Eye on Extremism
February 13, 2020
The
New York Times: Accused Mastermind Of Mumbai Attack Convicted Of Links
To Terrorism
“An antiterrorism court in Pakistan on Wednesday convicted Hafiz
Muhammad Saeed, the founder of the group that carried out deadly
attack in Mumbai in 2008, on terrorism-related charges and sentenced
him to five and a half years in prison. India and the United States
call Mr. Saeed the mastermind of the Mumbai attack, which killed more
than 160 people, including six Americans. For years, Pakistan had been
under intense international pressure to take action against him and
the radical Islamist group he founded, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and the United
States has offered a $10 million bounty for him. “The Hafiz Saeed
conviction should have happened many years ago,” said Mosharraf Zaidi,
a political analyst based in Islamabad, Pakistan. “That it did not is
a measure of the internal tensions, institutional weaknesses and
cognitive contradictions within Pakistan.” In the antiterrorism court
in Lahore, the eastern Pakistani city where he was based, Mr. Saeed
was found guilty of having links with terrorist groups, raising funds
for terrorism and having illegal property, said his lawyer, Imran
Gill. He was sentenced to two prison terms of five and half years,
which will run concurrently, according to the judge, Arshad Hussain
Bhatta. He was also fined $97.”
The
Globe And Mail: Surge Of Violent Extremism Leads To Hunger And Refugee
Exodus In Africa’s Sahel Region
“Africa’s fastest-growing Islamist insurgency is triggering a
dramatic rise in hunger and a refugee exodus across three countries in
the Sahel region of West Africa, leaving thousands of civilians dead
and millions at risk of food shortages. Local and international troops
are “over-matched” by the intensifying attacks from violent extremist
militias in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, forcing armies to switch to
a strategy of merely trying to “contain” the insurgency, the U.S.
military admitted in a report this week. Mali is planning to recruit
another 10,000 troops to fight the rebels; France is deploying a
further 600 soldiers to reinforce its 4,500 troops in the region; Chad
is sending another battalion of reinforcements; and Canada is among
many Western countries providing training of police and
counterterrorism forces in the region. But the military aid has failed
to prevent the humanitarian catastrophe from growing worse. The region
has suffered the most rapid increase in Islamist violent extremism of
any region in Africa in recent years, with attacks doubling every year
since 2015, according to data compiled by the Africa Center for
Strategic Studies.”
United States
ABC
News: Man Pleads Guilty To Terrorism Charge After Blocking Hoover Dam
Bridge With Armored Truck
“A man in Arizona has pleaded guilty to terrorism charges stemming
from a June 2018 incident in which he created a barricade with an
armored vehicle at the Hoover Dam, apparently in support of the
far-right QAnon movement. Matthew Wright, 32, pleaded guilty on Feb. 4
to making a terroristic threat, aggravated assault and unlawful flight
from pursuing law enforcement vehicle. Wright, armed with a rifle in a
black armored truck, blocked the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Bridge
over the Colorado River at the Hoover Dam, where the Arizona and
Nevada state lines meet. According to the Arizona Department of Public
Safety, when authorities arrived Wright was standing next to the
vehicle with a sign that read, “Release the OIG report,” known as a
prominent demand of QAnon followers. Arizona Department of Public
SafetyIn June 2018, Matthew Wright blocked a bridge near the Hoover
Dam in an armored truck. In June 2018, Matthew Wright blocked a bridge
near the Hoover Dam in an armored truck. After a nearly hour-long
stand-off, Wright fled in his vehicle, driving over tire deflation
devices and past law enforcement.”
Military
Times: After Decades Focused On Terrorism, Special Operations Is
Broadening Its Horizons
“With clear marching orders from the Defense Department to turn
focus to competitors like China and Russia, the U.S. special
operations community is at an inflection point. Kicking down doors in
Afghanistan and Iraq will give way to more missions like training
partners in Europe and Asia, and U.S. Special Operations Command could
see a shift in its funding and oversight. But that re-focus should not
mean that special operations forces will take a back seat to
traditional air, land and sea power, according to a report released
Wednesday, as competitors are already using proxy forces and
misinformation campaigns, both of which are right in the SOF
wheelhouse. “A successful U.S. national security strategy will require
more from SOF and their partner nation forces—not less,” according to
the Imperatives 2020 report from the Global SOF Foundation, a Tampa,
Florida-based non-profit that advances “SOF capabilities and
partnerships to confront global and networked threats.” The
six-year-old organization, which is not affiliated with SOCOM, is
holding a symposium in Washington on Wednesday.”
