“A senior Al-Shabaab finance officer has been killed in Somalia, officials
confirmed, in one of the most dramatic and sophisticated operations which comes
days after the second phase of military campaigns against the militants was
activated by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. Hassan Sheikh, who concluded his
trip to Qatar and Saudi Arabia recently, outlined his objectives and plan to
eliminate the militants who have been wreaking havoc in the Horn of Africa
nation which has struggled with instability for the last three decades. Mahad
Aqadub, who has been the head of Zakawat within Galgaduud in the Galmadug
region, officials said, was killed during an operation conducted on Saturday,
in what the military defined as ‘potentially great success’. Zakawat officials
are in charge of the collection of taxes. The operation against Al-Shabaab was
carried out in Towfiq town which is about 15 kilometers from the recently
liberated Gal'ad District. Security forces arrested the lead militant following
a tip-off from hawk-eyed villagers who have been his victim for several years.”











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Eye on Extremism



May 22, 2023



Garowe Online: Al-Shabaab Finance Chief Killed In Somalia
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“A senior Al-Shabaab finance officer has been killed in Somalia, officials
confirmed, in one of the most dramatic and sophisticated operations which comes
days after the second phase of military campaigns against the militants was
activated by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. Hassan Sheikh, who concluded his
trip to Qatar and Saudi Arabia recently, outlined his objectives and plan to
eliminate the militants who have been wreaking havoc in the Horn of Africa
nation which has struggled with instability for the last three decades. Mahad
Aqadub, who has been the head of Zakawat within Galgaduud in the Galmadug
region, officials said, was killed during an operation conducted on Saturday,
in what the military defined as ‘potentially great success’. Zakawat officials
are in charge of the collection of taxes. The operation against Al-Shabaab was
carried out in Towfiq town which is about 15 kilometers from the recently
liberated Gal'ad District. Security forces arrested the lead militant following
a tip-off from hawk-eyed villagers who have been his victim for several years.”



Politico: French Minister Warns Of Resumption Of ‘Islamist Terrorist’ Threat
In Europe
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“There’s a risk of a ‘resumption’ of the ‘Islamist terrorist’ threat in
Europe, France’s Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said during a visit to the
U.S. Stressing the importance of anti-terrorism collaboration between
intelligence services from both sides of the Atlantic, Darmanin said in an
interview with Agence France-Presse that ‘for Europeans and for France the
primary risk is Sunni Islamist terrorism.’ While pointing to concerns facing
the U.S., including shootings and white supremacism, Darmanin said Americans
mustn’t forget ‘what appears to us to be the primary threat in Europe,’ which
the minister said was Sunni terrorism. Darmanin also highlighted the risk of
people carrying out a ‘Bataclan-type attack,’ referring to the Paris attacks in
2015 that saw 130 people killed, including 90 at the Bataclan theater. France
has seen several terrorist incidents in recent years, including the stabbing of
a police officer in 2021, which led President Emmanuel Macron to declare that
France would never give in to Islamist terrorism.”




CEP Expert Analysis

* Civilian Counterterrorism Forces and the Fight Against Extremism: A Review
of Nigeria, Somalia, and Burkina Faso
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* Extremism in Erdogan's AKP
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* Security Risks Emanating From Afghanistan
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* Unsolved Murders In Syria's Badia
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* Transnational Linkages Between Violent Right-Wing Extremism, Terrorism and
Organized Crime
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Syria



Kurdistan24: SDF Arrest 8 Suspects ISIS Members
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“Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the last few days have arrested eight
suspected ISIS members during four security operations. The operations were
carried out in the countryside of Tal Hamis, Deir Ezzor, Manbij, and Hasaka.
‘During these operations, the forces apprehended eight ISIS terrorists who had
been actively involved in terrorist acts and supporting terrorist cells in the
area,’ the SDF explained in a press release. During the operations, SDF forces
seized several weapons, ammunition, and documents. The US and the SDF regularly
carry out operations in northeast Syria against ISIS sleeper cells to prevent
an ISIS resurgence in the region. These operations continue despite the ISIS
caliphate’s territorial defeat in Baghouz in 2019.”



Kurdistan 24: ISIS Attack Injures Three SDF Fighters In Deir Ez-Zor
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“The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Saturday said that three SDF fighters
were injured in a suspected ISIS attack on Abu Khashab road, west of Deir
Ezzor. ‘At 12:10 AM on Saturday, one of our SDF patrols was attacked on Abu
Khashab road, west of Deir Ezzor, resulting in injuring three of our fighters,
while one of our senior commanders, who plays a crucial role in the ongoing
battle against ISIS in the area, managed to survive,’ the SDF said. ‘Initial
investigations have confirmed the involvement of an ISIS terrorist cell.’ The
Syria-based Rojava Information Centre (RIC) said in a tweet that the Deir
ez-Zor region has recently witnessed an increase in ISIS sleeper cell activity.
According to RIC's April Sleeper Cell Report, 14 out of 20 attacks have
occurred in the Deir ez-Zor region.”



