“The Taliban have detained 18 staffers, including a foreigner, from a
nongovernmental organization based in Afghanistan, the nonprofit group said
Friday. NGOs have come under greater scrutiny since the Taliban seized control
of the country two years ago. The Taliban introduced harsh measures and barred
Afghan women from education beyond the sixth grade as well as from public life
and work, including working for NGOs. A U.S. watchdog reported earlier this
year that the Taliban are harassing NGOs operating in the country. The
International Assistance Mission said 18 of its staff were taken away by the
Taliban on two separate occasions this month from the NGO’s office in central
Ghor province. The 18 detained were taken to Kabul, the group said. “We are
unaware of the circumstances that led to these incidents and have not been
advised of the reason for the detention of our staff members,” it said in a
statement. “The well-being and security of our colleagues are paramount to us,
and we are doing everything possible to ensure their safety and secure their
swift release.””











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Eye on Extremism



September 19, 2023



Associated Press: The Taliban Have Detained 18 Staff, Including A Foreigner,
From An Afghanistan-Based NGO, It Says
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“The Taliban have detained 18 staffers, including a foreigner, from a
nongovernmental organization based in Afghanistan, the nonprofit group said
Friday. NGOs have come under greater scrutiny since the Taliban seized control
of the country two years ago. The Taliban introduced harsh measures and barred
Afghan women from education beyond the sixth grade as well as from public life
and work, including working for NGOs. A U.S. watchdog reported earlier this
year that the Taliban are harassing NGOs operating in the country. The
International Assistance Mission said 18 of its staff were taken away by the
Taliban on two separate occasions this month from the NGO’s office in central
Ghor province. The 18 detained were taken to Kabul, the group said. “We are
unaware of the circumstances that led to these incidents and have not been
advised of the reason for the detention of our staff members,” it said in a
statement. “The well-being and security of our colleagues are paramount to us,
and we are doing everything possible to ensure their safety and secure their
swift release.””



The New York Times: Drone Attack Kills 3 Counterterrorist Fighters In Iraqi
Kurdistan
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“A drone attack on a small airport killed three members of an elite Iraqi
Kurdish counterterrorism task force that operates in the semiautonomous region
of Kurdistan in northern Iraq. Three task force members were also wounded in
the attack on the airport, which is about 17 miles southeast of Sulaymaniyah,
the second largest city in Kurdistan. Turkey and more recently Iran have
targeted Kurdish militants from their countries who shelter in Iraq’s Kurdistan
region. The airport, mostly used by small agricultural planes for spraying
pesticides, was recently repurposed to also be used as a training camp for
Kurdish counterterrorism forces. The elite forces were focused primarily on
Islamic State fighters in recent years, but other Islamic militant groups now
also move through Iraq’s porous borders with Iran and Turkey. The Iraqi
government announced early on Tuesday that the drone was launched by Turkey and
called on Ankara to halt such attacks.”



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United States



Financial Times: US Pushes Saudi Arabia And UAE To Heal Divisions Over Yemen
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“The US is pushing for a trilateral meeting with Saudi Arabia and the United
Arab Emirates as it worries that differences between the Gulf neighbours could
upend its efforts to secure a lasting peace deal in Yemen. The initiative, led
by US Yemen envoy Tim Lenderking, could result in talks as early as this week
on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, people familiar with
the matter say. It comes as a senior delegation from the Houthi group that has
held the Yemen capital Sana’a since 2014 publicly visits Riyadh for the first
time for talks on ending the civil war. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have
increasingly been at odds as Riyadh seeks to assert itself as the region’s
financial hub, a spot long held by the UAE. Their rivalries have occasionally
spilled into other countries where they both have interests, and they have
disagreed over their approach to the war in Yemen, from which the UAE withdrew
its troops in 2019.



Voice Of America: Muslim American Mayor Sues US Government Over Terror
Watchlist
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“A New Jersey mayor barred from a White House event earlier this year is
among a dozen Muslim Americans suing the U.S. government over its continued use
of a terror watchlist created after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Mohamed
Khairullah, the five-term mayor of Prospect Park, New Jersey, was invited along
with other Muslim elected officials to attend an Eid celebration at the White
House in May but was told shortly before the event that he wouldn't be allowed
to enter the compound. The Secret Service did not explain why it turned him
away but a new lawsuit brought by Khairullah and 11 others claims he was barred
because his name was on the terror watchlist between 2019 and 2022. "After
approximately August 2022, after Defendants removed Mr. Khairullah from the
watchlist, they continued — and continue, to this day — to retain records of
his past watchlist status and use them to harm and stigmatize him," the lawsuit
says.”



