“Two explosions killed nearly 100 people and wounded scores at a ceremony in
Iran on Wednesday to commemorate commander Qassem Soleimani who was killed by a
U.S. drone in 2020, Iranian officials said, blaming unspecified "terrorists".
Iranian state television reported a first and then a second blast after 20
minutes during a crowded fourth-anniversary event at the cemetery where
Soleimani is buried in the southeastern city of Kerman. No one claimed
responsibility for the blasts. A senior Biden administration official said in
Washington that the blasts appeared to represent "a terrorist attack" of the
type carried out in the past by Islamic State militants. Iranian President
Ebrahim Raisi condemned the "heinous and inhumane crime", and Iran's top
authority Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei vowed revenge for the bloody twin
bombings. "Cruel criminals ... must know that they will be strongly dealt with
from now on and ... undoubtedly there will be a harsh response," Khamenei said
in a statement, according to state media.”











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Eye on Extremism



January 4, 2024



Reuters: Blasts Kill Nearly 100 At Slain Commander Soleimani's Memorial; Iran
Vows Revenge
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“Two explosions killed nearly 100 people and wounded scores at a ceremony in
Iran on Wednesday to commemorate commander Qassem Soleimani who was killed by a
U.S. drone in 2020, Iranian officials said, blaming unspecified "terrorists".
Iranian state television reported a first and then a second blast after 20
minutes during a crowded fourth-anniversary event at the cemetery where
Soleimani is buried in the southeastern city of Kerman. No one claimed
responsibility for the blasts. A senior Biden administration official said in
Washington that the blasts appeared to represent "a terrorist attack" of the
type carried out in the past by Islamic State militants. Iranian President
Ebrahim Raisi condemned the "heinous and inhumane crime", and Iran's top
authority Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei vowed revenge for the bloody twin
bombings. "Cruel criminals ... must know that they will be strongly dealt with
from now on and ... undoubtedly there will be a harsh response," Khamenei said
in a statement, according to state media.”



Wall Street Journal: U.S. Seeks Drone Bases In Coastal West Africa To Stem
Islamist Advance
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“The U.S. is seeking to base military drones along the West African coast in
an urgent effort to stop the spread of al Qaeda and Islamic State in the
region, according to American and African officials. The U.S. is holding
preliminary talks to allow American unarmed reconnaissance drones to use
airfields in Ghana, Ivory Coast and Benin, countries on the Atlantic Ocean.
Relatively stable and prosperous, the three coastal countries, along with Togo,
now find themselves threatened by Islamist militants surging south from Mali,
Burkina Faso and Niger—three beleaguered nations in the Sahel, the semidesert
band south of the Sahara. The negotiations reflect a military retrenchment on
the part of the U.S. For years, American commandos and drones backstopped
French and local efforts to secure the Sahelian countries that are now at the
center of the world’s most active Islamist insurgency. Since 2017, an estimated
41,000 people have been killed in jihadist violence in Mali, Burkina Faso and
Niger. The disorder has created an opening for Russia to deepen political and
military ties in the region.”

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CEP Mentions



WTOP News: The Hunt: Iran Surprised By Massive Terror Attack
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“In this week’s episode of “The Hunt with WTOP national security correspondent
JJ Green,” senior director at the Counter Extremism Project Hans-Jakob
Schindler says the attack near the gravesite of Qassem Solemani, a former top
Iranian military leader was “unprecedented.”



CAPX: The Illegal Immigrants The Government Won’t Talk About
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“Is James Cleverly’s processor stripping its gears? He appeared on the deck of
Radio 4s Today programme on Tuesday to declare ‘mission accomplished’ in
delivering the Prime Ministers pledge to deal with the asylum claim backlog
which stood at 92,000 in June this year. These claims had now been ‘processed’
he declared.”



News Letter: Terror Victim And Perpetrator Cannot Be Treated On A Par: Police
Federation
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“... Former prison governor, Professor Ian Acheson of the Counter Extremism
Project, has also spoken out against the commissioner’s proposal – saying that
any form of equivalence between the two groups would be the “antithesis of
reconciliation". In a post on social media, the Enniskillen-born academic said:
“This is foul and no amount of progressive sophistry can hide it. Eighty-seven
percent of deaths in the Troubles were caused by republican and loyalist
terrorists.”



