“A Nigerian army drone strike accidentally killed at least 85 civilians
observing a Muslim festival in the north-west on Sunday, the country’s armed
forces have admitted. Villagers in Tudun Biri in the state of Kaduna had
gathered for the Maulud celebration when at about 9pm they heard what sounded
like an aeroplane followed by a huge explosion. We couldn’t even run,” Danjuma
Salisu, a survivor, said from his hospital bed, where he was being treated for
hand and leg injuries. According to local reports, villagers fled the area,
fearing further strikes. Army officials and representatives from the Kaduna
state government have met village elders, promising that those affected would
be compensated. The army said it had been carrying out “a routine mission
against terrorists but inadvertently affected members of the community”. It did
not give casualty figures or explain how the accident had happened but local
residents said 85 people, many of them women and children, had been killed.
Idris Dahiru, a villager, said: “I was inside the house when the first bomb was
dropped … We rushed to the scene to help those affected and then a second bomb
was dropped. “My aunt, my brother’s wife and her six children, wives of my four
brothers were among the dead. My elder brother’s family are all dead, except
his infant child who survived. We buried 85 people that were killed in the bomb
attack.””











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Eye on Extremism



December 5, 2023



The Guardian: Nigerian Army Drone Strike Accident Kills At Least 85 Civilians
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“A Nigerian army drone strike accidentally killed at least 85 civilians
observing a Muslim festival in the north-west on Sunday, the country’s armed
forces have admitted. Villagers in Tudun Biri in the state of Kaduna had
gathered for the Maulud celebration when at about 9pm they heard what sounded
like an aeroplane followed by a huge explosion. We couldn’t even run,” Danjuma
Salisu, a survivor, said from his hospital bed, where he was being treated for
hand and leg injuries. According to local reports, villagers fled the area,
fearing further strikes. Army officials and representatives from the Kaduna
state government have met village elders, promising that those affected would
be compensated. The army said it had been carrying out “a routine mission
against terrorists but inadvertently affected members of the community”. It did
not give casualty figures or explain how the accident had happened but local
residents said 85 people, many of them women and children, had been killed.
Idris Dahiru, a villager, said: “I was inside the house when the first bomb was
dropped … We rushed to the scene to help those affected and then a second bomb
was dropped. “My aunt, my brother’s wife and her six children, wives of my four
brothers were among the dead. My elder brother’s family are all dead, except
his infant child who survived. We buried 85 people that were killed in the bomb
attack.””



Voice Of America: Leader Of Pakistan Ethnic Rights Group Detained
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“The leader of a Pakistan ethnic group has been detained after authorities
said armed men in his vehicle opened fire on police. Raja Athar Abbas, the
deputy commissioner of the northcentral city of Chaman, which sits on the
border with Afghanistan, said that Manzoor Pashteen was arrested in connection
with the shooting incident, as well as for violating a ban on entering
Balochistan province. Pashteen is the head and co-founder of the Pashtun
Tahafuz Movement, a loose network of Pashtun activists demanding equal rights
and protections for minority Pashtuns in Pakistan. The PTM issued a statement
alleging Pashteen’s vehicle was fired at by law enforcement agencies while he
was traveling from Chaman to the nearby city of Turbat, where he was scheduled
to address a protest. The statement said one woman is being treated at a
hospital after she was injured in the shooting. The PTM says Pashteen and his
entourage returned to Chaman and surrendered to authorities. Pashtuns make up
about 15% to 18% of Pakistan’s population, mostly in the insurgency- and
counterinsurgency-stricken province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa along the porous
border with Afghanistan. Members and supporters of the PTM claim that their
leaders are incarcerated, harassed and even eliminated by government forces.”



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CEP Mentions



DW: European Countries Raise Terror Threat Levels
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“There's growing concern about the violence the Israel-Hamas war could be
inspiring here in Europe. Over the weekend a German tourist was fatally stabbed
in Paris. The suspect was identified as an alleged radical Islamist with mental
health problems. Several other European security agencies have made arrests
over alleged plots in recent weeks and warn of an escalated terror threat.
European security agencies are taking precauctionary measures fearing an
increase in islamist attacks fueled by the Israel-Hamas war. There are
hightened fears after an attack in Paris over the weekend killed a German
tourist. The attack came as France had issued its highest counter-terrorism
alert Is that a new dimension to the threat facing Europe? Interview with CEP
Senior Director Hans-Jakob Schindler.”



DW: Germany Launches Investigation Into Paris Tourist Killing
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“... Hans-Jakob Schindler, a senior director at the non-profit Counter
Extremism Project (CEP), told DW the attack demonstrated the "new terror method
of not actually planning complex attacks, but trying to inspire individuals
online to conduct attacks." He added that IS was trying to "inspire inside
terror attacks in Europe, including in Germany, in order to show relevance,
because obviously terrorism only works publicly and the Islamic State needs to
get back in headlines."”



Foreign Policy: The Taliban’s Enemies Can’t Agree On Anything
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“…The lack of international attention on Afghanistan’s renewed terror threat
is laying the groundwork for what Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director of the
Berlin- and New York-based Counter Extremism Project, called a “back to the
future” repeat of the atrocities committed by al Qaeda, with Taliban collusion,
in the United States in September 2001.”



