“U.S. officials tasked with tracking Islamic State are seeing worrisome signs
that the terror group’s core leadership is strengthening control over its
global network of affiliates despite a series of key losses. Specifically, the
United States is raising concerns about the group’s General Directorate of
Provinces, a series of nine regional offices set up over the past several years
to sustain the group’s reputation and global capabilities. The U.S. State
Department on Thursday highlighted the threat posed by these regional offices,
designating the leaders of the offices in Iraq and in Africa’s Sahel region as
Specially Designated Global Terrorists. ‘We remain focused on cutting off
ISIS’s ability to raise and move funds across multiple jurisdictions,’
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, speaking to a meeting in Riyadh of the
global coalition that has been working to defeat Islamic State, also known as
ISIS, IS or Daesh. ‘For all our progress, the fight is not yet done,’ Blinken
added.”











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Eye on Extremism



June 9, 2023



Voice Of America News: US Sees Islamic State Affiliates Pooling Resources,
Growing Capabilities
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“U.S. officials tasked with tracking Islamic State are seeing worrisome signs
that the terror group’s core leadership is strengthening control over its
global network of affiliates despite a series of key losses. Specifically, the
United States is raising concerns about the group’s General Directorate of
Provinces, a series of nine regional offices set up over the past several years
to sustain the group’s reputation and global capabilities. The U.S. State
Department on Thursday highlighted the threat posed by these regional offices,
designating the leaders of the offices in Iraq and in Africa’s Sahel region as
Specially Designated Global Terrorists. ‘We remain focused on cutting off
ISIS’s ability to raise and move funds across multiple jurisdictions,’
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, speaking to a meeting in Riyadh of the
global coalition that has been working to defeat Islamic State, also known as
ISIS, IS or Daesh. ‘For all our progress, the fight is not yet done,’ Blinken
added.”



Iraqi News: 3,000 Iraqi Terrorists Detained In Syria Brought Back To Iraq
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“The Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fuad Hussein, confirmed on Thursday
that 3,000 Iraqi terrorists detained in Syria have been returned to Iraq, where
the majority of them have been tried, according to the spokesperson of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Al-Sahaf. During his speech at the
ministerial meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS held in the Saudi
capital, Riyadh, Hussein stressed that the Iraqi government is working to
improve services, develop infrastructure, combat terrorism in all its forms,
enhance stability in the liberated areas, bring back the displaced, and pursue
the remnants of the ISIS terrorist group. The Iraqi Foreign Minister indicated
that the government is also making efforts to end internal displacement, where
148 refugee camps have already been closed, while two camps remain in the
governorates of Nineveh and Anbar in addition to 26 camps in the Kurdistan
region of Iraq.”




Recent CEP Press Releases

* Tech & Terrorism: Big Tech Companies Cut Ethics And Safety Staff Following
Section 230 Ruling
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* Extremist Content Online: TikTok Accounts Spreading Extreme Right
Propaganda And Glorifying Terrorism
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* Erdogan’s Election Victory
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* Uptick In Hamas Violence Coincides With Continued Hospitality By
International Enablers
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* Extremist Content Online: Pro-ISIS Twitter Accounts Used To Spread
Propaganda
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United States



CNN: Massachusetts Teen Arrested For Allegedly Trying To Raise Money For ISIS
With Gift Card Scheme
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“An 18-year-old Massachusetts man was arrested Thursday for orchestrating an
alleged gift card scheme to raise money for terrorist group ISIS, federal
authorities said. Mateo Ventura, a resident of Wakefield, knowingly provided
gift cards to a man he believed to be an ISIS supporter so they could be sold
on the dark web for ‘a little less than face value’ to raise money for ISIS,
the US Attorney’s Office of Massachusetts announced in a news release. Ventura
was charged Thursday with one count of knowingly concealing the source of
material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization. Ventura
appeared in federal court in Worcester on Thursday afternoon. He is being held
without bail pending his detention hearing next week, according to CNN
affiliate WCVB. CNN has reached out to Ventura’s attorney for comment.”



The College Fix: FBI Seeks Info On Pro-Abortion Threat Against Campus Catholics

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“…The pro-abortion group Jane’s Revenge has “claimed responsibility for acts
of vandalism and fire bombings of anti-abortion offices and clinic,” according
to the Counter Extremism Project. “On May 8, [2022], the Madison, Wisconsin,
office of the anti-abortion Wisconsin Family Action was set on fire after a
Molotov cocktail thrown through a window failed to ignite,” Counter Extremism
wrote. “Police also found graffiti that read, “If abortions aren’t safe then
you aren’t either.’”



Iraq



Iraqi News: US Troops Launched 38 Missions Against ISIS In Iraq, Syria In May
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“US troops conducted a total of 38 missions against ISIS in Iraq and Syria
during May, according to US Central Command. 21 of those missions took place in
Iraq, and 17 were conducted in Syria, all with partner forces, Task & Purpose
reported. 31 suspected ISIS operatives were detained, and another eight were
killed, according to a news release issued by the US Central Command. 20
suspected ISIS operatives detained and two killed as a result of operations in
Syria and 11 operatives detained and six killed in Iraq, Task & Purpose
mentioned. The commander of the Combined Joint Task Force, Army Major General
Matthew McFarlane, explained that the coalition continues to advise, assist,
and enable partners to keep pressure on ISIS and prevent them from
re-establishing any type of network or effective military effort, the American
publication illustrated.”



