“The Gaza Strip's Hamas rulers have been unable to pay salaries for 50,000
public sector workers, with officials in part blaming a delay in a monthly
payroll grant from Qatar, a crucial aid donor to the impoverished Palestinian
enclave. The salary crisis has sparked an unusual amount of criticism on social
media in Gaza, including by some of Hamas' own employees. A drop in tax revenue
and a jump in spending has made the situation even more difficult. Most of
Gaza's 2.3 million residents live in poverty, and the economy is dependent on
foreign aid. Qatar has paid hundreds of millions of dollars since 2014 for
construction projects. It currently pays $30 million per month in stipends for
families, fuel for electricity, and to help pay public sector wages. Hamas
officials say no salary aid has been received since just over half of a
$5-million grant to support the May payroll. The reason for the delay was not
clear.”











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Eye on Extremism



July 17, 2023



Reuters: Hamas Unable To Pay Salaries In Gaza After Qatari Aid Delay,
Officials Say
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“The Gaza Strip's Hamas rulers have been unable to pay salaries for 50,000
public sector workers, with officials in part blaming a delay in a monthly
payroll grant from Qatar, a crucial aid donor to the impoverished Palestinian
enclave. The salary crisis has sparked an unusual amount of criticism on social
media in Gaza, including by some of Hamas' own employees. A drop in tax revenue
and a jump in spending has made the situation even more difficult. Most of
Gaza's 2.3 million residents live in poverty, and the economy is dependent on
foreign aid. Qatar has paid hundreds of millions of dollars since 2014 for
construction projects. It currently pays $30 million per month in stipends for
families, fuel for electricity, and to help pay public sector wages. Hamas
officials say no salary aid has been received since just over half of a
$5-million grant to support the May payroll. The reason for the delay was not
clear.”



Associated Press: The Military Chiefs Of Pakistan And Iran Agree To Work
Together To Stop Border Attacks By Militants
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“The top military leadership of Pakistan and neighboring Iran agreed to step
up cooperation and intelligence sharing and take ‘effective actions’ to prevent
attacks by separatist militants along their porous border, Pakistani officials
said Monday. The agreement was reached during a visit by Pakistan’s powerful
army chief Gen. Asim Munir to Tehran over the weekend, officials said. Munir
traveled to Tehran on a two-day visit following a surge in attacks in the
country’s southwestern Baluchistan province, which shares a long border with
Afghanistan and Iran. Pakistan’s relations with Iran have witnessed ups and
downs in recent years because of cross-border attacks by Pakistani militants.
Small separatist groups have been behind a long-running insurgency calling for
gas and oil-rich Baluchistan’s independence from the central government in
Islamabad.”




CEP Expert Analysis

* West Africa's Terrorism Challenge: Development Of Al-Qaeda In The Western
Sahel Region
<[link removed]>
* West Africa's Terrorism Challenge: Status Of ISWAP And ISGS In West Africa
And Sahel
<[link removed]>
* Civilian Counterterrorism Forces and the Fight Against Extremism: A Review
of Nigeria, Somalia, and Burkina Faso
<[link removed]>
* Extremism in Erdogan's AKP
<[link removed]>
* Security Risks Emanating From Afghanistan
<[link removed]>






United States



The Herald: What Drove The Unabomber To Kill?
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“…A recent study in The British Journal of Psychiatry, for example, suggested
that there was a relationship between depression, post traumatic stress
disorder and violent extremism. Ian Acheson, a senior advisor to the Counter
Extremism Project, notes that terrorist gangs such as Al Qaeda or ISIS are
deliberately seeking out people online who are vulnerable and suggestible to
hateful ideologies. ‘Their irrationality,’ Acheson claims, is ‘a blade to be
sharpened by groomers’. This is a dangerous development. Yet again the rarely
discussed context for some of the most pressing issues that we face as a
society is how enlightenment values which champion science over religion,
knowledge over belief, and truth as demonstrable fact rather than mere opinion,
have become ever more threatened in a ‘post-truth’ world.”



