Eye on Extremism
March 18, 2020
Voice
Of America: US To Designate New Islamic State Leader As Global
Terrorist
“The United States is preparing to label the Islamic State terror
group’s new leader, introduced to the world as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi
al-Qurashi, as a “specially designated global terrorist.” U.S.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made the announcement Tuesday during a
briefing with reporters, referring to al-Qurashi as Amir Muhammad
Sa’id Abdal-Rahman al-Mawla, one of the IS leaders many aliases. The
move comes more than a month after U.S. defense and intelligence
officials first unmasked al-Qurashi’s true identity, which IS had
tried to keep hidden by assigning him a nom-de-guerre. A religious
scholar, al-Qurashi was imprisoned in the now infamous U.S.-run Camp
Bucca in Iraq, starting in 2004, where he met former IS leader Abu
Bakr al-Baghdadi. Intelligence officials say he was active in IS’
predecessor organization, al-Qaida in Iraq, and eventually became one
of Baghdadi’s most trusted deputies. Al-Quashi is also seen as the
architect behind IS’ slaughter of the Yazidi religious minority and
oversaw some of the terror group’s global operations. Intelligence
officials credit him with keeping IS, also known as ISIS or Daesh,
from falling apart following Baghdadi’s death in a U.S. operation in
October 2019.”
The
Jerusalem Post: IDF: Hezbollah Worked With Syrian Troops To Attack
Israel On Election Day
“An IDF investigation into an attempted attack on Israel on
Election Day earlier this month has found that Hezbollah operatives
worked with Syrian soldiers to carry it out from the Golan Heights.
The inquiry into the thwarted attack near the village of Hader in the
province of Qunietra found that Hezbollah attempted to attack IDF
troops from a Syrian military compound in the demilitarized zone in
the northern Golan Heights. On March 2, the IAF struck a vehicle,
killing one man believed to be a Hezbollah operative. Syria’s SANA
news agency reported that Israel struck Syrian government forces,
wounding three soldiers and killing one civilian. In the weeks leading
up to the thwarted attack, soldiers from IDF intelligence units
identified suspicious movements by Hezbollah fighters and Syrian
soldiers in sensitive locations in the area, “which indicated the
planning of an attack,” the IDF said, adding that the operatives were
seen filming the border with smartphones and cameras and measuring
wind speed. “When there was an operational opportunity, the car being
used by the cell was attacked by an IDF helicopter,” the military said
in a statement.”
Bloomberg:
Yemeni Rebels Say They’ve Seized Province On Saudi
Border
“Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they’ve seized control of a strategic
province bordering Saudi Arabia, freeing them to concentrate on
capturing an energy-rich area nearby. A spokesman for the rebels,
Yahya Saree, said Tuesday that they’ve overtaken almost all of Al-Jawf
province. The Houthis’ next objective is to wrest control of Marib,
home to oil and natural gas deposits. Fighting there escalated Tuesday
amid airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition trying to restore Yemen’s
internationally recognized government. There was no immediate comment
from the coalition. The five-year war in Yemen shows little sign of
abating despite efforts last year to build momentum toward a peace
deal. Since the Saudi-led coalition began its bombing campaign in 2015
tens of thousands of people have been killed and the country has
descended into one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.”
United States
Voice
Of America: Once Ardent Trump Supporters, White Nationalists Splinter
Ahead Of Presidential Vote
“Once a cohesive and menacing threat closely in tune with Trump
administration policies, America’s white nationalists have grown
deeply divided and marginalized in recent years – thanks largely to a
massive public backlash and social media crackdown. Broken and
rudderless, they’re now bickering among themselves over the 2020 U.S.
presidential campaign. While some white nationalists remain among
President Donald Trump’s staunchest loyalists, others, disappointed
with the president’s record on immigration and a host of other issues,
are casting about for other candidates to support in the November
election – going even so far as to praise some of the views of
democratic socialist Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a fierce Trump
critic. “The extreme right is fractured right now in terms of their
support for President Trump,” said Joshua Fisher Birch, a researcher
at the Counter Extremism Project. ”Many who originally supported him
are disappointed with how the last few years have gone.” Trump’s vow
to build a “big, beautiful” wall along the southern border with Mexico
is a work in progress that may never be completed. His promise to
impose a total ban on Muslims entering the U.S. and to deport millions
of others has fallen well short of the president’s pledge.”
