March 12, 2020

The Washington Post: UN Condemns Increasing Threat From Terrorism In Africa <[link removed]>

“The U.N. Security Council strongly condemned the increasing threat to peace and security in Africa from terrorism Wednesday and urged all countries “to consider mobilizing more predictable resources and expertise” to strengthen African efforts to counter terrorism and violent extremism. A Chinese-sponsored presidential statement approved by all 15 council nations also urged the 193 U.N. member states and the United Nations system to take measures “to address all drivers of violent extremism conducive to terrorism.” The council encouraged countries to foster quality education and provide employment opportunities and vocational training for young people and include them in all levels of decision-making, saying “such efforts contribute to countering recruitment to terrorism.” U.N. political chief Rosemary DiCarlo told the council that terrorism and violent extremism continue to grow in various part of the continent despite efforts to prevent and counter it. She pointed to al-Shabab extremists threatening security in Somalia and East Africa and affiliates of the Islamic State and al-Qaida extremist groups collaborating to stage increasingly sophisticated attacks in West Africa, especially in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.”

Dayton Daily News: Hate Group Engaging In ‘Economic Terrorism,’ Dayton Mayor Says <[link removed]>

“Dayton Commission approved a new ordinance that makes it illegal to wear masks while committing a crime or engaging in intimidation or behaviors that reasonably would cause others to be afraid. The new city ordinance was crafted in large part to try to discourage a KKK-affiliated hate group from holding another rally in downtown later this year. The hate group is trying to engage in “economic terrorism” by causing the city to spend massive amounts to provide security during the proposed rally to ensure violence does not break out, said Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley.”Look, we are going to do everything we can to encourage them not to come,” Whaley said. The hate group’s May 2019 rally in downtown was a huge safety issue, mostly because 75 people brought and carried around assault weapons, Whaley said.The anti-mask ordinance will make people show their faces, which will help law enforcement if they need to identify safety threats, officials said. At last year’s rally, members of the hate group wore masks and bandanas to cover their faces.”

United States

Voice Of America: Man Linked To Extremist Group Seeks Release From Jail <[link removed]>

“A Maryland man accused of joining a white supremacist group and discussing violence at a gun rights rally in Virginia is seeking his pretrial release from federal custody. In a court filing Wednesday, defense attorney Ned Smock asked a federal magistrate judge in Greenbelt, Maryland, to schedule a detention hearing for Brian Mark Lemley, who was indicted on gun-related charges. “The defense has a proposed release plan to present to the Court that we submit addresses any concern about risk of flight or danger to the community,'' wrote Smock, an assistant federal public defender. Smock did not disclose any details of that plan. U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Sullivan and federal prosecutors didn't immediately respond to Lemley's request for a hearing. Sullivan already has refused to set bond for two other men who were arrested in January on related charges. Lemley, 33, of Elkton, Maryland, had waived his right to an immediate detention hearing after making his initial court appearance Jan. 16. He and former Canadian Armed Forces reservist Patrik Mathews, 27, separately pleaded not guilty to charges including transporting a firearm and ammunition with the intent to commit a felony.”

Syria

The Washington Post: What’s Happening In Syria Is Genocide <[link removed]>

“I am a Syrian American, and I have an urgent message. You do not have the full story on Syria. The truth will shake you to the bone. The president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, is committing genocide. Assad has deliberately erased at least 200,000 Syrian civilians from existence. Most of them died for the “crime” of sharing the same ethnicity, religion and neighborhood as pro-democracy protesters. It is true that the overwhelming majority of these victims come from a single ethno-religious group (Sunni Arabs), but this is not about religion. This is about a dictator who is willing to gas children to stay in power. They are disposable to Assad because, to him, they are subhuman. Assad’s troops are closing in on Idlib, and another massacre is in the offing. Idlib is the final city left for Assad to recapture since the Syrian revolution began in 2011. Another 3 million people, half of whom are internally displaced refugees, might be forced to leave for Turkey and Europe. Turkey brokered many cease-fires in Idlib, aiming to stop the overwhelming flow of refugees into its country. Assad violated them all and is likely to breach the newest one. He even bombed 33 Turkish soldiers last month. Turkey responded with force, but its options for further action are limited.”

