Eye on Extremism
April 6, 2020
The
New York Times: U.S. Will Give Terrorist Label To White Supremacist
Group For First Time
“The Trump administration is expected to announce on Monday that it
is designating an ultranationalist group based in Russia as a
terrorist organization, according to officials. It is the first time
the government will apply the label to a white supremacist group.
While the label of specially designated global terrorist has been
frequently used for Islamist extremists, there have been growing
concerns among U.S. officials about violent white supremacists with
transnational links over the past five years. In 2018, the White House
added that threat to the government’s National Strategy for
Counterterrorism. “These designations are unprecedented,” said
Ambassador Nathan A. Sales, the State Department’s counterterrorism
coordinator. “This is the first time the United States has ever
designated white supremacists as terrorists, and this illustrates how
seriously this administration takes the white supremacist terrorist
threat. We are doing things no previous administration has done to
counter this threat.” The State Department’s designation for the
organization, the Russian Imperial Movement, sets up the Treasury
Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control to block any American
property or assets belonging to the group.”
Al
Jazeera: Afghan Forces Announce Arrest Of Local ISIL
Leader
“Afghan forces announced they have arrested the leader of the
country's ISIL (ISIS) affiliate along with 19 other fighters. Two
high-ranking commanders were among those arrested in addition to the
leader of the Islamic State of the Khorasan Province (ISKP), Abdullah
Orokzai, also known as Aslam Farooqi, a statement by the Afghan
intelligence agency National Directorate of Security (NDS) said on
Saturday. The arrest comes after the ISKP claimed responsibility for
the attack on a Sikh religious complex in the capital Kabul on
Wednesday, killing 25 people. The ISKP has been on its back foot in
recent months following continued operations by US forces and
separately by the Taliban. In November, Afghan officials said the ISKP
was completely defeated in Nangarhar, one of the key eastern provinces
where it first sought to establish a stronghold in 2015. In the years
since, they have claimed responsibility for a string of horrific
bombings across Afghanistan. It emerged in Afghanistan in 2015,
following Pakistan's operation against armed groups in North
Waziristan, close to the Afghan border, which displaced more than one
million people. Farooqi had been active in several roles within the
group, both in Pakistan and in Afghanistan, the statement read, adding
that he took over as the leader after the death of Abu Saeed Bajawori
in 2018.”
Voice
Of America: US, Somalia Conduct Airstrike Against Al-Shabab Terrorist
Group
“The U.S. Africa Command says it has, in coordination with the
Somali government, targeted al-Shabab, an al-Qaida-linked terrorist
group in an airstrike Friday. The command issued a statement Saturday
saying that the airstrike took place near Bush Madina on Friday.
According to initial assessments, the statement said, five terrorists
were killed during the airstrike, and no civilians were killed or
injured. The U.S. Africa Command works with the Somali government to
improve security conditions for the country and its people, and to
enhance governance and economic development there. The command and its
international partners “recognize that stability in Somalia will not
be achieved through purely military means, the statement said, “it
requires providing programs and opportunity for the Somali people.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross said Saturday that
Somalia was at a critical juncture, as the country is threatened by
the spread of COVID-19, while at the same time facing violence,
conflict, displacement of people and
malnutrition.”
United States
Haaretz:
New York Passes Bill To Prosecute Hate Crimes As Domestic
Terrorism
“New York State legislature voted to pass a bill equating hate
crimes with domestic terrorism on Friday, days after the most
critically injured victim of the Monsey stabbing attack in December,
Josef Neumann, died from his injuries. Last week, Governor Andrew
Cuomo said he is renaming proposed state hate crime legislation, a
move which he had proposed after the attack, in honor of the Monsey
victim: the Josef Neumann Domestic Terrorism Act. Neumann had been in
a coma from the time of the December 28 attack until his death at age
72 in March. Four others were injured in the stabbing rampage. “We owe
it to Mr. Neumann, his family and the entire family of New York to get
it done now,” the governor said prior to the vote. The act was passed
as part of the state budget. World Jewish Congress President Ronald
Lauder commended state legislature for the passage of the act,
accoring to which hate crimes will now be prosecuted as domestic
terrorism in New York State. “The new legislation sends a clear
message: Attacking someone based on race, religion, or creed is
domestic terrorism, nothing less,” he said.”