United States



BBC: New Jersey Imam Shot And Killed Outside His Mosque
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“Authorities said in a news conference that they believe the killing of Imam
Hassan Sharif was not motivated by domestic terrorism or "bias" Mr Sharif was
found with multiple gunshot wounds outside his mosque, Masjid-Muhammad-Newark,
before dawn. He was taken to hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.
"The evidence collected thus far does not indicate that this was an act
motivated by bias or an act of domestic terrorism," New Jersey Attorney General
Matthew Platkin told reporters. He added that investigators normally would "not
go public with this type of information so early in our process" but that a
rise in prejudice against the Muslim community compelled them to reveal their
preliminary findings. "I know that in light of global events and with a rise in
bias directed at many communities we're experiencing across our state -
particularly the Muslim community - there are many in New Jersey right now who
are feeling a heightened sense of fear or anxiety at the news of this slaying,"
he said. Governor Phil Murphy released a statement asking for anyone with
information to come forward.”



Reuters: US Believes Hamas Used Al Shifa Hospital But Evacuated Before Israeli
Operation- Source
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“U.S. spy agencies assess that Islamist group Hamas and another Palestinian
group fighting Israel used Gaza's Al Shifa Hospital to command forces and hold
some hostages but largely evacuated the complex days before Israeli troops
entered it, a U.S. official said on Tuesday, citing declassified U.S.
intelligence. The complex was used by both Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad
to command forces fighting against Israel, the U.S. official said, speaking on
condition of anonymity. U.S. intelligence agencies have not disclosed the
evidence on which they based their assessment. The official said the U.S. had
independently confirmed the information. Israel has also said Al Shifa, which
it had occupied earlier in the war in Gaza, had been used by Hamas. Israeli
troops entered the hospital in November. The targeting of the hospital had
stoked global alarm over the fate of civilians and patients who were inside.
The World Health Organization last month described the emergency department in
the enclave's main health facility as resembling a "bloodbath."”



Iran



Reuters: China's Xi Sends Condolences To Iran President On 'Terrorist Attack'
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“China's President Xi Jinping sent a message of condolence to the Iranian
president on Thursday for the "terrorist attack" a day earlier, Chinese state
television CCTV said. Two explosions killed nearly 100 people and wounded
scores in Iran on Wednesday at a ceremony to commemorate commander Qassem
Soleimani who was killed by a U.S. drone in 2020. Iranian officials blamed
Wednesday's incident on unspecified "terrorists". Xi said he was shocked at the
attack and stressed that China opposes all forms of terrorism, "strongly
condemns terrorist attacks", and firmly supports Iran's efforts to safeguard
national security and stability, Xinhua said.”



Iraq



Reuters: Three Iran-Backed Militia Fighters Killed In Baghdad Drone Strike –
Sources
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“At least three militia fighters were killed and six others wounded in a drone
strike on an Iran-backed militia headquarters in eastern Baghdad on Thursday,
police and security sources told Reuters. Police sources and eyewitnesses said
at least two rockets struck a building used by Iraqi militia group al-Nujaba'a.
A group spokesman said three of the group's fighters were killed, including a
local commander in al-Nujaba'a. The spokesman accused the United States of
carrying out the attack. Iraqi police and security sources said they had no
further detail on who might have carried out the strike pending a government
investigation. Last month, the United States carried out retaliatory air
strikes in Iraq after a drone attack by Iran-aligned militants that left one
U.S. service member in critical condition and wounded two others. read more.
The U.S. military has already come under attack at least 100 times in Iraq and
Syria since the Israel-Hamas war began in October, usually with a mix of
rockets and one-way attack drones.”



Afghanistan



Voice Of America: Taliban Maintain Poppy Crackdown, US Fears Farmers’ Return
To Cultivation
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“Afghanistan's Taliban government is touting major strides in combating drug
production and trafficking over the past year. Acting defense minister Mohammad
Yaqoob Mujahid announced at a Kabul press conference on Sunday that 4,472 tons
of narcotics had been destroyed, 8,282 individuals involved in production and
smuggling were arrested, and 13,904 hectares of poppy crops were cleared.
“Smuggling of all contraband has been prevented by 99 percent,” Mujahid
claimed. The United States and the United Nations have confirmed a massive
reduction in poppy cultivation in Afghanistan since the Taliban supreme leader,
Hibatullah Akhundzada, banned the crop in April 2022. Afghanistan's poppy
cultivation plummeted so dramatically after the Taliban ban that the country no
longer holds the title of top global opiate supplier, ceding it to Myanmar,
according to a 2023 report by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, or UNODC. For
nearly two decades, despite billions of dollars poured into counter-narcotics
by Western donors, Afghanistan remained the world's opium kingpin, supplying
more than 80% of the world’s illicit market.”