Iraq
Newsweek:
Iraq Rocked By New Violence As Tensions Escalate Among Soldiers,
Militias And Militants
“Two more rockets rained down in Iraq on Tuesday, prolonging a
period of particularly violent unrest among soldiers, militias and
militants with competing interests. Reports emerged Tuesday of rocket
fire and explosions near the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, spreading
speculation of yet another attack targeting U.S. and allied personnel
tasked with battling the hardline Sunni Islamic State militant group
(ISIS) and who are also facing a growing resistance campaign from
Shiite Muslim militias. Coalition spokesperson Colonel Myles B.
Caggins III said the “Iraqis are investigating the explosions in
Baghdad,” but denied foreign personnel were targeted. “As of 11pm
(Baghdad Time), no rockets were fired at Camp Taji. In Baghdad no
explosions occurred near US/Coalition facilities,” Caggins tweeted in
English and Arabic-language statements. A spokesperson for the Popular
Mobilization Forces official militia collective said the group was
aware of reports of the attacks, but referred Newsweek to the Iraqi
military's Security Media Cell, which released further details of the
incident. “Two Katyusha rockets were fired from the Arab Jabbour area
toward the Al-Jadriya area, one of which landed on an abandoned
building near the Hajj and Umrah Commission, and one of which fell in
the Tigris river, without significant losses,” the cell said in a
statement.”
Al
Jazeera: Rockets Strike Baghdad's Green Zone, Fourth Attack In
Days
“At least three rockets struck Baghdad's fortified Green Zone near
the United States Embassy late Tuesday, the fourth such attack in the
span of a week. It came a day after an attack on a training base
south of the capital, where US-led coalition troops and NATO trainers
were present, Iraqi security officials said. At least three rockets
struck the Green Zone, the seat of Iraq's government and home to
several foreign embassies, two Iraqi security officials said. Myles
Caggins, a spokesman for the US-led coalition, said the rockets fell
at least 2km (1.2 miles) from the embassy. There were no immediate
reports of casualties. The previous evening, rockets hit the Basmaya
base near the Iraqi capital, an Iraqi army statement said. The
projectiles landed in an area that includes agricultural land and a
factory, according to the statement. No more details were provided. A
Spanish contingent of the coalition and NATO trainers are present at
the Basmaya site. There was no immediate confirmation of the attack
from the coalition, and no armed group claimed responsibility.”
Afghanistan
Eurasian
Times: Reduction In Violence Reported In Afghanistan Due To
Coronavirus Pandemic
“As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread in Afghanistan
with a total of 22 cases so far, both the Taliban and the Afghan
government have reported a reduction in violence. According to Tolo
News, the Afghan Interior Ministry said that 16 attacks took place
over the past 24 hours. While on Friday, March 13, the Ministry of
Defense reported 95 incidents in 24 hours which included rocket
attacks, shelling and roadside bomb blasts in Kapisa, Laghman, Kunar,
Balkh, Helmand, Faryab, Badakhshan, Kunduz, Wardak and Logar. Marwa
Amini, deputy spokesperson for the ministry, said that the reduction
in violence resulted in “five civilians and security force being
killed, and 19 others being injured.” Importantly, the volatile
province of Kunduz, which has observed unrelenting clashes has been
calm over the last two days, according to the Afghan media citing
local officials. All sides in the conflict observed a truce or
seven-day reduction of violence in late February after the US-Taliban
peace deal in Doha, Qatar on February 29. This was to be followed up
with prisoners swap agreement but President Ghani publicly said he
would not release 5,000 Taliban prisoners.”
Eurasia
Review: Islamic State In Afghanistan: Reading Between The Blurred
Lines
“There are certain discrepancies that are openly visible between
the threat perceptions of ISIS, the central group, and its supposed
wilayat in Afghanistan. The signing of a “peace” agreement between the
US and the Taliban on 29 February in Doha, Qatar, sped up the process
of a return to the mainstream for the Taliban insurgency who were
ousted from power in 2001 in the wake of Washington’s war against
terror. However, in 2020, the Taliban standing on a higher negotiating
ground arguably has a strong grasp of narratives on multiple fronts
compared to the US and its allies who have been fighting the group for
more than 19 years. In midst of America’s ‘endless war’ in
Afghanistan, the rise of the so–called Islamic State (ISIS) or Daesh
in Iraq and Syria added a new dimension to global jihadist movements.
