It's all part of a military exercise that simulates going after a high-value target [...] the assault force demonstrates crucial military steps before capturing and eliminating him. Three weeks of U.S.-led counterterrorism exercises, known as Flintlock 2017, ended last month in Chad, which, along with surrounding countries, has been targeted in deadly violence by Boko Haram. The Flintlock exercises take place each year in a different African country.

American and Arab lead youth counter-terrorism organization, Defeating Islamic Radicalization and Extremism (DIRE) today announces ‘PeacePals: BFFs Beyond Borders’ (PPBBB), its newest solution based, ‘soft power’ long-term strategic youth program aimed at sowing seeds to create cross-cultural unity and ultimately combat ideological based extremism.

"The greatest damage might be in the realm of public diplomacy," write Nathan Brown and Michelle Dunne of the Carnegie Middle East Center. "Using a broad brush to paint all Muslim Brotherhood organizations as terrorists would be understood by many Muslims around the world as a declaration of war against non-violent political Islamists — and indeed against Islam itself."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have pledged further cooperation in the fight against terrorism during Merkel’s visit to Ankara, while the German leader also stressed the impartiality of her country’s courts regarding the extradition of Turkish coup attempt suspects. 

Social media heavyweights like Facebook and YouTube have been working with the U.S. government and other international partners as they look to take a more active role in combating terrorist propaganda and other extremist messages that have gained traction online. Officials from the popular social network and YouTube parent Google addressed the issue here at a recent tech policy conference.

Over the past few decades of China’s rise, Beijing’s soft power pitch to the developing east has been an indictment of Ugly Americanism. China had fallen victim to Western and Japanese imperialism, and as a result pledged to act not as a patron but a partner in decolonialism and development. 

The government of France and European Union (EU) have concluded plans to contribute the sum of €35.5 million in aid package for the rehabilitation and development of North-east Nigeria and especially Lake Chad Basin region devastated by the Boko Haram terrorism. The Adviser for Africa in the Office of the Presidency, L’Elysee, Paris, France, Mr. Thomas Melonio [...] stated that France in its ‘Lake Chad Initiative’ programme, will increase its financial and humanitarian input for the development of the Lake Chad region.