“President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he would not supply offensive weapons
that Israel could use to launch an all-out assault on Rafah — the last major
Hamas stronghold in Gaza — over concern for the well-being of the more than 1
million civilians sheltering there. Biden, in an interview with CNN, said the
U.S. was still committed to Israel’s defense and would supply Iron Dome rocket
interceptors and other defensive arms, but that if Israel goes into Rafah,
“we’re not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells used.” The U.S. has
historically provided enormous amounts of military aid to Israel. That has only
accelerated in the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that killed some 1,200 in
Israel and led to about 250 being taken captive by militants. Biden’s comments
and his decision last week to pause a shipment of heavy bombs to Israel are the
most striking manifestations of the growing daylight between his administration
and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.”











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Eye on Extremism



May 9, 2024



Associated Press: Biden Says US Won’t Supply Weapons For Israel To Attack
Rafah, In Warning To Ally
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“President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he would not supply offensive weapons
that Israel could use to launch an all-out assault on Rafah — the last major
Hamas stronghold in Gaza — over concern for the well-being of the more than 1
million civilians sheltering there. Biden, in an interview with CNN, said the
U.S. was still committed to Israel’s defense and would supply Iron Dome rocket
interceptors and other defensive arms, but that if Israel goes into Rafah,
“we’re not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells used.” The U.S. has
historically provided enormous amounts of military aid to Israel. That has only
accelerated in the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that killed some 1,200 in
Israel and led to about 250 being taken captive by militants. Biden’s comments
and his decision last week to pause a shipment of heavy bombs to Israel are the
most striking manifestations of the growing daylight between his administration
and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.”



Associated Press: IS Group Claims Bombing In Afghanistan That Killed Officers
Involved In An Anti-Poppy Crop Campaign
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“The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a bombing in
Afghanistan’s northeast that killed police officers who were part of an
anti-poppy crop campaign. A motorcycle was booby-trapped and exploded,
targeting a Taliban patrol in Faizabad town in Badakhshan province, killing and
wounding 12 members of the patrol as well as destroying a four-wheel drive
vehicle, the group said in a statement late Wednesday. Abdul Mateen Qani, a
spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said the officers were on their way to
destroy poppy crops in the area. The Islamic State group’s affiliate in
Afghanistan, a major Taliban rival, has conducted attacks on schools,
hospitals, mosques and Shiite areas throughout the country. In March, the group
said one of its suicide bombers detonated an explosive belt among Taliban
gathered near a Kandahar bank to receive their salaries.”



CEP Mentions



The West Australian: Parents Claim Rossmoyne Students Watched Fundamentalist
Islamic Preacher Zakir Naik In School Prayer Room
<[link removed]>



“... According to the international organisation Counter Extremism Project, Dr
Naik follows a conservative brand of Wahhabi Islam and has allegedly “expressed
sympathy for terrorists”. Rossmoyne Senior High School parents sent letter to
WA Police amid concerns about radicalised teen Willetton stabbing: Terrorism
expert Greg Barton expects authorities to declare a terror incident Video clips
have been widely circulated of him saying “I tell Muslims that every Muslim
should be a terrorist” — but he has since claimed that was taken out of context
and he was totally against terrorism or killing fellow humans. “When I said a
terrorist is a person who terrorises someone, I also gave an example that a
policeman terrorises a robber. So, for a robber a policeman is a terrorist,”
the India Times reported he said in 2016. “In this context, every Muslim should
be a terrorist to the anti-social element.”



DW News: US Pauses Delivery Of Bombs To Israel In Opposition To Israel's Plans
To Attack Rafah <[link removed]>



“US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says the White House paused a large
shipment of bombs to Israel. He said the decision was due to opposition to
Israel's plans to assault Rafah, in southern Gaza. Austin told a US Senate
hearing the Biden administration was concerned about Israel launching a major
offensive in Rafah, without a plan to protect civilians there. Meanwhile,
Israel continues to bombard the city. The army says it's conducting a limited
operation to kill Hamas fighters and dismantle the group's remaining
infrastructure. For more on this, we talk to Hans-Jakob Schindler. He is the
Senior Director of the Counter Extremism Project.”



WTOP News: The Hunt: The Consequences Of A U.S. Military Exit From Niger
<[link removed]>



"The government of Niger has asked the U.S. military to leave — even though
there’s a critical drone base there that’s keeping terrorism in check. On this
week’s edition of “The Hunt with WTOP national security correspondent JJ
Green,” Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director at the Counter Extremism
Project, breaks down the consequences.”



