Eye on Extremism

August 1, 2023 

Voice Of America: Sahel Region Coups Make Room For Terrorist Groups: Analysts

“West African nations have given Niger one week to return to civilian rule following the recent coup there and threatened measures including the use of force unless coup leaders return ousted President Mohamed Bazoum to power. The situation complicates the fight against terrorism in the Sahel region. Confidence MacHarry is a Nigeria-based geopolitical security analyst. He says that the region has lost a key ally who has been serious about the fight against terrorists and extreme groups.”

UPI: U.S. Sanctions 20 People Accused Of Supporting ISIS, Al-Qaida In Maldives

“The United States has blacklisted 20 people accused of financially supporting the operations of the Islamic State and al-Qaida in the Maldives, as the Biden administration continues to attack the terrorist organizations' global networks by targeting their ability to generate funds. The sanctions were announced Monday by the departments of State and Treasury, who said that among those designated are key leaders and financial facilitators of the terrorist organizations active in the South Asian archipelago nation. The punitive measures specifically target what the federal departments said was an ISIS-affiliated terrorist cell in Addu City, ISIS-aligned criminal gang Kuda Henveyru, al-Qaida operatives and associates of Mohamad Ameen, an ISIS operative who was sanctioned by the United States in 2019.”

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Pakistan

Reuters: Pakistan Suicide Bombing Death Toll Rises To 56 

"The death toll from a suicide bombing in Pakistan that targeted a hard-line religious group's political rally and raised security concern for a general election due by November has risen to 56, a government official said on Tuesday. The attack was the deadliest on a political party since campaigning for the last election, in 2018, in the nuclear-armed South Asian nation of the 220 million people. Militant violence also marred preparations of a 2013 general election. The toll from Sunday's attack in the northwestern district of Bajaur, on the border with Afghanistan, could rise, said Anwar-ul-Haq, the region's deputy commissioner.” 

Dawn: As Pakistan Elections Near, Terrorist Groups May Resort To Fear Tactics

“Once again, dozens of innocents have paid in blood for their state’s failure to apprehend an attack on the country and its people. At the time these lines were being written, at least 35 civilian lives had been lost to the cowardly bombing of a Sunday political convention in KP’s Bajaur district, while 85 individuals were battling with injuries of varying degrees, a number of them struggling between life and death. The grief and anger came in familiar waves — it had been a while since so many civilian lives were lost to a single act of senseless violence, but we are certainly no strangers to the trauma.”

Middle East

i24 News: NGO Cancels Movie Screening About Palestinian Hijacker After Criticism From Israel

“A movie about convicted terrorist Leila Khaled, who attempted to hijack an EL Al plane in 1970, was set to be presented as an opportunity for discussion Israel’s Foreign Ministry took to Twitter, now known as X, to slam the Jerusalem-based German NGO The Willy Brandt Center (WBC) for celebrating the convicted Palestinian terrorist Leila Khaled in a film presentation slated for Wednesday. The ministry responded with a sarcastic tweet to the center's post on X, which invited people to attend the screening of “Leila Khaled: Hijacker” with “popcorn.” “Because who doesn’t love theatre popcorn and TERROR? Leila Khaled is a Palestinian terrorist responsible for hijacking a plane from Rome to Tel Aviv in 1969. The Willy Brandt Center in Jerusalem will be screening a film celebrating her legacy of terror and violence,” the ministry wrote.”

Africa

Reuters: Islamist Militants Behead At Least 10 Farmers In Nigeria's Borno State, Residents Say

“Islamist militants have beheaded at least 10 farmers in Nigeria's northern state of Borno after attacking their farms, residents said on Monday. Last week, militants killed at least 25 people and wounded others in attacks on two villages in Borno state, a hotbed for insurgency and the center of a more than a decade-long insurgency in Nigeria that has spilled into neighbouring Chad and Cameroon. Abubakar Masta, a farmer who escaped, said the assailants attacked their farms in Kawuri village of Konduga local government area of Borno State on Monday around 08:30 a.m. (0730 GMT), on motorbikes, carrying rifles. "I saw 10 corpses of my friends who were slaughtered," Abubakar said, as security officials were recovering the bodies.”

India

Reuters: At Least Five Killed In Hindu-Muslim Clashes South Of New Delhi

“At least five people, including two police personnel, were killed in clashes between Hindus and Muslims that erupted on Monday around 50 km (30 miles) south of the capital New Delhi, police officials told Reuters. The violence erupted after a Hindu religious procession passed through the Muslim dominated Nuh region, in Haryana state, the officials said. By evening, the violence had spilled over into neighbouring Gurugram, where a mosque was torched, killing the cleric and injuring another person. Gurugram, formerly known as Gurgaon, shares a border with New Delhi and has emerged as a business hub for the country, housing several multinational companies.”

Southeast Asia

Philstar: Philippine Gov't Tags Teves, 12 Others As Terrorists

“The Anti-Terrorism Council has designated Rep. Arnolfo Teves (Negros Oriental)—the alleged mastermind in the assassination of governor Roel Degamo—as a terrorist. The move allows the Anti-Money Laundering Council to investigate and freeze the financial assets and properties of Teves—who is believed to be overseas—and members of his alleged armed group. The ATC resolution, which was approved on July 26 but was only released Tuesday, named the suspended lawmaker the leader of the “Teves Terrorist Group” and also tagged as terrorists his brother, Pryde Henry, alleged bagman Marvin Miranda, and the following.”

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