State Department has designated Afghan Taliban commander Qari Saifullah as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under an Executive Order that targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism, it was announced Tuesday. Read more at: http://www.rttnews.com/2247905/us-designates-afghan-taliban-commander-qari-saifullah-a- global-terrorist.aspx?type=msgn&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=sitemap Newest Silver Star Recipient Defied Death To Save Fellow Marines, Crush Taliban Ambush Marine Corps Times by James K. Sanborn 7 January 2014 A California-based Marine will receive the nation’s third-highest combat valor award Tuesday for his heroic actions in Afghanistan. Staff Sgt. Timothy Williams earned the Silver Star for his role in repelling an enemy ambush on July 10, 2012. During an hours-long firefight, he endeavored to evacuate his severely wounded team leader and coordinated the rescue of a quick reaction force by fighting across more than a mile and a half of fire-swept terrain, according to his award citation. While on a joint 15-man patrol with Afghan forces, Williams and the others — then assigned to Combat Support Adviser Team, Regimental Combat Team 6 — came under “intense and accurate” fire from at least 20 Taliban fighters. “Throughout the following 10 hour engagement, Staff Sergeant Williams took direct action to counter the ambush and repeatedly displayed superior leadership while directing his team under heavy small arms fire from fixed Taliban positions,” his citation reads. Read more at: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20140107/NEWS/301070004/Newest-Silver-Star- recipient-defied-death-save-fellow-Marines-crush-Taliban-ambush YEMEN | back to top | US Investigates Yemenis' Charge That Drone Strike 'Turned Wedding Into A Funeral' NBC News by Michael Isikoff 8 January 2014 The Obama administration has launched an internal investigation into a Dec. 12 drone strike in Yemen that targeted an al Qaeda militant but which local villagers say ended up hitting a wedding party, killing 12 and injuring 14 others, U.S. officials tell NBC News. NBC News has obtained exclusive videos and photos taken in the aftermath of the strike. The graphic images show the scorched bodies of young men who villagers say were part of a convoy on their way to the wedding celebration when they were killed in their pickups by two Hellfire missiles fired by a U.S. drone. Read more at: http://investigations.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/07/22163872-us-investigates-yemenis-charge- that-drone-strike-turned-wedding-into-a-funeral?lite

US Drone Attack Kills 2 Al-Qaida Militants In SE Yemen Xinhua 8 January 2014 Two suspected al-Qaida militants were killed and two others wounded in the US drone attack in Yemen's southeastern province of Hadramout on Wednesday, a government official told Xinhua. The US drone fired two missiles, which struck a small vehicle in the outskirts al-Qatan region in Hadramout province, killing at least two al-Qaida members and wounding two others, the local government official said on condition of anonymity. Read more at: http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/836421.shtml#.Us1rav1eFZg