Saudi Arabia

Arab News: Saudi UN Envoy Calls For Wider Terror Sanctions <[link removed]>

“Terrorism should not be linked to religion, nationality or race, Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, Saudi Arabia’s permanent representative to the UN, told a meeting of ambassadors of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states. In his address as chairman of the Islamic group to combat terrorism on behalf of the OIC, Al-Mouallimi said that the use of terms linking terror to religion, such as Islamic State, should be avoided.  There should be no discrimination between terrorist groups from all religions and sects, and calls for extremism and terrorism should be condemned regardless of their source, he added. The meeting was chaired by the UAE at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday. Al-Mouallimi focused on issues agreed by OIC states after consultations led by Saudi Arabia. The Saudi envoy’s address summarized OIC member states’ major role in combating terrorism, and their call for the comprehensive implementation of the anti-terrorism strategy, as well as their emphasis on full respect for sovereignty and equality in accordance with the UN charter. Al Mouallimi called for an extension of Security Council sanctions related to Daesh and Al-Qaeda in order to include all terrorist groups that have targeted Muslims.”

Lebanon

Asharq Al-Awsat: Lebanese Man Pleads Guilty To Exporting Drone Parts From US To Hezbollah <[link removed]>

“Issam Hamade, a Lebanese national charged with conspiring to export drone parts and technology from the US to Hezbollah in Lebanon, has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate US export laws. Hamade pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Minnesota. His brother, Usama, faces similar counts and is also charged with smuggling. Prosecutors said the brothers acquired sophisticated technology for drones from 2009 to 2013 and illegally exported them to Hezbollah, which the US considers a terrorist organization. Issam Hamade faces up to five years in prison when sentenced next month, but prosecutors plan to ask for 30 months, according to a plea agreement. Hamade's defense attorneys plan to ask for time served. He's expected to be deported after he serves his time. The Hamades were arrested in February 2018 in South Africa and were extradited to the US last fall. According to an indictment, the parts included inertial measurement units, which can be used to track an aircraft's position, and digital compasses, which can be paired with the inertial measurement units for drone guidance systems. The parts also included a jet engine and 20 piston engines.”

Middle East

The Jerusalem Post: Terrorist In Jerusalem Ramming Attack Of 12 Soldiers Indicted <[link removed]>

“An east Jerusalem terrorist who carried out a vehicular ramming attack on February 6 that wounded 12 off-duty soldiers in Jerusalem was indicted on Wednesday. The Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office filed an indictment against Sanad al-Tourman, 24, from the At-Tur neighborhood with the Jerusalem District Court on multiple charges of attempted murder with nationalistic ideological motivations. The 12 soldiers were wounded at 1:44 a.m. as they were passing by the First Station, a popular entertainment spot on David Remez Street, during a heritage tour ahead of their swearing-in ceremony at the Western Wall. Before attacking the group of soldiers, Tourman had considered ramming another group at 1:38 a.m., the indictment said. However, when he saw the sidewalk the first group of soldiers were on had bollards that could have stopped his car, he looked for another group, it said. A group of 38 soldiers was walking on the sidewalk when Tourman used his Kia vehicle to ram them from behind and at high speed, the indictment said. Some soldiers were able to dive out of the way, but many were hit and were carried on the car’s windshield, while others were dragged by the car, the indictment said.”

Nigeria

Daily Post: Boko Haram: NAF Neutralises Insurgents In Borno <[link removed]>

“The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has neutralised dozens of Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) at Bula Korege on the fringes of the Sambisa forest in Borno State. The NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, who disclosed this in a statement to NAN on Wednesday in Abuja. said it also destroyed the insurgents’ infrastructures. Daramola maintained that the operation was conducted through the Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation LAFIYA DOLE under the auspices of “Operation DECISIVE EDGE adding that sequel to credible intelligence reports, massive airstrikes were conducted in two waves of attack on March 6. He said the reports indicated that the BHTs had relocated some of their fighters to the settlement to reinforce the location preparatory to attacks on troops’ locations and surrounding civilian settlements. “Consequently, the ATF dispatched an enhanced force package of several attack aircraft and a surveillance platform to engage the location. “Overhead the target area, significant activity of the fighters was observed in different parts of the settlements. “The NAF fighter jets took turns in attacking the target area, neutralising many BHTs and destroying their structures in successive passes.”