ISIS had a history with Afghanistan, with the group’s ideologue and
former chief of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musa al–Zarqawi, running
training camps in southern Afghanistan and pledging his allegiance to
Al Qaeda’s chief Osama Bin Laden in 2004. Since the signing of the
Doha deal, there is great clarity to the fact that the US wants an
exit from Afghanistan and is ready to compromise on issues that would
have earlier been non–negotiable.”
Yemen
ABC
News: Heavy Fighting In Central Yemen Leaves At Least 38
Dead
“Heavy fighting in Yemen between pro-government forces and Shiite
rebels killed more than three dozen people in the previous 24 hours,
Yemeni officials and tribal leaders said Tuesday. The rebels, known as
Houthis, have been attacking forces of the internationally recognized
government in the district of Sorouh in central Marib province. Fierce
clashes left at least 38 fighters from both sides dead and wounded
dozens more, the officials said. The military of the internationally
recognized government reported the clashes saying its forces, backed
by airstrikes from the Saudi-led coalition, killed at least 20 Houthi
rebels. It did not report deaths from its side. The officials and
tribal leaders said the rebels advanced deep into the district before
government forces pushed them back and captured at least 30 Houthi
fighters. Houthi officials said the Saudi-led coalition carried out at
least 15 airstrikes against their fighters. The officials spoke on
condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the
media, while the tribal leaders did so for fear of reprisals. The new
bout of fighting came three weeks after the Houthis dealt a major blow
to the Saudi-backed government when they took the strategic northern
city of Hazm, the capital of Jawf province, which borders Marib.”
Middle East
The
Jerusalem Post: Coronavirus Hits Terrorists Hardest From ISIS To Iran
– Analysis
“Amid all the chaos caused by the coronavirus tidal wave, it may
also rid the world of many of its worst terrorists or at least freeze
their activity. There are no statistics for how it is impacting ISIS
supporters and will be none as the group would never report negative
data and has no connections to international groups like the WHO or
the civilized world. But ISIS’s stunning recent order to its followers
to stay away from Europe means not only that it is afraid of future
infection if its agents go there, but that its network of followers
there is likely already being hit. This would make lots of sense since
ISIS members tend to be disconnected from the Western world and could
have gone longer ignoring the dangers of infection than average
people. Furthermore, ISIS members would be wary of accepting medical
assistance from the authorities in their host countries as their faces
may already be on the wanted list. Iran is the paradigm case of a
regime sponsoring terrorism which is known to be getting hit harder
than any other countries besides China and Italy. The Islamic Republic
is notoriously dishonest about numbers which can hurt its public
relations.”
Libya
The
National: The Libyan Connection: ISIS-Linked Terror Group Inspired
Abedi Brothers
“The murderous Abedi brothers were inspired by an ISIS-linked group
of extremists as they prepared to attack a pop concert in the city
where they were born. Hashem Abedi is believed to have created and
used an email address - bedab7jeanagmail.com - that was inspired by
the Arabic slogan “through slaughter we have come”. The email account
was used to purchase chemical components for the bomb. The slogan was
chosen by the Syrian-based armed group Katibat Al Battar Al Libi when
it formed in 2012 and was well-known among militants in North Africa.
Handwritten scraps of paper bearing the email address were found in a
bin at the Manchester home of the brothers following the attack on the
Manchester Arena where 22 people were killed by a bomb detonated by
Salman Abedi. Katibat Al Battar Al Libi was an extremist group with a
predominantly Libyan membership but also comprised of other North
Africans and Europeans who headed to Syria in the wake of the Arab
uprisings. The email address hinted at the source of influence on the
brothers but a limited amount of phone and communications data has
been available to the investigators, meaning it was impossible to
trace potential key figures in Libya behind their radicalisation.”