General CounterTerrorism News | back to top | Why The Fatwa Against Terrorism Is Ineffective? OYE! Times by Tanveer Jafri 8 January 2014 Whether we call it the West’s conspiracy, Jihadi mission of extremist Muslims or a manifestation of regional problems, wherever any incident of terrorism takes place, first of all people think that the attack must have been committed by some Islamic Jihadist organization. Such terrorists and the attacks carried out by them certainly provide an opportunity to the critics of Islam. In these circumstances, it is a major responsibility of Muslim leaders and clerics to work towards removing terror blots from the image of Islam. Probably, this is the reason that since last four five years, it’s been heard that Islamic scholars have started issuing fatwas (decrees) against terrorism. In India too, the organizations like Jamaat-e-Islami and Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind are in the forefront of issuing such anti-terror fatwas. Darul Uloom Deoband, considered to be the biggest Islamic education seminary, has also issued anti-terror fatwas. Recently, a three day World Peace conference of Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e-Hind was held in India. Islamic scholars from many countries including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Britain, Myanmar, Nepal and Sri Lanka participated in this conference. While for two days, this conference was held at Darul Uloom Deoband, the closing ceremony of the conference was held at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi. Unlike the earlier times, when some national level politician was invited at the event, this time no politician was invited to participate in the conference. Many resolutions were passed during this World Peace Conference. However, the main resolution was passed against terrorism. Terrorism, in all its forms, was strictly condemned during this conference and a fatwa was issued against it by all the present Islamic clerics. This was for the first time that Islamic scholars from India and neighboring countries shared the stage and a common view on a sensitive issue like terrorism. Read more at: http://www.oyetimes.com/views/columns/57280-why-the-fatwa-against-terrorism-is-ineffective Al Qa’ida & Affiliates | back to top | Syria Al-Qaeda Leader Urges End To Infighting AlJazeera 8 January 2014 The leader of the powerful Nusra Front, Abu Mohammad, blames al-Qaeda splinter group ISIL for much of the fighting. The head of al-Qaeda in Syria has called for a ceasefire between opposition factions who have clashed for five days in the bloodiest bout of infighting since the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad began. An audio recording from the leader of the powerful Nusra Front, who goes by the name Abu Mohammad al-Golani, also laid much of the blame for the fighting on an al-Qaeda splinter group known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Read more at: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/01/syria-al-qaeda-leader-urges-end-infighting- 20141851246851997.html Al-Qaeda Surge Tests Obama’s Middle East Policy AP By JULIE PACE AND LARA JAKES 8 January 2014 A hands-off approach on Iraq and Syria led to an influx of Islamist extremists, critics say, eyeing a US withdrawal from Afghanistan US President Barack Obama is confronted with a recent burst of strength by al-Qaeda that is chipping away at the remains of Mideast stability, testing his hands-off approach to conflicts in Iraq and Syria at the same time as he

pushes to keep thousands of US forces in Afghanistan. Al-Qaeda-backed fighters have fought hard against other rebel groups in Syria, in a sideshow to the battle to unseat President Bashar Assad. Across the border in Iraq, they led a surprisingly strong campaign to take two of the cities that US forces suffered heavy losses to protect. Read more at: http://www.timesofisrael.com/al-qaeda-surge-tests-obamas-middle-east-policy/ Al-Qaeda-Linked Group 'Kills' Aleppo Captives AlJazeera 7 January 2014 Activists say the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has killed people in their custody in northern Syria. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has executed media activists, relief workers and other civilians that were held captive by the al-Qaeda-linked group in Syria's Aleppo, according to activists and a rebel fighter. The prisoners, who were held in the ISIL detention centre in Qadi al-Askar district, were killed on Monday evening as clashes raged across Syria's opposition-held areas between the ISIL and several other rebel groups. According to activist group the Local Coordination Committees, at least 50 were killed. Read more at: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/01/al-qaeda-linked-group-kills-aleppo- captives-2014175161198234.html Al-Qaeda's Spread Unchecked Since Bin Laden's Death USA Today 7 January 2014 The terror network 'remains far from crippled, and there is little evidence' al-Qaeda 'is on the decline,' says one analyst The death of leader Osama bin Laden did not end the spread of al-Qaeda, say analysts. It may have even helped it. The chaos of the Arab Spring revolutions, al-Qaeda's shift to a more bottom-up structure and a perceived pullback of U.S. influence in the Middle East are behind the spread of America's No. 1 enemy in the world, say several analysts who study the core group in Pakistan and affiliates who swear allegiance to it. Read more at: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/01/07/al-qaeda-spread/4358845/ Commentary & Opinion | back to top | Gary Gambill: What’s Worse Than An Iranian Bomb? An Iranian Almost-Bomb National Post By Gary Gambill 8 January 2014 For all of their sharp disagreements over the particulars of foreign policy, everyone in Washington seems to agree on one thing — that the overarching objective of American policy toward Iran should be, as President Barack Obama frequently intones, to “prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon.” They’ve got it wrong. The primary objective of American policy must be a sweeping degradation of Iran’s nuclear industrial infrastructure, preferably by diplomatic means, even if the resolute pursuit of this goal provokes Iran into rashly attempting the construction of a bomb — indeed, especially if it does so. Read more at: http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2014/01/08/gary-gambill-whats-worse-than-an-iranian-bomb- an-iranian-almost-bomb/ Fallujah Fall Just The Beginning -- Al Qaeda Virus Is Virulent And Spreading by Peter Brookes 7 January 2014 When President Obama proclaimed in the fall of 2012 during the presidential campaign that Al Qaeda was “on the run,” who knew he meant that Usama bin Laden’s acolytes were just hustling off to other places, including back to their old stomping grounds in Iraq.

