Eye on Extremism
February 24, 2020
The
Washington Post: Al-Qaeda And Islamic State Groups Are Working
Together In West Africa To Grab Large Swaths Of
Territory
“Groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, at war with each
other in the Middle East, are working together to take control of
territory across a vast stretch of West Africa, U.S. and local
officials say, sparking fears the regional threat could grow into a
global crisis. Fighters appear to be coordinating attacks and carving
out mutually agreed-upon areas of influence in the Sahel, the strip of
land beneath the Sahara desert. The rural territory at risk is so
large it could “fit multiple Afghanistans and Iraqs,” said Brig. Gen.
Dagvin Anderson, head of the U.S. military’s Special Operations arm in
Africa. “What we’ve seen is not just random acts of violence under a
terrorist banner but a deliberate campaign that is trying to bring
these various groups under a common cause,” he said. “That larger
effort then poses a threat to the United States.” The militants have
wielded increasingly sophisticated tactics in recent months as they
have rooted deeper into Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, attacking army
bases and dominating villages with surprising force, according to
interviews with more than a dozen senior officials and military
leaders from the United States, France and West Africa.”
Voice
Of America: Al-Qaida Confirms Death Of AQAP
Leader
“The terror group al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula has confirmed
the death of its leader, Qasim al-Rimi, the Site Intelligence Group
reported Sunday. President Donald Trump said earlier this month that
al-Rimi was killed in a U.S. “counterterrorism operation in Yemen,”
where the U.S. has carried out drone strikes against AQAP for several
years. “Under Rimi, AQAP committed unconscionable violence against
civilians in Yemen and sought to conduct and inspire numerous attacks
against the United States and our forces,” Trump said Feb. 6. “His
death further degrades AQAP and the global al-Qaida movement, and it
brings us closer to eliminating the threats these groups pose to our
national security.” The Yemeni-based AQAP is a spinoff of Osama bin
Laden's al-Qaida and the U.S. regards it as one of the world’s most
dangerous terrorist groups. Al-Rimi was one of 23 al-Qaida prisoners
who escaped in 2006 from a Yemen prison and has been linked to several
terror operations targeting Americans. He was also suspected of being
involved in several high-profile terrorist attacks, including the July
2007 suicide bombing in Yemen, killing Spanish tourists. AQAP was also
behind the 2015 attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo, the satirical
French magazine.”
Deutsche
Welle: Germany's Schäuble Denounces Far-Right AfD For Not Stamping Out
Extremism
“The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is “open to right-wing
extremism,” Wolfgang Schäuble, the president of the Bundestag
(Germany's parliament) told the newspaper Handelsblatt on Saturday.
“The problem is that the AfD does not draw a line,” he said,
criticizing the party for its affiliation with right-wing extremism.
His comments follow several days of finger-pointing towards the
far-right, anti-immigrant party — the third-largest in Germany's
parliament — in the wake of Wednesday night's deadly shootings in
Hanau, which targeted the patrons of two hookah bars. Schäuble gave
the example of Thuringian AfD state leader Björn Höcke, who he said
could be called a fascist, in reference to Höcke's support for another
German nationalist and anti-Islam movement, Pegida. If every problem
in Germany is attributed to immigrants, events will quickly escalate
to include all minorities, Schäuble warned. “We have known for a long
time that words can turn into actions. Elected representatives cannot
be released from this responsibility,” he added. The former finance
minister said it was up to investigating authorities to quickly
determine the motives and background relating to last week's
shootings.”
Al
Jazeera: How Will Germany Tackle Racially Motivated
Attacks?
“Germany's leaders are promising a strong response to the latest
racially motivated attacks. A gunman killed nine people at two shisha
cafes on Wednesday in the city of Hanau. He targeted places popular
with the Turkish and Kurdish communities. The 43-year-old suspect had
posted documents with racist and far-right views online. The interior
minister said such attacks are a reminder of what he called the
"growing threat of extremism" in Germany.”
