United States
Associated Press: Abduction And Terrorism Trial After Boy Found Dead At New Mexico Compound Opens With Mom’s Testimony
“Federal prosecutors presented tearful testimony Tuesday from the mother of a sickly toddler who was whisked away from his Georgia home by relatives without her permission to a remote desert encampment in northern New Mexico where he died. Four family members, including the boy’s aunts, are facing kidnapping or terrorism charges, or both, that stem from an August 2018 raid in search of the 3-year-old boy at a squalid encampment near the Colorado line. Authorities said they found the suspects living with 11 hungry children without running water at the encampment encircled by berms of tires with an adjacent shooting range where guns and ammunition were seized. The badly decomposed body of Abdul-Ghani Wahhaj was eventually found in an underground tunnel at the compound. Abdul-Ghani’s mother, Hakima Ramzi, recounted her love and devotion to a cheerful son who lived with severe developmental disabilities and frequent seizures — and her shock when husband, Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, and his sibling accused her of casting spells on the boy.”
Pakistan
Associated Press: Pakistani Raid On A Militant Hideout Near Afghanistan Leaves 3 Militants Dead, The Military Says
“Pakistani troops raided a suspected militant hideout in a former Pakistani Taliban stronghold near the border with Afghanistan, triggering a shootout that killed three militants, the military said Tuesday. A militant commander was among those killed in the shootout late on Monday in Khyber, a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to a military statement. The military did not provide any additional details, saying only the targeted militants had attacked Pakistani troops in the past. The Pakistani Taliban — also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP — are a separate group but allied with the Afghan Taliban, who two years ago seized Afghanistan as U.S. and NATO troops were in the final stages of their pullout from the country after 20 years of war. The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has emboldened the Pakistani Taliban, who have stepped up attacks against police and troops.”
Yemen
Reuters: Yemen Flare-Ups Jeopardise Peace Negotiations
“Both sides in Yemen's eight-year war have accused each other of attacks that break a relative lull in fighting and jeopardise peace talks that had been gathering momentum. Yemen's Houthi movement has battled a Saudi-led coalition since 2015 in a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands and left 80% of the population dependent on aid. Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam said the coalition killed 12 of the group's soldiers in the last month along the Saudi border. "While we consider incidents of truce violation to be regrettable ... we stress the importance of entering into a phase of serious peace," he told Reuters. The Iran-aligned Houthis were responding to accusations of killing two Bahraini army personnel and wounding several others on Monday in a drone attack on Saudi Arabia's southern border. The Saudi-led alliance condemned that and said it followed other Houthi attacks on a power distribution unit and a police station near the border."Such repeated hostile and provocative actions are not consistent with the positive efforts that are being made to seek an end to the crisis," coalition spokesperson General Turki al-Malki said.”
Middle East
Associated Press: Israel Strikes Militant Sites In Gaza As Unrest Continues, No Casualties
“Israeli airstrikes hit several targets in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, the country’s military said, after Palestinian protesters flocked for the 12th straight day to the enclave’s frontier with Israel — demonstrations that have devolved into violent clashes with Israeli security forces. There were no reports of casualties in Gaza from the Israeli airstrikes. The Israeli army said that it used a drone, helicopter and tank to strike multiple posts in northern and southern Gaza belonging to the strip’s militant Hamas rulers in response to what it described as “violent riots” at the separation fence between Gaza and Israel. The protests involve Palestinians throwing stones and explosive devices, burning tires and, according to the Israeli military, shooting at Israeli soldiers. Palestinian health officials reported that Israeli forces shot and wounded 11 protesters during Tuesday’s rally.”
Somalia
Wall Street Journal: A Rare Success Emerges In The War On Terror
“There finally came a point when al-Shabaab militants went too far, and Somali farmers and herders just wouldn’t take it anymore. It started in Hiiraan, a region of a half-million people in central Somalia. Islamist insurgents from al-Shabaab, the Somali branch of al Qaeda, had controlled much of the area for a decade. In May 2022, they dialed up the repression. They shot a well-known clan elder. They dragooned local teens into their ranks of suicide bombers and fighters. And during the longest drought in living memory, al-Shabaab taxed herders three or four cows each time they brought their parched livestock to drink at public wells. That set off a chain of events that has at last given the U.S. and its allies the upper hand in a 16-year campaign against one of the most potent and intractable Islamist insurgencies in the world. One of the American military campaigns unleashed by the Sept. 11 attacks, the fight against al-Shabaab has been marked by years of setbacks and stalemates. Now Somalia has become a surprising bright spot in the global battle pitting the West and allied countries against insurgents who use terror tactics in the name of political Islam.”
Germany
The Independent: Dawn Raids Across Germany As Neo-Nazi Group Banned For ‘Disgusting’ Targeting Of Children
“Germany banned yet another neo-Nazi group and conducted raids at the homes of dozens of its members, according to reports. The authorities raided the houses of at least 39 members in the early hours on Wednesday after the country’s interior minister Nancy Faeser banned the group “Artgemeinschaft” accused of spreading Nazi ideology. Across 12 states, at least 26 homes belonging to the members of the group were searched. The authorities said that the group has about 150 members nationwide, including children and adolescents. “This is another hard blow against right-wing extremism and against the intellectual arsonists who continue to spread Nazi ideologies to this day,” Ms Faeser said. “This right-wing extremist group has tried to raise new enemies of the constitution with its disgusting indoctrination of children and young people.” This is the second neo-Nazi group to be banned in about a week. Ms Faeser banned “Hammerskins Deutschland” which had roots in the United States about a week ago.”
India
Bloomberg: India’s Top Diplomat Says Canada ‘Permissive’ Toward Extremists
“India’s minister of external affairs urged the United Nations to reform and listen to more countries on Tuesday, while also warning nations that “political convenience” must not determine responses to terrorism or violence. S. Jaishankar did not directly mention the discord between Canada and India, in which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accused the Indian government of backing the murder of a prominent Sikh activist in his country. India, in turn, has alleged Canada is harboring extremists pushing for an independent Sikh nation. “Respect for territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs cannot be exercises in cherry-picking,” Jaishankar told the UN General Assembly in New York.
“When reality departs from the rhetoric, we must have the courage to call it out. Without genuine solidarity, there can never be real trust. This is very much the sentiment of the Global South.” While it’s not clear whether Jaishankar was referring to Canada in his remarks, the Indian government has repeatedly accused Canada of ignoring evidence of extremism among its large and politically powerful Sikh diaspora. Trudeau has said his government doesn’t condone violence but it must defend Canadians’ right to freedom of expression and peaceful protest.”
The Tribune: Terrorist, 5 Aides Held As Cops Bust Cross-Border Arms Racket
“The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Wednesday claimed to have arrested one Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist and his five associates, including two women and a juvenile, allegedly involved in a cross-border arms racket. Baramulla SSP Amog Nagpure said the police had arrested an LeT terrorist and five associates in Baramulla and recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition, including grenades and pistols. “The process of arrests started after two suspects were detained in September in Uri. The five terror associates arrested include two women and a juvenile as well,” Nagpure said. The chain of events leading to this revelation began with the detention of two suspicious individuals in Uri on September 14. Zaid Hassan Malla and Muhammad Arif Channa were caught attempting to evade a police checkpoint. Little did the authorities know that this encounter would unveil a complex network involved in smuggling arms and ammunition across the border.”
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