CNN: Ex-Soccer Player Accused Of Planning Suicide Bomb Attack Acquitted
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“A Tunisian man who the Justice Department accused of working with members of
Al Qaeda, including Osama bin Laden, to plot a suicide bomb attack against
Americans in Europe was acquitted Friday by a Washington, DC, jury of all
charges he faced – a rarity in a terror trial. The federal trial against Nizar
Trabelsi – which began in May – ended Friday in unanimous not-guilty verdicts
for the three charges he faced: conspiracy and attempt to use a weapon of mass
destruction as well as conspiracy to kill US nationals outside the states.
‘Innocent. Finally, I am innocent. 22 years,’ Trabelsi, a former professional
soccer player in Germany, said after members of the jury left following his
acquittal, according to his attorney. Trabelsi was extradited to the US in 2013
after being indicted by a US grand jury in 2006. Prior to his extradition he
served a decade in prison in Belgium following a conviction for planning an
attack on the Kleine-Brogel Air Force Base, which housed American soldiers in
the country in 2001.”



AFP News: US Islamic State Recruiter Sentenced To Life In New York Court
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“A Kosovo-born US man who helped supply ‘thousands’ of recruits to the
Islamic State group was sentenced to life in prison Friday for helping the
extremist group, the Justice Department announced. Mirsad Kandic, 40, was a
high-ranking member of the jihadist group between 2013 and 2017, when it
controlled large swathes of Iraq and Syria, the Justice Department said. In
2013 he left his home in New York and traveled to Syria where he joined IS,
becoming a fighter in Haritan outside of Aleppo. Then he was directed to move
to Turkey to help smuggle foreign fighters and weapons for the group into
Syria, it said. He was also an emir for IS media, the department said,
disseminating the group's propaganda and recruitment messages online, including
via more than 120 Twitter accounts.”



Syria



Daily Sabah: US Military Continues To Fund YPG/PKK Terrorists In Syria
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“The U.S. House of Representatives approved a military spending bill that
ensures continued funding for Washington's so-called ‘partner forces’ in Syria,
including the PKK terrorist group's Syrian offshoot, the YPG. The bill, which
passed 219-210, includes language extending funding and authorizes to continue
operations with ‘vetted Syrian groups’ from the end of 2023 through the
entirety of 2024. The bill encompasses all Syrian groups, including the
PKK/YPG-led SDF. It would also include funding for non-SDF groups, including
local Syrian military forces at a strategic U.S. military installation along
the Syria-Jordan-Iraq border. The approval of the bill comes just a few days
after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called on all of Türkiye's NATO allies to
take a concrete stance against all terrorist groups.”



Iraq



The National: Iraq's Al Sudani In Syria For Counter-Terrorism And Drugs
Trafficking Talks With Al Assad
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“Combatting terrorism and drugs trafficking are the main challenges Iraq and
Syria face and the two neighbours need to enhance co-operation on this front,
the countries' leaders said on Sunday. Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al
Sudani began an official visit to Damascus to boost relations in the first
visit by an Iraqi prime minister since the outbreak of Syria's 12-year
conflict. ‘Drugs are the most dangerous epidemic we are currently facing, and
they are no different from terrorism,’ Syrian President Bashar Al Assad told a
joint press conference. ‘They have the ability to destroy a society in the same
way terrorism does,’ Mr Al Assad added. Mr Al Sudani echoed the Syrian
president's statements.”



Anadolu Agency: Turkish Forces 'Neutralize' So-Called Avasin Chief Of PKK
Terror Group In Iraq
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“Turkish forces ‘neutralized’ a senior operative of the PKK terror group
through an air-backed operation in northern Iraq, Turkish security sources said
on Sunday. A drone detected a group of terrorists preparing for an attack in
the Avasin region, according to sources from the National Defense Ministry.
Bilal Onat, codenamed Devrim Garzan, who was heading the PKK structure in the
region, was among the terrorists neutralized in the operation, the sources
noted. Turkish authorities use the term ‘neutralize’ to imply that the
terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.”



Pakistan



Voice Of America News: Pakistan: Terrorists Enjoy ‘Safe Havens’ In Afghanistan
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“Pakistan reiterated a call for Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities Friday to
rein in ‘terrorists’ plotting assaults across their shared border after
insurgents killed at least 12 Pakistani soldiers this week. ‘Such attacks are
intolerable and would elicit an effective response from the security forces of
Pakistan,’ a military statement said without elaborating. ‘The involvement of
Afghan nationals in acts of terrorism in Pakistan is another important concern
that needs to be addressed.’ The stern warning came two days after insurgents
raided an army base in Baluchistan and ambushed security forces elsewhere in
the southwestern province, which borders Afghanistan. The violence Wednesday
killed at least 12 soldiers and a civilian, making it the deadliest day for the
military in recent months. ‘The armed forces of Pakistan have serious concerns
on the safe havens and liberty of action available to TTP in Afghanistan,’ the
military said.”



