“Israeli airstrikes struck militant sites in Gaza on Sunday for the third
straight day, the Israeli military said, after Palestinian militants near the
border fence launched incendiary balloons into Israel and threw an explosive at
soldiers. The strike came on the heels of an Israeli military raid in the
northern West Bank that Palestinian health officials said killed two
Palestinians. It was the latest bloodshed in a surge of violence during a
sensitive Jewish holiday period. A series of violent escalations on the border
between Israel and Gaza over the past week has raised the specter of an
escalation for the first time since a brief round of conflict last May between
Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group. It comes at a fraught
time. Jews are set to mark Yom Kippur, the holiest day on their calendar, on
Sunday night followed by the weeklong Sukkot festival later in the month.”











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Eye on Extremism



September 25, 2023



Associated Press: Israeli Airstrikes Hit Gaza For The 3rd Day In A Row As West
Bank Violence Intensifies
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“Israeli airstrikes struck militant sites in Gaza on Sunday for the third
straight day, the Israeli military said, after Palestinian militants near the
border fence launched incendiary balloons into Israel and threw an explosive at
soldiers. The strike came on the heels of an Israeli military raid in the
northern West Bank that Palestinian health officials said killed two
Palestinians. It was the latest bloodshed in a surge of violence during a
sensitive Jewish holiday period. A series of violent escalations on the border
between Israel and Gaza over the past week has raised the specter of an
escalation for the first time since a brief round of conflict last May between
Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group. It comes at a fraught
time. Jews are set to mark Yom Kippur, the holiest day on their calendar, on
Sunday night followed by the weeklong Sukkot festival later in the month.”



Reuters: Truck Bomb Kills At Least 10 In Somalia
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“A truck bomb exploded at a checkpoint in the central Somali town of
Beledweyne on Saturday, killing at least 10 people and obliterating nearby
buildings, a police officer said. It was not immediately clear who was
responsible but the Islamist group al Shabaab frequently carries out bombings
in the Horn of Africa country. "So far I have seen 10 dead people including
soldiers and civilians and over a dozen others injured, but the death toll is
sure to rise," police officer Ahmed Aden told Reuters. Beledweyne is in central
Somalia's Hiran region which has recently witnessed battles between the
military and al Shabaab. Aden said the dead included five police officers who
fired on the truck in a failed attempt to stop it ramming the checkpoint.
Nearby buildings and shops were reduced to rubble, along with the checkpoint,
he added. A woman, Halima Nur, who was near the site, told Reuters her niece
and others had been in a nearby shop and could not be reached. "I do not know
what to say, all the kiosks are now just rubble. I can't trace my niece," she
said.”




CEP Expert Analysis

* The Houthis and U.S.-Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations
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* Afghanistan Terorism Report: July 2023
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* Afghanistan Terrorism Report: June 2023
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* West Africa's Terrorism Challenge: Development Of Al-Qaeda In The Western
Sahel Region
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* West Africa's Terrorism Challenge: Status Of ISWAP And ISGS In West Africa
And Sahel
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United States



Voice Of America: Research Warns White Supremacists Are Building A Shadow
Militia
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“... New research, presented Friday by the Counter Extremism Project (CEP),
warns the past several months have seen a proliferation of small, loosely
affiliated combat sports and fitness clubs — known as Active Clubs — that
publicly advertise fitness, self-improvement and brotherhood. But behind the
scenes, researchers say, club members are pushing a white supremacist narrative
geared at preparing members to take part in a potential race war. “They are
trying to build a militia undercover,” said Alexander Ritzmann, a CEP senior
adviser and the author of the new report. “The underlying assessment is there
is no leadership in the U.S. for targeted violence, for a strong national event
or leadership. But once such a thing occurs, you need soldiers.” Ritzmann and
his colleagues warn that more than 100 of the Active Clubs have been created
since late 2020, and that at least 46 are currently active in 34 U.S. states.
They further identified another 46 clubs in 14 countries across Europe and 12
clubs in Canada.”



