Christopher Wray said encryption on devices was “a huge, huge problem” for FBI investigations.

The agency had failed to access more than half of the devices it targeted in an 11-month period, he said.

One cyber-security expert said such encryption was now a “fact of life”.

Many smartphones encrypt their contents when locked, as standard – a security feature that often prevents even the phones’ manufacturers from accessing data.

Such encryption is different to end-to-end encryption, which prevents interception of communications on a large scale.

Cyber-security expert Prof Alan Woodward at the University of Surrey said device encryption was clearly frustrating criminal investigations but it would be impractical and insecure to develop “back doors” or weakened security.

Trade-off
“Encryption that frustrates forensic investigations will be a fact of life from now on for law enforcement agencies,” he said.

“Even if the equipment manufacturers didn’t build in such encryption it would be possible to obtain software that encrypted data in the same way.”

Referring to the trade-off between cyber-security and investigative hacking, the FBI director said: “I get it, there’s a balance that needs to be struck between encryption and the importance of giving us the tools we need to keep the public safe.”

Mr Wray was speaking at the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in Philadelphia on Sunday.
In 2016, the FBI asked Apple to unlock an iPhone used by San Bernardino killer Syed Rizwan Farook.

Apple refused, explaining that its phones had been designed so that even their manufacturer could not access them once encrypted.

The FBI later said a third party firm had discovered a way of breaking into Farook’s device.

Earlier this month, a federal judge ruled that the FBI did not have to reveal the identity of the firm or how much the agency paid for its services.

The ruling followed freedom of information requests filed by journalists.

–

Source: BBC

The post FBI failed to access 7,000 encrypted mobile devices appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The jihadists have repeatedly tried to capture the dam on the River Euphrates, in the western province of Anbar.

The US air strikes were the first to have taken place outside northern Iraq.

Meanwhile, Iraq’s parliament is scheduled to convene later on Monday to vote on Prime Minister-designate Haider al-Abadi’s proposed government.

The make-up of the cabinet has not been revealed, but Mr Abadi is expected to include representatives of all religious and ethnic factions.

The BBC’s Jim Muir in Irbil says that should ease tensions between the Shia Arab majority and the Sunni Arab and Kurdish communities, which accused the outgoing administration of pursuing sectarian policies.

It should also allow the US to step up its military assistance, which has been conditional on the formation of a unified and inclusive government.

‘Very accurate’

The leader of a pro-Iraqi government Sunni Arab tribal militia in western Iraq, Sheikh Ahmed Abu Risha, said the air strikes around the Haditha dam had wiped out an IS patrol trying to attack the dam.

“They were very accurate. There was no collateral damage. If Islamic State had gained control of the dam, many areas of Iraq would have been seriously threatened, even Baghdad,” he told the Reuters news agency.

The US has used an aircraft carrier in the Gulf to launch strikes on IS

Kurdish Peshmerga forces, backed by US air strikes, have attacked IS positions in the north

Arab League member states have been urged to confront Islamic State on all possible levels

Iraqi forces then launched a drive against militants in the Haditha area and regained ground.

“Joint forces backed by air support and tribesmen launched a wide attack to clear the areas surrounding the Haditha district,” military spokesman Lt Gen Qassem Atta told the AFP news agency.

Troops and militia also retook Barwana, east of Haditha, from IS fighters, who abandoned their weapons and vehicles while retreating, AFP reported. However, the governor of Anbar, Ahmed al-Dulaimi, was wounded by an explosion shortly after Barwana was retaken.

The US military said the strikes destroyed four Isis Humvees, four armed vehicles, two of which were carrying anti-aircraft guns, a fighting position, one command post and a defensive fighting position.

Analysis: Jim Muir, BBC News, northern Iraq

The American air attacks, the first of their kind in Anbar province, signal that Washington has crossed a line that it itself drew.

It has long had a standing request from the outgoing Iraqi government to use its air power against IS in all areas. But until recently, it made it clear it would only do that once a new, inclusive government is formed in Baghdad, with full Sunni representation.

That hasn’t yet happened, though intensive efforts are under way to produce a new cabinet soon – possibly on Monday.

Haditha dam is Iraq’s second biggest hydroelectric facility and also provides millions with water.

The US has carried out more than 130 air strikes since early August to support Iraqi and Kurdish forces fighting IS in northern Iraq, but Sunday’s strikes were the first in Anbar.

IS fighters have targeted a number of Iraqi dams since the start of the year, capturing the facility at Falluja in April.

In August they took the country’s largest dam, at Mosul, but US air strikes helped force them out later that month.

On Wednesday, US President Barack Obama will reveal his strategy to combat IS, which has announced the creation of a “caliphate”, or Islamic state, in the large swathes of Iraq and Syria under its control.

US media on Obama’s “game plan”

Wall Street Journal: Mr Obama’s address on Wednesday comes at a symbolic moment, on the eve of the 13th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks and as the country is grappling with the beheadings of two Americans by Islamic State.

