“At least 40 people were killed in Nigeria's Yobe state between Monday and
Tuesday after suspected Boko Haram militants shot at villagers and set off a
land mine, in the first major attack on the northern eastern state in 18
months, the police said on Wednesday. The attack happened at about 8:30 p.m.
(1930 GMT) on Monday, at Gurokayeya village, Gaidam local government in Yobe
State, the state's police spokesperson Abdulkarim Dungus said. He said gunmen
opened fire on villagers, killing at least 17 people and that on Tuesday a land
mine exploded, killing at least 20 villagers who were returning from burying
victims of the previous attack. The Islamist group has been killing and
abducting villagers in Borno state, a hotbed for militancy that has been the
epicentre of a 14-year war on insurgency in Nigeria. President Bola Tinubu and
his cabinet on Monday approved $2.8 billion supplementary budget to fund
"urgent issues" including defence and security. Tinubu, preoccupied with the
economy, has yet to disclose how he would tackle insurgency in the north and
widespread insecurity in other parts of the country. The Yobe community had
been at peace for over a year before this attack, residents said. The last time
a bomb exploded in Yobe state was in April 2022.”











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Eye on Extremism



November 2, 2023



Reuters: Suspected Boko Haram Kills At Least 40 In Nigeria's Yobe State,
Police Say
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“At least 40 people were killed in Nigeria's Yobe state between Monday and
Tuesday after suspected Boko Haram militants shot at villagers and set off a
land mine, in the first major attack on the northern eastern state in 18
months, the police said on Wednesday. The attack happened at about 8:30 p.m.
(1930 GMT) on Monday, at Gurokayeya village, Gaidam local government in Yobe
State, the state's police spokesperson Abdulkarim Dungus said. He said gunmen
opened fire on villagers, killing at least 17 people and that on Tuesday a land
mine exploded, killing at least 20 villagers who were returning from burying
victims of the previous attack. The Islamist group has been killing and
abducting villagers in Borno state, a hotbed for militancy that has been the
epicentre of a 14-year war on insurgency in Nigeria. President Bola Tinubu and
his cabinet on Monday approved $2.8 billion supplementary budget to fund
"urgent issues" including defence and security. Tinubu, preoccupied with the
economy, has yet to disclose how he would tackle insurgency in the north and
widespread insecurity in other parts of the country. The Yobe community had
been at peace for over a year before this attack, residents said. The last time
a bomb exploded in Yobe state was in April 2022.”



Associated Press: Biden Calls For Humanitarian ‘Pause’ In Israel-Hamas War
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“President Joe Biden said he thought there should be a humanitarian “pause”
in the Israel-Hamas war, after his campaign speech Wednesday evening was
interrupted by a protester calling for a cease-fire. “I think we need a pause,”
Biden said. The call was a subtle departure for Biden and top White House
aides, who throughout the Mideast crisis have been steadfast in stating they
will not dictate how the Israelis carry out their military operations in
response to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas. But the president has faced
intensifying pressure from human rights groups, fellow world leaders and even
liberal members of his own Democratic Party, who say that the Israeli
bombardment of Gaza is collective punishment and that it is time for a
cease-fire. In his comments, Biden was exerting pressure on Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to give Palestinians at least a brief reprieve from
the relentless military operation that’s left thousands dead and mired the
141-square-mile strip in a roiling humanitarian crisis. The White House has
refused to call for a cease-fire but has signaled that the Israelis should
consider humanitarian pauses to allow civilians to receive aid and for foreign
nationals trapped on the strip to leave Gaza.”



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the lifecycle of terrorism from propaganda and recruitment, to financing,
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CEP Mentions



CBC News: Qatar’s Complicated Role In The Israel-Hamas War
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“On October 31, 2023, Counter Extremism Project (CEP) CEO Ambassador Mark D.
Wallace appeared on CBC News for a segment on “Qatar’s complicated role in the
Israel-Hamas war”. "The way the Qataris pulled this off is by whitewashing
their role in supporting Islamic extremism, by supporting businesses and
investing vast sums of hydrocarbon wealth across places in London, in the
United States, and elsewhere. "...The perpetrators of these acts are hiding in
plain sight, not even hiding, posted in plain sight in luxury."



