“Defence has received the largest share of funds in Afghanistan's budget as the
Taliban government aims to boost forces by a third and build anti-aircraft
missile capacity, the army chief told Reuters in a rare interview to foreign
media. The defence ambitions of the Taliban, which took over in 2021, come in
the face of strong international criticism of its policies, such as
restrictions on work and education for women, that have hampered steps towards
diplomatic recognition. In his remarks on Tuesday, Qari Fasihuddin Fitrat, a
Taliban commander from the northern region of Badakhshan and the chief of army
staff, condemned incursions by foreign drones into Afghan airspace. Defence
forces now numbering 150,000 are targeted to be increased by 50,000, he said,
speaking in his office in the highly fortified defence ministry in Kabul, the
capital, although he did not reveal the precise figure of the funds.”











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Eye on Extremism



April 13, 2023



Reuters: Taliban Aim To Boost Afghan Security Forces, Anti-Aircraft Capacity
-Army Chief
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“Defence has received the largest share of funds in Afghanistan's budget as
the Taliban government aims to boost forces by a third and build anti-aircraft
missile capacity, the army chief told Reuters in a rare interview to foreign
media. The defence ambitions of the Taliban, which took over in 2021, come in
the face of strong international criticism of its policies, such as
restrictions on work and education for women, that have hampered steps towards
diplomatic recognition. In his remarks on Tuesday, Qari Fasihuddin Fitrat, a
Taliban commander from the northern region of Badakhshan and the chief of army
staff, condemned incursions by foreign drones into Afghan airspace. Defence
forces now numbering 150,000 are targeted to be increased by 50,000, he said,
speaking in his office in the highly fortified defence ministry in Kabul, the
capital, although he did not reveal the precise figure of the funds.”



CNN: US Forces Capture ‘ISIS Attack Facilitator’ In Helicopter Raid In Syria
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“US forces captured an ISIS operative and two of his associates in eastern
Syria on Saturday evening, the US military announced on Wednesday. The
operative, Hudayfah al Yemeni, is an ‘ISIS attack facilitator,’ a news release
from US Central Command said. He and his associates were captured by US forces
during a helicopter raid on Saturday. Their capture will ‘disrupt’ ISIS’
‘ability to plot and carry out operations,’ according to the release.
‘Operations against ISIS are important for the security and stability of the
region,’ Col. Joe Buccino, a CENTCOM spokesperson, said in the release on
Wednesday. ‘ISIS remains a threat to the region and beyond – the group retains
the capability to conduct operations in Iraq and Syria with a desire to strike
beyond the Middle East, and its vile ideology remains a threat. Operations such
as this one reaffirms our commitment to the enduring defeat of ISIS.’”



Syria



Kurdistan 24: ISIS Attacks In Syria Doubled From Previous Month: Rojava
Information Centre
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“In March, ISIS carried out 20 sleeper cell attacks, five of which were
claimed by the terrorist group, according to a new monthly report by the
Syria-based Rojava Information Centre (RIC). ISIS attacks resulted in the death
of seven military personnel and one civilian injured in March, while four
military personnel and four civilians were killed in February, marking a
troubling trend of increased attacks and fatalities in just one month. In
addition, eight shepherds were kidnapped in the same month. The majority of
attacks took place in Arab-majority Deir-ez-Zor province, indicating the
continued strength of ISIS in that region.”



Iraq



The Jerusalem Post: Palestinian Islamic Jihad Delegation Visits Baghdad Ahead
Of Quds Day <[link removed]>



“A delegation of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist movement visited
Baghdad on Wednesday at the invitation of Iraqi officials. The delegation was
led by the movement's secretary-general, Ziyad al-Nakhala, and was set to meet
with Iraqi officials and personalities, including Iraqi President Abdul Latif
Rashid. The delegation additionally met with the Iranian ambassador to Iraq,
Mohammad Kazem Al Sadeq. According to a statement by the movement, ‘the
delegation will hold discussions on the latest Palestinian and Arab
developments and ways to support the resistance in Palestine, especially in
Jerusalem, in the face of the Zionist attacks and the storming of al-Aqsa
Mosque.’”



Afghanistan



WTOP News: The Hunt: Terror Groups’ Humanitarian Theft And Boasting Draw
Scrutiny
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“New evidence is emerging that terrorist groups operating in Afghanistan are
stealing humanitarian donations intended for people suffering from disasters.
Also, social media companies are turning a blind eye to their terrorist
activities. In this week’s episode of ‘The Hunt with WTOP national security
correspondent J.J. Green,’ Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director at the
Counter Extremism Project, said both are glaring problems.”



Pakistan



Voice Of America News: Pakistan Will Hit Terror Hideouts Inside Afghanistan,
Defense Minister Warns Kabul
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“Pakistan’s defense minister, Khawaja Asif, has said that Islamabad has
warned the Afghan Taliban it will strike terrorist hideouts inside Afghanistan
if the de facto rulers in Kabul are unable to rein in anti-Pakistan militants.
In an exclusive interview with Voice of America, Asif said in his late-February
visit to Afghanistan that he reminded Taliban leaders to live up to their
cross-border security commitments forbidding terrorists from using Afghan soil
to plan and conduct attacks on Pakistan or Islamabad will take action. ‘If that
is not done, at some point we’ll have to ... resort to some measures, which
will definitely — wherever [terrorists] are, their sanctuaries on Afghan soil —
we’ll have to hit them,’ he said. ‘We'll have to hit them because we cannot
tolerate this situation for long.’ Since the Afghan Taliban’s August 2021
takeover of Kabul, Pakistan has seen a resurgence in terror attacks led by
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or the TTP, an ideological offshoot and ally of the
Afghan Taliban.”



