“The terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland has been raised from
‘substantial’ to ‘severe’ just days before a potential visit to the country by
US President Joe Biden, but the White House has said the change won’t alter his
plans. The decision to raise the threat level to ‘severe,’ meaning an attack is
highly likely, was made by the UK’s MI5 security service and announced by UK
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris on Tuesday.
Heaton-Harris said the move was made after an increase in ‘activity relating to
Northern Ireland-related terrorism’ including the attempted murder of a
high-profile police officer last month. While the public should remain
vigilant, they should not be alarmed, he said.”











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Eye on Extremism



March 29, 2023



CNN: UK Raises Terror Threat Level In Northern Ireland Days Before Possible
Biden Visit
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“The terrorism threat level in Northern Ireland has been raised from
‘substantial’ to ‘severe’ just days before a potential visit to the country by
US President Joe Biden, but the White House has said the change won’t alter his
plans. The decision to raise the threat level to ‘severe,’ meaning an attack is
highly likely, was made by the UK’s MI5 security service and announced by UK
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris on Tuesday.
Heaton-Harris said the move was made after an increase in ‘activity relating to
Northern Ireland-related terrorism’ including the attempted murder of a
high-profile police officer last month. While the public should remain
vigilant, they should not be alarmed, he said.”



Associated Press: Senate Poised To Vote On Repeal Of Iraq War Powers
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“The Senate is poised to vote Wednesday to repeal the 2002 measure that
greenlighted the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, which would end more than 20
years of authorization for U.S. presidents to use force in that country and
return those war powers to Congress. The Iraq War ended years ago and the
repeal is not expected to affect any current troop deployments. About 2,500
U.S. troops remain in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government and assist
and advise local forces. The bipartisan legislation would also repeal the 1991
measure that sanctioned the U.S.-led Gulf War. Lawmakers in both parties are
increasingly seeking to claw back congressional powers over U.S. military
strikes and deployments, and some lawmakers who voted for the Iraq War two
decades ago now say it was a mistake. Iraqi deaths are estimated in the
hundreds of thousands, and nearly 5,000 U.S. troops were killed in the war
after President George W. Bush’s administration falsely claimed that Saddam
Hussein was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction.”



United States



New York Post: Pentagon Accused Of Hiding Iran Drone Attack During Senate Iraq
Vote
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“Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin failed to notify Congress of a deadly
Iranian-backed militia’s drone attack on US forces in Syria last week — even
though senators were taking votes on a key bill dealing with military force in
the region, Republican lawmakers charged Tuesday. Roughly 13 hours passed
before Congress was informed Thursday evening that a US contractor had been
killed and five troops had been injured in an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
drone attack on American forces in Syria and that the US had later killed 19
IRGC fighters in retaliatory strikes. ‘That very day, the Senate was
considering several significant votes relating to the use of force against
Iran, and yet no member of the Senate, to my knowledge, was told that day about
an attack by this very adversary while we were voting on issues involving
them,’ Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) told Austin during a Senate Armed Services
Committee hearing. The Senate has been working for several days on a bill
repealing the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force against Iraq, which
would further reduce America’s footprint in the Middle East following the
August 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan.”



Syria



Hawar News Agency: SDF Captures 2,720 ISIS Elements After The Liberation
Al-Baghouz
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“This came during a statement by a member of the General Command of the
Syrian Democratic Forces, Newroz Ahmed, to the ANF Firat news agency, on the
occasion of the 4th anniversary of the end of the geographical occupation of
ISIS by the Syrian Democratic Forces, represented by the liberation of the town
of al-Baghouz in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor on March 23, 2019.
‘After the liberation of al-Baghouz, the struggle continued on a new level, as
more than 285 ISIS sleeper cells were eliminated, and a number of terrorists
were arrested,’ Newroz said. 2,720 ISIS mercenaries were killed, and 397 other
mercenaries were killed.”



