Eye on Extremism
March 13, 2020
The
Wall Street Journal: Germany Labels Part Of Nativist Opposition Party
An Extreme-Right Group
“Germany’s domestic intelligence agency said on Thursday that it
would put a group within the nativist AfD opposition party under
surveillance as an extremist organization amid rising concern about
growing far-right violence in the country. The measure caps a yearlong
investigation and means the agency can start covertly monitoring
members of Der Flügel, or The Wing, a network within the Alternative
for Germany party, or AfD. The surveillance could include tapping
phones, monitoring electronic communications, and inserting undercover
agents into the network. “This is a warning to all enemies of
democracy,” said Thomas Haldenwang, head of the intelligence agency,
told journalists on Thursday. The decision is a setback for the AfD,
the federal parliament’s largest opposition party, which had long
criticized the probe. While nationalists have gradually increased
their influence in the party over more moderate voices, the AfD still
paints itself as a robustly conservative yet reputable alternative to
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right Christian Democratic
Union.”
Reuters:
Trump Authorizes Military To Respond After Deadly Attack Blamed On
Iran-Backed Militia
“President Donald Trump has authorized the U.S. military to respond
to Wednesday’s rocket attack in Iraq that killed two American troops
and a British service member, the Pentagon said on Thursday, blaming
Iran-backed militia. Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Army General
Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stopped short of
blaming Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah or naming any specific militia.
But they were clear that they believe Iran backed the fighters who
carried out the attack, and warned that all options were on the table
- language suggesting the United States, Iran and the forces Tehran
backs were again on a path toward renewed confrontation inside of
Iraq. “I have spoken with the president. He’s given me the authority
to do what we need to do, consistent with his guidance,” Esper told
reporters at the Pentagon. Asked if a U.S. response could include
strikes inside Iran, Esper hinted that strikes against the militia
itself were the priority. Trump gives Pentagon authority for potential
response after deadly Iraq attack “I’m not going to take any option
off the table right now, but we are focused on the group - groups -
that we believe perpetrated this in Iraq, as the immediate (focus),”
he said.”
The
Straits Times: ISIS 'Trying To Exploit' Growing Hindu-Muslim Tensions
In India
“The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has appropriated
Hindu-Muslim fault lines in India, exacerbated by ongoing protests and
violence centred on a controversial amendment to the country's
citizenship law, in its latest attempt to gain a greater toehold in a
country with the world's second-biggest Muslim population. A viral
Reuters photo of a bloodied Muslim man cowering under blows from a
Hindu mob during the recent communal riots in Delhi was adapted by an
ISIS-aligned media unit into a poster last month, according to the
United States-based SITE Intelligence Group that tracks online
activities of global terror groups.”
United States
U.S.
News & World Report: Man Accused In Homemade Bomb Attack Sentenced
To Prison
“A New Hampshire man accused of throwing a homemade bomb into a
house and threatening the residents inside was sentenced to prison.
Dalton Rowe, 29, pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges, including
reckless conduct with a deadly weapon and possession of an infernal
machine and was ordered to serve at least two years in prison, the
Valley News reported. The Claremont resident has had past issues with
drugs and alcohol, and said he is currently being treated for
schizophrenia. Rowe's attorney, Ben St. Pierre, said his client was
intoxicated and not on his medication when he arrived at the house on
Oct. 22. Prosecutors said he entered the house that night and began to
scream for his “significant other.” When one of the tenants told him
the woman wasn't around, Rowe pulled out two knives and threatened her
and the other tenants, Deputy County Attorney Justin Hersh said
Wednesday. After being kicked out of the house, Rowe returned 20
minutes later and threw a homemade device at the building, causing
what one resident described as a “big flame,” Hersh said. “I’m sorry
for the crimes ... for what happened,” Rowe said during his court
appearance. “I’m doing much better now.”
Syria
The
Washington Post: Turkey Blames Kurdish Fighters For Syria Blast That
Killed 4
“A car bomb exploded at a checkpoint manned by Turkey-backed
opposition fighters in northeast Syria killing at least four people
Thursday, local officials and Syrian opposition activists said. The
governor’s office of Turkey’s southern Sanliurfa region said in a
statement on its website that one gendarmerie corporal and three local
security personnel were killed in the attack. It blamed Kurdish
militants for the blast on the road leading to the Syrian town of Ras
al-Ayn Thursday afternoon. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said the blast killed five,
including three Turkey-backed opposition fighters and two members of
Turkey’s paramilitary force. The governor’s office said 10 others were
wounded, including seven civilians, who were being treated in the
Turkish border village of Ceylanpinar and their conditions were
stable. Turkey has blamed explosions that killed and wounded dozens of
people in northeast Syria in recent months on Kurdish fighters. Ankara
views the Kurdish fighters as terrorists for their links to a Kurdish
insurgency inside Turkey. The Kurdish fighters had, however, partnered
with the U.S. against the Islamic State group.”