Middle East



The Times Of Israel: Hezbollah Members Seen Stealing Israeli Surveillance Tech
From Border Tower
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“Hezbollah activists climbed an Israeli military tower on the border and
stole surveillance equipment, new footage from a Wednesday flareup along the
frontier showed. Images and videos posted to social media on Wednesday and
Thursday showed a number of men climbing on a surveillance structure, which
Israel maintains is on its side of the border, placing flags, and tearing down
military cameras, which they carry off intact. The Israel Defense Forces said
in a statement Thursday that a number of suspects climbed on the security
barrier near the northern town of Metula, ‘while trying to carry out
provocations toward IDF forces and sabotage infrastructure in the area.’ The
IDF said the suspects did not cross into Israeli territory and were not a
threat to residents of the area. The IDF said the flags were later removed from
the tower by military sappers.”



Nigeria



Vanguard: Insecurity: Troops Kill 28 Terrorists, Bandits, Rescue 131 Kidnapped
Civilians
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“Troops fighting to rid the country of terrorists, bandits and economic
sabotuers have killed 28 criminal elements after several gunfights in the North
East, the North West and the South East in the last week while crude oil
thieves were denied siphoning products worth N202.78 million in the Niger
Delta. Troops equally rescued about 131 kidnapped victims from terrorists,
bandits and eastern security network terrorists. Additionally, troops arrested
about 134 terrorists collaborators and logisticians, bandits/kidnappers, IPOB
militants and crude oil vandals. New Director, Defence Media Operations, Major
General ES Bubs made this known in a statement released late last night in
Abuja.”



The Guardian: Eight Boko Haram Fighters Surrender To Nigerian Troops
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“Eight Boko Haram fighters have surrendered to Nigerian troops. This was
disclosed by the outgoing Theatre Commander of the Joint Task Force in the
North East, Operation HADIN KAI, Major General I.S Ali. Ali, who revealed this
while handing over the theatre operation to Maj Gen Gold Chibuisi, said more
than 100,000 insurgents and their families had surrendered so far in the North
East. He explained that the theatre within six months of his leadership had
undertaken several operations that recovered a huge cache of arms and
ammunition from Ukuba in Sambisa Forest.”



Somalia



Al Mayadeen: Somali Army Kills 18 Al-Shabaab Terrorists In Successful Operation

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“The Somali National Army's Commandos unit conducted a successful operation
in the Budbud area and Galcad town of the Galgudud region in Galmudug State,
officials confirmed. The operation resulted in the killing of 18 Al-Shabaab
terrorists and the injury of several others. Senior Al-Shabaab commanders were
among those targeted and eliminated during the offensive. On his account,
Deputy Minister of Information of the Federal Government of Somalia, Abdirahman
Yusuf Adala, said as quoted by Somali National News Agency (SONNA), that the
Somali National Army, in collaboration with regional forces and international
partners, is resolute in its commitment to swiftly eradicate terrorists across
the country.”



The East Africa: Three Killed In Mandera Al Shabaab Attacks
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“At least three people have been killed and property destroyed in Al Shabaab
attacks in Mandera County. The militants are said to have split into groups
targeting at least four areas. They first attacked Iresuki, damaging the only
communication mast in the area, while the second group attacked the Jabibar
Quick Response Unit (QRU) camp. Another group laid siege at the Elwak Kenya
Defence Forces camp, ensuring that the soldiers remained in their camp.”



Africa



AFP News: Five Killed In Suspected Jihadist Attack In Niger
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“A police officer and four civilians were killed in a ‘complex terrorist
attack’ in southwestern Niger, the army said Saturday, in an area where
thousands have fled their homes this month to escape jihadist violence. An army
statement said the attack took place on Friday afternoon, targeting ‘a group of
paramilitary police escorting a convoy’ along a road near the border with
Burkina Faso. The statement said five people had been killed and 19 injured,
including seven officers, five soldiers, and seven civilians, who were all
taken to the capital Niamey. ‘On the side of the enemy, two terrorists were
killed,’ said the statement. The attack took place in the southwestern
Tillaberi region, in the border area where Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali meet --
a hotbed of activity for insurgents linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State
group.”