Politico: The president’s speech on [IS] will be a chance for him to clarify his plans for fighting the terrorist group after conflicting messages from the administration, including his “we don’t have a strategy yet” comments late last month.

New York Times: The final, toughest and most politically controversial phase of the operation – destroying the terrorist army in its sanctuary inside Syria – might not be completed until the next administration. Indeed, some Pentagon planners envision a military campaign lasting at least 36 months.

Los Angeles Times: Congressional leaders have said they want Congress to be consulted, but they have not committed to a vote. And though some members of Congress have said they believe that they should go on record concerning military action, others are reluctant to do so with an election coming in less than two months.

“What I want people to understand is that over the course of months, we are going to be able to not just blunt the momentum of [IS],” he told NBC TV on Sunday. “We are going to systematically degrade their capabilities; we’re going to shrink the territory that they control; and, ultimately, we’re going to defeat them.”

But he stressed that there was “not going to be an announcement about US ground troops”.

The secretary general of the Arab League meanwhile urged its members to confront Islamic State on all possible levels.

What was required from member states was a “clear and firm decision for a comprehensive confrontation” with “cancerous and terrorist” groups, Nabil al-Arabi told a meeting of foreign ministers in Cairo.

–

Source: BBC

The post Iraq ‘clears’ IS from key dam area after US strikes appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The apparent breakthrough comes after the US carried out air strikes overnight on Islamic State (IS) positions near the town.

The UK, France and Australia joined the US in dropping humanitarian aid.

Some 15,000 minority Shia Turkmen in Amerli have been surrounded by Islamic State militants for two months.

Military sources told BBC Arabic that the Iraqi Army and volunteer militia entered Amerli town on Sunday.

Fifteen Islamic State fighters were said to have been captured.

The operation to reach Amerli began on Saturday when an alliance of Iraq government forces, Shia militias and Kurdish Peshmerga began a two-front attack on IS positions.

US and Iraqi planes provided air cover.

At the scene: Jim Muir, BBC News, Tuz Khurmatu

No-one here seems to be in any doubt that the combination of forces backed up by Iraqi government air power has in fact broken the siege.

There is a lot of celebration here, including gunfire. We cannot go into the town yet as the Islamists have left lots of booby traps and bombs.

The situation inside is is said to be dire because Amerli has been cut off for two months.

However, what we’re told from recent figures is that the number of civilians there is much fewer than thought. We were told 15-16,000, but now perhaps 2,500 remain. Many of those are now fighters, having taken up arms.

So there might not be as many desperately needy people as first thought.

Massacre fears

Reports described it as the biggest military operation since IS began making major gains in Iraq in June.

“Security forces and militia fighters are inside Amerli now after breaking the siege and that will definitely relieve the suffering of residents,” Adel al-Bayati, mayor of Amerli, told Reuters news agency.

One resident of Amerli, Amir Ismael, told Reuters by phone: “I can see the tanks of the Iraqi army patrolling Amerli’s street now. I’m very happy we got rid of the Islamic State terrorists who were threatening to slaughter us.

The UN had expressed fears there could be a massacre if IS took the town, which lies in Kurdish-controlled Iraq.

IS has been accused of atrocities in areas of Iraq and Syria under its control.

The jihadists see the Shia Turkmen in Amerli as apostates.

Islamic State has seized large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria in recent months, including Iraq’s second city, Mosul.

Pledging allegiance to their leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the jihadists have imposed a harsh form of Islamic rule in areas under their control.

The group has declared a new caliphate, or Islamic state ruled by a religious leader, and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has announced himself as caliph.

The IS ideology has attracted would-be jihadists from a number of Western nations, including the UK, and has spread its message aggressively on social media, often posting gruesome pictures of beheadings and mass killings.

The group responded to the US beginning air strikes against it by killing the American journalist James Foley.

–

Source: BBC

The post Iraqi forces ‘reach besieged Amerli’ appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Haider al-Abadi, a deputy speaker of parliament, has been asked by Iraq’s president to form a government.

Mr Maliki’s earlier refusal to resign after eight years in power had been blamed for deepening the crisis. The UN and US have welcomed his resignation.

The government has been unable to stop Islamist fighters from seizing vast areas in northern Iraq.

The offensive by the self-styled Islamic State (IS), a Sunni Muslim jihadist group formerly known as Isis, has triggered a security and humanitarian crisis, driving an estimated 1.2 million Iraqis from their homes.

‘Brother Abadi’

Appearing on state TV flanked by Mr Abadi and other politicians from the Shia Muslim majority, Mr Maliki spoke of the grave “terrorist” threat from IS before announcing his own exit.

“I announce before you today, to ease the movement of the political process and the formation of the new government, the withdrawal of my candidacy in favour of brother Doctor Haider al-Abadi,” he said.

He had earlier insisted that he should have the right to form the government, as leader of the biggest bloc in parliament.

The resignation brought an end to eight years of often divisive rule, when Mr Maliki’s government was accused of favouring the Shia majority.

Critics say Mr Maliki’s sectarian policies had precipitated the current crisis.

Mr Abadi is one of Iraq’s most senior politicians, having held several high-profile posts since returning from exile in 2003.

