“Pakistan plans to launch a new nationwide operation to root out Islamist
militants, the national security committee said on Friday, in a potentially
costly move for a country already facing full-blown economic and political
crises. One analyst said the operation would also serve as a pretext for the
government to delay provincial elections it had been under pressure to hold
next month. Pakistan is in danger of defaulting on its debt, with an
International Monetary Fund bailout programme stalled since November, while a
bruising political battle is raging between the government and former Prime
Minister Imran Khan. The last time it launched an all-out operation against
Islamist militants was in 2014, and it cost the country billions of dollars and
resulted over a million people being displaced and hundreds being killed.”











<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>



Eye on Extremism



April 11, 2023



Reuters: Pakistan To Launch New Military Operation Against Islamist Militants
-Statement
<[link removed]>



“Pakistan plans to launch a new nationwide operation to root out Islamist
militants, the national security committee said on Friday, in a potentially
costly move for a country already facing full-blown economic and political
crises. One analyst said the operation would also serve as a pretext for the
government to delay provincial elections it had been under pressure to hold
next month. Pakistan is in danger of defaulting on its debt, with an
International Monetary Fund bailout programme stalled since November, while a
bruising political battle is raging between the government and former Prime
Minister Imran Khan. The last time it launched an all-out operation against
Islamist militants was in 2014, and it cost the country billions of dollars and
resulted over a million people being displaced and hundreds being killed.”



CNN: At Least 44 Killed In Burkina Faso Attacks
<[link removed]>



“At least 44 civilians were killed in two separate attacks on villages in
northern Burkina Faso, authorities there said. A local governor, Rodolphe
Sorgho, blamed terrorists for the ‘despicable and barbaric’ attacks, without
naming a specific group. In a statement Sorgho gave his ‘sincere condolences to
the grieving families and wishes a rapid recovery to the wounded.’ Few other
details were available about the incidents, but a resident of one of the
villages told AFP ‘a large number of terrorists’ attacked late on Thursday,
with gunfire sounding throughout the night. Burkina Faso is one of the world’s
poorest counties and has become the epicenter of violence carried out by
Islamist militants linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State.”



United States



Vice News: Neo-Nazi Fight Clubs Are Fat-Shaming Men Into White Nationalism
<[link removed]>



“…“Violence is the underlying feature of all of this,” said Joshua
Fisher-Birch, an analyst for the Counter Extremism Project, a non-profit that
combats extremist groups. “If you're training people in combat sports in this
capacity, it seems like a matter of time before someone is going to use that
against someone else.”



Fox News: Maine Man With Alleged ISIS Sympathies Pleads Guilty To Planning
Attack On Mosque
<[link removed]>



“A 19-year-old accused of making homemade explosives and plotting to attack a
mosque in the Chicago area pleaded guilty Friday to providing material support
to terrorists. Xavier Pelkey appeared in federal court to enter the plea under
an agreement in which prosecutors dropped a second charge. He faces up to 15
years in prison when he's sentenced at a later date. Pelkey, of Waterville, was
18 when he was arrested last year by FBI agents who found three homemade
explosives in his residence, along with a handwritten document that appeared to
be a draft statement about the planned mosque attack. In the statement, Pelkey
claimed allegiance to the Islamic State group and an IS flag was painted on his
bedroom wall, investigators said.”



New York Post: Standard Charted Bank Helped Al Qaeda Buy Bomb Materials:
Lawsuit
<[link removed]>



“A New York-based bank helped finance Al Qaeda’s bomb-making operations in
Afghanistan despite warnings from government officials, the families of two
U.S. military members killed by the terror group claimed in a lawsuit.
Relatives of Wilbel Robles-Santa, 25, of Puerto Rico, and Christopher Ward, 24,
of Tennessee — both of whom were killed by improvised explosive devices on
April 6, 2013, in Afghanistan — sued Standard Chartered Bank in Manhattan
federal court Tuesday. The families claim the bank provided financial services
to the Fatima Group in Pakistan despite knowing it was sending ‘an unending
supply’ of calcium ammonium nitrate — the primary component in IEDs — to Al
Qaeda, according to the court filing. U.S. government officials met with senior
bankers at Standard Chartered’s Manhattan office in 2013, to urge them to stop
aiding the terrorist attacks, but the bank’s response was ‘utterly useless,’
according to court papers.”



