“The United States called on Iran on Monday to halt its transfer of an
“unprecedented” amount of weaponry to Yemen’s Houthi rebels, enabling their
fighters to carry out “reckless attacks” on ships in the Red Sea and elsewhere.
U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood told the U.N. Security Council that if it
wants to make progress toward ending the civil war in Yemen, it should
collectively “call Iran out for its destabilizing role and insist that it
cannot hide behind the Houthis.” He said there is extensive evidence that Iran
is providing advanced weapons, including ballistic and cruise missiles, to the
Houthis in violation of U.N. sanctions. “To underscore the council’s concern
regarding the ongoing violations of the arms embargo, we must do more to
strengthen enforcement and deter sanctions violators,” Wood said.”











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Eye on Extremism



May 14, 2024



Associated Press: US Calls On Iran To Halt Unprecedented Weapons Transfers To
Yemen’s Houthis For Attacks On Ships
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“The United States called on Iran on Monday to halt its transfer of an
“unprecedented” amount of weaponry to Yemen’s Houthi rebels, enabling their
fighters to carry out “reckless attacks” on ships in the Red Sea and elsewhere.
U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood told the U.N. Security Council that if it
wants to make progress toward ending the civil war in Yemen, it should
collectively “call Iran out for its destabilizing role and insist that it
cannot hide behind the Houthis.” He said there is extensive evidence that Iran
is providing advanced weapons, including ballistic and cruise missiles, to the
Houthis in violation of U.N. sanctions. “To underscore the council’s concern
regarding the ongoing violations of the arms embargo, we must do more to
strengthen enforcement and deter sanctions violators,” Wood said.”



Bloomberg: Israel, Hamas Talks In Limbo After Rafah Move, Says Qatar PM
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“Cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas have reached an impasse following
the Jewish state’s initial invasion of the Gazan city of Rafah, according to
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Over the past
few weeks, “we have seen some momentum building but unfortunately things didn’t
move in the right direction,” Sheikh Mohammed said at the Qatar Economic Forum
on Tuesday. “Right now, we are in a status of almost a stalemate.” Negotiations
to secure at least a pause in hostilities in the seven-month war have been
deadlocked for months, with the two sides far apart on elements such as the
status of Israeli troops in Gaza and the terms of a release of hostages held by
Hamas. International mediators include Qatar, Egypt and the US.”



United States



ABC: Foreign Terrorist Organizations Could Target Pride Month Events: FBI, DHS
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“Foreign terrorist organizations may seek to exploit "LGBTQIA+-related events
and venues," including events during 2024 Pride month -- celebrated in June,
the FBI and Department of Homeland Security warned in a recent public service
announcement. "Organizations like ISIS may seek to exploit increased gatherings
associated with the upcoming June 2024 Pride Month," according to the
announcement, which the agencies issued last week. The announcement added that
the threat is "compounded" by the "current heightened threat environment" in
the United States. The threats could come online, in person or in the mail,
according to the FBI and DHS. Nearly eight years ago, ISIS applauded the June
12, 2016, shooting at Pulse nightclub -- when a gunman killed 49 and wounded 53
at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.”



Iraq



Associated Press: Notorious People Smuggler Wanted In Europe Arrested In
Northern Iraq
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“One of Europe’s most notorious human smugglers was arrested Monday in the
semi-autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, security officials said. The
regional government’s security agency said it had arrested Barzan Majeed, known
as “the Scorpion,” in the area of Sulaymaniyah, upon a request from Interpol
and “after the exchange of intelligence information.” He was handed over to the
regional justice department, it said. The U.K.'s National Crime Agency
announced Majeed’s arrest on the X social media platform. The crime agency had
issued an appeal for assistance in tracking Majeed down in 2022, after he was
convicted in absentia in Belgium of people smuggling crimes, following a joint
U.K.-Belgian investigation. The agency said he had attempted to smuggle 100
migrants to the U.K. in small boats and trucks.”



