Today's Headlines and Commentary

CNN has put together a kind of "family tree" that helps us understand how ISIS is organized. The structure of the organization is expanding, and looking more and more like a country’s executive structure, as opposed to a confused terrorist organization, perhaps lending credibility to its name, the Islamic State. The New York Times reports that new field data points to evidence that the weapons and ammunition that ISIS fighters have been using are of American and Chinese origin. The Telegraph tells us about Peter Kassig, also known as Abdul-Rahman Kassig, an American veteran who is being held captive by ISIS. Kessig’s captivity and the threat to kill him should the United States fail to cease its air offensive in Syria and Iraq suggest ISIS’s determination to instill fear. Its captive is a convert to Islam who was in Syria doing humanitarian work. Yeganeh Salehi, the wife of the Washington Post’s bureau chief Jason Rezaian, has been released on bail from Iranian prison, but Mr. Rezaian remains in custody, The Post covers the details of the imprisonment and release. Meanwhile, a New York Times reporter who had been expelled from Afghanistan is being welcomed back to the country by its new government. The Times explains that Matthew Rosenberg had been accused by the previous Afghan administration of inciting unrest through his reporting of the lead-up to the presidential election. Reuters reports that a drone, suspected to be a U.S drone, killed five militants in Pakistan on Sunday. Sources say that one of the targets was a “senior ethnic Uzbek commander”. The African Union and the Somali government were greeted with a major victory in trying to neutralize al-Shabab, a Somali militant group. Al Jazeera reports that AU and Somali troops worked together to take back the last major town, Barawe, that was being held by al-Shabab. The U.S. is helping to respond to the increasing threat of Ebola in Liberia. The Los Angeles Times explains that the States has agreed to help the country build a field hospital to treat Ebola patients, but that the project has run into unforeseen logistical problems, delaying the completion of the project. In what may have made for one of the most click-bait worthy news headlines of the year, FBI Director James Comey last night compared Chinese computer hackers to “drunk burglars”. The Telegraph clarifies: Comey described the hackers as “prolific” and explained that they hack with a disregard for consequences incurred by the American government. The BBC reports that North and South Korea have agreed to reprise talks on North Korea’s nuclear program that had been suspended since February amidst heightened diplomatic aggressiveness from North Korean officials. Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, civil protests continue into their second week. The BBC explains that the number of protestors has grown smaller, but hundreds remain out on the streets, despite the passage of a government deadline that required them to leave. Email the Roundup Team noteworthy law and security-related articles to include, and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for additional commentary on these issues. Sign up to receive Lawfare in your inbox. Visit our Events Calendar to learn about upcoming national security events, and check out relevant job openings on our Job Board.