Syria



The National: Failed Rocket Attack On US Coalition Forces In Syria, Says
Central Command
<[link removed]>



“An ‘ineffective’ rocket attack on Monday was launched on US coalition forces
taking part in the anti-ISIS mission in north-east Syria, US Central Command
has said. The attack was aimed at the US Mission Support Site Conoco in the
early evening local time, and resulted in ‘no injuries or damage’ to the base.
‘One rocket struck in the vicinity of the coalition outpost and an additional
rocket was found at the attack's point of origin,’ a Centcom statement said.
Centcom spokesman Col Joe Buccino told The National: ‘These attacks, along with
the ISIS strike, make clear that the region remains dangerous and we have
troops in harm’s way, but we must continue the fight against ISIS. ‘These
attacks place coalition forces and the civilian populace at risk and undermine
the hard-earned stability of Syria and the region.’”



Arab News: Daesh Landmine Kills At Least 6 Civilians In Syria’s Deir Ez-Zor
<[link removed]>



“A deadly landmine explosion in Syria killed at least six people, according
to media reports. News agency SANA said the explosion hit civilians who were
foraging for truffles in the countryside, and blamed the incident on a land
mine planted by Daesh in the southern Deir Ez-Zor province. The area is a
former stronghold of the militants. A day earlier, SANA reported six people —
also heading to search for truffles — were killed by an anti-tank mine left by
Daesh in the desert of Homs’ eastern countryside.”



Daily Sabah: Turkish Military Eliminates YPG/PKK Terrorist In N. Syria
<[link removed]>



“The Turkish military eliminated a YPG/PKK terrorist in northern Syria, the
Defense Ministry said Saturday. In a statement posted on Twitter, the ministry
said the YPG/PKK terrorist was preparing to carry out an attack against the
Operation Peace Spring area before being killed. Since 2016, Ankara launched a
trio of successful counterterrorism operations across its border in northern
Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful
settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018) and Peace
Spring (2019). Türkiye carried out Operation Peace Spring against the
U.S-backed YPG in northern Syria to bring peace and tranquility to the region.
After the completion of the operation, Turkish and SNA units focused on
ensuring the security of the region and creating the necessary conditions for
the return of civilians displaced by terrorism.”



Iraq



Associated Press: Blast At North Iraqi Airport Raises Tension In Kurdish Region

<[link removed]>



“An explosion struck next to the Suleimaniyah International Airport in
northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region Friday, local officials said.
The blast came days after Turkey closed its airspace to flights to and from the
airport, citing an alleged increase in Kurdish militant activity threatening
flight safety. Turkey has spent years fighting Kurdish militants in its east.
Large Kurdish communities also live in neighboring Iraq and Syria where they
have a degree of self-rule.”



Turkey



Daily Sabah: Türkiye Probes ‘Terrorist Propaganda’ In Pre-Election Event
<[link removed]>



“Turkish authorities are set to investigate alleged ‘terrorist propaganda’
during the opening of the newly founded Green Left Party’s (YSP) election
bureau in southeastern Diyarbakır province. As YSP officials and Remziye Tosun,
Diyarbakır representative of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), which is
widely criticized for having links to the PKK terrorist group, inaugurated the
bureau together in the central Yenişehir district on Friday, Tosun declared,
‘Iraq, Syria, Kurdistan will win after May 14!’ during a passionate speech,
prompting Diyarbakır's Chief Public Prosecutor's Office to launch a probe into
the participants of the event for ‘spreading propaganda for terrorist groups.’
The HDP and its four other Labor and Freedom Alliance partners have agreed to
nominate their candidates under the YSP logo in the upcoming parliamentary
elections. Still, the express endorsement the HDP allegedly gives and receives
from terrorists has been a prickling point for the party.”