Rolling Stone: This Activewear Brand Wants To Be Lululemon For Fascists
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“... The Active Club movement is growing exponentially. A new report by the
nonprofit Counter Extremism Project, reveals that there are at least 46 active
clubs across 34 states in the U.S. The “transnational” network also has
chapters in 15 countries, including Canada, and across Europe, with 23 chapters
in France alone. Alexander Ritzmann, who conducted the CEP research, describes
the groups as “trying to build a militia” in plain sight. They foreground a
broad ideology of “white unity” — both to prevent infighting and to appear less
threatening to law enforcement. The exact purpose of the fight-training remains
ambiguous, but Ritzmann insists this is on purpose, following the philosophy
that a violent white supremist movement needs more “fighters than thinkers.”
The endgame, he warns, is for these Active Clubs to be the tip of the fascist
spear when the next “Day X” — think: a redux of a Jan. 6 — requires the
services of a fighting force: “It’s about building that militia for the day a
leader shows up … that needs some sort of army.”



Syria



Associated Press: US-Backed Kurdish Forces Impose Curfew In Eastern Syria
After New Clashes With Rival Arab Militia
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“U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces imposed a curfew after clashes erupted again
on Monday in eastern Syria, where their fighters had battled for weeks with
rival Arab militiamen, Syrian media and activists reported. The fighting in a
region where hundreds of American troops are deployed has pointed to dangerous
seams in a coalition that has kept on a lid on the defeated Islamic State group
for years. The reports say the Syrian Democratic Forces imposed the open-ended
measure in several towns in Deir el-Zour province, including the town of Ziban,
close to the Iraqi border where the Americans are based. Hundreds of U.S.
troops have been there since 2015 to help in the fight against the militant
Islamic State group. The oil-rich province is home to Syria’s largest oil
fields. Al Mayadeen, a pan-Arab TV station, said several fighters from the
Kurdish-led forces were killed after Arab gunmen took over several parts of
Ziban on Monday. Britain-based opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory
for Human Rights said some of the Arab fighters had crossed from
government-held areas.”



Iran



Reuters: Iran Says It Defused 30 Bombs In Tehran, Detained 28 People, Tasnim
Reports
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“Authorities in Iran have neutralised 30 bombs meant to go off simultaneously
in Tehran and detained 28 terrorists linked to Islamic State, Iran's Tasnim
news agency reported on Sunday, citing the intelligence ministry. "Some of the
members are of Islamic State (IS) and the perpetrators have a history of being
affiliated with Takfiri groups in Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the
Kurdistan region of Iraq," Iran's intelligence ministry added in a statement.
The militant group has claimed several attacks in Iran, including deadly twin
bombings in 2017 that targeted Iran's parliament and the tomb of the Islamic
Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. More recently, IS claimed
responsibility for an attack on a Shia shrine last October, where 15 people
were killed in the southwestern city of Shiraz."



Turkey



Reuters: Turkish Police Detain 10 Accused Of Islamic State Links, Minister Says

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“Turkish police detained 10 people believed to be linked to Islamic State and
have arrested five of them, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Friday.
Yerlikaya said Turkey's MIT intelligence agency, police, and counter-terrorism
squads carried out an operation in the western coastal city of Izmir after
intelligence showed the suspects had hidden supplies in the city. The
authorities discovered explosive gels, materials used to make explosives, as
well as weapons and ammunition hidden in the mountainous region of Izmir's
Bornova district, Yerlikaya added. "As a result of the operation, 10 suspects
were detained. Of these, five were arrested and judicial control rulings were
made for five others," the minister said on social media platform X. Under
judicial control rulings, the suspects may leave police detention but they have
certain conditions and oversights imposed on them. Footage from the operation,
shared by Yerlikaya on X, showed several police cars in a mountainous area,
with police searching inside of a small cave for the hidden materials. It also
showed authorities searching a house and detaining the suspects. Reuters could
not independently verify the footage.”