Syria
Voice
Of America: US Moves To Bolster Prisons Holding Captured Islamic State
Fighters
“Help is on the way to the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces,
less than a week after a riot at a Syrian prison holding thousands of
captured Islamic State fighters allowed some to briefly escape.
Coalition officials told VOA Friday that the aid is for the
maintenance of more than a dozen prisons and detention camps in Syria,
and that recent shipments included face masks, shields and batons for
prison guards. “The U.S. military continues to provide support to
repair and renovate SDF detention facilities that house ISIS fighters,
to help ensure the SDF can continue to detain ISIS fighters securely
and humanely,” coalition spokesman Col. Myles Caggins said, using an
acronym for the terror group. Only officials with the SDF’s political
wing are skeptical, contending the last time they got assistance for
the prisons was last April, when they were holding an estimated 7,000
IS prisoners, not the 10,000 they watch over now. “So far nothing,”
Sinam Mohamad, the U.S. representative of the Syrian Democratic
Council, told VOA. “They promised us to help and renovate the prisons,
but unfortunately nothing happened,” she said, adding the facility
where the captured IS fighters rioted “it is not secure for such
dangerous prisoners.”
Iraq
The
National: Exclusive: Sanctioned Hezbollah Agent Has Close Ties To
Iran’s Money Laundering Network In Iraq
“A shadowy Hezbollah intelligence operative in Iraq has close ties
to what the US refers to as a key money-laundering network by the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, an investigation by The
National has found. In November 2018, the US sanctioned Mohammad Abd
Al Hadi Farhat, saying the Lebanese citizen was advising militias in
Iraq for Hezbollah, as well as collecting intelligence for the
organisation.”Farhat has been involved in a project to analyse and
report on the Iraqi security situation for Hezbollah and the IRGC-QF,”
according to the US Department of the Treasury, referring to the
foreign operations wing of Iran’s paramilitary force. The US
government did not provide more information on Mr Farhat, but The
National has obtained further data on the accused Hezbollah official’s
activities. Mr Farhat is close to an alleged money launderer for the
IRGC’s Quds Force, with interests in Iraq. Hezbollah and its Iranian
benefactors have worked in tandem in Iraq, building influence there
and benefiting from a network of businesses to finance their
operations. “Iraq is becoming very important for Hezbollah
fundraising,” said Michael Knights, a senior fellow at the Washington
Institute for Near East Policy.”
Daily
Sabah: 4 Iraqi Soldiers Killed In Daesh Terror Attack In
Iraq
“Four Iraqi soldiers were killed by Daesh terrorist group in Iraq's
western province of Anbar, a military source said. “Daesh terrorists
targeted a military point of the Iraqi army west of Rutba town in the
western part of Anbar province by light and medium weapons,” an army
source told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity as he is not
authorized to speak to media outlets. The attack resulted in the death
of all four soldiers at the military point, and terrorists managed to
leave the scene unscathed. Although officials in Baghdad say Daesh's
presence in the country has been largely eradicated, the terrorist
group has continued to stage sporadic attacks in Iraq's Nineveh,
Kirkuk, Diyala, Saladin and Anbar provinces.”
Turkey
Daily
Sabah: Turkey Continues To Fight Terrorism Through Cross-Border,
Domestic Operations
“Eighty terrorists were neutralized last month in cross-border and
domestic anti-terror operations, the Defense Ministry said Sunday.
“Eighty terrorists were neutralized, while 52 posts, shelters and
cellars were destroyed as part of cross-border and domestic
anti-terror operations over the past month,” the Defense Ministry said
during a meeting conducted remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic.
