Daily Intel Brief
Turkey kills Iraqi civilians in an artillery attack, FBI and CYBERCOM are fighting back against election meddling, and marijuana seizures are down as cartels turn to other drugs...
Counterterrorism
NATO ally Erdogan accuses United States of training terrorists to attack Turkey
U.S. forces must withdraw from Syria, according to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who presented a united front with Russia and Iran while accusing the United States of training Kurdish forces “to commit a terrorist act” against his country…
A woman from Sparta, Tennessee was sentenced to five and a half years in prison on Friday after pleading guilty to providing support and materials intended to go to a foreign terrorist organization. A release from the Department of Justice says in August 2019, a federal grand…
Military & Defense
Iraq says Turkey killed Arab tourists in artillery attack on Kurdistan resort
At least nine Iraqi civilians were killed and dozens wounded in artillery strikes on a tourist resort in the Kurdistan Region today, which the Iraqi government blamed on Turkish forces. Noting that most of the victims were women and children, Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa…
Russia expands Ukraine war goals beyond east
Moscow's military goals in Ukraine now go beyond the eastern Donbas region, where Russia initially claimed it wanted to defend breakaway Ukrainian provinces. The shift was articulated on Wednesday by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who said that one…
Cybersecurity
House panel bill can block U.S. buyers of foreign spyware
American spymasters will be able to yank business away from U.S. companies that purchase or market foreign espionage software, according to a bill passed by the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday. The bill, which must be approved by the full House and…
FBI and Cyber Command are in ‘Combat Tempo’ Ahead of Midterm Elections
General Paul Nakasone, the U.S. Cyber Command head, said the U.S. was conducting “a series of operations” against election meddling. With midterm elections less than four months away, there’s more than a little concern growing about what may come before the first ballot…
Counterintelligence & Espionage
South Korea's spy chief on unannounced visit to US amid North Korean security concerns
South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Kim Kyou-hyun has made an unannounced visit to the United States amid concerns over the possibility of North Korea conducting a nuclear test or other provocative acts. Kim was spotted walking out of Dulles…
U.S. fears Venezuela is increasing efforts to lure and entrap Americans as bargaining chips
In early March, after senior U.S. officials made a rare visit to Caracas, the Biden administration announced a breakthrough: Two Americans detained in Venezuela were free and flying home. Direct talks with the government of Nicolás Maduro seemed to be paying…
Transnational Organized Crime
Marijuana seizures down as cartels turn to alternate cash ‘crops’
Border agents are reporting a 25 percent increase in illicit drug seizures at ports of entry, highway checkpoints and along the international boundary last June compared to May. However, seizures of marijuana, cocaine, and heroin are trending substantially lower…
El Salvador extends state of exception in gang crackdown
El Salvador’s congress has granted President Nayib Bukele another 30-day extension of the state of exception that has suspended fundamental rights since a surge in gang killings in late March. The Legislative Assembly, controlled by Bukele’s party, voted overwhelmingly late…