“The U.S. military said Monday it had captured an operator for the Islamic
State extremist group during a helicopter raid in northern Syria. The operator,
Abu Halil al-Fad’ani, “was assessed to have relationships throughout the ISIS
network in the region,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement. His capture
on Saturday increases the chance that U.S. counterterrorism operations there
will be able to target additional members of the group, command spokesman Lt.
Col. Troy Garlock said. The U.S. has approximately 900 troops in Syria focused
on countering the remnants of the Islamic State group, which had held a wide
swath of Syria until 2019. News of the capture came as U.S.-backed Kurdish-led
forces imposed a curfew after continued skirmishes with rival Arab militiamen.
According to reports from Syrian media and activists, the Syrian Democratic
Forces imposed the curfew Monday in several towns in Deir el-Zour province,
including in Ziban, close to the Iraqi border where the Americans are based.
Hundreds of U.S. troops have been there since 2015. The oil-rich province has
Syria’s largest oil fields.”











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Eye on Extremism



September 26, 2023



Associated Press: US Military Captures Key Islamic State Militant During
Helicopter Raid In Syria
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“The U.S. military said Monday it had captured an operator for the Islamic
State extremist group during a helicopter raid in northern Syria. The operator,
Abu Halil al-Fad’ani, “was assessed to have relationships throughout the ISIS
network in the region,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement. His capture
on Saturday increases the chance that U.S. counterterrorism operations there
will be able to target additional members of the group, command spokesman Lt.
Col. Troy Garlock said. The U.S. has approximately 900 troops in Syria focused
on countering the remnants of the Islamic State group, which had held a wide
swath of Syria until 2019. News of the capture came as U.S.-backed Kurdish-led
forces imposed a curfew after continued skirmishes with rival Arab militiamen.
According to reports from Syrian media and activists, the Syrian Democratic
Forces imposed the curfew Monday in several towns in Deir el-Zour province,
including in Ziban, close to the Iraqi border where the Americans are based.
Hundreds of U.S. troops have been there since 2015. The oil-rich province has
Syria’s largest oil fields.”



Associated Press: A Trial Opens In France Over The Killing Of A Police Couple
In The Name Of The Islamic State Group
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“It wasn’t the deadliest attack in Europe linked to the Islamic State group,
but it was among the most disturbing: One evening in 2016, an assailant killed
two police officers in their family home, in front of their 3-year-old son. On
Monday, a trial opened in a French counterterrorism court over the attack in
the Paris suburb of Magnanville. The attacker, Larossi Abballa, was shot to
death by police. According to court documents, he told police negotiators that
he was responding to an IS leader’s call to “kill miscreants at home with their
families.” A childhood friend of Abballa’s, Mohamed Aberouz, is on trial for
complicity to terrorism-related murder, complicity to kidnapping and terrorist
conspiracy. Aberouz, who says he is innocent, faces up to life in prison if
convicted. The killings came amid a wave of attacks in France linked to the
Islamic State group and had a lasting effect on police officers around France.
Some moved, changed services or resigned to protect their loved ones after the
Magnanville killings. “All of us are watching this trial,’’ Denis Jacob,
general secretary of the police union Alternative Police Nationale, said on BFM
television as the trial began.”



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Fighting Terror is a podcast that brings together counterterrorism experts and
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approaches to combating terrorism in our society. Our frank discussions cover
the lifecycle of terrorism from propaganda and recruitment, to financing,
action, and failure. Listenhere
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or wherever you get your podcasts.




United States



Associated Press: Jury Selection Opens In Terrorism Trial Of Extended Family
Members Dating To 2018 New Mexico Raid
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“Jury selection began Monday in federal court as members of an extended family
confronted kidnapping and terrorism charges stemming from the search for a
missing 3-year-old boy by agents who raided a squalid New Mexico encampment in
2018. The boy’s badly decomposed remains were eventually found in an
underground tunnel at the compound on the outskirts of Amalia near the Colorado
line. Authorities allege the family engaged in firearms and tactical training
in preparation for attacks against the government, tied to an apparent belief
that the boy would be resurrected as Jesus Christ and provide instructions. An
exact cause of death was never determined amid accusations that the boy, who
was sickly, had been deprived of crucial medication linked to disabilities.
Federal prosecutors opted for kidnapping charges. The two men and two women on
trial have pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiring to support planned
attacks on U.S. law enforcement officers, military members and government
employees. They also deny the kidnapping charges leveled against three of the
defendants.”



