Eye on Extremism
March 4, 2020
The
New York Times: Taliban Ramp Up Attacks On Afghans After Trump Says
‘No Violence’
“The Taliban have resumed attacks against Afghan forces soon after
signing a deal to end their war with the U.S. military, raising
concerns that the Americans are leaving their Afghan allies vulnerable
to an insurgency unwilling to let go of violence as its main leverage.
The Taliban have carried out at least 76 attacks across 24 Afghan
provinces since Saturday, when they finalized an agreement for a troop
withdrawal by the United States, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s
national security council said. And on Wednesday, the United States
conducted its first airstrike against the insurgents after an 11-day
lull. A senior Afghan security official, speaking on the condition of
anonymity, said Afghan forces had still not resumed their offensive
special operations, but were remaining on active defense — only
targeting Taliban units that were advancing on their outposts. The
deadliest of the dozens of assaults so far were on the outskirts of
Kunduz in the north in the early hours of Wednesday. The Taliban’s
elite Red Unit stormed Afghan Army outposts there from several
directions, killing at least 15 Afghan soldiers, according to Lt. Col.
Mashuq Kohistani, the commander of the Afghan Army battalion in the
area.”
Deutsche
Welle: Germany: 14 Bundeswehr Members Deemed
Extremist
“The German Military Counterintelligence Service (MAD) classified
14 members of the armed forces as extremists in 2019, German media
reported Tuesday. The finding was detailed in the intelligence
agency's first-ever report on the issue. The document, which was
submitted to Parliament and seen by German press agency DPA and news
magazine Der Spiegel, said the list of individuals included eight
Bundeswehr members who were found to be right-wing extremists. Four
others were said to be Islamists, while two were described as
belonging to movements that do not recognize the German state and its
laws. A further 38 people reportedly lacked allegiance to the German
constitution. A string of cases of extremism in the German military
and among other security forces have been brought to light in recent
years, as the government struggles to contain right-wing extremist
threats and violence in the country. The most prominent example
involved Franco A., a German army soldier who is standing trial for
terror-related offenses. In 2017, he was arrested and accused of
leading a double life, posing as a Syrian refugee in order to carry
out an attack that he hoped would be mistaken for Islamist
terrorism.”
Asharq
Al-Awsat: Houthis Launch Sectarian Killing Spree In Jawf
Province
“Houthi coup militias have launched a sectarian-based killing spree
against civilians in the Yemeni city of Al-Hazm, located in the
country’s northern Jawf province. The Iran-backed Houthis had taken
over the city recently. Sources, speaking under the conditions of
anonymity, confirmed that clashes between pro-government forces and
Houthis are ongoing in Al-Hazm and the rest of Jawf province. “The
National Army is spearheading fierce battles to liberate Al-Hazm from
Houthi hold,” sources said. “Houthi militias continue the campaign of
abuse of citizens in the city of Al-Hazm, and they carry out a
campaign of kidnappings of citizens and bombing the homes of military
leaders, civilians, and anti-revolutionaries fighting in the ranks of
the Yemeni national army,” sources added, confirming that Houthis
executed three civilians for refusing to cooperate. On the other hand,
Militia shelling, which continued on villages and populated
communities in the countryside of Al-Tahita district, south of
Al-Hodeidah governorate left a civilian dead and caused property
damage. An elderly citizen was killed Monday evening in artillery
shelling by the Houthi militia on the coastal area of Faza in the
district of Al-Tahita.”
United States
The
New York Times: Man Gets 5½ Years For Lying To FBI In Probe Of Texas
Attack
“A witness in the investigation of a 2015 attack on a Prophet
Muhammad cartoon contest in suburban Dallas was sentenced Tuesday to
5½ years in prison for making a false statement to FBI agents and
tampering with a witness. Authorities say defendant Abdul Khabir Wahid
of Phoenix wasn’t directly involved the attack carried out by his
friends Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi, who were killed by police after
the pair opened fire outside the anti-Islam event in Garland. Wahid
testified at the trial of Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem, who was convicted
of conspiring to provide guns to Simpson and Soofi. Wahid was
convicted of falsely portraying to federal agents what transpired when
Simpson and Soofi, who were followers of the Islamic State, visited
his home two days before the attack. He also was found guilty of
witness tampering for urging Soofi's brother to not talk to FBI agents
in the weeks after the attack. Prosecutors sought an eight-year
sentence, while Wahid’s attorney asked for a three-year prison term.
U.S. Judge John Tuchi said Wahid’s false statement negatively affected
the FBI’s ability to investigate the attack on a timely basis. “Even
if the bureau was delayed for an hour or a day in following assets,
they — and we — will never know what information was lost,” Tuchi
said.”
