Eye on Extremism

August 30, 2023 

Associated Press: Fighting In Eastern Syria Between US-Backed Fighters And Arab Tribesmen Kills 10

“Arab tribesmen clashed with U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters in several areas of eastern Syria on Tuesday, leaving at least 10 people dead and others wounded, opposition activists and pro-government media said. The clashes are among the worst in recent years in the region along the border with Iraq where hundreds of U.S. troops have been based since 2015 to help in the fight against the Islamic State group. The clashes first broke out Monday, a day after the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces detained the commander of a formerly allied group and several other members of his faction after they were invited to a meeting in the northeastern city of Hassakeh. Some Arab tribesmen in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour were angered by the detention of Ahmad Khbeil, better known as Abu Khawla. He heads the Deir el-Zour Military Council, which was allied with the SDF in its yearslong battle against the Islamic State group in Syria.”

Voice Of America: Somali President Says Military Operations Against Al-Shabab Will Continue Until 'Final Victory'

“Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said military operations against al-Shabab will not stop until final victory is achieved. He was speaking Tuesday, a day after government troops retreated from several towns following a deadly al-Shabab attack on soldiers in Cowsweyne village on Saturday. "Whether one battlefield is lost or someone spreads misinformation, the fight is going to continue. It will not stop, we are not turning back from where we are," he said. "We will achieve the final victory that we seek. The importance is achieving a final victory. A final victory is near." He praised government soldiers who dislodged the militants from vast areas since the offensive was launched last year, and paid tribute to those soldiers and local fighters who participated in the operations. "Al-Shabab today is weaker, smaller in number," he said. "We are more experienced, more in number, better equipped, more encouraged, and we have a victory which the enemy lacks. Victory is in our grasp."”

The CEP CounterPoint: Expert Analysis

• Afghanistan Terrorism Report: July 2023 
• ISIS Women In Court: Jennifer W. – Enslavement Resulting In Death
• Cyberterrorism – The Paradigm of Deterring, Detecting, and Defending
• Al-Shabaab Sets Sights on Kenya
• Lebanon, Hezbollah, and the Anniversary – and Failure – of Resolution 1701

United States

Boston Globe: Two Years On, The US Pullout From Afghanistan Looks Worse Than Ever

“The American withdrawal from Afghanistan was completed two years ago, when the last C-17 transport plane departed Kabul airport just before midnight on Aug. 30, 2021. “There’s a lot of heartbreak associated with this departure,” said General Kenneth McKenzie, who headed the US Central Command. Yes, and a lot of humiliation, too. The American pullout was a bloody shambles. At a stroke it undid almost everything the US-led coalition had accomplished in its effort to give Afghanistan’s people a chance at life free from Islamist dictatorship. The scenes of death, chaos, and desperation that accompanied the abrupt departure contradicted every assurance President Biden had given when, against the advice of his military advisers, he ordered the pullout to proceed.”

Reuters: Smuggler With Extremist Ties Helped Uzbeks Cross US-Mexico Border, US Says

“A smuggler with ties to a foreign extremist group helped Uzbek migrants enter the U.S. from Mexico, the White House said on Tuesday, raising questions about a potential security threat. The smuggler was based in Turkey and had links to the jihadist Islamic State, also known as ISIS, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity. CNN first reported the incident. Record numbers of migrants have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally since President Joe Biden, a Democrat, took office in 2021, including many from distant nations. Republicans say Biden encouraged crossings by reversing tougher policies of former President Donald Trump, a Republican. The Biden administration argues that it has instituted more humane policies as migration has challenged countries across the Western Hemisphere.”

Fox News: Afghan Women Who Fled Taliban Rule Thrive In US Following Daring Rescue By US Charity

“A group of Hazara minority women who were evacuated from Afghanistan with the help of some concerned Americans have continued to thrive in their new home two years after the fall of Kabul. "These girls are looking ahead to their future," Vicki Mayo, the founder of the Mayo Family Foundation, told Fox News Digital. "They're doing really well, they've adjusted…. the girls are happy, healthy and looking forward to a bright and optimistic future." Mayo's comments come two years after she helped lead an effort to evacuate 147 women out of Afghanistan. The women, Mayo said, are part of Afghanistan's Hazara minority, a group that has traditionally seen years of persecution in Afghanistan. With the Taliban sweeping to control the country again during the 2021 U.S. withdrawal, over 100 of them attempted to flee Afghanistan.”

