Eye on Extremism
March 31, 2023
Garowe Online: Al-Shabaab Commander Surrenders In Somalia's Army
“A senior Al-Shabaab commander within the fragile Lower Shabelle region has surrendered to the federal government of Somalia, state media reported, in what was termed as ‘tremendous gain’ in the war against the Al-Qaeda- linked group just moments after Somali forces started a second phase of operations against the militants. Abdi Hassan Hulbale surrendered on Wednesday in the Lower Shabelle region, especially in Janale town, and was received by the Somali National Army [SNA] commanders. According to the military, the 40-year-old man has been a member of the terror group for the last decade thus the importance of getting hold of him."Abdi Hassan Hulbale, one of Al-Shabaab terrorists' senior leaders in Lower Shabelle region has surrendered to Somali National Army in Janale town, on Wednesday," state media confirmed. ‘The 40-year-old man has been a member of the terror group for 9
years.’”
AFP News: Israel Conducts More Strikes Near Damascus: Syria State Media
“Israel carried out strikes near Damascus early Friday, Syria's state news agency SANA reported, the second round of aerial attacks in less than 24 hours. During more than a decade of war in Syria, Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on Syrian territory, primarily targeting Iran-backed forces and Hezbollah fighters, as well as Syrian army positions. Two Syrian soldiers had been injured in attacks early Thursday, according to the country's defence ministry. ‘At 00:17 (21:17 GMT), the Israeli enemy carried out an aerial attack by firing several missiles from the occupied Syrian Golan and targeting one of the positions in the vicinity of Damascus,’ SANA reported Friday, citing a military source. The source added that several missiles were intercepted by Syrian air defences, reporting material damage.”
United States
CNN: Convicted ISIS Supporter Sentenced To Additional Year In Prison Over Meeting With ‘American Taliban’ John Lindh
“A Virginia man convicted of providing support to ISIS in 2015 was sentenced Thursday to serve an additional year in prison for breaking his release conditions after meeting multiple times with John Walker Lindh, the so-called ‘American Taliban’ and sharing ISIS propaganda online in encrypted chats. In 2015, Ali Shukri Amin pleaded guilty to providing support to ISIS – posting articles on how ISIS members could avoid detection in online communications and sharing instructions on how the terrorist group could use cryptocurrency for fundraising efforts, according to the plea agreement. Amin, who was 17 years old when he pleaded guilty, served several years in prison before being released on supervision. According to the government, Amin broke his release conditions when he met Lindh, a convicted felon, in person several times, communicated with him and others on an unmonitored device and shared and translated ISIS propaganda online.”
The New York Times: 6 U.S. Service Members Suffered Traumatic Brain Injuries In Syria Attacks
“Six American service members suffered traumatic brain injuries in separate attacks by Iranian-backed militants in Syria last week, the Pentagon said on Thursday. The Pentagon initially said that seven Americans were injured in the attacks and that a U.S. contractor was killed. But additional injuries were diagnosed during routine screenings in recent days, Brig. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters on Thursday. In recent years, the Pentagon has tried to better understand the effects in service members of traumatic brain injuries, which sometimes cause long-term physical or mental disabilities. The diagnoses followed two attacks. The first, a strike by a self-destructing drone on March 23, hit a coalition base in northeast Syria, killing the civilian contractor, who was a vehicle mechanic.”
Associated Press: Maine 19-Year-Old Will Plead Guilty In Mosque Attack Plot
“A 19-year-old from Maine who the FBI says built homemade explosives and plotted to attack a mosque in the name of the Islamic State group will plead guilty to providing material support to terrorists. Xavier Pelkey of Waterville faces a maximum of 15 years in prison under a plea agreement in which a second charge will be dropped, according to court documents filed Wednesday. The change-of-plea hearing is set for next week in U.S. District Court. Pelkey’s attorney did not immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment on Thursday. Law enforcement officials said Pelkey was in communication with two juveniles — one in Canada, the other in Illinois — about conducting a mass shooting at a Shiite mosque in the Chicago area and possibly other houses of worship. All three alleged plotters believed in a radical form of Sunni Islam that views the Shiite branch of Islam as nonbelievers, officials said.”
Iraq
Iraqi News: Iraqi Intelligence Arrests 5 Terrorists
“The Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced on Thursday that five terrorists in Salah Al-Din governorate and Baghdad were arrested, according to a statement issued by the Iraqi Federal Intelligence and Investigations Agency (FIIA). The statement explained that the terrorists were providing logistical support to terrorist elements. The FIIA officers, during separate operations in Baghdad and Salah Al-Din, managed to arrest five terrorists in accordance with the provisions of the Terrorism Act, the statement clarified. In addition to providing logistical support to terrorist elements, the arrested terrorists were also providing information about the movements of security forces, the statement elaborated. The statement added that security operations to arrest the suspects were carried out according to intelligence information and after arrest warrants were issued by the concerned authorities.”
Turkey
Daily Sabah: Police Detain 19 In Ankara Over Suspected Daesh Links
“Turkish police arrested 19 foreign nationals who have been allegedly in contact with Daesh terrorists in conflict zones during a citywide operation targeting 24 suspects in the capital Ankara, authorities announced Thursday. Ankara Police Department's counterterrorism branch teams have been working on deciphering the activities of the Daesh terrorist organization and apprehending possible suspects. All 19 foreign nationals, marked as ‘foreign terrorist militants’ as per intelligence reports and analyses, are to be delivered to the Provincial Migration Department for deportation after interrogations, the police said, noting that teams were currently after five other suspects who fled during the operation. Turkish police earlier this month revealed it had captured a senior figure of the terrorist group in Istanbul.”
