Islamic State Appears to Set New Deadline for Hostage Swap

Islamic State militants appear to have set a new deadline for a hostage exchange. An audio recording posted early Thursday seemed to be the voice of Japanese journalist, Kenji Goto, held by Islamic State militants, saying if Sajida al-Rishawi was not presented for exchange at the Turkish border by sunset, a Jordanian Air Force pilot, also held by the militants, would be killed. Rishawi was imprisoned in Jordan and sentenced to death for involvement in bombings in Amman in 2005 that killed about 60 people. Jordan said it was willing to release Rishawi, but only if the pilot, First Lt. Moaz al-Kasasbeh, was freed. It was not clear from the message whether the Islamic State militants intended to release both Goto and Kasasbeh in exchange for Rishawi. A video posted on Saturday appeared to show Goto saying another Japanese hostage, Haruna Yukawa, had been killed. On Tuesday, a video was released purporting to show Goto saying he would be killed in 24 hours if Rishawi was not released. Islamic State militants had originally demanded $200 million for the release of Goto and Haruna.

Iraq

Turkish Airlines and Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines resumed flights into Baghdad Thursday. At least seven airlines suspended service to the Iraqi capital after gunfire hit a FlyDubai plane as it was landing at Baghdad International Airport Monday night. Meanwhile, witnesses claim a combination of Shiite militias and security forces executed 72 unarmed Sunni civilians in the eastern village of Barwanah Monday. The Iraqi government said it is opening an investigation into the alleged killings, which came after an offensive by Iraqi security forces and Shiite militias seizing control from Islamic State militants over around two dozen villages in Diyala province near the town of Muqdadiya.

Headlines

• Israel said it received a message through the United Nations that Hezbollah does not want further escalation following clashes that killed two Israeli soldiers and a U.N. peacekeeper.
• Iran has appointed a new U.N. ambassador, Gholamali Khoshroo, after the United States blocked its previous selection, Hamid Aboutalebi, over his alleged role in the 1979 hostage crisis.
• Houthi fighters have beaten and detained protesters and held journalists in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa meanwhile suspected al Qaeda militants killed two Yemeni soldiers during an ambush in Marib province.
• After talks in Geneva this week, the United Nations said rival Libyan factions agreed “in principle” to hold future negotiations in Libya.

Arguments and Analysis

‘A Victory in Kobani?’ (Robin Wright, The New Yorker)

“Kurds hoisted their yellow flag atop Kobani’s highest hill late on Monday, to replace the Islamic State’s black-and-white banner. The fighters, who had only vintage arms, danced by firelight into the night. U.S. Central Command praised the Kurds for fighting ‘aggressively, with resilience and fortitude.’ Since October, Kobani has been the test case for American power against the jihadi onslaught.

The Islamic State, also known as ISIL, still holds more than twenty thousand square miles in Syria and Iraq, the Pentagon said on Friday—roughly twice the area of Massachusetts. Despite two thousand airstrikes by American, European, and Arab warplanes since August 8th, the Islamic State has lost only one per cent of the land it seized in Iraq, and it continues to expand in Syria.”

‘The Islamic State’s model’ (Aaron Y. Zelin, The Washington Post)

“Moving west, the Islamic State’s activities and operations are even more sophisticated and closer to how it operates in Syria and Iraq, though on a smaller scale. Libya has the most potential to replicate the Islamic State’s model in Mesopotamia if things go right for it. Majlis Shura Shabab al-Islam, based in Derna and the named used prior to the Islamic State’s formal acceptance of its baya, was already involved in a variety of military, governance and dawa activities. Though in reality it only truly controls some neighborhoods in Derna, the activities have only increased and the Islamic State now also operates in Benghazi, Sirte, and Tripoli, and has created the self-styled Wilayat al-Barqah in the east, Wilayat al-Tarabulus in the west, and Wilayat al-Fizan in the south. There are also some signs that the Islamic State has siphoned off some of Ansar al-Sharia in Libya’s members, which could help accelerate its rise similar to how the Islamic State absorbed defecting Jabhat al-Nusra members in Syria.”

— Mary Casey-Baker

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