United States
ABC
News: New Jersey Facing 'High' Level Of Terrorism Threat From
Extremist Groups And White Supremacists In 2020, Officials
Say
“Homeland security officials in New Jersey are warning residents of
the potential terrorism threats the state faces from extremist and
white supremacist groups. Officials have “taken notice at the rise in
activity from white supremacist extremists” and have increased the
threat posed by them in 2020 from moderate to high, according to the
2020 terrorism threat assessment released by New Jersey's Office of
Homeland Security and Preparedness. Homegrown violent extremists are
the “most persistent hostile actors in New Jersey,” according to the
statement. The assessment referenced the shooting at the Walmart in El
Paso, Texas, in August that targeted the Hispanic community and left
22 dead, another that killed a woman during a Passover service at a
synagogue near San Diego in April and the shooting rampage at two
mosques in New Zealand that left more than 50 people dead in March
2019. “New Jersey has also faced incidents supportive of extremist
ideologies,” the statement read, mentioning the Jersey City attack
“rooted in anti-Semitism” that killed Jersey City Police Det. Joseph
Seals and five others in December.”
Syria
The
Wall Street Journal: Israel Strikes Militants In Syria And Gaza After
Clash Over Body At Border
“A macabre tug of war over the body of a Palestinian militant on
the Gaza-Israel border, captured Sunday on video in broad daylight,
prompted a barrage of rocket fire from Gaza met by retaliatory Israeli
airstrikes late Sunday. Israel’s use of heavy machinery to retrieve a
militant’s body earlier in the day drew harsh criticism even within
the country. But Israel’s hawkish defense minister, Naftali Bennett,
defended the army’s seizure of the body as appropriate, suggesting it
could be used as a bargaining chip to recover the remains of two
Israeli soldiers who have been held in Gaza since 2014. The day of
tensions began around 6:30 a.m. when, Israel said, its soldiers
spotted two militants from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group placing
an explosive near the border east of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza.
Israel later released a surveillance video that it said showed the two
men approaching the fence, and a photo of the explosive. Palestinian
Islamic Jihad’s armed wing has repeatedly tried to provoke violence
between Israel and Gaza in recent months. But Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu of Israel has tried mightily to maintain quiet before
elections set for March 2.”
Iraq
The
Defense Post: Alleged Iraqi ISIS Member Accused Of Letting Yazidi
‘Slave’ Girl Die To Be Charged With Genocide In
Germany
“An Iraqi suspected of belonging to Islamic State will face charges
of murder and genocide, German prosecutors said on Friday, accused
especially of letting a five-year-old “slave” girl die of thirst. Taha
A.-J. is the husband of Jennifer W., a woman who has been on trial in
Munich since last year over accusations that the two mistreated a
Yazidi mother and daughter, before allowing the young girl to die. The
case against the couple has been described by media and lawyers as the
first time worldwide that an ISIS member has been tried for crimes
against the Yazidis, a religious minority which suffered brutal
persecution at the hands of the Islamic State from 2014. Prosecutors
allege that A.-J., who joined ISIS in 2013, purchased the Yazidi child
and her mother as household “slaves” and held them captive while
living with Jennifer W. in then ISIS-occupied Mosul, Iraq, in 2015.
Their actions were aimed at “destroying the Yazidis, their religion
and their culture in keeping with the aims of ISIS,” the prosecutors’
statement said. The couple are alleged to have forced the mother and
daughter to convert to Islam, starved them of food and water and
subjected them to beatings.”
Afghanistan
The
Wall Street Journal: U.S., Taliban Start Weeklong Partial Truce In
Effort To End Afghan War
“As the U.S. and the Afghan Taliban started Saturday a seven-day
partial truce ahead of a possible peace deal to end more than 18 years
of war, the United Nations provided evidence of the conflict’s massive
toll on civilians. More than 10,000 civilians were killed and injured
from fighting in Afghanistan for the sixth straight year in 2019, the
U.N. said in a report. The number of civilian casualties has now
surpassed 100,000 after more than a decade of the U.N. documenting the
war’s impact on civilians, it said. While the 3,403 civilians killed
in 2019 represented a 10.5% decrease from the year before, mainly due
to a reduction in civilian casualties caused by Islamic State’s branch
in Afghanistan, known as ISIS-Khorasan, deadly attacks from the
Taliban and other groups increased. “Almost no civilian in Afghanistan
has escaped being personally affected in some way by the ongoing
violence,” said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the U.N. Secretary-General’s
Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of the organization’s
Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. “It is absolutely imperative for
all parties to seize the moment to stop the fighting, as peace is long
overdue; civilian lives must be protected and efforts for peace are
under way,” he added.”
The
Washington Post: U.S. Halts Offensive Military Operations In
Afghanistan As Part Of Taliban Deal
“The United States has ceased offensive military operations in
Afghanistan against the Taliban in accordance with an agreement to
reduce violence ahead of a possible peace deal, the top U.S. military
commander here announced Saturday. Gen. Austin “Scott” Miller told
reporters in Kabul that “our operations are defensive at this point.