Middle East



Reuters: Israeli Forces Kill Two Palestinians In West Bank Raid, Hamas,
Emergency Workers Say
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“Israeli forces killed two Palestinians, including a fighter of the Islamist
Hamas group, during a raid on a refugee camp in the West Bank on Sunday,
emergency workers and Hamas said, while in Gaza Israeli strikes hit security
posts for a second day. In the latest round of violence, Israeli forces raided
the Nur Shams camp near the West Bank city of Tulkarm in the early hours of
Sunday morning, setting off an hours-long gun battle with Palestinian fighters,
witnesses said. The Israeli military said it conducted "counterterrorism
activity" in the camp, dismantling an operational command centre equipped with
computers and surveillance cameras and uncovering dozens of explosive devices
and bomb-making components. "During the activity, suspects opened fire and
hurled explosive devices at the forces, who responded with live fire. Hits were
identified," the military said in a statement, adding that an Israeli soldier
was moderately wounded.”



Haaretz: Hamas Operative Arrested On Suspicion Of Spying For Israel, Lebanese
Media Report
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“Lebanese media outlets reported on Friday that a member of Hamas’ military
wing had been arrested on suspicion of being involved in transferring
intelligence about the organization to Israel. According to a report in the
daily Al-Akhbar, which is identified with Hamas and Hezbollah, Khalil Abu
Ma’azeh was recruited by the Mossad while living in Beit Lahia, in the Gaza
Strip. After he moved to Turkey, he provided Israel with information about the
organization for two years, the reports said. According to the report, Abu
Ma'azeh served in the Iz al-Din al-Qassam brigades, making it into the top
echelons of Hamas, mainly in its engineering division. Allegedly, due to his
dire financial straits, Abu Ma'azeh agreed to provide Israel with information
about the activities of Hamas’s military wing in Gaza, its branches in Lebanon,
and vital aspects related to the development of weapons and other war materiel.”



Somalia



Voice Of America: Fleeing Militants Pose Challenge To Somalia’s Security
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“As Somalia's army and allied clan militias continue to drive al-Shabab
fighters out of locales in central Somalia, analysts warn the country could
still face security threats from Islamist militants on the run. Somalia’s
National Army is in the middle of a military offensive against al-Shabab. Since
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared a "total war" against the militants in
August 2022, al-Shabab fighters have withdrawn from some of the group’s central
Somalia strongholds under military pressure from the army, the militias and
international partners’ airstrikes. Despite the significant breakthrough in the
government's campaign against the al Qaida-linked group, Somali security
analysts believe one of the major challenges that the country faces is the
presence of fleeing militants who, despite losing their bases of operation,
continue to pose a serious threat to national security.”



Reuters: Somalia Asks UN To Delay Peacekeeper Drawdown After 'Significant
Setbacks'
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“Somalia has asked the United Nations to pause a planned drawdown of 3,000
African Union peacekeepers for three months to allow its security forces time
to regroup after a militant attack forced them to withdraw from several
recently captured towns. The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia
(ATMIS), which is mandated by the U.N. Security Council, took over from another
AU mission in April last year. On June 30 ATMIS concluded the first phase of
the drawdown of 2,000 troops and was due to enact a second troop withdrawal by
Sept. 30, reducing its military personnel to 14,626. In a Sept. 19 letter to
the U.N. Security Council seen by Reuters, National Security Adviser Hussein
Sheikh Ali said the government's year-long campaign to liberate areas from al
Shabaab militants in the central regions of the country had suffered "several
significant setbacks" in recent weeks.”



Africa



Reuters: Uganda Says It Will Mediate Between Somalia And Breakaway Somaliland
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“Uganda said on Saturday it would mediate between Somalia and the breakaway
region of Somaliland to facilitate reunification after a more than three-decade
split. President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda agreed to take up the role after a
visit on Friday by a special envoy from Somaliland, Jama Musse Jama, according
to a presidency statement. "President Museveni agreed to be the unification
facilitator between Somaliland and Somalia," it said. Somaliland broke away
from Somalia in 1991 but has not gained widespread international recognition
for independence. It has been mostly peaceful while Somalia has undergone civil
war. "We don't support secession because strategically, it is wrong," Museveni
was quoted in the statement as telling the envoy. Reunification would
potentially strengthen the Horn of African country's capability to tackle
challenges including an insurgency by the Islamist group al Shabaab.”



