Syria
Associated Press: US Drone Strike Kills An Islamic State Group Leader In Syria, The Defense Department Says
“A U.S. drone strike killed an Islamic State group leader in Syria hours after the same MQ-9 Reaper drones were harassed by Russian military jets over the western part of the country, according to the Defense Department. Three Reapers had been flying overhead searching for the militant on Friday, a U.S. defense official said, when they were harassed for about two hours by Russian aircraft. Shortly after that, the drones struck and killed Usamah al-Muhajir, who was riding a motorcycle in the Aleppo region, said the official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity to describe details of the military operation. The official said al-Muhajir was in northwest Syria at the time of the strike, but that he usually operated in the east.”
Associated Press: A Drone Strike In Syria Kills 1 Militant With Islamic State Links And Wounds A Passerby
“A drone strike believed to have been carried out by the U.S.-led coalition in northern Syria Friday killed one man with Islamic State links and wounded a passerby, a paramedic group and an opposition war monitor said. The Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, said the man was killed while riding a motorcycle. It added that a passerby was also wounded. Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the man targeted by the drone was a militant linked to the Islamic State group. The Observatory said the attack occurred on the road connecting the town of al-Bab with the village of Bazaa.”
Iran
Reuters: Six Killed As Attackers Storm Police Station In Southeast Iran
“Two police officers and four attackers were killed on Saturday when gunmen and suicide bombers stormed a police station in the mostly Sunni city of Zahedan in Iran's restive southeast, state television reported. Zahedan, capital of Sistan-Baluchistan province, was scene of some of the bloodiest protests during a wave of nationwide unrest last year triggered by the death of a young Kurdish woman in the custody of the morality police. A militant group operating in the area called Jaish al-Adl, or Army of Justice, claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack in a social media post, saying it was in retaliation for the deaths of protesters killed by security forces on Sept. 30, 2022. It said the police station targeted was ‘one of the main perpetrators of the Bloody Friday calamity in Zahedan’. State television said ‘all four terrorists’ had died in the raid.”
CNN: Two Men Executed In Iran Over Deadly Attack On Shiraz Shrine
“Iran on Saturday executed two men it accused of carrying out a deadly attack on a shrine in Shiraz in October 2022, according to state-run news agency IRNA. Iran’s Supreme Court had rejected an appeal filed for the two men, Mohammed Ramez Rashidi and Sayed Naeem Hashemi Qatali, IRNA quoted Fars Province Chief Prosecutor as saying. Thirteen people were killed, and 40 others injured in the attack that took place at Shahcheragh Shrine in the city of Shiraz in southern Iran on October 26, 2022, according to IRNA. The attack took place on a Wednesday evening, one of the busiest times for the shrine. At the time, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack and released a statement on its affiliated Amaq news agency saying that one of its members ‘targeted groups of Sunni refusal infidels inside the shrine with his machine gun, causing the death of tens of them.’”
Iraq
Kurdistan24: Five ISIS Militants Killed In Kirkuk Province: Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service
“The Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) announced on Friday the killing of five ISIS militants during an operation in the Altun Kupri sub-district of Kirkuk Province. CTS operations will continue to drive out ISIS remnants in the country, according to the statement. Previously, five suspected ISIS militants were killed by Iraqi forces on June 26 in a similar operation. Although ISIS was declared territorially defeated in 2017 by the then-Iraqi government, it has demonstrated a capability of launching small-scale attacks against security forces and civilians, particularly in the remote areas of the north and west. The group, which once controlled a third of the country following its rapid rise in 2014, has displaced over a million people and claimed the lives of thousands of security forces and civilians.”
Turkey
Anadolu Agency: Turkish Police Nab 22 Daesh/ISIS Terrorists In Capital
“Turkish police have arrested 22 foreign nationals affiliated with the Daesh/ISIS terrorist organization during an anti-terror operation in the capital Ankara, security sources said on Monday. Police teams conducted an anti-terror operation to arrest 27 suspects over their links to the terrorist group, according to the sources who requested anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media. The operation was initiated over the suspicion that the suspects were in contact with members of the Daesh/ISIS in conflict zones and carried out activities for the terrorist organization in the past years, the sources said. The arrests were made in the operation carried out across Ankara, and the remaining suspects are sought by the police, the sources added.”
Pakistan
Samaa: KP CTD Busts Terrorist Group Planning Attack In Muharram
“The CTD said the arrested group includes more than 10 terrorists belonging to a banned organization. The terrorists were arrested from different areas of the province, including Peshawar and Hangu. The arrested terrorists also include target killers. Further interrogation of the terrorists is going on, the CTD added. On Saturday, the Doaba police in a successful operation arrested four terrorists, including a commander of the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The operation was conducted in the mountainous area of Torawari village.”
