Eye on Extremism
April 20, 2023
AFP News: 24 Killed In Two Attacks In Burkina Faso: Security Sources
“At least 24 people including civilian defence volunteers were killed Tuesday in two attacks by suspected jihadists in Burkina Faso, security and local sources told AFP Wednesday. The deadliest attack took place in a village in Bittou, near the Togolese and Ghanaian borders, according to one local official, who said 16 auxiliary soldiers and four civilians were killed. He said that several were still missing. ‘More than a dozen terrorists were killed in response to the attack,’ he added.”
CNN: US Afghanistan Watchdog Tells Congress He Can’t Guarantee American Aid Is ‘Not Currently Funding The Taliban’
“The US government’s Afghanistan watchdog told lawmakers Wednesday that he cannot say with certainty that US aid to the country is ‘not currently funding the Taliban.’ ‘While I agree, and we all agree Afghanistan faces a dire humanitarian and economic situation, it is critical that our assistance not be diverted by the Taliban,’ John Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), told the House Oversight Committee. ‘Unfortunately, as I sit here today, I cannot assure this committee or the American taxpayer we are not currently funding the Taliban. ‘Nor can I assure you that the Taliban are not diverting the money we are sending from the intended recipients, which are the poor Afghan people,’ he said. ‘I would just say, I haven’t seen a starving Taliban fighter on TV, they all seem to be fat, dumb, and happy,’ Sopko later added. ‘I see a lot of starving Afghan children on TV, so I’m wondering where all this funding is going.’”
United States
Associated Press: Michigan Man Linked To Extremist Group Pleads Guilty
“A Detroit-area man linked to an anti-government group and arrested just before the fall election pleaded guilty Wednesday to gun-related charges. Timothy Teagan had attended various rallies with an AR-style rifle while dressed in a Hawaiian shirt, clothing favored by the Boogaloo Boys, a group bracing for a U.S. civil war. Teagan, however, did not face terrorism charges. Rather, he pleaded guilty to concealing his chronic use of marijuana when applying for a gun purchase and possessing a firearm and ammunition while being a drug user, both federal crimes. Prosecutors will recommend a 13-month prison term when Teagan returns to federal court on Aug. 16, according to the plea agreement. He will get credit for his time spent in custody since his arrest.”
BBC: Charlottesville Torch Marchers Face Criminal Charges Six Years Later
“The men are charged with burning an object with the intent to intimidate. Hundreds of protesters carrying torches marched at the start of the ‘Unite the Right’ rally in August 2017. The events brought together far-right and white-nationalist groups. One protester was killed in the violence that followed. The men were named in court documents as William Zachary Smith of Texas, Tyler Bradley Dykes of South Carolina, and Dallas Medina of Ohio. The charge carries a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison. The three men were indicted by a grand jury in February, but court records were only unsealed this week.”
Syria
Daily Sabah: Security Forces Eliminate 18 Terrorists In Syria, Iraq In Last 3 Days
“Turkish security forces have eliminated 18 terrorists in northern Syria and Iraq in the past three days, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Wednesday. Speaking at an iftar dinner in Kayseri province, Akar underlined Türkiye’s struggle against terrorism and said that the fight against terror continues resolutely. Akar also highlighted that members have been increasingly fleeing the terrorist organization. ‘Let alone the terrorists themselves, the organization is dying,’ he added.”
The Times Of Israel: IDF Said To Hit Sites Belonging To Hezbollah In Southern Syria, Then Drop Flyers
“The Israel Defense Forces dropped threatening pamphlets in southern Syria on Wednesday, warning Syrian soldiers to stop cooperating with Hezbollah, an opposition journalist reported, hours after Israel reportedly conducted artillery strikes on sites belonging to the Iran-backed group. The flyers, which were written in Arabic and addressed to Syrian Army soldiers, matched the style of similar leaflets that have been dropped in Syria in the past. The IDF refused to comment on the matter. In the pamphlet, the Israeli military appeared to take responsibility for the overnight strikes. The IDF usually does not publicly acknowledge carrying out strikes in Syria, under its general policy of ambiguity regarding its efforts against Hezbollah in the country.”
Iraq
Anadolu Agency: Türkiye 'Neutralizes' 6 PKK Terrorists In Northern Iraq
“Turkish security forces ‘neutralized’ six PKK terrorists in northern Iraq, authorities said on Wednesday. The terrorists were targeted in Iraq’s Gara region, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said in a statement. Turkish authorities use the term ‘neutralize’ to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured. Ankara has been carrying out several anti-terror offensives in northern Iraq to root out terrorists who hide in these areas and plot cross-border attacks on Türkiye.”
Turkey
Daily Sabah: PKK Member Caught In Konya Admits To Terror Attack Plan
“A PKK member caught in central Konya province admitted on Wednesday to having planned a terrorist attack on police forces in the city. Terrorist Gülda Bebek was caught through the coordination of the Intelligence department of the police force in February in Konya. As a result, an investigation was launched in Diyarbakır province on the terrorist for ‘being a member of an armed terrorist organization.’ Within the scope of the investigation carried out by the Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, Bebek stated in her police statement that she went to an organization member in Iran three days before coming to Türkiye in 2022 and that this person assured her that a place for her to stay had been arranged in Konya.”
Al-Monitor: Turkey Detains Six Islamic State, Al-Qaeda Suspects
“Turkish police have detained six foreign nationals over their suspected links to the Islamic State and al-Qaeda in an anti-terror operation in Istanbul, local news outlets reported Wednesday. The suspects are believed to have ties with conflict zones in Syria and Iraq. They were rounded up during simultaneous raids at 10 different hideouts across seven Istanbul neighborhoods. Digital material and documents found in the hideouts were confiscated.”