Afghanistan
Radio Free Europe: Pakistani Armed Groups Obtain U.S. Weapons Left Behind In Afghanistan
“When the United States pulled out its forces from Afghanistan in 2021, it left behind around $7 billion worth of military equipment and weapons, including firearms, communications gear, and even armored vehicles. The Taliban seized the arms following the fall of the Western-backed Afghan government during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal, giving the hard-line Islamist group a vast war chest. Since the Taliban takeover, some of the American military gear and weapons have turned up in neighboring Pakistan, where they have been used by armed groups, according to experts and security officials. Observers say the influx of U.S. weapons has boosted the military capabilities of the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group and ethnic Baluch separatist groups that are waging insurgencies against the government in Pakistan, which has witnessed a surge in violence over the past two years.”
Middle East
Reuters: Israel Files Terror Charge Against 2 Settlers In Huwara Assault
“Israeli prosecutors indicted two Jewish settlers on Thursday for what the indictment described as a terrorist assault on Palestinians in a flashpoint village in the occupied West Bank that has been a focus of international concern. The suspects were among a group who, during the Jewish festival of Purim on March 6, attacked cars and their occupants in Huwara, Israel's Shin Bet internal security service said. It said the two, both men in their 20s, were indicted in Central District Court for grievous bodily harm - to which prosecutors added a terrorism designation - and vandalism. Huwara was the scene of Feb. 26 rioting by settlers to avenge the killing of two Israeli brothers by a Palestinian gunman as they passed through in their car. A local Palestinian was shot dead and dozens of cars and homes were set alight during the rampage, over which Israel has conducted several arrests.”
Reuters: Azerbaijan Investigates 'Terror Attack' After Lawmaker Is Shot And Wounded
“Azerbaijan's State Security Service said on Wednesday that it was investigating ‘a terror attack’ after a lawmaker with strong anti-Iranian views was shot and wounded at his home. Fazil Mustafa, a member of parliament, was hospitalised after receiving wounds to his shoulder and thigh when he was shot with a Kalashnikov assault rifle on Tuesday night, the security agency said in a statement. His life was not at risk, it said, and a criminal investigation had been opened to identify the perpetrator. Azeri news site haqqin.az quoted Mustafa, 57, as saying from hospital that he had been hit by two bullets while driving into his garage.”
Somalia
Garowe Online: Al-Shabaab Revenue Reduces As Somalia Implements Stringent Regulations
“The Somalia-based Al-Shabaab militants could struggle to sustain their operations in the near future, the government has said in a statement, while taking to account the group's dwindling fortunes on revenue collection, in the middle of stringent regulations imposed on money transfer arid banks in the country. The statement issued on Thursday claimed the group's revenue was reduced by half in as many months, crediting the progress on shutting down the suspected bank and mobile money accounts, and targeting militant taxation officials, the government said without specifying the amount of money in question. Al-Shabaab depends on money raised from the extortion of local businesses and individuals, collections of fees on goods, as well as the facilitalion of illicit trades, according to the US Treasury. There have been deliberate attempts to suffocate the group's revenue flow as a strategy to counter them and eventually eliminate them.”
Africa
Anadolu Agency: Senior ADF Commander Killed In DR Congo Raid: Ugandan Army
“A senior commander of Uganda’s Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels was killed in a military operation Wednesday in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the Ugandan military. Seka Wankaba was killed during a raid in Mwalika Valley, North Kivu province, Uganda's deputy military spokesperson Col. Deo Akiiki said in a statement. Akiiki said Wankaba was a Ugandan national and ‘a highly trained improvised explosive device (IED) expert.’ ‘Our troops won't relent till the ADF command and control structure is fully decimated,’ he warned.”
United Kingdom
BBC: Right-Wing Haworth Teenager Idolised Convicted Terrorists
“A 16-year-old boy who "idolised convicted international terrorists" has been found guilty of plotting a right-wing terror attack. The boy, from Haworth, West Yorkshire, was 15 when he was arrested in June by counter-terrorism officers. He was found guilty of an offence under section 5 of the Terrorism Act after a trial at Leeds Crown Court. The teen admitted five further terror offences and possessing a knife and will be sentenced at a later date.”
Mirror: Far-Right Activists Change Their Hate Into Hope As They Help Brits Escape Extremism
“Covid lockdown saw far right extremists prey on the vulnerability of people struggling in isolation with a recruitment drive. Many - particularly the young - fell victim to their hidden messages of hate but one group has been fighting to free them from poison and has enjoyed astonishing success. In the wake of the pandemic charity Exit Hate has recorded a 330 per cent surge in people trying to escape the far right and says ‘extremism is on the rise but so are we’. The Mirror has spoken to two former members of the far right who now work with the charity - John, whose real name isn’t being used, and Darren Carroll, who helped found the English Defence League.”
India
The Pioneer: ISIS Threatens Mass Murders In Revenge For ‘Love Jihad’ Law
“In its latest propaganda material, the international terror group ISIS has threatened to resort to mass murders and beheadings to mark its protest against laws being enacted against ‘love jehad’ in several States. The propaganda article has claimed that UP, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh have enacted anti-love jihad laws and other States are also resorting to put in place similar legislations. Claiming that such laws are aimed at empowering certain communities to embroil Muslim youths and weaken them, the outfit has claimed that the so-called mujahideens are coming to behead those who have framed the Ummah (Muslim community). The banned terror outfit claimed that love jehad is a conspiracy against Muslims and that it will not discriminate between Kufr men women while killing them. It also asserted that love jihad is not a new concept and has been prevalent since the 19th century to target the Muslims.”
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