Iran



Reuters: Iran Says 'Terrorist' Group Linked To Israel Has Been Arrested, Nour
News Reports
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“Iran's intelligence minister said a ‘terrorist’ group linked to Israel was
arrested on the western borders of Iran on Sunday, according to the
semi-official Nour News agency. ‘A terrorist group associated with the Zionist
regime which entered the country from the western borders was arrested,’ said
Esmail Khatib. The statement comes amid heightening tensions between Iran and
its arch-enemy Israel over Tehran's nuclear programme.”



Voice Of America News: Iran Urges Pakistan To Boost Border Security After
Deadly Attack
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“Iran said Sunday that a ‘terrorist’ attack had killed at least six security
guards near the border with Pakistan, claiming the assailants were trying to
infiltrate Iran. The deadly incident happened in the Saravan region in the
province of Sistan-Baluchistan, some 1,360 kilometers southeast of the capital
Tehran, said the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman in a statement on the
government’s website. Nasser Kanaani said Iran ‘condemns the sinister act and
expects the Pakistani government… to suppress terrorist groups as soon as
possible and to try to improve the security of the common borders’ in line with
bilateral agreements. He did not elaborate. Pakistan denounced Sunday's attack.
A foreign ministry statement in Islamabad expressed condolences to the bereaved
families and the Iranian government over the ‘tragic incident.’ It stressed
‘the need for mutual efforts to eliminate the terrorism on both sides of the
border.’”



Turkey



Daily Sabah: Turkish Operations Eliminate Nearly 38,000 Terrorists Since 2015
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“Türkiye has eliminated more than 37,800 terrorists in the past eight years,
according to National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar. ‘Since July 24, 2015, a
total of 37,860 terrorists have been neutralized,’ Akar said on Sunday at a
conference in Istanbul on the Syrian conflict and the fight against terrorism.
Six more terrorists have been recently ‘neutralized’ in the Operation Euphrates
Shield region in northern Syria, he added. Turkish authorities use the term
‘neutralized’ to imply the terrorists in question have surrendered, been killed
or captured. While Akar did not specify any terror group, Türkiye has been
conducting operations against terrorist organizations such as Daesh, the PKK,
and its U.S.-backed Syrian branch, the YPG.”



Lebanon



Reuters: Lebanese Army Says It Arrests Prominent Al Qaeda Leader In Deir Ammar
Town
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“The Lebanese army said on Saturday it had arrested a prominent Al Qaeda
leader in Deir Ammar town, northeast of the city of Tripoli. It identified the
arrested man only as ‘T.M.’ and said in a statement that the arrest took place
on Friday. ‘T.M. is one of the most prominent leaders of Al Qaeda and the
founder of its cells in Lebanon,’ it added. ‘He has also played a key role in
establishing the terrorist Fatah al-Islam organization,’ the statement added,
referring to an Al Qaeda-inspired militant group that used to be active in
Lebanon over a decade ago.”



Middle East



Associated Press: Extremist Israeli Cabinet Minister Visits Sensitive
Jerusalem Holy Site
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“A far-right Israeli Cabinet minister visited Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy
site on Sunday, declaring that ‘we are in charge,’ while the Israeli Cabinet
held a rare meeting in Jerusalem’s Old City to celebrate its control of the
area. The visit by Itamar Ben-Gvir to the disputed hilltop compound drew
condemnations from the Palestinians and Israel’s neighbor, Jordan. The site is
revered by Jews and Muslims, and the competing claims lie at the heart of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Ben-Gvir, a former West Bank settler leader and
far-right activist who years ago was convicted of incitement and supporting a
Jewish terror group, now serves as Israel’s national security minister,
overseeing the country’s police force. The site, known to Jews as the Temple
Mount, is the holiest site in Judaism, where the biblical Temples once stood.
Today, it is home to the Al Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam.”



Reuters: Three Palestinian Militants Killed In Israeli Raid In West Bank
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“Israeli security forces killed three Palestinian militants during a
large-scale raid in the occupied West Bank on Monday, Palestinian and Israeli
sources said. The Israeli military said its forces came under fire from
Palestinian gunmen and had ‘neutralized’ at least two of them. It said soldiers
confiscated rifles, ammunition and explosive devices and destroyed the site
where the bombs were made. Residents of the Balata refugee camp in the city of
Nablus said it was the largest such operation there in many years. Israeli Army
Radio said a relatively large number of soldiers took part in the pre-dawn
raid.”



Associated Press: Hezbollah Stages Wargames For Media, Asserts Readiness To
Confront Israel
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“The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah put on a show of force Sunday,
extending a rare media invitation to one of its training sites in southern
Lebanon, where its forces staged a simulated military exercise. Masked fighters
jumped through flaming hoops, fired from the backs of motorcycles, and blew up
Israeli flags posted in the hills above and a wall simulating the one at the
border between Lebanon and Israel. The exercise came ahead of ‘Liberation Day,’
the annual celebration of the withdrawal of Israeli forces from south Lebanon
on May 25, 2000, and in the wake of a recent escalation of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza. Militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza,
has long had ties with Hezbollah. The recent heightened tensions also come
months after Lebanon and Israel signed a landmark U.S.-brokered maritime border
agreement, which many analysts predicted would lower the risk of a future
military confrontation between the two countries.”