Voice Of America News: Pakistan Cautiously Lauds Afghan Taliban's Moves To Counter Cross-Border Terrorism
“Pakistan is optimistic Afghanistan's Taliban will effectively combat cross-border terrorism to emulate the kind of cooperation that U.S. President Joe Biden recently hinted at between the de facto Afghan rulers and Washington, a senior diplomat said Saturday. Asif Durrani, Pakistan's special representative on Afghanistan Affairs, told VOA in an exclusive interview that the Taliban government had recently initiated certain moves to address his country's cross-border terror concerns and those of other neighbors, including China. But it is premature to speculate on the outcome, he cautioned. Pakistan has experienced a dramatic surge in terrorist attacks since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul nearly two years ago. The violence has become a daily routine, killing hundreds of Pakistanis, including many security forces. Islamabad maintains the attacks are being orchestrated by Afghanistan-based fugitive leaders and fighters of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, which is waging a deadly insurgency against the Pakistani state.”
Middle East
The National: Lebanon-Israel Border Tensions Rise Amid New Allegations Of Hezbollah Outposts
“Israeli military officials say Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah is openly manning new military outposts along the Blue Line, an area patrolled by UN peacekeepers following Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon 23 years ago. Tensions have been mounting in the region since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah conflict in which more than 1,000 Lebanese civilians and 44 Israelis were killed. A total of 121 Israeli soldiers and about 250 Hezbollah fighters also died in the conflict. The remarks by soldiers to Bloomberg confirm the growing stand-off after Israel complained to the UN about the construction of 27 outposts last month, saying they breached a post-war UN Security Council resolution.”
Jewish News Syndicate: IDF Thwarts Terror Attack In Samaria
“Israeli forces thwarted a Palestinian terrorist attack near Neve Tzuf (aka Halamish) in the Binyamin region of Samaria on Monday. According to preliminary reports, the terrorist was armed with a bomb and a firearm, which he aimed at troops stationed at a checkpoint on Route 450. The forces shot and ‘neutralized’ the terrorist, with paramedics later declaring him dead. There were no other injuries reported.”
Arab News: Three Men Wanted On Terrorism Charges Killed In Exchange Of Fire With Jordan Police
“Jordanian Public Security Department, or PSD, said on Sunday that three men wanted on terrorism charges were killed in an exchange of fire with police on the kingdom’s southeastern borders. PSD said that two of the three men killed in a police shootout on Saturday were inmates who had recently escaped from a rehabilitation center. The third man was a member of the ‘Al-Husseiniya cell’ and a ‘most wanted’ fugitive who was involved in the killing of Col. Abdul Razzaq Al-Dalabeeh on Dec. 16 last year in the southern city of Maan, which was rocked by demonstrations against increasing fuel prices. Amer Sartawi, PSD spokesperson, said that police had identified the hideout of the escaped inmates in a remote area with rough topography on the Kingdom’s southeastern borders with Saudi Arabia and Iraq.”
Nigeria
Sahara Reporters: Top Boko Haram Commander, Lieutenant Surrender To Nigerian Military
“A top commander of the Jamā'at Ahlis-Sunnah lid-Da'wahti wa'l-Jihād also known as Boko Haram, Khaid Malam Ali and his lieutenant, Bunu Umar have surrendered to the troops of Operation Hadin Kai in Borno State, Northeast, Nigeria. A top commander of the Jamā'at Ahlis-Sunnah lid-Da'wahti wa'l-Jihād also known as Boko Haram, Khaid Malam Ali and his lieutenant, Bunu Umar have surrendered to the troops of Operation Hadin Kai in Borno State, Northeast, Nigeria. SaharaReporters on July 6, 2023, reported that ISWAP terrorists killed many Boko Haram fighters, including their women and children during a fresh clash in Sambisa Forest in Borno State, northeast Nigeria. This was disclosed by a popular counter-insurgency expert and security analyst in Lake Chad, Zagazola Makama in a Twitter post said the two terrorist groups clashed against each other on Wednesday, July 5, 2023.”
Leadership Nigeria: Troops Kill 51 Terrorists, Arrest 168 Others
“Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said troops deployed on internal security in the North East, North West, North Central and South East have neutralised 51 insurgents, arrested 168 other terrorists, collaborators and rescued 89 kidnapped civilians in three weeks. The Defence Media Operations disclosed this in an update on military operations across the country covering between 15 June – 6 July 2023. According to the brief read by Brig-Gen. Abdullahi Ibrahim, 967 terrorists comprising 82 adult males, 354 adult females and 531 children surrendered to troops in the North East while one terrorist surrendered in the North West zone. In the North East, he said the troops neutralized 24 Boko Haram Terrorists/Islamic State of West Africa Province terrorists, captured 10, apprehended 39 collaborators and logistics suppliers and rescued 35 kidnapped civilians.”