He is regarded by some as a moderate within Mr Maliki’s Dawa party, and has shown more of a willingness to compromise than his predecessor.

US support

US National Security Adviser Susan Rice praised Mr Maliki’s decision to step down, describing it as a “major step” towards uniting Iraq.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Mr Maliki’s withdrawal “will allow the crucial process to form a new government to proceed swiftly”.

“An inclusive, broad-based government ready to immediately tackle… pressing issues” was needed, he added.

Earlier, US President Barack Obama offered his support to the prime minister-designate.

“He [Mr Abadi] still has a challenging task in putting a government together, but we are modestly hopeful that the… situation is moving in the right direction,” Mr Obama said.

Mr Obama also paid tribute to US forces for an operation in the north of Iraq that he said has helped tens of thousands of people displaced by IS.

Many of them, mostly from the Christian and Yazidi religious minorities, were besieged on Mount Sinjar after being forced to flee their homes.

Mr Obama said US forces had helped break the siege and the situation had greatly improved.

Thousands of Yazidis have reached camps inside Iraq’s Kurdish region, most with no possessions but the clothes on their backs, AFP news agency reports from Dohuk.

Conditions in the camps are spartan, with one man, Khodr Hussein, saying: “We went from hunger in Sinjar to hunger in this camp.”

–

Source: BBC

The post Iraq’s Maliki quits to end deadlock appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

France has received approval from authorities in Baghdad for the decision, French media reports say.

Kurdish forces have been fighting militants from the Islamic State (IS) group. The conflict has displaced thousands of people.

The US has also reportedly begun supplying weapons to the Kurdish forces, known as the Peshmerga.

A statement from Mr Hollande’s office said the move was “in response to the urgent need expressed by the regional authorities in Kurdistan”.

“For several days, France has had the necessary measures in place to support the operational capabilities of the forces fighting IS,” the statement said.

“The catastrophic situation faced by the population of Iraqi Kurdistan means the international community must step up its mobilisation,” it went on.

Earlier the US announced it had sent 130 more military advisers to the Kurdish region.

The marines and special operations forces will assess the humanitarian situation and will not be engaged in combat, a US defence official said.

The US has been carrying out air strikes against IS fighters in northern Iraq.

The political leader of Iraq’s Kurds, Massoud Barzani, had on Sunday appealed for international military aid to help defeat the Islamist militants.

The United Nations has said that tens of thousands of civilians, including members of the Yazidi sect, are trapped on Mount Sinjar by IS fighters and need “life-saving assistance”.

The US, Britain and France have been delivering humanitarian aid to the Yazidis trapped in the north.

Thousands of members of the Yazidi community have been forced to flee

Kurdish fighters have said they need more up-to-date equipment to effectively face IS

Militants continue to bomb Iraqi cities – here the aftermath of an attack in Baghdad’s Karrada district

A small group of Mr Maliki’s supporters gathered in Baghdad to protest against his proposed replacement

Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki continued to express defiance of moves to replace him.

In his weekly televised address, Mr Maliki denounced the appointment of a political rival, Haider al-Abadi, to replace him as a “violation” of the Iraqi constitution.

He said he would not give up power until until Iraq’s federal court issued a ruling on an objection that he filed against the nomination.

However, with the US and Iran in rare agreement over removing the man who was once their favoured candidate, Mr Maliki’s words may ring hollow, the BBC’s Sebastian Usher reports.

With even his own Shia power base having turned against him, any long-term defiance by Mr Maliki only risks worsening Iraq’s desperate political crisis, our correspondent adds.

The snub to Mr Maliki came after months of political infighting, which experts say has contributed to Iraq’s inability to fight the IS threat.

On Tuesday, a suicide bomber attacked a checkpoint near the home of Mr Abadi in Baghdad, Reuters news agency reported, citing security sources and local media.

There were no details on casualties.

–

Source: BBC

The post France to supply arms to Iraqi Kurds appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Users in the country attempting to visit these sites are greeted by a message saying the Ministry of Communications has barred access.

The move comes after Islamist insurgents used Twitter to post a graphic image of a beheaded man, and to spread propaganda messages.

A Facebook spokesperson said the block was “a matter of concern”.

One source in Iraq told the BBC that access to the internet was entirely restricted in some provinces.

Commenting on the developments, a YouTube spokesperson said: “We’re seeing reports that some users are not able to access YouTube in Iraq. There is no technical issue on our side and we’re looking into the situation.”

On Friday, Twitter’s public policy unit tweeted: “Users in #Iraq are reporting issues accessing our service. We’re investigating their reports and we hope service will be restored quickly.”

A Facebook spokesperson said: “We are disturbed by reports of access issues in Iraq and are investigating. Limiting access to internet services – essential for communication and commerce for millions of people – is a matter of concern for the global community.”

Although internet use was heavily controlled during Saddam Hussein’s presidency, Iraqis have since enjoyed open access to the net.

Source: BBC

The post Iraq blocks Facebook and Twitter in bid to restrict Isis appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.