Bloomberg: Uganda Says It Killed Islamic State-Linked Rebel Chief In Congo
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“Uganda President Yoweri Museveni said a rebel leader of the Islamic
State-linked Allied Democratic Forces was killed in a raid by the air force in
neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. Meddie Nkalubo, blamed for a series
of bombings in the Ugandan capital of Kampala in 2021, was among “a lot of
terrorists” killed in the Sept. 16 raid carried out more than 100 kilometers
(62 miles) from the Ugandan border, Museveni said Saturday in an emailed
statement. ADF began its operations in western Uganda in the late 1990s before
fleeing to eastern Congo from where they have launched a series of terror
attacks in Uganda. In September 2020, the group’s leader Muhsin Baluku said the
ADF had been disbanded and become an autonomous Islamic State province. The
U.S. State Department refers to ADF as ISIS DRC and has designated it a
terrorist organization. Islamic State claimed responsibility for a series of
attacks in Uganda in 2021, including bombings that left seven people dead.”



United Kingdom



Daily Star: Neo-Nazi Fight Clubs Growing Worldwide As Weight-Lifting Thugs
Prepare For Violence
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“…Data on the groups seen by Vice has been gathered by the Counter Extremism
Project (CEP) which published a report that claims: “Since the creation of the
first Active Club in late 2020, at least 100 Active Clubs have been created in
the U.S, Canada, and Europe.” Alexander Ritzmann, the report’s author and
senior advisor to the CEP, told the outlet: "This is an unprecedented growth.
I've never seen a network in right-wing extremism grow so fast. Usually, it
takes years to build a transnational network. It’s concerning.””



BBC: Canada-India Row Puts Spotlight On Sikh Activism In UK
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“Avtar Singh Khanda, 35, was well known for his support of the creation of a
breakaway Sikh homeland, Khalistan. He died from a sudden illness in Birmingham
in June, and some of those close to him insinuate there was foul play involved.
West Midlands Police say they thoroughly reviewed the case and there were no
suspicious circumstances and that there is no need to re-investigate. But
British Sikhs have long talked about feeling under undue pressure, as the
Indian government has openly demanded that the UK authorities do more to stamp
out "extremism" within the community. Gurpreet Johal is a lawyer and Labour
councillor from Dumbarton. He says he entered politics because of what happened
to his family. Six years ago, Gurpreet's brother Jagtar - a well known
pro-Khalistan and Sikh rights activist - went to India to get married. Mr
Johal's family says that in the town of Rami Mandi in Punjab, he was forced
into an unmarked car. He has been in prison ever since accused of extremist
activities.”



Germany



The Times Of Israel: Germany Bans Prominent Neo-Nazi Group: ‘Clear Signal
Against Racism And Antisemitism’
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“The German government banned the neo-Nazi group Hammerskins Germany on
Tuesday and raided the homes of dozens of its members. The group is an offshoot
of an American right-wing extremist group and plays a prominent role across
Europe. The Hammerskins Germany is an offshoot of the Hammerskins Nation
founded in the United States in 1988, according to Berlin’s Interior Ministry.
It plays a prominent role in the right-wing extremist scene in Europe.
Worldwide, members of this association refer to themselves as “brothers” and
see themselves as an elite “brotherhood” practicing their subcultural way of
life. The group also sees itself as the elite of the right-wing extremist
skinhead scene, according to the ministry. “The ban of the Hammerskins Germany
is a hard blow against organized right-wing extremism,” Interior Minister Nancy
Faeser said, adding that the ban included the association’s regional chapters
and its sub-organization Crew 38.”



Japan



Hot Cars: The Toyota Land Cruiser's Evolution In Photos, From 1951 To Today
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“…The CEO of the Counter Extremism Project was even quoted as stating,
‘Regrettably, the Toyota Land Cruiser and Hilux have effectively almost become
part of the terrorist brand.’”



The Counter Extremism Project depends on the generosity of its supporters. If
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