Somalia
The
Defense Post: Somali National Army Launches Action To Oust Al-Shabaab
From Janaale
“Somalia’s Federal Government said elements of the Somali National
Army and elite Danab forces launched an operation to capture the town
of Janaale from al-Shabaab militants at dawn on Monday. “Government
forces have successfully taken over the Janaale bridge and drive[n]
al-Shabaab from their strongholds in the city,” the information
ministry said in a Tuesday, March 17 statement. “Ongoing military
operations continue inside the city to completely rid the terrorist
al-Shabaab from Janaale and surrounding areas. The initial assessment
from commanders is that several militants have been killed thus far,”
the statement said. The ministry encouraged people with relatives in
Janaale to “inform them of this operation and encourage them to stay
in their homes.” Pro-government media outlet Somali National
Television reported that the SNA had captured the town after
al-Shabaab militants fled on Monday. A spokesperson for Somalia’s
information ministry also said Janaale is under government control as
of Tuesday. Major Karl Wiest, a spokesperson for U.S. Africa Command,
declined to comment on ongoing operations.”
United Kingdom
The
New York Times: Brother Of Manchester Bomber Is Found Guilty In Murder
Of 22 People
“A jury in Britain on Tuesday convicted the brother of a suicide
bomber who killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester
in 2017, finding him guilty on all 22 counts of murder for his role in
planning and executing the attack. The man, Hashem Abedi, was the
brother of Salman Abedi, the man who detonated a vest laden with
explosives, killing children, teenagers, and parents waiting to pick
them up after Ms. Grande’s concert at Manchester Arena in northwestern
England. More than 235 people were injured in the bombing, one of
Britain’s worst recent terrorist attacks, and hundreds of others
suffered psychological damage. The jury took four and a half hours to
find Hashem Abedi guilty on all of the murder charges, along with one
count of attempted murder and one count of conspiracy to cause an
explosion. A murder conviction carries an automatic life sentence,
prosecutors said. “Hashem Abedi encouraged and helped his brother
knowing that Salman Abedi planned to commit an atrocity,” Max Hill,
director of public prosecutions, said in a statement. “He has blood on
his hands even if he didn’t detonate the bomb.” Mr. Hill said he hoped
Mr. Abedi’s conviction would give the victims’ families “a sense that
some justice has been done.”
BBC
News: The Road To The Manchester Arena
Bombing
“The Manchester Arena suicide bombing, an attack lasting only a
moment, was the endpoint of a lengthy conspiracy. At 22:31 BST on 22
May 2017, in a large foyer filling with people after an Ariana Grande
concert, the attacker emerged from a stairway, crossed the concourse
and detonated his device. Of those he walked among, 22 were killed:
children, teenagers, parents. They included students, a nurse, a
police officer, a support worker for those with special needs, and a
school receptionist. They came from different parts of the UK and
diverse backgrounds, each with their own reason for being there.
Saffie Roussos, aged only eight, had attended the concert with her
mother and sister. Olivia Campbell-Hardy, 15, had attended with a
friend, as had 14-year-old Nell Jones. So too had Eilidh Macleod, also
14. Liam Curry and Chloe Rutherford, from South Shields, were teenage
sweethearts out for the night together. Sorrell Leczkowski, 14, was in
the foyer, along with her mother and grandmother, to meet her
sister.”
Germany
Deutsche
Welle: Germany 'Must Do More' To Fight Racism: Council Of
Europe
“Germany must step up efforts to prevent and counter extremism and
neo-Nazism, the Council of Europe's European Commission against Racism
and Intolerance (ECRI) said in a report published on Monday. The
report also stated there is strong evidence for extensive racial
profiling by German police. The ECRI recommended Germany should take
action to: Ensure that evidence of online hate speech is shared with
the police; Eliminate existing and prevent future racial profiling;
Establish a system of organizations that provide victims of
discrimination with effective support; Accelerate the National Action
Plan on Integration, as children with migrant backgrounds are twice as
likely to leave school without qualifications. The report commended
Germany's efforts to fight racism and discrimination, noting that
“Germany warmly welcomed an extraordinarily large number of asylum
seekers in 2015” and “invested many resources” in their inclusive
integration. However, the report said public discourse in the country
has become increasingly xenophobic, noting “high levels of
Islamophobia.”
|
