Eye on Extremism
April 8, 2020
Daily
Sabah: US Says Airstrike In Somalia Kills Al-Shabab Senior
Leader
“An April 2 airstrike by U.S. forces in Somalia killed a “senior
leader” of the al-Shabab militant group, the U.S. Defense Department
said Tuesday. The strike left three Shabab militants dead, including
Yusuf Jiis, one of the “founding” leaders of the terrorist
organization, which has carried out deadly attacks against the Somali
government and public targets for years, the U.S. Africa Command said
in a statement. Africa Command Commander Gen. Stephen Townsend said
Jiis was a “key leader” in al-Shabab. “He was violent, ruthless, and
responsible for the loss of many innocent lives,” Townsend said in a
statement. Africa Command said the strike took place near Bush Madina,
217 kilometers (135 miles) west of Mogadishu, and was carried out in
coordination with the Somali government. It was one of several recent
strikes on the group, often carried out using precision missiles
launched by drones. Another strike against al-Shabab was carried out
Monday in the Jilib area of Somalia, which U.S. forces said killed
five militants. Africa Command said it was investigating reports of
civilian deaths and injuries although it expressed confidence that
there weren't any.”
CNN:
National Security Officials Warn Of Extremists Exploiting Coronavirus
Pandemic
“National security officials warned in an intelligence bulletin
issued Tuesday that extremist groups are exploiting the coronavirus
pandemic to incite violence and bolster racist and anti-government
narratives. The bulletin -- from the FBI, Department of Homeland
Security and National Counterterrorism Center -- cites threats from an
array of hate groups aimed at minorities, and captures how conspiracy
theories about the virus' origins and the government's response are
likely fueling potential violence. It also predicts that spaces vital
to the moment, like hospitals and grocery stores, could be potential
targets -- as well as police officers enforcing stay-at-home orders.
The four-page document, which was obtained by CNN, is the latest in a
string of warnings from the national security community about the
threat from extremist groups as the coronavirus has exploded across
the country and upended daily life. Law enforcement have already
responded to two extremist plots in recent days, including a train
engineer in California who allegedly derailed his train near a naval
hospital ship that he thought was being used in a government takeover
and a Missouri man who was accused of attempting to detonate a car
bomb at a hospital treating coronavirus patients.”
United States
The
Atlantic: White Supremacy’s Gateway To The American
Mind
“Give me, a white man, a reason to live,” a user posted to the
anonymous message board 4chan in the summer of 2017. “Should I get a
hobby. What interests can I pursue to save myself from total despair.
How do you go on living.” A fellow user had a suggestion: “Please
write a concise book of only factual indisputable information exposing
the Jews,” focusing on “their selling of our high tech secrets to
China/Russia” and “their long track record of pedophilia and
perversion etc.” The man seeking advice was intrigued. “And who would
publish it and who would put it in their bookstores that would make it
worth the trouble,” he asked. The answer came a few minutes later.
“Self-publish to Amazon,” his interlocutor replied. “Kindle will
publish anything,” a third user chimed in. They were basically right.
It takes just a couple of minutes to upload one’s work to Kindle
Direct Publishing (KDP), Amazon’s self-publishing arm; the ebook then
shows up in the world’s largest bookstore within half a day, typically
with minimal oversight. Since its founding more than a decade ago, KDP
has democratized the publishing industry and earned praise for giving
authors shut out of traditional channels the chance to reach an
audience that would have been previously unimaginable.”
Syria
Voice
Of America: Coronavirus Fear Grips Islamic State Families Detained In
Syria
“Every new death at detention camps in northeastern Syria sparks a
new wave of panic that the coronavirus pandemic is about to wreak
havoc, leaving some residents to wonder aloud how soon they are going
to die. The sense of desperation and hopelessness comes from those in
the camps, many of them family members of dead or captured Islamic
State fighters, through accounts shared with various humanitarian
groups and compiled by the International Crisis Group. “It’s hard to
breathe,” one woman in the al-Roj camp said in a text, sent to the
director of Families Against Violent Extremism, a Canadian
organization. “We have heavy coughs.” Another woman at the nearby
al-Hol camp said there was not enough water for anyone to wash their
hands on a regular basis, and that confusion among the camp’s
residents is a constant. “We don’t understand what is going on, so
people are scared,” she said. In other exchanges described by the
International Crisis Group, women in the various camps describe long
bouts of coughing or express thoughts of suicide. Given the growing
concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, few people can visit the
camps. The accounts about life on the inside were shared by social
media apps, texts and phone calls.”