Afghanistan



Bloomberg: China Says Taliban Government Must Reform To Be Fully Recognized
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“China said the Taliban government in Afghanistan should make major changes
to its style of governance in order for Beijing to officially recognize it. “We
expect Afghanistan to respond to the expectations of the international
community and apply moderate policy, have friendly exchanges and engagement
with regional countries and other countries in the world, and return back to
the big family of the world as soon as possible,” Foreign Ministry spokesman
Wang Wenbin said at a regular briefing Tuesday in Beijing. If those conditions
were reached, “it would be natural for China to recognize the government of
Afghanistan,” Wang said. “As the traditional friend and neighbor of
Afghanistan, China always believes that Afghanistan should not be excluded from
the international community,” he said. The comments mark a subtle shift in
China’s stance toward the Taliban as Beijing has said in the past it won’t
interfere in Afghanistan’s affairs. Since ousting the US-backed government and
taking power in 2021, the Taliban-led Afghanistan has yet to gain full
diplomatic recognition from any country largely because of its repressive
policies toward women, including banning them from education and work. A
handful of countries, like China, Pakistan and Russia, have accepted Taliban
diplomats in their countries even though they don’t formally recognize the
government. The Taliban also took control of Afghan diplomatic missions in
India late last month.”



Middle East



The Guardian: Israel Investigates Claims Investors Made Millions Short-Selling
Before Hamas Attacks
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“Israeli authorities are investigating claims by US researchers that some
investors may have known in advance about the Hamas plan to attack Israel on 7
October and used that information to earn millions of dollars by short-selling
Israeli shares. Research by law professors Robert Jackson Jr from New York
University and Joshua Mitts of Columbia University found significant
short-selling of shares leading up to the attacks that triggered the war.
Short-sellers place bets on shares that they expect to fall in price. They pay
a fee to borrow shares in a company and then sell them in the hope of buying
them back at a lower price and pocketing the profit.”



Mittelstand-BRICS: Israeli Intelligence Knows Location Of Hostages
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“Israeli intelligence services have information on the presumed location of
the remaining hostages, reserve Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Jonathan
Conricus said at a briefing. "The short answer would be yes, we have [data],"
Conricus said when asked by reporters if the IDF had any information on the
purported whereabouts of the remaining hostages. "But as you said, as you
correctly suggested, I'm not free to share those details because of the
sensitivity of the issue, and of course that would jeopardize our efforts in
the future. But I can say that this is a key priority," he added. Conricus
pointed out that the release of the hostages is a top priority for Israeli
intelligence, including IDF Military Intelligence. He also noted that Israel
intends to return all hostages. "If it can be done through negotiations, that's
great. And if it can't be done through negotiations, then we will act in other,
kinetic ways," the spokesman emphasized.”



The New York Times: U.N. Says Israel’s Intense Bombing Leaves Gazans With Few
Places To Go
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“Southern Gaza has been under intense airstrikes in recent days, as Israeli
troops appear to be closing in on its main city, Khan Younis, and concerns grow
that there is nowhere left for civilians to flee. The United Nations’ office
for humanitarian affairs said the 24 hours leading up to Monday afternoon
marked some of the most intense bombing by Israel since the war started on Oct.
7. The heavy bombardment has come despite strong warnings from U.S. officials
to their Israeli counterparts to take a more precise approach in the second
phase of war. The first stage of the war left widespread destruction and
casualties in northern Gaza. Satellite imagery analyzed by The New York Times
showed that the Israeli military had expanded its ground offensive into
southern Gaza between Friday and Sunday, advancing into the last section of the
strip under full Hamas control. Images from Monday showed smoke rising from
flattened buildings and people carrying bodies swaddled in blankets. Asked
Monday if Israel was doing enough to take a more targeted approach, Jake
Sullivan, President Biden’s national security adviser, said it was “too soon”
to make that judgment. He added, though, that Israel was taking an unusual step
by warning civilians to leave specific areas ahead of ground maneuvers. Israel
has been issuing evacuation orders accompanied by detailed online maps
subdividing the strip into 2,400 zones, though some of the areas people were
told to flee to on Monday were “already overcrowded,” according to the United
Nations’ humanitarian office.”



Europe



Associated Press: Senior EU Official Warns Of Huge Security Risk In Europe
Over Christmas As Israel-Hamas War Rages
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“Europe faces a “huge risk of terrorist attacks” over the Christmas holiday
period due to the fallout from the war between Israel and the Palestinian
militant group Hamas, the European Union’s home affairs commissioner warned on
Tuesday. The warning came as French investigators probe a fatal weekend attack
near the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Questions were raised about the mental health
of the suspect, who swore allegiance to the extremist Islamic State group
before stabbing a German-Filipino tourist to death and injuring two other
people with a hammer. “With the war between Israel and Hamas, and the
polarization it causes in our society, with the upcoming holiday season, there
is a huge risk of terrorist attacks in the European Union,” EU Home Affairs
Commissioner Ylva Johansson told reporters. “We saw (it happening) recently in
Paris, unfortunately we have seen it earlier as well,” she said, as EU interior
ministers gathered in Brussels. She provided no details about any information
that might have led to her warning. Her office did not immediately respond to
requests for details. Johansson, whose brief includes security and immigration,
said that European Commission will provide an additional 30 million euros
($32.5 million) to help bolster security in vulnerable areas, notably places of
worship.”



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