It was stated that a large number of weapons and explosives were
seized in border areas as security forces continue to work to
establish stability. “Border safety is ensured 24/7 by our units. All
kinds of attacks targeting our border units will be answered within
the scope of the right to self-defense without hesitation,” the
ministry pointed out. A heavy blow was dealt to terrorist
organizations' smuggling activities used to finance their acts of
terrorism. The ministry also reiterated that Russian and Turkish
armies conducted patrols between March 15 and 23 within the scope of
the March 5 agreement in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province and that
the third patrol would take place in coordination if weather
conditions allowed. Some 38 joint patrols have been conducted since
the Sochi deal, the ministry underlined.”
Afghanistan
The
New York Times: Taliban Warn Peace Deal With US Near Breaking
Point
“The Taliban in a statement Sunday said their peace deal with the
United States was nearing a breaking point, accusing Washington of
violations that included drone attacks on civilians, while also
chastising the Afghan government for delaying the release of 5,000
Taliban prisoners promised in the agreement. The Taliban said they had
restricted attacks against Afghan security forces to rural outposts,
had not attacked international forces and had not attacked Afghan
forces in cities or military installations. The Taliban said these
limits on their attacks had not been specifically laid out in the
agreement with the U.S. signed in February. The Taliban warned of more
violence if the U.S. and the Afghan government continue alleged
violations of the deal. The militants said they had reduced their
attacks compared to last year, but said continued violations would
“create an atmosphere of mistrust that will not only damage the
agreements, but also force mujaheddin to a similar response and will
increase the level of fighting.” The Taliban have accused the Afghan
government of using “indefensible arguments” to explain the repeated
delays in releasing a promised 5,000 Taliban prisoners in exchange for
1,000 government personnel.”
Pakistan
ABC
News: 9 Rebels, 3 Indian Soldiers Killed In Kashmir
Fighting
“Nine rebels and three Indian soldiers were killed in a pair of
gunbattles in disputed Kashmir, an Indian army official said Sunday.
Indian soldiers killed five suspected militants along the highly
militarized de facto front line in Keran sector on Sunday as an armed
group of militants infiltrated from the Pakistani side of Kashmir into
the Indian-controlled part, said Col. Rajesh Kalia, an Indian army
spokesman. Kalia said three soldiers were also killed. He did not
specify the number of injured, saying only that some others who were
injured were undergoing treatment. There was no independent
confirmation of the incident. The other gunbattle broke out in a
neighborhood in southern Kulgam town as police and soldiers scoured
the area looking for militants on Saturday, Kalia said. He said that
as troops began conducting searches, they came under heavy gunfire,
leading to a clash that killed four militants. The fighting comes amid
an ongoing lockdown in Kashmir to combat spread of the coronavirus.
Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan each administer part of
Kashmir, but both claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety. Rebel
groups have been fighting since 1989 for Kashmir’s independence or
merger with neighboring Pakistan.”
Yemen
Arab
News: Houthis Launch Ballistic Missile Attack Against Yemen’s
Saada
“The Houthi militia fired a ballistic missile in a densely
populated area in Yemen’s Saada on Sunday, state news agency SPA
reported. The Arab coalition spokesperson Col. Turki Al-Maliki said
the missile was launched from Sanaa and fell in Al-Safra district in
Saada province. He added that the Iranian-backed Houthi militia
continues to violate international humanitarian law by launching
strikes against civilian areas. Earlier, the Yemeni oil ministry said
the Houthi militia targeted an oil pipeline in Marib’s Safar oil
field, east of Yemen. The ministry said the attack was considered a
crime and an affirmation to how Houthis are seeking to destroy all
Yemeni people’s capabilities. The ministry added that such actions
proved how far the militia was from ‘national and human values.’”
Lebanon
ABC
News: Gunmen Kill Hezbollah Member In Southern
Lebanon
“Unknown gunmen fatally shot and stabbed a member of the militant
Hezbollah group in southern Lebanon and an investigation was launched,
Lebanese security officials said Sunday. The body of Ali Mohammed
Younes was found next to his car Saturday evening near the southern
town of Nabatiyeh, said two security officials. One of them said
Younes was shot with four bullets in the chest and had at least two
stab wounds. The motive behind the killing was no immediately clear,
the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they
were not authorized to talk to the media. Lebanon's state-run National
News Agency said a suspect was detained shortly afterward Saturday.