Associated Press: 12 Killed In A Suspected Rebel Attack In The Northeast Of
Congo, A Civil Society Organizations Says
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“An extremist rebel group killed at least 12 people in the northeast of
Congo, a local civil society organization said Saturday. The New Congolese
Civil Society organization, or NSCC, said the victims were shot dead by the
Allied Democratic Forces, or ADF, a shadowy Islamic State group affiliate that
has been launching attacks for years from bases in volatile eastern Congo,
following a skirmish with a local armed militia. Conflict in eastern Congo has
gone on for decades as myriad armed groups fight for control of valuable
mineral resources. There are frequent mass killings, and the violence has
triggered an exodus of refugees.”



Daily Mail: Terror Suspect Accused Of Plotting To Blow Up Hotels In Kenya With
Links To 'White Widow' Terrorist Could Be Sent Back To The UK Within Days
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“A terror suspect accused of plotting to blow up hotels in Kenya with ‘White
Widow’ Samantha Lewthwaite is set to be deported back to Britain within days.
Jermaine Grant, 40, faces removal from Kenya after serving nine years in jail
for possessing bomb-making materials and forging immigration papers. It raises
the alarming prospect that a terror suspect who was a close associate of the
world’s most wanted woman will be released back on the streets of Britain
within days. Grant was prosecuted in Kenya after police found chemicals,
switches and a bomb-making manual in a flat he shared with Lewthwaite, whose
husband Germaine Lindsay was one of the four suicide bombers who killed 52
people in London in 2005.”



United Kingdom



Daily Mail: Islamic State And Al-Qaeda Both Still Seeking To Stage Attacks In
Britain, Suella Braverman To Warn In Updated Counter-Terror Strategy
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“Suella Braverman is set to warn the threat of Islamist terror continues to
be the 'most severe' in the UK with Islamic State and al-Qaeda both still
seeking to plan attacks on British soil. The Home Secretary is due to unveil an
update to CONTEST, the UK's counter-terrorism strategy, tomorrow. According to
The Times, Ms Braverman will outline how Islamist terrorism still represents
three-quarters of MI5's workload. She is also expected to warn that terrorism
is 'becoming increasingly unpredictable, making cases harder to detect and
investigate'. CONTEST was last updated in 2018, when Theresa May was prime
minister, in the wake of the major terror attacks in London and Manchester.”



The Indepenedent: Labour Would Make Training AI To Spread Terrorism A Criminal
Offence – Cooper
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“A new law aimed at preventing extremist groups from training artificial
intelligence (AI) chatbots to spread terrorism would be introduced under a
Labour government, Yvette Cooper will say. In a major speech on Monday, the
shadow home secretary will set out the party’s approach to national security,
including action to stop online radicalisation. Ms Cooper will argue that while
encouraging terrorism is a criminal offence under existing legislation, it is
harder to establish culpability when AI is being used as a tool for promotion.
She will announce that Labour would close the ‘loophole’ by criminalising the
deliberate training of chatbots to radicalise vulnerable people. The party
would work closely with the intelligence community towards preventing malicious
actors using the technology for such purposes, Ms Cooper will pledge.”



BBC: Two West Midlands Men Charged With Terrorism Offences
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“Roshman Azad Wali Saeed, 28, from Birmingham, is charged with two counts of
distributing terrorist publications. Tshko Ahmad Mohamad, 32, from West
Bromwich, meanwhile is accused of fundraising for terrorism, West Midlands
Police said. The pair are due to appear before Westminster Magistrates' Court
on Friday. The men, whom police initially said were aged 18 and 22, were
arrested by Counter Terrorism Policing West Midlands on Wednesday as part of a
pre-planned operation.”



India



Dunya News: CTD Thwarts Major Terror Plot In Punjab
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“The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Punjab thwarted a major terror plot by
arresting 5 suspected terrorists connected with a banned outfit during
operations in different areas of Punjab. According to the spokesman, the CTD
Punjab conducted 47 intelligence-based operations in different districts of the
province to effectively deal with any untoward incident of terrorism. As many
as 47 suspected persons were interrogated and 5 alleged terrorists were
arrested with weapons, explosives and other prohibited materials. Among the
arrested terrorists are Hanif, Syed Muhammad, Muhammad Tariq, Muhammad Khalid
Mehmood and Abdul Sattar. the terrorists belong to banned organizations
including Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Daesh and Baloch Liberation Army. The arrest was
made during an intelligence-based operation in

Gujranwala and Multan.”



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