We stopped our offensive operations as part of our obligations, but we
remain committed to defend our forces.” The week-long reduction in
violence is a precondition to a U.S.-Taliban peace deal that both
parties have said they plan to sign at the end of the month. U.S. and
Afghan officials have cautioned that the deal is fragile, as there are
many armed groups in Afghanistan who don’t see peace as being in their
interest. But U.S. officials said monitoring mechanisms in place will
be able to identify whether attacks are the work of “spoilers.” Just
hours after the agreement went into effect, local security forces
reported a number of clashes between government and Taliban forces.
But Miller and senior Afghan officials said the violence does not
necessarily constitute a breach of the agreement. Standing beside the
Afghan acting minister of interior and acting minister of defense,
Miller described the reduction in violence as a “trial period” during
which U.S. and Afghan government forces reserve the right to defend
themselves if attacked.”
Reuters:
Taliban, Afghan Forces Clash On First Day Of Violence Reduction
Period
“Taliban fighters and Afghan security forces clashed in parts of
Afghanistan on Saturday, a day after a week-long “reduction in
violence” was announced, but the incidents did not spark immediate
alarm on either side. If the violence reduction period is observed
successfully, the United States and the Taliban will sign an agreement
on Feb. 29 that could lead to a pullout of thousands of U.S. troops
after nearly two decades in the country. Taliban fighters attacked
Afghan forces in Balkh province in the early hours of Saturday,
according to the spokesman for the provincial police and head of the
provincial council. The attack was confirmed by Taliban spokesman
Zabihullah Mujahid in an audio message to Reuters. He said an Afghan
forces convoy tried to enter territory controlled by the group. The
two sides have fought for control over parts of Balkh province for
years. The Taliban spokesman also confirmed similar clashes in other
parts of the country, adding that the violence reduction understanding
covered specific actions and areas and all incidents of firing should
not be considered a violation of the understanding, which, he
stressed, was “not a ceasefire”. There were no immediate details on
the casualties in the clashes.”
Pakistan
Reuters:
Global Watchdog Keeps Pakistan On Terrorism Financing 'Gray
List'
“Pakistan won an extra four months to meet international
anti-terrorism financing norms on Friday when a global dirty money
watchdog decided to keep the country off its blacklist for now. After
Pakistan missed multiple previous deadlines, the Financial Action Task
Force said it was concerned that Islamabad had again failed to
complete an internationally agreed action plan. “The FATF strongly
urges Pakistan to swiftly complete its full action plan by June 2020,”
the FATF said in a statement issued after a meeting in Paris.
“Otherwise, should significant and sustainable progress especially in
prosecuting and penalizing TF (terrorism financing) not be made by the
next Plenary, the FATF will take action.” It said such action could
include calling on its member states to order their financial
institutions to give particularly rigorous attention to business
relations and transactions with Pakistani clients. Inclusion on the
FATF blacklist would put Pakistan in company with Iran and North Korea
and mean it would be shunned by international financial institutions.
Pakistan has long been accused of nurturing and supporting Islamist
militant groups for use as proxies to project power in the South Asian
region particularly towards its arch-rival India and in
Afghanistan.”
The
Washington Times: Pakistan Says 5 Militants Killed In Shootout; 2
Arrested
“Pakistani security forces said Saturday that five suspected
militants were killed in an overnight raid in the country’s northwest,
and that two other militants were arrested in a separate operation.
Senior counter-terrorism officer Tahir Khan said the shootout took
place at a compound in the working-class suburb of Mathra near
Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. He said the
militants belonged to a banned group and that security forces found
suicide vests, sub-machine guns and other weapons at the scene. Two
militant commanders from the Sajna group of the Pakistani Taliban,
known as Tehrik-e-Taliban, were captured in a second Friday-night
raid, according to counter-terrorism officer Mohammad Ajmal. The
operation took place in Tank district, which serves as a gateway to
the mountainous South Waziristan district, a former militant
stronghold. Pakistan has carried out a number of operations in the
country’s rugged northwest in recent years. The government has
repeatedly claimed the areas were cleared of insurgents, but violence
there has continued. Militant groups in northwest Pakistan are often
interlinked with those across the border in
Afghanistan.”
