Reuters: Turkey, Iraq Sign Accord On Military, Security, Counter-Terrorism Cooperation

“Turkey and Iraq have signed a memorandum of understanding on military, security and counter-terrorism cooperation, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday, after two days of high-level security talks in Ankara. The neighbouring countries have in recent years been at loggerheads over Ankara's cross-border military operations against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants based in northern Iraq's mountainous region. Iraq has said the operations violate its sovereignty, but Ankara says they are needed to protect itself. Ties have improved since last year, when they agreed to hold high-level talks on security matters, and after a visit in April by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to Baghdad, where he said relations had entered a new phase. Ankara and Baghdad held a fourth round of meetings this week as part of the dialogue mechanism. In March, Iraq labelled the PKK a "banned organisation in Iraq" - a move welcomed by Turkey.”

Reuters: Israeli Army Orders Fresh Evacuations In Gaza As Fighting Continues

“The Israeli army ordered a fresh evacuation of areas in southern and central Gaza previously designated as a humanitarian safe zone on Friday, saying the areas had been used by Hamas as a base for firing mortars and rockets towards Israel. It said warning flyers and text messages had been sent out in the area north of the southern city of Khan Younis and in the eastern part of Deir Al-Balah, where tens of thousands of people have sought shelter from fighting in other parts of Gaza. "The advance warning to civilians is being issued in order to mitigate harm to the civilian population and to enable civilians to move away from the combat zone," the military said in a statement. Earlier the military said it had hit an area in Khan Younis from where rockets were fired towards the community of Kissufim on Thursday, finding weapons including shoulder-fired missiles and explosives.”

CEP Mentions

Tagesspiegel: Sabotage Alarm In The Bundeswehr, “Russia Has Germany In Its Sights”

“On Wednesday, there was a sabotage alert in the German army. Does this bear Russia's signature? It has yet to be determined whether an act of sabotage was actually carried out here. That is by no means clear. But it is clear that such an act is quite conceivable. And if that is the case, the idea of Russia as the person behind it is a very likely scenario. Since the first invasion of Ukraine in 2014, Russia has had Germany in its sights. The war in Ukraine is not going according to Russia's interests , and Putin's regime is becoming increasingly desperate. Just think of the suspected Russian murder plot against Rheinmetall boss Armin Papperger that was recently uncovered. […] Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler , 51, is Senior Director at the Counter Extremism Project (CEP). This non-partisan, international organization aims to counter extremist ideologies and strengthen pluralist-democratic forces.”

Merkur.De: Sabotage Against The Bundeswehr In Cologne And Geilenkirchen: “It’s Getting Tougher”

“After attempted attacks on Bundeswehr bases in Cologne and Geilenkirchen, an expert says: Extremist groups may be working together. Apparently there are targeted attacks on the German army. On the night of Wednesday (14 August) there was an "incident" at the Cologne-Wahn air base, as it was officially called. According to initial information, a waterworks was sabotaged and the barracks' drinking water may have been contaminated. A short time later, the NATO airfield in Geilenkirchen – around an hour from Cologne – was cordoned off due to suspected sabotage. […] Terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler from the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) sees three groups that could be considered suspects: in the broadest sense, Russian and Russian-supported actors, radical Islamists or left-wing extremists.”

United States

Reuters: US Imposes Sanctions Targeting Houthi, Hezbollah Trade, Treasury Dept Says

“The United States on Thursday issued more sanctions targeting Houthi and Hezbollah trade networks, the U.S. Treasury Department said, as Washington increases pressure on Tehran and the Iranian-backed groups. The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement said it targeted companies, individuals and vessels accused of being involved in the shipment of Iranian commodities, including oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to Yemen and the United Arab Emirates on behalf of a Houthi financial official's network. It said the revenue from Sa’id al-Jamal's network helps finance the Houthis' targeting of shipping in the Red Sea and civilian infrastructure. Attacks on vessels in the Red Sea by Iran-aligned Houthi militants have disrupted a shipping route vital to east-west trade, with prolonged rerouting of shipments pushing freight rates higher and causing congestion in Asian and European ports. Also targeted on Thursday were Hezbollah shipments of LPG, including through the designation of a Hong Kong-based ship manager and operator as well as several tankers.”

Iran

CBS: Diplomacy Takes Center Stage As Iran Holds Off Retaliation Against Israel

“Along with a surge of combat aircraft and warships, President Biden dispatched three of his top Mideast advisers, including CIA Director Bill Burns, to the region this week to try to delay Iranian and Hezbollah military retaliation against Israel, and to use that borrowed time to craft an offramp from the collision course that ultimately risks a regional war that could draw in U.S. forces.  U.S. assessments are that Iran will not seek to disrupt ongoing cease-fire negotiations in Doha aimed at ending the Hamas-Israel war. Those technical talks could stretch into the weekend, but it is unclear how long Iran and its proxies may hold off. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Thursday that an Iranian attack could come with "little or no warning, and certainly could come in the coming days."”