Syria



Associated Press: Attack On Turkish-Backed Opposition Fighters In Syria Kills
13 Of The Militants, Activists Say
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“A Kurdish-led force attacked Turkish-backed opposition fighters in northern
Syria on Monday, killing at least 13 of the militants, activists said. The
opposition activists blamed the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces for
carrying out the assault, though the U.S.-backed group did not claim
responsibility. Turkey says Syria’s main Kurdish militia is allied with the
outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, that has led an insurgency against
Turkey since 1984 that has killed tens of thousands of people. Turkey since
2016 has conducted three major incursions into northern Syria to clear areas
under Kurdish control and create a buffer zone near its border. Since then, the
two groups have routinely clashed, while Turkey has also conducted airstrikes
and drone attacks on targets in Kurdish-controlled areas. According to
opposition activists, SDF forces tried to infiltrate the opposition-controlled
city of Tal Battal in northern Aleppo province, attacking positions belonging
to Turkish-backed militants and the al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al Sham.”



Iraq



National: Iraq Finds Irregularities In Post-ISIS Construction Deals
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“Projects by Iraq's state-run fund in charge of rebuilding areas damaged in
the war with ISIS are mired in irregularities, a government investigation and
audit committee has found. Since taking office in October last year, Iraqi
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani has been scrutinising deals signed by
the previous government and has ordered a series of investigations over alleged
corruption. Critics claim that the moves are aimed at rivals of his main
backers, the Iran-backed political factions who form the biggest parliamentary
bloc. The investigation focused on projects implemented by the Reconstruction
Fund for Areas Affected by Terroristic Operations and financed under the
Emergency Law for Food Security and Development. Parliament approved the law in
June last year to help the country meet its most pressing needs as political
wrangling over forming a new government delayed the passing of a budget.”



Afghanistan



Voice Of America: UN Chief Urges Taliban To Lift 'Unjustifiable' Education Ban
On Afghan Girls
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“The United Nations secretary-general Monday renewed his demand for
Afghanistan's Taliban to allow teenage girls to attend high school. "This is an
unjustifiable violation of human rights that inflicts long-lasting damage on
the entire country," Antonio Guterres said on X (formerly Twitter). "Girls
belong in school. Let them back in," he added. His statement marks two years
since the de facto rulers imposed an education ban. The Taliban seized power
from an internationally backed government in August 2021 and have since imposed
sweeping restrictions on Afghan women's access to education and work. They have
banned girls from school beyond sixth grade, making Afghanistan the only
country in the world with restrictions on education for females. Guterres told
reporters last week that the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan "is
absolutely central to all concerns" and would be on the agenda of the U.N.
General Assembly session starting Monday in New York.”



CBS: U.S. Woman Arrested In Afghanistan Among 18 Aid Workers Held For
"Promoting Christianity," Local Official Says
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“Almost 20 staff members of a charity organization operating in central
Afghanistan, including one U.S. national, have been arrested by regional
officials in the Taliban-controlled nation, a spokesman for the provincial
government in Ghor province told CBS News. The 18 detained aid workers were
arrested for "propagating and promoting Christianity," a violation of the
Taliban's strict regulations on all non-governmental groups, according to Abdul
Wahid Hamas, the spokesman for the regional administration in Ghor province.
Hamas told CBS News that all 18 individuals were transferred to the capital
Kabul for further investigation. He said previously that one foreign national,
an American woman, was among the detained NGO workers. A local employee of The
International Assistance Mission (IAM) in Ghor province also told CBS News, on
the condition that he not be named, that the detained foreign employee was a
U.S. woman who works at the office.”



Middle East



The Times Of Israel: IDF Prepares To Demolish Homes Of 3 Palestinians Charged
In June Terror Attack
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“Israeli troops early Tuesday morning prepared to demolish the homes of three
Palestinians who have been charged with helping Hamas terrorists kill four
Israeli civilians in a shooting attack in June. Forces measured four homes
belonging to the three suspects in the West Bank village of Urif, to prepare
for the building’s possible demolition, the Israel Defense Forces said in a
statement. The suspects — Bassel Shehadeh, Hamed Sabah, and a third unnamed
Palestinian — who were indicted in August, were “partners in the planning and
execution of the shooting attack,” the IDF said Tuesday. The trio were charged
by military prosecutors with intentionally causing death — the West Bank
military court’s equivalent of murder — and several other security offenses. As
a matter of policy, Israel regularly demolishes the homes of Palestinians
accused of carrying out deadly terror attacks as well as their accomplices. The
efficacy of the policy has been hotly debated even within the Israeli security
establishment, while human rights activists denounce the practice as unjust
collective punishment.”



