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Category: terrorism

  • MIL-OSI USA News: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Establishes the Make America Healthy Again Commission

    Source: The White House

    MAKING AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order establishing the President’s Make America Healthy Again Commission.

    • Chaired by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Commission is tasked with investigating and addressing the root causes of America’s escalating health crisis, with an initial focus on childhood chronic diseases.
    • Within 100 days, the Commission will produce an assessment that summarizes what is known and what questions remain regarding the childhood chronic disease crisis, and include international comparisons.
    • Within 180 days, the Commission will produce a strategy, based on the findings of the assessment, to improve the health of America’s children.
    • The Commission has four main policy directives to reverse chronic disease:
      • Empower Americans through transparency and open-source data and avoid conflicts of interest in all federally funded health research.
      • Prioritize gold-standard research on why Americans are getting sick in all health-related research funded by the federal government.
      • Work with farmers to ensure that U.S. food is the healthy, abundant and affordable.
      • Ensure expanded treatment options and health coverage flexibility for beneficial lifestyle changes and disease prevention.
    • The Commission aims to restore trust in medical and scientific institutions and hold public hearings, meetings, roundtables, and similar events to receive expert input from leaders in public health.

    ADDRESSING THE RISE OF CHRONIC ILLNESSES: President Trump understands that America’s healthcare system is largely focused on treating chronic illnesses rather than preventing them, leading to a growing health crisis with serious economic and national security consequences.

    • Based on all health indicators and global comparisons, Americans are becoming sicker, beset by illnesses that our medical system isn’t addressing effectively.
      • In the United States, six in 10 adults have at least one chronic condition, and four in 10 have two or more.
      • Prior to COVID, American life expectancy averaged 78.8 years, while comparable countries averaged 82.6 years, creating a gap that equates to 1.25 billion fewer life years for Americans.
      • The United States has the highest age-standardized cancer incidence rate across 204 countries, nearly double the next-highest rate.
        • From 1990 to 2021, the United States saw an 88% increase in cancer.
      • Asthma is far more common in the United States than in other parts of the world, including most of Europe, Asia, and Africa.
    • The rise in chronic conditions is not limited to adults.
      • Childhood is usually the healthiest period of life, yet as of 2022, 30 million (40.7%) United States children had at least one health condition like allergies, asthma, or autoimmune diseases.
      • Autism now affects one in 36 children, a staggering increase from rates of one to four out of 10,000 children identified with the condition during the 1980s.
      • 18% of teens suffer from fatty liver disease, nearly 30% are prediabetic, and more than 40% are overweight or obese – these conditions were virtually unheard of in prior generations.
      • The incidence of childhood cancer, while still rare, increased 0.8% per year since 1975—an over 40% increase over 45 years.
      • Overmedication, particularly among children, is a growing concern. More than 3.4 million children are currently taking medication for ADD/ADHD and diagnoses continue to rise.
    • Chronic disease has widespread effects, including on our military and our economy.
      • 77% of young adults do not qualify for military service without a waiver, primary due to being overweight, drug use, or mental and physical health issues.
      • 90% of America’s $4.5 trillion healthcare expenditure is directed at managing chronic and mental health conditions.
      • The United States spends almost twice per capita what other wealthy countries spend on healthcare.
    • Americans have lost trust in our health system, skeptical as to whether they are receiving honest answers about the causes of the country’s health crisis and how to improve it.
      • Only a third of Americans trust the U.S. health system, a near-record low.

    TAKING ON THE HEALTH CRISIS: President Trump is fulfilling his promise to tackle the health crisis facing America.

    • President Trump pledged that upon returning to the White House he would establish a special Presidential Commission that’s “not bought and paid for by Big Pharma, and I will charge them with investigating what is causing the decades-long increase in chronic illnesses […] And then, I will ask them to publish recommendations for how every American child can have a safe and healthy childhood.”
    • In his first term, President Trump lowered healthcare costs, provided more healthcare options, and ensured better care for the American people.
    • President Trump has consistently championed initiatives aimed at improving the health and well-being of Americans. Select actions from the prior Trump Administration include:
      • Passed Right To Try to give terminally ill patients access to lifesaving cures.
      • Signed an executive order to fight kidney disease with more transplants and better treatment.
      • Accelerated medical breakthroughs in genetic treatments for Sickle Cell disease.
      • Declared the opioid crisis a nationwide public health emergency and signed the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, the largest-ever legislative effort to address a drug crisis in our Nation’s history.
      • Expanded access to telehealth, especially in rural and underserved communities.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Political solution to end war in Yemen is achievable, UN envoy says

    Source: United Nations 2

    Peace and Security

    A lasting peace is still possible in Yemen but requires commitment, courage, and action from all sides, the UN Special Envoy for the country told the Security Council on Thursday. 

    Hans Grundberg briefed on latest political developments in the country, where Houthi rebels, also known as Ansar Allah, and Government forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, have been battling for power for more than a decade.

    He spoke alongside UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher who updated on the “perilous” humanitarian situation there and the need for the Council’s support. 

    Respite in the region 

    Mr. Grundberg highlighted recent events that have occurred in the region.

    “We have witnessed a significant, albeit fragile, development in the Middle East with the ceasefire in Gaza,” he said.

    “We have also seen a cessation of attacks by Ansar Allah on vessels in the Red Sea and targets in Israel. This tentative reduction in hostilities, along with the release of the crew of the Motor Vessel Galaxy Leader, is a welcome relief.”

    He urged the international community to build on this opportunity for further de-escalation, while also acknowledging the magnitude of remaining challenges. 

    Detentions threaten aid delivery 

    He noted, however, that January saw a “fourth wave of arbitrary detentions” of UN staff by the Houthis, which was “a deeply troubling development.”  

    The Houthis are holding dozens of personnel from the UN, national and international non-governmental organizations, civil society and diplomatic missions – some for years.

    He said these detentions are not only a violation of fundamental human rights but also a direct threat to the UN’s ability to provide humanitarian assistance to millions. 

    “Even more deplorable is the death, while detained by Ansar Allah, of a UN colleague working for the World Food Programme (WFP),” he said. 

    He joined the UN Secretary-General in calling for an investigation into the death, and for anyone found responsible to be brought to justice. 

    Military operations and hardships continue 

    The Special Envoy noted that regrettably, military activity has continued in Yemen, with reports of movement of reinforcements and equipment towards the frontlines, as well as shelling, drone attacks and infiltration attempts by the Houthis on multiple frontlines.  

    “I call on the parties to refrain from military posturing and retaliatory measures that could lead to further tension and risk plunging Yemen back into conflict,” he said. 

    He also expressed deep concern over the rapidly deteriorating economic situation, affecting both Government- and Houthi-controlled areas. 

    For example, the city of Aden, which is under Government control, went without electricity for three consecutive days last week, prompting people to take to the streets.  Moreover, the continued depreciation of the Yemeni Riyal has also sent prices soaring. 

    “These hardships are symptoms of the failure to achieve a sustainable political resolution. Without the prospect of peace, there can be no prosperity,” he said.  

    US terrorist designation 

    Mr. Grundberg also addressed the recent move by the United States to re-designate the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.  President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order on 22 January that is scheduled to take effect within 30 days.

    He stressed that while clarifications are being sought, “it is important that our efforts to advance the peace process are protected.” 

    Over the past month, the UN envoy has continued active engagement with all regional and international actors, most recently in Washington.  

    “My message to all remains that only a political settlement of the conflict will support the Yemenis in their aspirations for lasting peace. It is achievable, it is possible, and it is pragmatic,” he insisted. 

    Follow the roadmap 

    He said the elements of the roadmap for peace already provide a framework for the way forward, and the parties committed to a nationwide ceasefire as the first step. This would in turn pave the way to a structured political process through inclusive negotiations under the auspices of the UN. 

    Concluding his remarks, Mr. Grundberg was adamant that a sustainable resolution to the conflict is still possible, saying the parties must engage in good faith and take the necessary steps to turn commitments into reality. 

    “I am aware that some think that they could get a better outcome through the resumption of full-scale military operations. I want to be clear: this would be a mistake for Yemen, and a mistake for the stability in the wider region,” he warned. 

    Millions in need 

    Mr. Fletcher, the UN’s top aid official, also highlighted the death of the WFP staff member in Yemen and the need to protect humanitarian workers. He said the latest humanitarian appeal for the country shows that 19.5 million people require support. 

    “Millions are hungry and at acute risk of life-threatening illness. Children and women make up more than three-quarters of those in need,” he said. 

    Last month, WFP reported that 64 percent of the population was unable to meet their minimum food needs, up three percentage points from November. He feared this will again increase due to lean season scarcity and rising food prices. 

    Meanwhile, some 3.2 million children are not in school, while half of all under-fives are acutely malnourished. Seventy per cent of three and four-year-olds have not been fully vaccinated, and youngsters under five “are dying at a horrific rate, mainly from preventable or treatable conditions – in 2023, an average of five every hour. “ 

    Temporary aid freeze in Sa’ada 

    Mr. Fletcher said that despite significant risks, humanitarian operations are largely continuing, however the detention of more UN staff has led to some “tough decisions”.   

    The UN has been forced to temporarily pause operations in Sa’ada governorate due to safety and security risks but is taking steps towards resuming once security guarantees have been obtained. 

    “Globally, humanitarians are overstretched, underfunded and under attack,” he said. “We face this growing challenge in a spirit of cooperation and pragmatism, guided by the urgent needs of those we serve.” 

    Appeal for support 

    Mr. Fletcher said that “the situation in Yemen is perilous,” and asked Council members to help release UN and civil society staff, return UN operations to full capacity, and to avoid taking actions which affect access of civilians to essential services. 

    “Political and security decisions should not punish affected communities by limiting the flow of essential commodities into Yemen,” he said.  

    “This is a tough place for us to deliver humanitarian support. And I recognize that it is a tough place for you to get the political judgements right,” he added. “But we must be brave, principled, and unflinching in our effort to save lives.” 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Kiwi businesses to face reduced AML burden

    Source: New Zealand Government

    The Government is moving to reduce the regulatory burden on New Zealand businesses by improving the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Act 2009, Associate Justice Minister Hon Nicole McKee says.
    The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill, which had its first reading in Parliament today includes a range of amendments to reduce the compliance burden for businesses.
    “This Bill will make 26 changes to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and consistency of the AML/CFT regime by relaxing requirements on low-risk activities and entities, such as family trusts,” Mrs McKee says.
    “These amendments are the first of the Government’s programme to reform the AML/CFT regime and will benefit New Zealanders by empowering businesses to make the call about the level of checks they need to do on their customers.”
    “The changes address key difficulties for many low-risk businesses who are currently required to undertake onerous checks even when there is clearly very little risk. These are part of the Government’s plan to make the AML/CFT system work better with less overly prescriptive requirements by allowing businesses to take measures in line with the actual risks that they face.”
    The amendments also include the government’s first measures to reduce duplication in the AML/CFT system by:

    clarifying the definition of a ‘trust and company service provider’ to resolve confusion and unnecessary duplication of obligations for some businesses currently captured by two definitions; and
    removing unnecessary duplication of border cash reporting when someone physically brings cash with them when moving into New Zealand.

    “This is just one part of a wider package of reforms to improve the regime and deliver regulatory relief, to support tackling organised crime and to improve New Zealand’s compliance with international standards.
    “Other changes currently being progressed by the Ministry of Justice will build on these amendments and further improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the AML/CFT regime for businesses, agencies, and ordinary New Zealanders. These changes include a new supervisor model, the introduction of a levy, and a wider regulatory package of reforms.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Norwich Man Sentenced for Unlawfully Possessing a Short-Barreled Rifle

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Benjamin Wheeler, age 20, of Norwich, New York was sentenced today to serve 8 months in federal prison for possessing an unregistered short-barreled rifle, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, Craig. L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

    As part of his guilty plea, Wheeler admitted that on August 6, 2024, he knowingly possessed a Spikes Tactical AR-15 style rifle at his apartment in Norwich, New York, knowing that the firearm had a barrel length of less than sixteen inches. The firearm was not registered to Wheeler in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

    Senior United States District Judge David N. Hurd also sentenced Wheeler to a 3-year term of supervised release, to begin after his imprisonment.

    The case was investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), New York Police Department (NYPD) and the New York State Police with assistance from the Chenango County Sheriff’s Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey J. L. Brown prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Security Council Press Statement on Terrorist Attack in Afghanistan

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Fu Cong (China):

    The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the heinous terrorist attack that occurred outside a bank in the city of Kunduz in northern Afghanistan, on 11 February, which was claimed by ISIL (Da’esh)-K and resulted in at least tens of people killed and wounded.

    The members of the Security Council expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims, and they wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured.

    The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to peace and security in Afghanistan, as well as in the world.

    The members of the Security Council underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice.  They urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with all relevant authorities in this regard.

    The members of the Security Council reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed.  They reaffirmed the need for all States to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and other obligations under international law, including international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.

    Security Council Press Statement on Terrorist Attack in Afghanistan.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: World News in Brief: Peacekeeper dies in CAR, Gaza and DR Congo latest, preventing violent extremism

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Peace and Security

    The UN Secretary-General has strongly condemned the killing of a Tunisian peacekeeper serving with the UN Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic, MINUSCA. 

    The ‘blue helmet’ was part of a long-range MINUSCA patrol to protect civilians, that was near the village of Zobassinda, in Bamingui-Bangoran prefecture, which came under attack on Tuesday night by an unidentified armed assailant.

    António Guterres expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the fallen peacekeeper, and to the Government and the people of Tunisia.

    “The Secretary-General recalls that attacks targeting United Nations peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law,” said a statement issued by the UN spokesperson’s office. 

    Call for swift justice

    “He calls on the Central African authorities to spare no effort in identifying the perpetrators of this tragedy so that they can be brought to justice swiftly.”

    The UN chief also reaffirmed the solidarity of the United Nations with the people and Government of CAR.

    Head of MINUSCA and UN Special Representative Valentine Rugwabiza also condemned the attack and said the “cowardly” act would not undermine the mission’s determination to implement its mandate “in the service of peace and stability” in CAR. 

    © UNICEF/Jospin Benekire

    A UNICEF-supported cholera team add chlorine to water collected from a reservoir in Goma, in the DR Congo.

    Peacekeeping, relief efforts, continue to face challenges in DR Congo 

    The United Nations on Wednesday called on the M23 armed group to allow the unimpeded movement of UN personnel and humanitarian aid, as the violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to displace civilians.

