“Officials of Palestinian militant group Hamas have told international
mediators that they are open to discussing a deal to release some of the
kidnapped Israelis they are holding hostage in exchange for a significant pause
in fighting, Egyptian officials said Tuesday. The overture marks a significant
shift by Hamas, which for weeks has insisted it would only negotiate on
hostages as part of a comprehensive agreement that would lead to a permanent
end to the war that has engulfed Gaza since Hamas militants attacked southern
Israel on Oct. 7. Israel says 1,200 people were killed in the attacks and over
240 taken hostage. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office declined
to comment. Hamas didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Hamas’s
latest proposal comes as fierce fighting rages in the group’s last major
stronghold, the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. Israel says that senior
Hamas figures are hiding in tunnels under Khan Younis with at least some of the
hostages.”











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Eye on Extremism



January 24, 2024



Wall Street Journal: Hamas Open To Releasing Some Israeli Hostages For Pause
In Fighting, Mediators Say
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“Officials of Palestinian militant group Hamas have told international
mediators that they are open to discussing a deal to release some of the
kidnapped Israelis they are holding hostage in exchange for a significant pause
in fighting, Egyptian officials said Tuesday. The overture marks a significant
shift by Hamas, which for weeks has insisted it would only negotiate on
hostages as part of a comprehensive agreement that would lead to a permanent
end to the war that has engulfed Gaza since Hamas militants attacked southern
Israel on Oct. 7. Israel says 1,200 people were killed in the attacks and over
240 taken hostage. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office declined
to comment. Hamas didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Hamas’s
latest proposal comes as fierce fighting rages in the group’s last major
stronghold, the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. Israel says that senior
Hamas figures are hiding in tunnels under Khan Younis with at least some of the
hostages.”



Forbes: Far-Right Extremist Arrested After 4 Years Of Social Media DIY
Chemical Weapons Tutorials, FBI Alleges
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“In November 2019, the FBI was alerted to a Facebook video, a tutorial on how
to produce an “acid gun” that would spray sulfuric acid at a target and
potentially disfigure or seriously injure them. The narrator of the video,
James Morgan, was already on the feds’ radar when a family member told agents
earlier that year they worried he was “extremely racist” and had an “extreme
disdain” for law enforcement. In the video, Morgan told viewers that
“governments should be afraid of their people… So here’s how you make a device
that shoots sulfuric acid.” That’s according to a search warrant and charging
documents filed by the Department of Justice in the last month. Since that 2019
tip, the FBI found Wisconsin resident Morgan posted similar videos on Facebook
and YouTube for a variety of weapons, from other kinds of “acid throwers” to
flamethrowers, the government alleged.”




The CEP CounterPoint: Expert Analysis

* Violence-Oriented Right-Wing Extremist Actors in Russia: Club of Angry
Patriots- Part 2
<[link removed]>
* Follow Britain’s Lead On Banning Hizb Ut-Tahrir
<[link removed]>
* ISIS Redux: The Central Syria Insurgency In December 2023
<[link removed]>
* Violence-Oriented Right-Wing Extremist Actors In Russia: Club Of Angry
Patriots- Part 1
<[link removed]>
* Don't Get Fooled - The Extreme-Right Active Club Network Is Not About
Combat Sports
<[link removed]>



CEP Mentions



The National: Iran Riding 'Uncomfortable Wave' In Wake Of US-UK Attacks On
Houthis
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"... However, a dangerous flashpoint between the countries could come over the
Iranian spy ship Behshad, which reportedly monitors movements in the southern
Red Sea but temporarily departed the area when the first strikes occurred on 11
January. “There is the potential for the Behshad to get caught up in the US
response if it's actively directing attacks that the US is trying to prevent.
Then it will become a target,” said Mr Fitton-Brown, who is now senior adviser
to the Counter Extremism Project. “Washington or London will be saying to the
Iranians, 'this ship has put itself in the role of being a combatant against
our forces, you might want to think about that.”



