United States
The Herald: What Drove The Unabomber To Kill?
“…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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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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