    At a press briefing in New York on Wednesday, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said that the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, MONUSCO, was facing increasing restrictions in the Kivu provinces.

    M23 fighters denied the mission’s contractors access to Goma to deliver food to the MONUSCO bases and obstructed efforts to safely dispose of unexploded ordnance, including one posing a direct threat to peacekeepers and unarmed Congolese forces within a MONUSCO facility.

    “The UN Mission calls on the M23 to allow the unimpeded movement of UN personnel and to fully respect established humanitarian corridors,” Mr. Haq said.

    He added that on Wednesday, the remains of 18 soldiers – including two MONUSCO peacekeepers and 16 troops from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) mission – were repatriated to South Africa. 

    A MONUSCO peacekeeper from Uruguay, also killed in recent clashes, was flown home on Tuesday.

    Humanitarian crisis deepens

    Meanwhile, ongoing violence in South Kivu has led to further displacement. Earlier on Wednesday, local time, fighting in Ihusi, about 70 kilometres north of Bukavu, forced residents to flee to nearby towns and islands in Lake Kivu, Mr. Haq said.

    In North Kivu, UN and humanitarian workers continue to assess needs and provide emergency aid where security allows. However, transportation remains a major challenge, complicating efforts to deliver food and supplies.

    In Ituri province, attacks since 8 February have killed at least 59 civilians in Djugu, with many others wounded or missing. 

    “The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reiterates that all parties must protect civilians and allow access to the essential services they need to survive,” Mr. Haq said. 

    Greater inclusion and cooperation critical to prevent violent extremism

    For the third consecutive year, the UN commemorated the International Day for the Prevention of Violent Extremism as and when Conducive to Terrorism, observed on 12 February. 

    In a social media post on Wednesday, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said that preventing violent extremism requires addressing its root causes, which are inequality and injustice. 

    “On this International Day, let’s commit to fostering inclusion, development, and human rights to build a future free from extremism and terrorism,” she said.

    Dialogue, trust and respect

    In a video message, the head of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), Vladimir Voronkov, said that prevention of violent extremism requires long-term multifaceted solutions that are rooted in cooperation across all sectors.

    He listed governments, international and regional organizations, civil society, educators, religious leaders, and the private sector, in this regard.

    “This involves strengthening communities, addressing grievances, empowering women, and youth, investing in education, and ensuring inclusive development for all,” he said.

    “It demands that we challenge hatred, misinformation, and the forces that seek to divide us, and instead foster dialogue, trust, and respect for human dignity.”

    Later at a commemorative event, Mr. Voronkov outlined some of his Office’s work to counter terrorism, such as providing capacity building assistance to beneficiaries to enhance their knowledge and skills in prevention.

    Future initiatives include partnering with the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) to examine the emerging risks and opportunities of video gaming in Africa, as part of efforts to invest in new frontier issues. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Holds Media Availability in Stuttgart, Germany

    Source: United States Department of Defense

    DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: How’s it going everybody? Sir. Good to see you. It’s been a great day, really. Any day we can spend with the troops from the very early morning of PT with some high speed guys and gals to two COCOMs that are right in the front lines of advancing American interests. Proud to be here today.

    Just an impressive display of what Americans are doing in far flung places for the American people, so proud to be here for sure. I think we have a local — where’s our local reporter? I’d like to go first to our local.

    Q: Thank you so much. So —

    DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: Where are you from?

    Q: I’m from Suddeutsche Zeitung. That’s the second biggest newspaper in Germany.

    DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: Well, it’s my favorite now.

    Q: And you are visiting Africom as one of your first points in your duty. Does that mean that the American strategic aims in Africa are going to change?

    DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: Well, I think it’s a reflection of the importance of that command as well as EUCOM. We spent this morning at EUCOM, as well; made sense to come to both if we’re here in Germany.

    But it’s also a reflection that, you know, the PRC’s intentions are pernicious, not just in their part of the world, but also in South America and on the African continent. And America’s posture there along with allies and partners is going to matter about contesting that space. So, it certainly remains a priority.

    You saw the strike in Somalia on February 1st. That — as we talked to the command, that’s a reflection also of pushing decision authority down, untying the hands of war fighters who in the previous administration made multiple requests and were often denied for that kind of kinetic action, or the decision had to be made at the White House when it should be made at the four star level or at the Secretary of Defense level more quickly based on the ability to degrade the enemy.

    So, this is a very important part of the world for us. The President feels that way, as well, and we’re honored to be here. Thank you.

    Q: Mr. Secretary, are you planning to cut the number of American forces in Europe, shift to the Pacific and focus on China?

    DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: There are no plans right now in the making to cut anything.

    There is an understanding that we’re going to review force posture across the world, right. President Trump’s planning assumptions are different in many ways, or at least strategic assumptions than Joe Biden’s were. We certainly don’t want to plan on the back of the withdrawal from Afghanistan and what happened on October 7th and the war that was unleashed in Ukraine.

    You have to manage and mitigate those things by coming alongside your friends in Israel, ensuring their defense and peacefully resolving the conflict in Ukraine. But those shouldn’t define how we orient and with hopefully a rapid peace deal in Ukraine, which the President is committed to delivering, we can then review force posture and encourage as we’re going to — you’re going to see tomorrow in Ukraine and — or at the Ukraine Contact Group and the NATO ministerial, we’re going to have straight talk with our friends.

    This kind of urgency of this moment requires friends talking to friends about capabilities, about leadership, about stepping up, about burden sharing and the incentives to say the European continent deserves to be free from any aggression.

    But it ought be those in the neighborhood, investing the most in that collective — individual and collective defense. That’s common sense. As the President talks a lot about, common sense is you defend your neighborhood and the Americans will come alongside you in helping in that defense. If and when that happens, and I believe it will because of President Trump, most NATO countries are already close to 2 percent.

    We believe that needs to be higher. The president has said 5 percent. I think he’s right. That’s a reflection of a need to invest on the continent. If and when that happens through investments in the defense industrial base, as well, then yes, America as the leader of the free world defending American interests is going to need to make sure we’re focused properly on the Communist Chinese and their ambitions in the Indo-Pacific, and as I mentioned before, around the world.

    So, we would be remiss in not reviewing force posture everywhere, but it would be the wrong planning assumption to say, oh, America is abandoning something or America is leaving. No, America is smart to observe, plan, prioritize and project power where we need to deter conflict. We don’t want conflict with China.

    We don’t want — the President has ran on being a peace president, and he’s delivered that. But being strong, peace through strength is how you deter that, and we want to posture for that just like we believe the Europeans alongside our support need to on the continent, as well.

    Q: Is China the biggest threat to the United States?

    DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: Well, right now, the biggest threat was securing our own border, which we are addressing rapidly. And I’m proud of what NORTHCOM has done and the Defense Department has done is shifting there. You don’t have a country if you don’t have borders, as the President has pointed out. And we’ve been defending other people’s borders for a long time; time to defend ours. So we’re sealing that border. We continue to do that. But as far as external threats, there’s just no doubt the communist Chinese ambitions are robust. Their view of the world is quite different than ours. And whoever carries that mantle is going to set the tone for the 21st century.

    UNKNOWN: Christine —

    Q: You made the point to do PT with tenth group this morning on very little sleep. Why was it so important for you to do this? And tell us about the workout?

    DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: I did do PT with the troops this morning. Listen, it’s not that long ago that I was right there with them. I probably — no offense, General — I probably connect more with those guys than I do with four-star Generals. But now I get the chance of working with four stars and others who are committed to the troops.

    But when I can get down, do push ups and deadlifts with the troops, and just hear from them, what’s working, what isn’t, how do you see your mission set, I love that. So there was never a doubt. even though we got in at 2:00 in the morning, that we were getting up a couple hours later to go do PT. It’s a reminder that — you guys — the press in Washington might think I’m young, but in military terms, I’m old.

    And that showed this morning with these young guys who ran circles around me in that parking lot.

    UNKNOWN: We’ll [Inaudible] then Zach.

    DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: Go ahead.

    Q: Thanks for doing this. Uh, you mentioned earlier that President Trump wants, uh, NATO countries to spend 5 percent of their GDP on defense. Do you think the US should also spend 5 percent of its GDP on defense?

    DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: Well, I think the US needs to spend more than the Biden administration was willing to, who historically underinvested in the capabilities of our military. So the president is committed, as he was in the first term, to rebuilding America’s military by investing. And you’re going to see that in the conversations on Capitol Hill.

    We’ve already been intimately involved with the folks on HASC and SASC and appropriations, talking about the capabilities we’re going to need, not just next year and the year after that or for the next four years, but for power projection going forward and then the reforms needed to make sure that every dollar goes further.

    Now at a minimum, we should not go below 3 percent. That’s a view I know the President shares. But as far as going forward in that, those are decisions he will make based on my consultations with him. Listen, any defense secretary would be lying if they said they didn’t want more. You always want more.

    But we live in fiscally constrained times where we need to be responsible with taxpayer dollars. We’re $37 trillion in debt. That’s a national security liability, as well. So, we’re going to work with Capitol Hill. The President is going to lead the way on making sure the troops have the resources they need and that we truly rebuild our military just like President Trump did in the first term.

    Q: And President Biden — President Biden vowed against sending US troops into Ukraine. Would you be open to sending US troops into Ukraine to track weapons shipments?

    DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: We are not sending US troops to Ukraine.

    Q: You talked about wanting to welcome Elon Musk and DOGE into the Pentagon potentially in the next few weeks. Do you expect him to start unilaterally cutting programs and contracts the way he’s done at USAID and other agencies? And are there any limits or supervision you’d want to place on his team, given his conflicts of interest [Inaudible]?

    DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: Well, we’ve been in touch with — I’ve been in touch with Elon Musk, who’s a great patriot, interested in advancing the America First agenda, knows that President Trump got 77 million votes and a mandate from the American people. And part of that is bringing actual businesslike efficiency to government; hence, what DOGE is doing.

    Uh, we’ve been talking to them, in partnership with them. And as I said on social media, we welcome DOGE to the Pentagon, and I hope to welcome Elon to the Pentagon very soon and his team, working in collaboration with us. There are waste, redundancies and headcounts in headquarters that need to be addressed.

    There’s just no doubt. Look at a lot of the climate programs that have been pursued at the Defense Department. The Defense Department is not in the business of climate change, solving the global thermostat. We’re in the business of deterring and winning wars. So, things like that we want to look for to find efficiencies and many others – the way we acquire weapons, system procurement.

    There’s plenty of places where we want the keen eye of DOGE, but we’ll do it in coordination. We’re not going to do things that are to the detriment of American operational or tactical capabilities. There’s just — President Trump is committed to delivering the best possible military. The Defense Department is not USAID. USAID has got a lot of problems that I talked about with the troops, pursuing globalist agendas that don’t have a connection to America First.

    That’s not the Defense Department, but we’re also not perfect, either. So where we can find billions of dollars — and he’s right to say billions — inside the Defense Department, every dollar we save there is a dollar that goes to warfighters, and that’s good for the American people.

    Q: [Inaudible] Mr. Secretary, Since we’re here at AFRICOM, I have a question about Africa. Now when you served, you fought jihadists in the Middle East, and there’s a lot of jihadists in Africa, whether it’s ISIS, al-Qaida, al-Shabab, go on and on. How do you plan to handle that threat?

    I’m not saying put troops on the ground in Africa to fight them, but are you concerned that there could be some sort of cell that might be plotting attacks against other parts of the world, trying to recruit soldiers because it’s Africa with a growing population? How concerned are you about the jihadist threat in Africa today?

    DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: Definitely concerned. I mean, anybody of our — anybody of my generation that served in Iraq and Afghanistan or have been a part of post-9-11 understands the threat of global jihad, especially the desire to export that against our allies in Europe or Israel or certainly the United States of America. So the counterterrorism threat focused on those who would seek to do us harm is of the highest priority, which is why you saw what AFRICOM did so well in that strike in Somalia.

    Where we see those growing, plotting or planning with increased capabilities we will strike. And that pertains to Islamist organizations all across the continent. But it also — we have to work with partners and allies. I mean, foreign internal defense and security force assistance — I was with Green Berets this morning.

    You know, we think of Green Berets in the context of post-9-11, right – kicking down doors, and they’re really good at that. But what they’re best at is doing security force assistance and foreign internal defense where they work with local security forces to build up their capabilities so that it’s indigenous forces fighting Islamists because they want to secure their country, as well.

    And AFRICOM is very directly committed to doing that. That’s a mission very much worth resourcing. I mean Africa is very much the front lines of a fight from Islamists. You’ve got Christian populations that are under siege in Africa and have been ignored for far too long and American interests there. It matters a great deal. And Islamists — we’re not going to allow them to maintain a foothold, especially to try to strike at America.

    UNKNOWN: We’re going to finish up with two questions from these two [Inaudible].

    DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: Ok. One more here and then here.

    Q: John Barrowman, Stars and Stripes. Also related to AFRICOM and Somalia, during the end of President Trump’s first term, he elected to pull forces out of Somalia and switched to more of a rotational concept.

    President Biden sent troops back in there on a full time basis. What’s your vision going forward for Somalia? Do you want to maintain troops there continuously, or are you looking more towards pulling them back?

    DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: Well, I mean, I’m going to listen to the commanders on the ground, first and foremost, as is the President.

    And he’s charged me with, hey, give me your best advice, but also keep your ear to the ground of what’s most effective. But he’s also been very clear that we’re not trying to have American boots all over the globe. Where we can do counterterrorism effectively over the horizon, that’s the preference. But we’ll review the force posture there and with the generals doing the heavy lifting and take it into consideration, no doubt.

    But thankfully, we have the intelligence capabilities to do the kind of strike that we saw, and we believe we can do more of that.

    UNKNOWN: Last question.

    Q: So — so you renamed the name of Fort Liberty into Fort Bragg, and you honored the private first class who lost his life while liberating Germany. What does that mean for the US forces?

    DEFENSE SECRETARY HEGSETH: Well, first, it means Bragg is back. It means the legacy of an institution that generations of Americans have mobilized through and served at is back.

    I mean, it’s a shame what was done to vets, service members, their families who were born there, deployed out of there, lived there, gave there — I was with airborne troops here, some of which spent 25 years at Fort Bragg and never called it Fort Liberty because it wasn’t Fort Liberty, it’s Fort Bragg.

    And so I was honored to be able to put my signature on that. By the way, with the support of the President of the United States who set the tone on this and said, I want Fort Bragg back.

    And we’re honored to support a private first class who received a Purple Heart and the Silver Star at the battle of the bulge. We’re honoring a private first class and I’m proud that we have a Marine corporal as the vice president of the United States too. Junior enlisted have never seen better days. But it’s about that legacy.