Iran



Associated Press: Iran Executes Another Prisoner Detained During Nationwide
Protests That Erupted In 2022
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“Iran on Tuesday hanged another prisoner over crimes committed during
nationwide protests that erupted in 2022 following the death of a young woman
detained for improperly wearing her headscarf. The hanging of Mohammad Qobadlu,
who had been convicted in the death of a policeman, drew condemnation from U.N.
experts who said Qobadlu faced unfair proceedings. It was the ninth execution
since the protests, according to a count by The Associated Press. A report on
state television said Qobadlu was executed after being sentenced for killing a
policeman and injuring five others when he ran them over in his car during a
rally in the town of Parand, near the capital of Tehran. The TV report said the
23-year-old Qobadlu, who had confessed to his crime, had access to a lawyer
during the trial. Qobadlu had appealed his death sentence, handed down by a
lower court, but the Supreme Court later upheld the original verdict.”



The Wall Street Journal: Iranian Military Technology And Advisers Aid Houthi
Attacks In Red Sea, Officials Say
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“Iran is sending increasingly sophisticated weapons to its Houthi allies in
Yemen, Western officials and advisers say, enhancing their ability to attack
merchant vessels and disrupt international commerce despite weeks of U.S-led
airstrikes. The Houthis, once derided as a ragtag militia operating in Yemen’s
arid backcountry, have emerged as one of Iran’s most capable proxies, these
officials and analysts say, due to the flow of weapons from Tehran—and their
own homegrown ingenuity. Among other high-end gear, Iran has provided the
Houthis with drone jammers and parts for long-range rockets and missiles. The
Iranians and their Lebanese Hezbollah allies have sent advisers to Yemen to
help the Houthis plan and launch their attacks.”



Iraq



Voice Of America: US Strikes Back At Iran-Supported Militants In Iraq
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“The United States hit Iranian-backed targets in Iraq and Yemen in a span of
about two hours early Wednesday morning, striking a militant headquarters in
Iraq and knocking out more missiles in Yemen that were ready to launch into
international shipping lanes, according to the U.S. military. U.S. military
aircraft hit the Iranian-backed proxies in Iraq just after midnight local time
in response to a series of attacks against U.S. and coalition forces in recent
days. U.S. officials said the airstrikes targeted three facilities in western
Iraq used by Kataib Hezbollah and other Iranian proxy groups. “These strikes
targeted KH [Kataib Hezbollah] headquarters, storage, and training locations
for rocket, missile, and one-way attack UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle]
capabilities,” according to a statement from U.S. Central Command, which
oversees U.S. forces in the region. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned,
separately, that Washington is not ruling out additional strikes, if necessary.”



Pakistan



Associated Press: Trade Resumes As Pakistan And Afghanistan Reopen Torkham
Border Crossing After 10 Days
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“Trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan resumed Tuesday after the two sides
reopened a key northwestern border crossing shut for more than 10 days.
Truckers for years have been able to cross the border without documents, so
they generally do not have them. But Pakistan began mandating truck drivers get
visas last week. The two sides after a series of meetings agreed to reopen the
Torkham border crossing but Pakistan set a new deadline of March 31 for the
truck drivers to get visas, said Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, a director of the
Pakistan-Afghanistan joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Abdul Basir
Zabali, the Taliban-appointed spokesman for the police chief in Nangarhar
province, said the Torkham crossing was reopened after the two sides talked,
but he didn’t give details. The Torkham border crossing has been closed a
number of times in recent months, mainly following clashes between the security
forces for varied reasons including repairs of the border fence by Pakistan.”



Yemen



BBC: War In Yemen: UAE Pay For Political Assassinations
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“United Arab Emirates (UAE) don pay for politically-motivated assassinations
for Yemen, one BBC investigate discover, making di conflict between di Yemen
goment and different militant factions, wey recently return to di eyes of di
international community, to become worse. Di counter-terrorism training wey
America mercenaries give Emirati officers for Yemen na im dem take train area
pipo inside Yemen wey fit work low key – dis don make di political
assassination to increase, one whistleblower tell BBC Arabic Investigations. Di
BBC don also find out say even though di American mercenaries say di purpose of
di training na to eliminate jihadist groups al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS) for
southern Yemen, in fact, UAE don recruit former al-Qaeda members for one
security force wey e create inside Yemen to fight di Houthi rebel movement plus
oda armed factions. UAE goment don deny di allegations for our investigation –
say im bin assassinate pipo wey no get any link to terrorism - saying dem dey
"false and witout merit.”