United States



Associated Press: The US Has Strongly Backed Israel’s War Against Hamas. The
Allies Don’t Seem To Know What Comes Next
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“When U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was asked who would govern the
Gaza Strip following Israel’s devastating war against Hamas, he said a return
of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority made “the most sense.”
What he failed to mention is that the Palestinian Authority, weak and deeply
unpopular with its own people, has already said it has no interest in assuming
power if it is helped by Israel. Blinken’s comments Tuesday reflected what some
analysts see as the questionable assumptions and short-term thinking that have
guided American and Israeli policymakers since Israel declared war in response
to Hamas’ Oct. 7 cross-border attack in which its militants killed more than
1,400 people and took roughly 240 others hostage. With strong American backing,
Israel has defined two clear goals: bringing home all of the hostages and
destroying Hamas, the Islamic militant group that has governed Gaza since
ousting the Palestinian Authority in 2007. Even if these hard-to-achieve goals
are realized, neither Israel nor the U.S. appears to have given much thought to
what would come next for Gaza. Officials have floated several ideas — each with
seemingly slim odds of success — while acknowledging that no one has a plan for
the territory once the war ends.”



Fox News: AOC Accuses Pro-Israel PAC Of Being 'Extremist Organization That
Destabilizes Us Democracy'
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“Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., accused a pro-Israel political action
committee (PAC) of being an "extremist organization" that "destabilizes"
American democracy. The leader of the progressive "Squad" attacked the
American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) on Tuesday night amid Israel's
war with the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas. Ocasio-Cortez — who
accused Israel of committing "war crimes" last month — accused the pro-Israel
PAC of being "racist" and "bigoted" toward lawmakers of color. Ocasio-Cortez
also accused AIPAC of being an "extremist organization that destabilizes US
democracy." "AIPAC endorsed scores of Jan 6th insurrectionists," the Democratic
Socialist of America (DSA) congresswoman said. "They are no friend to American
democracy." "They are one of the more racist and bigoted PACs in Congress as
well, who disproportionately target members of color," she continued. "They are
an extremist organization that destabilizes US democracy," she wrote. AIPAC
responded to Ocasio-Cortez's post, blasting the democratic socialist
congresswoman over her peddling "of the same tired lies [and] spin."”



Iran



The New York Times: After Years Of Vowing To Destroy Israel, Iran Faces A
Dilemma
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“For more than four decades, Iran’s rulers have pledged to destroy Israel.
The supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, rarely appears in public without
wearing a black-and-white checkered Palestinian kaffiyeh. Iranian military
commanders gloat over training and arming groups across the region that are
enemies of Israel, including Hezbollah and Hamas. And when Hamas conducted the
Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel that killed 1,400 people, Iranian officials
praised it as a momentous achievement, shattering the Jewish state’s sense of
security. Now Iran faces a dilemma, weighing how it and its proxy militias —
known as the axis of resistance — should respond to Israel’s invasion of Gaza
and whether to bolster its revolutionary credentials at the risk of igniting a
broader regional war. More than 8,000 Palestinians have been killed, according
to the Gaza Health Ministry. “There is no need for Iran to directly get
involved in the war and attack Israel itself because it has the resistance axis
militia who follow Iran’s policies and strategies and act on its behalf,” said
Nasser Imani, an analyst close to the government, in a telephone interview from
Tehran. “Right now Iran is in control mode — it is telling all of them,
including Hezbollah, to keep things boiling but have restraint.””