    It’s about the connection to the community, to those who served. And we’re not, as the President has said and I’ve said as well, we’re not done there. There are other bases that have been renamed that erodes that very same legacy. There’s a reason I said Bragg and Benning when I walked into the Pentagon on day one.

    But it’s not just Bragg and Benning. There are a lot of other service members that have connections and we’re going to do our best to restore it. It’s an honor to do so. Thank you all for your time. Appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Iraqi Forces Conduct Airstrike Against ISIS, Enabled by CENTCOM Forces

    Source: United States Central Command (CENTCOM)

    Feb. 12, 2025
    Release Number 20250212-01
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    TAMPA, Fla. – On Feb. 10, Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), enabled by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces, conducted precision airstrikes in the vicinity of Kirkuk, Iraq, killing two ISIS operatives.

    An initial post-strike clearance found the dead ISIS operatives, an explosive suicide belt, explosive material, and components of weapons destroyed in the strike.

    The ISF-led operation is part of the ongoing Defeat-ISIS campaign to disrupt and degrade ISIS’ capabilities, dismantle their attack networks, and ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS. Coalition Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CTF-OIR) enabled ISF during the operation by providing technical support and intelligence.

    ISIS remains a threat to the region and beyond, and CENTCOM, along with partners and allies, will continue to aggressively pursue these terrorists.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Sir David Amess Prevent Learning Review

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The Security Minister updated on the Prevent learning review – jointly commissioned with Counter Terrorism Policing following the murder of Sir David Amess.

    With permission, Madame Deputy Speaker, I will make a statement on the publication of the Prevent learning review into the perpetrator of the attack that tragically killed Sir David Amess on 15 October 2021.

    Sir David Amess was a beloved member of this House.

    A hugely respected parliamentarian, his popularity extended right across the political divide.

    To win and keep the respect of those outside one’s own party is, as we all know, a rare accomplishment.

    Over nearly 40 years of service in this place, Sir David fought every day for his constituents.

    He advanced numerous causes with compassion, persistence and skill and members on all sides of the House knew him as warm, respectful and always fair parliamentarian.

    His legacy lives on, not least in Southend, which now has the city status he campaigned so determinedly for. He will never be forgotten.

    And the motto on Sir David’s memorial shield behind us states, ‘His Light Remains’.

    While this House lost a valued member on that terrible day, Sir David’s wife and children lost a loving husband and a devoted father. They are in our thoughts and prayers – today and always.

    Together with the Home Secretary, who spoke with Sir David’s family recently, I recognise the courage and persistence they have shown in seeking the answers they deserve.

    As the House will know, it was a heinous act of violence on 15 October 2021 that took Sir David away from those who knew and loved him.

    The killer, Ali Harbi Ali – I won’t say his name again – was convicted of murder in April 2022 and received a whole life sentence.

    The judge said that this was a ‘murder that struck at the heart of our democracy’ and had ‘no doubt whatsoever’ that the nature of this case meant that the perpetrator ‘must be kept in prison for the rest of his life’.

    The perpetrator had previously been referred to the Prevent programme and subsequently to the specialist Channel programme between 2014 and 2016, between 5 and 7 years before the attack took place.

    Immediately after the attack, a Prevent learning review was jointly commissioned by the Home Office and Counter Terrorism Policing to examine what happened in the case and see whether lessons needed rapidly to be learned. It was completed in February 2022.

    Last week, I made a statement to the House on the government’s publication of the Prevent learning review concerning the perpetrator of the abhorrent attack in Southport.

    Today, we are taking a further step to enable public scrutiny of Prevent, and in recognition of the seriousness of the attack on Sir David, by publishing the Prevent learning review conducted in this case too.

    The perpetrator of the attack on Sir David became known to Prevent in October 2014 when he was referred by his school after teachers identified a change in his behaviour.

    The case was adopted by the Channel multi-agency early intervention programme in November 2014. An intervention provider who specialised in tackling Islamist extremism was assigned to work with him.   

    The perpetrator was exited from Channel in April 2015, after his terrorism risk was assessed as “low”.

    A twelve-month post-exit police review in 2016 also found no terrorism concerns. The case was closed to Prevent at that point.

    There were no further Prevent referrals in the 5 years between the case being closed and the attack.

    The Prevent learning review examined how Prevent dealt with the perpetrator’s risk, and how far the improvements made to Prevent since he was referred 7 years prior, would have impacted his management.

    The review considered both the handling of the case at the time, and also the changes that had been made to Prevent since the referral in 2014.  It examined how far those changes addressed any problems identified, and then made a series of recommendations.

    The reviewer found that “from the material reviewed, the assessment in terms of the perpetrator’s vulnerabilities was problematic and this ultimately led to questionable decision making and sub-optimal handling of the case during the time he was engaged with Prevent and Channel’.  It identified that the vulnerability assessment framework was not followed with the perpetrator’s symptoms being prioritised over addressing the underlying causes of his vulnerabilities. The reviewer ultimately found that while Prevent policy and guidance at the time was mostly followed, the case was exited from Prevent too quickly.

    The reviewer identified 6 issues, namely that:

    • the support given did not tackle all the vulnerabilities identified
    • record keeping was problematic and the rationale for certain decisions was not explicit
    • responsibilities between police and the local authority were blurred
    • the tool used for identifying an individual’s vulnerability to radicalisation was outdated
    • the school that made the referral to Prevent should have been involved in discussions to help determine risk and appropriate support
    • the tasking of the intervention provider was problematic, with a miscommunication leading to only one session being provided instead of two

    The reviewer then examined how far changes in the Prevent programme since 2016 had addressed these issues.

    The reviewer recognised the significant changes that had been made to Prevent since the perpetrator was managed.

    In particular, the introduction of the statutory Prevent and Channel duties under the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015.

    The reviewer concluded that over the intervening period there have been considerable changes to policy and guidance for both the police and the wider Prevent arena including Channel.

    Whilst a number of the issues in the perpetrator’s case would most likely not be repeated today there were still a number of areas which could be considered as requiring further work in order to mitigate against future failures.  

    The reviewer made 4 recommendations for action to further strengthen Prevent. These were to:

    • improve the referral process
    • strengthen the initial intelligence assessment process
    • update the tool used to identify vulnerability to being drawn into terrorism
    • not reduce data retention periods

    Since the report, the Home Office and Counter Terrorism Policing have fully implemented all 4 recommendations.

    • First, a single national referral form was launched, to encourage a consistent approach to referrals, building this into new training packages and mandating its use via statutory guidance.

    • Second, training has been delivered to police staff to strengthen the initial intelligence check stage, ensuring their understanding of Prevent is robust.

    • Third, a new Prevent Assessment Framework was rolled out in September 2024. This replaces the tools previously used to assess all referrals and cases in the Prevent system.

    • Fourth, data retention periods were fully reviewed in 2023.  A joint decision was taken by the Home Office and Counter Terrorism Policing to maintain retention review periods at 6 years or 6 years after the 12-month review for Channel cases.

    In addition to the publication of the Prevent learning review, we recognise the significant concerns that remain over the way in which Prevent dealt with the perpetrator – as well as the need to ensure that the recommendations it suggested for improving the scheme have properly been implemented.

    Last week I set out to the House a series of new reforms instituted by this government to strengthen the Prevent programme, recognising the vital work done by officers across the country to keep people safe. That included the creation of a new independent Prevent commissioner.

    I can today inform the House that the Home Secretary has asked the Prevent Commissioner to review the Prevent programme’s interactions with the perpetrator in this case and ensure the implementation of relevant recommendations. We will ensure that the Amess family have the support they need to engage with the Prevent Commissioner in this work, so that they can have confidence that it will get to the truth about any failings in the scheme.

    Madame Deputy Speaker, 2 further important issues have been raised which are relevant to this case – local policing, and members’ security,

    On local policing, concerns have been raised by the Amess family about the way in which Essex Police handled this case.

    A complaint has been made, and referred back to the local force by the IOPC for consideration. That process must be allowed to follow its course. However, I can inform the House that the Home Secretary has written to the Chief Constable and Police and Crime Commissioner of Essex Police asking them to set out how the investigation will be conducted, and to be kept updated as the investigation progresses.

    Secondly, on Members’ security. This is something the Home Secretary and I care deeply about, and I know that it is a matter to which Mr Speaker attaches the utmost importance, as will all members right across this House.

    A review of security measures for MPs commissioned under the previous government has concluded, and all the recommendations have been implemented.

    We must ensure that the learnings from this case have been properly implemented and I want to take this opportunity to thank Mr Speaker for his continued leadership on these matters – the Speaker’s Conference is considering what reforms are necessary to further improve MPs safety and security – this is another important step.

    The Leader of the House, Home Secretary and myself look forward to working closely with the Speaker and all members to ensure the facts of Sir David’s murder are properly considered as part of the Speaker’s Conference work and that the Parliamentary Security Department implements the recommendations of the review it conducted in the aftermath of Sir David’s death.

    I am also grateful to previous Home Secretaries and security ministers for their efforts in this area.

    Our democracy is precious, and this government will defend it against any and all threats.  

    Not least, through the Defending Democracy Taskforce, where we are mounting a whole-of-government response to combat such threats including ensuring elected representatives can perform their duties safely and without fear.

    Before I finish, I will pay tribute once more to Sir David.

    He was a giant of this House and we miss him dearly.

    In all that he did, Sir David epitomised public service at its best. It is beyond a tragedy that we can no longer seek his advice or rely on his wisdom.

    We can, though, follow his example and devote ourselves every day to the task of building a better and safer Britain.

    That is our shared challenge, Mr Speaker, and under this government, nothing will matter more.

    I commend this statement to the House.

    Updates to this page

    Published 12 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: ‘New Quest Unlocked’: UN experts counter violent extremism in gaming spaces

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI

    Law and Crime Prevention

    As millions unwrap new gaming devices this holiday season, UN experts are warning that these digital playgrounds need next-generation protection against extremist exploitation. 

    In an industry that has outgrown Hollywood in sheer monetary value – reaching $196 billion in 2023 – these digital platforms are becoming recruitment grounds for extremists, prompting an unprecedented collaboration between counter terrorism specialists and gaming companies.

    To discuss the growing threat, UN News’s Sarah Daly sat down with Steven Siqueira, Deputy Director of the UN Counter Terrorism Centre (part of the counter-terrorism office, UNOCT) and Leif Villadsen, Acting Director of the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI).

    The senior officials hosted a landmark event on the issue called New Quest Unlocked held earlier in December, which brought together gaming companies, policymakers and researchers to address violent extremism in gaming spaces.

    “The alarming trend has necessitated a collaborative research approach with the gaming industry and adjacent platforms,” Mr. Siqueira said, highlighting how extremist groups are increasingly targeting gaming spaces and adjacent platforms like Discord and Telegram.

    This interview has been edited for length and clarity

    UN News:  Your joint event, New Quest Unlocked, brought together both UNICRI and UNOCT as well as gaming companies, policymakers and researchers. What prompted this collaboration?

    Steven Siqueira: Last year in 2023, the gaming industry and adjacent platforms was a $196 billion industry. By comparison the movie industry was about 40 billion, so it’s five times the size of the movie industry.

    Young people are being reached by terrorists and violent extremist groups through these platforms, with propaganda videos increasingly appearing across Discord, Telegram and Tiktok. This alarming trend necessitated collaborative research and working together with the gaming industry, adjacent platforms and of course, our members and member governments.

    UN News: Recent intelligence reports suggest the threat level is higher than previously understood. What exactly are you seeing?

    Steven Siqueira: While gaming has many positive aspects in terms of social interaction around the world – there’s also increasing risk that terrorists and violent extremist groups are using these platforms and the gaming adjacent platforms to get their message out.

    The findings are stark: in Australia alone, approximately one in five counter-terrorism cases now involve young people, with gaming platforms playing a role in every investigated case.

    Soundcloud

    UN News: These findings challenge common perceptions about gaming platforms. How has the landscape evolved?

    Steven Siqueira: The industry is not only open to young people. Increasingly, the average age of gamers is about 30-35 and it’s much more gender balanced than it has been in previous years.

    UN News: Your research focuses particularly on Africa’s gaming market. Why is this region so crucial in understanding future challenges?

    Leif Villadsen: Africa has indeed become one of the fastest growing markets for mobile games. With an unprecedented 11 per cent year-over-year growth rate, the continent represents both an extraordinary opportunity and a potential vulnerability.

    We aim to better understand the industry, the community, the tactics used and the gaps and challenges in our own understanding of this threat across the continent.

    UN News: You’re developing something called ‘gaming intelligence’ as part of global prevention strategies. How will this transform digital security?

    Leif Villadsen: Gaming intelligence is focused on carrying intelligence from open-source platforms like in games, chats and social media to track extremist content and recruitment activities. This intelligence information will inform early warning systems help to detect and prevent radicalisation at an early stage.

    UN News: How crucial is artificial intelligence to these global prevention measures?

    Leif Villadsen: Given the size of the ecosystem, we are looking to develop and deploy advanced content moderation tools, with AI-based tools. However, the gaming community is filled with personalities with large followings so, we want to avoid any type of takedowns or massive actions which could be counterproductive and seen as suspicious by gamers.

    It is crucial that we work with the gaming community, private sector companies and with gamers themselves, including young women and men to educate and build resilience across the community.

    UN News: As we look toward 2025, what concrete outcomes, will make gaming spaces safer?

    Leif Villadsen: By creating shared global standards and encouraging collaboration between governments, tech companies and civil society, we can provide a framework for addressing these threats in a more coordinating manner.

    Steven Siqueira: The Global Digital Compact recognises these dual realities of the digital age and calls for unified global commitment to ensure that digital spaces are safe, inclusive and aligned with human rights principles.

    Ultimately, finding the right actors in the gaming system – those who have a voice, but who are also open to understanding what the threat is and where to mitigate and how best to mitigate threats, could really help us strengthen and make the gaming ecosystem more resilient to violent extremism. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Iraq: How the world helped Mosul rise from the rubble of war

    Source: United Nations 2

    By Eileen Travers

    Culture and Education

    Terrorist fighters with ISIL/Da’esh invaded Iraq’s second city of Mosul in 2014, destroying centuries-old landmarks in a bid to erase its history and impose a bleak and repressive future on the nearly two million people who lived there.

    Now, with UN support, Mosul has risen from the ashes of war and its historic monuments which had been reduced to rubble, dot the skyline once again.

