Eye on Extremism

June 1, 2023 

Reuters: Islamic State Claims Responsibility For Attack On Security Post In Cameroon

“Islamic state on Wednesday claimed responsibility for an attack on a security post in northern Cameroon, the group said in a statement on telegram. Two customs officers, a policeman and a civilian, were killed in the attack that took place on Tuesday at the entrance to the town of Mora in Cameroon's far north region, about 30 km (20 miles) from the border with Nigeria.”

CNN: Qatar’s Prime Minister Met With Top Taliban Leader In Afghanistan Earlier This Month, Sources Say

“Qatar’s prime minister met secretly with the Taliban’s top leader earlier this month in Afghanistan, two sources familiar with the meeting confirmed to CNN. The meeting happened in the southern city of Kandahar on May 12, between the Taliban Supreme Leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada and Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani. The meeting, first reported by Reuters, is believed to be the first between Akhundzada and a foreign leader. The Biden administration was quickly briefed by Qatar in Washington and then in a phone call the day after the meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Al-Thani, who also serves as foreign minister. A brief readout by the State Department on May 13 only noted Blinken’s ‘appreciation for Qatar’s continued assistance on Afghanistan.’”

Listen to the Fighting Terror Podcast

Fighting Terror is a podcast that brings together counterterrorism experts and practitioners from Europe, the United States, and beyond to address different approaches to combating terrorism in our society. Our frank discussions cover the lifecycle of terrorism from propaganda and recruitment, to financing, action, and failure. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Syria

France24: Investigation: The Deadly Attacks On Syrian Truffle Hunters By The Islamic State Group

“…We obtained exclusive footage filmed by members of paramilitary forces fighting alongside the Syrian region, such as the National Defence Forces (NDF) and Liwa al-Quds. The fighters are responsible for escorting the local tribes – which they themselves belong to – into the desert for the truffle harvest. We cross-checked these images with accounts from eyewitnesses in the tribes. We’ve kept them anonymous in our report for their safety. These locals live in the province of Deir Ezzor, controlled by the Syrian regime, and their tribes are its allies. They’re also vulnerable to reprisals from the Islamic State group, which is still active in the region. We also verified the content with terrorism expert Gregory Waters, who has been documenting attacks in the Badia since the Islamic State group first took refuge there.”

Pakistan

Associated Press: Pakistan’s Military Says 2 Soldiers Killed In Militant Attack Near Border With Iran

“Militants attacked a Pakistani security post near the country’s border with Iran on Thursday, triggering a shootout that killed two soldiers, the military said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack in the area of Singwan in restive southwestern Baluchistan province. The military said the two slain troops ‘embraced martyrdom while fighting bravely against the terrorists.’ The military launched a search and Iranian authorities were alerted to watch for the assailants trying to escape, the statement said.”

Republic World: Terror Attacks Skyrocketed In Pak After Taliban's Takeover Of Afghanistan, Report Says

“Pakistan experienced a significant surge in terror attacks since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, a report by Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) has found. According to reports, a rise of 73% in terror violence was observed in Pakistan in the first 21 months of the Taliban takeover. The number of fatalities caused by such attacks also skyrocketed in Pakistan between August 2021 and April 2023, with a 138% increase. The report comes with shocking figures and offers recommendations to lawmakers in a bid to curb the growing terrorism in Pakistan at a time when the country faces multiple crises on all fronts. The Pakistani provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa experienced a surge of 81% and 92% in terror attacks, respectively.”

Dunya News: Security Forces Eliminate Two Terrorists In North Waziristan

“Security forces conducted a successful intelligence-based operation in North Waziristan's Dossali area on Wednesday, resulting in the elimination of two terrorists, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). The operation was launched after receiving reports of terrorist presence in the area. During the operation, a fierce exchange of fire ensued between the security forces and the terrorists, ultimately leading to the killing of two militants. The slain terrorists were found to be actively involved in terrorist activities against security forces and the targeted killing of innocent citizens. Weapons and ammunition were recovered from their possession. The area is currently being sanitized to eradicate any remaining terrorists who may pose a threat to the region.”

Middle East

Fox News: Gunmen Open Fire On Polio Workers In Former Taliban Stronghold, Killing Soldier, Injuring Another

“Gunmen killed one soldier and wounded another Wednesday when they opened fire on security forces escorting a team of polio workers during a door-to-door inoculation campaign in a former Pakistani Taliban stronghold near the Afghan border, police said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in North Waziristan, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. It came days after the government launched the latest polio eradication campaign, said Aslam Riaz, a police officer in the region. He said the polio workers escaped unharmed and the attackers fled the scene. In 2021, Pakistan was close to eradicating the disease, which can cause severe paralysis in children. But later, cases spiked in the country. Islamic militants often target polio teams and police assigned to protect them, falsely claiming the vaccination campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilize children.”