Afghanistan



Dunya News: Hardcore Terrorist Involved In Attacks In Pakistan Killed In
Afghanistan
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“A hardcore terrorist, who masterminded several militant attacks in Pakistan
and other countries, was mysteriously killed in Afghanistan. Sanaullah Ghafari,
who had been leading the operations of the ISIS-Khorasan since 2020, was also
wanted to the United States which has offered a reward of up to $10 million for
information leading to his arrest. Ghafari, also known as Shahab al-Muhajir,
was killed in northeastern province of Kunar in Afghanistan. He and his family
had migrated to Afghanistan from India and he got his education at Ghafari
seminary in Kabul. He had been involved in attacks in Iran, Uzbekistan,
Tajikistan and Afghanistan. He was designated as a Specially Designated Global
Terrorist (SDGT) by United Nations, US and European Union in December 2021. The
ISIS-K lead was also involved in attack on Pakistani embassy in Kabul, Imam
Bargar Qisa Khawani Bazar, Peshawar, and others while in Uzbekistan and
Tajikistan, he carried out rocket attacks. He had also played role in the
August 26, 2021, terrorist attack at the Kabul airport.”



Middle East



Reuters: US, Saudi Top Diplomats Urge Repatriation Of Detained IS Recruits
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“The United States and Saudi Arabia urged countries to take back citizens
captured in the fight against Islamic State, with the kingdom's top diplomat
saying it was ‘absolutely unacceptable’ that wealthy countries skirted that
responsibility. ‘I would say to those countries, you must step up,’ Saudi
Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told a meeting of the U.S.-led
coalition in Riyadh. Speaking at the same conference, U.S. Secretary of State
Antony Blinken said repatriation was key to ensuring the lasting defeat of
Islamic State. He said detention centers were holding nearly 10,000 Islamic
State fighters, 2,000 of whom are from countries other than Syria and Iraq.
‘Failure to repatriate foreign terrorist fighters risks the possibility that
they could again take up arms and attempt to restore ISIS’s so-called
caliphate,’ Blinken said.”



The National: Annecy Stabbing Provokes Surge Of Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric Online
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“…Speaking to The National, senior research analyst at the Counter Extremism
Project Sofia Koller said it was important for the public to stay well-informed
during and after an attack to ensure they have all the facts before making
judgments. ‘It's very early to speak about it being a terror attack because the
motivation is not clear yet,’ she said. ‘Some media and parts of the public are
quick to judge when they see it was a foreign-looking man with a knife, and
assume it was a terror attack.’ There are continuing debates and discussions in
France and Europe on asylum seekers and immigration, said Ms Koller, speaking
from Germany.”



WTOP News: The Hunt: ISIS Remains A Major Threat Despite No Longer Making Big
Headlines
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“In this week’s edition of ‘The Hunt with WTOP national security correspondent
J.J. Green,’ Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director of the Counter Extremism
Project, explains why ISIS is still a major threat even though it hasn’t been
making big headlines.”



The National: Where Does ISIS Have A Presence Now? Group's Reign Of Terror
Wanes In Middle East
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“ISIS has suffered significant blows over the past five years and the
terrorist group’s threat remains low in the Middle East yet is growing in
sub-Saharan Africa, experts told The National on Thursday. The staying power of
the group was in the spotlight when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
attended a meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, a cohort of 80
countries, in Riyadh on Thursday. Sub-Saharan Africa has emerged as the global
epicentre of terrorism as the region has accounted for nearly 50 per cent of
terrorism deaths, according to the 2022 Global Terrorism Index. ISIS’s
expansion in sub-Saharan Africa is a bigger concern than in the Middle East,
Aymenn Al Timimi, an expert on terrorism and fellow at the Middle East Forum,
told The National.”



United Kingdom



Daily Mail: Terrorist Who Hatched A Bomb Plot Alongside London Bridge Attacker
Usman Khan Could Walk Free From Prison Within WEEKS
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“A terrorist who hatched a bomb plot alongside London Bridge attacker Usman
Khan could walk free from prison within weeks. The Parole Board said Nazam
Hussain, who was jailed in 2012 for his part in plans to blow up the London
Stock Exchange, was suitable to be released. Hussain, 35, and his gang were
behind an al-Queda-inspired plot to blow up the stock exchange on Christmas
Eve. The plans involved a coordinated bomb-and-gun attack similar to the
November 2008 attacks in Mumbai, which killed 175 people and injured more than
300. Hussain was initially freed from prison in 2019 but put back behind bars
just months later when police found two knives taped together inside a suitcase
at his house, in the wake of Khan's Fishmonger's Hall attack.”



Evening Standard: Far-Right Convicts Soar In New Sign Of Rising Threat Posed
By Neo-Nazi Extremism
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“The number of far-right terror convicts in prison has risen to a record high
in a new sign of the rising threat posed by neo-Nazi and similar forms of
extremism, official figures revealed on Thursday. The Home Office statistics
show that 65 inmates in custody at the end of March were being held for crimes
motivated by ‘extreme right-wing’ ideology. The new total was eight higher than
the equivalent figure 12 months earlier and represents a huge leap on the four
far-right inmates recorded in March 2016. The figures – which also show that
most terror convicts jailed last year will be released within the next decade –
will heighten concern about the increased numbers of Britons being drawn into
far-right extremism.”



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