Syria
Reuters:
Widowed, Imprisoned, Detained: Remnants Of Islamic State In Limbo In
Syria
“In northeastern Syria, prisons and detention camps hold thousands
of men, women and children whose lives are in limbo nearly a year
after the final defeat of Islamic State to which they once belonged.
The area around Qamishli city is mainly controlled by Kurdish fighters
who helped defeat the Islamist militant group. They have since been
pushed into a small pocket of northeastern Syria by Turkish-led forces
who consider them a security threat. Kurdish forces bear the brunt of
looking after those captured as Islamic State collapsed, including
hundreds of foreigners who fought alongside local militants to create
a self-declared caliphate in the Middle East. What to do with the
remnants of Islamic State, whose fighters tortured and executed
thousands of people during its zenith from 2014, is a thorny issue for
countries whose citizens went to fight with the group. Many European
countries, for example, have hesitated to repatriate nationals,
fearing a public backlash if they do. Europeans comprise a fifth of
the roughly 10,000 Islamic State fighters held captive in Syria by
Kurdish militias. Kurdish officials say they lack the resources to
properly detain, investigate and prosecute the large number of
prisoners as well as their families in camps.”
Al
Jazeera: Syrian Killed In Rare Clash Between US Troops, Government
Forces
“A Syrian civilian was killed and another wounded in a rare clash
between US troops and a group of government supporters who tried to
block a United States convoy driving through a village in northeastern
Syria, state media reported.The Syrian state-run media on Wednesday
said the killed man was among residents of a village east of the town
of Qamishli who had gathered at an army checkpoint, pelting the US
convoy with stones and taking down a US flag from one of the vehicles.
At that point, US troops fired with live ammunition and smoke bombs at
the residents, the report said. A US military spokesman said coalition
forces conducting a patrol near Qamishli encountered the checkpoint
occupied by pro-Syrian government forces. “After coalition troops
issued a series of warnings and de-escalation attempts, the patrol
came under small arms fire from unknown individuals,” said Colonel
Myles Caggins, a spokesman for the US-led coalition. “In self-defence,
coalition troops returned fire,” he said. Hundreds of US troops are
stationed in northeastern Syria, working with their local partners
from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces to fight against the
ISIL (ISIS) group.”
The
National: Syrian Kurds To Begin Trials For Foreign ISIS Fighters Next
Month
“After months of deadlock, the Kurdish government will begin trials
of foreign ISIS members, a Syrian Kurdish official said after a
meeting with the Finnish government. Non-Syrians jailed in the
Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, also
known as Rojava, will be tried from next month – with or without the
help of their home countries, said Abdulkarim Omar, co-chairman of the
authority’s foreign relations committee. The announcement follows a
meeting between a delegation from the Syrian Kurdish committee and the
Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs at the end of January in
Finland’s capital Helsinki. Mr Omar stated in a video posted on
Facebook last week that the administration had asked for help from
Finland to establish the special court. The countries with ISIS
members on trial would have to support the administration with
establishing the courts, he said. “It requires an international
solution... this was the basis of our relationship with the
international coalition against ISIS and we have to solve it
together,” Mr Omar said. “These ISIS members must be tried, and the
international community must assist us with this, continuing this
relationship.” Finland has expressed its support for the creation of a
special court in north-east Syria for trying foreigners.”