In fact, news reports note that not only is Al Qaeda resurgent in Iraq two years after U.S. forces withdrew, but that it has actually recently taken–and held—ground in cities like Fallujah and Ramadi, two places fabled for American heroism during the war. You can almost picture a gleeful Al Qaeda in Iraq breathily saying: “We’re baaaaaack…” Read more at: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/01/07/fallujah-fall-just-beginning-al-qaeda-virus-is- virulent-and-spreading/ 5 Better Ways To Enlist U.S. Muslims In The Fight Against Terrorism Los Angeles Times by Salam Al-Marayati 7 January 2014 As someone who has been involved in counter-terrorism for more than 20 years, I was intrigued with former Democratic Rep. Jane Harman's Op-Ed article Monday on effective strategies to combat radicalization. I appreciate Harman's suggestion that we build bridges with Muslim communities, but prominent counter-terrorism thinkers like Harman come across as out of touch with those communities when they suggest that we in the U.S. need to be more effective in arguing how Muslims need to convert to the right side. This is pretentious and full of pitfalls. What I was hoping to read from Harman was how the U.S. government can offer a healthy role for American Muslim communities in these efforts. American Muslim leaders cannot be an extension of law enforcement. In fact, our communities have proved effective in pushing back against Al Qaeda rhetoric and shunting radicals out of mosques. Unfortunately, this creates another problem: lone wolves like alleged Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Read more at: http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-terrorism-radicalization-almarayati-blowback- 20130107,0,4903155.story#axzz2pnlonn2G FP’s Situation Report: Why Did Washington Refuse To Provide Air Support To The Iraqis? Foreign Policy by y Gordon Lubo 7 January 2014 Civil war lingers in Iraq and al Qaeda's comeback in Anbar province raises new questions about whether the U.S. should have left troops there. But FP's Yochi Dreazen and John Hudson say that argument "obscures what may be the original sin of the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq two years ago: Washington's refusal to provide Baghdad with the F-16s and Apache attack helicopters that could turn the tide in the bloody fight to recapture the key cities. The Iraqi military has surrounded Fallujah with ground troops and armored vehicles, and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki indicated Monday that he was prepared to order an all-out assault on the city if tribal fighters there failed to expel the al Qaeda fighters on their own. In a jab at the White House, a senior Iranian military official, Gen. Mohammad Hejazi, said Tehran was prepared to give Baghdad weaponry and military trainers to help in what could be weeks of grinding house-to-house, street-to-street fighting. Read more at: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/01/07/fp_s_situation_report_why_did_washington_refuse_to_provid e_air_support_to_the_ir#sthash.e64OqAPq.dpbs Time for U.S. to focus on Western Sahara CNN Special By Michael rubin 6 January 2014 Against the backdrop of North Korea and the conflicts in Afghanistan, Syria, and the Palestinian territories, it is understandable that within the United States, the Western Sahara is largely forgotten. It should not be. Across North Africa and the Sahel, political chaos reigns and stability is in short supply. Nature abhors a vacuum, but terrorists love them. Fueled by loose weapons from Libya, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and other offshoot terrorist groups have destabilized wide swaths of the Sahel. Freedom House once categorized Mali as the most free Muslim majority country in the world, but now it teeters on the brink of state failure, victim of weapons smuggling, terrorism, and its own porous borders. Across North Africa and the Sahel, from the Red Sea to the Atlantic, the only truly stable country is Morocco, a country whose sovereignty over the Western Sahara remains at the center of a