Iraq

Associated Press: Iraq’s Yazidis Hope A New Village Will Prompt Survivors Of A 2014 Islamic State Massacre To Return

“Ten years ago, their village in Iraq’s Sinjar region was decimated by Islamic State militants. Yazidi men and boys were separated and massacred, Yazidi women and children were abducted, many raped or taken as slaves. Now the survivors are coming back to Kocho, where Yazidi community leaders on Thursday announced plans for an internationally funded new village nearby to house those displaced in what was one of the bloodiest massacres by the Islamic State group against their tiny and insular religious minority. On Aug. 15, 2014, the extremists killed hundreds in Kocho alone. During their rampage across the wider region of Sinjar — the Yazidi heartland — IS killed and enslaved thousands of Yazidis, whom the Sunni militants consider heretics. To this day, the Kocho massacre remains as a glaring example of IS atrocities against the Yazidi community.”

Middle East

Reuters: Negotiators Seek Gaza Ceasefire Deal In Qatar Talks As Death Toll Surpasses 40,000

“A new round of Gaza ceasefire talks was under way in the Qatari capital Doha on Thursday, officials said, with Israel's spy chief joining his U.S. and Egyptian counterparts and Qatar's prime minister for the closed-door meeting. Separately, Gaza health officials reported that the death toll in the Palestinian enclave had surpassed 40,000 people after more than 10 months of fighting. An official briefed on the talks said negotiations continued in Doha into the evening, and all participants were expected to continue meeting on Friday. The negotiations, an effort to end bloodshed in Gaza and bring 115 Israeli and foreign hostages home, were put together as Iran appeared poised to retaliate against Israel after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31. With U.S. warships, submarines and warplanes dispatched to the region to defend Israel and deter potential attackers, Washington hopes a ceasefire agreement in Gaza can defuse the risk of a full-out wider regional war.”

Somalia

Garowe Online: We Have Made Progress In Somalia-Ethiopia Row, Turkey Says

“Turkey says it has made progress in the mediation talks between Ethiopia and Somalia, with the two nations embroiled in a tussle over access to the Red Sea, with Addis Ababa insisting on getting a gateway to the country. In a statement, Turkey said 'notable progress ' has been made after the second round of talks which was indirectly held between the two nations. Turkey is a major security and development partner of Somalia. Hakan Fidan, Turkey's Minister for Foreign Affairs, said the country is determined to reconcile Ethiopia and Somalia, adding that a mutual agreement will be arrived at soon. Turkey is pushing for economic influence in Africa. Turkey has been carrying out shuttle diplomacy between Ethiopian and Somalian foreign ministers since Monday when both parties refused to meet. The third round of talks is set to be held in September this year.”

Associated Press: UN Takes Key Steps Toward Somalia’s Takeover Of Its Own Security

“The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Thursday to authorize the African Union to maintain its peacekeeping operation in Somalia until the end of the year, while also calling for plans for a successor mission, a key step toward the country’s takeover of its own security. The British-sponsored resolution authorizes the AU to continue to deploy up to 12,626 uniformed personnel, including 1,040 police, for the transitional peacekeeping mission known as ATMIS until Dec. 31. It requests the U.N. political mission in Somalia to continue providing logistical support to the African peacekeepers. Deputy British ambassador James Kariuki told the council after the vote that “the resolution comes at a critical moment in Somalia’s security transition.” ATMIS will draw down by the end of the year, and the African Union Peace and Security Council has endorsed the formation of a successor mission, he said.”

United Kingdom

The New York Times: Amid Heightened Security, Taylor Swift Returns To The Stage In London

“When Taylor Swift canceled three concerts in Vienna last week after officials there foiled a terrorist plot, Swifties soon expressed fears about the pop star’s next shows, in London. Would Swift go ahead with the concerts at Wembley Stadium? Given that the pop star once said her “biggest fear” was a terrorist attack at one of her shows, some fans had doubts. Was it even safe to attend? When Swift did not comment on the thwarted attack in Vienna or th upcoming London gigs, fan anxieties only grew. Yet when the singer took the stage on Thursday evening, worry gave way to excitement at the chance to see Swift perform during the European leg of her globe-spanning Eras Tour. As Swift walked onstage singing “It’s been a long time coming” — a refrain from her track “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince” — the sold-out crowd cheered deliriously.”

BBC: Two Teenagers Charged With Terrorism Offences

“Two teenagers have been charged with terrorism offences following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command which was related to suspected extreme right-wing activity. Rex Clark, 18, of Ilford, east London, and Sofija Vinogradova, 19, of Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, were both charged with preparation of terrorist acts, while Ms Vinogradova was also charged with two counts of collecting information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism. The pair have been remanded in custody and will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday. The Met said the charges were not related to the riots across the country that followed the Southport attack. Ms Vinogradova was first arrested on 4 August at a Cheshunt address on suspicion of being in possession of a firearm and collection of information likely to be of use to a terrorist, police said.”