“A Sacramento man has pleaded guilty to attempting to provide financial support
to a foreign terrorist organization, the United States Department of Justice
announced Monday. On February 18, 2021 a federal grand jury returned a
single-count indictment against Murat Kurashev, 36, who is also a Russian
national, according to the US Department of Justice (DOJ). Kurashev allegedly
tried to provide financial support to terrorist organization Hayat Tahrir
al-Sham, which is based in Syria. The investigation was spearheaded by the FBI,
whose agents then arrested Kurashev. On Monday, Kurashev pleaded guilty to the
charges. Court documents allege that Kurashev attempted to provide financial
support to known terrorist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which
engages in terrorism in Syria, the DOJ says. Further, between July 2020 and
February 2021, Kurashev allegedly sent approximately $13,000 to two known
couriers of an HTS fundraiser.”











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Eye on Extremism



January 9, 2024



CBS: Sacramento Man Pleads Guilty To Providing Aid To Terrorist Organization
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“A Sacramento man has pleaded guilty to attempting to provide financial
support to a foreign terrorist organization, the United States Department of
Justice announced Monday. On February 18, 2021 a federal grand jury returned a
single-count indictment against Murat Kurashev, 36, who is also a Russian
national, according to the US Department of Justice (DOJ). Kurashev allegedly
tried to provide financial support to terrorist organization Hayat Tahrir
al-Sham, which is based in Syria. The investigation was spearheaded by the FBI,
whose agents then arrested Kurashev. On Monday, Kurashev pleaded guilty to the
charges. Court documents allege that Kurashev attempted to provide financial
support to known terrorist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which
engages in terrorism in Syria, the DOJ says. Further, between July 2020 and
February 2021, Kurashev allegedly sent approximately $13,000 to two known
couriers of an HTS fundraiser.”



New York Times: Oct. 7 Assaults, Including Sexual Violence, Could Be Crimes
Against Humanity, 2 U.N. Experts Say
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“Violence that included sexual atrocities committed during the Hamas-led
attacks on Oct. 7 in Israel amounts to war crimes and may also be crimes
against humanity, two United Nations human rights experts said on Monday,
following months of frustrated accusations from Israel and women’s groups that
the U.N. was ignoring the rape and sexual mutilation of women during the Oct. 7
invasion. Alice Jill Edwards, a special rapporteur on torture, and Morris
Tidball-Binz, a special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary
executions, said the growing evidence of sexual violence in the day’s wide
range of “brutal attacks” was “particularly harrowing,” noting allegations of
sexual assault, gang rape, mutilation and gunshots to the genital areas. In a
statement, they called for “full accountability for the multitude of alleged
crimes,” and urged all parties to agree to a cease-fire, abide by international
law, and investigate any crimes alleged to have occurred during the fighting.
“These acts constitute gross violations of international law, amounting to war
crimes which, given the number of victims and the extensive premeditation and
planning of the attacks, may also qualify as crimes against humanity,” they
said. “There are no circumstances that justify their perpetration.”

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United States



Reuters: Pentagon Says Not Planning A US Withdrawal From Iraq
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“The Pentagon said on Monday it was not currently planning to withdraw its
roughly 2,500 troops from Iraq, despite Baghdad's announcement last week it
would begin the process of removing the U.S.-led military coalition from the
country. "Right now, I'm not aware of any plans (to plan for withdrawal). We
continue to remain very focused on the defeat ISIS mission," Air Force Major
General Patrick Ryder told a news briefing, using an acronym for Islamic State.
He added that U.S. forces are in Iraq at the invitation of its government.
Ryder said he was also unaware of any notification by Baghdad to the Department
of Defense about a decision to remove U.S. troops and referred reporters to the
U.S. State Department for any diplomatic discussions on the matter. Prime
Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's office announced on Friday the moves to
evict U.S. forces following a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad that was condemned
by the government. The Pentagon said the strike killed a militia leader
responsible for recent attacks on U.S. personnel. Sudani's office released a
statement saying a committee would be formed to "put arrangements to end the
presence of the international coalition forces in Iraq permanently."”



Reuters: U.S. Air Strike Foils Rocket Attack On Iraqi Air Base - Sources
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“A U.S. air strike on a rocket launcher late on Monday foiled an attack on Ain
al-Asad air base, which hosts U.S. and other international forces in western
Iraq, two Iraqi army sources said. Iraqi military sources said a rocket
launcher fixed on the back of a small truck had been parked in a rural area
about 7 km (4 miles) to the east of the base, with at least two rockets ready
to be fired towards Ain al-Asad. The U.S. air strike destroyed the launcher, an
army official said. U.S.-led coalition officials were not immediately available
to comment on the strike. The United States has 900 troops in Syria and 2,500
more in neighbouring Iraq and says their mission is to advise and assist local
forces trying to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State, which in 2014 seized
large swathes of both countries but was later pushed back. Since the
Israel-Hamas war began last October, the U.S. military has come under attack at
least 100 times in Iraq and Syria, usually with a mix of rockets and attack
drones. Iran-aligned militia groups in Iraq and Syria oppose Israel's campaign
in Gaza and hold the U.S. partly responsible.”



