Eye on Extremism

August 8, 2023 

AFP: ISIS Attack Kills 10 Syria Pro-Government Fighters In Raqqa: Monitor

“ISIS militants killed 10 Syrian troops and pro-government fighters in the former extremist stronghold of Raqqa province, a war monitor said Tuesday. “ISIS attacked positions and checkpoints belonging to the regime... setting fire to military vehicles and prefabricated houses,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Six soldiers were also wounded in the Monday evening attack, with some in critical condition, said the British-based monitor, which relies on a wide network of sources inside Syria. Government troops control rural areas in the south and east of Raqqa province, while Kurdish fighters control the rest.”

AFP: Kenya Victims Of 1998 US Embassy Bombing Demand Compensation

“Kenyan victims of the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombing in Nairobi on Monday renewed calls for compensation from Washington as the East African nation marked 25 years since its deadliest terror attack. A powerful blast hit the U.S. Embassy in downtown Nairobi on Aug. 7, 1998, killing 213 people and injuring over 5,000 — most of them pedestrians or office workers in the adjacent buildings. Minutes later, another explosion rocked the U.S. mission in Dar es Salaam, in neighboring Tanzania. The twin bombings, claimed by al-Qaida, killed a total of 224 people and went on to shape how a generation thinks about personal security.”

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United States

Associated Press: A Judge Called An FBI Operative A ‘Villain.’ Ruling Comes Too Late For 2 Convicted In Terror Sting

“In a scathing ruling last month, a judge said the FBI had used a ”villain” of an informant to manipulate a group of Muslim men into going along with a fictitious plot to destroy military planes and synagogues in New York City’s suburbs. She ordered three released from prison, saying “the real lead conspirator was the United States.” Now, a man convicted in another sting carried out by the same FBI operative says he hopes the ruling will prompt U.S. prosecutors to review the fairness of similar counterterrorism operations carried out in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks. “Hopefully this will be the first step for the Justice Department to review all those cases of conspiracy and entrapment,” said Yassin Aref, a former imam who  spent 14 years in federal custody in a case involving a business loan made to an Albany pizza shop owner and a made-up story about a Stinger missile.”

Middle East

Times Of Israel: IDF Razes West Bank Home Of Terrorist Who Killed Israeli Brothers In Huwara

“The Israel Defense Forces entered a Palestinian refugee camp near Nablus early Tuesday morning and demolished the home of a Hamas terrorist who killed two Israeli brothers in an attack earlier this year, the military said. The IDF said that clashes broke out in the Askar refugee camp on the outskirts of Nablus, during the operation to demolish the home of Abdel Fattah Hussein Kharousha, a member of the Hamas terror group. On February 26, Kharousha, 49, shot and killed Hallel Yaniv, 21, and Yagel Yaniv, 19, as they drove through the West Bank town of Huwara.”

Somalia

Prensa Latina: Somalia To Launch New Offensive Against Radical Group

“At least 10,000 soldiers, already trained and equipped, are ready to go to war against the radical group, which controls areas in the center and south of the country, the government representative noted. The source pointed out that the second stage of the operations against Al-Shabab members will mainly cover the states of Jubaland and the Southwest, with the participation of military troops from the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia. The force, together with local soldiers, is composed of soldiers from Kenya, Djibouti and Ethiopia, all countries bordering Somalia.”

Africa

Reuters: West Africa Bloc Pins Hopes On Niger Coup Mediation Ahead Of Summit

“West African countries and global powers hope there is still a window of opportunity for mediation with Niger's coup leaders before a Thursday summit that could agree on military intervention to restore democracy. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has scheduled the summit to discuss its standoff with the Niger junta, which seized power on July 26 and ignored an Aug. 6 deadline to stand down. The coup leaders have vowed to resist external pressure to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, after ECOWAS imposed sanctions and Western allies suspended aid. The seventh power grab in West and Central Africa in three years has attracted global attention, partly due to Niger's pivotal role in a war with Islamist militants and its uranium and oil reserves that give it economic and strategic importance for the United States, Europe, China and Russia.”

Atalayar: Al-Qaeda In The Islamic Maghreb Launches Propaganda Campaign Targeting Morocco

“Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has released a video entitled 'Oh, citizens of Morocco' lasting 38 minutes and 35 seconds. The material includes audios of Abu Yasser al-Jazaery with a propaganda content clearly aimed at recruiting a target audience of young Muslims and with obvious warlike intentions. It is important to note that AQIM, al-Qaeda's affiliate in the region, used to publish hostile messages directed against the Algerian government in the past. However, this occasion marks a significant shift, as it is the first time that AQIM has openly directed its propaganda against Morocco. As with all its propaganda campaigns, it is expected that this publication will be carefully structured and will be followed by more similar communiqués in the future.”

United Kingdom

The Cradle: UK Government Split On Branding IRGC ‘Terrorist Group’

“UK government officials are divided over whether or not Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) should be designated as a terrorist organization, Financial Times (FT) reported on 6 August, just hours after the British Home Secretary referred to Iran as the biggest threat to London. According to FT, “tensions are rising” between Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Foreign Secretary James Cleverly over the matter. “It’s something that keeps the security people up at night,” a source from the Home Office told the British outlet. In another report, The Sunday Times cites a source close to Braverman as saying that the “Iranian threat is the one that worries [the UK] the most.”

Europe

Reuters: Bosnia Arrest Man Suspected Of Islamic State Attack Plan – Prosecutors

“A 43-year-old man has been arrested in Bosnia on suspicion of having links with Islamic State militants and of planning to attack Muslims from other traditions and one of their mosques, prosecutors said on Monday. The man from the central town of Zenica had been convicted in the past of other crimes related to terrorist activities and fighting in Syria, the statement from Bosnia's state prosecutor's office read. It did not say whether he denied the charges and did not give any details of any lawyer representing him. The man was suspected of communicating digitally with Islamic State backers and of asking for instructions on how to build an explosive device that could be detonated by a phone, the statement read.”

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