Somalia
Garowe Online: Somalia: Al-Shabaab Suffers Huge Blow As 40 Militants Die In Army Raid
“Over 40 Al-Shabaab militants have been killed in the latest operation by the Somali National Army [SNA], state media reports, in what defines the resilience of the troops in liberating the country, which has struggled with instability for over three decades. According to state media, the Somali National Army used aerial and ground combats in dealing with the militants a huge blow, with help from international partners. The US Africa Command and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS] troops have been closely assisting the national army. The assault engineered by the Danab Special Forces, was executed in Welmaro village about 40 kilometers from Afmadow in Lower Jubba. The state media did not give much information about the incident but there are deliberate efforts to neutralize the militants.”
Africa
North Africa Post: Terror Groups In Africa, A Breeding Ground For Attacks In The West
"…The same warning was expressed by Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director of the international non-profit organization Counter Extremism Project, which monitors and evaluates the propaganda of Islamist terrorist groups in Africa. Schindler argues that as these groups grow more strengthened, they will end up not focusing exclusively on gaining control over areas in the region, “but they are all still part of this global strategy, which means attacks on the West are a priority.”
BR 24: Terrorist Groups In Africa: Breeding Ground For Attacks In Europe?
“…Terrorist groups like IS and al-Qaida have an easy time in these camps. Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director of the international non-profit organization Counter Extremism Project, warns of this. This monitors and evaluates the propaganda of Islamist terrorist groups in Africa. According to Schindler, growing stronger would mean ‘that these groups do not concentrate exclusively on gaining control over areas in the region, but are all still part of this global strategy, which means that attacks on the West are a priority’. Many associate IS primarily with countries like Syria or Iraq. But experts like Schindler say that Africa is increasingly becoming a hotspot for Islamist terrorism - and that attacks could be called for from there: ‘It's still possible to use people from the conflict regions in Europe as an instrument, to radicalize them and then possibly even to to motivate attacks.’”
France
RFI: France's Internal Security Chief Warns Againt Rise In Far-Right Violence
“In an interview with Le Monde newspaper, Nicolas Lerner, France's Director General of Internal Security stressed, ‘Since the spring, we have witnessed a very worrying resurgence of violent actions and intimidation by the ultra-right, some of which are a clear break with the democratic framework.’ Lerner – who has been head of the DGSI since 2018 – pointed in particular to attacks against the two mayors who resigned after one had his home was burnt down, while the other faced intimidation from the far-right over the installation of reception centres for asylum seekers and refugees. The senior civil servant has voiced his concern over the ‘trivialisation of the use of violence and the temptation to try to impose one's ideas through fear or intimidation’ in the ultra-right movement, which ‘numbers around 2,000 people’. Lerner also pointed out that ten planned terrorist attacks by the ultra-right have been foiled since 2017.”
Europe
Der Standard: Bandidos Weapon Discovery Raises Calls For More Surveillance
“…A report by the Counter Extremism Project, an international non-profit organization, on transnational connections shows how closely interwoven neo-Nazis from Object 21, a group that was believed to have been smashed after arrests in 2013, and the biker milieu were years ago between right-wing extremism, terrorism and organized crime from March 2023. In addition to right-wing extremist alliances, the group also cooperated with biker gangs from Bavaria. Also with the Hells Angels Germany, the rival of the Bandidos. The right-wing extremists' shift from the Hells Angels to the Bandidos could have something to do with connections to Switzerland.”
Russia
The Intercept: Russian Militia Has Links To American Neo-Nazi And Anti-Trans Figures
"…Kacper Rekawek, an expert on the flow of foreign fighters to the war in Ukraine and a nonresident research fellow at the Counter Extremism Project, says that while there are neo-Nazis from abroad in Ukraine, the problem shouldn’t be overblown. “It’s certainly not as bad as the Russian propaganda wants us to believe,” said Rekawek. “The caution is warranted, and what I see is there is excitement amongst those far-right types, online and offline.” According to Rekawek, there are very few neo-Nazi foreigners fighting on the front lines, while groups like CasaPound in Italy, another fascist and nationalist political organization, have sent “observation” missions to Ukraine."
India
The Print: Suspected Al Qaida Terrorist Ikramul Haque ‘Wanted’ In India, Arrested In B’desh
“India’s ‘most wanted’ Al Qaida terrorist, Ikramul Haque alias Abu Talha was arrested in Bangladesh along with his wife in a raid recently, Bangladesh daily Prothomalo reported. Ikramul Haque was apparently arrested from the Sabuj Bagh area of the capital Dhaka. He was arrested on May 30, soon after the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit (CTTC) officials of Dhaka came to know that Abu Talha, the top leader of the Dawah wing of the international terrorist organization Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), got involved in militancy while studying in Deoband, India. Ikramul Haque was apparently arrested from the Sabuj Bagh area of the capital Dhaka. Quoting CTTC as saying, Prothomalo reported that CTTC, the crime unit of Dhaka said Ikramul and his wife Faria Afreen were arrested from the city’s Madartek area on 30 May and are now in jail. The duo were remanded several times.”
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