Iraq
The
National: Iraq Rocket Strike Underscores New Threat To Anti-ISIS
Coalition
“The deadly rocket attack on an Iraqi base hosting troops from the
international anti-ISIS coalition underlines the seriousness of a new
threat that risks detracting from the fight against remnants of the
militant group in the country. American officials said the attack,
which killed two US and one British servicemen, was most likely
carried out by Kataib Hezbollah, one of a group of Iran-backed Iraqi
militias that supported the government's fight against ISIS. The
rocket strikes came just days after two US Marines were killed in a
joint operation with Iraqi special forces against ISIS in northern
Iraq, making this the deadliest week for the coalition in two years.
Iraqi bases hosting the US contingent of the coalition have witnessed
a series of low-level attacks since last year that Washington has
blamed on Iraq's Iran-backed militias. They have come as Tehran feels
the pressure of US sanctions aimed at reining in its nuclear
activities and regional interference through proxy forces. Although no
group has claimed responsibility, Wednesday’s attack fits exactly with
the pattern of previous attacks – at least 20 this year – although
none have been as deadly.”
Turkey
Al
Monitor: Turkey Detains Kurdish Human Rights Lawyers On Terror
Claims
“At least nine lawyers were detained on terror charges in early
morning raids in the mainly Kurdish provinces of Urfa and Diyarbakir
today, part of an ongoing campaign of repression targeting human
rights defenders, said Abdullah Oncel, the president of the Urfa Bar
Association. Seven of the lawyers were detained in Urfa and two others
in Diyarbakir. Three others — all from Diyarbakir — are being sought,
Oncel told Al-Monitor. Several of the lawyers’ offices were ransacked
by police and their homes raided, he added. Bunyamin Seker, co-chair
of the Jurists for Freedom Association, said a fourth lawyer from
Sirnak, a heavily Kurdish province on the Iraqi border, was also being
sought in connection with the case that is being overseen by the chief
prosecutor of Urfa. “We have been unable to find out the details or
the exact reasoning of this operation but it’s obvious to us that with
respect to lawyers, it’s to do with their work on abuses, particularly
those that occur inside prison,” he told Al-Monitor. Another 12
individuals, none of them lawyers, are also believed to be facing
charges in the case but their identities remain unknown and it remains
unclear whether any have been detained, Seker said. A secrecy order
has been slapped on the investigation.”
Afghanistan
Reuters:
Taliban Attacks Need To Go Down Considerably In Afghanistan, U.S.
General Says
“A top U.S. general said on Thursday that the Taliban had to
significantly reduce the number of attacks it is carrying out, after
an accord it signed with the United States earlier this month. “I
would not consider what the Taliban is doing as consistent with any
path to going forward to come to a final end state agreement with the
current government of Afghanistan,” U.S. Marine General Kenneth
McKenzie, the head of the military’s Central Command, said during a
Senate hearing. “Those attacks are going to have to come off
considerably... we need to get way below where we are now,” he
added.”
Yemen
Al
Monitor: Yemen's Houthis Advance In Marib, Saudi Border
Areas
“Houthi rebels in Yemen this week secured crucial areas of oil-rich
Marib province — the main stronghold of the internationally recognized
government of exiled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. The Houthis
took over critical parts of the province March 10, building on recent
victories that gave them control over the strategic Nahm district,
east of the capital, Sanaa, and the Hazm district, the center of
al-Jawf province. They also captured al-Ghail district adjacent to
Hazm in the country's northeast. This comes in light of the retreat of
the forces of Yemen's internationally recognized government, backed by
a Saudi-led Arab military coalition, and Riyadh’s declining military
support to this government. Government military sources told
Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity for security reasons that Saudi
Arabia didn't adequately support government forces in the al-Jawf
battle. The recent defeat of government forces is due to several
reasons, most notably the struggle of field military wings with
multiple political and ideological loyalties. While many of them are
affiliated with al-Islah Party (the Muslim Brotherhood), other forces
are loyal to the General People's Congress political party led by Lt.