Iraq
Kurdistan
24: Iraq Launches Anti-ISIS Operation To Secure Western
Border
“The Iraqi military announced on Wednesday that it had launched a
new anti-Islamic State operation named “Iraqi Heroes” as part of
ongoing efforts to secure the nation's often porous western borders
with Syria and Jordan. “With God’s blessing, phase one of 'Iraqi
Heroes' was launched at dawn today, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020, with the
participation of the Ground Forces Command, the Baghdad Operations
Command, and the Border Guard Command and entities attached to it,”
said Deputy Commander of Joint Operations Command Abdul Amir Rashid
Yarallah in a statement. He added, “The process is to search and clear
Anbar Province and surrounding areas in the Iraqi-Syrian-Jordanian
borders... with the Middle Euphrates Command and Baghdad Operations
Command to eliminate the remnants of terrorism, impose security, and
enhance stability.” The military operation will be conducted from five
axes with the full support of the entire Iraqi air force, according to
the statement.”
Afghanistan
The
New York Times: A U.S.-Taliban Deal Hinges On Reducing Violence. It
Might Work Like This.
“The United States and the Taliban are perhaps the closest they
have been to a deal that could begin the end of America’s longest war,
with President Trump giving a conditional green light to his diplomats
to prepare for signing. That condition, however, is no small one. The
United States is demanding that in the week before any agreement is
signed, there be a sustained, significant reduction in hostilities —
something described as close to a cease-fire. The reduction is seen as
a test of the ability of all sides to control their ranks, and to hold
their fire in a complex conflict that is increasingly mixed up with
local feuds and regional rivalries. The hope is that it will serve as
a dry run for a more lasting cease-fire. If the sides do succeed in
observing a period of reduced hostilities, the next steps of the deal
will fall into place: first a formal signing between the United States
and the Taliban that rolls out a schedule for gradual withdrawal of
the remaining American troops, and then the start of negotiations
between the Taliban and Afghan leaders over the political future of
the country. Here is what the pause in hostilities and the next steps
of the peace process might look like, based on interviews with nearly
a dozen current and former Afghan and Western officials as well as
Taliban leaders who have followed the negotiations closely.”
The
Washington Post: U.S.-Taliban Agreement On ‘Reduction In Violence’
Could Be Announced In Next Several Days
“Agreement between the United States and the Taliban on a
“reduction in violence” in Afghanistan that could lead to direct peace
talks between the militants and the Afghan government may be announced
in the next several days, according to people familiar with the
negotiations. Realization of those plans depend on whether the United
States and the Taliban, in discussions this week, can finalize the
parameters of the violence reduction, including its duration —
expected to be seven days — and geographic coverage. They would also
need to agree on the extent to which it applies to both the militants
and U.S. forces, according to current and former Afghan and Taliban
officials who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to
discuss sensitive negotiations. If the reduction is implemented,
current plans call for it to be followed within days by the signing of
a much broader U.S.-Taliban agreement under which the militants would
quickly begin direct peace talks with the government, and the United
States would start withdrawing troops. The State Department declined
to comment. “Some good news could be forthcoming,” White House
national security adviser Robert O’Brien said at the Atlantic Council
on Tuesday.”
Washington
Examiner: Ignominious Distinction: Taliban Surpasses ISIS As 'World’s
Deadliest' Nonstate Armed Group
“A new analysis from Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Centre says
the Afghanistan-based Taliban has surpassed the Islamic State to
become the world’s deadliest nonstate armed group. The group reported
that while terrorist attacks decreased 10% to 14,009 in 2019, the
lowest level since 2011, Taliban attacks increased by almost 90%,
resulting in a 60% increase in deaths. The data shows that the Taliban
accounted for more deaths than the next nine deadliest groups
combined. The ignominious distinction comes as President Trump
reportedly has given conditional approval to a peace deal with the
Taliban that could mark the beginning of the end of America’s longest
war, according to Afghan and U.S. officials. “But the deal will only
be signed if the Taliban prove their commitment to a durable reduction
of violence over a test period of about seven days later this month,”
reports the New York Times. “If the Taliban do end hostilities and a
deal is signed, the United States would then begin a gradual
withdrawal of American troops, and direct negotiations would start
between the Taliban and Afghan leaders over the future of their
country,” the newspaper reports. Meanwhile, Islamic State attacks and
resultant fatalities both fell by around 20% in comparison to
2018.”