Somalia



Reuters: EU Temporarily Holds Back Food Aid In Somalia After UN Finds
Widespread Theft
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“The European Union executive has temporarily suspended funding for the World
Food Programme (WFP) in Somalia, two senior EU officials told Reuters on
Monday, after a U.N. investigation found widespread theft and misuse of aid
meant to avert famine. The European Commission gave more than $7 million in aid
to the WFP's operations in Somalia last year, a fraction of the donations of
more than $1 billion it received, U.N. data shows. EU member states gave much
more money on a bilateral basis. It was not immediately clear whether any would
also suspend aid. Balazs Ujvari, a spokesman for the European Commission,
neither confirmed nor denied specifically a temporary suspension but said: "So
far, the EU has not been informed by its U.N. partners of a financial impact on
EU-funded projects. "Nevertheless, we will continue to monitor the situation
and abide by our zero-tolerance approach to fraud, corruption or misconduct."”



Associated Press: African Union Says Its 2nd Phase Of Troop Withdrawal From
Somalia Has Begun
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“The second phase of the African Union troop withdrawal from Somalia has
begun, the bloc said Monday. The pullout follows a timeline for the handover of
security to the country’s authorities, which are fighting al-Qaida’s affiliate
in East Africa — the Somalia-based al-Shabab. Last year, the U.N. Security
Council unanimously approved a new African Union Transition Mission in Somalia,
known as ATMIS, to support the Somalis until their forces take full
responsibility for the country’s security at the end of 2024. The mission is
aiming to pull out at least 3,000 more troops by the end of the month, out of
the originally 19,626-strong AU force. In the first phase, some 2,000 AU troops
drawn from various member states left Somalia in June, handing over six forward
operating bases. On Sunday, the Burundian contingent handed over the Biyo Adde
forward operating base in the south-central Hirshabelle state, near the capital
of Mogadishu, to the Somali national army. Commander Lt. Col. Philip Butoyi
commended the progress made by the Somali forces.”



Germany



The New York Times: How Germany’s Extreme Right Seized On The Martial Arts
Scene
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“...The festivals — which are often declared political events, making them
harder to ban and ensuring that any profit will be tax-exempt — typically
feature a right-wing extremist speaker or seminar, according to Hans-Jakob
Schindler, the Berlin-based senior director of the Counter Extremism Project.
And while mixed martial arts tournaments in Europe typically feature fighters
from different racial groups, these events allow only white fighters to take
part. “They’re trying to broaden the capture area,” Mr. Schindler said. “You
get people to buy the T-shirt, you can get them to come to one of the
festivals. And you slowly begin speaking them to them about how the political
system is bad. And so you draw them in a bit more subtly than you did in the
past.” In the promotional videos for the largest extreme-right combat
tournament, called “Kampf der Nibelungen,” or “Battle of the Nibelungs,” there
are no far-right symbols or slogans on display. Focused instead on the boxing
ring, the ring girls and the heavily tattooed fighters, the only indication
that the event is out of the mainstream is that the participants’ faces have
all been blurred.”



India



BBC: How Hardeep Singh Nijjar's Murder In Canada Fuelled Tensions With India
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“On a mid-June evening in the busy parking lot of the Guru Nanak Sikh
Gurdwara in the city of Surrey, Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead in his truck
by two masked gunmen. Months later, the unsolved killing continues to
reverberate, in Canada and across borders. Hundreds of Sikh separatists took to
the streets in Toronto, along with a handful others in cities like London,
Melbourne and San Francisco, in early July to protest the Indian government,
which they believe is responsible for his death. Most recently, in September,
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of being behind Mr Nijjar's death,
saying that Canadian intelligence had identified "credible allegations" of a
link between his death and agents of the Indian state. The Indian government
has denied any hand in the murder. The outrage following the 45-year-old's
killing has brought to light a long-standing issue of some groups demanding a
separate homeland for Sikhs, who are a religious minority that make up about 2%
of India's population.”



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