“Talks for a hostage deal and cease-fire between Israel and Hamas have paused —
in part because of the ongoing fighting in Rafah, according to two people
familiar with the negotiations. Hamas is still willing to negotiate a deal but
has largely stepped back from the table because of Israel’s operation in the
city, the people said. Both were granted anonymity to speak freely about the
talks. The people stressed that this does not mean talks have broken down
completely. Hamas has told Doha that it is willing to keep negotiating. The
U.S. has people in the region to participate in future talks, but all those who
were involved in the negotiations in recent days have left, they said. CIA
Director Bill Burns was heading back to Washington on Thursday after days of
trying to negotiate with officials from Egypt, Israel and Qatar to seal a deal
that would institute a temporary cease-fire and allow for the release of dozens
of hostages from Gaza, along with potentially hundreds of Palestinian prisoners
from Israel.”











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Eye on Extremism



May 10, 2024



Reuters: Israel-Hamas Hostage Deal Talks Paused Amid Rafah Fighting
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“Talks for a hostage deal and cease-fire between Israel and Hamas have paused
— in part because of the ongoing fighting in Rafah, according to two people
familiar with the negotiations. Hamas is still willing to negotiate a deal but
has largely stepped back from the table because of Israel’s operation in the
city, the people said. Both were granted anonymity to speak freely about the
talks. The people stressed that this does not mean talks have broken down
completely. Hamas has told Doha that it is willing to keep negotiating. The
U.S. has people in the region to participate in future talks, but all those who
were involved in the negotiations in recent days have left, they said. CIA
Director Bill Burns was heading back to Washington on Thursday after days of
trying to negotiate with officials from Egypt, Israel and Qatar to seal a deal
that would institute a temporary cease-fire and allow for the release of dozens
of hostages from Gaza, along with potentially hundreds of Palestinian prisoners
from Israel.”



Reuters: Pakistani Taliban Faction Claims Hospital Bomb That Killed 70
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“The Pakistani Taliban faction Jamaat-ur-Ahrar on Monday claimed
responsibility for a suicide bombing at a hospital in southwestern Pakistan
that killed at least 70 people. "The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaat-ur-Ahrar
takes responsibility for this attack, and pledges to continue carrying out such
attacks. We will release a video report on this soon," spokesman Ehsanullah
Ehsan said in an email. The Islamist movement is the same that carried out the
Easter Day bombing the eastern city of Lahore in March that killed 72 people,
many of them children, in a crowded park.”




Recent CEP Press Releases

* CEP Online Book Launch Discussion: "Screwed: Britain's Prison Crisis and
How to Escape It" by Professor Ian Acheson in Conversation with CEP Advisor
Liam Duffy
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* Extremist Content Online: Antisemitic, Anti-Muslim, And Pro-Nazi Content
Located On TikTok
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* CEP Webinar: (Mis)Understanding the Transnational Violent Extreme-Right
Active Club Strategy
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* Extremist Content Online: Instagram Accounts Use Pro-ISIS Content To
Encourage Acts Of Terrorism
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* Extremist Content Online: Alleged 'New Criteria' Prompts Twitter/X To
Reinstate Account Belonging To Australian Neo-Nazi
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Turkey



The Washington Examiner: Turkey’s Threatened Syria Strike Puts Us-Backed
Forces Fighting Isis In Jeopardy
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“Turkey’s threats to strike a Kurdish militia in Syria continued even as
Pentagon officials met with their counterparts in Ankara in an attempt to
hammer out a deal to protect the American-backed forces fighting ISIS. Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan gave a televised speech Tuesday promising an
imminent invasion in northern Syria to attack Kurdish YPG forces. “God willing,
we will carry the process started with [previous offensives] to the next stage
very soon,” Erdoğan said. “Turkey has the right to eliminate all threats
against its national security.” He added a message for the United States:
“Turkey expects steps from the US befitting of a NATO ally and strategic
partner.” Defense Secretary Mark Esper has been in regular contact with his
Turkish counterpart, Hulusi Akar, about Turkey’s security interests in the
area. But he warned the NATO ally against any incursions.”



Afghanistan



Voice Of America: Taliban Ban Cooperation With Diaspora Broadcaster
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“The Afghan Taliban on Thursday warned reporters and experts against working
with the London-based broadcaster Afghanistan International TV, saying they
would be committing a crime if they worked with the station. A spokesperson for
the Taliban-controlled Ministry of Information and Culture alleged that the
station, which is accessible through satellite, cable and social media, was
committing violations and crossing moral and legal boundaries. “At the
commission's meeting held [Wednesday], it was decided that participating in
discussions and facilitating the broadcast of this media outlet in public
places is prohibited,” said Habib Ghofran, the spokesperson. Zia ul Haq Haqmal,
deputy minister for broadcasting, said people would be committing a crime if
they collaborated with the station. He listed 10 reasons people should not work
with the broadcaster, including its alleged distortion of information.”



