“The acting governor of an Afghan province was killed by a suicide bomber
Tuesday, officials said, months after the region's police chief was killed in a
similar attack claimed by the Islamic State group. Security has improved
dramatically since the Taliban stormed back to power in August 2021, ousting
the US-backed government and ending their two-decade insurgency, but IS remains
a threat. The bomber drove a car filled with explosives into the vehicle
carrying Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi -- the deputy governor of northern Badakhshan
before stepping up as acting governor last month -- in the provincial capital
Faizabad. ‘The target of this attack was the vehicle carrying Nisar Ahmad
Ahmadi,’ said Muazuddin Ahmadi, the head of culture and information in the
province. The driver was also killed and six others wounded in the attack,
which has so far not been claimed by anyone.”
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Eye on Extremism
June 6, 2023
AFP News: Taliban Provincial Governor Killed In Suicide Attack: Officials
<[link removed]>
“The acting governor of an Afghan province was killed by a suicide bomber
Tuesday, officials said, months after the region's police chief was killed in a
similar attack claimed by the Islamic State group. Security has improved
dramatically since the Taliban stormed back to power in August 2021, ousting
the US-backed government and ending their two-decade insurgency, but IS remains
a threat. The bomber drove a car filled with explosives into the vehicle
carrying Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi -- the deputy governor of northern Badakhshan
before stepping up as acting governor last month -- in the provincial capital
Faizabad. ‘The target of this attack was the vehicle carrying Nisar Ahmad
Ahmadi,’ said Muazuddin Ahmadi, the head of culture and information in the
province. The driver was also killed and six others wounded in the attack,
which has so far not been claimed by anyone.”
The Street Journal: Al-Qaeda, IS Displaces 2 Million People In Burkina Faso -
Report
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“Violence linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) group as of May 2023,
has displaced more than two million people in Burkina Faso making the country
one of the world's fastest-growing populations of internally displaced people.
The majority of those displaced were women and children, and this has been
causing an increase in humanitarian crises as the conflict pushed people from
their homes into congested urban areas. Aid groups and the government are
making efforts to respond amid a lack of funds and growing needs. According to
United Nations (UN), one in four people requires aid, and tens of thousands are
facing catastrophic levels of hunger. Yet not even half of the $800 million
humanitarian response budget requested in 2022 by aid groups was funded.”
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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. Listenhere
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or wherever you get your podcasts.
Turkey
Daily Sabah: New Defense Minister Güler Vows Continued Fight Against Terrorism
<[link removed]>
“Türkiye's newly appointed Defense Minister Yaşar Güler on Monday vowed to
continue the country’s fight against terrorism as he took the reins of the
ministry from his predecessor Hulusi Akar. ‘I'm taking over the flag today. Our
aim is to raise this flag higher,’ Güler said at the handover ceremony in the
capital Ankara, adding that his priority will be the fight against terrorism.
‘We will continue our fight against all kinds of terrorist organizations that
threaten the peace and security of our country until the last terrorist is
eliminated,’ Güler stressed. He also thanked Akar for his ‘active’ role in
ensuring the peace and security of Türkiye, especially in the fight against
terrorism and border security.”
Pakistan
Dunya News: Terrorist Killed In Attack On Police Team In Peshawar's Maattani
<[link removed]'s-Mattani>
“An alleged terrorist was killed in crossfire with a police team in Mattani
area of Peshawar on early Tuesday, police said. Four miscreants attacked a
police team headed by the Saddar circle SP duing a 'targeted' operation. All
officals including the officer remained unhurt. Three suspects managed to
escape. Police said one of the runaway suspects suffered gunshot wound. Police
are probing the incident.”
Middle East
The National: Jordan Foiled 'Terrorist Scheme' To Kill Shiite Visitors, Report
Says <[link removed]>
“Jordanian intelligence foiled a ‘terrorist scheme’ to kill Shiite visitors
at a shrine in the centre of the kingdom two years ago, the official Al Rai
newspaper said on Tuesday. Details of the plot were revealed as officials from
Jordan and Iran signalled a desire to improve ties following a Chinese-brokered
rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia in March. The paper said
intelligence personnel arrested a male ISIS supporter who had monitored a
shrine in the town of Al Mazar, located 130km south of Amman, in August 2021.
The shrine contains the grave of Jaafar Al Tayyar, a companion of the Prophet
Mohammed who was killed in a battle against Byzantine forces in the seventh
century. The man observed the movement of people at the shrine's entrance and
exit, Al Rai said, citing official documents.”
