Today's Headlines and Commentary

Iraqi forces continue to press into Tikrit, an Iraqi city seized by ISIS last June. To stall the Iraqi advance, ISIS fighters have set fire to oil wells, laced roads into Tikrit with explosives, and deployed waves of suicide bombers, Reuters reports. ISIS is not, however, only facing the official Iraqi Security Forces. Instead, the fighters pushing into Tikrit also include Shi’ite militias, and possibly even Revolutionary Guard troops backed by Iran, Reuters also reveals. Commander of the elite Quds Force Qassem Soleimani is also reportedly on the ground in Iraq and leading large sections of the assault on Tikrit. According to the Wall Street Journal, Soleimani’s visible presence is part of a broader shift in Iranian foreign policy. Whereas the nation once relied on foreign proxies like Hezbollah to achieve its goals, the current regional chaos has drawn Iran more openly into the fray. Despite facing increased pressure in Tikrit, ISIS continues its flurry of destruction elsewhere in the country. The Washington Post notes that, in northern Iraq, ISIS militants have bulldozed the Nimrud archaeological site where the remains of a 3,000-year-old Assyrian city lie; the site has provided some of the most significant discoveries of ancient Mesopotamia. The United Nations called the destruction a “war crime.” While such destructive acts---along with ISIS’s effective use of social media, which the New York Times details here---have helped provide the group with a steady flow of recruits, a new report suggests ISIS is struggling to maintain its fighting force. Newsweek explains that ISIS has seen an increase in defections and a sharp decrease in willingness from locals to join up. Yet foreign fighters continue to sign up with the group, including many from the United States. Preventing these individuals from traveling to the region to join ISIS remains difficult, the Wall Street Journal explains, because U.S. authorities have not identified a clear profile of ISIS recruits. In Syria, the al Nusra Front has confirmed that its top military commander, Abu Humam al Shami, was killed in an air strike carried out by the Syrian military. The death of al Shami comes while rumors surface that the group may be considering severing its ties to al Qaeda---a move that could garner it more support from Gulf Arab states. According to Reuters, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights believes that at least seven Nusra Front leaders have been killed since February 27th. Against this backdrop, the U.S.-led coalition continues its barrage of airstrikes against ISIS positions in both Iraq and Syria. Reuters reports that the coalition conducted 16 strikes yesterday. Elsewhere, the Times shares that the United States is pushing a measure in the United Nations Security Council that would condemn the use of chlorine as a chemical weapon in Syria while imposing “unspecified measures against those who use it in the future.” Read the draft measure here. But as the political debate over what form U.S. military intervention in the region should take continues in Washington, the Secretary of Defense broke with the Obama administration over its proposed AUMF. In testimony before the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee earlier this week, Ashton Carter said that he would not have included a three-year sunset clause in the draft. The Hill has more. The comments come as the proposal is already floundering amid criticism from both parties in Congress. Politico notes that Democrats continue to push for more restrictions on the use of ground forces in the conflict and the repeal of the 2001 AUMF, while Republicans demand broader powers for the president in the fight against ISIS. Opposition to the proposal has hardened to the point that Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Bob Corker (R-TN) has threatened to cancel a vote on the draft in his committee. The rival factions battling for control of Libya met in Morocco yesterday for U.N.-backed talks that Western officials call the only chance to form a united Libyan government, the Post reports. A U.N. official sounded a positive note, saying, “Key players are here and all those invited have come, so it is a good sign.” However, previous talks have largely failed. Moreover, the Journal adds, yesterday Libya declared a force majeure regarding 11 oil fields in central Libya, indicating that it could not maintain the security of the facilities in the face of attacks by a radical militant group calling itself the Islamic State. Earlier this week, Libya appealed to the United Nations to lift an arms embargo on the country to help it fight the militant groups wreaking havoc in the country. The Associated Press covers the appeal. Secretary of State John Kerry traveled to Saudi Arabia yesterday to reassure it and other regional allies about a potential Iranian nuclear deal, the Post notes. Secretary Kerry maintained that the United States will continue to oppose Iranian aggression throughout the Middle East even if a deal is reached. Earlier this week, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was cautiously optimistic about the odds of reaching a nuclear accord. In an NBC interview, he said, “We believe that we are very close, very close and we could be very far." The prospects of a deal, he explained, rested on the ability to rally political support. In a separate interview with CNN, he pushed against efforts by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stir opposition, saying “some people consider peace and stability as an existential threat." Also pushing back against Prime Minister Netanyahu’s criticism of the negotiations was E.U. foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.  