“Al-Shabaab militants raided the National Intelligence Security Agency (NISA)
base in Bal'ad town near the Somali capital, Mogadishu, sources say, in the
latest attack which comes at the time Somalia is fighting violent extremism.
According to multiple sources, the militants targeted three checkpoints and a
security office in the town. After the raid, reports indicate, the militants
started retreating from the town to strategic areas perhaps awaiting a response
from the national army. Photos taken from the scene of the Saturday morning
attack show a badly destroyed NISA building where Al-Shabab had detonated their
explosives leading to the damage. Al-Shabaab claims their fighters entered the
station and “most” of the town’s neighbourhoods. Local sources now say the
militants are retreating, but the number of casualties remains unknown. The
militants have been on rampant onslaught as most Muslims in the country observe
the Holy Month of Ramadan.”











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Eye on Extremism



April 8, 2024



Garowe Online: Al-Shabaab Attacks Strategic Town Near Somali Capital
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“Al-Shabaab militants raided the National Intelligence Security Agency (NISA)
base in Bal'ad town near the Somali capital, Mogadishu, sources say, in the
latest attack which comes at the time Somalia is fighting violent extremism.
According to multiple sources, the militants targeted three checkpoints and a
security office in the town. After the raid, reports indicate, the militants
started retreating from the town to strategic areas perhaps awaiting a response
from the national army. Photos taken from the scene of the Saturday morning
attack show a badly destroyed NISA building where Al-Shabab had detonated their
explosives leading to the damage. Al-Shabaab claims their fighters entered the
station and “most” of the town’s neighbourhoods. Local sources now say the
militants are retreating, but the number of casualties remains unknown. The
militants have been on rampant onslaught as most Muslims in the country observe
the Holy Month of Ramadan.”



Reuters: Turkey Detains 48 People With Suspected Ties To Islamic State,
Minister Says
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“Turkish authorities have detained 48 people suspected of having ties to
Islamic State in connection with a shooting at an Istanbul church in January,
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on X on Saturday. One Turkish citizen was
killed by two Islamic State gunmen at the Italian Santa Maria Catholic Church
in Istanbul in January.”




CEP Expert Analysis

* ISIS Redux: The Central Syria Insurgency in March 2024
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* CEP Report: Central Syria’s ISIS Insurgency In 2023
<[link removed]>
* CEP Statement Calling For U.S. Sanctions Against Qatar, DIMDEX Conference,
And Al Thani Royal Family
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* Extremist Content Online: The Base Calls For Members of Other White
Supremacist Groups to Join
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* CEP Webinar: Cruel And Unusual Punishment – How The Houthis Target Women,
Journalists And Religious Minorities
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CEP Mentions



The Sunday Paper: Meth’s Route From Taliban-Run Afghanistan To Australia
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“...Hans-Jakob Schindler, director of the Berlin- and New York-based Counter
Extremism Project, says drugs are “just one of the standard income streams for
terrorism financing”. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and
Crime, the Taliban, up until its victory in the war for control of Afghanistan,
was earning almost $3 billion a year from trafficking opium and heroin, which
accounted for as much as 14 per cent of Afghanistan’s gross domestic product.
The Taliban’s capture of Afghanistan presents a huge, but largely
unacknowledged, danger to world security. The Taliban is now protecting dozens
of banned and sanctioned terrorist organisations that fought alongside it
throughout the 20-year war against the Western-supported republic. The close
relationship between Taliban leaders and Al Qaeda has never diminished, despite
lies told to negotiators during the “peace negotiations” that led to the 2020
Doha agreement and the catastrophic American withdrawal approved by United
Sates President Joe Biden the following year.”



Voice Of America: Worrying Signs Exist That IS Growing Stronger In Syria
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“...The nonprofit Counter Extremism Project (CEP), in a report released
earlier this week, counted at least 69 confirmed attacks by the Islamic State
group, also known as IS, ISIS or Daesh, in central Syria last month. The
attacks resulted in the deaths of at least 84 Syrian soldiers and 44 civilians,
and more than doubled the total number of confirmed IS operations for all of
2024. "March was, by every metric, the most violent month of ISIS’s Badia
[central Syrian desert] insurgency since late 2017, when the group first lost
control of its territory," according to the CEP report. "The unique and
alarming difference in March was the scale of attacks against security forces,"
the report added. "ISIS cells successfully and consistently targeted regime
outposts and ambushed patrols, frequently capturing and executing soldiers."
And at a time when most of the world is focused on Islamic State’s Afghan
affiliate, blamed for the deadly attack last month on a concert hall near
Moscow, CEP is not alone in its warning about the group’s Syrian operatives.”