Bloomberg: Red Sea Turmoil Sends Economic Shockwaves Far And Wide
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“Two months of missile, drone and hijacking attacks against civilian ships in
the Red Sea have caused the biggest diversion of international trade in
decades, pushing up costs for shippers as far away as Asia and North America.
The disruption is spreading, fueling fears of broader economic fallout.
Repeated rounds of retaliatory strikes by the US and its allies, as well as a
multinational naval operation to patrol the waters, haven’t stopped the
assaults by the Houthi militants that followed the start of the Israel-Hamas
war. With sailors demanding double pay and insurance rates skyrocketing,
shipping lines are steering clear of a waterway that normally carries 12% of
the world’s seaborne trade. More than 500 container ships that would have
sailed through the Red Sea to and from the Suez Canal, carrying everything from
clothing and toys to auto parts, are now adding two weeks to their routes to
travel around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa, according to
Flexport. That’s about a quarter of all the container-shipping capacity in the
world, according to the digital logistics platform.”



Middle East



Associated Press: 21 Israeli Troops Are Killed In The Deadliest Attack On The
Military Since The Gaza Offensive Began
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“Palestinian militants carried out the deadliest single attack on Israeli
forces in Gaza since the Hamas raid that triggered the war, killing 21
soldiers, the military said Tuesday — a significant setback that could add to
mounting calls for a cease-fire. Hours later, the military announced that
ground forces had encircled the southern city of Khan Younis, Gaza’s second
largest, and thick, black smoke could be seen rising over the city as thousands
of Palestinians fled south. Witnesses said Israeli tanks and troops had also
moved into Muwasi, a nearby coastal area that the military had previously
declared a safe zone for Palestinians. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
mourned the Israeli soldiers, who died when the blast from a rocket-propelled
grenade triggered explosives they were laying to blow up buildings. But he
vowed to press ahead until “absolute victory,” including crushing Hamas and
freeing more than 100 Israeli hostages still held by the militants.”



Egypt



CBS: Egypt Lashes Out At "Extremist Israeli Leaders" After Netanyahu Says IDF
Must Seize Gaza-Egypt Buffer Zone
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“Egyptian officials have lashed out over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's
suggestion that Israel will have to take control of a roughly 100-yard buffer
zone on the Gaza side of the war-torn Palestinian territory's 9-mile-long
border with Egypt. Israeli officials have said smuggling across that buffer,
known as the Philadelphi Corridor, both above ground and through tunnels, has
provided Gaza's Hamas rulers with weapons and other supplies — allegations that
Egypt vehemently denies. "The Philadelphi Corridor — or to put it more
correctly, the southern stoppage point [of the Gaza Strip] — must be in our
hands. It must be shut," Netanyahu said at the end of December, warning that
his country's war against Hamas, sparked by the group's brutal Oct. 7 attack on
Israel, would go on for many months. "It is clear that any other arrangement
would not ensure the demilitarization that we seek."



Nigeria



Associated Press: Blinken Pitches The US As An Alternative To Russia’s Wagner
In Africa’s Troubled Sahel
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“U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday pitched the United States
as a better security partner for Africa in place of Russia’s Wagner mercenary
group, which he accused of exploiting coup-hit and conflict-hit nations in the
continent’s Sahel region. Blinken, who is visiting Nigeria as part of an Africa
tour to strengthen bilateral relations, said the U.S. will continue to support
Nigeria and other regional partners in their efforts to help stabilize the
Sahel, the vast region south of the Sahara Desert that Islamic extremist groups
have turned into a global terror hot spot as it struggles with a recent spate
of coups. “We hope it can make a difference in restoring the constitutional
order and restoring a critical partner in trying to find security in the
region,” Blinken told reporters in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, speaking in
particular about Niger, where a coup has threatened years of support by Western
and European nations.”