The latter said, according to Reuters, "I believe a good deal is at hand. … And this is something we have to pass as a message to all our friends and partners." In Pakistan, opposition is growing to the government’s plan to build Chinese nuclear reactors near Karachi, the country’s most populous and volatile city, according to the Post. Residents worry about the proximity of the planned reactors to the city, due to the threat of a terrorist attack on the plants; in recent years in Karachi, terrorists have breached both a Pakistani naval base and Karachi International airport, and nearly commandeered a Pakistani navy frigate. But Officials have defended the plan, which is part of the government’s attempt to address an ongoing energy crisis in Pakistan. According to thethirdpole.net, a South Asia expert at the Wilson Center recently warned that the energy crisis could end up toppling the Pakistani government. Boko Haram militants are gathering in northeastern Nigeria in preparation for a planned assault by a multilateral coalition. According to a resident of Gwoza, the militant group’s headquarters, civilians have been told to flee ahead of an anticipated major battle, the AP reveals. However, on the path of their retreat, the group’s fighters continue to commit violent atrocities. The Journal reports that, in an attempt to prove they can still slaughter innocents, fighters killed dozens of villagers on their way to Gwoza. According to Britain’s Foreign Minister, the European Union will prepare a new set of sanctions targeting Russia for its involvement in the Ukraine crisis, to be imposed rapidly if the current ceasefire is broken or if Russia exhibits further aggression, Reuters notes. The Journal describes the effects of the current sanctions imposed by the United States on two Russian banks: Bank Rossiya and SMP Bank, run by three of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s friends, have seen approximately $640 million of their assets frozen, including, based on 2013 figures, around 10% of Bank Rossiya’s total assets and 2% of SMP Bank’s assets. Despite these massive sums, the Journal says, the sanctions have not yet visibly altered President Putin’s calculus. At the same time, the Journal reports, the European Union is actually scaling back sanctions levied against four members of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych’s inner circle, based on a lack of credible evidence. Given President Putin’s continued support of pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, DefenseOne reports that a bipartisan group of House lawmakers signed a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to quickly approve the transfer of weapons to Ukraine. The letter follows a series of statements by top military and intelligence officials in the administration seeming to support such a move. However, Reuters notes that Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken cautioned yesterday that, even if Western nations were to arm Ukraine, “Russia could match that and then double that and triple that and quadruple that." The Post brings us new information on the deepening concern over China’s new draft counterterrorism law, which has provoked exceptionally strong criticism from Chinese dissidents, international human rights groups, and foreign governments. Under the new law, U.S. tech companies would be forced to hand over encryption keys and install backdoors. The draft legislation also restricts the right to an attorney if you are accused of endangering state security, outlaws “forcing” children to take part in religious activities, and outlines a broad definition of terrorism that includes an “opinion” that “generates social panic, threatens public security or coerces a state organ or international organization.” A Palestinian driver rammed his car into Israeli border patrol troops earlier today in Jerusalem, injuring four officers and a bystander. The driver of the vehicle was shot and wounded by an on scene officer after he exited his car. The Post has more on what is now the third vehicular assault in the city of Jerusalem in six months. In a move that is sure to heighten tensions, the Palestine Liberation Organization’s central committee has voted to suspend security cooperation with Israel. The central committee’s statement cited Israel’s “ongoing non-compliance with its obligations under signed agreements, including its daily military raids throughout the State of Palestine, attacks against our civilians and properties.” The Guardian reports that the decision will be supported by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The Times has more on the increasingly unstable situation. Here’s a not-so-new headline: Controversy Swirls Around Hillary Clinton. According the the U.S. State Department, the agency will conduct a review of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s email to determine whether she violated department security policies with her use of a private email address. According to the Post, the department is currently reviewing tens of thousands of pages of emails. The Post shares that some Democrats are “expressing concern that her penchant for secrecy could become a weakness in the general election”---assuming that Ms. Clinton indeed will opt to run for president. While in Politico, Josh Gerstein writes that Clinton’s email violated “clear-cut” State Department rules---the violation of which led to the dismissal of one ambassador in 2012. The Senate Intelligence Committee’s cybersecurity bill, the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA), continues to stall, with several Democratic lawmakers and the White House expressing concerns over a lack of privacy protections in the legislation. The Hill reports that now the bill, which was expected last week, may not come up until late April. A federal jury in Brooklyn has found Abid Naseer guilty of providing material support to al Qaeda and conspiring to use a destructive device, Reuters reports. The Journal describes the trial of Nasser, a Pakistani man accused of participating in failed al Qaeda bomb plots in Great Britain and New York City. Jason Leopold of Vice News reports that, according to a new recidivism report released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, more former Guantanamo detainees have returned to the fight and more have also been killed by the United States. The new report confirms that 116 former detainees have reengaged in terrorism and suggests that an additional 69 are suspected of returning to the fight. You can read the full report here. Parting Shot: Don’t miss JM Berger and Jonathon Morgon’s new “ISIS Twitter Census,” which finds that at least 46,000 Twitter accounts were used by ISIS supporters during the last four months of 2014.

ICYMI: Yesterday, on Lawfare

Ben provided his take on the Petraeus plea deal, arguing that “under no system of classification would it be okay to give the identity of covert agents to your girlfriend-biographer.” Jodie Liu summarized opening statements in the Boston bomber trial, and then, along with Andy Wang, recapped a day of testimony by prosecution witnesses. Paul Rosenzweig brought us two new editions of “Bits and Bytes.” Ben also shared new episodes from the Rational Security podcast and The Chess Clock Debates. 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.