“Authorities in Afghanistan said Monday that a bomb blast had killed at least
one person and injured three others in the southern city of Kandahar, the
political headquarters of the country’s hardline Taliban rulers. The bomb was
planted in a handcart on a road leading to the national capital, Kabul, and the
victims were civilians, a Kandahar police statement said. It added that an
investigation into the attack was underway to apprehend and bring to justice
those responsible. Multiple sources claimed that the bombing had targeted
Taliban security forces, and the death toll was significantly higher than what
was officially reported. No group immediately took responsibility for the
attack, but suspicion fell on a regional Islamic State affiliate, known as
IS-Khorasan or IS-K, which routinely targets members of the Taliban and the
country’s minority Shi’ite community.”











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Eye on Extremism



May 21, 2024



Voice Of America: Deadly Bomb Hits De Facto Capital Of Taliban-Governed
Afghanistan
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“Authorities in Afghanistan said Monday that a bomb blast had killed at least
one person and injured three others in the southern city of Kandahar, the
political headquarters of the country’s hardline Taliban rulers. The bomb was
planted in a handcart on a road leading to the national capital, Kabul, and the
victims were civilians, a Kandahar police statement said. It added that an
investigation into the attack was underway to apprehend and bring to justice
those responsible. Multiple sources claimed that the bombing had targeted
Taliban security forces, and the death toll was significantly higher than what
was officially reported. No group immediately took responsibility for the
attack, but suspicion fell on a regional Islamic State affiliate, known as
IS-Khorasan or IS-K, which routinely targets members of the Taliban and the
country’s minority Shi’ite community.”



Reuters: More Than 569 Tons Of Aid Delivered Across Floating Pier Into Gaza,
Says US Centcom
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“The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Tuesday more than 569 metric tons
of humanitarian assistance has been delivered so far across a temporary
floating pier to Gaza, but not all the aid has reached warehouses. Aid
deliveries began arriving at a U.S.-built pier on Friday as Israel comes under
growing global pressure to allow more supplies into the besieged coastal
enclave. read more The U.N. said that 10 truckloads of food aid - transported
from the pier site by U.N. contractors - were received on Friday at a World
Food Programme warehouse in Deir El Balah in Gaza. But on Saturday, only five
truckloads made it to the warehouse after 11 others were cleaned out by
Palestinians during the journey through an area that a U.N. official, speaking
on condition of anonymity, said has been hard to access with humanitarian aid.
The U.N. did not receive any aid from the pier on Sunday or Monday.”



CEP Mentions



The National: ICC Seeks Arrest Warrants For Netanyahu And Sinwar
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“…Director of think tank the Counter Extremism Project, Hans-Jakob Schindler,
called the request for arrest warrants “powerless” and questioned whether they
would be enforced if they are issued as they are “very unlikely to ever travel
to a country in which the ICC has jurisdiction”.”



United States



The Washington Post: In A Place With A History Of Hate, An Unlikely Fight
Against GOP Extremism
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“Locals prefer not to talk about the hate that took root here a generation
ago, when the Aryan Nations and other militants built a white supremacist
paradise among the tall pines and crystal lakes of North Idaho. Community
activists, backed by national civil rights groups, bankrupted the neo-Nazis in
court and eventually forced them to move, a hard-fought triumph memorialized in
scenes from 2001 of a backhoe smashing through a giant swastika at the former
Aryan compound just outside of Coeur d’Alene, the biggest city in this part of
the state. For much of the two decades since, civic leaders have focused on
moving beyond the image of North Idaho as a white-power fiefdom. They steered
attention instead to emerald golf courses and gleaming lakeside resorts where
celebrities such as Kim Kardashian sip huckleberry cocktails.”



Colombia



Voice Of America: Police Officers Killed As Colombia Rebels Launch Gun, Bomb
Attacks
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“Colombian guerrilla fighters killed two police officers and two other people
Monday in separate gun and bomb attacks that injured at least seven in the
country's troubled southwest, officials said. Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez
pinned an attack in the town of Morales, in the Cauca department, on Central
General Staff (EMC) rebels who had rejected a peace deal the FARC Marxist
guerrilla group signed with the government in 2016. EMC militants opened fire
and set off cylinder bombs at a police station in Morales, killing two officers
and two other people in the prison holding cells in what Velasquez labeled a
"terrorist attack." Three other officers were injured. The army said it had
sent 100 soldiers to the town, where Police Director William Salamanca said
more explosive devices have been found in the streets.”