Pakistan



Voice Of America: Terror Attacks Test Ties As Pakistan Hosts Talks With Afghan
Taliban
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“A high-powered delegation from Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban held crucial
talks with Pakistan officials Wednesday in a bid to ease tensions stemming from
a surge in deadly cross-border attacks blamed on terrorists based on Afghan
soil. Officials said Mullah Shirin Akhund, an influential Taliban leader, led
his team of defense ministry and intelligence representatives at the meeting
convened in Islamabad under what is known as the Joint Coordination Committee,
or JCC. The committee was established to address border management and related
security issues facing the two countries. “In the JCC meeting, the two sides
discussed coordination mechanisms to facilitate cross-border movement with a
view to promoting people-to-people contacts,” a Pakistani foreign ministry
statement said after the meeting. The ministry did not share further details on
the delegation-level discussions. Pakistani officials say that fugitive
militants linked to anti-state Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, and allied
groups have intensified cross-border attacks with “greater operational freedom”
since the Islamist Taliban regained control of Afghanistan more than two years
ago.”



Yemen



Reuters: UN Security Council Members Call For Houthis To Stop Attacks On
Shipping
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“Members of the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday called on Yemen's Houthis
to halt their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, saying they
are illegal and threaten regional stability, freedom of navigation and global
food supplies. Addressing the council's first formal meeting of 2024, members
also demanded that the Houthis release the Galaxy Leader, a Japanese-operated
cargo ship linked to an Israeli company, and its crew, which the group seized
on Nov. 19. Some members urged the council to take action to halt the Houthi
missile and drone attacks. But the body took no formal steps in the open
session before going into closed consultations. The United States believes the
situation has reached an "inflection point," Chris Lu, a U.S. representative to
the United Nations, told the council. "These attacks pose grave implications
for maritime security, international shipping and commerce, and they undermine
the fragile humanitarian situation in Yemen," threatening aid deliveries to the
war-torn country, Lu said.”



Bloomberg: US, Other Countries Warn Houthis Against Further Attacks In Red Sea
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“More than a dozen countries warned the Houthis, a Yemen-based rebel group
backed by Iran, against continuing their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea,
which have disrupted global commerce and triggered a limited military response
from the US. “The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences
should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy and free flow of
commerce in the region’s critical waterways,” governments, including the US,
the UK, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan,
Netherlands and New Zealand, said in a joint statement Wednesday. They called
the attacks “illegal, unacceptable, and profoundly destabilizing.” US officials
said later that Singapore had also signed on to the statement. Numerous
container shipping lines have elected to avoid the Red Sea following a wave of
attacks, instead sailing their fleets thousands of miles around Africa. The
channel normally handles about 12% of the world’s commerce. The attacks have
added to the risks of a regional expansion of Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.”



Middle East



Reuters: Hezbollah Head Vows Group Will Not 'Be Silent' After Israeli Killing
Of Hamas Deputy Chief
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“The head of Lebanon's powerful armed group Hezbollah said on Wednesday that
Israel's killing of the deputy chief of allied Palestinian faction Hamas in
Beirut was "a major, dangerous crime about which we cannot be silent". In a
televised speech, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah offered his condolences to Hamas for
what he called a "flagrant Israeli aggression" on Tuesday night that killed
Saleh al-Arouri. Tuesday's strike hit the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, in
what analysts have said could also be a message from Israel to Hezbollah that
even its prime stronghold there can be reached. It was the first strike to hit
Beirut following almost three months of near daily fire between the Israeli
military and Hezbollah that has been confined to the border region. Hezbollah
launched rockets across the border on Oct. 8 in support of Hamas, which had
carried out a deadly assault into southern Israel the previous day that
prompted a fierce Israeli bombing campaign of the Gaza Strip. Hezbollah,
founded by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 1982, is the spearhead of a
Tehran-backed alliance hostile to Israel and the United States. It fought a
month-long war against Israel in 2006.”