ABC
News: Mom Of California Terrorist To Plead To Destroying
Evidence
“The mother of a terrorist who killed 14 people in a 2015 attack on
a Christmas party in California has agreed to plead guilty to
destroying evidence by shredding a map her son may have used to plan
the massacre, prosecutors announced Tuesday. Rafia Sultana Shareef,
66, of Corona agreed to plead guilty to a charge of intending to
impede a federal criminal investigation by altering, destroying and
mutilating records, the U.S. attorney's office said. The crime carries
a potential 20-year federal prison sentence. But under the plea
agreement, Shareef is expected to receive no more than 18 months when
she is be sentenced in U.S. District Court in Riverside. Shareef, also
known as Rafia Farook, is the mother of Syed Rizwan Farook. He and his
wife, Tashfeen Malik, opened fire with semiautomatic rifles on Dec. 2,
2015, on the Christmas party gathering of San Bernardino County
employees. The attack killed 14 people and wounded 22. Farook and
Malik fled and were killed hours later in a shootout with police. At
the time, Shareef was sharing a Redlands home with her son, his wife
and their 6-month-old daughter.”
Iraq
Kurdistan
24: UN Genocide Envoy Discusses ISIS Crimes With Top Kurdistan
Officials
“A United Nations delegation focused on genocide and other war
crimes committed by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria met with
senior officials from the Kurdistan Region in Erbil on Tuesday. Prime
Minister of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Masrour Barzani
received Adama Dieng, the UN Secretary-General and Special Adviser on
the Prevention of Genocide, and Karim Khan, Special Adviser and Head
of the Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes
Committed by the Islamic State (UNITAD). In July, Khan called for the
trial of members of the group in an international tribunal similar to
that in Nuremberg that prosecuted prominent Nazi figures after World
War II. Khan and his almost 80-person team have been working in Iraq
for about a year and a half on their endeavor, analyzing up to 12,000
bodies exhumed from 200 mass graves left behind by the Islamic State,
600,000 videos showing the group’s crimes, and 15,000 “internal ISIS
documents.” According to a KRG statement, both sides stressed the
importance of international efforts to prevent mass killings,
including genocide, in all forms.”
Afghanistan
NBC
News: U.S. Sees Taliban Deal As Exit From Afghanistan. Militants See
It As Victory Over The Superpower.
“The Taliban cheered, whooped and cried “God is Great” just moments
after one of their leaders signed an agreement that could lead to the
United States' withdrawal from Afghanistan after more than 18 years of
war. On Saturday in this tiny Gulf kingdom, senior American officials
shook hands with the group that, as the government of Afghanistan from
1996 to 2001, had sheltered Osama bin Laden, the Al Qaeda leader and
the architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. The U.S. agreed
to work toward lifting sanctions against the group, and Taliban
leaders can even look forward to a possible meeting with President
Donald Trump. In short, after nearly two decades of war with the
world's remaining superpower, the Taliban look like they not only have
won the war, but they are also on the way to shedding their status as
international pariahs. “Even if we don’t say that the U.S. is defeated
in Afghanistan, it is an open secret now that they are defeated,” said
Anas Haqqani, a senior member of the Haqqani network, considered to be
the most formidable of the Taliban’s fighting forces, who was recently
released from an Afghan jail in exchange for two Western professors
taken hostage by the Taliban in 2016.”
CNN:
US Conducted Airstrike On Taliban Fighters Following Attack On Afghan
Checkpoint
“The United States conducted an airstrike Wednesday against Taliban
fighters in Afghanistan who are accused of attacking an Afghan
National Defense and Security Forces checkpoint, according to the US
military. The strike comes hours after a telephone call between
President Donald Trump and Taliban chief negotiator Mullah Abdul Ghani
Baradar on Tuesday amid reports that the Taliban had resumed violence
in Afghanistan days after the US and the Taliban signed a historic
agreement in Qatar on Saturday. “The US conducted an airstrike
Wednesday against Taliban fighters in Nahr-e Saraj, Helmand, who were
actively attacking an #ANDSF checkpoint. This was a defensive strike
to disrupt the attack. This was our 1st strike against the Taliban in
11 days,” US Forces in Afghanistan Spokesman Col. Sonny Leggett said
in a series of tweets. “On March 3rd alone, the Taliban conducted 43
attacks on #ANDSF checkpoints in #Helmand. The Taliban claim to be
fighting to free Afg. from int'l forces, the Feb 29 agreement provides
a conditions-based path to withdrawal,” he added, referring to the
agreement signed last Saturday. Following his call on Tuesday, Trump
told reporters that he “had a very good talk with the leader of the
Taliban” and that they “have agreed there is no violence, don't want
violence.”