    The devastating nine-month-long battle to liberate the city from the terrorist group killed 10,000 civilians, leaving it in ruins.

    In less than seven years, reconstruction has revitalised the city, with robust support from UN agencies and international partners, like Japan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the European Union.

    UNESCO

    The Al-Nouri Mosque in Mosul was severely damaged in 2017 during the occupation by ISIL.

    International cooperation builds lasting legacy

    The intensity of the fighting between the terrorists and Iraqi ground forces – supported by US-led coalition airstrikes – left many priceless buildings completely or partially destroyed, including the famous 12th century Al-Nouri Mosque.

    UN agencies forged action plans with local authorities and international partners to rebuild the war-torn city.

    Teams tackled the enormous challenges, from recycling rubble and removing unexploded bombs, to rebuilding classrooms and centuries-old landmarks while re-energising the Moslawi spirit.

    ©UNICEF/Anmar Anmar

    Two girls walk in the ruins of the city of Mosul.

    Reviving the spirit of Mosul

    The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) joined those efforts in 2018, with a budget of $115 million and 15 partners, including the UAE and the European Union.

    The Revive the Spirit of Mosul project drafted plans to resurrect historic landmarks, classrooms and homes alongside the vibrant essence of a reborn city.

    Learn more about the plans here.

    © Salah El Din Samir Hareedy & team

    The Al-Nouri Mosque complex in Mosul is due to be rebuilt with support from UNESCO.

    Blueprints amid the rubble

    The rebuilding plans unfolded at a steady pace.

    To document the dramatic transformation, young Iraqi filmmakers set out to track the recovery in a UNESCO-supported video series.

    Its 48 episodes captured the human dimension of the city’s rejuvenation, telling the poignant stories of Moslawis alongside their hopes and dreams for their beloved city.

    Watch the full series here.

    UNMAS/Cengiz Yar

    An UNMAS team in war-torn Mosul, Iraq, searches for and clears explosives in the rubble.

    Safety comes first

    When a conflict ends, unexploded remnants of war must be safely removed as they pose deadly threats long after the guns go silent.

    First, safety was ensured for civilians returning to their neighbourhoods.

    To address those dangers, a UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) team was deployed to search for and clear unexploded ordnance among the rubble.

    Dealing with 8 million tonnes of debris

    To deal with an estimated seven to eight million tonnes of debris created by the battle for Mosul, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) joined forces in 2021 with local authorities to establish the city’s first debris recycling centre.

    “By processing the rubble to produce quality materials that can be used in reconstruction efforts, creating much needed job opportunities for returnees and cleaning-up the urban environment, this initiative practically illustrates how humanitarian needs and sustainable development goals can be addressed in a joint manner,” Dr. Jassim Humadi, Iraq’s Deputy Environment Minister, said at the time.

    The local population welcomed the project.

    “Young people in our village view debris recycling as a golden chance in terms of job creation, which additionally, by clearing the rubble, is allowing us to return and rebuild our homes,” added Mijbel Mar’i, a 24-year-old day labourer.

    Read more about that project here.

    Reclaiming unity

    Reconstruction is about much more than physical restoration; it is about reclaiming identity and unity.

    This conviction lies at the heart of UNESCO efforts to rebuild Mosul’s treasured monuments, including Al-Nouri Mosque and Al-Hadba Minaret.

    The project employed more than 7,700 Moslawis and has rehabilitated four religious monuments, 124 historical homes and renovated 404 classrooms.

    Read the full report on the project here.

    UNESCO

    Workers repair part of the Al-Nouri Mosque in Mosul.

    ‘Watching my city come back to life’

    “When I saw the minaret rise again, it was like watching my city come back to life,” said Omar, a young architect.

    He was among several local experts that helped meticulously piece together its fragments.

    Over 45,000 original bricks have been recovered from Al-Nouri Mosque and Al-Hadba Minaret and cleaned and catalogued for the reconstruction of the latter.

    Learn more about this rebuilding effort here.

    Beyond bricks and mortar

    UN agencies also led projects to rebuild education institutions and other civilian infrastructure damaged or destroyed.

    The newly rehabilitated Central Library at Mosul University, Iraq’s second-largest university that serves more than 50,000 students, was officially reopened in 2022 by the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

    But, reviving Mosul goes beyond bricks and mortar.

    UNICEF/Jennifer Sparks

    Girls at a primary school in west Mosul, Iraq. (file)

    By 2021, damaged or levelled schools were being rebuilt, and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) supported psychosocial training activities for teachers, including at Al Huda Primary School in west Mosul.

    UNESCO trained over 5,000 educators and parents in preventing violent extremism, supporting more than 120,000 students.

    Moslawis are now free to enjoy their culture and passions, from music to sports, like the Mosul Girls Football Club, founded in 2021 by the Sustainable Peace Foundation with UN migration agency (IOM) support.

    In helping to revive the “spirit” of Mosul, UNESCO has demonstrated that culture can play an essential role in post-conflict reconstruction and the promotion of peace.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Durham Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Provide Support to Terrorists

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Durham man pled guilty in court today to conspiring to provide and attempting to provide material support to ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization. Alexander Justin White, age 29, was arrested on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, as he was preparing to board an international flight. White attempted to travel overseas intent on joining ISIS. If convicted, White faces up to 20 years in prison.

    “In this case, the great work of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) was on display, leading to the apprehension and arrest of an individual planning to join ISIS and potentially engage in terrorist acts against the United States or other allies,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Bubar. “This is just one example of how the JTTF’s tireless work protects our communities.”

    White made numerous posts supporting ISIS and jihad between May and October of 2024 including videos commonly used to recruit new members and generate a passion for fighting as well as fundraising videos and several post and reposts in reference to well-known ISIS supporters and scholars. In addition, the complaint alleges that White made or attempted to make several transactions in support of camps and other similar ideological campaigns which are believed to funnel money to ISIS members and their supporters, and that White openly discussed his desire and intention to travel overseas to join ISIS with various individuals on Facebook and over other encrypted messaging applications (EMAs). In messages concerning his travel to join ISIS, he indicated that his goal was to be a “Mujahid,” which is Arabic for someone who commits jihad, or violence against non-Muslims.

    “White planned to leave his family, North Carolina, and ultimately his country and fly to Morocco, hoping to actively fight with ISIS. Thanks to the long and countless hours, days, and months, worked by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), Mr. White was literally stopped in his tracks. We are grateful to our JTTF partners for their shared commitment to justice and public safety,” said Robert M. DeWitt, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina.  

    The investigation into White is a result of the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Raleigh-based Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). The JTTF is a group of highly trained, locally based investigators, analysts, linguists, and other specialists from dozens of U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies that gather evidence, make arrests, provide security for special events, collect and share intelligence, and respond to threats and incidents at a moment’s notice. There are about 200 JTTFs across the country, including one in each field office, with hundreds of participating state, local and federal agencies.

    Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gabriel Diaz, Jason Kellhofer, and Andrew Sigler of the National Security Division Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.

    Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:25-CR-00009-M.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Update: U.S. Forces Strike on ISIS-Somalia

    Source: United States AFRICOM

    In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted airstrikes against ISIS-Somalia on Feb. 01, 2025. The joint airstrikes targeted senior ISIS-Somalia leadership in a series of cave complexes approximately 50 miles southeast of Bosaso.  

    The command’s current assessment is that approximately 14 ISIS-Somalia operatives were killedand no civilians were harmed.  Among those killed was Ahmed Maeleninine, a key ISIS recruiter, financier, and external operations leader responsible for the deployment of jihadists into the United States and across Europe.

    Degrading ISIS and other terrorist organizations’ ability to plot and conduct attacks that threaten the U.S. homeland, our partners, and civilians remains central to U.S. Africa Command’s mission.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Speaks Out Against Attorney General Bondi’s Actions To Weaponize DOJ

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    February 11, 2025
    Durbin’s floor speech comes after the Trump Administration forced out dozens of DOJ and FBI officials and is now threatening additional action against thousands of employees across the country who worked on investigations related to January 6 and President Trump
    WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke out against Attorney General Pam Bondi forher work to undermine the integrity and credibility of the Department of Justice, including creating a so-called “Weaponization Working Group,” a task force to investigate “the activities of all departments and agencies exercising civil or criminal enforcement authority of the United States over the last four years.” Durbin’s concerns are especially pertinent as the Trump Administration purged dozens of senior career civil servants at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)—including longtime nonpartisan leaders of the government’s counterterrorism and counterespionage efforts—further exemplifying the need for an independent DOJ. After Attorney General Bondi was confirmed, President Trump said, “I know I’m supposed to say she’s going to be totally impartial with respect to Democrats… I’m not sure if there’s a possibility of totally.”
    Durbin said, “On day one in office, Attorney General Bondi created a so-called ‘Weaponization Working Group,’ a task force to investigate, ‘the activities of all departments and agencies exercising civil or criminal enforcement authority of the United States over the last four years.’ Bondi said that she would ‘investigate the investigators,’ and ‘prosecute the prosecutors,’ and now she’s doing exactly that to seek ‘retribution’ against his [Trump’s] political enemies—real and perceived.”
    Durbin continued, “I wish I could say I am surprised by Attorney General Bondi’s actions, but last week, I stood in this very spot, sounding the same alarm just before her confirmation vote—the writing was on the wall. Attorney General Bondi has made it clear that her foremost loyalty is to one person—President Trump. And she kept her promise to him on day one after being sworn into office by Justice Clarence Thomas. Bondi’s directive is only one step in misusing the powers of government to carry out President Trump’s retribution against those he perceives to be his enemies.”
    Durbin went on to outline that his concerns are even more pressing because, over the last 22 days, the Trump Administration has purged dozens of senior career law enforcement officials at the Department of Justice and FBI. This purge has been particularly focused on dedicated, nonpartisan prosecutors and investigators working in the National Security Division and the FBI. Last week, FBI law enforcement personnel across the country had little over 48 hours to answer a survey about their work on any case related to the January 6 attack on the Capitol—including whether they handled arrests, led operations, testified in trials, and more.
    “The Acting Attorney General had also issued a memo firing a dozen career DOJ prosecutors, stating, ‘Given your significant role in prosecuting the President, I do not believe that the leadership of the Department can trust you in implementing the President’s agenda faithfully.’ The Bureau’s acting leaders are career FBI public servants who have reportedly resisted the push from Trump Administration officials to punish FBI agents who were simply doing the work that was assigned to them to investigate the January 6 attack,” Durbin said.
    Last Friday, the FBI turned over the names of thousands of FBI personnel. A temporary court order was issued on Friday that is keeping DOJ from revealing those names for now. Tomorrow, FBI probationary agents and personnel stationed around the world are required to submit justifications for their continued employment. This could lead to firing up to 3,000 federal law enforcement officials.
    “These mass layoffs, forced retirements, and involuntary reassignments of experienced DOJ and FBI officials represent an outright attack on public safety by President Trump—America will be less safe because of this political charade that’s going on in the Department of Justice… The purge is already leading to widespread disruption and delay in prosecutions, investigations, and sensitive operations. Joint-Terrorism Task Forces have been asked to focus on President Trump’s immigration-related initiatives, which means valuable resources and personnel have been shifted away from state, local, and federal partners fighting foreign and domestic terrorism,” Durbin continued.
    “As America faces a heightened threat landscape, these removals and reassignments are crippling not only to the Justice Department and the FBI, but the 93 U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the 55 FBI Field Offices across the country. The loss of potentially thousands of federal law enforcement jobs will overburden local field offices; slow ongoing case work; increase the unemployment rates nationwide; and harm local economies. President Trump may claim to ‘back the blue,’ but apparently he is only interested in doing so when it is politically convenient for his political agenda,”Durbin said.
    Durbin concluded, “Before Ms. Bondi’s confirmation, my concerns about how she would lead the Department were based on her history as President Trump’s lawyer. But the leadership of Pam Bondi, the Attorney General, is no longer hypothetical—her directives and actions are now impacting innocent people and good Americans who dedicate their lives to public service. We need to work together on a bipartisan basis to push back against these attacks on the Department of Justice and FBI to protect the national security of the United States.”
    Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
    Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
    Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville, Scott Introduce Legislation Sanctioning the Communist Cuban Regime

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) announced the reintroduction of the Denying Earnings to the Military Oligarchy in Cuba and Restricting Activities of the Cuban Intelligence Apparatus (DEMOCRACIA) Act to hold the illegitimate communist Cuban regime accountable through severe sanctions and unprecedented financial pressure.
    “Thanks to President Trump, we have strength in the White House again,” said Sen. Tuberville. “The United States will not stand by while the Cuban communist regime commits heinous human rights abuses and takes political prisoners. If Cuba wants to continue committing these crimes, they should be sanctioned. I am proud to join my colleagues in standing up against this evil regime.”
    “Cuba is the root of instability in Latin America and a constant threat to the national security of the United States, only emboldened by the past four years of Biden-Harris appeasement policies,” said Sen. Scott.“The illegitimate, communist Castro/Díaz-Canel regime harbors terrorist groups, denies freedom and democracy to the Cuban people while providing a secret police force to Maduro to oppress the Venezuelan people, and hosts a Chinese Communist Party spy station 90 miles from Florida. The Cuban regime props up ruthless dictators and allows a foothold in Latin America for Russia, Iran and Communist China to spread their influence. President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have already taken action to hold the Cuban regime accountable, including reversing Biden’s dangerous decision to remove them from the State Sponsor of Terrorism List, but we must keep the pressure going. My DEMOCRACIA Act will build on their efforts by implementing severe sanctions against Communist Cuba and closes existing sanctions gaps. It will also authorize the president to provide unrestricted internet service to the people of Cuba that is not censored by the Cuban regime. The United States continues to stand with the Cuban people, and this bill will send a powerful message as we work to bring a new day of freedom and democracy to Cuba and the entire western hemisphere.”
    Read full text of the legislation here. 
    BACKGROUND:
    Authorizes the president to impose sanctions—blocking assets and denying entry into the United States—on a foreign person if the president determines that the person knowingly engages in an activity with Cuba’s defense sector, security sector, intelligence sector, or any other sector involved in carrying out human rights abuses or providing support for international terrorism.
    A foreign person or senior official that provides significant financial, material or technological support to, or engages in a significant transaction with Cuba’s defense, security or intelligence sector or any entity or individual affiliated with that sector (including their immediate adult family member),
    Any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, 25% or more by one or more designated persons are also subject to sanctions,
    Any foreign person that is a military contractor, mercenary or paramilitary force knowingly operating in a military, security, or intelligence capacity for or on behalf of the Cuban regime.