decades-long diplomatic dispute. It has now been almost 40 years since Spain left what was then called the Spanish Sahara, a territory that it had administered for almost a century. Conflict erupted quickly after Spain left. Morocco occupied nearly the entire territory. But Algeria, a reliable Soviet ally in the context of the Cold War, had other plans. It supported the Polisario Front, a group that claimed independence for the former Spanish territory and declared itself the rightful government of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. The subsequent guerilla conflict continued until 1991, when Morocco and the Polisario Front reached a ceasefire. The two sides initially agreed that a referendum would determine the Western Sahara’s future, but that vote was never held because they could reach no consensus about who qualified to vote. Today, the Sahrwi Arab Democratic Republic exists on paper only although thanks to Algerian largesse, which sees the Polisario as a useful wedge against rival Morocco and so bankrolls its diplomatic missions. Read more at: http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2014/01/06/time-for-u-s-to-focus-on-western-sahara/ Convergence | back to top | Pharmaceuticals: Target For Terrorism Life Science Leader by Dr. Miri Halperin Wernli & Dr. Boaz Ganor 7 January 2014 Slowly and steadily, terrorism, like a malignant cancer, has entered our lives. What once was an occasional event on the other side of the world can no longer be ignored as someone else’s problem. Terrorists, alone, in cells, or part of expanding international networks, are affecting the way we live, the way we think, and the way we do business. Government facilities, planes, trains, ships, oil refineries, and luxury locations have all taken the biggest and most publicized hits. The biopharmaceutical industry has seen it in the form of counterfeiting, adulteration, and diverted product, all of which are, perhaps, more disruptive than destructive. But that can easily change. The ingredients, technologies, knowledge, and global distribution inherent in making and delivering medicines can be turned too easily from benefit to destruction. That’s why we, a senior pharmaceutical executive and the head of a counterterrorism think tank, wrote this article. It is part of an ongoing initiative to explain why the biopharmaceutical industry needs to be alert to its vulnerabilities to terroristic influence and what it can do to reduce the risk. Read more at: http://www.lifescienceleader.com/doc/pharmaceuticals-target-for-terrorism-0001 Cyber Warfare | back to top | Cyberwarfare Greater Threat To US Than Terrorism, Say Security Experts AlJazeera America by Michael Pizzi 7 January 2014 Intelligence and defense officials warn of 'cyber Pearl Harbor' Cyberwarfare is the greatest threat facing the United States – outstripping even terrorism – according to defense, military, and national security leaders in a Defense News poll, a sign that hawkish warnings about an imminent “cyber Pearl Harbor” have been absorbed in defense circles. That warning, issued by then Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta in Oct. 2012, struck many as a fear-mongering plug for defense and intelligence funding at a moment when many in the United States, including 32 percent of those polled by the same Defense News Leadership Poll, believe the government spends too much on defense. Read more at: http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/1/7/defense-leaders- saycyberwarfaregreatestthreattous.html