Gen. Sagheer bin Aziz, the president's recently appointed chief of
staff.”
Saudi Arabia
Al
Monitor: Saudi Arabia Tries Palestinians Accused Of Hamas
Ties
“Dozens of Palestinians in Saudi Arabia are being tried before
Riyadh’s special terrorism court for their perceived links to the
Hamas movement in Gaza, according to press reports. Of the 68
defendants whose trials began Sunday, most were Palestinians arrested
in April 2019, along with some Jordanians, according to the reports. A
wave of arrests targeting Palestinian students, academics and
businessmen in Saudi Arabia began in February 2019. Amnesty
International says that those detained have since been held without
charges or access to legal representation, and that some were
subjected to solitary confinement. The Saudi government has not
officially commented on the arrests or trials. Those arrested include
Dr. Mohammed al-Khodari, an 81-year-old doctor who is the official
representative of Hamas in Saudi Arabia, and his son, Hani. As
Al-Monitor previously reported, Kuwait had agreed to negotiate for the
release of the detainees, including Khodari, who holds dual
Kuwaiti-Palestinian nationality. In September, the Geneva-based
Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor told the United Nations Human
Rights Council that it had the names of about 60 Palestinians
subjected to enforced disappearance in Saudi Arabia.”
Africa
The
Wall Street Journal: Inside A No-Go Zone For Terror
“Mauritania, a vast Muslim country on the edge of West Africa, has
adopted a unique strategy to protect itself against an Islamist
militant threat that is getting bigger and closer: It has turned more
than a quarter of its territory into a no-go zone. In 2018, Mauritania
handed its military control over 108,000 square miles of the Sahara,
an area roughly the size of Nevada. Late last month, the Mauritanian
army gave The Wall Street Journal unprecedented access to the
exclusion zone. Inside, troops have great latitude to arrest or kill
anyone suspected of smuggling arms, trafficking drugs or importing
Islamist violence. “If you’re in the military zone and you don’t have
permission, you’re a suspected terrorist,” said army Maj. Sidi Mohamed
Hedeid. It was a move born of a fear that bad things are coming
Mauritania’s way. The country straddles the Sahara, and in the south,
the Sahel, a belt of semiarid land that stretches just below the great
desert. A wave of Islamist militancy is overwhelming the countries of
the Sahel. Affiliates of al Qaeda and Islamic State killed more than
4,000 people in Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali last year in some 800
attacks. Deep inside Mauritania’s exclusion zone is a military outpost
called Lemgheity, or “covered well.”
RFI:
Mali’s Jihadists Demand French Withdrawal As Condition For
Talks
“A Malian jihadist group affiliated with al-Qaeda says it is
willing to engage in dialogue with the government – but only if French
troops and the United Nations mission leave the country. The statement
by GSIM, or Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, follows a
decision taken this year by Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to
open talks with jihadist groups in the country. Ketia’s move breaks
away from the official line taken by the government since 2012, when
the crisis erupted, not to engage with terrorists and jihadists. The
statement by GSIM, issued on 8 March, has been verified by SITE
intelligence group, a counter-terrorism NGO. The al-Qaeda affiliated
organisation, which regroups several jihadist groups in Mali, wrote
that a precondition for talks was “an end to the arrogant, racist,
crusader French occupation”. GSIM or JNIM (Jam’at Nusrat al-Islam wa
al-Muslimeen) is asking for “the departure of all French forces and
their followers from Mali”. It wants the Malian government to “openly
declare an end to the presence of Barkhane and MINUSMA troops on their
territories”. MINUSMA, the United Nations mission in Mali with some
12,000 troops, has been established since April 2013.”
All
Africa: Tanzania Vows To Support War On
Terrorism
“Tanzania has reiterated the willingness to cooperate with global
communities to end threats of terrorism in in the world, highlighting
possible strategies that would simplify the process. Deputy Minister
of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Dr Damas Ndumbaro
made the statement yesterday during the 16th European Remembrance Day
for the victims of terrorism. At the event that was attended by
Ambassadors from European Union (EU) countries, Dr Ndumbaro said
terrorism can be defeated if countries would complement security
measures with prevention efforts that identify and address root
causes. “We must prioritise international cooperation in our
counter-terrorism strategy as there is no single country or
organisation that has all the answers to the cross-border challenges
posed by terrorism, in this case, private sector and civil societies
should play a part to successfully address the challenge,” he
explained. The deputy minister also suggested that the United Nations
(UN) should strengthen its institutional links with regional
organisations, especially through exchanging critical information and
knowledge, and the implementation of joint investigations and
operations.”