Iran’s semiofficial Fars news agency described Younes as a commander
with the Iran-backed Hezbollah. It added that Younes was involved in
anti-espionage missions. Fars also posted a photo said to be of Younes
in blue jeans and bloodied white shirt next to his car. Iran-backed
Hezbollah is Lebanon’s strongest military force and a political
powerhouse, and also boasts significant organizational and services
might in the country. There was no official comment from Hezbollah on
the killing. A source in the organization confirmed Younes was a
member, but would not provide further details.”
Egypt
Al
Monitor: Why Egypt Banned News About Terrorist Bombings In
Sinai
“An Egyptian security source told Deutsche Presse-Agentur March 28
that the Egyptian air force launched airstrikes against the
strongholds of takfiri (extremist) and other terrorist groups south of
the Egyptian city of Rafah, killing 16 of them and wounding six
others. Three four-wheel-drive vehicles were also destroyed in the
operation. The source said the air raid came in response to the armed
groups blowing up five electricity towers in al-Kharouba village in
Sheikh Zuweid March 26. Mustafa Sanjar, a journalist who specializes
in Sinai affairs, explained in a phone interview with Al-Monitor that
armed men affiliated with terrorist groups in Sinai bombed five
electricity towers that transmit power from the provincial capital of
el-Arish to the cities of Sheikh Zuweid and Rafah in the northern
Sinai Peninsula. As a result, the electricity supply to the two cities
was disrupted for three days in a row. Sanjar said citizens informed
the government-affiliated Sinai Electricity Department about the power
outages March 26. A group of technicians accompanied by a security
force headed to the site and found five destroyed electricity towers
that had collapsed completely after their bases were bombed.”
Africa
The
New York Times: 4 Soldiers, 63 Jihadists Killed In Clash In
Niger
“Four soldiers and 63 jihadists have been killed in fighting
between Niger’s army and heavily armed extremists in the nation’s
west, the government said Friday. Extremists on motorcycles fought the
army Thursday in the Tillaberi region near the border with Mali before
being forced to flee, according to a defense ministry statement. The
army was able to recover dozens of weapons and motorcycles, it said.
Since December, at least 174 soldiers have been killed in Niger in
several attacks. At least two were claimed by fighters linked to the
Islamic State group. Extremism has grown in West Africa's Sahel region
south of the Sahara Desert, with attacks increasing near the borders
of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, where many jihadists linked to
al-Qaida or IS operate.”
Foreign
Policy: West Africa Is Increasingly Vulnerable To Terrorist
Groups
“In the coming weeks, West Africa’s terrorist groups are set to
encroach further into Togo, Benin, and Ghana. This year’s presidential
elections and their associated impact in Ivory Coast, Guinea, and Togo
may create further tensions for terrorist groups to exploit. As part
of the United States’ global retreat, military forces have departed
from West Africa, leaving the Economic Community of West African
States (Ecowas), France, and the G-5 Sahel to pick up the slack and
attempt to prevent the spread of terrorism further into West Africa.
But military force alone is not enough. West Africa must provide a
test case for innovative and collective preventive diplomacy, which
adapts to the growing risks, builds local resilience, and prevents the
next security and humanitarian disaster. In recent years,
international diplomacy has failed in the face of devastating crises
in Syria, Yemen, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Libya. More innovation,
partnerships, and connections among state, local, and international
governments are required to help prevent the spread of terrorism,
which may exacerbate underlying political and ethnic vulnerabilities
and drive an even larger humanitarian disaster.”
France
24: Suspected Boko Haram Suicide Bombers Kill Several In Northern
Cameroon
“Seven people were killed when two suicide bombers, suspected to be
members of Nigeria's Boko Haram jihadist group, attacked a village in
northern Cameroon on Sunday, police and a local official said. “Two
Boko Haram bombers blew themselves up at around 8pm” in the attack on
Amchide, on the border with Nigeria, a policeman said Monday, while a
local official said a village chief and two teenagers were among the
dead.”