Legal Aspects & Lawfare | back to top | EU Anti-Terror Law Puts German Coalition To The Test Eur Active 8 January 2014 Chancellor Angela Merkel's new grand coalition is in disagreement over the implementation in Germany of the EU's Data Retention Directive, decided years ago in the wake of the terrorist attacks in London and Madrid. EurActiv.de reports. The Social-Democrat Justice Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) has said he would wait on a decision by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) before issuing a legislative proposal to implement the EU's 2006 Data Retention Directive in Germany (see background). Maas's cautiousness follows a decision by Germany's highest court, which in a 2010 ruling annulled the legal texts adopted to implement the directive into German law. The ruling triggered a court action by the European Commission, which referred the matter to the ECJ in 2012, requesting that fines be imposed on Berlin for non- compliance. Read more at: http://www.euractiv.com/infosociety/data-retention-puts-german-coali-news-532626 Bradford Brothers On Terrorism Camp Charges To Face Retrial The Telegraph and Argus 8 January 2014 Two brothers from Bradford accused of plotting to leave England for a terrorist training camp will face a re-trial after jurors failed to reach a verdict. The seven women and five men on the jury in the case of Muhammed Saeed Ahmed and Muhammed Naeem Ahmed were discharged yesterday, having sat in on the case since it began at the Old Bailey in London at the end of November. Read more at: http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/10921070.Bradford_brothers_on_terrorism_camp_charges_to_face_ retrial/ Sentencing Of Pakistani Teen Linked To “Jihad Jane” Terrorism Case Delayed In U.S. AP 7 January 2014 A former high school honours student who led a double life online, aiding Muslim extremists overseas, has helped the U.S. pursue terrorists since his 2011 arrest but remains a risk, federal prosecutors said in court filings. Mohammad Hassan Khalid, 20, a native of Pakistan, was expected to be sentenced Tuesday, but his hearing was postponed while the defence seeks further mental-health evaluations. He is the rare person ever detained as a juvenile on federal terrorism charges. Read more at: http://www.vancouverdesi.com/news/ex-honours-students-sentencing-in-terrorism-case-delayed-in-us- helped-jihad-jane-others/694313/ Government Opposes Disclosure Of Force-Feeding Protocols; Detainees Respond Lawfare Blog by Jane Chong 7 January 2014 Two more developments in Aamer v. Obama, the force-feeding case on appeal before the D.C. Circuit. On December 30, the government filed its opposition to the detainees’ motion for an order directing the government to disclose and file complete copies of its revised force-feeding protocols. The detainees filed their reply yesterday. In its filing, the government offers some combination of argument and concession: Read more at: http://www.lawfareblog.com

Law And Order: Special Courts To Be Set Up To Try Suspects Under PPO Express Tribune 8 January 2014 The federal government has sought the Sindh government’s help to establish special courts to try cases under the Pakistan Protection Ordinance, a new law promulgated to deal with cases of terrorism. For this, the federal interior ministry has sought details from the Sindh government about the number of courts required, their location, measures to be taken for witnesses’ security as well as the deployment of prosecution officials and judges.

Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah agreed to provide full assistance for the implementation of the ordinance, but clarified that some legal issues needed to be resolved by the federal government through appropriate amendments to the law. Read more at: http://tribune.com.pk/story/656194/law-and-order-special-courts-to-be-set-up-to-try-suspects- under-ppo/ Terrorist Financing | back to top | Rambarran: Mou Will Prevent Financial Crimes Guardian Media by Raphael John-Lall 8 January 2014 Central Bank Governor Jwala Rambarran is confident that the new memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Central Bank will bring greater stability to the financial system and will protect citizens from financial crimes. …“Such collaboration among the country’s three financial regulators is also a further step in supporting our efforts to combat money laundering and terrorism financing. The region is the transit point for a torrent of narcotics whose street value far exceeds the value of the entire formal economies of the Caribbean. Caught in the crossfire of the international drug trafficking network, financial regulators have an important stake in T&T’s efforts to make it more difficult for organised criminal groups to move money through our financial system,” he said. Read more at: http://guardian.co.tt/business/2014-01-08/rambarran-mou-will-prevent-financial-crimes Transportation Security | back to top | Why China’s Gulf Piracy Fight Matters CNN Blog GPS by Andrew S. Erickson and Austin M. Strange, 7 January 2014 December 26, Chairman Mao’s birthday, is always a significant date for China. But last month’s 120th anniversary came at a time when his legacy is increasingly subject to vigorous debate among the Chinese public, media, academia and even officialdom. And it also established a new landmark in contemporary Chinese history, an unprecedented milestone in Chinese foreign policy that Mao would surely be proud of: the 5th year anniversary of China’s naval anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden.