Turkey



Reuters: Erdogan Defends Hamas, Says Members Are Being Treated In Turkish
Hospitals
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“Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that more than 1,000 members
of the militant Palestinian group Hamas were being treated in hospitals across
Turkey as he reiterated his stance that it was a "resistance movement". A
Turkish official later said Erdogan had "misspoke" and meant that Gazans more
generally were being treated in Turkey. "If you call Hamas a 'terrorist
organisation,' this would sadden us," Erdogan said at a joint press conference
with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Ankara after Mitsotakis had
referred to Hamas as such. "We don't deem Hamas a terrorist organisation...
More than 1,000 members of Hamas are under treatment in hospitals across our
country," Erdogan said. A Turkish official, who spoke on condition of
anonymity, later said that Erdogan had meant to refer to Palestinians from
Hamas-run Gaza in general, rather than Hamas members.”



Afghanistan



The Washington Post: After U.S. Withdrawal, Terror Groups ‘Gaining Strength’
In Afghanistan, Report Warns
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“The power vacuum that America left behind in Afghanistan is fueling a
resurgence of Islamist terrorists who have the will, and perhaps the
capability, to target the U.S. and its interests abroad, according to a major
report by the United States Institute of Peace, which argues that the Biden
administration should consider unleashing more military strikes against
terrorist targets in the country. The study, being made public Tuesday, is one
of the most detailed looks at the threats emanating from Afghanistan in the
years since President Biden ordered the U.S. military withdrawal in 2021. It
cites the rising threat from ISIS-K, the Islamic State’s Afghanistan affiliate,
and continued support for al Qaeda from Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban regime as
two of the most immediate threats confronting America and its allies.”



Pakistan



Associated Press: Pakistan, US Discuss How To Tackle The Regional Security
Threat Posed By IS Group And Local Taliban
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“Pakistani and U.S. officials have held their latest talks in Washington on
how to expand cooperation in tackling the threat posed to regional security by
an affiliate of the Islamic State group and the Pakistani Taliban, Pakistan’s
foreign ministry said Monday. A joint statement said Pakistani diplomat Haider
Shah and the State Department’s coordinator for counterterrorism, Ambassador
Elizabeth Richard, chaired the weekend talks. The talks occurred amid a surge
in militants attacks by the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan or TTP, and an Afghan branch of the Islamic State group. The TTP is an
ally of the Afghan Taliban that seized power in Afghanistan in 2021. Pakistan’s
military recently said a suicide bombing that killed five Chinese engineers and
a Pakistani driver in March was planned in Afghanistan and that the bomber was
an Afghan citizen. Kabul has denied the charge.”



BBC: Four Dead In Protests Against Flour And Energy Prices
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“Four people have died and 100 others were left wounded after violent clashes
with authorities in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Thousands of people have
been on the streets since Friday to protest rising prices of flour and
electricity. Organisers called off the protests on Tuesday, a day after
Pakistan's PM Shehbaz Sharif offered subsidies worth 24 billion rupees ($86m;
£69m). "The government has accepted all of our demands," said Shaukat Nawaz
Mir, one of the activists leading the demonstrations. Mr Mir had also demanded
that the government offer financial compensation for the families of those
killed in the violence. Violence had intensified since the weekend, prompting
authorities to cut mobile services. Schools, public transportation and
businesses have also been suspended.”



Middle East



The New York Times: Secret Hamas Files Show How It Spied On Everyday
Palestinians
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“The Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has for years overseen a secret police force
in Gaza that conducted surveillance on everyday Palestinians and built files on
young people, journalists and those who questioned the government, according to
intelligence officials and a trove of internal documents reviewed by The New
York Times. The unit, known as the General Security Service, relied on a
network of Gaza informants, some of whom reported their own neighbors to the
police. People landed in security files for attending protests or publicly
criticizing Hamas. In some cases, the records suggest that the authorities
followed people to determine if they were carrying on romantic relationships
outside marriage.”



Associated Press: Misery Deepens In Gaza’s Rafah As Israeli Troops Press
Operation
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“Aid workers struggled Monday to distribute dwindling food and other supplies
to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced by what Israel says is a
limited military operation in Rafah, as the two main crossings near the
southern Gaza city remained closed. The United Nations’ agency for Palestinian
refugees said 360,000 Palestinians have fled Rafah over the past week, out of
1.3 million who were sheltering there before the operation began. Most had
already fled fighting elsewhere during the seven-month war between Israel and
Hamas. Israel has portrayed Rafah as the last stronghold of the militant group,
brushing off warnings from the United States and other allies that any major
operation there would be catastrophic for civilians. Hamas has meanwhile
regrouped and is battling Israeli forces in parts of Gaza that Israel bombarded
and invaded earlier in the war.”