Xinhua:
Afghan Forces Detain Taliban Local Commander In Eastern
Province
“Security forces have captured a group commander of the Taliban
outfit in the eastern Paktika province, provincial police spokesman
Shah Mohammad Arian said Wednesday. The arrested militant, identified
as Mullah Khalid and captured on Tuesday evening, was commander of a
30-member Taliban fighters and he has admitted to involvement in
subversive activities, the official said. Taliban militants who are
operational in parts of Paktika with Sharan as its capital 155 km west
of Kabul have yet to make comments.”
Pakistan
Associated
Press: Pakistan Jails Cleric Wanted By US, India For Mumbai
Attacks
“A Pakistani court on Wednesday handed down a five-year prison term
to a radical cleric for terrorism financing. Hafiz Saaed is wanted by
Washington and New Delhi for his alleged role in the bloody 2008
Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people in neighboring India. The U.S.
put a $10 million bounty out for his arrest. The Pakistani court was
not trying the cleric in connection with that attack, but on charges
that his charity organizations, Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Falah-e-Insaniat,
are fronts for funding the militant group that he founded,
Lashkar-e-Taiba. India blames that group for the deadly attacks in
Mumbai. Saeed and the four other suspects were present in the
courtroom in the eastern city of Lahore when the judge announced the
much-awaited verdict. Saeed was given a five-year prison term on
terrorism financing charges in one case, plus six months in jail in
another case registered against him in the eastern Punjab
province.”
Yemen
Long
War Journal: Saudi-Led Coalition In Yemen Reports Killing Lebanese
Hezbollah Operatives Near Sana’a
“The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen reported that its airstrikes near
the Yemeni capital Sana’a recently killed several members of Lebanese
Hezbollah. According to the pro-Saudi Arabia outlet Al Hadath,
coalition airstrikes killed “four experts of Hezbollah” east of Sana’a
yesterday. Other outlets later picked up this report, with one adding
that the Hezbollah operates included both Lebanese and Iraqi
nationals. Al Arabiya, another pro-Saudi outlet, added that the two
Lebanese members were killed in Ma’rib and al Jawf while the Iraqi
members were both killed in Nihm. Quoting a Hadi government official,
the government in Yemen backed by Saudi Arabia and its allies, Al
Arabiya and Al Hadath report that there has been a “marked increase in
Hezbollah activities in Yemen” since the death of Iranian Qods Force
leader Qassem Soleimani. These claims have not been independently
verified; though, these are not the first reports of Hezbollah
operatives being killed recently in Yemen. Just last week, Muammar al
Eryani, Yemen’s information minister under the Saudi-backed Hadi
government, claimed that several other Hezbollah and Iranian
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) members were killed in recent battles
in northern Yemen.”
Egypt
Egypt
Independent: Egyptian Security Forces Kill 17 Militants In Shootout In
North Sinai
“Egypt’s Interior Ministry said on Tuesday that 17 militants have
been killed in North Sinai by Egyptian police forces after shootouts
at two locations, with an official statement from the Ministry
claiming the group was planning to carry out terrorist attacks in the
country targeting army and police personnel. A statement for the
ministry said that National Security Agency (NSA) was tipped off about
a terrorist group hiding in a backyard in the Obidat area of al-Arish
city. The statement said that the group was planning to use their
hideout as place to plot violent attacks. State security forces and
the militants exchanged fire at the location, leading to the deaths of
11 “terrorists,” the statement described. Police seized six automatic
guns, two shotguns, and three improvised explosive devices, according
to the Interior Ministry’s statement. Some of the individuals at the
hideout fled the scene to an abandoned house in the al-Hous area in
al-Arish, and Egyptian forces tracked them, leading to another
exchange of fire and the deaths of six other militants, the statement
said.”
Nigeria
Sahara
Reporters: Boko Haram Terrorists Attack Borno Hours After President
Buhari's Visit
“Boko Haram terrorists have once again carried out a deadly attack
on residents of a village in Borno State. The attack occurred hours
after President Muhammadu Buhari paid a condolence visit to the people
of the state over the killing of 30 persons on Sunday. Wednesday’s
attack, according to reports, happened at Jiddari-Polo area, a suburb
near Maiduguri, the state capital. Residents scampered for safety as
the military officials battled the insurgents. Angered by the spate
of Boko Haram attacks in the state, Borno residents turned their anger
on Buhari during his visit by booing him.”