CNN:
Trump And Taliban Speak By Phone As Violence Resumes In
Afghanistan
“President Donald Trump and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the
Taliban's chief negotiator and one of its founding members, spoke by
telephone on Tuesday amid reports that the Taliban had resumed
violence in Afghanistan days after the US and Taliban signed a
historic agreement in Qatar. Trump confirmed the call as he departed
the White House Tuesday afternoon, telling reporters he “had a very
good talk with the leader of the Taliban.” “I spoke to the leader of
the Taliban today, we had a good conversation, we have agreed there is
no violence, don't want violence. We will see what happens. They're
dealing with Afghanistan but we will see what happens,” Trump said.
“The relationship is very good that I have with the mullah,” Trump
added in later comments at the National Institutes of Health. “They
want to cease the violence, they'd like to cease violence also.” His
comments come as the Taliban have resumed hostilities in Afghanistan,
carrying out 33 attacks in the past day, according to the Interior
Ministry. Marwa Amini, a deputy spokeswoman for the ministry, said
there were attacks in 16 provinces, targeting civilians and security
forces.”
Pakistan
Al
Jazeera: Pakistan Calls On Kabul To Abide By Taliban Prisoner Swap
Deal
“Pakistan has called on the Afghan government to abide by a
prisoner swap clause in the US-Taliban peace deal, the rejection of
which saw the Taliban resume attacks in the northeast of the country.
In a statement on Tuesday, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood
Qureshi called on both sides in the conflict to show restraint and
come to the negotiating table for scheduled talks later this month.
“The US-Taliban agreement says that there will be an exchange of
prisoners,” said Qureshi. “[Afghan] President [Ashraf] Ghani should
ask the US for an explanation of the agreement.” On Sunday, Ghani
rejected a clause of the US-Taliban peace deal, signed in the Qatari
capital, Doha, a day earlier, that would see up to 5,000 Afghan
Taliban prisoners released by the government, with the Taliban
releasing up to 1,000 prisoners in return. The prisoner releases were
seen as a confidence-building measure ahead of planned direct talks
between the Afghan government and the Taliban - the first since the
US's nearly 19-year war in the country began – were due to begin on
March 10. In response, the Afghan Taliban said on Monday that it would
be resuming attacks. On Monday, an explosion killed at least three
people and wounded 11 others at a football match in the northeastern
Khost province.”
Lebanon
The
National: Lebanon Crisis: How The US Can Bypass Hezbollah And Help The
People
“As Lebanon nears a breaking point due to its acute financial
crisis, the Trump administration faces a policy dilemma: should it
financially support a corrupt ruling faction that is allied with
Hezbollah – Iran’s friend and Washington’s nemesis – or should it hold
off on aid and watch the country fall apart? Both options are
problematic but there is a better alternative. The US can prevent
Lebanon’s collapse while keeping the pressure on Hezbollah and its
allies to implement serious reforms. It can do this by co-ordinating
with Gulf and European governments on modest, conditional and targeted
economic assistance from which the more vulnerable members of Lebanese
society would primarily benefit. Such aid, which would be deposited in
an international fund, would provide food and medicine but also launch
various small and medium-sized businesses that would be overseen
strictly by local non-governmental organisations under the watchful
eye of international bodies. These immediately impactful local
community development projects will not fix the economy, which suffers
from a combination of structural maladies, but they will help those
Lebanese who are most in need.”
Nigeria
All
Africa: Nigeria: More Terrorists Surrender In North-East -
Army
“The Nigerian Army says that more Boko Haram and Islamic State of
West African Province (ISWAP) terrorists have surrendered to the
troops of Operation Lafiya Dole (OPLD) in the North East. The Nigerian
Army Operations Media Coordinator, Col. Aminu Iliyasu, disclosed this
in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja. Iliyasu said that the
gallant troops of the Nigerian Army had continued to decimate
terrorists and other criminal elements across the various theatres of
operations nationwide. He said that the troops of 144 Battalion in
Madagali Local Government Area of Adamawa State had on Feb. 25
dislodged the terrorists who attempted to infiltrate troops location.
Iliyasu added that three of the terrorists were neutralised, while
many others escaped with varying degrees of gunshot wounds after the
encounter. He also disclosed that troops of Strong Response Area
Ngoshe in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno rescued a woman and her
child who have been in Boko Haram captivity for two years. According
to him, the rescued captives were handed over to Internally Displaced
Persons' Camp officials for further management.”