Afghanistan



Fox News: Afghanistan Once Again Terrorist Safe Haven As US 'Over The Horizon'
Capability Faces Limitations: Expert
<[link removed]>



“A string of Islamic State Khorasan province attacks in recent months has
brought renewed attention to the lack of U.S. ability to run counterterrorism
operations in Afghanistan since the full military withdrawal in 2021, experts
said. And the lack of ‘over the horizon’ capabilities is contributing to the
country once again becoming a breeding ground for ISIS-K and other terrorist
organizations. ‘Capabilities are very limited,’ Bill Roggio, managing editor of
Long War Journal, told Fox News Digital. Among the problems the U.S. is facing
in preventing the spread of terrorism in Afghanistan is unreliable intelligence
gathering, Roggio said. Just months after the final U.S. troops left
Afghanistan, former commander of U.S. Central Command Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr.
warned that U.S. intelligence-gathering capabilities in Afghanistan was 2% of
what it was when American troops were still in the country. In the time since
that ominous warning, Roggio said the situation ‘hasn't gotten any better.’”



Al Jazeera: Taliban Top Spokesman Mujahid Asked To Work From Kandahar
<[link removed]>



“Zabihullah Mujahid, the main spokesman for Afghanistan’s Taliban
administration, has been asked to work from the southern city of Kandahar in
addition to the capital Kabul, a Taliban spokesperson has confirmed with Al
Jazeera. Innamullah Samangani, another deputy spokesman in the Islamic Emirate
of Afghanistan, has been transferred to Kandahar in one of the first cases of
officials being shifted under the Taliban administration since it returned to
power in August 2021. Samangani will now be the head of the press and
information bureau at the provincial level, a Taliban source told Al Jazeera.
The move is being seen as an assertion of power by the Taliban supreme leader
Haibatullah Akhunzada, who is based in the southern city located about 450km
(280 miles) to the north. Akhunzada rarely appears in the public and mostly
stays in Kandahar – the birthplace of the Taliban movement.”


Radio Free Europe Radio Liberity: Two Islamic State Militants Killed By Forces
Of Taliban-Led Afghan Government
<[link removed]>



“An operation on April 9 carried out by forces of the Taliban-led Afghan
government killed two Islamic State (IS) fighters and took a third militant
into custody during an operation in the country's southwest, a regional
official said. The raid on a hideout in Zaranj, capital of Nimroz Province,
sparked a clash lasting 30 minutes between Taliban and IS militants, Habibullah
Ilham, the province’s information and culture director, told RFE/RL. Two
insurgents were killed in the operation and one was captured, Ilham said,
adding that there were no casualties among the security forces and no civilians
were harmed. A video sent to Radio Azadi shows that Taliban forces first
targeted a house and the clash then begins. A resident of the area, who did not
want his name and voice used due to security problems, told Radio Azadi that
the clash lasted for almost an hour and that heavy weapons were used.”



Pakistan



AFP News: Four Police Killed By Militants In Pakistan's Balochistan
<[link removed]>



“Four policemen were killed Tuesday in a gunbattle with militants in
Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, police said, hours after four
people died in a bomb blast in the region's capital. Militants identified by
police as being from the Pakistan Taliban opened fire on a pre-dawn patrol in
Kuchlak, officials said, and were still on the run. ‘Militants opened fire on a
police team from a compound killing four policemen,’ senior local police
official Muhammad Zohaib told AFP. ‘One terrorist was also killed during the
exchange of fire, while the remainder escaped.’ Counter-terrorism department
official Aitzaz Goraya said the militants were from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan,
which is separate from Afghanistan's Taliban but shares a similar ideology.”



