NEW: "Efforts to reduce extremism in the #Philippines do not appear to have made a substantial difference" per acting @DoD_IG Sean O'Donnell in new report on Operation Pacific Eagle–Philippines
#ISIS-#EastAsia, "other violent extremist groups in the #Philippines that either coordinate with or share members w/ISIS, have remained about the same size & strength for the last few years" per @DoD_IG
"...little change in the capabilities, size, financing, & operations"
#Philippine armed forces "continues to conduct counterterrorism operations that keep #ISIS-EA from spreading, & continues to rely on US-provided intelligence, air assets, & other support to conduct counterterrorism operations" per new @DoD_IG report
"We have seen little progress in improving the economic, social, & political conditions" in southern #Philippines "where separatist groups and extremist groups have existed for decades" per new @DoD_IG report
Indications #ISIS-#Philippines taking advantage of #COVID19 - @DoD_IG notes April 17 ambush vs Philippine military on island of #Jolo, killing 12 soldier, wounding 13
Also, discovery of #ISIS cell in #Manila in June - "This incident appears to be significant" per the report
.@INDOPACOM "had previously reported to the DoD OIG that #ISIS-EA operated almost exclusively in the country’s southern provinces and activity near the capital was extremely rare"
"COVID-19 restrictions, coupled w/force rotations, negatively impacted the amount of US intelligence, surveillance & reconnaissance (ISR) support" per @DoD_IG, citing US Special Operations Command–Pacific
Interesting: @INDOPACOM "assessed that #ISIS-Core may never publicly acknowledge a new ISIS-EA leader due to the length of time since the death of ISIS-EA’s first and only recognized leader, Isnilon Hapilon, in 2017" per @DoD_IG
"International ISIS affiliates regard Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan, an #ASG [Abu Sayyaf Group] faction leader, as the de facto leader of #ISIS-EA in the #Philippines" per @DoD_IG, citing @DefenseIntel
#ISIS-East Asia big picture? "While ISIS affiliates are now active in the #Philippines, #Malaysia & #Indonesia, ISIS has not been successful in expanding ISIS-EA’s presence into a functional trans-Southeast Asian movement" @DefenseIntel tells @DoD_IG
#ISIS-#Philippines getting help from few #foreignfighters - "The DIA estimated that there are probably fewer than 40 active foreign fighters supporting ISIS-EA in the Philippines, and that most of these are from #Indonesia and, to a lesser extent, #Malaysia" per @DoD_IG
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NEW: Islamic State-Somalia getting boost from an "influx of foreign fighters"
A just-issued UN sanctions monitoring team report warns the foreign fighters "have expanded and enhanced the group’s capabilities against al-Shabaab"
Influx of foreign fighters to IS-Somalia " has coincided with the re-emergence of the Al-Karrar office as a
key administrative and financial hub for [ISIS] globally" per the UN report
IS-Somalia being led by "a cadre of former al-Shabaab
militants based in the Bari region of Puntland" per UN report
Abdirahman Fahiye Isse Mohamud is the emir of IS-Somalia, per report, "responsible for [ISIS] operations in Somalia"
NEW: Senate Democrats ask @DeptofDefense @TheJusticeDept to look at Elon Musk's reported contact w/Russian officials - "determine whether this behavior should force a review of Mr. Musk’s
continued involvement in SpaceX’s varying contracts" w/the US government
"Communications between Russian government officials and any individual with a security
clearance have the potential to put our security at risk" per @SenatorShaheen @SenJackReed
"We urge you to take appropriate action immediately"
Musk's alleged contacts with Russian officials was first reported by @WSJ, which cited current and former U.S., European and Russian officials
JUST IN: Iranian, 2 men from New York charged in connection with plot to kill Americans, including President-elect Donald Trump & a US journalist of Iranian origin
.@TheJusticeDept filed charges against 51yo Farhad Shakeri of Iran, 49yo Carlisle Rivera & 36yo Jonathon Loadholt
Shakeri remains at large in Iran
Rivera & Loadholt have been detained pending trial
@TheJusticeDept US Atty General Merrick Garland, in statement, calls Shakeri "an asset of the Iranian regime who was tasked by the regime to direct a network of criminal associates to further Iran’s assassination plots against its targets, including President-elect Donald Trump"
Pentagon assesses since February 2022, Russia's suffered 600,000 casualties
This September, "Russian forces sustained more casualties in terms of both killed & wounded in action than in any other month" per a sr US defense official
"#Russia|n losses, again, both killed & wounded in action in just the 1st year of the war exceeded the total of all Russian losses or Soviet losses in any conflict since World War Two combined" per sr US defense official
#Ukraine "have sunk, destroyed or damaged at least 32 medium to large #Russia|n Federation navy vessels in the #BlackSea" per sr US defense official
NEW: US charges American TV presenter for Channel One #Russia & his wife in scheme to evade US sanctions
@TheJusticeDept unsealed the indictment vs 76yo Dimitri Simes & 55yo Anastasia Simes Thursday
They have a home in #Virginia but "remain at large...believed to be in Russia"
Dimitri & Anastasia Simes each charged w/1 count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), 1 count of violating the IEEPA & 1 count of conspiracy to commit int'l money laundering
Per @TheJusticeDept, it's a maximum of 20 years per count
Dimitri Simes alleged to have violated sanctions by "serving as a presenter & producer of programming, & by receiving over $1 million, a personal car & driver, a stipend for an apartment in #Moscow... a team of 10 employees from Channel One Russia" per DOJ