Iraq
Kurdistan
24: ISIS Targets Kakai Minority, Police In Iraq's Disputed
Kirkuk
“Islamic State fighters injured three Iraqi policemen in an attack
late Monday night on a village inhabited by members of the Kakai
religious minority outside the disputed city of Kirkuk. A security
source confirmed to local media outlets that the incident began when
the village of Ali Saray, located in Daquq district, was first hit by
mortars. Soon after, multiple Islamic State gunmen arrived and opened
fire. For more than 30 minutes, they clashed with Iraqi federal police
for more than a half hour. The source added that, after the assault
was over and the militant fighters had withdrawn, police conducted a
search of the surrounding area. As they did so, an improvised
explosive device (IED) that had presumably been hidden during the
gunfire detonated, seriously wounding three of the policemen.
According to the source, three separate Islamic State attacks in the
vicinity of Daquq during the previous 24 hours resulted in five
additional casualties and three kidnappings of federal police
officers. In mid-February, a father and son were killed and ten more
injured in another such attack in the town of Khanaqin, in Diyala
province. All victims were from the Kakai minority which the Islamic
State sees as heretics.”
Turkey
The
New York Times: Explosion On Road In Southeast Turkey Kills
5
“An improvised explosive device went off on a road in southeast
Turkey on Wednesday, killing five forestry workers traveling to work,
officials said. The regional governor’s office blamed the early
morning explosion near the town of Kulp, in the mainly-Kurdish
populated Diyarbakir province, on Kurdish rebels, who have carried out
similar attacks in the past. There was no immediate claim of
responsibility. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, has waged a more
than three-decade old insurgency in Turkey’s mostly Kurdish southeast
region. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people since it
started in 1984. The group is considered a terror organization by
Turkey, the United States and the European Union. The Diyarbakir
governor’s office said Turkey’s military has launched an operation to
catch the perpetrators of the attack. Four villagers were killed last
year in a similar attack on a road in Kulp, which was also blamed on
the PKK. Last week, an explosion in eastern Turkey, believed to be the
work of the PKK, damaged a natural gas pipeline and halted gas flows
from Iran.”
Afghanistan
ABC
News: Afghan Official: Taliban Kill 7 Civilians In Country's
North
“At least seven Afghan civilians were killed when the Taliban
attacked security forces in northern Balkh province, local officials
said Wednesday. The insurgents abducted the civilians on Tuesday
afternoon in the district of Sholgara and later killed them, according
to Sayed Arif Iqbali, the local police chief. There was no immediate
confirmation from the Taliban that hey were behind the attack in
Balkh. The violence comes as the Taliban have said their peace deal
with the United States, signed at the end of February in Qatar, was
nearing a breaking point, blaming Washington for alleged violations of
the deal that the U.S. denies. In the southern Kandahar province,
three children were killed and five were seriously wounded when a
mortar shell hit in the district of Daman, according to Bahir Ahmadi,
the spokesman for the provincial governor. The Taliban blamed U.S.
forces for the attack, and a Taliban spokesman, Qari Yusouf Ahmadi,
claimed the children were killed in a drone attack. However, U.S.
military spokesman Col. Sonny Leggett denied any use of weapons in the
area. Ahmadi, the governor's spokesman, said an investigation was
launched into the mortar attack on Tuesday evening.”