Somalia



Associated Press: The US Military Has Carried Out Airstrikes In Somalia That
Killed 3 Al-Qaida-Linked Militants
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“The U.S. military said Tuesday that it conducted airstrikes in Somalia over
the weekend that killed three al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab militants and that
there were no civilian casualties. The U.S. Africa Command, based in Stuttgart
Germany, said in a statement that the strikes were done at the request of
Somalia’s government, and they were carried out in a remote area about 35
kilometers (20 miles) northeast of port city Kismayo on Sunday. The statement
didn’t give the identity of those targeted There was no immediate response from
al-Shabab. Al-Shabab is the largest and most active al-Qaida network in the
world and has proved both its will and capability to attack U.S. forces and
threaten Washington’s security interests, the statement said. The militants
have been waging a 16-year-old insurgency against the weak, Western-backed
Somali government, which is being bolstered by African Union peacekeeping
troops.”



Associated Press: Civil War Turned Somalia’s Main Soccer Stadium Into An Army
Camp. Now It’s Hosting Games Again
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“A stadium in Somalia’s violence-prone capital is hosting its first soccer
tournament in three decades, drawing thousands of people to a sports facility
that had been abandoned for decades and later became a military base amid the
country’s civil war. Somali authorities have spent years working to restore the
national stadium in Mogadishu, and on Dec. 29 Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre
inaugurated a national soccer tournament. The competition is a milestone in
efforts to restore public life after decades of violence. Somalia’s fragile
central government is still struggling to assert itself after the nationwide
chaos that began with the fall of dictator Siad Barre in 1991, when public
facilities like the Mogadishu stadium fell into neglect. The air crackles with
anticipation as thousands pour into the stadium each afternoon. Crowds roar
with the thrill of competition.”



Africa



Wall Street Journal: Spread Of Militants, Coups Draws U.S. Attention To West
Africa
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“Top U.S. diplomats, worried about Islamist insurgencies spreading through
western Africa, are urging stable countries on the region’s coast to insulate
themselves by improving government services and addressing divisive grievances
before it is too late. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Ivory
Coast this week, touting a $300 million American program to help shore up
governments along Africa’s Atlantic Coast, including those in Benin, Ghana,
Guinea and Togo. In Ivory Coast, the world’s largest cocoa producer and one of
Africa’s fastest-growing economies, Blinken announced $45 million in funding
that, among other initiatives, will help equip police in the country and its
neighbors to serve as an early-warning system of militant infiltration and
recruitment. “We spent a good deal of time talking about regional security
challenges,” Blinken said after meeting Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara in
the country’s largest city, Abidjan, on Tuesday. “We appreciate particularly
the leadership shown by Côte d’Ivoire in countering a trend of extremism and
violence,” he added, using Ivory Coast’s French name.”



Germany



Politico: German Court Bans Funding For Extreme-Right Party, Fueling Debate On
AfD
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“Germany’s top court ruled in favor of cutting state funding for an
extreme-right party in a decision that is likely to further fuel an already
strident debate in the country about whether legal steps should be taken to
rein in the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). In a landmark ruling
Tuesday, the Constitutional Court said state financing for a marginal,
extremist party known as Die Heimat, or The Homeland — previously known as the
National Democratic Party or NPD — could be cut because the party “shows
disdain for the free democratic basic order” and aims to replace German
democracy with an authoritarian state based on Nazi-era notions of a racially
unified Volksgemeinschaft, or “people’s community.” The decision is amplifying
an impassioned debate in Germany about whether to undertake a legal effort to
counter the AfD. For weeks, politicians have weighed in on the possibility of
an outright prohibition of the party. Tuesday’s court decision is now sparking
discussion on the possibility of revoking the party’s state funding.”



China



Associated Press: China Says It’s Working To De-Escalate Tensions In The Red
Sea That Have Upended Global Trade
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“China, the world’s biggest exporter, says it is deeply concerned about
tensions in the Red Sea that have upended global trade by forcing many shippers
to avoid the Suez Canal. China has been in “close communication with all
parties concerned and making positive efforts to de-escalate” the situation in
which Iran-backed Houthi rebels have attacked international ships with
missiles, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a daily briefing on
Wednesday. “China calls for a halt to the harassment and attacks on civilian
ships and urges all relevant parties to avoid fanning flames in the area and
jointly ensure the safety and security of the route in the Red Sea,” Wang said.
Since November, the Iranian-backed Houthis have launched at least 34 attacks on
shipping through the waterways leading up to Egypt’s Suez Canal, a vital route
for energy and cargo coming from Asia and the Middle East onward to Europe.”



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