Modern Tokyo Times: ISIS Attacks In Syria Are Increasing: NATO Turkey Bombs
SDF (Kurds)
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“…In total, over 200 Syrian soldiers and fighters affiliated with the Syrian
government have been killed this year by ISIS. Attacks are notably happening in
Deir Ezzor, Homs, and al-Raqa provinces. The Counter Extremism Project (CEP)
reports,“March was, by every metric, the most violent month of ISIS’s Badia
[central Syrian desert] insurgency since late 2017, when the group first lost
control of its territory.”



United States



Reuters: US On High Alert For Iran Threat In Region After Israeli Strike In
Syria
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“The United States is on high alert and preparing for a possible attack by
Iran targeting Israeli or American assets in the region in response to Israel's
strike on the Iranian embassy in Syria, a U.S. official said on Friday. "We're
definitely at a high state of vigilance," the official said in confirming a CNN
report that said an attack could come in the next week. Suspected Israeli
warplanes bombed Iran's embassy in Damascus on Monday in a strike that killed
an Iranian military commander and marked a major escalation in Israel's war
with its regional adversaries. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has
said that seven Iranian military advisers died in the strike, including
Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in its Quds Force, which is an elite
foreign espionage and paramilitary arm. Iran has said it reserves the right "to
take a decisive response." U.S. President Joe Biden discussed the threat from
Iran in a phone call on Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu. "Our teams have been in regular and continuous contact since then.
The United States fully supports the defense of Israel against threats from
Iran," a senior Biden administration official said.”



Associated Press: Biden Urges Egypt, Qatar Leaders To Press Hamas To Come To
Agreement For Israeli Hostages In Gaza
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“President Joe Biden on Friday wrote to the leaders of Egypt and Qatar,
calling on them to press Hamas for a hostage deal with Israel, according to a
senior administration official, one day after Biden called on Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to redouble efforts to reach a cease-fire in the
six-month-old war in Gaza. The official, who spoke on the condition of
anonymity to discuss the private letters, said Biden’s national security
adviser, Jake Sullivan, will meet Monday with family members of some of the
estimated 100 hostages who are believed to still be in Gaza. The letters to
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Qatar’s ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim
bin Hamad Al Thani, come as Biden has deployed CIA Director William Burns to
Cairo for talks this weekend about the hostage crisis. David Barnea, the head
of Mossad, Israel’s spy agency, and negotiators from Egypt and Qatar are
expected to attend. The Hamas side of the talks is indirect, with proposals
relayed through third parties to Hamas leaders sheltering in tunnels beneath
Gaza.”



Syria



The National: Notorious Iraqi Extremist Killed In Suicide Bombing In Syria
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“A notorious Iraqi extremist leader was killed in a suicide bombing in
Syria's rebel-held north-west, it was revealed on Friday. Abu Maria Al Qahtani
was killed in an attack by an ISIS fighter using an explosive belt, said former
Al Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, which rules Syria's last remaining
rebel bastion, on its affiliated Amjad media outlet. Al Qahtani, whose real
name was Maysar Ali Musa Abdallah Al Juburi, "was killed and two of his
companions seriously injured after a suicide bomber blew himself up", the
UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The war monitor, which has a
network of sources in Syria, did not provide further details about the identity
of the suicide bomber. No group has so far claimed responsibility for Al
Qahtani's killing. He was one of the founders of Al Nusra Front, a former Al
Qaeda offshoot in Syria that later renamed itself Hayat Tahrir Al Sham. The US
designated Hayat Tahrir a terrorist organisation and the group has long been a
target for Syrian government troops and Russian forces.”



Voice Of America: Report: 20 Killed In Clashes In Syria's Restive Daraa
Province
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“At least 20 people were killed in clashes Sunday in Syria's Daraa governate
a day after an explosion killed a group of children, a rights monitor said.
Daraa was the cradle of the 2011 uprising against President Bashar Assad but it
returned to government control in 2018 under a cease-fire deal backed by
Russia. The southern province has since been plagued by unrest. The Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights monitor said Ahmed al-Labbad, who "leads an armed
group," was accused by a rival group of planting an explosive device that
killed eight children Saturday in the city of Al-Sanamayn. Labbad, who
previously worked for a state security agency, denied involvement, according to
the Britain-based monitor. On Sunday, a rival armed group led by an individual
who previously belonged to Islamic State (IS) and is now "affiliated with
military intelligence," entered Al-Sanamayn and clashes erupted, the monitor
said. The attackers burned the homes of the Labbad family and killed people
living there, it added. Among the 20 dead were three members of Labbad's family
and 14 of his fighters, the observatory said.”