NBC
News: Pompeo To Afghan Leaders: Make A Deal With The Taliban Or Risk
Full U.S. Troop Pullout
“While President Donald Trump remains fixated on the widening
coronavirus pandemic, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to Kabul
two weeks ago with a harsh message from his boss to try to save one of
the only major foreign policy achievements he has after more than
three years in the White House: a peace deal in Afghanistan. Pompeo
delivered a message from Trump to the feuding leadership of the Afghan
government, telling them they should resolve their differences and
broker a deal with the Taliban or the president could not only cut $1
billion in financial aid to Afghanistan but also could pull all U.S.
troops out of the country, according to two current senior officials,
one former senior official and a foreign diplomat. The previously
unreported troop withdrawal threat underscores Trump’s growing concern
that the inability of Afghan leaders to form a unified government
threatens to unravel his already-tenuous peace deal with the Taliban,
which is the first step toward ending America’s longest war.
Negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban were
supposed to follow on March 10, but divisions in Kabul have delayed
the effort.”
Voice
Of America: HRW Urges War Crimes Charges For Jailed Head Of IS-Linked
Group
“Human Rights Watch (HRW) is urging the Afghan government to bring
war crimes charges against the captured leader of the Islamic State of
Khorasan Province (ISKP), an affiliate of the extremist group Islamic
State (IS). In a statement late on April 6, HRW said Afghanistan must
afford a fair trial in accordance with international human rights
standards for Aslam Farooqi, who was arrested two days earlier in
Kandahar Province. Farooqi, whose real name is Abdullah Orakzai,
became the ISKP leader in July 2019. The group has claimed
responsibility for numerous attacks across Afghanistan that have
killed scores of civilians. HRW said Farooqi's capture is an
opportunity for the authorities in Afghanistan to show that they are
capable of securing fair justice for victims of war crimes and other
atrocities. Afghanistan has “a poor record in bringing individuals
implicated in human rights abuses and war crimes to justice,” HRW
said. Farooqi's arrest is “an opportunity for the Afghan authorities
to show that they are capable of securing fair justice for victims of
war crimes and other atrocities,” added Patricia Gossman, associate
Asia director at the New York-based human rights
watchdog.”
Pakistan
The
New York Times: Pakistani Security Forces Kill 7 Militants Near
Afghanistan
“Pakistani security forces acting on intelligence raided two
militant hideouts in former Taliban strongholds in the country's
northwest near Afghanistan on Tuesday, killing seven militants, the
military said. In a statement, the military said four militants were
killed in the first raid in North Waziristan, which in recent years
was the location for the headquarters of several local and foreign
militant groups. Another three militants were killed in the former
tribal region of Mohmand, the statement said. The military said troops
seized a cache of weapons from both militant hideouts. It wasn't
immediately clear what militant group was raided and the military
provided no further details. The Pakistan Taliban had its headquarters
in North Waziristan up until 2017 when the military in a series of
operations dismantled the insurgent group's network and killed,
arrested or evicted scores of them. The military has claimed it has
cleared the region of militants but violence has continued. That has
spread fear among residents in North Waziristan and nearby regions
that the military might carry out more operations.”
Lebanon
The
National: US Hits Out At Hezbollah But Still Sending Coronavirus Aid
To Lebanon
“US officials have slammed Hezbollah’s “false” claims it is trying
to influence the appointment of top Lebanese banking officials,
telling The National that the Iran-backed group was attempting to
“distract the Lebanese people.” The rare direct public rebuttal of the
US-sanctioned group comes days after Hezbollah officials and a
pro-Hezbollah media have alleged that America’s Ambassador to Lebanon,
Dorothy Shea, is directly interfering in the appointment of senior
officials at Banque du Liban (BDL). Hezbollah MP Hasan Fadlallah last
week accused Ms Shea of directly “requesting” a candidate for one of
the four vice-governors at the central bank, which is headed by Riad
Salameh. The terms of the four deputies expired over a year ago, and
replacements were set to be appointed by ministers last week before
Prime Minister Hassan Diab abruptly withdrew the item from the agenda.
Mr Diab said he was disappointed with the mechanism for which the
candidates were brought forward, using political motives and not
experience or skill. It is unclear when the appointments will be made
or discussed next. Hezbollah has been a vocal critic of the central
bank’s fiscal and monetary policies, as well as the work of Mr
Salameh.”