United States



Voice Of America: Congressman: US Needs Counterterrorism Partners In Central
Asia
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“In a rare discussion of Central Asia policy on Capitol Hill, a senior
legislator told VOA that the United States needs to look past the abysmal human
rights records of the countries in the region to confront terrorism and Russian
and Chinese influence. "If we want their help somehow, we need to be able to
help them," Representative Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed
Services Committee, said in a one-on-one interview. The 27-year House lawmaker
was part of the most recent congressional delegation to visit Uzbekistan, along
with Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers, Salud Carbajal and Veronica
Escobar. The message they carried to the region was clear: Washington wants to
enhance security cooperation while backing political and economic reforms.”



Associated Press: Biden Says US Won’t Supply Weapons For Israel To Attack
Rafah, In Warning To Ally
<[link removed]>



“President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he would not supply offensive weapons
that Israel could use to launch an all-out assault on Rafah — the last major
Hamas stronghold in Gaza — over concern for the well-being of the more than 1
million civilians sheltering there. Biden, in an interview with CNN, said the
U.S. was still committed to Israel’s defense and would supply Iron Dome rocket
interceptors and other defensive arms, but that if Israel goes into Rafah,
“we’re not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells used.” The U.S. has
historically provided enormous amounts of military aid to Israel. That has only
accelerated in the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that killed some 1,200 in
Israel and led to about 250 being taken captive by militants. Biden’s comments
and his decision last week to pause a shipment of heavy bombs to Israel are the
most striking manifestations of the growing daylight between his administration
and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.”



Syria



Associated Press: Scores Of Syrians Return Home After Years At Camp Housing
People Linked To The Islamic State Group
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“Scores of Syrian women and children linked to the Islamic State group left a
sprawling camp in northeast Syria Wednesday and headed home to the eastern
province of Deir el-Zour following mediation by tribal leaders. The latest
batch of people to leave al-Hol camp, which houses wives, widows, children and
other family members of IS militants, came as repatriations by foreign
countries have increased in recent months in an attempt to reduce the
population of the facility that at its peak five years ago housed 73,000
people. Beginning in the early hours of the day, 254 people from 69 families
piled their belongings into trucks before climbing on board and moving south
under the protection of members of the local U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led police
force to their hometowns in Deir el-Zour.”



Pakistan



DW: Pakistan: 7 Workers Shot Dead In Their Sleep In Balochistan
<[link removed]>



“Unidentified gunmen shot and killed at least seven workers in Pakistan's
southwestern province of Balochistan, police said on Thursday. According to
police official Mohsin Ali, gunmen stormed into a house some 25 kilometers (15
miles) east of the port city of Gwadar, and shot the workers while they were
asleep. The coastal town of Gwadar is the site of several Beijing-backed
projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor investment, which is part
of the Belt and Road Initiative. The victims, who were from the central
Pakistani province of Punjab, were running a barber shop, Ali said. However,
police said they believed the attack was not related to their jobs. Previous
attacks claimed by the Pakistani Taliban near the Afghan border in the north
were believed to have been motivated by a militant ban on Western-style beard
trimming and haircuts.”



Yemen



Reuters: Yemen's Houthis Say They Targeted Ships In Gulf Of Aden, Indian Ocean
<[link removed]>



“Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis targeted two ships, the MSC DEGO and the MSC
GINA, in the Gulf of Aden using a number of ballistic missiles and drones, the
group's military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a televised speech on Thursday.
Sarea said the group also targeted the MSC VITTORIA in the Indian Ocean and
again in the Gulf of Aden.”



Lebanon



Associated Press: UN Food Agency Fears An Escalation On The Lebanese-Israeli
Border Can Cripple Aid Efforts In Lebanon
<[link removed]>



“If the monthslong conflict playing out on the Lebanese-Israeli border
continues to escalate, the United Nations food agency won’t be ready for the
spike in nutritional needs across crisis-hit Lebanon, its deputy executive
director said Wednesday. Clashes between the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah
and Israeli forces began on Oct. 8, a day after Israel started bombarding the
Gaza Strip following Hamas’ deadly rampage in southern Israel, and the tensions
between the two sides continue to intensify. “So far we’ve been able to manage
based on the existing resources we have,” UN World Food Program’s Carl Skau,
who is on a brief visit to the small Mediterranean nation, told The Associated
Press. The WFP provides aid to over 158,000 people in Lebanon affected by the
hostilities, including 93,000 displaced from their homes. But the agency does
not have the funding to address the growing humanitarian needs “should the
situation further escalate and further deteriorate,” Skau said.”



Qatar



The Guardian: Amnesty Urges Fifa To Publish Report On Qatar Migrant Worker
Compensation
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“Fifa must publish an independent report into its responsibilities to migrant
workers in Qatar and begin the process of providing financial compensation,
Amnesty International has said. The human rights organisation has called on
Fifa to finally publish the report by Michael Llamas, president of the
Gibraltar Football Association, before its congress in Bangkok next week. It
claims the Llamas report has found Fifa has a responsibility to provide
financial remedy to workers or the families of workers involved in 2022 World
Cup projects in Qatar and that its conclusions were approved by the executive
Fifa council in March. The Guardian understands the report is under review by
Fifa stakeholders but that the governing body remains committed to its
publication.”