Dawn: Four TTP Terrorists Arrested In Dera Operation
<[link removed]>



“A CTD spokesman said that the terrorists were arrested during an operation
in Abaa Shaheed area on the Dera-Maddi Road after an exchange of fire with
them. The arrested terrorists were identified as Manan, Rehman, Qismatullah and
Ameer Mohammad. They belonged to TTP’s Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud group. Arms,
ammunition and explosives were also recovered from them, the CTD official said.
Meanwhile, funeral prayers of Frontier Corps personnel Nazirullah Mehsud, who
was martyred in an improvised explosive device blast in Khyber tribal district
the other day, were offered in Tank district on Monday.”



Yemen



Yemen Online: 4 Killed In IS Suicide Bombing In Yemen's Capital
<[link removed]>



“Four people, including two Islamic State (IS) attackers, were killed during
a suicide bombing carried out by the terror group in Yemen's capital Sanaa, the
Houthi militia has confirmed. The incident occurred when the Houthi forces
intercepted a public minibus carrying two IS members and prompted the two
individuals to detonate the bombs on them, Xinhua news agency quoted the
Houthi-run al-Masirah TV as saying in a report on Friday. The explosion killed
the two IS members and two civilians who were also on the minibus, it added.
The specific location of the incident was not revealed. Years of conflicts in
Yemen have provided space for various terrorist groups, including the Al Qaeda
in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the IS.”



Lebanon



AFP News: Hezbollah, Hamas Chiefs Meet In Beirut: Statement
<[link removed]>



“The leaders of the armed movements Hezbollah and Hamas have met in Beirut to
discuss "the readiness of the axis of resistance" against Israel, a Hezbollah
statement said Sunday. Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Palestinian Islamist
movement Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, has been in the Lebanese capital
since Wednesday. Israel blamed Hamas for firing 34 rockets the following day
toward its territory from southern Lebanon, the stronghold of the Iran-backed
Shiite movement Hezbollah. Israel's army retaliated early Friday with strikes
on both southern Lebanon and Gaza, after rockets targeting Israel were also
fired from the coastal enclave.”



Middle East



Outlook India: Israel: Tourist Killed In Tel Aviv In 2nd Attack In 24 Hours
Amid High Tensions
<[link removed]>



“…Hamas’s preferred methods include suicide bombings, rocket and mortar
attacks, shootings, and kidnappings,’ says think tank Counter Extremism Project
(CEP) about Hamas. The CEP adds that Hamas also receives financial and military
support from Iran and Qatar has also provided significant funding for the
group. Hamas is also known to carry out car attacks, the kind of which killed
the Italian tourist in Tel Aviv on Friday night.”



Outlook India: Two Israelis Killed In West Bank, Third Wounded In Shooting
Amid Rising Tensions
<[link removed]>



“…Hamas’s preferred methods include suicide bombings, rocket and mortar
attacks, shootings, and kidnappings,’ says think tank Counter Extremism Project
(CEP) about Hamas. The CEP adds that Hamas also receives financial and military
support from Iran and Qatar has also provided significant funding for the
group.”



Outlook India: Israel Launches Airstrikes In Lebanon, Gaza After Dozens Of
Rockets Fired Into Israel, Tensions High In Region
<[link removed]>



“…The group also receives financial and military support from Iran. Qatar has
also provided significant funding for the group...Hamas’s preferred methods
include suicide bombings, rocket and mortar attacks, shootings, and
kidnappings,’ says think tank Counter Extremism Project (CEP) about Hamas.”



AFP News: Palestinian Militants Announce Killing Of 'Traitor'
<[link removed]>



“The Palestinian militant group Lions' Den announced Sunday the extrajudicial
killing of a ‘traitor’ in the occupied West Bank. The group based in the
northern city of Nablus said a ‘traitor’ had been ‘liquidated’, in a Telegram
post which gave no further details of their identity or activities. Palestinian
public body the Independent Commission for Human Rights also said a man who had
been ‘accused of spying for the Israeli occupation’ had been killed on Saturday
evening. A security source in Nablus, who requested anonymity due to
sensitivities surrounding the case, told AFP that the man was shot dead in the
Old City. The source identified the person killed as the same man who appeared
in a video circulating on social media, which AFP was not able to verify,
confessing to spying on the militant group for Israel.”