Pakistan



Associated Press: Militants Bomb A Girls School In Northwestern Pakistan, Once
A Taliban Stronghold. No One Was Harmed
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“Militants detonated a bomb at a girls school in a former stronghold of the
Pakistani Taliban in the country’s volatile northwest, badly damaging the
structure, police said Thursday. No one was harmed in the overnight attack.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack late Wednesday
that targeted the only girls school in Shawa, a town in the North Waziristan
district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, local police
chief Amjad Wazir said. UNICEF condemned the bombing as “despicable and
cowardly act that could jeopardize the future of many young and talented
girls.” According to the police chief, the attackers first beat up the school
guard before setting off the explosives at the private Aafia Islamic Girls
Model School, which has 150 students. Suspicion is likely to fall on Islamic
militants and specifically the Pakistani Taliban, who have targeted girls
schools in the province in the past, saying that women should not be educated.”



Middle East



Associated Press: UN To Vote On Resolution That Would Grant Palestine New
Rights And Revive Its UN Membership Bid
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"The U.N. General Assembly is expected to vote Friday on a resolution that
would grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine and call on the Security
Council to favorably reconsider its request to become the 194th member of the
United Nations. The United States vetoed a widely backed council resolution on
April 18 that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for
Palestine, a goal the Palestinians have long sought and Israel has worked to
prevent, and U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood made clear Thursday the Biden
administration is opposed to the assembly resolution. Under the U.N. Charter,
prospective members of the United Nations must be “peace-loving,” and the
Security Council must recommend their admission to the General Assembly for
final approval. Palestine became a U.N. non-member observer state in 2012.”



Associated Press: The Latest | More Than 100,000 Flee Rafah As Netanyahu Vows
To Widen Gaza Assault Despite US Warning
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“About 110,000 people have fled Rafah in southern Gaza and food and fuel
supplies in the area are critically low, a U.N. official says. All crossings
into southern Gaza remain closed, cutting off supplies and preventing medical
evacuations and the movement of humanitarian staff, said Georgios Petropoulos,
an official for the U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
working in Rafah. Some 1.3 million Palestinians — over half Gaza’s population —
had sought refuge in Rafah. The World Food Program will run out of food for
distribution in southern Gaza by Saturday unless more aid arrives, Petropoulos
said. U.N. officials warn that the lack of fuel is undermining medical
facilities, water supplies and sewage systems across Gaza.”



Somalia



Garowe Online: Somalia: Al-Shabaab Mourns Loss Of Prominent Member In Army Raid

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“Somalia-based Al-Shabaab militants have mourned one of the senior officers
with was killed by the Somali National Army (SNA) during a recent operation in
southern parts of the country, in what they termed as a "huge" setback to "our"
mission. The group confirmed the demise of the traditional elder who was killed
by government forces in Garasweyne, Bakool region of Southwest state on May 7.
The government of Somalia confirmed the death in a separate presser as reported
by state media. Abdullahi Mohamed Yare alias “Malaaq Qori” acted as the
traditional elder of one of the local clans and has supported the group with
recruitment, collection of zakat, and opening of madrasas, according to reports
from the region. On Thursday, state media published an interview with a
government commander who said he led the operation that killed Malaaq Qori. His
death was described as a 'major' win in the fight against Al-Shabaab militants.”



Africa



Associated Press: Sudanese Paramilitary Forces Have Carried Out Ethnic
Cleansing In Darfur, Rights Group Says
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“A leading rights group said on Thursday that attacks by Sudanese
paramilitary forces and their allied militias, which killed thousands in the
western region of Darfur last year, constituted a campaign of ethnic cleansing
against the area’s non-Arab population. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces,
which has been fighting Sudan’s military for over a year, allied with armed
militias to carry out attacks against the ethnic Masalit and other non-Arab
groups in El Geneina, the capital city of West Darfur state, Human Rights Watch
said in a new report. Sudan has been rocked by violence since mid-April 2023,
when tensions between the military and the rival paramilitary erupted into open
fighting. Clashes quickly spread to other parts of the country, and Darfur was
engulfed in brutal attacks on African civilians, especially the Masalit tribe."



United Kingdom



BBC: Police Guard Homes After Terror Suspects Arrested
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“Police remain at the scene of several cordoned-off homes across Greater
Manchester after three men were held on suspicion of planning acts of
terrorism. The men, aged 35, 36, and 31, were arrested in raids in Bolton,
Great Lever, and the Abram and Hindley areas of Wigan on Wednesday. One of the
men was dramatically held after police stormed a gym. Mayor Andy Burnham told
BBC Radio Manchester it was a "worrying development". A resident of Crankwood
Road in Abram, where another of the men was arrested, described seeing at least
20 police officers arrive with tactical support and a riot van. Dave Evans said
it was “unsettling not knowing what has gone on there and what could have
happened”. He said neighbours had tried to talk to those living in the house
after they moved in during the last 12 months, but “they don’t speak”. “



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