Syria



Reuters: Israel Shifts To Deadlier Strikes On Iran-Linked Targets In Syria
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“Israel is carrying out an unprecedented wave of deadly strikes in Syria
targeting cargo trucks, infrastructure and people involved in Iran's weapons
lifeline to its proxies in the region, six sources with direct knowledge of the
matter told Reuters. The sources, including a Syrian military intelligence
officer and a commander in the regional alliance backing Damascus, said Israel
had shifted strategies following the Oct. 7 rampage by Hamas fighters into
Israeli territory and the ensuing Israeli bombing campaigns in Gaza and
Lebanon. Although Israel has struck Iran-linked targets in Syria for years,
including areas where Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has been active, it is now
unleashing deadlier, more frequent air raids against Iranian arms transfers and
air defence systems in Syria, the sources said. The commander in the regional
alliance and two additional sources familiar with Hezbollah's thinking said
Israel had abandoned the unspoken "rules of the game" that previously
characterised its strikes in Syria, and seemed "no longer cautious" about
inflicting heavy casualties on Hezbollah there.”



Afghanistan



Associated Press: Taliban-Appointed Prime Minister Meets With A Top Pakistan
Politician In Hopes Of Reducing Tensions
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“Afghanistan’s Taliban-appointed prime minister met Monday with one of
Pakistan’s most senior politicians in an attempt to reduce lingering tensions
between the two countries, a spokesman for the Taliban government said. Fazlur
Rehman, whose Jamiat Ulema Islam party is known for backing the Afghan Taliban,
is the first senior Pakistani politician to visit Kabul since the Taliban
seized power in neighboring Afghanistan in August 2021 as U.S. and NATO troops
withdrew from the country after 20 years of war. The Pakistani delegation met
with Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund in Kabul, Taliban spokesman
Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement. Rehman’s party in a social media post
confirmed the meeting. Rehman has no current position in Pakistan’s government,
but he is close to the military. His visit comes less than a week after Mullah
Shirin, the governor of Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, traveled to Islamabad
and met with Pakistan’s caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani. They
discussed issues including Pakistan’s ongoing expulsion of Afghans without
valid documents.”



Lebanon



BBC: Suspected Israeli Strike In Lebanon Kills Senior Hezbollah Commander
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“Wissam Tawil was reportedly a member of the group's elite Radwan Force, and
one of the most prominent Hezbollah figures to be killed in the current
violence. Israel's military did not comment, but it did say it had hit
Hezbollah targets in response to cross-border attacks. The clashes have raised
fears of a wider regional conflict. Hezbollah is an Iran-backed group that
wields considerable military and political power in Lebanon. It is designated
as a terrorist organisation by Israel, the UK and other Western powers. Its
fighters have exchanged fire with Israeli forces almost every day along the
border since the start of the war between Israel and the Palestinian group
Hamas in the Gaza Strip on 7 October. Israel's prime minister told soldiers
stationed on the border with Lebanon on Monday that he was determined to "do
everything necessary to restore security to the north". Lebanon's state-run
National News Agency reported that two people - whom it did not name - were
killed in an Israeli air strike that targeted a car in the al-Dabsha area of
Khirbet Selim at around 10:15 (08:15 GMT) on Monday.”



Middle East



Associated Press: Israel’s Military Says No Damage Was Caused In A Strike On
An Army Base In Northern Israel
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“Israel’s military said no damage was caused to one of its army bases in
northern Israel after Hezbollah said it launched explosive drones Tuesday
toward the area, while an Israeli drone strike in Lebanon killed three members
of the militant group, officials said. The Israeli military did not specify
exactly where the base was located. Hezbollah said it targeted the Israeli
army’s northern command headquarters in Safed with several drones. Hezbollah
said the attack was in retaliation for an Israeli strike in Beirut last week
that killed top Hamas official Saleh Arouri and six others, and for a drone
strike on Monday that killed Hezbollah commander Wissam al-Tawil, the most
senior member of the Iran-backed group to be killed in recent months. Safed is
a city away from where daily Israel-Hezbollah skirmishes have been taking
place. The Israeli military said its air defense system was activated to try to
intercept “hostile aircraft” and that a projectile struck the base, without
specifying where it hit.”