Somalia
Bloomberg:
Government, Militants Target Somali Journalists, Amnesty
Says
“Journalists in Somalia are not only targeted by al-Qaeda-linked
militants, but also by government security forces, according to rights
group Amnesty International. Freedom of the media and expression have
deteriorated since Somalia President Mohamed Abdullahi also known as
Farmajo took office in 2017, with rampant killings of journalists,
arbitrary arrests and violent attacks, Amnesty said Thursday in a
report titled “We live in perpetual fear.” At least eight journalists
have been killed in south-central Somalia and Puntland since 2017 and
another eight fled since October 2018, according to the report.
“Somali journalists are under siege,” said Deprose Muchena, the
organization’s director for East and Southern Africa. “From barely
surviving explosive-wired cars, being shot, beaten up and arbitrarily
arrested, journalists are working in horrifying conditions.” Somalia,
which has been unstable since the civil war that ousted then President
Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, tops the Committee to Protect Journalists’
list of countries where those who kill journalists aren’t prosecuted.
Attempts at rebuilding Somalia have been disrupted by internal
wrangles and attacks by al Shabaab militants who want to impose their
version of Sharia law.”
Africa
France
24: US Mulls Troop Cuts In Africa As Strategy Switches To ‘Contain’
Extremists
“The United States announced Wednesday an initial plan for
adjusting its military presence in Africa.The adjustment comes as a
new US government report says that the US military has switched from
trying to degrade Islamic extremist groups in West Africa’s sprawling
Sahel region to merely trying to contain them. The first change will
see part of one infantry unit, around 800 troops, replaced with a
similar number of military trainers and advisors to support local
forces in “spotlight African countries,” Defense Department officials
said. “The message I’m relaying to my (African) partners is we are not
walking away,” US Army Africa commander Major General Roger Cloutier
told reporters. “We are still engaged.” The move is the first
resulting from a sweeping Pentagon review of the presence of US forces
around the world in an effort to better align that presence with US
defense priorities—which list China and Russia as the principle
threats to the country. That could mean reducing US deployments meant
to confront Islamic militant threats, including in Africa. But the
Pentagon is also wary of leaving a vacuum in certain areas, like in
Africa, for the Chinese and Russians to fill, which could give them
strategically valuable footholds.”
The
North Africa Post: Algeria: ISIS Claims Responsibility For Suicide
Bomb Attack On Military Barracks
“The Islamic state group, ISIS, on Tuesday claimed responsibility
for the suicide bomb attack on a military camp, on Sunday, near the
border with Mali in which one soldier was killed. Sunday an ISIS
combatant, identified by the militant group as Omar al Ansari, tried
to enter with a car laden with explosives a military camp at Bordj
Badji Mokhtar, near the border with Mali. He was stopped by a sentry
but managed to explode the vehicle, killing himself and the soldier.
The attack is the first since two assaults on police stations in 2017.
The latest major terror blow to Algeria was dealt by al Qaeda which
seized Tiguentourine gas plant. The liberation operation resulted in
the death of several people including expat workers. Algerian
authorities have been on the alert over the constant threats of terror
groups in the Sahel region including in Mali and
Libya.”
All
Africa: West Africa: Where Do Sahel Terrorists Get Their Heavy
Weapons?
“Terror attacks on military outposts in the Liptako-Gourma area
where Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger meet are increasingly ambitious and
complex. Their frequency and the damage inflicted on defence and
security forces is worrying, and raises questions about where the
terror groups are sourcing their heavy weapons. New research by the
Institute for Security Studies (ISS) on the links between violent
extremism, organised crime and local conflicts in Liptako-Gourma
reveals that terrorist groups in the Sahel region - of which
Liptako-Gourma forms part - are using weapons from the military
barracks they're looting. Since the outbreak of the crisis in Mali in
2012, the origin of the many weapons circulating in the area has
generated speculation. Libya was at one point the main source of arms.
Weapons proliferation was linked to the fall of the Muammar Gaddafi
regime in 2011. Following the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO)-led military intervention, Libya lost control of a large part
of the stockpiles it had amassed over 40 years. The transfer of
weapons from Libya strengthened armed rebel movements in Mali in
2012.”