Sahara
Reporters: Chadian Army Kills More Boko Haram Terrorists As Shekau
Begs Fighters Not To Run In New
Audio
“The Chadian Army has killed more Boko Haram terrorists in its
ongoing offensive, Operation Wrath Of Bohoma, led by the country's
President, Idriss Deby. Chad, with the help of the Israeli Army, has
mapped out the entire Lake Chad region containing both natural and
artificial islands for the operation already yielding results. The
battle at Kelkoua, bank of the Lake Chad, saw the killing of many Boko
Haram terrorists while bunkers hiding key commanders where discovered
and destroyed. Meanwhile, Abubakar Shekau, leader of the terrorist
organization, has pleaded with his fighters not to run away from
battle after many of them were killed and weapons confiscated by the
Chadian Army. In a sober voice, Shekau, who spoke in Hausa language,
said, “People of Chad, leave us alone, this operation is not approved
by the Qur'an. It is not the will of the Prophet Muhammed but if you
want to continue, God will help us too because he is bigger than you.
“To my fighters, take heart. It is I, Abubakar Shekau, your
leader.”
United Kingdom
The
Telegraph: 5G Tower Attacks Prompts Counter-Terror Investigation,
Vodafone UK Boss Claims
“Attacks on 5G towers by conspiracy theorists linking the telecoms
gear to the coronavirus outbreak has sparked a counter terror
investigation, according to Vodafone’s UK boss. Nick Jeffery, chief
executive of Vodafone UK, described attacks on 5G towers as a “matter
of national security”, claiming police and counter terrorism
authorities are now investigating attacks that have seen masts damaged
and vandalised. On Sunday, Vodafone confirmed that it had seen four
incidents over the last 24 hours in relation to its 5G towers, both at
its own sites and those shared by O2. The towers form a critical part
of the infrastructure being rolled out to support next-generation
mobile networks that promise to improve internet connectivity, but
false theories have claimed 5G technology helps spread
Covid-19....”
France
ABC
News: 2 Dead, 5 Wounded In Suspected Terrorist Knife Attack In
France
“A knife attack which resulted in two dead and five wounded
Saturday morning in the town of Romans-sur-Isere, an hour drive South
of Lyon, is being treated as a terrorist attack by French authorities.
Two of the victims are in critical condition. The 33-year-old
assailant stabbed seven people in shops and streets in downtown
Romans-sur-Isere shortly before being arrested, police told ABC News.
The assailant, of Sudanese nationality, was arrested “while he was
kneeling on a sidewalk praying in the Arabic language.” On site,
Minister of Interior Christophe Castaner spoke of a “terrorist
journey” before telling the press that the national anti-terrorist
prosecutor's office was currently assessing the situation and would
decide whether or not to qualify the act as a terrorist act. The
judiciary police of Lyon originally opened an investigation which was
later in the evening taken over by the Counterterrorism Prosecutor's
Office. In a press release, the Counterterrorism Prosecutor's office
revealed that “handwritten documents with religious overtones in which
the author of the lines complained in particular of living in a
country of disbelievers” were found duringa search carried out at the
suspect's home.”
France
24: Three Sudanese Arrested Over French 'Terror'
Stabbing
“French police have arrested three Sudanese nationals in a terror
probe after a stabbing spree in the southeast left two people dead,
investigators said on Sunday. The attack by a lone perpetrator took
place in broad daylight Saturday, with the country on lockdown to stem
the spread of the deadly coronavirus. Prosecutors have launched an
investigation into “murder linked to a terrorist enterprise” and
“association with terrorist wrongdoers” after the rampage through a
string of shops in the riverside town of Romans-sur-Isere, which has a
population of 35,000. The alleged assailant, identified as Abdallah
Ahmed-Osman -- a Sudanese refugee in his 30s who lives in the town --
was arrested without a fight. Police arrested a second Sudanese man
aged 28 at Ahmed-Osman's home shortly after the assault. He was
described as an acquaintance of the alleged attacker. Later Saturday
“a young Sudanese man from the same household” as the main suspect was
also arrested, the anti-terror prosecutor's office told AFP. The third
suspect was an asylum seeker. On Sunday, the number two in France's
interior ministry, Laurent Nunez, told France Inter that “to our
knowledge he (Ahmed-Osman) acted alone.”