    Authorizes the President to impose sanctions with respect to human rights abuse and corruption in Cuba including:
    Members of the Communist Party of Cuba, to include the Office of Religious Affairs and members of the Politburo and the Central Committee,
    Members of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers,
    Ministry of the Interior of Cuba, to include, the National Revolutionary Police Force,
    Members of the committee for the Defense of the Revolution,
    The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba,
    Office of the President of Cuba,
    Any official of the Cuban regime who works with the Ministry of Justice or the Office of the Attorney General and who violates due process rights of an individual in Cuba,
    The spouse and children of any of these blocked individuals are also subject to these sanctions.

    Authorizes the President to terminate these sanctions only if he certifies to Congress that the Government of Cuba:
    Has released all political prisoners,
    Legalized all political parties,
    Establishes a free press, and
    Free, fair, multiparty internationally observed elections are scheduled in a timely manner.

    Authorizes the president to immediately use all means possible to provide unrestricted, reliable internet service to the people of Cuba that is not censored or blocked by the Cuban regime
    Requires the President to establish a taskforce to develop long-term solutions for providing reliable internet service to the people of Cuba that is not censored or blocked by the Cuban regime
    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP, and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK response to national security emergency tested through nationwide exercise

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    More than 120 members of the armed forces, policing and government have taken part in an exercise to practise responding to a national security emergency.

    The nation’s preparations for a large-scale security incident were put to the test last week as the Home Office, Ministry of Defence and Counter Terrorism Policing planned and conducted a national exercise to simulate their response to an extreme national security emergency.

    Taking place between 5 and 7 February, more than 120 members of the armed forces, policing and government simulated their joint response to a national emergency, such as a major terrorist incident.

    The exercise – known as Octacine 2 – was part of the government’s regular counter-terrorism efforts. The focus was to test the ability of police and military to work together in extreme circumstances, as well as familiarising personnel with different sites and participating in joint briefings.

    Octacine 2 built on a previous, similar exercise and was designed to simulate the deployment of military personnel to support the Strategic Armed Policing Reserve.

    Armed police officers were temporarily redeployed from their routine roles in order to respond to a major national security incident, protecting and reassuring the public in a time of heightened tension.

    It simulated the response that would be deployed under Operation Temperer, a contingency plan drawn up in 2015 to provide military support to the police in extreme national emergency circumstances, such as surge support in response to a major domestic terrorist attack or threat. It covers all of Great Britain, and is directed by the National Police Chiefs’ Council Counter Terrorism Coordination Committee.

    The exercise included a live-play exercise, when the Operation Temperer national mobilisation coordination centre was stood up and military and police personnel were deployed to 11 sites across Great Britain.

    Security Minister, Dan Jarvis, said:

    Exercises like Octacine 2 are vital to ensure that our armed forces and policing partners are able to work well together to protect the British public from ever present threats.

    I am grateful for their tireless and dedicated work in serving our country, and their ongoing preparation to perform those critical roles that keep us safe.

    Minister for Armed Forces, Luke Pollard, said:

    Our national security is the foundation for this government’s Plan for Change and exercises like this are critically important to ensure we can respond to threats quickly and effectively.

    I’d like to thank all members of our armed forces who are held at readiness throughout the year, ready to keep the public and country safe at a moment’s notice.

    The training, while routine, is crucial for the armed forces to support policing partners and respond effectively in case of a major incident. This routine exercise allows us to test coordination and teamwork with various partners while also providing a visible presence to reassure and protect the public in instances of high-risk and national security incidents.

    Updates to this page

    Published 11 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Noting Terrorist Groups’ Resilience, UN Counter-Terrorism Chief Tells Security Council Lasting Global Collaboration Key to Address Conditions Conducive to Lawlessness

    Source: United Nations General Assembly and Security Council

    Speakers Discuss Risk ISIL/Da’esh, Their Affiliates Pose in Syria, Afghanistan, Across Africa

    The resilience of terrorist groups underscores the need for sustained international collaboration and comprehensive, long-term responses that address the conditions conducive to terrorism, the Security Council heard today during a briefing on the threat posed by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh).

    Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, discussing the Secretary-General’s twentieth biannual strategic-level report on the topic, highlighted the volatile situation in Syria, and “the risk that stockpiles of advanced weapons could fall into the hands of terrorists”.  An estimated 42,500 individuals, some with alleged links to Da’esh, remain in detention camps in the north-east.  Member States must “facilitate the safe, voluntary and dignified repatriation of their nationals still stranded in those camps and facilities”, he said. 

    Providing details on the global terrorism landscape during the past six months, he said that, in Afghanistan, ISIL-Khorasan continued to pose a significant threat noting that its supporters plotted attacks in Europe and were actively seeking to recruit individuals from Central Asian States.  In West Africa and the Sahel, Da’esh affiliates and other terrorist groups intensified attacks, including against schools in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, while in Somalia, the organization successfully recruited foreign terrorist fighters. 

    Sub-Saharan Africa has become the epicenter of global terrorism, he said, noting that the United Nations has prioritized capacity-building support to the continent.  His office increased its delivery of technical assistance by 16 per cent, relying notably on the work of its Rabat Office.  Highlighting the Fusion Cells programme which delivered specialized training to 124 analysts from 21 African Member States, he stressed the need to further strengthen border security to counter movements of terrorists.  His office partnered with the Governments of Kuwait and Tajikistan to organize a conference on this.

    The Countering Terrorist Travel programme, he said, continued to expand with 63 beneficiary Member States who are increasingly relying on the goTRAVEL software to collect and process passenger data to detect and prevent terrorist movements.  Noting that the Pact for the Future renewed the international community’s commitment to a future free from terrorism, he urged Member States to translate these commitments into action, prioritizing inclusive, networked and sustainable responses.

    Approach Centered on Prevention, Respect for Human Rights Key to Countering Terrorist Threat

    Also briefing the Council was Natalia Gherman, Executive Director of Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, who voiced concern over the humanitarian and security crisis in north-eastern Syria, with over 40,000 individuals confined in camps and detention facilities, under conditions marked by overcrowding, inadequate shelter and limited access to clean water and sanitation.  Beyond the Middle East, Da’esh remains agile, taking advantage of ongoing conflicts and regions experiencing growing instability, she continued.  The group now poses a threat to security and sustainable development across the African continent.

    Armed terrorist groups, such as Islamic State West Africa Province, are exploiting fragile conditions to recruit children, commit abductions and attack schools and hospitals.  In the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin, Da’esh’s centralized operations continue to proliferate as regional cooperation declines, she said, adding that the role of the regional financial hubs used by the group and its affiliates has also expanded.

    “Addressing these threats requires an approach centered on prevention, grounded in respect for human rights, and with regional cooperation as the linchpin,” she stressed, noting the Committee’s visits to Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Malawi, Mauritania and the United Republic of Tanzania.  Assessments revealed gaps in border security and the need for stronger regional collaboration to counter the transnational nature of Da’esh’s activities.  For its part, the Executive Directorate has recently adopted the non-binding guiding principles on preventing, detecting and disrupting the use of new and emerging financial technologies for terrorist purposes — the so-called “Algeria Guiding Principles”, she said.

    Council Members Concerned Over Terrorists’ Adeptness at Expanding Operations, Attractomg New Recruits

    In the ensuing discussion, Council members expressed concern that, despite decades of counter-terrorism efforts, the phenomenon has transformed adeptly, taking advantage of new technology and financial innovations.  Sierra Leone’s delegate said that ISIL/Da’esh and their affiliates “continue to demonstrate resilience and adapt their modus operandi with extensive propaganda, as well as increased finances, fighters’ expertise and technology”.  14,000 fatalities were recorded on the African continent alone in 2024, he said, noting the impact on women and girls.  A security-centered approach alone is insufficient, he stressed.

    Along similar lines, Algeria’s delegate said that terrorist groups use the lack of development and marginalization to recruit and expand — therefore, security arrangements and development initiatives are equally necessary to combat this.  Highlighting the Sahel, he said that well-equipped armed groups are adopting advancing military strategies as well as using organized crime, narcotic trafficking, kidnapping and new technologies to finance such operations.

    France’s speaker noted that Da’esh, Al-Qaida and their affiliates are misappropriating new technology — such as drones — to carry out more targeted and lethal attacks. “These groups thrive on the soil where basic human rights are being violated, where women are marginalized,” she stated, adding that their use of sexual violence as a means of sowing terror has been documented.

    “Our work is far from complete,” said Somalia’s representative, spotlighting “patterns of expansion” across regions, with groups establishing networks that transcend national borders.  For its part, his Government has successfully conducted military operations with international partners to neutralize foreign Da’esh affiliates and implement joint security initiatives.

    The representative of the United States highlighted her Government’s “precision air strikes” against ISIS in Somalia on 1 February.  Her country “stands ready to find and eliminate terrorists who threaten the United States and our allies,” she said.  She also urged Council members to list more ISIL and Al-Qaida affiliates in the 1267 Sanctions Committee list so that they will be subject to its worldwide assets travel ban and arms embargo.  While the Sahel has become “the global epicenter for fatalities from terrorist attacks”, ISIS-Khorasan is increasing its capabilities to conduct attacks and recruit in Afghanistan and Pakistan, she said.

    Counter-terrorism Policies Must Oppose Double Standards and Selectivity 

    Pakistan’s delegate drew attention to the need to address white supremacy and far-right extremism, as well.  Counter-terrorism policies have so far singled out only one religion — Islam — but they must address the negative impact of stigmatizing Muslims and fanning the flames of Islamophobia, he said.  His country is at the forefront of counter-terrorism efforts, fighting not only Da’esh, but also TTP [Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan] and Majid Brigade.  Further, “the international community has failed to address State terrorism, including the use of State power to suppress legitimate struggles for self-determination or to continue foreign occupation”, he said.

    It was the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) invasion into Libya and the invasion of Iraq which spawned ISIL, the Russian Federation’s delegate said.  Further, the United Nations’ counter-terrorism officials must “study the facts” on assistance to terrorists provided by Western countries, he said, adding that Ukraine, for instance, has become a logistic hub from which weapons disseminate across the world.  NATO troops who hastily left Afghanistan also abandoned vast quantities of weapons which fell into the hands of ISIL and affiliates, he said.

    The Council should oppose double standards and selectivity in counter-terrorism efforts, China’s representative, Council President for the month, speaking in his national capacity, underscored.  He also voiced concern over the Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria, and called on Damascus to fulfil its counter-terrorism obligations and prevent any terrorist forces from using the Syrian territory to threaten the security of other countries.

    Calls to Ensure Terrorist Groups Do Not Take Advantage of Instability in Syria 

    Several speakers, including the delegates of Denmark and Slovenia, stressed the need to ensure that terrorist groups do not take advantage of the instability in Syria.  Greece’s delegate underlined the need for a political road map in that country that includes constitutional reform, free and fair elections and inclusive governance. “This is the only way towards the eradication not only of Da’esh, but terrorism in general,” he added.  The United Kingdom’s delegate spotlighted the Global Coalition’s efforts to reduce the risk Da’esh poses as Syria embarks on its historical political transition.  However, “we cannot fight terrorism with force alone”, he emphasized, calling for a whole-of-society approach — with the meaningful participation of women — to address the long-term drivers of terrorism.

    Terrorists’ Increased Use of Information and Communications Technology Draws Concern

    Delegates also considered how to tackle terrorist groups’ increased use of information and communications technology (ICT), with Guyana’s representative noting that gaming and social media platforms bolster resources and recruitment.  The Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team has reported extensively on the increased risk of online radicalization and recruitment targeting youth and minors and the increasing use of cryptocurrencies by Da’esh, she said.

    Also noting Da’esh’s use of cryptocurrencies, Panama’s delegate said:  “Terrorism thrives on secrecy and underground flows of money.”  His country is the only Latin American nation to participate in the Global Coalition against Da’esh and is committed to preventing terrorists from using the Panamanian banking system for their financing.

    The Republic of Korea’s speaker stressed that the international community must respond by leveraging artificial-intelligence-driven analytics to improve threat detection, disrupt terrorist narratives and bolster information integrity.  Seoul’s new “AI and Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism” project, designed in collaboration with the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, seeks to map out how terrorists exploit AI and build States’ capacity to counter these tactics by incorporating AI solutions, he said.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: Terrorism: UN Calls for Stronger Global Counter-Terrorism Efforts – Briefing | United Nations

    Source: United Nations (Video News)

    Briefing by Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism, on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.

    “Mr. President,
    Excellencies,
    I am honoured to brief the Security Council on the 20th report of the Secretary-General on the
    threat posed by Da’esh to international peace and security and the United Nations efforts in
    support of Member States in countering the threat.
    I am pleased to be joined by Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of the
    Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, Ms. Natalia Gherman, to present this
    report, which was prepared jointly by our Offices.
    I would also like to thank Mr. Colin Smith, Coordinator of the Analytical Support and
    Sanctions Monitoring Team, for their contribution in the preparation of this report.
    Mr. President,
    Excellencies,
    The terrorism landscape is evolving and demands collective, multilateral action, as terrorist
    attacks threaten life, wellbeing and the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals.
    Despite steady counter-terrorism efforts by Member States, international and regional
    partners, Da’esh continues to demonstrate resilience and adapt its modus operandi.
    The volatile situation in the Syrian Arab Republic is of great concern, especially as there is a
    risk that stockpiles of advanced weapons could fall into the hands of terrorists. The Syrian
    Badia region continued to serve as a centre for Da’esh external operational planning and a
    critical region for their activities.
    This instability also affects the camps, detention and other facilities in the north-east of the
    country. An estimated 42,500 individuals, some with alleged links to Da’esh, remained held.
    This includes 17,700 Iraqi and 16,200 Syrian nationals, as well as 8,600 nationals from other
    countries.

