Afghanistan
Voice Of America: US Says It's Working To Hold Afghan Taliban To Anti-Terror Pledges
“A senior U.S. official says the Biden administration is "working tirelessly every day" to ensure the Taliban stick to their pledges to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a haven for transnational terrorists. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan discussed the matter with reporters aboard Air Force One when asked by VOA if Washington is working with the Taliban to hunt down terrorist targets on Afghan soil. Sullivan traveled to London, where President Joe Biden met with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. "What I could say is that we are holding the Taliban to their commitments under the Doha agreement, which is that Afghanistan cannot be used as a safe haven to plot terrorist attacks against anyone and especially, from our purposes, against the United States of America, our homeland, our allies, and our partners," Sullivan said.”
Africa
The Africa Report: A Behind-The-Scenes Look At Al-Qaeda’s Kidnapping Strategy In The Sahel
“In recent years, the number of kidnappings in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger has soared. JNIM, the Sahelian branch of al-Qaeda, which has become adept at abducting people, has made it a pillar of its expansion strategy in the region. His relaxed appearance almost makes you forget the weight of the 711 days of detention that preceded his release. On the tarmac at France’s Villacoublay airport on 21 March 2023, Olivier Dubois looks unchanged. It’s the same face that the French had seen emblazoned on town halls, the front pages of newspapers and even on the façade of the Panthéon during his long months in detention.”
United Kingdom
Daily Mail: Brothers, 21, And 18, Who Plotted To Join ISIS From Their Bedroom In Birmingham And Threatened Former Prime Minister David Cameron Admit Terror Charges
“A pair of baby-faced brothers who plotted to join ISIS from their bedroom in Birmingham have admitted terror offences. Muhammad Abdul Haleem Heyder Khan and younger sibling Muhammad Hamzah Heyder Khan had made preparations to travel to Afghanistan when they were arrested on November 2, last year. The 21 and 18-year-old were found to have encouraged others to 'shed' the blood of non-believers, as well as threatened former Prime Minister David Cameron. The pair had initially denied their crimes when brought before a jury at Birmingham Crown Court last week, but the brothers changed their pleas on Monday, July 10.”
Daily Mail: ISIS-Obsessed Teacher, 31, Who Was Grooming Pupils To Become London Terror Attack 'Death Squad' May Have Been 'Planning An Attack On The Queen' - As He Is Banned From Teaching
“A teacher who was jailed for 25 years for grooming pupils to become terrorists has been banned from the classroom today. New evidence revealed by teaching watchdogs has found that Umar Haque, who was 25 when he was jailed in 2015, may have been planning an attack on the late Queen. Haque, who had been 'fanatical' about ISIS, had plans to create a London-based 'death squad' made up of pupils from a fee-paying independent Muslim school in Leyton, east London. He was jailed for 25 years to life and had to be dragged from the dock in mid-rant about the end of 'Western domination'.”
Europe
Israel National News: Foiled Terror Attack May Have Targeted Israeli Embassy In Azerbaijan
“An attack that was thwarted on Monday morning against a foreign embassy in Azerbaijan is being investigated as a terrorist incident which targeted the Israeli embassy, local media reported. The local police in Azerbaijan understand that the attempted attack was definitely aimed at a foreign country, but the possibility that it targeted Israel is still being investigated, the reports said. The reports indicated that an Afghan citizen, identified as Pavzan Musa Khan, was arrested by Azerbaijan security services on suspicions of planning a terrorist attack against a foreign embassy. The State Security Service of Azerbaijan issued a statement indicating that Khan allegedly conspired with others to execute acts of terrorism within Azerbaijan's territory.”
Southeast Asia
The New York Times: Trial Guide: The Jemaah Islamiyah Case At Guantánamo Bay
“Three prisoners at Guantánamo Bay are accused of terrorism, murder and conspiracy in bombings in Indonesia 20 years ago as members of Jemaah Islamiyah, an extremist group founded in the 1980s with the goal of establishing an Islamic state in Southeast Asia. In one attack, a suicide bomber and a truck bomb detonated at nightclubs in Bali in October 2002, killing more than 200 people, mostly Australians and Indonesians as well as seven Americans. Then, in August 2003, 11 people were killed in a car bombing at a Marriott hotel in Jakarta. The U.S. government considered both attacks acts of war that were carried out by an affiliate of Al Qaeda after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, making them eligible for trial by a military commission at Guantánamo Bay.”
Philstar: Gov't Designates As Terrorists 4 Cordillera IP Activists
“The Anti-Terrorism Council has designated four leaders of rights group Cordillera Peoples Alliance — who have reported being on the receiving end of harassment for years and who recently had rebellion charges against them dismissed — as terrorists. Activists and human rights defenders criticized the designation, which they said shows how the controversial anti-terrorism law is being used against government critics and to suppress dissent. In a press statement published on Manila Times Monday, the ATC said it had approved a resolution designating Cordillera activists Sarah Alikes, Jennifer Awingan, Windel Bolinget and Stephen Tauli as terrorists.”
Australia
CNN: Australian Retiree Accused Of Terrorism Freed From Prison In Vietnam
“A retired baker has returned home to Sydney after being released from prison in Vietnam, where he was serving 12 years on terrorism charges for being a member of a banned pro-democracy group. Acting Australian Prime Minister Richard Marles said Chau Van Kham was released on humanitarian grounds and “in the spirit of friendship” between Australia and Vietnam. “This is a result of careful advocacy, which has been undertaken by the Australian government with the Vietnamese government, over a number of months now,” Marles said Tuesday. Kham, a 74-year-old Australian-Vietnamese national, was arrested in 2019 hours after arriving in Vietnam where he met a fellow pro-democracy activist, according to Amnesty International.”
The Counter Extremism Project depends on the generosity of its supporters. If you value what we do, please consider making a donation.