Iran



Associated Press: Iranian Commander Renews Vow To Avenge Syria Strike
Attributed To Israel That Killed 2 Generals
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“A top military commander Saturday renewed Iran’s promise to retaliate after
an airstrike earlier this week widely blamed on Israel destroyed Iran’s
consulate in Syria, killing 12 people, including two elite Iranian generals.
Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, Iran’s joint chief of staff, told mourners gathered for
the funeral of Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahdi that Iran will decide when and how to
stage an “operation” to take revenge. Zahdi was the highest ranking commander
slain in Monday’s attack. “The time, type, plan of the operation will be
decided by us, in a way that makes Israel regret what it did,” he said. “This
will definitely be done.” The attack on an Iranian diplomatic compound was a
significant escalation in a long-running shadow war between the two
archenemies, and Israel has been bracing for an Iranian response. In all, 12
people were killed in the strike: Seven Iranian Revolutionary Guard members,
four Syrians and a Hezbollah militia member. On Friday, the commander of Iran’s
powerful Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Hossein Salami, warned that “our brave men
will punish the Zionist regime,” escalating threats against Israel.”



Iraq



Reuters: Iraq To Send 10 Million Litres Of Fuel To Gaza
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“Iraq agreed on Sunday to send 10 million litres of fuel to the Gaza Strip in
support of the Palestinian people, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said.
Iraq also agreed to receive wounded Palestinians from Gaza and provide them
treatment in government and private hospitals, the prime minister added in a
statement. The lack of fuel has crippled hospitals, water systems, bakeries and
relief operations in the strip. The Gaza war began when Hamas, which controls
Gaza, sent fighters into Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people, mostly
civilians, and seizing 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Since Oct.
7, at least 33,175 Palestinians have been killed by Israel's military offensive
on Gaza, with 75,886 others injured, according to Palestinian health
authorities.”



Afghanistan



Voice Of America: Afghan Women Deprived Of Rights Under Taliban Face Mental
Health Issues
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“The past 2½ years have been “very tough” for 28-year-old Maryam Maroof
Arvin, as she has been “deprived of all her rights” under the Taliban in
Afghanistan. Arvin was a master’s degree student in a private university in
Kabul in December 2022 when the Taliban, the de facto government of
Afghanistan, barred women from universities. “It has created in me a feeling of
depression. I am under mental and psychological pressure, and I feel very
angry,” said Arvin who dreamed of becoming a politician to raise the voices for
Afghan women. A U.N. report, released in September 2023, stated that under the
Taliban, who seized power in 2021, the mental health of women in Afghanistan
deteriorated. According to the report, more than two-thirds of women in
Afghanistan reported “feelings of anxiety, isolation and depression” between
April and June. “Women spoke of psychological issues, including depression,
insomnia, loss of hope and motivation, anxiety, fear, aggression, isolation and
increasingly isolationist behavior, and suicidal ideation,” the report stated.”



Pakistan



The Times Of India: Pakistan: 6 Security Personnel And 12 Militants Killed In
Anti-Terror Operations Across Country
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“The media wing of the Pakistan armed forces on Sunday said that six security
personnel, including a senior police officer and 12 militants were killed in
separate terror incidents and security operations in Pakistan's Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces in the past two days. According to the
officials, four militants were killed in two separate incidents in Balochistan
while, eight militants were killed in the Kot Sultan area of Kulachi tehsil in
Dera Ismail Khan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when the security forces
carried out an operation against them. The Inter-Services Public relations
(ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan armed forces added that the security
forces recovered weapons, ammunition and explosives from the eliminated
terrorists. Meanwhile, a DSP and two cops were also killed and a constable was
injured in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by the armed miscreants in two separate incidents
on Friday night. The officials said DSP Gul Muhammad, along with other
policemen, had set up a temporary checkpoint on the busy Peshawar-Karachi
highway as part of police's security preparations before the festival of
Eid-ul-Fitr.”



Associated Press: Motorcycle Bomb Kills 2 People And Wounds 5 In Pakistan’s
Restive Southwest <[link removed]>



“A motorcycle bomb killed two people and wounded five in Pakistan’s
southwest, a police official said Sunday. It’s the latest unrest to hit
Baluchistan province, where militants have tried to target a naval facility and
a government building in recent weeks. Nobody immediately claimed
responsibility for Sunday’s blast in Khuzdar, which is on the main highway
connecting the provincial capital Quetta with the port city of Karachi in
neighboring Sindh province. Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Arif Zarkon said a
woman and two police officers were among the wounded. For years, Baluchistan
has been the scene of a low-level insurgency by groups demanding independence
from the central government in Islamabad. Although the government says it has
quelled the insurgency, violence in the province has persisted. Last Saturday,
an improvised explosive device killed one person and wounded 14, including
three soldiers.”