    Regrettably, the overall pace of repatriations declined significantly in the reporting period.
    Only five Member States reportedly repatriated more than 760 individuals from Iraq and the
    Syrian Arab Republic. The Government of Iraq repatriated approximately 400 Iraqi children
    from the northeast of the Syrian Arab Republic to a rehabilitation centre. I would like to
    commend Iraq’s leadership in facilitating the return of its citizens from northeastern Syria.
    I reiterate the Secretary-General’s call for Member States to facilitate the safe, voluntary and
    dignified repatriation of their nationals still stranded in those camps and facilities.
    ISIL-K continued to pose a significant threat in Afghanistan, the region and beyond. In
    addition to attacks in Afghanistan, ISIL-K supporters plotted attacks in Europe and were
    actively seeking to recruit individuals from Central Asian States. There were also reports of
    small numbers of foreign terrorist fighters continuing to travel to Afghanistan.
    I would like to recall the Secretary-General’s appeal to all Member States to unite to prevent
    Afghanistan from again becoming a hotbed of terrorist activities.
    In sub-Saharan Africa, Da’esh and its affiliates continued to increase their operations and
    expand territorial control.
    The situation is deeply concerning in West Africa and the Sahel, where Da’esh affiliates and
    other terrorist groups intensified attacks, including against schools in Burkina Faso, Mali and
    Niger. Both ISGS and ISWAP continue to operate and recruit fighters across borders.
    In East Africa, Da’esh in Somalia successfully recruited foreign terrorist fighters and the AlKarrar Office remains a key financial and coordination hub for Da’esh in the region.
    In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Allied Democratic Forces remained resilient
    despite the military operations conducted by Congolese and Ugandan forces and perpetrated
    horrific attacks resulting in over 300 civilian fatalities.
    Mr. President,
    Excellencies,
    The resilience of terrorist groups underscores the need for sustained international
    collaboration. Member States must prioritize comprehensive, long-term responses that
    address the conditions conducive to terrorism while strengthening the rule of law and
    upholding international human rights and humanitarian law.
    The United Nations continues to adapt and tailor its capacity-building support to the
    evolution of the threat posed by Daesh and its affiliates. I would like to highlight four priority
    areas of focus:
    First, as sub-Saharan Africa has become the epicentre of global terrorism, we have prioritized
    capacity-building support to the continent. Last year, my Office increased its delivery of
    technical assistance by 16 per cent, relying notably on the work of our Office in Rabat. For
    instance, our Fusion Cells programme delivered specialized training to 124 analysts from 21
    African Member States (…)” [Excerpt].

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad_KZf2oAW4

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Security Council hears of persistent and evolving Da’esh threat

    Source: United Nations 4

    Peace and Security

    The terrorist group Da’esh, also known as ISIL, remains a serious global security threat despite years of sustained efforts to dismantle its operations, UN counter-terrorism officials warned during a Security Council meeting on Monday. 

    The discussion focused on the 20th biannual report of the Secretary-General on the threat posed by Da’esh to international peace and security.

    “Terrorism remains a significant and evolving threat to global peace and security, one that no State can confront in isolation,” said Under-Secretary-General Vladimir Voronkov, Head of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism. 

    “Da’esh remains agile, taking advantage of ongoing conflicts and regions experiencing growing instability,” emphasised Natalia Gherman, Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED). 

    This comes amid shifting global counter-terrorism efforts, including the conclusion of the Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh (UNITAD) mandate, which leaves behind a significant judicial support legacy for future accountability processes. 

    Ongoing threats in Syria 

    The volatile situation in the Syrian Arab Republic is concerning, “especially as there is a risk that stockpiles of advanced weapons could fall into the hands of terrorists,” explained Mr. Voronkov.

    The risk is particularly high in the Syrian Badia region, the central hub for Da’esh’s external operational planning. 

    Meanwhile, over 40,000 people – including women and children – are stuck in overcrowded camps in northeastern Syria due to the ongoing instability. Many face extreme shortages of clean water, medical care and sanitation. 

    The Under-Secretary-General stressed the need for urgent action, noting that repatriation efforts have slowed dramatically: “Only five Member States reportedly repatriated more than 760 individuals from Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic,” he noted.  

    Sub-Saharan Africa: A new frontline 

    “In sub-Saharan Africa, Da’esh and its affiliates continue to increase their operations and expand territorial control,” said Mr. Voronkov.

    Terrorist groups like Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Islamic State in the Greater Sahel (ISGS) have been carrying out deadly attacks on civilians and security forces. 

    “In the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin, Da’esh’s decentralised operations continue to proliferate as regional cooperation declines,” Ms. Gherman warned. 

    UN assessments in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Malawi, Mauritania and Tanzania found that while some progress has been made, gaps in border security, counter-financing of terrorism and regional cooperation remain critical challenges. 

    Officials in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire have specifically called for enhanced UN support to prevent the further expansion of terrorist threats southward.

    Growing online radicalisation

    Da’esh continues to recruit and inspire attacks through online propaganda. One of its most dangerous branches, ISIL-K, has been plotting attacks beyond Afghanistan. 

    “ISIL-K supporters plotted attacks in Europe and were actively seeking to recruit individuals from Central Asian States,” noted Ms. Gherman.

    French authorities recently arrested an 18-year-old plotting an attack in July 2024.

    Meanwhile, the 1 January terrorist attack in New Orleans in the United States, where an individual claimed to have been inspired by ISIL, has raised additional concerns about the group’s expanding influence through digital propaganda and online radicalisation.

    Fighting terrorist financing

    In response to the evolving financing methods of terrorist groups, the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) recently adopted the Algeria Guiding Principles, which aim to prevent, detect and disrupt the use of new and emerging financial technologies for terrorist purposes.

    CTED has also strengthened cooperation with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC), contributing to a landmark case in Mozambique, where the first successful prosecution of a terrorism-financing case was recently achieved.

    “Multilateral cooperation remains essential” 

    Mr. Voronkov emphasised the need for a coordinated, multilateral approach to counter Da’esh’s evolving strategies. 

    “Despite steady counter-terrorism efforts by Member States, international and regional partners, Da’esh continues to demonstrate resilience and adapt its modus operandi,” he told the Council. “The group’s ability to exploit instability highlights the need for sustained international collaboration.”

    Ms. Gherman echoed this sentiment, urging countries to adopt long-term strategies that respect human rights and the rule of law.

    “CTED, working alongside Member States and other United Nations entities, remains committed to ensuring that our actions are responsive to emerging challenges,” she concluded. 

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: The UK remains committed to achieving justice for survivors of Daesh crimes: UK statement at the UN Security Council

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Statement by Fergus Eckersley, UK Minister Counsellor, at the UN Security Council meeting on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.

    The UK remains fully focused on tackling the continued threat from Daesh and its affiliates. 

    Whilst steady progress has been made by the international community to suppress Daesh, we cannot become complacent. 

    Daesh continues to exploit regional instability, drive division and seek new ways to finance its operations through emerging technology and this remains a global threat which we need to address collectively. 

    In the Middle East, after decades of atrocities committed by the Assad regime, the United Kingdom stands with the people of Syria and their desire to build a more stable, free and prosperous future. 

    We welcome continued efforts, including by the Global Coalition, to suppress Daesh and reduce the risk they pose as Syria embarks on this historic political transition.   

    Iraq also remains a critical partner – the reduction in Daesh’s influence and impact in Iraq is a credit to Iraqi determination and sustained military efforts, alongside Coalition partners.  

    The UK remains committed to achieving justice for survivors of Daesh crimes. 

    We will continue working with the Government of Iraq as they build on UNITAD’s legacy and deliver accountability through their National Centre for International Judicial Cooperation (NCIJC).

    In Asia, ISKP continue to pose a threat despite work to combat them, including by Pakistan, and other countries in the region. 

    The UK continues to coordinate action against the group through the ISKP Diplomatic Grouping, targeting their propaganda and seeking to restrict their access to financial resources.  

    In Africa, Daesh continues to spread across large parts of the continent, threatening regional stability and inspiring individuals to conduct attacks. 

    The African Union plays a central role in coordinating the international response, and the UK welcomes, for example. the renewed mandate of the Multinational Joint Task Force and the recent deployment of the AU Support and Stabilisation Mission to Somalia.  

    Finally, we cannot fight terrorism with force alone. 

    A whole of society approach with the meaningful participation of women is needed to address the long-term drivers of terrorism. 

    The protection of human rights and rule of law should be at the heart of all of our efforts.

    Updates to this page

    Published 10 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Change of His Majesty’s Ambassador to Liberia: Ameer Kotecha

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Mr Ameer Kotecha has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Liberia.

    Mr Ameer Kotecha has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Liberia in succession to Mr Neil Bradley who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment.  Mr Kotecha will take up his appointment during April 2025.

    Curriculum vitae         

    Full name: Ameer Kotecha

    Year Role
    2023 to present  Ekaterinburg, HM Consul General
    2022 to 2023 FCDO, Full time language training (Russian)
    2021 to 2022  FCDO, Head of Engagement and Programmes Team, Counter Daesh Communications Cell
    2020 to 2021 Hong Kong, Vice Consul
    2018 to 2020  FCO, Senior Desk Officer, West Africa Department
    2017 to 2018  New York, Second Secretary Africa and Peacekeeping
    2016 to 2017 FCO, Kidnaps and Incidents Case Manager, Counter Terrorism Department
    2015 to 2016  FCO, Deputy Head Libya Team, North Africa Joint Unit
    2015  Joined FCO
    2013 to 2015 Financial Analyst, AgDevCo

    Media enquiries

    Email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk

    Telephone 020 7008 3100

    Contact the FCDO Communication Team via email (monitored 24 hours a day) in the first instance, and we will respond as soon as possible.

    Updates to this page

    Published 10 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Massachusetts Man Arrested for Making Violent Threats Against Officials, Private Individuals and Children

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BOSTON – A Wilbraham, Mass. man has been arrested and charged for allegedly making numerous violent threats on social media targeting certain officials and their families, private individuals, children and sensitive locations such as shopping malls and an elementary school.

    Funwayo Mbilini Nyawo, also known as “Jonathan Funwayo Nyawo,” “Michael Jacobs,” “Robert Jacobs,” and “Carl Fields,” 36, was charged in the District of Massachusetts with one count of interstate transmission of threatening communications. Nyawo was arrested yesterday in the Southern District of Florida and ordered detained until his appearance in federal court in Springfield, Mass., which will take place at a later date.

    According to the charging documents filed in federal court in Springfield, Mass., between approximately July 30, 2024 and Nov. 7, 2024, Nyawo posted various threatening communications on X (formerly known as Twitter) and Google targeting certain officials and their family members; private individuals; the children of Wilbraham and Boston; members of the Wilbraham Police Department, Wilbraham Fire Department and the Miami Police Department (and their family members); shopping malls in Holyoke and Burlington, Mass.; and an elementary school, among others.

    Specifically, according to the charging documents, Nyawo’s threats involved explicit and repeated threats to bomb, shoot, or otherwise kill his targets. For example, on Aug. 21, 2024, Nyawo allegedly posted the following threat on social media: “wilbraham and boston:  time for your children to die. […] The Wilbraham Police and Fire Department I’m going to kill their families next and make them watch before I kill them.” It is further alleged that Nyawo frequently fixated on children. For example, on Sept. 27, 2024, Nyawo allegedly posted a threatening message concerning an elementary school, stating: “Torch it. Kill the kids,” followed by a photograph of the elementary school.

    Nyawo’s threats also often allegedly expressed a call to arms directed at followers of the foreign terrorist organizations ISIS and Al Qaeda or at Muslim holy warriors known as mujahadeen. For example, on Nov. 1-4, 2024, Nyawo allegedly made three successive posts: “ISIS: Attack Boston again;” “Start killing g [sic] the children of the Miami Police ISIS;” and “Mujahideen from around the world: Go to boston. Shoot to kill. Preferably their children.”

    The charge of interstate transmission of threatening communications provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and J. Thomas Manger, Chief of the United States Capitol Police made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department and the Wilbraham and Miami-Dade Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of the Springfield Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

    The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defendant Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Soliciting a Minor and Lying to the FBI About Pro-ISIS Social Media Postings

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CHICAGO — A defendant has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for soliciting a minor to engage in commercial sex and lying to the FBI about social media postings supportive of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

    HARDY LEE BROWNER, 37, of Chicago, pleaded guilty in 2023 to one count of making a materially false statement to the FBI involving international terrorism and one count of soliciting a minor to engage in commercial sex.  U.S. District Judge Andrea R. Wood imposed the sentence on Wednesday and ordered that it be followed by five years of court-supervised release.

    Browner admitted in a plea agreement that Browner used various accounts on the social media site formerly known as Twitter to communicate with individuals associated with ISIS, including a media arm of the terrorist group.  Browner also used the accounts to make public posts regarding, among other topics, jihad, martyrdom, and ISIS.  When FBI agents interviewed Browner about the posts, Browner falsely claimed not to have used the accounts and not to have communicated with certain Twitter users, including the ISIS media arm.

    The solicitation charge relates to Browner’s attempt to traffic a minor with whom Browner had engaged in a sexual relationship.  Browner communicated with the minor on Instagram and through texts and phone calls.  Browner then met the minor on multiple occasions and had sex with the minor.  Browner sometimes gave the minor cash or other items of value.  Browner also took steps to traffic the minor for sex with others for money, although Browner’s crimes were discovered before the minor was trafficked.

    The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.

    “The defendant disrespected law enforcement agents and sought to thwart the FBI’s mission in defending against terrorist organizations,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Barry Jonas and Julia Schwartz argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.  With regard to the solicitation, the prosecutors argued, “Traffickers operating today should receive the message that if you traffic children in the Chicagoland area, the sentence will be severe.”

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Hacienda Heights Men Arrested in Alleged Large-Scale Smuggling Scheme from China through L.A.-Area Ports

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    LOS ANGELES – Two men have been arrested on a criminal complaint by federal law enforcement for allegedly participating in a conspiracy to smuggle contraband from China into the United States via the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the Justice Department announced today.

    Zhongliang Wang, 39, of Hacienda Heights, was arrested Wednesday. Chenyu Zhao, 31, also of Hacienda Heights, was arrested last Thursday as he was boarding a plane on a one-way ticket to China. Both defendants were charged with conspiracy and illegally removing goods from customs custody. Wang and Zhao allegedly directed cargo shipping containers flagged for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) secondary inspection to unauthorized off-site locations, where they unloaded the contraband in the containers, replaced it with filler cargo, and then returned the cargo containers to CBP for inspection, in an attempt to deceive customs officials and evade law enforcement.

    To date, law enforcement has seized more than $1.3 billion worth of contraband associated with this and similar cargo-swapping schemes. According to the court documents, a search of one warehouse used by the group charged in this case led to the seizure of significant quantities of counterfeit goods, including luxury handbags and footwear, as well as approximately 19.5 kilograms of enobosarm, an illicit steroid.   

    “Protecting our nation’s borders from illegal smuggling is a top priority,” said Acting United States Attorney Joseph McNally. “These arrests highlight the unrelenting efforts of law enforcement to dismantle criminal networks that seek to exploit our trade system and endanger American businesses and consumers.”