Yemen
The
New York Times: Saudi-Led Coalition Says It Foiled Red Sea Attack By
Yemen's Houthis
“Naval forces from the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen on
Sunday foiled an “imminent terrorist” attack by the Iran-aligned
Houthi movement in the southern Red Sea, a major commercial shipping
channel, the coalition said. The forces destroyed an unmanned boat
laden with explosives that was launched from Hodeidah province in
western Yemen, coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki said in a
statement on Saudi state news agency SPA, without identifying the
targets. There was no immediate confirmation from the Houthi movement,
which has been battling the Sunni Muslim military coalition since 2015
in a conflict that is largely seen in the region as a proxy war
between Saudi Arabia and foe Shi'ite Iran. Yemen lies along the Bab
al-Mandeb strait at the southern mouth of the Red Sea, one of the most
important trade routes for oil tankers heading from the Middle East to
Europe. Malki said the planned attack posed a threat to regional and
international security and maritime trade. He said the use of Hodeidah
for operations was a “glaring violation” of a U.N.-led peace deal in
the disputed port city that was agreed between the Saudi-backed Yemeni
government and the Houthis in December 2018.”
Lebanon
Eurasia
Review: Islamic State Was Going To Attack Beirut’s Us Embassy –
Lebanese Security
“Lebanon’s security agency this week released a number of documents
detailing a thwarted plot by a member of the Islamic State (IS) group
to attack the US Embassy in Lebanon with a drone. The Directorate of
General Security published documents including handwritten notes and
sketches of an improvised drone device as well as pictures of the
ingredients used to build DIY bombs. The release comes days after a
Syrian national, identified as Ibrahim al-Salem, was referred to trial
along with 20 other suspected collaborators after being held on
suspicion of plotting an attack on the US Embassy in Lebanon. A
Lebanese military judge indicted the man on charges of belonging to
the IS militant group and planning the operation on its behalf,
according to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA). NNA said the man
was suspected of having prepared explosives and attempting to buy a
drone for the attack. However further details of the plot released on
Monday reveal a string of blunders that eventually foiled the group’s
attempt at an attack, including al-Salem’s attempt to receive money
from a fellow IS member, known Abu Yusuf Al-Oropi (the European), but
the plan fell through as he could not speak English.”
Nigeria
Sahara
Reporters: Boko Haram Terrorists Burn Police Barracks, Churches, Army
General's House In Adamawa
“Police barracks, churches and a house belonging to General Paul
Tarfa were among several buildings torched in Adamawa State on Friday
during an attack by Boko Haram terrorists. The insurgents attacked and
sacked the ancient missionary town on Friday evening, causing huge
devastation. A source from Garkida, Andrawus Tarfa, narrated how the
hoodlums looted the town and set fire to major structures unhindered.
He said, “They came in droves, with about 14 vans and plundered the
town; they looted pharmaceutical shops and food stuff. “They had
unfettered access because a battalion of troops in the town was
withdrawn sometimes back, leaving behind just a pocket of soldiers who
could not repel the insurgents. “After looting, they burnt down a
police barracks, police station, two churches, Living Faith and EYN,
and a shopping mall. “People were also killed but I have no record as
of now. “They have also razed General Paul Tarfa's resident, among
other important buildings in the town.” Spokesperson for the police in
the state, Suleiman Nguroje, when contacted by our correspondent on
the issue, declined comments, saying, “It is exclusively a military
jurisdiction.”
Somalia
Bloomberg:
U.S. Bombs Al-Shabaab Compound In Somalia, Wounding
Three
“The U.S. Africa Command bombed an al-Shabaab compound near
Dujuuma, Somalia, on Sunday, the seventh in a series of strikes on the
terrorist group this month in operations coordinated with the Somalia
government. Three militants were wounded, per a U.S. assessment, a day
after two others were killed and one wounded at a compound near
Saakow, Somalia, and four days after a strike killed three people near
Wadajir, Somalia. No civilians were injured or killed, per a U.S.
assessment. Gregory Hadfield, the deputy director of intelligence for
the U.S. Africa Command, touted the importance of U.S. support for the
counter-terrorism mission. “China and Russia appear content to remain
on the sidelines as our African partners, with U.S. support, fight
extremism and pave the way to enhanced security and stability on the
continent,” he said in a statement. Africa Command said the
al-Qaeda-aligned group’s leadership has expressed a desire to attack
U.S. interests, but lacks the capability to strike the U.S. homeland
due to pressure placed on the group. U.S. Secretary of State Michael
Pompeo visited Africa last week in an effort to reassure allies that
the U.S. is committed to fighting the spread of Islamist militancy,
even as the Trump administration weighs cutting troops stationed
across the continent.”