Sahara
Reporters: Life Count: Police, Boko Haram, Herdsmen Kill 223 Nigerians
In February 2020
“As insecurity in Nigeria continues to be on the rise, a new report
by the Civic Media Lab has revealed that 223 Nigerians were killed by
both state and non-state actors in February 2020. The life count
report, which details deaths from daily news reporting in the country,
revealed that while 55 persons were killed by bandits, police killed
five civilians in extrajudicial activities in the country for that
month. The report highlighted how non-state actors have continued to
hugely contribute to the killings in the country. This has further
raised questions on the ability of President Muhammadu Buhari to
contain and put an end to the situation in the country. According to
the life count report; bandits and gunmen perpetuated most of the
killings in the month of February as they were both responsible for
118 deaths. While noting a significant decrease in the activities by
Boko Haram in the country, insecurity peaked when Boko Haram attacked
Auno Village in Borno State, killing 30 persons in the process.
Herdsmen, regarded as one of the deadliest groups in the world, also
accounted for 22 deaths in the month with their activities majorly
occurring in the Southern part of the country.”
Africa
Voice
Of America: Violence Continues In Mali Despite Negotiation
Efforts
“Attacks carried out by Islamist militants against military
personnel in central Mali could hamper government efforts to start a
dialogue process with jihadist groups in the country, experts say. On
Sunday, at least six Malian soldiers were killed and a dozen wounded
when jihadist militants attacked their checkpoint in the town of
Mondoro in central Mali, local officials said. “They came into the
city … to attack the army base,” said Moulage Angoiba, the mayor of
Mondoro. Mondoro is the largest town in the Mopti region of central
Mali. The area has often come under attacks by different Islamist
insurgents that have increasingly been active in the region. “The
government knew about the presence [militants] in that area, because
we had warned them,” Angoiba told VOA, adding that the civilian
population has been “suffering because of several attacks” in recent
weeks. Military officials said Malian armed forces responded to the
attack by targeting “two convoys of vehicles and motorcycles belonging
to the terrorists.” Mali has been struggling to contain a jihadist
rebellion that erupted in the country in 2012. Since then, thousands
of civilians and military personnel have died in the conflict.”
The
Telegraph: Western Forces In 'Race Against Time' To Prepare West
African States For Advance Of Jihadists
“Jihadists who have brought bloodshed to the Sahel are advancing
rapidly on four previously unaffected states in West Africa,
threatening to open a new front in their insurgency. Security
officials in the Gulf of Guinea say that under-resourced, under-manned
and often ill-prepared armies in Ghana, Ivory Coast, Benin and Togo
are involved “in a race against time” to protect their frontiers. All
four states border Burkina Faso, where groups affiliated to al Qaeda
and Islamic State have launched a bloody and stunningly effective
campaign that has swept throughout a country regarded until recently
as among the most stable in West Africa. In recent weeks, the
jihadists have begun to test the country’s borders with its southern
neighbours, raising fears in Western capitals that an already serious
crisis is about to evolve into a far broader regional conflagration.
Last month suspected militants based in Burkina Faso raided a police
station just inside Benin, while a security source in Ghana said that
Islamist groups were now carrying out attacks within three miles of
Ghanaian territory. “They are steadily pushing south from Burkina
Faso,” he said. “It is worrying. We have porous borders and we believe
that if the heat is turned up on the jihadists in Burkina Faso they
will seek to regroup in Ghana.”
Europe
Reuters:
Russia Will Not Stop Fighting Terrorism To Solve Europe's Migration
Crisis: Lavrov
“Russia will not stop fighting terrorism in Syria’s Idlib region in
order to solve Europe’s migration crisis, Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov said on Tuesday at a news conference alongside his Finnish
counterpart in Helsinki. Turkey last week said it would no longer stop
Syrian refugees, displaced by the fighting in Idlib, from reaching
Europe by land and sea. A million people have been displaced since
December near Turkey’s southern border, causing what the United
Nations says may be the worst humanitarian crisis in nine years of
war.”
Technology
BBC
News: Luton Filmmaker Warns Over Over Tiktok And Facebook Extremism
Rules
“A filmmaker says social media rules to prevent extremist material
going online are thwarting his attempts to tackle hatred and
extremism. Rizwan Wadan said algorithms used by Facebook and TikTok
were making it hard to promote his films. Mr Wadan, 38, of Luton, said
automatic filtering of words such as “jihad” and “terror,” forced
users underground to learn about and discuss the issues. Facebook said
his trailer broke its ban on “sensational content” in adverts. Mr
Wadan, based at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, developed camera
stabilisation systems and has worked on films including Rogue One: A
Star Wars Story. He set up a £1.2m project called The Error in Terror
to “give Muslims a voice,” and made films intended to deter acts of
terrorism and challenge people to rethink their views. Mr Wadan said
his work to tackle terrorism and hatred was hard to promote on
Facebook and TikTok But he said trailers for his work have been
“restricted” on Facebook and said TikTok removed the content because
it was deemed to break its guidelines. “If we have algorithms that
pick up words like 'terrorism' and 'jihad,' if we're not allowed to
discuss these things on social media platforms, then people who need
to learn about this get pushed underground,” he said.”
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