Nigeria



Reuters: Armed Gangs Kill 74 In Nigeria's Benue State
<[link removed]>



“At least 74 people were killed in Nigeria's Benue state in two separate
attacks by gunmen this week, local officials and police said on Saturday, the
latest clashes in an area where violence between pastoralists and farmers is
common. Violence has increased in recent years as population growth leads to an
expansion of the area dedicated to farming, leaving less land available for
open grazing by nomads' cattle herds. Benue state police spokesperson Catherine
Anene said 28 bodies were recovered at a camp for internally displaced people
in Mgban local government area between Friday evening and Saturday morning. It
was not immediately clear what triggered the attack but witnesses said gunmen
arrived and started shooting, killing several people.”



Reuters: Gunmen Kidnap 80, Including Children, In Northwest Nigeria
<[link removed]>



“Gunmen abducted at least 80 people, mostly women and children, in Nigeria's
Zamfara state, a hotspot for kidnappings for ransom by armed gangs targeting
remote villages, residents said on Saturday. Gangs of armed men have attacked
hundreds of local communities across northwestern Nigeria in recent years,
while Islamist militants continue to stage attacks in the northeast. The latest
kidnapping took place on Friday in Wanzamai village in Tsafe local government
area in Zamfara, three residents said. Zamfara is one of the states most
affected by kidnappings.”



Somalia



Garowe Online: Al-Shabaab Commander's Son Arrested In Costa Rica
<[link removed]>



“Authorities in Costa Rica have arrested the son of a senior commander of
Somalia, a terror group that controls large swathes of rural central and
southern Somalia. Lutrnan Warsame Farah, the eldest son of the high-ranking
senior leader of Al Shabaab, a Somali terrorist group, was arrested and
detained in Costa Rica where he had been staying in hotels using false
identities and a Swedish passport belonging to someone else, reports indicate.
According to reports, Farah was traced and deported to Guatemala by the
National Intelligence and Security Agency [DIS] but was sent back to Costa
Rica. Already, the Federal Bureau of Investigations [FBI] had warned that
Al-Shabaab could be having a presence in Costa Rica following the screening.”



Garowe Online: Somalia: Al-Shabaab And ISIS Clash In Al Miskaad Mountains,
Barri Region
<[link removed]>



“An informed source who spoke to Garowe Online (GO) has reported an ongoing
escalation of conflict between the terrorist groups Al-Shabaab and ISIS in the
Al Miskaad Mountains of the Barri region. Reports indicate that the fighting
occurred yesterday in villages surrounding Dhadar, with ISIS being the
instigator. The ISIS group, which has reportedly gained strength in recent
months, attacked Al-Shabaab's positions in the Barri region mountains.
According to locals who spoke with GO, they witnessed foreigners among the
fighters using war vehicles by the ISIS group in the conflict. In a separate
but related incident, a fatal hand grenade attack targeted the Almacräuf any
headquarters in Bosaso. One casualty has been reported, with a fire breaking
out in the building. A person was found burnt inside the Al-Maruf shop after an
attack known groups last night. Search operations continue, as more victims may
be inside. Shoppers were reportedly present during the attack. A security
officer, who chose to remain anonymous, has linked the incident to ISIS in the
Barri region.”



Garowe Online: Somalia: Al-Shabaab Attack Kills Two Guards At Minister's Home
In Mogadishu
<[link removed]>



“A government minister's house was targeted by suspected Al-Shabaab militants
on Sunday evening, in an attack that comes amid increased surveillance in
Mogadishu, as the country prepares for the second and final phase of operations
against Al-Shabaab. The mortar attack on Sunday evening, police said, targeted
Abdirizak Omar Mohamed, the Minister of Petroleum, whose home is located within
the presidential palace in the capital Mogadishu. His two bodyguards died on
spot and two others were critically injured, eyewitnesses said. Mogadishu has
been fairly safe in recent weeks but the Al-Shabaab militants usually carry out
sporadic retaliatory attacks, mostly targeting members of the public; senior
government officials, and members of the Somali National Army and other
military affiliates.”