United Kingdom
The
Guardian: Isis Supporter Admits Plot To Bomb St Paul's Cathedral And A
Hotel
“A supporter of Islamic State has pleaded guilty to plotting to
bomb St Paul’s Cathedral and a hotel. Safiyya Amira Shaikh, 36, from
Hayes, west London, admitted preparation of terrorist acts and
dissemination of terrorist publications at a hearing at the Old
Bailey. It was alleged Shaikh made contact with someone who could
prepare explosives, and went on a reconnaissance trip to scope out the
cathedral and a hotel as locations to plant bombs. She prepared the
words of a pledge of allegiance to Isis between August 2019 and
October 2019. She also shared terrorist documents via groups using the
Telegram messaging app over the same period. The defendant spoke
quietly as she entered her guilty pleas before Mr Justice Sweeney in
court on Friday. Sweeney ordered pre-sentence reports before
sentencing on 12 May. The judge ordered that the defence should serve
any psychiatric report by 3 April. The court heard how Shaikh had
carried out research before settling on her plan between between
August and October last year. She made contact with someone she
believed could help make explosives online and provided two bags, one
for each bomb. Shaikh travelled to central London and stayed at a
hotel as part of her reconnaissance.”
Germany
The
New York Times: Far-Right Terrorism Is No. 1 Threat, Germany Is Told
After Attack
“German officials have faced accusations for years of turning a
blind eye to the threat posed by right-wing extremists. But after a
German who embraced violent racist ideals killed nine mostly young
people in hookah bars in the central city of Hanau this week, the
response was swift and clear. “Far-right terror is the biggest threat
to our democracy right now,” Christine Lambrecht, the justice
minister, told reporters on Friday, a day after joining the country’s
president at a vigil for the victims. “This is visible in the number
and intensity of attacks.” The Hanau shootings on Wednesday were the
latest in a series of far-right attacks at a time when the country’s
hard-won democratic institutions face growing distrust and its usually
consensus-driven politics have been fractured by the rise of a
right-wing populist party, Alternative for Germany. Officials have
recorded increases in the number of far-right hate crimes in recent
years, and security officials count 12,000 people in the country as
known right-wing extremists. Horst Seehofer, the interior minister,
said on Friday that he had ordered increased police patrols of key
infrastructure like airports and train stations and high-profile
events such as the Berlin Film Festival in response to the Hanau
attack.”
Deutsche
Welle: Support For Far-Right AfD Falls After Hanau Attack In
Germany
“The majority of Germans believe that the far-right party
Alternative for Germany (AfD) is partly responsible for right-wing
extremist violence in the country, a survey taken the day after a
deadly attack on two hookah bars in Hanau showed. According to
research done by the Kantar Institute and published in Bild am Sonntag
on Sunday, 60% of respondents agreed that the AfD is partly
responsible for instances of right-wing extremist violence such as
took place in the city near Frankfurt last week. Late Wednesday
evening, a 43-year-old German man in Hanau killed nine people of
foreign descent, seemingly motivated by a xenophobic worldview. He was
later found dead in his apartment, along with his mother. Only 26% of
the survey's respondents did not think that the far-right party, which
has been represented in Germany's parliament since 2017, is partly
responsible for such acts of violence. Another 14% were undecided.
Forty-nine percent also believed that right-wing extremism is the
greatest terrorist threat in Germany. Only 27% considered Muslim
fundamentalists to be the greatest threat, while 6% said left-wing
terror was the greatest threat.”
Technology
The
Times: Far-Right Irish Extremist Groups Are Plotting Nationalist
Rebrand On Facebook
“A leaked document which is being circulated among far-right
activists on closed Facebook groups and chat rooms has revealed a
long-term plan to generate support by rebranding Irish extremist
groups as nationalists opposed to globalisation and European
federalism. The 12-page document urges far-right activists to unite
into a single political party and set up cumainn named after
republican icons in every county of Ireland in advance of the next
election. The document also encourages far-right supporters to copy
tactics used by Sinn Fein and Fianna Fail to attract voters by
highlighting issues concerning drug abuse, low pay in the public
sector, the cost of childcare, and the availability of affordable
housing.”
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