Somalia



Garowe Online: US Fails To Compensate Victims Of Drone Strikes In Somalia
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“The Department of Defence has failed to compensate victims of drone strikes
in Somalia since 2022, The Intercept reports, despite evidence of several
casualties throughout the said period in a total of 288 attacks within the
country. For 17 years, the US has carried out 288 attacks in the Horn of Africa
nation, with the US Africa Command only admitting 5 deaths, including Luul and
Mariam, who tragically succumbed to their injuries following an airstrike in
southern regions. But despite the smaller number quoted by US Africa Command,
the Airwars, a UK-based group monitoring airstrikes, at least 3,000 people have
been killed in Somalia over the last two decades, with their families failing
to get justice even with overwhelming evidence.”



Africa



Associated Press: Fires Used As Weapon Of War In Sudan Destroyed Or Damaged 72
Villages Last Month, Study Says
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“Fires resulting from the fighting in Sudan destroyed or damaged 72 villages
and settlements last month, a U.K.-based rights group said Monday, highlighting
the use of fire as a weapon of war in the conflict in the African country.
Investigators from Sudan Witness, an open-source project run by the nonprofit
Center for Information Resilience, say that more blazes than in any other month
since the war started in mid-April 2023. The number also brings to 201 the
total number of fires in Sudan since fighting broke out between Sudan’s
military and the rival paramilitary force. The analysis didn’t provide any
casualty figures from the fires. In the war in Sudan, the paramilitary Rapid
Support Forces have often used fire, setting entire villages ablaze, especially
in Sudan’s western Darfur region.”



United Kingdom



BBC: Men Charged In Terrorism Investigation
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“Three men have been charged with terrorism offences in Greater Manchester.
Arrests were made last week after searches at four addresses across Wigan and
Bolton. Walid Saadaoui, 37, of Crankwood Road, Abram, Wigan, and Amar Hussein,
51, of no fixed address, have been charged with preparation of terrorist acts,
Greater Manchester Police said. Bilel Saadaoui, 35, of Fairclough Street,
Hindley, has been charged with failure to disclose information about an act of
terrorism. The men were scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court
later.”



Germany



Politico: Germany’s Domestic Intelligence Agency Can Continue To Surveil
Far-Right AfD, High Court Rules
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“Intelligence authorities are justified in classifying the far-right
Alternative for Germany party and its youth wing as suspected extremist
organizations, a German high court ruled Monday. The ruling rejected an appeal
by the AfD that would have stopped intelligence agents from surveilling the
party. The move allows Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the
Constitution, which is tasked with monitoring anti-constitutional groups inside
the country, to wiretap functionaries in the AfD and use informants to monitor
the party. Judges from the higher administrative court in Muenster said the
designation of the AfD as a suspected extremist organization is justified based
on statements politicians in the party have made about immigrants and Muslims
in Germany.”



Southeast Asia



Associated Press: China And Cambodia To Begin Annual Military Exercise To
Strengthen Cooperation, Fight Terrorism
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“Cambodia and China begin their annual Golden Dragon military exercise this
week to strengthen cooperation and exchange military experiences, a Cambodian
official said Monday. A total of 1,315 military personnel from Cambodia and 760
from China will participate in the 15-day exercise, backed by three Chinese
warships and 11 Cambodian ships, Cambodian army spokesperson Maj. Gen. Thong
Solimo told journalists. He said the exercise, starting Thursday, is aimed at
training to fight terrorism and provide humanitarian relief in both countries
as well as in the region. The annual Golden Dragon exercises began in December
2016, shortly after Cambodia canceled similar exercises with the United States
called Angkor Sentinel.”



Technology



Forbes: Extremist Groups Rely On Social Media, Rooting Them Out Won't Be Easy
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“Social media continues to be an echo chamber for those with strong political
stances, and that will likely continue to contribute to our great national
divide. However, a far more ominous concern is how social media is being used
as a recruiting tool for extremist militias and other fringe groups—and it
appears little efforts are being made to stamp it out. "Social media platforms
are attractive to extremist groups for many reasons," warned Dr. Lance Y.
Hunter, professor of international relations at Augusta University. "Extremist
groups can use social media platforms to recruit new members due to the
significant number of individuals on social media and the ability to reach
people across large geographical areas." Social media platforms are powerful
tools for extremist groups for several key reasons.”



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