Atlantic
Council: Lebanon’s Collapse Is Hezbollah’s Slow
Unraveling
“Hezbollah has been working for years on integrating itself into
the Lebanese state. Now that the country is falling apart, Hezbollah’s
assimilation into the state apparatus, which was initially meant to
protect the organization against international pressure, could pose a
direct threat to the group’s future. Lebanon is facing a host of fresh
challenges, from an economic collapse marred by a financial crisis to
the coronavirus pandemic. While the mismanagement of these various
emergencies cannot be blamed solely on one Lebanese faction alone,
Hezbollah has undoubtedly contributed to the country’s downfall. The
militant group’s use of the state to fend-off international sanctions
and shape foreign policy has acted as a double-edged sword, making the
pushback on Hezbollah a deadly one for Lebanon. Hezbollah’s reliance
on corrupt political figures—to achieve dominance and parasitize the
state—has also severely hurt the group’s credibility, particularly in
the wake of the massive economic crisis. Traditionally, Hezbollah
members have shied away from sensitive government positions, with its
ministers handling agriculture, youth, industry, and more recently,
health. Despite its political caution, the group has direct influence
on essential institutions from security to foreign
policy.”
Nigeria
All
Africa: Nigeria: Armies Slay 19 Boko Haram Insurgents
“The Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) has reported the
killing of 19 Boko Haram terrorists in the Lake Chad Basin. The
combined force believes the breakthrough has further degraded and
depleted the Islamist militants destabilising the region. MNJTF
consisted of ground and air force formations from Niger Republic and
Nigeria. Two gun trucks belonging to the alleged terrorists were
destroyed and two others captured. Four motor cycles as well as arms
and ammunition were also recovered following operations by personnel
from Niger and Nigeria. Meanwhile, the Cameroon military has been
conducting clearance operations in the southern parts of Lake Chad
Basin in order to eliminate fleeing Boko Haram terrorists. Last week,
the Chadian military carried out similar operations against the
militants. Headquartered in Chad, MNJTF comprises of units, from
Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. The mandate of the MNJTF
allows troops of the task force to conduct operations within 25
kilometers of delineated area of operation in troop contributing
countries. “Consequently, MNJTF, with the support of national forces
will continue to pursue Boko Haram Terrorists until they flee from the
Lake Chad Basin or face justice,” Colonel Timothy Antigha, MNJTF
spokesperson, stated.”
Sahara
Reporters: Boko Haram Currently Attacking Borno
Community
“Boko Haram terrorists are currently attacking Ngala in Borno
State, SaharaReporters can confirm. The attack comes less than 24
hours after the insurgents pounced on Kirchinga under Madagali Local
Government Area of Adamawa State on Monday night, razing no fewer than
five houses. The insurgents launched the attack after they emerged
from Rann near the border with Cameroon in Northern Borno
State."
Germany
Deutsche
Welle: German Far-Right Crimes Rise
“Germany last year recorded 41,175 politically-motivated crimes,
with more than half of them (22,337) attributed to right-wing
extremists. This is according to the federal interior ministry in
preliminary data requested by Irene Mihalic, a police officer and
criminologist who is now the Green party's interior affairs expert.
Mihalic found that the figures also show that the count of officially
notified weapons permits held by far-right extremists had doubled
since 2018, reaching 892. “This development marks a dangerous weapons
buildup within the [far-right] scene,” said Mihalic, while calling for
a “resolute disarming” of such individuals. Crimes committed by
neo-Nazis amounted to an “enormous threat,” she told the Funke Media
Group, a newspaper and online chain based in Essen incorporating
several local publications. Mihalic's remarks follow themurder last
June of regional politician Walter Lübcke in Kassel, a gunman's attack
on the synagogue in Halle last September and February's far-right
shootings at hookah cafes in Hanau. A documentary broadcast on Monday
by German public broadcaster ZDF estimated that only 8% of 2,558
attacks on asylum-seekers' hostels between 2015 and 2018 resulted in
perpetrators actually being convicted, fined or
jailed.”
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