Middle East



The National: Extremists Used Israel's Judicial Protests To Attack Palestinians

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“Mass protests in Israel against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's judicial
reforms stretched security forces as Palestinians were subjected to right-wing
extremist attacks, experts told The National. Palestinian citizens of Israel
were beaten during pro-government demonstrations in Jerusalem on Tuesday. One
attack was described by Israeli police as a ‘savage’ assault. ‘The chaos
created by the internal turmoil is stretching Israeli security sources and
diverting attention of Israeli civilian and security leaders,’ Washington
Institute senior fellow Ghaith Al Omari, who has previously held positions in
the Palestinian Authority, told The National. ‘This creates an opening for
Palestinian and Israeli extremists who could use the instability to conduct
violence in the West Bank and Jerusalem.’ About 700,000 demonstrators took to
the streets after Mr Netanyahu said he would sack Defence Minister Yoav Gallant
for opposing the Prime Minister's plans for judicial changes. In the melee,
some Palestinians were set upon.”



i24 News: Israeli Forces Arrest Father Of 2 Terrorists Who Carried Out Almog
Junction Attack
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“Israeli forces overnight arrested a wanted Palestinian who helped the
perpetrators of the West Bank's Almog Junction shooting attack on January 28.
The Israeli military (IDF) and the Shin Bet internal security agency detained
Waal A-Hafez Awidat, 50. He is affiliated with the Hamas terrorist organization
and was previously arrested in Israel. Awidat is the father of two members of
the terrorist cell that carried out the attack. In addition to helping the
terrorists to hide, he is also suspected of having encouraged them to carry out
other attacks.”



Nigeria



The East African: ISWAP Leader Executes Deputy After Nigeria Army Kills 41
Militants
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“Furious over a Nigerian military raid that killed 41 fighters on March 19,
Islamic State West African Province (Iswap) commander has executed his deputy
for failing to stop the attack. Deputy Iswap commander Abu Darda was on Monday
executed by his boss Abu Muhammed, in the presence of other fighters in Kajeri
Dogumba village in Mafa Local Government Area (LGA) of Northeast Borno State.
Abu Muhammed said he was mostly hurt because the Nigerian forces killed scores
of his fighters, burnt foodstuffs and some newly acquired furniture meant for
his wedding. He was also enraged by the attack that led to the seizure of their
only three gun trucks.”



Vanguard News: Boko Haram Chief Bombmaker Killed By Own IED In Sambisa Forest
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“The chief bombmaker and a high ranking member of the Boko Haram Terrorist
Group, Awana Gaidam, has been killed by his own Improvised Explosive Device,
IED. The 39 year-old bomb maker, apart from his high status in the command
structure of the Boko Haram terrorists, was one of their capable hands involved
in the making of IEDs. Awana was believed to be responsible for plotting many
IEDs attacks on troops of Operation Hadin Kai during fighting patrols, along
major highways between Maiduguri to Damboa, Bama to Pulka and Bita as well as
Banki to Darajamal general area. Intelligence sources disclosed that the bomb
struck his vehicle along Njumia and Arra in the Sambisa Forest general area on
March 27, killing him instantly.”



Somalia



Voice Of America News: Al-Shabab Has Lost Third Of Its Territory, US
Ambassador Says
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“The U.S. ambassador to Somalia said the Somali government's military
operations against al-Shabab have cost the militants one third of their
territory. ‘Somali-led offensives have restored Somalia's sovereignty to 1/3 of
the territory formerly misruled by al-Shabaab,’ Larry André told VOA Somali in
an email. ‘Ending al-Shabab's oppression is one step further toward Somalia's
full revival.’ Since January, the United States donated weapons to the Somali
national forces to support operations against al-Shabab. The U.S. also trains
an elite Somali army unit known as Danab, which means ‘lightning’ and has been
leading the offensive against al-Shabab.”



Africa



Anadolu Agency: Burkina Faso Most Affected African Country By Terrorism: Report

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“Burkina Faso is the most affected by terrorism on the African continent and
the second most-affected worldwide in 2022, according to the latest global
terrorism report that was released Tuesday. The Global Terrorism Index (GTI)
2023, a report published by the Australia-based global Institute for Economics
and Peace, showed that the Sahel region of sub-Saharan Africa is now the
epicenter of terrorism, accounting for more deaths from terrorism in 2022 than
South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa combined. Across the Sahel, 22,074
people died in 6,408 terror attacks between 2007 and 2022, it said. In Burkina
Faso, 8,564 victims were registered, putting the country in the second position
in the world for the most-affected countries, behind Afghanistan. Terror
attacks in the Sahel region increased by more than 2,000% in the past 15 years,
it said. Somalia, Mali and Syria ranked third, fourth and fifth, respectively.”