    According to court documents, Zhao and other co-conspirators maintained and operated warehouses to store, conceal and sell large amounts of contraband goods that were illegally imported into the United States from China. When the contraband containers were selected by CBP for inspection, the defendants hired commercial truck drivers to transport the containers from the ports to locations that the conspirators controlled, including at least one warehouse in the City of Industry that was controlled or managed by Zhao and others.

    At these locations, co-conspirators broke the security seals on the shipping containers and removed the contraband from inside. Then, they affixed counterfeit security seals onto the containers to conceal that the cargo had been tampered with. Wang, Zhao and others then directed co-conspirators to transport the containers – after they had been emptied of much of their original cargo and re-secured with counterfeit seals – to CBP-authorized locations for the “filler” cargo to be presented to customs officials for inspection.

    Wang, Zhao and others paid fees to co-conspirators that were substantially above normal trucking fees to transport the contraband shipping containers.  As alleged in the complaint, Wang paid $15,000 to divert a single cargo container in December of 2024. 

    A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    If convicted of all charges, Wang and Zhao would face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each conspiracy count and up to 10 years in federal prison for each count of breaking customs seals.

    Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Coast Guard Investigative Services are investigating this matter.

    This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Colin S. Scott and Amanda B. Elbogen of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section are prosecuting this matter.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Gaza: we analysed a year of satellite images to map the scale of agricultural destruction

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lina Eklund, Associate Senior Lecturer, Lund University

    Part of North Gaza in November 2023, and again in July 2024.

    SkySat imagery © 2025/Planet Labs PBC

    The ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hamas makes provisions for the passage of food and humanitarian aid into Gaza. This support is much needed given that Gaza’s agricultural system has been severely damaged over the course of the war.

    Over the past 17 months we have analysed satellite images across the Gaza Strip to quantify the scale of agricultural destruction across the region. Our newly published research reveals not only the widespread extent of this destruction but also the potentially unprecedented pace at which it occurred. Our work covers the period until September 2024 but further data through to January 2025 is also available.

    Before the war, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and strawberries were grown in open fields and greenhouses, and olive and citrus trees lined rows across the Gazan landscape. The trees in particular are an important cultural heritage in the region, and agriculture was a vital part of Gaza’s economy. About half of the food eaten there was produced in the territory itself, and food made up a similar portion of its exports.

    By December 2023, only two months into the war, there were official warnings that the entire population of Gaza, more than 2 million people, was facing high levels of acute food insecurity. While that assessment was based on interviews and survey data, the level of agricultural damage across the whole landscape remained out of view.

    Most olive and citrus trees are gone

    To address this problem, we mapped the damage to tree crops – mostly olive and citrus trees – in Gaza each month over the course of the war up until September 2024. Together with our colleagues Dimah Habash and Mazin Qumsiyeh, we did this using very high-resolution satellite imagery, detailed enough to focus on individual trees.

    We first visually identified tree crops with and without damage to “train” our computer program, or model, so it knew what to look for. We then ran the model on all the satellite data. We also looked over a sample of results ourselves to confirm it was accurate.

    Our results showed that between 64% and 70% of all tree crop fields in Gaza had been damaged. That can either mean a few trees being destroyed, the whole field of trees completely removed, or anything in between. Most damage took place during the first few months of the war in autumn 2023. Exactly who destroyed these trees and why is beyond the scope of our research or expertise.

    In some areas, every greenhouse is gone

    As greenhouses look very different in satellite images, we used a separate method to map damage to them. We found over 4,000 had been damaged by September 2024, which is more than half of the total we had identified before the start of the war.

    Greenhouses and the date of initial damage between October 2023 and September 2024.
    Yin et al (2025)

    In the south of the territory, where most greenhouses were found, the destruction was fairly steady from December 2023 onwards.

    But in north Gaza and Gaza City, the two most northerly of the territory’s five governorates, most of the damage had already taken place by November and December 2023. By the end of our study period, all 578 greenhouses there had been destroyed.

    North Gaza and Gaza City have also seen the most damage to tree crop fields. By September 2024, over 90% of all tree crops in Gaza City had been destroyed, and 73% had been lost in north Gaza. In the three southern governorates, Khan Younis, Deir al-Balah and Rafah, around 50% of all tree crops had been destroyed.

    Agricultural damage is common in armed conflict, and has been documented with satellite analysis in Ukraine since the 2022 Russian invasion, in Syria and Iraq during the ISIS occupation in 2015, and in the Caucasus during the Chechen wars in the 1990s and 2000s.

    The exact impact can differ from conflict to conflict. War may directly damage lands, as we have seen in Gaza, or it may lead to more fallow areas as infrastructure is damaged and farmers are forced to flee. A conflict also increases the need for local agricultural production, especially when food imports are restricted.

    Our assessment shows a very high rate of direct and extensive damage to Gaza’s agricultural system, both compared to previous conflict escalations there in 2014 and 2021, and in other conflict settings. For example, during the July-August war in 2014, around 1,200 greenhouses were damaged in Gaza. This time round at least three times as many have been damaged.

    Agricultural attacks are unlawful

    Attacks on agricultural lands are prohibited under international law. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court from 1998 defines the intentional use of starvation of civilians through “depriving them of objects indispensable to their survival” as a war crime. The Geneva conventions further define such indispensable objects as “foodstuffs, agricultural areas for the production offoodstuffs, crops, livestock, drinking water installations and supplies and irrigation works”.

    Our study provides transparent statistics on the extent and timing of damage to Gaza’s agricultural system. As well as documenting the impacts of the war, we hope it can help the massive rebuilding efforts that will be required.

    Restoring Gaza’s agricultural system goes beyond clearing debris and rubble, and rebuilding greenhouses. The soils need to be cleaned from possible contamination. Sewage and irrigation infrastructure need to be rebuilt.

    Such efforts may take a generation or more to complete. After all, olive and citrus trees can take five or more years to become productive, and 15 years to reach full maturity. After previous attacks on Gaza the trees were mostly replanted, and perhaps the same will happen again this time. But it’s for good reason they say that only people with hope for the future plant trees.

    Lina Eklund receives funding from the Swedish National Space Agency and the Strategic Research Area: The Middle East in the Contemporary World (MECW) at the Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies, Lund University, Sweden.

    He Yin receives funding from NASA.

    Jamon Van Den Hoek receives funding from NASA.

    – ref. Gaza: we analysed a year of satellite images to map the scale of agricultural destruction – https://theconversation.com/gaza-we-analysed-a-year-of-satellite-images-to-map-the-scale-of-agricultural-destruction-248796

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Gaza: we analysed a year of satellite images to map the scale of agricultural destruction

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Lina Eklund, Associate Senior Lecturer, Lund University

    Part of North Gaza in November 2023, and again in July 2024.

    SkySat imagery © 2025/Planet Labs PBC

    The ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hamas makes provisions for the passage of food and humanitarian aid into Gaza. This support is much needed given that Gaza’s agricultural system has been severely damaged over the course of the war.

    Over the past 17 months we have analysed satellite images across the Gaza Strip to quantify the scale of agricultural destruction across the region. Our newly published research reveals not only the widespread extent of this destruction but also the potentially unprecedented pace at which it occurred. Our work covers the period until September 2024 but further data through to January 2025 is also available.

    Before the war, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and strawberries were grown in open fields and greenhouses, and olive and citrus trees lined rows across the Gazan landscape. The trees in particular are an important cultural heritage in the region, and agriculture was a vital part of Gaza’s economy. About half of the food eaten there was produced in the territory itself, and food made up a similar portion of its exports.

    By December 2023, only two months into the war, there were official warnings that the entire population of Gaza, more than 2 million people, was facing high levels of acute food insecurity. While that assessment was based on interviews and survey data, the level of agricultural damage across the whole landscape remained out of view.

    Most olive and citrus trees are gone

    To address this problem, we mapped the damage to tree crops – mostly olive and citrus trees – in Gaza each month over the course of the war up until September 2024. Together with our colleagues Dimah Habash and Mazin Qumsiyeh, we did this using very high-resolution satellite imagery, detailed enough to focus on individual trees.

    We first visually identified tree crops with and without damage to “train” our computer program, or model, so it knew what to look for. We then ran the model on all the satellite data. We also looked over a sample of results ourselves to confirm it was accurate.

    Our results showed that between 64% and 70% of all tree crop fields in Gaza had been damaged. That can either mean a few trees being destroyed, the whole field of trees completely removed, or anything in between. Most damage took place during the first few months of the war in autumn 2023. Exactly who destroyed these trees and why is beyond the scope of our research or expertise.

    In some areas, every greenhouse is gone

    As greenhouses look very different in satellite images, we used a separate method to map damage to them. We found over 4,000 had been damaged by September 2024, which is more than half of the total we had identified before the start of the war.

    Greenhouses and the date of initial damage between October 2023 and September 2024.
    Yin et al (2025)

    In the south of the territory, where most greenhouses were found, the destruction was fairly steady from December 2023 onwards.

    But in north Gaza and Gaza City, the two most northerly of the territory’s five governorates, most of the damage had already taken place by November and December 2023. By the end of our study period, all 578 greenhouses there had been destroyed.

    North Gaza and Gaza City have also seen the most damage to tree crop fields. By September 2024, over 90% of all tree crops in Gaza City had been destroyed, and 73% had been lost in north Gaza. In the three southern governorates, Khan Younis, Deir al-Balah and Rafah, around 50% of all tree crops had been destroyed.

    Agricultural damage is common in armed conflict, and has been documented with satellite analysis in Ukraine since the 2022 Russian invasion, in Syria and Iraq during the ISIS occupation in 2015, and in the Caucasus during the Chechen wars in the 1990s and 2000s.

    The exact impact can differ from conflict to conflict. War may directly damage lands, as we have seen in Gaza, or it may lead to more fallow areas as infrastructure is damaged and farmers are forced to flee. A conflict also increases the need for local agricultural production, especially when food imports are restricted.

    Our assessment shows a very high rate of direct and extensive damage to Gaza’s agricultural system, both compared to previous conflict escalations there in 2014 and 2021, and in other conflict settings. For example, during the July-August war in 2014, around 1,200 greenhouses were damaged in Gaza. This time round at least three times as many have been damaged.

    Agricultural attacks are unlawful

    Attacks on agricultural lands are prohibited under international law. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court from 1998 defines the intentional use of starvation of civilians through “depriving them of objects indispensable to their survival” as a war crime. The Geneva conventions further define such indispensable objects as “foodstuffs, agricultural areas for the production offoodstuffs, crops, livestock, drinking water installations and supplies and irrigation works”.

    Our study provides transparent statistics on the extent and timing of damage to Gaza’s agricultural system. As well as documenting the impacts of the war, we hope it can help the massive rebuilding efforts that will be required.

    Restoring Gaza’s agricultural system goes beyond clearing debris and rubble, and rebuilding greenhouses. The soils need to be cleaned from possible contamination. Sewage and irrigation infrastructure need to be rebuilt.

    Such efforts may take a generation or more to complete. After all, olive and citrus trees can take five or more years to become productive, and 15 years to reach full maturity. After previous attacks on Gaza the trees were mostly replanted, and perhaps the same will happen again this time. But it’s for good reason they say that only people with hope for the future plant trees.

    Lina Eklund receives funding from the Swedish National Space Agency and the Strategic Research Area: The Middle East in the Contemporary World (MECW) at the Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies, Lund University, Sweden.

    He Yin receives funding from NASA.

    Jamon Van Den Hoek receives funding from NASA.

    – ref. Gaza: we analysed a year of satellite images to map the scale of agricultural destruction – https://theconversation.com/gaza-we-analysed-a-year-of-satellite-images-to-map-the-scale-of-agricultural-destruction-248796

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Truman Strike Group Units Arrive in Greece for Port Visit

    Source: United States Navy

    While the strike group’s material readiness is the top priority of the visit, ensuring maintenance and upkeep across the ships and aircraft, Sailors will have the opportunity to enjoy liberty and experience Crete’s rich history and culture. 

    “I’m incredibly proud of the dedication and service of this team and their tireless work around the clock,” said Capt. Dave Snowden, commanding officer of USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). “Their efforts keep our ship operating at peak performance and aircraft ready to support combat operations.” 

    After entering the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility on Dec. 14, the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HSTCSG) supported multiple self-defense strikes against targets across Iran-backed Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. The strikes directly contributed to CENTCOM’s campaign to degrade the Houthis attempts to threaten regional partners and the free flow of commerce in the region. On Feb. 1, HSTCSG conducted airstrikes against ISIS-Somalia in support of U.S. Africa Command and in coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia. 

    “The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group remains the most adaptable and lethal presence in theater,” said Rear Adm. Sean Bailey, commander, HSTCSG. “This port visit provides the opportunity to reset and focus on maintenance for maximum readiness ahead of future operations.” 

    The visit is HSTCSG’s third port visit of deployment, following stops in Oslo, Norway, and Marseille, France. NSA Souda Bay is a remote forward operating installation that enables power projection and warfighting capabilities from the Eastern Mediterranean.

    “Team Souda is happy to welcome HSTCSG to Crete,” from Capt. Stephen Steacy, commanding officer, NSA Souda Bay. “As the crossroads of the 6th Fleet, we are strategically located in the Eastern Mediterranean to support our forward-deployed forces. The hospitality of the local community is unmatched, giving Sailors the opportunity for a much-needed break.”

    The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (IKECSG) visited NSA Souda Bay for a similar port visit in April 2024. The IKECSG and HSTCSG have operated in the most intense period of sustained combat activity for the U.S. Navy since World War II.

    The carrier strike group includes the flagship USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75); Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1, with eight embarked aviation squadrons; staffs from CSG-8, CVW-1, and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 28; the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64); and two Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, USS Stout (DDG 55) and USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109). 