Daily Post: Boko Haram Kidnapping Doctors, Ex-Military Men To Work For Them – Lawmaker Reveals <[link removed]>

“A member of the House of Representatives, representing Dambao/Gwoza/Chibok federal constituency of Borno State has revealed that Boko Haram group are kidnapping Doctors, ex-military, and bright students, not for ransom but forcing them to work for the insurgents. The lawmaker on Wednesday during the debate on a bill to prohibit discrimination against victims of insurgents and militants revealed that four doctors are currently with Boko Haram who are perhaps compelled to work for the group. He revealed that Boko Haram have started kidnapping ex-military men who can operate guns and young sharia scholars for interpretation work. “I have four medical doctors that were kidnapped by Boko Haram, and they are in the bush, they have not killed them. Maybe, they are compelled to work for these Boko Haram guys. “I have a child who read sharia law, they kidnapped him, they refused to kill him, and he is still working for them, making interpretation. If tomorrow he regains his freedom, are you telling him to not be a part of the society again? Another thing is that you have experts, who are ex-military men, they know how to operate gun, and they were kidnapped by Boko Haram.”

Somalia

Air Force Mag: 5 Al-Shabab Members Killed In Single U.S. Airstrike In Somalia <[link removed]>

“A March 10 U.S. airstrike killed five al-Shabab targets in Somalia without harming any civilians, U.S. Africa Command reported. The strike was carried out near Janaale, which is located about 75 kilometers (or approximately 47 miles) southwest of Mogadishu in Somalia’s Lower Shabelle region, and was coordinated with Somalia’s federal government, the command said. The attack—the fifth U.S. strike in Somalia this month—brings the number of al-Shabab militants killed by American airstrikes in March into the double digits. “Our strikes are a key effort to combatting terror and helping to bring stability to Somalia,” said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Miguel Castellanos, the command’s deputy director of operations, in a March 10 release. “Not only do they degrade al-Shabab’s ability to conduct violent activities in the region, but they illuminate the fighter network and impede the al-Qaida affiliated terrorist organization’s ability to recruit and export terrorism.”

Africa

Voice Of America: US Officials Concerned About Rising Violence In Africa's Sahel <[link removed]>

“The security situation in the Sahel region of Africa is rapidly deteriorating, U.S. officials warned this week. Terror attacks claimed by Islamist militants against civilians and military targets have particularly risen in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. The Sahel is a semiarid region that encompasses an area south of the Sahara Desert, spanning 10 countries from Senegal in the west to Eritrea in the east. In 2019, violence in the area left more than 2,000 civilians dead. Since the beginning of 2020, in Burkina Faso alone, violence has displaced 4,000 people a day, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said. “It would be a mistake to attribute all of this violence to extremism or inter-religious conflict,” Mark Green, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, said during a U.S. Senate hearing Tuesday. “But it would be just as wrong not to recognize that conditions like unresponsive governance, lack of economic opportunity and increasingly limited natural resources, if left unaddressed, will make the region even more vulnerable to extremists, their ideology and method of recruitment.”

Yahoo News: Islamist Militant Attacks Surged Most In Emerging LNG Giant <[link removed]>

“Mozambique suffered the biggest increase in attacks by Islamist militants globally last year, with violence centered around the gas-rich Cabo Delgado province, according to a security report. Islamic State in June started claiming responsibility for incidents that began in 2017 and have killed more than 800 people and forced 100,000 to flee their homes. Attacks more than tripled in 2019 from the previous year, according to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project’s annual report released last week. Globally, Afghanistan remained the most affected by skirmishes, while clashes also surged in Burkina Faso. Not only has the violence in Mozambique killed hundreds of people, it’s occurring in the region where companies like Total SA and Exxon Mobil Corp. are building what will be Africa’s largest-ever investments. The liquefied natural gas projects in the far north have largely been unscathed, although a contract worker was killed last year, delaying work. “Mozambique also registered one of the greatest increases in reported fatalities last year, with 438 more fatalities in 2019 than in 2018, or an increase of 197%,” ACLED said in the report. “This rise is linked to the worsening insurgency in the northernmost province of Cabo Delgado.”