Jewish News Syndicate: Hamas, Islamic Jihad Meet In Cairo To Address Post-War
Tensions <[link removed]>
“In the shadow of tensions stemming from May’s Gaza war (‘Operation Shield
and Arrow’), senior Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad officials convened in
Cairo on Sunday for the first official meeting since the military campaign. The
terrorist groups were represented by their top leaders, Hamas Political Bureau
Chairman Ismail Haniyeh and Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ziyad al-Nakhalah.
During the five-day conflict, Hamas refrained from intervening in support of
Islamic Jihad after the latter’s top command in the Gaza Strip was targeted by
the Israel Air Force, creating persistent tensions between the two terrorist
groups. The Israeli strikes on the Islamic Jihad leaders came against the
backdrop of a rocket barrage fired by the terrorist group following the death
of Khader Adnan on May 2.”
Jewish News Syndicate: Two IDF Soldiers Run Over In Huwara; Terrorist Arrested
<[link removed]>
“Two Israeli soldiers were wounded on Monday night when a terrorist rammed
them with his vehicle in Huwara, near Nablus in Samaria. The driver fled the
scene but was captured by Israeli forces following a chase. A knife was found
in his vehicle, according to the Israel Defense Forces. The victims were
evacuated to the Rabin Medical Center’s Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, one
with light and one with moderate injuries.”
Somalia
Garrowe Online: New Video Shows Al-Shabaab Leader Dispatching Fighters To AU
Military Base
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“The Al-Shabaab militants have released a new video purportedly of its leader
Ahmed Umar alias Abu Ubaidah, the Emir who is on the US list of most wanted
terrorists, allegedly addressing fighters in an undisclosed location just
moments before the deadly attack on a Ugandan military base in Somalia. Last
week, an estimated number of over 800 Al-Shabaab militants ransacked Bulo Marer
Forward Operating Base in southern Somalia, killing several soldiers who were
on duty. This was the first single-largest attack on a military base by
Al-Shabaab since 2017 when they raided Kenya Defence Forces [KDF] base in
Kulbiyow. The face of Abu Ubaidah in the video appears blurred as a customary
practice whenever he addresses his fighters and is heard sending the militants
to raid the base. The video comes a few days after the militants released a
similar one in which he insisted that the operations against the group had
‘fatally failed’.”
Homeland Security Today: U.S. Strike Kills Three Al Shabaab Fighters
<[link removed]>
“At the request of the Federal Government of Somalia and in support of the
Somali National Army engagements against al Shabaab, U.S. Africa Command
conducted a collective self-defense strike in the vicinity of Wayanta, Somalia
on June 1. The initial assessment is that the strike, approximately 60 km
southwest of Kismayo, killed three al Shabaab fighters. The command’s initial
assessment is that no civilians were injured or killed. Somali President Hassan
Sheikh Mohamud has publicly stated that economic reform, social and political
reconciliation, and religious tolerance are key pillars of his strategy to
mobilize society against international terrorism. Military actions are just one
part of the Federal Government of Somalia’s efforts to comprehensively address
their security challenges.”
Africa
Voice Of America News: Ugandan Soldiers Survive Six Days Hiding From
Al-Shabab, Says Military
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“Ugandan soldiers hid for six days before being rescued after al-Shabab
militants overran their base, a spokesperson for the Uganda Peoples' Defense
Forces (UPDF) told VOA Somali. Brigadier General Felix Kulaigye said the four
soldiers, including a lieutenant, survived by hiding within and around the base
in the town of Bulo Marer, 110 kilometers south of Mogadishu. He said the
troops were found after the Ugandan contingent retook the base on Thursday.
‘When we recovered, they were weak because they were only surviving on urine,’
Kulaigye said. He said each of the soldiers was hiding alone, in separate
locations. ‘They were weak out of hunger,’ he said.”
United Kingdom
BBC: Reading Terror Inquest: Killer's Deportation Dropped Before Murders
<[link removed]>
“Khairi Saadallah's deportation was initially stalled because he faced
charges, including eating a police station mattress, the hearing was told. The
process was then dropped because of the war in Libya, the court heard. In June
2020, Saadallah stabbed James Furlong, Joe Ritchie-Bennett and David Wails in
Forbury Gardens, Reading. He was handed a whole-life sentence at the Old Bailey
in 2021 after pleading guilty to three murders and three attempted murders.”
Germany
DW News: Is The So-Called Islamic State Still A Real Threat?
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“Interview with CEP’s Hans-Jakob Schindler: The anti-terrorism operation
involved raids across ten German states. The suspects are thought to be part of
a network seeking donations for the Islamist terrorist group in Syria.
Prosecutors say they collected 65-thousand euros for IS members, which in some
cases helped finance their escape from camps in northern Syria.”
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