Yemen



Reuters: Yemen's Houthis Say They Targeted Western Ships
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“Houthi forces in Yemen said on Sunday they had launched rockets and drones
at British, U.S. and Israeli ships, the latest in a campaign of attacks on
shipping in support of Palestinians in the Gaza war. The Iran-aligned group
said it had targeted a British ship and a number of U.S. frigates in the Red
Sea, while in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean it had attacked two Israeli
vessels heading to Israeli ports. The operations took place during the last 72
hours, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised statement,
without providing further details of the attacks. Britain and the United States
have also been launching retaliatory strikes against the Houthis. U.S. forces
destroyed a mobile surface-to-air missile system in a Houthi-controlled area of
Yemen Saturday, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said. U.S. forces also shot
down an unmanned aerial vehicle over the Red Sea, its statement said, adding
that a coalition vessel also detected, engaged and destroyed one inbound
anti-ship missile. No injuries or damage were reported.”



Middle East



Reuters: Israeli Military Says It Has Increased Its Readiness For War In North
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“The Israeli military said on Sunday that it had completed another step in
preparing for a possible war along its northern front, where it has been
trading fire with the Lebanese militia Hezbollah for six months. In a statement
titled "Readiness for the Transition from Defense to Offense," the military
said the phase completed centred on logistics "for a broad mobilization of IDF
(Israel Defence Forces) troops". "The commanders of the regular and reserve
units are prepared to summon and equip all the required soldiers in just a few
hours and transport them to the front line for defensive and offensive
missions," the military said. Hezbollah has been trading fire with Israel
across Lebanon's southern border since Oct. 8, a day after the Palestinian
group Hamas launched an attack on Israel that triggered Israel's war in Gaza,
and has sent shock waves throughout the Middle East. Earlier, the military said
it launched airstrikes on eastern Lebanon and hit Hezbollah infrastructure
sites after the Iranian-backed group downed an Israeli drone Hezbollah said it
later fired dozens of Katyusha rockets that hit an air defence base in the
occupied Golan Heights, in retaliation for the Israeli raids on eastern
Lebanon.”



Voice Of America: Israeli Military Says Strike Killed A Hezbollah Commander
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“Israel’s military said Monday it carried out an airstrike in southern
Lebanon that killed a Hezbollah commander who had conducted multiple attacks
targeting northern Israel. An Israeli military statement identified the
commander as Ali Ahmad Hassin of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force. The militant group
announced the death of one of its fighters by the same name without giving
details about his death. Israel Defense Forces said the strike also killed two
other people. Cross-border attacks by Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants
have been common throughout Israel’s six-month-old war against Hezbollah ally
Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Also Monday, the Israeli military said it carried out
an airstrike in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza in response to multiple
rocket launches. Israeli officials announced Sunday the withdrawal of troops
from Khan Younis. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said forces were
“exiting and preparing for their next missions,” which included a coming
mission in the Rafah area. The war has driven more than half of Gaza’s
population to Rafah, an area located along the Gaza-Egypt border.”



Associated Press: Palestinians Returning To Khan Younis After Israeli
Withdrawal Find An Unrecognizable City
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“Streams of Palestinians filed into the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis on
Monday to salvage what they could from the vast destruction left in the wake of
Israel’s offensive, a day after the Israeli military announced it was
withdrawing troops from the area. Many came back to the Gaza Strip’s
second-largest city to find their former hometown unrecognizable. With scores
of buildings destroyed or damaged, piles of rubble now sit where apartments and
businesses once did. Streets have been bulldozed. Schools and hospitals were
damaged by the fighting. Israel sent troops to Khan Younis in December, part of
its blistering ground offensive that came in response to a Hamas-led attack on
Oct. 7 into southern Israel. Israeli authorities say 1,200 people, mostly
civilians, were killed and roughly 250 people taken hostage. The war, now in
its seventh month, has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians, mostly women and
children, according to local health authorities, displaced most of the
territory’s 2.3 million people and left vast swaths of the beleaguered Gaza
Strip uninhabitable.”



Somalia



The Washington Examiner: Twin Car Bombs Kill 13 Near UN Office In Somalia
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“At least 13 people have been killed in two car bomb attacks near a United
Nations peacekeeping zone and the international airport serving Mogadishu, the
capital of Somalia. According to reports, a suicide car bomb was detonated at a
checkpoint to the African Union Mission in Somalia, or AMISOM, base near the
airport. The base is in the secure “green zone” of Mogadishu, where United
Nations offices and foreign embassies are located. Another blast hit the
airport’s perimeter wall.Among those dead are believed to be security guards.
The militant Islamist group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the blasts,
saying they were targeting the African Union mission’s headquarters. The group
has been carrying out frequent attacks in Somalia in an attempt to oust the
UN-backed government. The AMISOM base was previously infiltrated by al-Shabaab
in December 2014. The Somali government and AU forces are working together to
fight al-Shabaab around the East African country. The AU mission in Somalia
condemned “these senseless attacks that aim to disrupt and cripple the lives of
ordinary Somalis” in a statement on Twitter.”



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