Germany
The
Jerusalem Post: German Spy 'Mr. Hezbollah' Urges Ongoing Pressure On
Terror Networks
“A top German intelligence official who earned the moniker “Mr.
Hezbollah” has urged Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government, as well as
the global community, to not let up on pressure targeting
international and domestic terrorism. Gerhard Conrad, who formerly
worked for the Federal Intelligence Service in the Arab world, told
the paper Welt am Sonntag last week that the pressure must continue on
terrorism structures, adding that “the direct and indirect effects of
the pandemic on the stability of the countries concerned worldwide
deserve special attention.” Conrad’s name is probably an alias due to
his work as a top spy for the federal republic. Conrad earned the
moniker “Mr. Hezbollah” within German intelligence circles because of
his talks to secure prisoner swaps with the Lebanon-based Shi’ite
terrorist group. He retired from espionage in November but continues
training programs for intelligence officials. Both terrorist groups
Islamic State and al-Qaida view the coronavirus crisis as an
opportunity to attack targets. In its al-Naba newsletter in mid-March,
the Islamic State called on its terrorists to carry out attacks.
Western countries, however, have not followed Conrad’s advice. France
announced that it will withdraw stationed soldiers in Iraq.”
Technology
The
Wall Street Journal: What Jihadists Are Saying About The
Coronavirus
“Jihadist groups are closely following the spread of the new
coronavirus. In their publications and on social media their members
post analyses, threats and even sanitary guidelines. Counterterrorism
officials should monitor these communications for a window into their
thinking. Jihadists and their supporters have been gloating over the
health restrictions enacted across the world, especially in the U.S.
“They used to mock women wearing the Islamic niqab—now they are doing
the same. We ridicule you like you ridiculed us,” reads a typical
post, dated March 17, on the jihadist al Tawhid Awalan channel on
Telegram, the encrypted messaging app. The statement accompanied a
photo of Westerners in layers of protective clothing. Many jihadists
are cheering the virus on. Balagh, a monthly magazine published out of
Idlib, Syria, by clerics with al Qaeda sympathies, calls the virus
“one of Allah’s soldiers”: the “corona-soldier.” This is a popular
theme. Jihadist writer Khalid al Sibai warned on the Thabat news
agency’s Telegram channel that this “tiny soldier,” which has so
devastated the U.S. and its allies, could soon be joined by jihadist
soldiers in the flesh—a threat. On Hamas’s al Aqsa TV, Imam Jamil al
Mutawa boasted that Allah “sent just one soldier,” the virus, “and it
has hit all 50 states” in America, driven Israel into lockdown, but
left Palestinians mostly unaffected.”
ICT:
The Virus Of Hate: Far-Right Terrorism In Cyberspace
“Facebook attempts to fight the abuse of the service by extremists
and removed 18 million examples of “terrorism content”, using
expertise and artificial intelligence, as well as other tools such as
video-matching technology and language detection. Yet, Facebook is
losing the fight: in September 2018, the Counter Extremism Project
(CEP) identified and monitored a selection of 40 Facebook pages that
sell white supremacist clothing, music, or accessories, or represent
white supremacist or neo-Nazi groups. CEP researchers recorded
information for each page such as the number of likes, date of
creation, and examples of white supremacist or neo-Nazi content. After
two months, CEP reported the pages to Facebook, but 35 of the 40
remained online. As the report concludes, “Clearly, Facebook’s process
for reviewing and removing this content-which violates its Community
Standards is inadequate” (CEP, 2019, p.2). Facebook has also failed to
stop a coordinated far-right operation profiting from disinformation
and anti-Islamic hate almost two months after it was publicly exposed.
A network of Facebook’s largest far-right pages were part of a
coordinated commercial enterprise, prompting promises from the social
media giant that it would crack down on the network.”
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