Page 30 - bon-dia-aruba-20220809

A30 world news
Diamars 9 augustus 2022

One year after Afghanistan, spy agencies pivot toward China

that the counterterrorism land of Taiwan by force. surgence of extremist groups
fight is hardly being ignored. Intelligence officials have that America is ill-equipped
Just a week ago it revealed said they need more insights to counter.
a CIA drone attack killed on China, including after be-
al-Qaida leader Ayman al- ing unable to definitively pin- The shift in priorities is sup-
Zawahri in Kabul. But days point the cause of the COV- ported by many former intel-
later, China staged large-scale ID-19 pandemic. Beijing has ligence officers and lawmak-
military exercises and threat- been accused of withholding ers from both parties who say
ened to cut off contacts with information about the origins it’s overdue. That includes
the U.S. over House Speaker of the virus. people who served in Af-
Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Tai- ghanistan and other missions
wan. It underscored the mes- And the war in Ukraine has against al-Qaida and other
sage CIA deputy director Da- underscored Russia’s impor- terrorist groups.
vid Cohen had delivered at tance as a target. The U.S.
that meeting weeks ago: the used declassified information Rep. Jason Crow, a former
agency’s top priority is trying to expose Russian President Army Ranger who served in
(AP) — In a recent closed- Biden and top national secu- to understand and counter Vladimir Putin’s war plans Afghanistan and Iraq, said he
door meeting with leaders rity officials speak less about Beijing. before the invasion and rally believed the U.S. had been
of the agency’s counter- counterterrorism and more diplomatic support for Kyiv. overly focused on counter-
terrorism center, the CIA’s about the political, economic The U.S. has long been terrorism over the last several
No. 2 official made clear and military threats posed alarmed by China’s growing Supporters of the Biden ad- years.
that fighting al-Qaida and by China as well as Russia. political and economic am- ministration approach note
other extremist groups There’s been a quiet pivot bitions. China has tried to that the fact the U.S. was able “A far greater existential threat
would remain a priority — within intelligence agencies, influence foreign elections, to track and kill al-Zawahri is Russia and China,” said
but that the agency’s mon- which are moving hundreds mounted campaigns of cyber is evidence of its capabilities Crow, a Colorado Democrat
ey and resources would be of officers to China-focused and corporate espionage, and to target threats in Afghani- who serves on the House
increasingly shifted to fo- positions, including some detained millions of minor- stan from abroad. Critics say Intelligence and Armed Ser-
cusing on China. who were previously work- ity Uyghurs in camps. Some the fact that al-Zawahri was vices committees. Terror-
ing on terrorism. experts also think Beijing will living in Kabul, under the ist groups, he said, “will not
One year after ending the war in coming years try to seize apparent protection of the destroy the American way of
in Afghanistan, President Joe Intelligence officials stress the self-ruled democratic is- Taliban, suggests there’s a re- life ... the way China can.”

Misfired rockets may have killed over a dozen in Gaza battle

(AP) — Close to one-third it claims to protect, it would tions in the area at the time.
of the Palestinians who make for an even more hu- The Palestinian Health Min- PCHR director Raji Sourani It released video footage pur-
died in the latest outbreak miliating outcome for the istry said 46 Palestinians were said that the group has issued portedly showing a barrage
of violence between Israel militant group and its main killed in the three days of statements on only those in- of militant rockets, with one
and Gaza militants may sponsor, Iran. fighting, including 16 chil- cidents in which there was no falling short.
have been killed by errant dren and four women. It does ambiguity, and that the others
rockets fired by the Pales- In Gaza, the ruling Hamas not differentiate between ci- will take more time to inves- Islamic Jihad had announced
tinian side, according to militant group heavily po- vilians and militants. tigate because of “contradict- a rocket attack on the south-
an Israeli military assess- lices dissent, and many Pales- ing allegations.” He did not ern Israeli city of Ashkelon,
ment that appears consis- tinians view armed groups as Islamic Jihad said 12 of its elaborate. just north of Jebaliya, at
tent with independent re- freedom fighters defending fighters were killed, a small- around the same time as the
porting by The Associated their homeland in the face of er armed group said it lost a “We need eyewitnesses, explosion.
Press. Israeli aggression. fighter, and Hamas said two shrapnel, videos and evi-
Hamas-affiliated policemen dence,” he said. “There must Video footage of the af-
The Israeli military said 47 Israel said it targeted only who did not take part in the be an investigation.” termath circulated online,
Palestinians were killed in militants and made every ef- fighting were killed. Israel showing what appeared to be
the weekend of fighting — at fort to spare civilians. But at said it killed at least 20 mili- The suspicions are focused a rocket casing sticking out of
least 14 of them by Islamic least one strike, which killed tants and seven civilians. on three explosions in which the ground on a narrow, busy
Jihad-fired rockets that fell a senior Islamic Jihad com- at least 15 civilians were street. When the AP visited
short. mander in the southern city Neither Hamas nor Islamic killed. the site on Monday, the cas-
of Rafah late Saturday, also Jihad responded to Israel’s ing was gone and the hole
No one in Gaza with direct killed five civilians as Is- claims that civilians were On Saturday night, seven had been filled in with dirt.
knowledge of the explosions rael flattened one home and killed by misfired rockets. Palestinians were killed in a Palestinians are usually keen
in question was willing to heavily damaged others. Instead, they have held Israel blast in the crowded Jebaliya to display evidence of Israeli
speak about them publicly. responsible for all the deaths. refugee camp in northern airstrikes to international
But live TV footage showed The violence began Friday, Gaza. The Israeli military media.
militant rockets falling short when Israel launched a wave Gaza-based human rights said it carried out no opera-
in densely packed residential of airstrikes against Islamic groups investigating the
neighborhoods. And AP vis- Jihad because of what the strikes also declined to ad-
its to the sites of two explo- military described as an im- dress the claims. But their
sions that killed a total of 12 minent threat to Israelis liv- initial findings indicate that
people lent support to sus- ing near the Gaza frontier. By at least some of the explo-
picions they were caused by the time a cease-fire took ef- sions were questionable.
rockets that went off course. fect late Sunday, Islamic Jihad
had fired hundreds of rockets The Al-Mezan human rights
Israel is claiming victory in into Israel, and Israeli aircraft group said some civilians
the weekend clash, in part had struck dozens of suspect- were killed by “projectiles”
because it killed two senior ed militant targets. rather than Israeli airstrikes.
Islamic Jihad commanders The Palestinian Center for
and because no Israelis were The Israeli army said mili- Human Rights said it has so
killed or seriously wounded. tants fired about 1,100 rock- far confirmed that 27 people
If it turns out that Islamic ets, with about 200 landing were killed by Israeli strikes
Jihad harmed some of those inside the Palestinian enclave. — far below the overall toll.