Mali



AFP News: Suspected Jihadists Kill Five In Mali
<[link removed]>



“Suspected jihadists killed five people at a checkpoint in southern Mali on
Thursday, a senior official in the regional governorate said. At dawn, ‘an
armed terrorist group’ attacked the Nossombougou checkpoint a few dozen
kilometres (miles) north of the capital Bamako, the official said, asking not
to be named. Two gendarmes, a policeman and two civilians -- one a Senegalese
driver -- died in the attack, he said. Mali has been battling a security and
political crisis since jihadist and separatist insurgencies broke out in the
north in 2012.”



Africa



Associated Press: More Than 30 Civilians Killed By Islamic Extremists In Congo
<[link removed]>



“More than 30 people were killed in a string of attacks by extremist rebels
in eastern Congo, a local human rights organization said. Men, women and
children were killed by the Allied Democratic Forces — which has ties to the
Islamic State group — between the Irumu and Mambasa territories in Congo’s
Ituri province, Christophe Munyanderu, coordinator for the Convention for the
Respect of Human Rights, told reporters. ‘In this area there are several
farmers who were killed and the death toll of 31 people is only provisional
because there are many bodies, which have not yet been found,’ he said. The
attacks occurred on Monday and Tuesday and were followed by subsequent fighting
in other villages, he said. Violence has been simmering in eastern Congo for
decades where some 120 armed groups have been fighting over land, resources,
power and some to defend their communities.”



The Washington Post: At Least 25 People Abducted By Gunmen In Western Cameroon
<[link removed]>



“At least 25 people were abducted during a week of attacks by armed men in
western Cameroon, local officials said Thursday. The kidnappings by gang
members took place in several villages in Ako district along the Nigerian
border, Patrick Kernyuy Tah, the top official in Ako, said. “Several hundred
people fled the attacks by unidentified gunmen in Abafum, Akwancha and Abutu
villages,” he said. The government has deployed the military to rescue those
abducted and help the injured, he said. Local residents have been calling on
Cameroon authorities to increase security in the area, as armed gangs operate
on both sides of the border. While it’s unclear who is responsible for the
abductions, officials believe it could be ethnic Fulani herders from Nigeria, a
largely Muslim semi-nomadic group who regularly cross into Cameroon with their
cattle and clash with farmers.”



United Kingdom



iNews: Northern Ireland Police Brace For Huge Security Operation After
‘Disrupting Terror Plot’ Before Biden Visit
<[link removed]>



“…Ian Acheson, a counter-terrorism expert, said the PSNI was concerned about
a small minority of Easter Monday parades being dissident republican propaganda
exercises “designed to undermine rule of law but also – potentially – to draw
officers into confrontations that can be used as a cover to murder police
officers”. “So dissident republicans will have a propaganda coup probably no
matter how police act. I imagine then that tactically the best approach by
police, especially with un-notified – therefore illegal – parades is a discreet
presence, evidence gathering and arrest operations afterwards. Not perfect in
the minds of plenty of people, particularly victims of terrorism, who are
re-traumatised by the glorification of terrorism but probably the least worst
approach.“But as ever, those wanting confrontation have the initiative, so the
difference between plans and what happens on the day could be great. And
always, it is crucial to remember… 99 per cent of people will, like all over
rest of UK, be enjoying the bank holiday.”



iNews: Good Friday Agreement Anniversary: Hundreds Of Police Sent To NI Amid
‘Very Strong’ Terror Threat
<[link removed]>



“…Ian Acheson, a counter-terrorism expert, told i: “Dissident republican
terrorists seem likely, according to the intelligence, to stage what used to be
called a ‘come on.’ “That means a confrontation will be engineered, probably
around a march commemorating Easter 1916 [the uprising against British rule
which led to 16 republican leaders being executed], that will draw in police
officers. “Isolating police officers to target them for murder is a real
possibility. “That might mean a substantial, but restrained police response to
disorder including provocative paramilitary displays by dissident republicans
which will inevitably be criticised as ‘appeasement.’ “However, from a tactical
as well as a moral standpoint a murdered police officer during an iconic moment
would be a catastrophe.” Mr Acheson believes such a terror attack can be
avoided but that police in Northern Ireland will have to react to “changing
dynamics” as they happen, adding: “There simply aren’t enough of them on the
ground to do anything more in any case.”