Dawn: Three Militants Dead, Six Held In KP Security Operations
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“An intense exchange of fire took place between security forces and militants
during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Loesum area of Bajaur,
where, according to local officials, three militants were gunned down. A
statement later issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the
military’s media wing, confirmed the developments. ‘During conduct of the
operation, an exchange of fire took place between security forces and the
militants. Three militants were killed,’ the statement read, adding that
weapons and ammunition were also recovered from them. It stated that the
militants were actively involved in activities against security forces as well
as extortion and targeted killing of innocent citizens.”



Middle East



The Jerusalem Post: Police Thwarted Stabbing Attack In Jerusalem During
Passover <[link removed]>



“Israel Police thwarted a stabbing attack planned by a resident of east
Jerusalem during Passover, police announced on Thursday. The suspect, a
37-year-old man from the A-Tur neighborhood, was arrested in the Old City of
Jerusalem while he was wearing a mask, and it was revealed that he was
violating restrictions placed on him after he put up the flag of a terrorist
organization on the Temple Mount. After his arrest, he was transferred for
further questioning and it was discovered that he intended to carry out a
stabbing attack in Jerusalem, using a knife he planned to take from his
workplace. The suspect was brought to a court on Wednesday night and his
detention was extended until April 17.”



Nigeria



Vanguard: Terrorists Attack Kaduna Community, Kill 9
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“Again, terrorists killed 9 including 4 local vigilante members at the Sabon
Layi community, Birnin Gwari Local government area of Kaduna State on Wednesday
morning. Locals said they saw the terrorists patrolling the affected community
on Tuesday, but there were no security operatives to chase them away. According
to a BBC Hausa report monitored by our correspondent on Wednesday, many locals
were kidnapped in the area, while livestock belonging to the locals was rustled
by the terrorists. The Kaduna State Ministry of Internal Security said it was
still compiling details of the incident, but military jets had since reached
the community, to forestall further attacks.”



Somalia



Garowe Online: Somalia's Special Forces Recapture Strategic Village From
Al-Shabaab
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“Somalia's elite Danab Special Forces captured one of the most strategic
villages within Galmadug, the military said, in what would tremendously help
the military in pursuing the militants in the remaining parts of the central
state which has been home to thousands of terrorists. According to the
military, the elite forces managed to recapture Ali Afrah village which is
situated near the recently liberated Gal'ad town within the Galgadud area. It
is within Galgadud that the government of Somalia has invested in the fight
against Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda-linked group. Participating in the crackdown
were also the Turkish-trained Gorgor soldiers whose name is derived from Eagle.
The Danab Special Forces [lightning] are trained and equipped by the US Africa
Command and are known for engaging in sophisticated operations across the
country.”



Africa



AFP News: IS Jihadists Take Key Northeastern Village In Mali
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“Jihadists affiliated to Islamic State group have taken Tidermene in Mali,
further isolating the regional capital Menaka, officials and witnesses told AFP
Wednesday, in a region that has fallen almost entirely under their control.
Tidermene's fall follows months of fighting by Islamic State in the Greater
Sahara (ISGS) to seize the northeastern village of a few thousand inhabitants
some 75 kilometres (47 miles) north of Menaka. All the region's main
administrative subdivisions are now under the group's control. The village was
captured Monday night.”



Al Arabiya: Suspected Extremist Kills Self In Moroccan Prison
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“A suspected Moroccan extremist arrested in the killing of a police officer
took his own life in prison on Wednesday, the kingdom’s prison authority said.
The man, suspected to be affiliated with ISIS, was among three arrested on
March 15 over the killing of an officer whose charred body was found earlier
that month near Casablanca. The suspect died by suicide at the prison in Sale,
near the capital Rabat, where he was taken on March 27, the prison authority
said, adding that the relevant prosecutor and his family had been informed.
According to the initial findings of the investigation, the three suspects had
pledged allegiance to ISIS and ‘were determined to take part in a terrorist
plan” by killing a police officer, a statement from the DGSN security said at
the time of their arrest.’”



United Kingdom



Sky News: Supporters Of Sikh Separatists 'Misusing' UK Asylum System To Help
Terrorism, Says India
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“At a meeting in New Delhi between British and Indian officials, the Indian
government said it ‘conveyed its concerns on the misuse of UK's asylum status
by the pro-Khalistani elements to aid and abet terrorist activities in India
and requested better cooperation with the UK’. It follows violent scenes at the
Indian High Commission in London last month which saw its windows smashed and a
Khalistani flag replace India's national flag, also known as the tricolour.
Those behind the protests are believed to be Khalistani supporters, or Sikh
separatists, who wish to establish a new breakaway state in Punjab, north
India. India denounced the demonstrations as a ‘breach of security’, while UK
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said security at the building would be
reviewed following ‘unacceptable acts of violence’ towards staff.”



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