Middle East
i24 News: West Bank: Terrorist Shoots At Public Bus, No Casualties Reported
“A public bus was shot at by a terrorist in the West Bank on Wednesday evening, with no casualties initially reported. ‘I say clearly to the terrorists who shoot in the dead of night at a civilian bus on a main road, those terrorists from the Palestinian Authority – you will never break us,’ said Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council. ‘The settlements in [the West Bank] and all of Israel will develop even more. We are Jews, we believe in goodness, we will add more buildings, more roads, and we will win.’ ‘I call on the government and demand that the security strategy be changed, it is impossible to continue doing almost the same as the previous government on the security level,’ he continued.”
Nigeria
Vanguard: Kaduna: 1,266 Killed; 4,973 Kidnapped By Terrorists In 15 Months
“In Kaduna State, 1,266 persons were killed and 4,973 kidnapped by terrorists in the last 15 months, the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, has said. Aruwan spoke today while presenting the security report of the first quarter of 2023 and the entire 2022 security situation in Kaduna State. He said the victims were killed and others kidnapped as a result of banditry, terrorism, violent attacks, reprisals and communal clashes in various local government areas in the state. In 2022 a total of 1,052 were killed, while 4,227 were kidnapped, he said.”
Somalia
Garowe Online: Somalia Army Liberates More Villages From Al-Shabaab
“The Somali National Army [SNA] has continued to liberate more villages in troubled Somalia, with the government now set to unveil the second phase of operations against the militants whose huge presence in central and southern Somalia has been a thorn in the flesh according to security analysts. At Lower Shabelle, the military continued with operations uninterrupted, targeting strategic villages which are fundamental for the fight against Al-Shabaab. The villages Have previously been under the lethal administration of Al-Shabaab which uses threats and intimidation to govern people. Some of the villages which were captured include Jowhar Awdhegle, Ay-Butey, Gumeysidid, Kali Cafimad, and Buulo-Nagey, under the districts of Awdheegle, Janalle, and Number 50. The Military has been wrestling against the militants for the last 16 years, making tremendous progress in the process.”
Garowe Online: Somalia Army Repulses Al-Shabaab Raid On Base
“The Somali National Army [SNA] on Wednesday repulsed an Al-Shabaab attack at a military base North of Mogadishu, state media confirmed, in what comes amid ongoing military operations in the country. State media said the attack was repulsed in Budbud village within the fragile Galgaduud in central Somalia, where the militants have been trying to expand their territory following sustained military attacks. The military has been trying to gain more access to central regions in the ongoing operations. The Al-Shabaab militants suffered heavy casualties during the fierce gunfight with the military teams, senior SNA officers told the state media.”
Mali
Associated Press: Cattle Raiding By Jihadis Soars In Mali, Fuels Conflict
“Ayouba Ag Nadroun was at the market in central Mali in March when Islamic extremists attacked his village, killing dozens of people and stealing about $10,000 worth of his cows and camels. ‘We lost everything,’ the 62-year-old told The Associated Press by phone from the Menaka region in the West African nation. Cattle raiding by Islamic extremists is soaring at unprecedented levels in Mali, with jihadis linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group stealing millions of dollars’ worth of cattle to buy weapons and vehicles to fund their insurgency across the war-torn West African country and region below the Sahara Desert, known as the Sahel. As jihadis gain control of more territory, looting is increasing and fueling conflict among already impoverished communities fighting to keep their families fed and alive, according to a recent report by The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.”
Africa
Voice of America News: Cameroon’s Large-Scale Boko Haram Attacks Leave Thousands Homeless
“Officials on Cameroon's northern border with Nigeria say Boko Haram militants in the past week destroyed hundreds of homes in large-scale attacks that killed at least six villagers and two soldiers, and left thousands homeless. Cameroon's government says troops retaliated Wednesday morning and killed at least 12 militants. Officials in Cameroon’s Mayo-Moskota district, on the border with Nigeria’s Borno state, say hundreds of Boko Haram fighters launched deadly attacks on villages over the past five days. Cameroon’s military says six civilians and two government troops were killed in the attacks and the militants stole two military jeeps and some ammunition.”
United Kingdom
BBC: Gavin Coyle: Man Pleads Guilty To PSNI Car Bomb Terror Charges
“Gavin Coyle, 45, from Mullaghmore Drive in Omagh, appeared before Belfast Crown Court on Wednesday. He admitted to membership of the IRA and a fresh charge of providing a car knowing it would be used for the purposes of terrorism. The officer was off-duty when a bomb exploded under his car. It happened as he made his way to work at Spamount, near Castlederg on 12 May 2008. Gavin Coyle faces two other charges - of attempted murder and causing an explosion likely to endanger life. A prosecuting barrister told Judge Patricia Smyth that there would be no action at this stage in relation to those two charges, but that they were ‘not likely to trouble the court’. Gavin Coyle was granted bail and is to reappear before the court on 16 June for a plea hearing.”
Europe
Daily Sabah: Greek Cyprus To Extradite PKK Terrorist To Germany On Condition
“The Greek Cypriot Administration has agreed to extradite a terrorist PKK member to Germany on the condition that he is not handed over to Türkiye and serves a potential sentence given by a German court in Greek Cyprus, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported Wednesday. The Larnaca district court ruled that the terrorist, identified as 49-year-old Kenan Ayaz, would be extradited to Germany. Michalis Papathanasiou, the president of the district court in Larnaca, noted that according to evidence presented before the court, no evidence suggests that Ayaz would be extradited to Türkiye from Germany. The PKK terrorist has been living in Greek Cyprus since 2013, and was arrested at Larnaca Airport as he was heading to Sweden to see family members last month.”
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