United Kingdom
BBC
News: Terror Sentence Changes 'Must Extend To Northern
Ireland'
“There have been calls for new legislation ending the early release
of people convicted of terror offences to be extended to Northern
Ireland. MPs are debating the Terrorist Offenders Bill at Westminster.
It means terror offenders will only be considered for release once
they have served two-thirds of their term and with the approval of the
Parole Board. It was introduced in response to an Islamist-related
terrorist incident in London last month. The attacker, Sudesh Amman,
had been freed from prison 10 days earlier. At present, offenders who
receive standard determinate sentences for terror convictions are
released automatically after serving half their sentence. The new
legislation is being fast-tracked through the House of Commons. The
aim is to prevent the 28 February release of Mohammed Zahir Khan, who
is the next convicted terrorist due to be freed after serving half his
sentence for encouraging terrorism. Justice Minister Naomi Long said
while the decision on whether or not to extend the legislation lay
with the secretary of state, Stormont officials would “engage on the
implications for Northern Ireland.”
Sky
News: More Than 160 Terrorists Released Early In Seven Years, Mps
Told
“More than 160 convicted terrorists have been released early in the
last seven years, MPs have been told, as the Commons debated the
government's emergency terror legislation. Conservative MP John Hayes,
a former security minister, said he was “surprised and disappointed”
by the “significant” numbers contained in research from the House of
Commons library. He said this figure did not include offenders who had
spent fewer than 12 months in prison. The disclosure was made as MPs
debated the government's Terrorist Offenders (Restriction of Early
Release) Bill, with the legislation clearing all of its Commons stages
on Wednesday. This will stop around 50 terrorists being automatically
released halfway through their sentences. The bill will ensure that
terrorist offenders cannot be released early without what the
government says is a “thorough risk assessment” from the Parole Board.
Those who are deemed to still be a threat to public safety will be
forced to spend the rest of their sentence behind bars, ministers say.
The legislation will cover offenders sentenced for offences such as
training for terrorism, membership of a proscribed organisation and
the dissemination of terrorist publications.”
Southeast Asia
The
Straits Times: Jakarta Blocks Return Of Over 600 ISIS Fighters And
Family Members
“Indonesia has decided not to allow more than 600 of its citizens,
comprising those believed to be Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS)
fighters as well as their family members, to return home. All are
stranded in a refugee camp in Syria since United States-led coalition
forces defeated the militant group last March. “There is no plan to
take back terrorists. We will not take back foreign terrorist fighters
to Indonesia... For children aged below 10, we may consider case by
case. We will see whether the minors are orphans,” Coordinating
Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD told
reporters on Tuesday after meeting President Joko Widodo. “The
government is going to gather more valid data on how many there are,
their identities and those who were involved in terrorism,” added Mr
Mahfud. Citing data from the US Central Intelligence Agency, he said
there were 689 Indonesians stranded in Syria, but so far the
identities of only 288 have been established. The Indonesians who
travelled to Syria to join ISIS reportedly burned their Indonesian
passports and all forms of identification.”
France
24: Top US Commander Warns Philippines Rift Could Hurt Terrorism
Fight
“A top US commander warned ending a security pact with the
Philippines' would hurt counter-terrorism efforts in the country's
restive south Thursday, putting him at odds with commander-in-chief
Donald Trump. Washington's top military officer in Asia-Pacific
Admiral Philip Davidson said he hoped Philippine President Rodrigo
Duterte's decision to scrap a deal allowing US forces to be based in
the country would be rethought. Manila has given “180 day notice so we
have some time for diplomatic efforts,” Davidson said at an event in
Sydney. “I hope we can get to a successful outcome.” Trump has said he
would be “fine” with the end of the visiting forces agreement as it
would save the United States “a lot of money”. But Davidson insisted
the move would hamper military operations in Duterte's home island of
Mindanao -- where separatist and Islamist violence has killed some
100,000 people. “Our ability to help the Philippines in their
counter-violent extremist fight in the south, our ability to train and
operate within the Philippines and with Philippines armed forces would
be challenged without that visiting forces agreement,” he warned.”
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