BBC: Israeli Border Residents Demand Action As Hezbollah Clashes Escalate
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“When she heard and watched reports of what was happening in southern Israel
that morning, as heavily armed Hamas gunmen streamed out of Gaza, she was
immediately taken back to stories from the "Yom Kippur" or 1973 Middle East
war, when Israel was attacked simultaneously on two fronts. "I was terrified.
Everyone was sleeping in and I thought it's going to be '73 all over again and
Hezbollah is coming for us too," says Efrat, as our interview in her front
garden is punctuated by the regular loud thud of outgoing Israeli artillery
fire. "Immediately, I woke everyone up and very quickly got everything together
and drove to a relative's house in the centre of Israel." After a month the
family returned to their house near Kiryat Shmona, frustrated because they're
still living on the edge of a war zone - a "buffer zone" as Efrat calls it -
well within range of Hezbollah rockets being fired from southern Lebanon. "What
we fear most is that nothing will be done because Hezbollah are just waiting
there on the border to come in and invade Israel," says the mother-of-three. "I
cannot sleep in peace. I want my government to make sure that we have real
security here. If it is necessary, they should act and destroy Hezbollah
infrastructure in Lebanon."”



Associated Press: With Each Strike, Fears Grow That Israel, The US And Iran’s
Allies Are Inching Closer To All-Out War
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“In the last week alone, an Israeli airstrike has killed a Hezbollah commander
in Lebanon, Hezbollah struck a sensitive Israeli base with rockets and Israel
killed a senior Hamas militant with an airstrike in Beirut. Each strike and
counterstrike increases the risk of the catastrophic war in Gaza spilling
across the region. In the decades-old standoff pitting the U.S. and Israel
against Iran and allied militant groups, there are fears that any party could
trigger a wider war if only to avoid appearing weak. A U.S. airstrike killed an
Iran-backed militia leader in Baghdad last week, and the U.S. Navy recently
traded fire with Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. The divisions
within each camp add another layer of volatility. Hamas might have hoped its
Oct. 7 rampage across southern Israel that triggered the war in Gaza would drag
its allies into a wider conflict. Israelis increasingly talk about the need to
change the equation in Lebanon even as Washington aims to contain the conflict.
As the intertwined chess games grow more complicated, the potential for
miscalculation rises.”



Europe



Associated Press: Danish Appeals Court Upholds Guilty Verdicts For 3 Iranians
Convicted On Terror Charges
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“A Danish appeals court on Tuesday upheld guilty verdicts for three members of
an Iranian separatist group convicted of promoting terror in Iran and gathering
information for an unnamed Saudi intelligence service. The three were arrested
in February 2020 in the town of Ringsted, 60 kilometers (40 miles) southwest of
the Danish capital of Copenhagen, and convicted of promoting terror over a
deadly attack on a military parade in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahwaz in
September 2018. The Eastern Court in Copenhagen said Tuesday the men belonged
to the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz and had been
gathering information about individuals and organizations in Denmark and
abroad, as well as on Iranian military affairs, and passing it on to Saudi
intelligence. Prosecutor Henrik Aagaard said the case underscored “how foreign
powers carry out their activities on Danish soil.” The men, who were not
identified according to Danish rules, face up to 12 years in prison. Their
sentences based on the ruling by the Eastern High Court are to be announced
later this year.”



Wall Street Journal: How France Fumbled Its Africa Ties And Set Off A
Geopolitical Crisis
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“Shortly after a military coup in the West African country of Mali, senior
U.S. officials traveled to Paris for a discreet meeting with French
counterparts, who presented them with a list of names. In an ornate office in
the Élysée Palace, President Emmanuel Macron’s top Africa diplomats proposed
four prominent Malian politicians as potential successors to the country’s
ousted pro-French leader, a person familiar with the meeting said. The Malian
military had toppled President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta in August 2020 following
months of protests against him and his links to the country’s former colonial
power. The French officials suggested they could still engineer a new civilian
government, the person said, and wanted American backing for their prime
contenders during talks with the coup plotters. Spokespeople for the U.S.
National Security Council and the Élysée declined to comment on the previously
unreported September 2020 meeting. Interviews with more than a dozen current
and former French, African and international officials and experts suggest that
the episode was emblematic of the increasingly turbulent and often disjointed
relationship between France and its 20 former African colonies—and how Macron’s
administration has fumbled those ties.”



Australia



Washington Post: Australia Bans Nazi Salutes, Swastikas After Extremist
Right-Wing Protests
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“Displays of Nazi salutes and symbols were banned in Australia starting
Monday, with lawbreakers facing 12 months’ imprisonment. The ban will “ensure
no one in Australia will be allowed to glorify or profit from acts and symbols
that celebrate the Nazis and their evil ideology,” Attorney General Mark
Dreyfus said in a statement Monday. Displays of Nazism are legally restricted
in more than a dozen countries, particularly within Europe, according to Yad
Vashem, a Holocaust remembrance center. However, in the United States, a
Supreme Court ruling in 1977 upheld the National Socialist Party of America’s
right to demonstrate while displaying Nazi symbols under the First Amendment,
which protects freedom of speech. The Australian bill was introduced in June by
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left government, after incidents where
Nazi salutes were used. These included a rally against rights for transgender
people in March and an anti-immigration rally in May, both outside the Victoria
state parliament house in Melbourne.”



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