ABC: Cuba Denounces Attack On Its U.S. Embassy As Terrorism
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“The U.S. on Monday condemned an attack on Cuba's embassy in Washington, in
which a man allegedly threw two Molotov cocktails at the mission. Cuba
described the incident Sunday night as a "terrorist attack." No one was
injured. "This is the second violent attack against #Cuba's diplomatic
mission," Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Cuba's Foreign Minister, wrote on social
media, referring to an incident in April 2020 in which a man opened fire on the
building. There were no injuries from that attack either. Cuban President
Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez also called the incident a "terrorist attack,"
adding on social media that it was an "act of violence and impotence that could
have cost valuable lives. We denounce it and await action from the North
American authorities." State Department spokesman Matthew Miller on Monday said
the U.S. was in touch with the Cuban embassy and was committed to the safety
and security of diplomatic facilities and personnel.”



The Independent: How White Supremacist Fight Clubs Are Building Covert
Far-Right Militias
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“... At least 46 so-called “active clubs” – which publicly promote
“brotherhood” and training in combat sports and fitness while covertly
advancing fascist and neo-Nazi agendas and preparing for large-scale violence –
have sprouted in 34 states between 2020 and 2023, according to the report from
the Counter Extremism Project. That relatively rapid growth is alarming
researchers who have closely tracked the explosion in far-right extremism and
white supremacist movements in recent years, parallel to a surge in threats of
political violence and violences towards marginalised groups. “I’ve never seen
a network in right-wing extremism grow so fast. Usually it takes years to build
a transnational network,” report author and CEP adviser Alexander Ritzmann told
VICE News, which first reported the research. “It’s concerning.” While the
groups outwardly promote group fitness events like boxing, jiu jitsu and other
martial arts, the narratives surrounding their creation typically rely on white
grievances and victimhood and empowerment through white supremacy, according to
the report.



Al Mayadeen: Network Of Far-Right Militias Covertly Proliferating In US: Report

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“A recent report by Counter Extremism Project, published by The Independent,
shows that extremist organizations with white supremacist ideologies are
employing the guise of fitness and martial arts to attract and expand their
ranks, effectively establishing a new network of militias across the United
States, Canada, and Europe. According to the report, at least 46 "active clubs"
have emerged in 34 US states between 2020 and 2023. These clubs publicly
promote "brotherhood" and training in combat sports and fitness while covertly
recruiting members into extremist militias.”



Iraq



The National: Iraq Vows It 'Will Not Be Lenient' With Elizabeth Tsurkov's
Kidnappers
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“Iraq has said it will show no leniency to the kidnappers of an
Israeli-Russian researcher who has been missing for more than six months, as
international pressure mounts on Baghdad to move forward with the
investigation. Elizabeth Tsurkov, a PhD student at Princeton University in the
US, who was conducting research in Baghdad when she was kidnapped, was last
seen leaving a coffee shop in the Iraqi capital in March. The Israeli
government believes she is being held by Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Iraqi
armed militia. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani said from New York
that authorities were still investigating. "Our security forces are responsible
for ensuring security for all those arriving in Iraq, including the woman who
entered Iraq with a Russian passport and disappeared months ago,” Mr Al Sudani
told CNN, referring to Ms Tsurkov. “We are following the case, we are serious
about revealing her fate and we will not be lenient," he said, without giving
out further details. “We are following the case, we are serious about revealing
her fate and we will not be lenient," he said, without giving out further
details.”



Afghanistan



Voice Of America: Taliban Weighs Using US Mass Surveillance Plan, Met With
China's Huawei
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“The Taliban are creating a large-scale camera surveillance network for
Afghan cities that could involve repurposing a plan crafted by the Americans
before their 2021 pullout, an interior ministry spokesman told Reuters, as
authorities seek to supplement thousands of cameras already across the capital,
Kabul. The Taliban administration — which has publicly said it is focused on
restoring security and clamping down on Islamic State, which has claimed many
major attacks in Afghan cities — has also consulted with Chinese telecoms
equipment maker Huawei about potential cooperation, the spokesman said.
Preventing attacks by international militant groups — including prominent
organizations such as Islamic State — is at the heart of the interaction
between the Taliban and many foreign nations, including the U.S. and China,
according to readouts from those meetings. But some analysts question the
cash-strapped regime's ability to fund the program, and rights groups have
expressed concern that any resources will be used to crackdown on protesters.”