    HSTCSG’s mission is to conduct prompt and sustained combat operations at sea and maintain a forward presence through sea control and power projection capabilities. For more information, visit DVIDS at https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/CVN75. 
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Details Harm Caused By Trump’s Blanket Funding Freeze, Ongoing Chaos

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    Murray shared many WA stories and concerns she heard following President Trump’s blanket funding freeze
    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, is helping lead Senate Democrats in holding the Senate floor for a full 30 hours ahead of a final confirmation vote on Russell Vought to serve as Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Senator Murray delivered an hour-long floor speech and her remarks below touch specifically on last week’s Monday night OMB budget memo that froze virtually all federal grants and how communities and organizations across America still cannot access funds that are meant to be unfrozen and fully accessible by now.
    “The calls just keep coming—even now that OMB reversed course. The chaos has not died down—the questions, the uncertainty, the fear from families and communities that Trump will pull the rug out from under them is still there. 
    “Because even though—after the intense outcry from the American people—Trump has now admitted this was a colossal mistake by rescinding the guidance, the threat, the chaos, the panic cannot just be wiped away. Especially while some funds are still being blocked!
    “No one feels any sense of calm after this. People aren’t feeling lasting relief—they are still wondering ‘how could something like this happen’ and ‘what in the world is going to happen next?’
    “The Trump administration—through a combination of sheer incompetence, cruel intentions, and a willful disregard for the law—caused, and is still causing, real harm and chaos for millions of people over the span of just a mere 48 hours.
    “But we did learn something extremely important: when the American people speak out with one voice, when regular people stand up, it makes a real difference. That victory belonged to everyone who raised their voice. But make no mistake, the fight is far from over.
    “As I said before, we still have a lot of work to do right now, to make sure all the funding actually does get moving again—this is not like turning on a light switch.
    “We just saw through the chaotic roll out—this is complicated stuff. So, I will be watching closely to make sure funds get where they belong ASAP. I already know that in many cases this has not been what is happening at all—so this is a serious concern.”
    The full text of Senator Murray’s remarks on the chaos because of Trump’s blanket funding freeze can be found below, and video can be found HERE.
    “The chaos Vought and Trump caused last week alone was unlike anything I can recall. M. President, never in my time in the Senate have I seen a President cause as much chaos, panic, and damage in 48 short hours—chaos, panic, and damage which continues even now!
    “President Trump inflicted serious harm when he implemented Vought’s reckless vision to brazenly and illegally freeze federal grants across the government and across the country.
    “My phone has been ringing off the hook—because unlike billionaires like Trump and Musk, unlike hyper partisans like Vought, the American people actually have a painfully clear sense of how this will hurt our communities. After all, they are the ones who would actually suffer the consequences of a reckless policy like this.
    “And, let’s remember, the Trump administration’s first half-hearted attempt to clean up the massive mess they made with a new guidance, essentially boiled down to: ‘We’ll let some funding go, but we’re still going to hold up everything else.’
    “And while later, they finally admitted they were disastrously wrong and revoked the entire guidance, they are now, still today, illegally holding up other funds—which I will say more about later.
    “And the chaos alone they caused, with their cruelty and incompetence is utterly unacceptable. The explanations the Trump Administration offered throughout that saga—freezing seemingly trillions of dollars that families rely on—created no clarity or certainty for so many panicked families, businesses, nonprofits, towns, and states. And nothing they said changes the basic fact that Trump was—and is still—holding up funding our communities need, funding that is the law.
    “But let’s talk about the effect—let’s talk about the chaos and alarm they caused, the damage done to communities and families that all of us represent, and the collision course we were on before Americans spoke out and forced Trump to retreat.
    “Because, in terms of chaos, the Trump Administration was trying to say a lot of programs were not affected even when we had firsthand accounts making clear that was not what organizations across the country were experiencing.
    “I’ll give you one example: Head Start providers were locked out of their reimbursement portal, meaning folks taking care of our youngest kids were suddenly not sure how they were going to keep their doors open or pay their teachers and staff. And some providers in my state are still locked out, not getting the funding.
    “Let’s talk about rental assistance! The payment system for housing providers was down for over a day—with rents that were due at the end of the week!
    “Seniors who count on Meals on Wheels were left wondering whether they’d have dinner last week.
    “Grant programs to combat the fentanyl crisis, to get families health care, and so much more were—in an instant— put at risk of evaporating into thin air.
    “I mean, M. President, the panic and confusion were absolutely widespread. Because there was a long, long, list of programs President Trump tried to put on the chopping block here—programs that, by the way, help red states and blue states alike.
    “Funding to address the opioid use epidemic could have been paused. This is a long-standing bipartisan priority and Trump wanted funding frozen for an indefinite period—that would absolutely upend prevention efforts and cut people off from treatment that is helping them beat addiction.
    “Or COPS hiring grants which help our states and communities hire career law enforcement officers—Trump was freezing those, too. These investments increase community policing capacity and they prevent crime. Without this money, our streets and neighborhoods would be less safe.
    “And let’s not forget about other crucial DOJ grants—funding for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, for Amber Alerts, and for safe havens that support victims of human trafficking.
    “Or, in my state, there are 25 child advocacy centers that were trying to figure out how they would be affected by the freeze. Think about that.
    “And funding for firefighters—you know what doesn’t stop when federal funding stops? Fires! And speaking of fires—Trump’s move also threw funding for recovery and relief efforts into uncertainty. In Eastern Washington, my state, $44 million was announced weeks ago to help Spokane County rebuild from wildfires—we were left with big questions about the future of that badly needed funding last week.
    “And while it was just two weeks ago that Trump visited communities in both North Carolina and California still reeling from disaster, the very next week, he sent them reeling himself—throwing funds they were counting on into limbo with his initial OMB guidance. Because, for a while there, the system that all of our states use to get disaster relief funding was shut down!
    “And let’s not forget grants from the Violence Against Women Act—I heard from organizations in Washington state that support survivors of violence, they were trying to figure out what to do because their federal payments site went down. Without that vital funding, survivors would be left with no way to access the legal aid and services they deserve. Like so many other organizations, they were ringing the alarm bells—because they were not going to be able to pay staff or pay their bills. This illegal freeze left domestic violence centers wondering how long they could keep their doors open and pay their staff.
    “And our Tribes were thrown into chaos as well. The Puyallup Tribe was told they couldn’t move forward with a critical road project. And our Tribes in general were all concerned that housing, health care, education, and so much else were getting caught up in this funding freeze. One told me they were left trying to determine if they were going to have to lay off 400 people because of this. Causing layoffs with an illegal funding freeze would be a profound breach of the federal trust responsibility to our Tribes.
    “Or here’s another alarming one: one of Trump’s executive orders was set to cut funding used to help detain nearly 10,000 ISIS militants in Syria. That funding was about to be cut off altogether—potentially leading to prison guards leaving the job and risking ISIS militants getting out of jail—until this administration was alerted to how reckless that would be and carved out that funding.
    “But trust me when I say: there are many other funding streams that help keep us safe that are still at risk—especially because of the illegal executive orders that are, today, still blocking foreign assistance, and the absolutely lawless effort to dismantle USAID, which does lifesaving relief work around the world.
    “I will have a lot more to say on that later. And, by the why, how does undermining health, which will mean diseases run rampant—particularly at a time when Bird Flu is on the uptick and impacting many producers, workers and states—how does that make any sense?
    “Because when it comes to health care—this attempted freeze posed a huge threat to our families. Set aside the fact the Medicaid payment portal went down in my state and every state—something that we were told was a coincidence—that doesn’t change the fact all federal health care grant reimbursements stopped.
    “It doesn’t change the fact that community health centers were blocked from getting the funds they need to pay staff and continue providing care in our communities—including rural areas where they are often the only option for miles.
    “It doesn’t change the fact that Title X providers—who support care like family planning services, cancer screenings, and more—couldn’t draw down their funds.
    “I also heard from HopeSparks, a health care provider in my state. They warned that without federal support, kids in the South Puget Sound would lose access to mental health care and crisis services. 
    “And, biomedical researchers were suddenly left dealing with questions—not about how to save lives, but about grant freezes, and how these vague, broad actions might stop research programs and clinical trials across the country.
    “Chaos alone presents a huge risk of derailing crucial studies. Scientists at the University of Washington and Washington State University have told my office they were deeply alarmed—a freeze like Trump ordered would have meant research projects collapsing and staff being furloughed or laid off!
    “The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center moved to bridge the gap to keep research from being derailed—but not getting this fixed would have meant putting them in the hole, to the tune of over $1 million a day. That sort of unexpected burden would have had a huge impact on lifesaving cancer research.
    “And agricultural research was faced with uncertainty as well! WSU is a national leader in this important work—research to help our farmers grow more crops, grow more resilient crops, and fight challenges like pests, and plant diseases. WSU was deeply concerned funding for that research could be cut off, undermining important work supporting our nation’s farmers.
    “And the threats didn’t stop there for those in food and agriculture. One organization, which works alongside local growers, told me losing funding would mean a reduced capacity to grow and distribute fresh, local food to communities. That would hurt both farmers and the families who rely on these programs to help put food on the table!
    “Meanwhile, a group in Washington addressing youth homelessness warned it would have to kick kids out if the funding issue was not resolved. Let me repeat that: a homeless youth group was pushed to the brink of having to kick kids onto the streets because of President Trump’s illegal freeze. 
    “I was also deeply concerned about how the freeze might halt the diaper pilot program.  As well as the reports I got from multiple housing providers in my state worried that tens of thousands of people would be at risk of homelessness thanks to this illegal freeze.
    “And don’t get me started on infrastructure! These are projects that take years to plan, build, and complete, and do a whole lot of good for our communities. In my state alone, there were big questions about what was going to happen to electrical grid upgrades happening in Okanogan and Pierce County, improvements planned at the Ports of Seattle, Everett, and Whitman County, or SeaTac Airport’s plans to deploy new trucks.
    “And some of these questions still remain! Because—as I will detail in a minute—there are still many other ways programs are being put at risk by Trump illegally blocking funds with his executive orders. I will continue fighting for the federal funding Congress already provided to keep all of these projects on track—but that can only get us so far if President Trump illegally blocks it all and our Republican colleagues help let it happen.
    “I mean the list goes on, and on, and on. The calls just keep coming—even now that OMB reversed course. The chaos has not died down—the questions, the uncertainty, the fear from families and communities that Trump will pull the rug out from under them is still there. 
    “Because even though—after the intense outcry from the American people—Trump has now admitted this was a colossal mistake by rescinding the guidance, the threat, the chaos, the panic cannot just be wiped away. Especially while some funds are still being blocked!
    “No one feels any sense of calm after this. People aren’t feeling lasting relief—they are still wondering ‘how could something like this happen’ and “what in the world is going to happen next?’
    “The Trump administration—through a combination of sheer incompetence, cruel intentions, and a willful disregard for the law—caused, and is still causing, real harm and chaos for millions of people over the span of just a mere 48 hours.
    “But we did learn something extremely important: when the American people speak out with one voice, when regular people stand up, it makes a real difference. That victory belonged to everyone who raised their voice. But make no mistake, the fight is far from over.
    “As I said before, we still have a lot of work to do right now, to make sure all the funding actually does get moving again—this is not like turning on a light switch.
    “We just saw through the chaotic roll out—this is complicated stuff. So, I want you to know, I will be watching closely to make sure funds get where they belong ASAP. I already know that in many cases this has not been what is happening at all—so this is a serious concern.
    “I actually spoke with a constituent last week, Mike from Edmonds–he runs a nonprofit supporting military families and helping servicemembers transition back to civilian life. And even days after the OMB guidance was reversed, they still couldn’t access federal funding. He’s using a personal line of credit to pay staff in the meantime. And if this doesn’t get fixed—his organization won’t be able to help military families or pay its employees.
    “The homeless shelter I mentioned at the top—short $5.1 million dollars because of Trump—also still has its funds frozen. It is still looking at reducing beds and facing layoffs.
    “And as I mentioned earlier, some Head Start programs are still not able to access their grant funding—so the chaos of this OMB saga is far, far from over.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mehtab Syed Named Special Agent in Charge of the Salt Lake City Field Office

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation has named Mehtab Syed as the special agent in charge of the Salt Lake City Field Office. Ms. Syed most recently served as special agent in charge of Cyber and Counterintelligence Division in the Los Angeles Field Office.

    Ms. Syed entered on duty as an FBI special agent in August 2005. She was assigned to the New York Field Office, where she worked counterterrorism investigations and was a member of the crisis negotiation team and the rapid deployment team. 

    In 2008, Ms. Syed deployed to Islamabad, Pakistan, and served as acting assistant legal attaché. She was responsible for conducting extensive coordination between law enforcement, intelligence, and security services of multiple governments. She then returned to the New York Field Office until 2012.

    Ms. Syed was assigned to an 18-month temporary duty assignment (TDY) at the Counterterrorism Division at FBI Headquarters in 2012. She worked as the program manager for extraterritorial counterterrorism cases in the Pakistan/Afghanistan region. 

    In April 2015, Ms. Syed reported to LEGAT Amman as the assistant legal attaché. Ms. Syed returned to the New York Field Office as a supervisor for the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force (NY JTTF) in 2017. Ms. Syed was promoted to acting assistant special agent in charge of the NY JTTF’s Extraterritorial Branch in 2020.

    In November 2020, Ms. Syed was selected as the assistant special agent in charge of the cyber and counterintelligence branch of the Newark Field Office. In 2022, Ms. Syed was promoted to section chief of China Operations II Branch of the Counterintelligence Division at FBI Headquarters. In April of 2023, Ms. Syed served as special agent in charge of Cyber and Counterintelligence Division in the Los Angeles Field Office

    Prior to her career as a special agent for the FBI, Ms. Syed served at the Bureau as a contract linguist from 2004-2005. She has also worked as a financial analyst at the corporate office of Cosi, a restaurant chain with locations throughout the U.S. Ms. Syed received a bachelor’s degree in finance from Adelphi University in 2001. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville, Lee Celebrate America’s Role in Creating the Panama Canal

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) in introducing a resolution recognizing the great American achievement of creating the Panama Canal, the vital importance of the Canal in America’s trade, national security, and geopolitical interests, and the necessity to ensure the neutrality of the Canal from interference by global adversaries like China.

    “The Panama Canal would not exist without America,” said Sen. Tuberville. “Connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans is integral to our global supply chain and national security interests. Now, more than ever, we cannot let our foreign adversaries, like China, have a foot in the door here. I’m glad Congress and the White House are putting America’s interests first when it comes to the Panama Canal.”

    Joining U.S. Senators Tuberville and Lee in cosponsoring the resolution are U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Rick Scott (R-FL).

    Full text of the resolution can be found here. 

    BACKGROUND:

    Sen. Tuberville has sounded the alarm of the growing Chinese influence in Panama since his visit in 2023. Over the last two years, he has led multiple trips to the country and met with a plethora of Panamanian officials as well as questioned DOD officials on American involvement in the country. 

    MORE:

    ICYMI: Tuberville Joins “Sunday Morning Futures” With Maria Bartiromo

    ICYMI: Tuberville Joins Kudlow on Fox Business Network

    1819 News: Tuberville Warns of ISIS Fighters Crossing Southern Border—‘They’re Coming by the Droves’

    Tuberville Questions Top Defense Nominees on Recruiting and Readiness

    Tuberville Discusses Panama Visit, Growing Threat from China During Senate Armed Services Hearing

    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP, and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –