Eye on Extremism

May 12, 2023 

CNN: Israel Suffers First Rocket Death In Clash With Islamic Jihad That Has Left At Least 30 Palestinians Dead

“A rocket launched from the Gaza Strip hit a residential building in Israel on Thursday, causing the first Israeli death after days of violence between the two sides that had already claimed at least 30 Palestinian lives. The rocket hit a four-storey apartment building in Rehovot, south of Tel Aviv, and wounded five people, the Magen David Adom medical service (MDA) said. ‘MDA Paramedics have pronounced one victim dead with severe shrapnel wounds, and evacuated 5 victims, including a 74-year-old male, and a 50-year-old male, two females in their 70s in moderate condition, and one in mild condition. Two further victims were evacuated with stress symptoms,’ MDA said in a statement. ‘When we arrived on scene we saw massive destruction, we immediately went in to search the apartments, in a third floor apartment we found an unconscious male victim with a severe multi-trauma injury, and could only pronounce him dead,’ said Magen David Adom (MDA) EMTs Yedidya Hakmon and Tomer Pashko.”

Garowe Online: Somalia's Govt Forces Inflict Casualties On Al-Shabaab In Offensive

“The Somali National Army [SNA] continued with operations against Al-Shabaab militants, inflicting serious losses on the group in Lower Shabelle, top official confirmed, in the latest crackdown activated by the federal forces in southern Somalia. Multiple sources within the army said at least five militants were killed in the region with three others sustaining serious bullet wounds as the army struct Awdheele, Johar, and Aybutey villages where the militants were hiding in the dangerous Lower Shabelle belt within Somalia. Major Nur Mohamed Gaboow, the man in charge of the operations said the army acted following a tip-off from members of the public, leading to the successful outing. He urged members of the public to continue working with the army as they seek to liberate the rest of the country from the militants. For the last seven months, SNA with the help of the US Africa Command, the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS], and local militia have managed to liberate several strategic towns from the militants.”

Recent CEP Press Releases 

• New CEP Report: Extremism In Erdoğan’s AKP
• Nigeria Continues To Battle Islamist Extremists Despite Large-Scale Defections And Deradicalization Efforts 
• Policy Brief: Islamist Groups Thriving In Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan
• Extremist Content Online: Instagram Accounts Used To Promote Far-Right Groups And Spread Pro-ISIS Content 

• Erdoğan Claims Turkish Operation Killed Global ISIS Chief

United States

The Hill: Bipartisan Congressional Group Calls For US Allies To Label Iranian Army As Terror Group

“A bipartisan coalition of congressional lawmakers on Thursday sent letters to the heads of Australia, India, the U.K. and Canada to urge the U.S.-allied nations to designate the Iranian army as a terrorist group. Twenty-two Republican and Democratic lawmakers signed the letters, which were addressed and sent individually to the four countries. The letters put renewed pressure on the allied countries to officially join the U.S. in labeling the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in its entirety as a terrorist organization.

‘The Islamic Republic of Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism and the IRGC is the central core of the country’s terrorist operations at home and abroad,’ lawmakers wrote.”

Lebanon

Associated Press: US Authorities Take Down 13 Hezbollah-Affiliated Web Domains

“U.S. authorities have seized over a dozen website domains used by sanctioned associates, businesses, and charities of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, the Department of Justice announced Thursday. Washington has listed the Iran-backed group as a terrorist organization, and has slapped sanctions on its members, associates, and affiliated businesses and charities over the years. The 13 seized website domains include multiple domains for the group’s al-Manar television, as well as URLs for top officials, deputy secretary general Naim Kassem, senior officials Ibrahim al-Sayed and Ali Damush, as well as affiliated charities the Martyrs’ Foundation and the Emdad Committee for Islamic Charity. The websites are no longer accessible, and only an image from American authorities announcing that they have taken the domain name appears. Al-Manar’s main web address, a Lebanese domain, is still operating.”

Middle East

Jewish News Syndicate: Israeli Forces Arrest 25 PIJ Terrorists In Judea And Samaria

“IDF soldiers arrested 25 Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists in Judea and Samaria over the past several days, the military revealed on Thursday. The arrests were part of ‘Operation Shield and Arrow’ launched against PIJ in the Gaza Strip. Several of those detained had been recruited by Tarek Azaldin, a senior PIJ operative who was killed in a targeted Israel Air Force strike in Gaza on Tuesday morning, the military said. Azaldin had moved up the ranks of the organization in recent years and was entrusted with coordinating PIJ’s terrorist activities in Judea and Samaria as well as transferring funds from Gaza to Judea and Samaria, according to the IDF. He recently planned and directed multiple attacks against Israeli civilians, the military said.”

Nigeria

Naija News: 10 Killed As ISWAP Terrorists Attack Troops In Borno

“At least ten members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists have been killed in a recent face-off against troops of the Nigerian Army in Borno State. The development was confirmed in a report by Counter Insurgency Expert in Lake Chad, Zagazola Makama. According to him, the terrorists launched a daring attack against the troops at about 10 am on Thursday in Abadam Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno State. Naija News learnt that the ISWAP terrorists had made an audacious attempt to infiltrate the advancing troop’s harbour using a Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED).”

Africa

AFP News: Soldier, 4 Militants Killed In Attack Near DR Congo Capital

“One soldier and four militants were killed Thursday in an attack near DR Congo's capital Kinshasa, the army said, in the latest violence in the west of the country. So-called ‘Mobondo’ attacked the village of Nguma at 5 a.m., army spokesman Sylvain Ekenge said, using a name for a militia from the Yaka community. Four militants were killed while one soldier died from wounds, he said, giving a provisional toll. ‘Reinforcements from Kinshasa are already in the area and mopping-up operations are underway,’ Ekenge added.”

AFP News: Algeria Says Army Officer Killed In Clash With Islamists

“An Algerian army officer has been killed in a clash with suspected Islamists during an operation southwest of the capital, the defence ministry said on Thursday. The captain died Wednesday during the operation to capture ‘a group of terrorists’ in the wooded region of Tissemsilt, a ministry statement said. Four jihadists were arrested, the statement added. Algerian authorities use the term ‘terrorist’ to describe armed Islamists who have been active in the country since the early 1990s.”

United Kingdom

BBC: Man Who Praised Samuel Paty Murder Jailed For Terrorism Offences

“A man who used social media to encourage terrorism and posted an image of a victim's severed head has been jailed for five-and-a-half years. Ajmal Shahpal was found guilty of sending tweets which would encourage people ‘to commit, prepare, or instigate acts of terrorism’. The 41-year-old, of Birkin Avenue, Radford, Nottingham, praised the killer of French school teacher Samuel Paty for being ‘as brave as a lion’. He was sentenced on Thursday. Shahpal will also be subject to a 12-month extended licence period after his custodial sentence.”

Reuters: UK Jails 20-Year-Old For Eight Years For Terrorism Offences

“A 20-year-old man who downloaded manuals on making guns and explosives has been sentenced to eight years and six months in prison on terrorism offences, Britain's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said on Thursday. The CPS said Vaughn Dolphin, who was charged in July last year, had also attempted to make a firearm and gunpowder. It described him as a ‘far-right extremist’. ‘This could have had devastating consequences,’ Nick Price, Head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division said.”

Germany

Anadolu Agency: German Court Sentences PKK Terrorist To Prison

“A German court on Thursday sentenced a man to four years and five months in prison for his leading role in the terrorist group PKK’s activities in Germany. Abdullah O., 59, was found guilty of fundraising and propaganda activities for the terrorist PKK, which is outlawed in Germany since 1993. The Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt am Main said in a statement that the convict was the chief PKK operative in the federal state of Hesse, and also carried out activities in the cities of Stuttgart and Mannheim. The accused was also involved in the organization and implementation of propaganda events of the terrorist organization, according to the court.”

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