Germany
The
New York Times: Germany Places Part Of Far-Right Party Under
Surveillance
“In an unusually strongly worded warning, Germany’s domestic
intelligence agency on Thursday officially classified a part of the
far-right Alternative for Germany party as extremist and said it would
place some of its most influential leaders under surveillance. It is
the first time in Germany’s postwar history that a party represented
in the federal Parliament has elicited such intense scrutiny, and it
points to an uneasy quandary facing the country’s institutions: What
to do with a party that is at once considered a danger to democracy
and that is gaining in popularity in parts of the country? The leaders
of the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, as the party is known,
routinely attack the press, accuse Muslim immigrants of being
criminals and question the universalist principles of liberal
democracy. Yet the party sits in the federal Parliament, where it is
the leading voice of the opposition. The warning on Thursday was
issued by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution,
whose founding mission after World War II was to protect against the
rise of political forces — primarily another Nazi party — that could
once again threaten Germany’s democracy. “We take that mission very
seriously,” Thomas Haldenwang, the president of the agency, told
reporters at a news conference.”
Europe
Reuters:
Bosnia Indicts Islamic State Fighter For Terrorism
“A Bosnian Muslim who fought for Islamic State (IS) militants in
Syria has been indicted for terrorism after he was brought back to the
country in December, the office of the state prosecutor said on
Thursday. Armen Dzelko, 30, who is from the wider Sarajevo area, has
been in custody since he was extradited from Syria following his
surrender to the anti-terrorist coalition late last year. He was
returned as part of a group of 25 former IS fighters, women and
children. Seven men from the group were immediately detained. Dzelko
has been indicted for organising a terrorist group, the prosecutor's
office said in a statement. Using the names “Abdullah” and “Ike”,
Dzelko spent nearly seven years in Syria, where he participated in
terrorist activities, fought on the side of Islamic State militants,
and was wounded several times, the statement said. Bosnia's state
court has tried and convicted 46 people who have returned from Syria
or Iraq over the past few years. According to Bosnian intelligence,
241 adults and 80 children left Bosnia or the Bosnian diaspora from
2012-2016 for Syria and Iraq, where 150 more children were born. At
least 88 have since died or been killed.”
Australia
ABC
News Australia: Australian FBI Suspect Admits To Role With Islamic
State After Capture In Syria
“A Sydney man wanted by the FBI over accusations he helped young
Americans join Islamic State has confessed to Turkish authorities that
he worked for the group as a translator and communications official,
the ABC can reveal. Mohamed Zuhbi, 29, was captured by a pro-Turkish
militia in June last year and handed over to Turkish authorities. He
has since been convicted in a court there and is expected to be
deported to Australia soon. Zuhbi was one of the most prominent among
Australia's Islamic State supporters and was close to many of the
Australian men who went to fight and die in Syria and Iraq with the
declared terrorist group. Until now there has been no suggestion that
Zuhbi actually joined or fought for Islamic State. However, the ABC
has obtained Turkish court documents which state the Australian
confessed that he had travelled to the group's de-facto Syrian
capital, Raqqa, in 2015, to join, and underwent weeks of religious and
military training. He told prosecutors he was then assigned a role in
an Islamic State bureaucracy connected to travel and communication and
also worked as an English translator for the group. When Raqqa fell to
a Kurdish offensive in mid-2017 he used smugglers to flee to Syria's
north-west.”
Technology
The
Hill: Freshman Dem Finds Voice In Fight Against Online
Extremism
“Rose has paired those efforts with legislation, the Raising the
Bar Act, which is co-sponsored by eight Democrats, including Thompson.
It would direct the Department of Homeland Security to designate a
lead institution to administer a voluntary program to score how well
tech companies handle terrorist content, an approach that requires
buy-in from the industry and mostly takes control out of government
hands. The program is modeled after a similar system in the European
Union, which requires the companies to submit to audits around how
they’re handling “hate speech” – an approach that could never fly in
the U.S. “I think what he’s doing is very realistic, and it makes
sense for the American context,” said Lara Pham, the deputy director
of the Counter Extremism Project, which helped advise Rose’s office on
the bill. “I want [the tech companies] to sign onto the Raising the
Bar Act,” Rose said, accusing those of not supporting the bill of
“supporting terrorism.”
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