Garowe Online: UN Security Council Set To Discuss Counter-Terrorism In Africa
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“The United Nations Security Council [UNSC] is this evening set to discuss
violent extremism in Africa with help of the African Union and other regional
organizations which are directly responsible for the security within the
continent especially countries like Somalia. Recently, a report done by the
United Nations showcased increasing cases of terrorism in Africa, further
causing concerns among stakeholders. Felipe Nyusi, the president of Mozambique,
led the meeting which discussed the current situation across the continent,
necessitating a high-level meeting. The southern African nation is currently
facing resistance from ISIL-affiliate Al al-Sunna Wal-Jama'a [ASWJ] in its
northern Cabo Delgado Province and another group called Al-Shabaab. While there
are two groups with similar names in Somalia, there is no evidence that they
are related in any way.”



United Kingdom



The Jerusalem Post: Terrorist Found Guilty Of Stabbing Two In UK For
'Atrocities On Palestinians'
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“Munawar Hussain, a 59-year-old terrorist, was found guilty in court on
Wednesday for stabbing two women inside a Marks & Spencer in the English town
of Burnley. Both women survived the attack. The motivation behind the December
2020 attack was that he felt the grocery chain funded ‘atrocities on
Palestinians,’ Hussain declared at the time. As he was carrying out the attack,
Hussain carried a note that read, ‘O Israel, you are inflicting atrocities on
Palestinians and Marks & Spencer is helping you financially.’”



France



Fox News: France Refuses To Extradite Far-Left Italian Terrorists Who Have
Eluded Justice Since 1980s
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“France’s highest court ruled Tuesday against extraditing 10 former far-left
militants who were convicted of attacks in Italy carried out in the 1970s and
1980s. The two women and eight men fled Italy after their convictions and
before they could be sent to prison. Now ranging in age from 62 to 79, they
have lived freely in France for decades. The crimes of which they were
convicted include the killing of a Carabinieri paramilitary general and the
kidnapping of a judge, both in 1980.”



Europe



AFP News: Belgium Arrests Eight In 'Terror Attack' Probe
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“Police have detained eight people during investigations into an alleged
jihadist plot to commit ‘terrorist attacks’ in Belgium, authorities said
Tuesday. Raids were conducted late Monday on homes in the capital Brussels, the
port city of Antwerp and the border town of Eupen, the federal prosecutor's
office said. A judicial source told AFP those arrested were ‘very young
radicalised people’ suspected of belonging to a jihadist movement. The
prosecutor's statement cited two inquiries, one led by federal police in
Brussels and the other by an investigating magistrate in Antwerp. Both led to
house raids on Monday, and the statement said: ‘There are links between the two
files, but further research will have to show to what extent the two groups
were intertwined.’”



Associated Press: Israel's Netanyahu: Mossad Helped Greece Uncover Terror Plot
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“Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late Tuesday said his country’s
intelligence agency Mossad helped Greece prevent a terrorist attack planned
against at least one Jewish site in Athens. Greek authorities said earlier that
two men described as being of Pakistani origin, who were not named, had been
arrested for allegedly planning an attack on a Jewish restaurant. The attack
was considered to be imminent and to be intended to cause extensive loss of
life. The suspects were charged Tuesday with terrorism offenses, while a third
man believed to be outside Greece has been charged in absentia with similar
offenses. A statement from Netanyahu’s office maintained that the attackers
were linked to Iran.”



Reuters: Bulgaria Launches Terrorism Probe After Wave Of Hoax Bomb Alerts
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“Bulgarian prosecutors are launching a terrorism investigation after dozens
of schools across the country received hoax bomb threats, local news agency BTA
reported on Tuesday. Hoax bomb threats contained in near-identical emails have
been received at schools in Pleven, Sliven, Varna, Burgas and Sofia. Interior
Ministry Chief Secretary Petar Todorov put the total number received since
Monday at 102, according to BTA. Todorov said there was no real danger to the
public.”



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