Somalia



Garowe Online: NISA Parades 12 Al-Shabaab Suspects In Somalia
<[link removed]>



“Somalia's spy agency; the National Intelligence Security Agency (NISA) has
paraded 12 suspected Al-Shabaab militants as the fight against the group
garnered momentum across the Horn of Africa nation, which is battling with
instability. The suspected militants were rounded by security forces in Baidoa,
the regional administrative capital of Southwest state, following intensive
search mounted by local troops. Southwest is a major terror hotbed in Somalia.
According to NISA, the 12 individuals were arrested following a coordinated
crackdown by national security forces in Baidoa city and its surroundings were
extorting money from members of the public in the region. The suspects, NISA
added, will be charged in the military court in line with traditions set by
security operatives in Somalia. Besides extortion, they are accused of killing
members of the public along with endangering the lives of security teams.”



Mali



Associated Press: An Extremist Group And Ethnic Militias Committed Atrocities
In Mali, Human Rights Watch Says
<[link removed]>



“An extremist group linked to al-Qaida carried out mass killings in two
villages in central Mali in January, Human Rights Watch said in a report
Wednesday, in an apparent war crime that caused thousands to flee their homes.
The group known as JNIM killed at least 32 people, including three children,
during attacks on Jan. 27 on the villages of Ogota and Ouémbé, and set fire to
over 350 homes, the report said, quoting villagers who described the carnage as
ethnically motivated. The report also documented a separate incident in which
an ethnic armed group killed 13 people and abducted 24 civilians in two other
villages in central Mali on Jan. 6. “Islamist armed groups and ethnic militias
are brutally attacking civilians without fear of prosecution,” said Ilaria
Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The authorities
need to act to end the deadly cycles of violence and revenge killings and
better protect threatened civilians.””



Africa



ABC: Militants Have Committed Crimes Against Humanity In Sudan, Human Rights
Watch Report Warns
<[link removed]>



“Ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity have been committed in El
Geneina, West Darfur, against ethnic Massalit and non-Arab communities,
according to a report released Thursday by Human Rights Watch. The Rapid
Support Forces, or RSF, paramilitary group and allied militias have committed
"numerous serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights
law" as part of their campaign against the Massalit people of El Geneina, the
report said. Between April and November 2023 "at least thousands of people"
were killed, "hundreds of thousands" left as refugees and civilian
infrastructure methodologically destroyed, the report said. It said Entire
neighborhoods housing primarily Massalit-displaced communities were looted,
burned, shelled and razed to the ground.”



United Kingdom



Associated Press: British Government Tries To Head Off The Type Of Unrest Seen
On American Campuses
<[link removed]>



“British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is calling for an end to “antisemitic
abuse” at U.K. universities as protests against the war in Gaza expand and the
government tries to head off the type of unrest seen on American campuses in
recent weeks. The comments came as Sunak and his education secretary prepared
to meet with university leaders on Thursday at the prime minister’s offices in
Downing Street. “A vocal minority on our campuses are disrupting the lives and
studies of their fellow students and, in some cases, propagating outright
harassment and antisemitic abuse,” Sunak said in a statement. “This has to
stop.” Pro-Palestinian protesters have begun building encampments at
universities around the U.K. over the past two weeks as students and academics
call on the institutions to cut ties with Israel over its offensive in the Gaza
Strip.”



BBC: Men Arrested For 'Preparing Acts Of Terrorism'
<[link removed]>



“Three men have been arrested on suspicion of planning terrorism offences.
Officers from Counter Terrorism Policing North West (CTPNW) carried out raids
at about 19:30 BST. Four warrants were executed across Bolton and Great Lever
and in the Abram and Hindley areas of Wigan. CTPNW said the men had been
arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of
terrorism. The suspects are aged 35, 36 and 51 and are in custody being
questioned by detectives. Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts, lead for counter
terrorism policing in the North West, said the raids were part of an ongoing
investigation. ACC Potts added: "Today’s activity has been the culmination of
much detailed planning and we have put measures in place to minimise disruption
to local residents as much as possible.”



Germany



BBC: Going To The Extreme: Inside Germany’s Far Right
<[link removed]>



It is a spring evening in Germany's eastern city of Cottbus, and dozens of
people have crowded into a small venue to hear a man who once dubbed himself
the "friendly face" of National Socialism (Nazism). Two other men with prior
links to extremist groups are also in the room, including a candidate for
forthcoming state elections. They're all there to hear Matthias Helferich at a
youth event organised by members of the prominent far-right party, Alternative
für Deutschland (AfD).



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