Reuters: Petrol Bombs Thrown At Northern Irish Police On Eve Of Biden Visit
<[link removed]>



“A number of masked people attacked a police vehicle with petrol bombs and
other objects at a parade opposing the Good Friday peace accord in Londonderry,
police said on Monday, a day before U.S. President Joe Biden visits Belfast. A
Reuters photograph showed four young people in the mainly Irish nationalist
area of Creggan throwing petrol bombs at an armoured police vehicle, which was
covered in flames on one side. The crowd dispersed shortly afterwards, and
police said nobody was injured. ‘What we saw develop this afternoon in Creggan
was incredibly disheartening,’ said Derry City & Strabane Area Chief
Superintendent Commander Nigel Goddard. ‘This was a senseless and reckless
attack on our officers who were in attendance in the area in order to comply
with our legal duties,’ he added.”



Europe



Voice Of America News: US Lawmakers Urge EU To Declare Iran’s Revolutionary
Guards A Terrorist Group
<[link removed].>



“A bipartisan group of more than 130 U.S. Congress members have signed a
joint letter calling on the European Union to designate Iran’s Revolutionary
Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. In the letter addressed to EU foreign
policy chief Josep Borrell, the lawmakers said Iran is ‘a leading state sponsor
of terror’ and that for decades the IRGC ‘has freely and openly carried out
plots targeting citizens in countries across the EU.’ ‘We understand the legal
complexities involved in designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization
pursuant to EU law Common Position 931, and fully appreciate the need for this
decision to be adjudicated by either a judicial or ‘equivalent competent
authority,’ the lawmakers said. ‘But given the growing threat Iran poses to EU
member states and their citizens, we urge you to treat this issue with the
utmost urgency.’ The letter also cites a study by the Combating Terrorism
Center at West Point stating Iran ‘instigated at least 33 plots to surveil,
abduct, or assassinate citizens in Europe’ during the past five years.”



Kurdistan24: Estonia To Deploy Over 100 Troops To Erbil As Part Of Anti-ISIS
Coalition
<[link removed]>


“More than 100 Estonian soldiers will be deployed to the Kurdistan Region as
part of the international coalition against ISIS, the country’s defense
ministry announced. Consisting of special operations forces, a logistics
support element, and staff officers, the contingent will be deployed for six
months in Erbil, according to the ministry’s statement, which was reported by
the Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR News). Estonian troops will join the
4,000 Coalition troops stationed at a base near the Erbil International
Airport, and take responsibility for securing the military site, a role the
Dutch army had previously held, according to the statement. ‘The Allies
proposed sending units to Iraq nearly two months ago. Now we are in a position
to deploy our troops after completing the necessary trainings,’ said Commander
of the Estonian Defense Forces, General Martin Herem.”



Canada



CBC: RCMP Arrest 3 Canadian Women After Repatriation From Camps In
Northeastern Syria
<[link removed])-,The%20RCMP%20have%20arrested%20three%20Canadian%20women%20in%20Montreal%20after,police%20force%20hasn't%20named.>



“The RCMP have arrested three Canadian women in Montreal after the government
repatriated them from a northeastern Syria camp for ISIS suspects and their
families. The RCMP said it's seeking a terrorism peace bond against Ammara
Amjad, Dure Ahmed and a 38-year-old third woman the police force hasn't named.
Amjad and Ahmed appeared in an Ontario court by videoconference on Thursday for
a bail hearing, but it was adjourned. The third woman appeared virtually at an
Alberta court for a bail hearing.”



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