To honor the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)’s contributions to maritime security off Somalia, the China Maritime Museum, located in Shanghai, opened a special exhibit that runs into March, and which features photos and actual mission mementos. Chinese media outlets continue to roll out a flurry of articles commemorating the occasion. But what is the actual significance of Chinese anti-piracy activities? And what has China accomplished there over the past five years? First and foremost, China’s naval foray into the Gulf of Aden, beginning in 2008, is a resounding response from Beijing to threats against its overseas interests. Chinese people and economic assets continue to disperse throughout the world at record pace nearly four decades after Deng Xiaoping’s opening up reforms. As a result, nontraditional security breaches outside of China, such as natural disasters, terrorist attacks (and, in this case, maritime piracy) pose growing threats to Chinese national interests. Read more at: http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2014/01/07/why-chinas-gulf-piracy-fight-matters/ WMD Terrorism | back to top | First Chemical Weapon Materials Removed From Syria Channel 4 News 8 January 2014 Syria begins moving chemical weapons materials out of the country in a crucial phase of an internationally backed disarmament programme. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said on Tuesday that "priority chemical materials" were transported to the port of Latakia and onto a Danish vessel which was now sailing towards international waters. Read more at: http://www.channel4.com/news/syria-aleppo-chemical-weapons-disarmament-program Events & Education | back to top | Pakistan’s Strategic Culture and Organizational Behavior: Implications for Counterterrorism and Nuclear Weapons Development CARNEGIE ENDOWNMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE JANUARY 16, 2014 WASHINGTON, D.C. 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM EST Pakistan is variously described as the world’s most dangerous place and the state with the fastest growing nuclear program. But such characterizations obscure the drivers of Pakistan’s approaches to its internal and external security challenges. These drivers include Pakistan’s strategic culture and specific organizational features of its national command authority. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace will host two Pakistani scholars, both currently serving as visiting fellows at the Cooperative Monitoring Center at Sandia National Laboratories, for a discussion of how Pakistan’s strategic culture and organizational behavior impact its approach to counterterrorism and nuclear weapons development. Toby Dalton will moderate. Read more at: http://carnegieendowment.org/2014/01/16/pakistan-s-strategic-culture-and-organizational- behavior-implications-for-counter-terrorism-and-nuclear-weapons-development/gxme International Biometrics Certifications Debut In West Africa Human IPO By Paul Adepoju 8 January 2014 Tim Akano, chief executive officer (CEO) of New Horizons, a foremost Information Technology (IT) training institute, has announced the introduction of West Africa’s first international biometrics certification programmes. He said the certifications available at the institute are vendor neutral certification programmes – namely Certified

Biometric Security Technician (CBT), Certified Biometric Security Professional (CBSP), Certified Biometric Security Engineer (CBSE), and Certified Biometrics Security Developer (CBSD) – designed for technology practitioners who are seeking to enhance their technical skills as well as their professional prospects. “Biometrics is used in computer science as a form of identification and access control. It is a form of recognition and identity confirmation that uses physical attributes of an individual that are impossible or at least hard to mask. Common forms of biometrics include facial recognition, fingerprinting, retinal scans and DNA analysis. While previously cost prohibitive, concerns over terrorism and security have made many world governments and private organisations implement the technology at least on a limited scale,” Akano said. He said his institute’s facilities support virtual live seminars and on-site trainings. Read more at: http://www.humanipo.com/news/38577/international-biometrics-certifications-debut-in-west-africa/ ACMT to Present Chemical Agents of Opportunity for Terrorism Course PrWeb 8 January 2014 The American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) will present an educational workshop titled ‘Chemical Agents of Opportunity for Terrorism’ on February 5th and 6th in Ottawa, Ontario. The course, which is sponsored by the Canadian Safety and Security Program of the Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Response Unit of Health Canada, will provide training to emergency personnel and planners. The course focuses largely on toxic industrial chemicals that are easily obtainable from multiple sources in communities and which pose a serious threat to health if accidentally released or intentionally disseminated. Eight course modules will cover important chemical hazards including industrial gases, such as cyanide and chlorine, and neurotoxins, such as tetramine. In addition delayed-onset toxicants, such as dioxin and ricin, will be included. Read more at: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/01/prweb11461047.htm

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