Yemen



Associated Press: Yemen’s Iran-Backed Houthi Rebels Claim They Shot Down
Another US Drone
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“The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed on Tuesday they shot down an
American drone over the impoverished Arab county. The U.S. military did not
immediately acknowledge the claim. If confirmed, this would be the second MQ-9
Reaper drone downed by the Houthis over the past week as they press their
campaign over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Last Friday, the Houthis
claimed downing an American drone over the province of Marib, hours after
footage circulated online of what appeared to be the wreckage of an MQ-9
Reaper. And early Saturday, a vessel also came under attack in the Red Sea.
Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said Tuesday the drone was
shot down with a locally made surface-to-air missile. He did not say when it
took place but alleged the drone “was carrying out hostile missions” over
Yemen’s southern province of Bayda.”



Qatar



Reuters: Hamas' Qatar-Based Leader Haniyeh Named In ICC Warrant Request
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“Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader based in Qatar, has been the tough-talking
face of the Palestinian group's international diplomacy as war has raged back
in Gaza, where three of his sons were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Now he
faces the possibility of legal action after the International Criminal Court
prosecutor's office said on Monday it had requested arrest warrants for Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defence chief and three Hamas leaders --
including Haniyeh -- for alleged war crimes. Israel has denied committing war
crimes in the Gaza war, triggered by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7
that killed 1,200 people and created a hostage crisis for the far-right
government after more than 250 people were taken to Gaza. The ICC's decision
"equates the victim with the executioner", a senior Hamas official told
Reuters.”



Middle East



Associated Press: War Crimes Prosecutor Seeks Arrest Of Israeli And Hamas
Leaders, Including Netanyahu
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“The chief prosecutor of the world’s top war crimes court sought arrest
warrants Monday for leaders of Israel and Hamas, including Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over actions taken during their seven-month war.
While Netanyahu and his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, do not face imminent
arrest, the announcement by the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor
was a symbolic blow that deepened Israel’s isolation over the war in Gaza. The
court’s prosecutor, Karim Khan, accused Netanyahu, Gallant, and three Hamas
leaders — Yehya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh — of war crimes and
crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel. Netanyahu and other
Israeli leaders condemned the move as disgraceful and antisemitic. U.S.
President Joe Biden also lambasted the prosecutor and supported Israel’s right
to defend itself against Hamas.”



Somalia



Garowe Online: Somalia Officials Discuss Impact Of AU Troops' Withdrawal
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“The Federal and State leadership of Somalia have discussed the impact of the
ongoing exit of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) troops,
as the peacekeeping team withdraws from the Horn of Africa nation. So far, at
least 5,000 ATMIS troops have left the country in compliance with the Somali
Transition Plan (STP) with another 5,000 set for exit in June 2024. The
remaining team is expected to leave by December 2024 as the Somali National
Army (SNA) takes over security responsibilities. On Sunday, regional state
ministers in charge of security, police, and the central government leadership
held a meeting in Dhusamareb, the regional administrative capital of Galmudug,
where post-ATMIS exit and general security realignment were discussed.”



United Kingdom



The Daily Mail: Extremism Tsar Warns Of 'Violence, Intimidation, And
Incitement Of Hatred' By Hard Left As He Demands Lawbreaking Protesters Like
Just Stop Oil Are Made To Pay Compensation To Victims And Divisive
Pro-Palestine Marchers Be Ordered To Pay Police Costs
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“With an eye on pro-Palestine protests he also suggested that the law be
changed to make it easier for police to refuse to allow large-scale protests to
take place. The groups could also be forced to contribute towards
law-enforcement costs. In what may be the most controversial part of the report
he also suggested that ministers examine banning protests outside the Houses of
Parliament in the centre of London, to prevent MPs from being harassed.”



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