Reuters: Israel Focuses Assault On Southern Gaza Amid Concern Over Spread Of
War
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“Israeli shelling killed 14 Palestinians on Thursday in Khan Younis in a
southern coastal area of the Gaza Strip packed with people who had fled attacks
in other parts of the enclave, Gaza health ministry officials said. The dead
included nine children, an official told Reuters. There was no immediate
comment from the Israeli military on the attack although it had separately
reported fighting and air strikes against Hamas militants in the Kkan Younis
area on Thursday. Gaza residents also said Israeli planes and tanks bombarded
three refugee camps in the centre of the shattered enclave in heavier attacks
than in previous days. The latest action took place as Israel's war against
Hamas neared the three-month mark amid international concern that the conflict
was spreading beyond Gaza, drawing in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Hezbollah
forces on the Lebanon-Israel border, and Red Sea shipping lanes. Fears were
heightened after a drone strike on Tuesday killed Hamas deputy leader Saleh
al-Arouri in the Lebanese capital Beirut. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah
vowed on Wednesday that his powerful Iran-backed Shi'ite militia "cannot be
silent" following the killing.”



Africa



Bloomberg: Why Ethiopia’s Red Sea Port Deal With Somaliland Has Somalia On Edge

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“Ethiopia has been landlocked since 1993, when Eritrea gained independence
after a three-decade war, leaving it reliant on its neighbors’ ports. In 2023,
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed identified regaining ocean access as a strategic
objective and warned that failure to secure it could lead to conflict. Somalia,
Eritrea and Djibouti were incensed and said they would oppose any attempt to
infringe on their territories, prompting Abiy to walk back his comments. Then
on Jan. 1, Ethiopia struck a deal to secure direct passage to the Red Sea via
Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, which will get a stake in its
national airline in return. The alliance has stoked tensions across one of the
world’s most volatile regions. A memorandum of understanding envisions Ethiopia
gaining access to the Bab El-Mandeb strait in Gulf of Aden via a corridor that
it would lease from Somaliland for 50 years. Ethiopia could establish a
military base and commercial facilities there. In exchange, Somaliland would
get an unspecified share of Ethiopian Airlines, the continent’s largest
carrier. While President Muse Bihi Abdi of Somaliland said Ethiopia will
officially recognize his country as a sovereign state, Addis Ababa said that
issue is still being assessed.”



Argentina



Reuters: Argentina Detains Three Foreigners On Terrorism Suspicions
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“Argentine authorities have detained three individuals with Syrian and
Lebanese citizenship suspected of plotting a terrorist attack in the South
American country, Argentina's security minister and federal police each said on
Wednesday. Authorities did not give details on the suspects' identities, but
said officials were investigating the suspects' objectives for visiting
Argentina and a 35-kilogram package en route from Yemen to one of the suspects.
"Indications arose of the possible entry into the country of three citizens of
Syrian and Lebanese origin who, after arriving on different flights, were to
meet in the city of Buenos Aires to plan an eventual terrorist act,"
Argentina's Federal Police said in a statement. The police did not specify when
the arrests occurred. Security Minister Patricia Bullrich told journalists that
the suspects had previously entered Argentina with passports from other
countries. She said their identities would not be released until they could be
verified. "Now there is an investigation. We will see if it was indeed a cell
that came to Argentina or if it has another implication," said the minister,
who took office on Dec. 10.”



Technology



BBC: Urgent Need For Terrorism AI Laws, Warns Think Tank
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“The Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) says there is a "clear need for
legislation to keep up" with online terrorist threats. It comes after the UK's
independent terror legislation reviewer was "recruited" by a chatbot in an
experiment. The government says it will do "all we can" to protect the public.
Writing in the Telegraph, the government's independent terrorism legislation
reviewer Jonathan Hall KC said a key issue is that "it is hard to identify a
person who could in law be responsible for chatbot-generated statements that
encouraged terrorism." Mr Hall ran an experiment on Character.ai, a website
where people can have AI-generated conversations with chatbots created by other
users. He chatted to several bots seemingly designed to mimic the responses of
other militant and extremist groups. One even said it was "a senior leader of
Islamic State". Mr Hall said the bot tried to recruit him and expressed "total
dedication and devotion" to the extremist group, proscribed under UK
anti-terrorism laws. But Mr Hall said as the messages were not generated by a
human, no crime was committed under current UK law. New legislation should hold
chatbot creators and the websites which host them responsible, he said.”



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