Somalia



Garowe Online: Somalia: Al-Shabaab Leader Captured In New Video Meeting
"Delegates"
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“Al-Shabaab leader has emerged in a new video meeting ‘delegates’ at an
undisclosed location, just weeks after the U.S. announced Noy 14, 2022,
increased rewards of up to $10 million for information that helps find him.
Ahmed Umar Abu Ubaidah, the group's Emir who took over from Ahmed Godan, the
former leader who was killed in a US drone airstrike in 2014, was captured in
an interview with the group's al-Kataa'ib media wing. 'The interview was
conducted at a recent conference attended by about 100 Al- Shabaab delegates,
it has emerged. Among those who attended the conference were senior members of
Al-Shabaab, traditional elders, and religious scholars who are loyal to the
group. The rare meeting was held between May 8-15.”



United Kingdom



BBC: Swindon Student, 18, Denies Sharing Terrorism Documents Online
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“Malakai Wheeler, of Stamford Close, Swindon, denied six charges at
Winchester Crown Court. He denied possessing copies of the ‘Terrorist
Handbook’, the ‘Anarchist's Handbook’ and a document called ‘Homemade
Detonators’. The 18-year-old has been released on conditional bail. Appearing
in court earlier, he denied sharing in a chatroom 92 documents and 35 images as
well as two other charges of sharing instructions for the use of items that
could be used to perform acts of terrorism, including smoke grenades. Judge
Jane Miller KC adjourned the case for a trial, which is set to start on
September 4.”


Sky News: Prison Officer 'Encouraged Terrorism Through Neo-Nazi Rap Songs',
Court Hears
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“Ashley Sharp, 42, from Cudworth, Barnsley, was the founder of the White Stag
Athletic Club, allegedly established to train others to be ‘soldiers’ for the
racist cause. Sharp, a prison officer at HMP Leeds in Armley, began as a
moderator of a site called Fascist Fitness where he adopted a drill sergeant
persona and members would post weekly Friday updates showing off their
physique. He started his ‘fitness club’ in 2019 with six others based around
boxing, jiu-jitsu and running, he told Sheffield Crown Court. White Stag
Athletic Club began in the summer of 2020 and ‘went public’ in October 2021,
and Sharp told the court it was like a ‘nationalist boy scouts for grown-ups’.”



BBC: Alleged Far-Right Extremist Called Jo Cox Killer Hero - Court
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“Kieran Turner, 36, from Earby in Lancashire, allegedly published a statement
in January 2019 calling for ‘650 Thomas Mairs’ and hailing the terrorist killer
as a ‘hero’. He appeared at the Old Bailey earlier for a preliminary hearing.
Batley and Spen MP Ms Cox was killed by far-right terrorist Mair in June 2016.
Mr Turner is also accused of sharing live-streamed footage of a terrorist
attack on 15 March 2019 - the day of the Christchurch mosque shootings - and a
document detailing an antisemitic conspiracy theory. He faces a total of 10
charges, one of encouraging terrorism, two of disseminating a terrorist
publication and seven counts of stirring up racial hatred in written material
on dates in 2019 and 2020.”



Australia



BBC: Ken Elliott: Australian Hostage, 88, Freed By Al-Qaeda Militants
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“Dr Kenneth Elliott is safe and well and has been reunited with his family,
Australia's foreign minister said. He and his wife were seized in 2016 near the
border between Mali and Burkina Faso, where they operated a clinic for over 40
years. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb said at the time it had kidnapped the
couple. The group released his wife, Jocelyn, after three weeks following
public pressure and what it described as ‘guidance’ from its leaders not to
involve women in war.”



Technology



Vice News: More Than Half Of Users Have Seen Extremist Content In Online Games
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“The video game Animal Crossing: New Horizons is supposed to be a bucolic,
adorable utopia where the player's chief concerns typically include catching
butterflies, designing clothes to sell in an online marketplace, and
landscaping their islands to impress visitors. On one recent day, an Animal
Crossing player took to Twitter to complain about an upsetting incident. They’d
unwittingly welcomed two visitors, whose avatars appeared dressed in KKK robes
and a T-shirt emblazoned with a swastika, onto their island. Animal Crossing is
widely considered a ‘sandbox game’, meaning players are given a lot of freedom
to build their own worlds—and in some cases, create their extremist fantasies,
which they seek to lure others into. That’s just one way extremists use gaming
spaces to spread their propaganda, and reach, radicalize, and recruit young
followers, according to a new report by New York University. The report makes
clear that they are not suggesting in any way that playing video games is
itself a gateway to violence or radicalization.”



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