The Times Of Israel: Israeli Strikes In Syria Targeted Training Base For Hezbollah’s ‘Golan File’ — TV

“Strikes in the Damascus area earlier this week that were attributed to Israel targeted a Hezbollah training base, the Kan public broadcaster reports. Citing an Middle Eastern intelligence source, the report says fighters connected to the so-called Golan File trained at the camp ahead of operations against Israel. The Golan File unit is a branch of the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah terrorist group that operates in southern Syria.”

Nigeria

People’s Gazette: Two Wanted Terrorists Killed In Katsina: Police

“The police said its operatives killed two terrorists and arms smugglers on the wanted list in Katsina. This is contained in a statement by the police spokesman in Katsina, Abubakar Aliyu, on Thursday. ‘On May 29, at about 0300hrs, terrorists/bandits in their numbers, armed with AK47 rifles, attacked the residence of one Yahaya Usman of Tani village, Bindawa local government area of the state,’ the police statement said. ‘They inflicted a deep knife cut to his head in an attempt to kidnap him.’”

Africa

Voice Of America News: Cameroon Asks For More Border Troops After New Boko Haram Attacks

“Officials in northern Cameroon have in a crisis meeting on Wednesday requested more troops from Cameroon, Nigeria and Chad to be deployed to their common border after fresh Boko Haran attacks killed at least 12 people including six soldiers on Tuesday. The officials say several hundred heavily armed Islamist extremists have infiltrated the volatile Lake Chad region attacking, looting and causing panic. Cameroon military and government officials in the central African state’s northern border with Nigeria say they held a crisis meeting on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after a fresh wave of deadly Boko Haram attacks were reported. Midjiyawa Bakari is the governor of Cameroon's Far North region that shares a border with Chad and Nigeria. Bakari spoke on Cameroon state broadcaster CRTV on Wednesday.”

United Kingdom

CapX: Why Does The Prevent Counter-Terrorism Strategy Ignore Northern Ireland?

“Earlier this month, my organisation, the Counter Extremism Project put on an event to examine how to maintain the momentum of our national counter-radicalisation security strategy ‘Prevent’. The event was a response to an independent government review, which found this strand of our counter-terrorism plan severely wanting. It may surprise readers to know that Prevent and its legal obligation for public authorities to pay ‘due regard’ to stopping people getting involved in terrorism does not apply at all in Northern Ireland. After all, it is one of the few places in the UK where violent extremism has an enduring and decades-long grip on society. But then, this is ‘Nornia’, where conventional approaches to counter-extremism do not apply. The explanation is that Prevent was set up to counter radicalisation from international terrorism, not the domestic sort which died down in the Province after the Good Friday Agreement, but has never been fully extinguished.”

Germany

AFP News: German Court Jails Far-Left Extremists For Neo-Nazi Attacks

“A court in Dresden on Wednesday sentenced a left-wing extremist woman to more than five years in jail for attacking neo-Nazis, with Germany's interior minister warning against ‘vigilante justice’. The principal defendant, identified only as Lina E., and three other suspects were convicted for participating in a ‘criminal organisation’ that carried out several assaults against right-wing extremists between 2018 and 2020. ‘Opposing right-wing extremists is a respectable motive,’ said judge Hans Schlueter-Staats while issuing his verdict. But such attacks are still ‘serious criminal acts’, he said, underlining that the state must retain a ‘monopoly’ on the use of force.”

Europe

Reuters: New Anti-Terror Law Should Convince Turkey To Back NATO Bid, Swedish Minister Says

“New anti-terrorism legislation which comes into force this week should pave the way for Sweden to join NATO in coming weeks and overcome a Turkish veto, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said on Wednesday. Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. While Finland joined the military alliance in April, Sweden's bid has been held up by Turkey despite a deal struck in Madrid last year to meet its security concerns. ‘This new legislation will close a loophole in our already existing anti-terrorist legislation,’ Billstrom told reporters in Lulea, northern Sweden. ‘Sweden has not previously prohibited participation in a terrorist organisation. We will do this now.’ Turkey says Sweden harbours members of militant groups it considers to be terrorists.”

India

The Tribune: 2 Militant Associates Arrested In J-K’s Baramulla, Arms And Ammunition Recovered

“Security forces arrested two militant associates of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday and recovered arms and ammunition from their possession, police said. Acting on specific information regarding the movement of terrorists in Frestihar Kreeri village, the security forces placed a mobile vehicle checkpoint (MVCP) at the Frestihar Waripora crossing, a police spokesperson said. Two suspects who were coming towards the crossing tried to flee when they noticed the security personnel but were apprehended tactfully, he said. During a search of the duo, two Chinese pistols, two magazines and 15 pistol rounds were recovered. They were immediately taken into custody, the spokesperson said.”

The Counter Extremism Project depends on the generosity of its supporters. If you value what we do, please consider making a donation.

Click here to unsubscribe.