United Kingdom

BBC News: How Europe Deals With Terror Offenders When They Are Freed From Jail <[link removed]>

“When radicalised terror offenders are released from prison, how should they be dealt with? Two recent attacks in London have brought the question into sharp focus because both involved extremist offenders carrying out knife attacks despite being on the radar of security services. Sudesh Amman, 20, carried out the Streatham attack last month only 10 days after his release from jail. It was a case that reverberated across Europe, where other offenders will soon be freed. The UK quickly passed legislation to block the automatic early release of convicted terror offenders. Other European countries are grappling with the same balance between security and civil liberties. For terror offenders, a second chance comes with many strings attached. How many terror offenders are there? Hundreds will be released from European prisons within the next few years, figures suggest. Europol, the EU's law enforcement arm, gives an idea of the numbers. From 2016 to 2018, Spain had the most court cases for terror offences (343) in the EU, followed by the UK (329), France (327) and Belgium (301).”

France

The New York Times: France, Spain Honor Hundreds Of Terrorism Victims, Vow Unity <[link removed]>

“The president of France and the king of Spain paid homage Wednesday to victims of terrorism in a special ceremony prompted by attacks that hit both their countries and changed Europe’s security posture. France's Emmanuel Macron and Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia led a ceremony on Trocadero plaza overlooking the Eiffel Tower with survivors of terrorist attacks and families of victims. The European Union chose March 11 as a day of continent-wide commemoration of terrorism victims after the Madrid train bombing on March 11, 2004 that killed nearly 200 people and woke Europe up to 21st century threats of Islamic extremism. Macron paid tribute to the victims of a string of attacks in France, starting with shootings in 2012 that killed children at a Jewish school, a rabbi and paratroopers in the Toulouse region. Extremists claiming links to the Islamic State group or Al-Qaida hit France repeatedly in 2015 and 2016. Among their victims: cartoonists at satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, shoppers at a kosher market, concert-goers at the Bataclan, diners in Paris cafes, an elderly priest at the altar, holiday revelers on the seaside of Nice, and several police officers.”

New Zealand

The New York Times: Shot 9 Times During Mosque Massacre, Survivor Overcomes Fear <[link removed]>

“When the gunman walked into the Al Noor mosque, Temel Atacocugu was kneeling for Friday prayers. He looked up into the man’s face, thinking he was a police officer because of his paramilitary outfit. Time slowed. Atacocugu saw a puff of smoke come from the raised gun, felt a bullet smash into his teeth, and thought, “Oh, my God, I'm dying.” But despite being shot nine times, Atacocugu survived the attack at Al Noor, one of two mosques in the city of Christchurch that were attacked on March 15 last year, in New Zealand's deadliest modern-day mass shooting. On Sunday, New Zealand will commemorate the 51 people who were killed in the attacks. Atacocugu, 45, is slowly overcoming his own physical and psychological injuries from that day. And he’s even found himself ready to face a childhood fear: sharks. On the day of the attacks, Atacocugu was in a buoyant mood when he walked into the mosque. An active man who loves soccer, fishing and running, he’d just finished his last acupuncture session for a sports injury and was feeling in great shape. Growing up in Turkey, he’d been through compulsory military training, so he quickly realized what was happening.”

Technology

The Wall Street Journal: Chinese-Owned TikTok Launches U.S. ‘Transparency Center’ To Counter Criticism <[link removed]>

“Video-sharing platform TikTok said it is opening a new facility in Los Angeles aimed at providing more transparency to outsiders about its operations, another move by the Chinese-owned app to address scrutiny from U.S. officials and lawmakers. TikTok said its new “transparency center,” scheduled to open in May at its major U.S. hub, would allow outside observers to view how teams at the company moderate content. It will eventually also provide information on TikTok’s source code and its data-privacy and security efforts, the company said. TikTok’s rapid rise to social-media success has prompted questions from U.S. authorities worried it could pose a national-security threat because it is owned by Chinese conglomerate ByteDance Inc. U.S. regulators late last year started weighing whether TikTok poses a security threat after lawmakers from both parties expressed worry that the company was censoring content to appease the Chinese government and could be making user data accessible to Beijing. Earlier this year, U.S. Coast Guard and Air Force officials barred their members from using TikTok on government-issued devices after similar guidance by other U.S. military branches. TikTok has said it hasn’t and won’t share U.S. user data with the Chinese government.”



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The Counter Extremism Project - United States
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