Pakistan



Reuters: Pakistan Starts Rounding Up Undocumented Foreigners, Mostly Afghans,
Ahead Of Deadline
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“Pakistani authorities began rounding up undocumented foreigners, most of
them Afghans, on Wednesday, ahead of a midnight deadline for them to leave or
face expulsion. The removal of people to temporary holding centres began a day
earlier than previously announced. The interior ministry said 140,322 people
had already voluntarily left after days in which trucks piled high with
belongings and crammed with people have jammed major roads out of the country.
Pakistan set the Nov. 1 start date last month for the expulsion of all
undocumented immigrants, including hundreds of thousands of Afghans. It cited
security reasons, brushing off calls to reconsider from the United Nations,
rights groups and Western embassies. Some of those ordered to leave have spent
decades in Pakistan. "A process to arrest the foreigners... for deportation has
started as of Nov.1," the interior ministry said in a statement, while adding
that voluntary return would still be encouraged. Within hours of the interior
ministry statement, authorities had begun detaining and transferring what they
said were undocumented foreigners to transit centres. In the southern port city
of Karachi, home to a large number of Afghan migrants and refugees, deputy
commissioner Junaid Iqbal Khan said up to 74 people had so far been moved to
one of the transit centres, up to 40 of them without any proper documents.”



Yemen



Associated Press: Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Claim Attacks On Israel, Drawing Their
Main Sponsor Iran Closer To Hamas War
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“Yemen’s Houthi rebels for the first time Tuesday claimed missile and drone
attacks targeting Israel, drawing their main sponsor Iran closer into the
ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip and further raising the risks of a
regional conflict erupting. The Houthis had been suspected of an attack earlier
this month targeting Israel by sending missiles and drones over the crucial
shipping lane of the Red Sea, an assault that saw the U.S. Navy shoot down the
projectiles. This time on Tuesday, however, Israel said its own fighter jets
and its new Arrow missile defense system shot down two salvos of incoming fire
hours apart as it approached the country’s key Red Sea shipping port of Eilat.
The Houthis, who have held Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, since 2014 as part of that
country’s ruinous war, claimed three attacks on Israel in a later military
statement, without elaborating on the timeframe of the operations and whether
Tuesday’s salvos represented one or two attacks. Beyond the attack that saw the
U.S. shoot down missiles, there had been a mysterious explosion Thursday that
hit the Egyptian resort town of Taba, near the border with Israel. The blast,
which Egyptian authorities have not explained, wounded six people.”



Middle East



Reuters: Israeli Army Battles Hamas Fighters In Drive Towards Gaza City
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“Israeli tanks and troops pressed towards Gaza City on Thursday but met
fierce resistance from Hamas militants using mortars and hit-and-run attacks
from tunnels as the Palestinian death toll from nearly four weeks of
bombardments mounted. At the southern end of the besieged enclave, foreign
passport-holders were being allowed out through the Rafah crossing into Egypt.
The war is closing in on the Gaza Strip's main population centre in the north,
where the Islamist group is based and where Israel has been telling people to
leave as it vows to annihilate Hamas once and for all. "We are at the gates of
Gaza City," Israeli military commander Brigadier General Itzik Cohen said.
Fighters of Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad were emerging from tunnels to fire
at tanks, then disappearing back into the network, residents said and videos
from both groups showed, in guerrilla-style operations against a far more
powerful army. "They never stopped bombing Gaza City all night, the house never
stopped shaking," said one man living there, asking not to be identified by
name. "But in the morning we discover the Israeli forces are still outside the
city, in the outskirts and that means the resistance is heavier than they
expected."”



Associated Press: After Weeks In Besieged Gaza, Some Foreign Nationals And
Wounded Palestinians Are Allowed To Leave
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“Israeli ground troops have advanced to “the gates of Gaza City” in heavy
fighting with militants, the military said Wednesday, as hundreds of foreign
nationals and dozens of seriously injured Palestinians were allowed to leave
Gaza after more than three weeks under siege. The news came as U.S. President
Joe Biden called for a humanitarian “pause” in the fighting. Biden was speaking
at a Minneapolis campaign fundraiser when a protester interrupted him, calling
for a cease-fire. “I think we need a pause,” Biden responded. White House
officials later said a break in fighting would allow more aid to get into Gaza
and create a possibility for more hostages held by Hamas to be freed. The first
people to leave Gaza — other than four hostages released by Hamas and another
rescued by Israeli forces — crossed into Egypt, escaping the territory’s
growing misery as bombings drive hundreds of thousands from their homes, and
food, water and fuel run low. The U.S. State Department said some American
citizens were among those who left, without giving specifics. It said it
expected more Americans and other foreign nationals to get out of Gaza in
coming days. Talks were reportedly ongoing among Egypt, Israel and Qatar, which
has been mediating with Hamas.”