Middle East



Associated Press: Bahrain Says Attack By Yemen Rebels Kills A Bahraini Officer
And A Soldier On The Saudi Border
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“A drone attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels killed a Bahraini officer and
soldier who were patrolling Saudi Arabia’s southern border early Monday,
Bahrain’s military command said. The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge
carrying out the attack as efforts to strike a peace deal between Riyadh and
the rebels continue. The military statement, carried by the state-run Bahrain
News Agency, says “a number” of Bahraini soldiers were also wounded in the
strike, without elaborating. “This terrorist attack was carried out by the
Houthis, who sent aircraft targeting the position of the Bahraini guards on the
southern border of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia despite the halt of military
operations between the warring sides in Yemen,” the statement said. It did not
identify the site of the attack. Bahrain later repatriated the bodies to the
island kingdom, where they were met by an honor guard and top military
officials.”



The Times Of Israel: Israel Strikes Hamas Post Near Gaza Border Amid Violent
Rioting
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“The Israeli military said it launched a strike in the Gaza Strip on Monday
evening, the second within a day, targeting a “military position” of the
Palestinian terror group Hamas. The military said it carried out the strike
using unmanned aircraft after there was gunfire toward Israel Defense Forces
troops during disturbances by dozens of Gazan rioters along the border, the
latest violent rally near the barrier in what has become a daily occurrence.
From the timing of the IDF announcement, it appeared that the strike may have
been carried out during Yom Kippur. The IDF additionally said troops used
sniper fire and deployed crowd dispersal means against the rioters, adding that
several were hit. “IDF forces fired at a terrorist who shot toward troops and
hit him,” the military said. Two Palestinians were wounded by “Israeli
bullets,” the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza said in a statement. In
addition, rioters burned tires and threw rocks at soldiers who responded with
tear gas.”



Nigeria



Associated Press: Security Forces Rescue 14 Students Abducted From Nigerian
University
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“Security forces rescued 14 out of at least 20 students abducted from a
university in northwestern Nigeria and were searching for the remaining
captives, school authorities said Monday. Gunmen attacked the school in the
hard-hit Zamfara state’s Bungudu district last week and fled with the students
and some workers in the first mass school abduction in the West African nation
since President Bola Tinubu took office in May. Such abductions of students
from schools are common in Nigeria’s northwest and central regions where armed
groups often take people hostage in exchange for huge ransoms which analysts
have said help them to buy guns and sustain their operations. The 14 students
from the Federal University Gusau were rescued alongside two other people, a
statement from the university said, without further details about when they
were freed or the nature of the rescue operation. “The sad and unfortunate
incident has indeed thrown the University community into serious tension and
apprehension,” the statement said, adding that security forces were “doing
their best” to rescue the remaining students. It also said steps were being
taken to boost security around the university.”



United Kingdom



The Independent: Men Who Confronted Fishmonger’s Hall Terrorist To Be Honoured
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“Two men who tackled the Fishmongers’ Hall terror attacker in 2019 are set to
be honoured at Windsor Castle. John Crilly and Likasz Koczocik, two of the four
men who confronted convicted terrorist Usman Khan until armed police arrived at
the scene, will receive the Queen’s Gallantry Medal on Tuesday. The decoration
is awarded for exemplary acts of bravery. The pair featured on this year’s
Civilian Gallantry List, the last to be approved by the late Queen. Ex-prisoner
Mr Crilly hosed Khan with a fire extinguisher after Mr Koczocik had used a long
ceremonial pike taken from the walls of the Grade II-listed building to disarm
him. The attacker was tackled to the ground and restrained until armed police
arrived. Khan, who had two large knives and a fake suicide belt, stabbed
Cambridge graduates Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, and injured three
other people before running on to London Bridge. Among the other people
receiving an honour is Conservative MP Andrea Jenkyns who will be awarded
damehood at Windsor Castle for her political and public service.”



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