Iraq

Reuters: French Soldier Killed In Iraq In Battle With Islamic State Militants

“A French soldier was killed in a four-hour firefight in Iraq when French and Iraqi forces raided an Islamic State hideout, Iraqi security sources said on Tuesday. Three other French and five Iraqi soldiers were wounded in the clash in a rural area of Iraq's northern Salahuddin province on Monday evening, two security sources said. The French Presidency confirmed the death and named the soldier as Nicolas Mazier of a French special forces unit taking part in a raid with Iraq's Counter Terrorism Service troops against an Islamic State hide-out. The French and Iraqi forces landed by helicopters in the al-Eth area after an Iraqi air strike on the militants' position but came under intense attack, the sources said. "It was clearly an ambush by terrorists," one Iraqi security source said. The battle lasted for more than four hours.”

Yemen

Politics Today: Yemeni Women Suffering Under Houthi Rule

“On August 10, news of a controversial contract in the Yemeni city of Dhamar went viral. The contract, signed by the Manar tribes in 2021, resurfaced after an ex-political figure from the Islah party posted about the need to implement it across Yemen on Facebook. The contract included restrictive measures against women in the tribe. For example, it states that women are strictly forbidden to own a smartphone, and if a woman is found having one, her male guardian will be punished. The contract also bans women from wearing makeup, travelling in taxis without a male guardian, and working for humanitarian NGOs. The contract was reposted by Abdullah Ahmed Al-Adaini, the ex-leader of the conservative Islah party, and sparked a wave of conflicting opinions between supporters and opponents. In a now-deleted Facebook post, al-Adaini claimed that the document should be circulated and implemented throughout Yemen.”

Middle East

Haaretz: Israeli Defense Officials: Belligerent Rhetoric On Both Sides Risks War With Hezbollah In Lebanon

“Senior members of Israel's security establishment share Defense Minister Yoav Gallant's fear that war with Lebanon is becoming increasingly likely. However, intelligence officials have expressed in various forums a different view about what things may potentially bring about a confrontation. Gallant made his comments during a meeting with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York on Monday. Gallant has previously argued that the main risk is Lebanese violations of Israeli sovereignty, alluding to Hezbollah’s erection of tents on Israel’s side of the border, and Iran pushing the Shi’ite organization to act aggressively. But the defense establishment believes the main risk is the war drums being beaten by politicians in Lebanon, Iran and Israel. They say their remarks are driven by domestic political considerations more than anything that is actually happening on the ground.”

Somalia

Garowe Online: AU Mission To Withdraw More Troops From Somalia

“The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS] is preparing for the withdrawal of more troops from the Horn of Africa nation, just over two months after the first batch of soldiers left the country in compliance with the Somali Transition Plan [STP], which was approved a few months ago. The second phase of withdrawal will target 3,000 troops carefully selected from various Sectors, with the prior arrangement seeing the exit of 2,000 soldiers selected from among the Contributing Countries. The June 2023 exit was termed as "successful". Somali National Army [SNA] has already taken over the Forward Operating Bases [FOBs], with the country insisting that it has trained enough troops to take over from the foreign teams. A number of Somali soldiers have been trained in Eritrea, Uganda and some in Ethiopia, the government confirmed.”

Africa

Garowe Online: Duale Warns Locals Against Working With Al-Shabaab In Lamu

“Some locals could be closely working with Al-Shabaab militants in Lamu, coastal Kenya, Defence Minister Aden Duale has claimed, arguing that it is impossible for the terrorists to walk from Somalia, unleash on innocent civilians, and go back to their homes without being noticed. The minister, who has been pushing for the elimination of the Al-Shabaab, wonders how the militants could repeatedly attack the people of Lamu without security teams getting a hint. Lamu has been subject to Al-Shabaab attacks for the better part of this year. “It’s surprising for you to fail to spot al Shabaab moving all the way from Jilib in Somalia to Mokowe and move even further to kill a driver and his conductor, and vacate without you locals seeing them,” Duale said. “There must be local elements working with these so-called al Shabaab to perpetrate the heinous killings and destruction of property, he said. “I want to make it clear to you today that we know those who are collaborating with al Shabaab. Your days are numbered.””

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