Business Insider: Hamas Militants Ate Family's Meal After They Tortured And
Mutilated Parents And 2 Young Children, Blinken Says
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“US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described how Hamas militants killed a
family of four and ate their festive meal during the October 7 terrorist
attacks. Speaking at a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Blinken said: "A young boy
and girl, 6 and 8 years old, and their parents around the breakfast table. The
father's eye gouged out in front of his kids. The mother's breast cut off, the
girl's foot amputated, the boy's fingers cut off before they were executed."
"And then their executioners sat down and had a meal. That is what this society
is dealing with," he said. His descriptions echo those of an Israeli emergency
responder, who described discovering the scene in a home at Kibbutz Be'eri
during a recent press conference. Yossi Landau, the head of Zaka, Israel's
volunteer emergency response organization as the head of operations for the
country's southern region, described the sadistic scene he found after entering
a home at Kibbutz Be'eri. Landau said he saw a father, mother, and two
children, aged six and seven, on their knees with their hands tied behind their
backs.”’



Business Insider: Israel's Missile Ships Are Joining US Combat Power In The
Red Sea As More Iran-Backed Militants Fire Weapons Its Way
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“After a series of attacks from Iran-backed militants, Israel has deployed
several ships capable of launching missiles to the Red Sea, where they will
join US Navy vessels already there. "In accordance with the situational
assessment and as part of defensive efforts in the area, yesterday, Israeli
Navy missile boats arrived in the area of the Red Sea," the Israel Defense
Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Wednesday. It was not immediately clear how
many ships were dispatched to the area. The US currently has several ships in
the Red Sea — including guided-missile destroyers, an amphibious assault ship,
and a dock landing ship — that were sent there in October to offer support to
Israel and prevent its war with Hamas from widening into a regional conflict.
The Israeli force posture change comes after Yemen's Houthi militants, a group
that like Hamas is backed by Iran, claimed responsibility for firing long-range
missiles and drones at Israel on Tuesday. The IDF said "all aerial threats were
intercepted outside of Israeli territory," with some of them downed by Israeli
fighter jets around the Red Sea to the south. Early on Wednesday morning,
another threat was reportedly intercepted near Israel's southern coastal city
of Eilat.”



Voice Of America: Analysts Divided Over Whether Hezbollah Will Wage War With
Israel
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“Analysts are divided over whether Hezbollah militants in Lebanon will enter
the Israeli-Hamas conflict beyond firing rockets across the Israeli-Lebanese
border. The Iran-backed militia presents a potentially greater danger to Israel
than Hamas, but if Hezbollah did enter the war, it would likely drag ailing
Lebanon into it, too. Some people in Lebanon and across the Middle East are
jittery as Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s leader, is expected to speak Friday.
In some respects, the analysts said, Hezbollah is in a bit of a quandary
because it has positioned itself as the chief resistance movement against
Israel. So how can it remain on the sidelines of the Israel-Hamas conflict in
Gaza? Benjamin Allison of the University of Texas pointed out Hezbollah’s
“formidable arsenal of precision-guided munitions, rockets and drones,” unlike
anything Hamas possesses. Writing in the online publication Lawfare, he said
Hezbollah’s various “smart weapons” pose a “serious danger to Israel’s
infrastructure and could even tempt Israel to launch a preemptive war.”
Lebanon’s foreign minister, Abdullah Bou Habib, argued that neither Lebanon nor
Hezbollah want a war with Israel because it would spell disaster for Lebanon,
which is grappling with an extended, crippling economic crisis.”



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