Eye on Extremism
April 13, 2020
Al
Jazeera: US Offers $10m For Information On Hezbollah Commander In
Iraq
“The United States has offered up to $10m for information on
Hezbollah commander Sheikh Mohammad al-Kawtharani, who was an
associate of slain Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. Kawtharani was
branded a “global terrorist” by the US in 2013, accused of funding
armed groups in Iraq and helping transport Iraqi fighters to Syria to
join President Bashar al-Assad's effort to put down a revolt against
his rule. Announcing the reward, the US State Department said
Kawtharani had “taken over some of the political coordination of
Iran-aligned paramilitary groups” formerly organised by Soleimani, an
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps commander assassinated in a US drone
strike in Baghdad in January. “In this capacity, he facilitates the
actions of groups operating outside the control of the Government of
Iraq that have violently suppressed protests, attacked foreign
diplomatic missions, and engaged in wide-spread organised criminal
activity,” it said in a statement. The State Department said it was
offering the sum for information on Kawtharani's activities, networks
and associates as part of an effort to disrupt the “financial
mechanisms” of the Lebanon-based Hezbollah.”
Deutsche
Welle: Far-Right Terrorist Ringleader Found To Be Teenager In
Estonia
“Authorities in Estonia captured the leader of a far-right
terrorist group called the “Feuerkrieg Division” (FDK), or ''fire war
division,'' an online group with members that spread across several
countries, Der Spiegel reported on Thursday. Investigators found the
group was headed by a 13-year-old, the German magazinesaid, citing
Estonian newspaper Eesti Ekspress. The young man operated online under
the name “Commander” and was responsible for the recruitment and
admission of new members. He also shared bomb-making instructions,
spoke about planning an attack on London and suggested organizing
military training camps in February, to commemorate the “100th
birthday” of Adolf Hitler's former political party NSDAP. Due to the
suspect's age, he cannot be prosecuted in Estonia, Der Spiegel
reported. Instead, authorities will have to seek other legal measures
to protect him from himself and others. Reports suggest FDK operated
almost entirely online and idolized right-wing terrorists as “saints,”
calling on members to follow their example. As recently as October,
the group wrote a series of tenets such as “we are not afraid to die
and we kill anyone who gets in our way.”
ABC
News: Afghan Taliban Confirms Release Of 1st Government
Prisoners
“The Taliban announced Sunday it will be releasing 20 Afghan
government prisoners the group has been holding, in the first phase of
its commitment under its historic peace deal with the United States.
The deal calls for the government to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners
in exchange for 1,000 government officials held by the Taliban
insurgents. The Afghan government released its first 100 Taliban
prisoners last week and Jawed Faisal, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s
national security adviser, said the government has thus far released
300 Taliban prisoners overall from government custody. Suhial Shaheen,
a spokesman for the Taliban’s political office, said in a tweet that
the first government prisoners will be handed over to the
International Committee of the Red Cross in the southern Kandahar
province. The exchanges come after the Taliban met with the head of
U.S. forces in Afghanistan to call for an end to what they say is an
increase in American attacks since a peace deal was signed in
February, allegations the U.S. military denied."
United States
The
Wall Street Journal: Justice Department Official Says Surveillance
Law’s Lapse Impedes Terrorism
Probes
“The recent lapse of a set of federal surveillance powers has begun
to limit the FBI’s ability to pursue some terrorism and espionage
suspects, a top Justice Department official said, outlining how the
ripple effects of the coronavirus pandemic are being felt across U.S.
national security efforts. The Justice Department has been unable to
obtain certain wiretaps and to file requests to obtain business
records from companies in connection with national security
investigations between five and 10 times since Congress allowed the
surveillance provisions to expire last month, said John Demers, the
head of the department’s national security division, in an interview.
“The House legislation includes important reforms to FISA and
reauthorizes national security tools that we would have used, but have
not in the weeks since the law expired,” Mr. Demers said, referring to
the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a decades-old law that has
recently endured bipartisan scrutiny. Focused on addressing the
coronavirus pandemic, lawmakers left Washington last month without
renewing three FISA-enabled intelligence tools, which expired on March
15.”
Syria
Al
Monitor: Islamic State Spreading Terror Once Again In Syrian
Desert
“A resilient Islamic State (IS) has become increasingly active over
the past few weeks in eastern Syria, especially in the desert in the
south and Kurdish areas in the north. IS militants have launched
attacks against Syrian regime forces and their allied militias, while
also targeting the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces to a lesser
extent. These attacks point to IS’ ability to restructure cells and
carry out large-scale operations. IS is likely to carry on its
attacks, explosions and executions, especially in the eastern desert
of the central province of Homs and the desert in eastern Deir ez-Zor.
IS is taking advantage of the world’s and Syria’s preoccupation with
the coronavirus crisis and the measures imposed to stem the spread of
the coronavirus, including curfews and quarantines. On April 9, IS
targeted a regime convoy and military posts in the Homs desert.
Russian aircraft launched a series of air raids against IS positions
there. The clashes and airstrikes killed 18 regime fighters and allied
gunmen, and 11 IS militants, according to the Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights. A military source close to the Syrian regime confirmed
the battle, telling Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, “IS attacked
Syrian regime positions near Al-Sukhna … April 9 at dawn. The town is
part of the Syrian desert where IS has been very active lately.”
Al
Monitor: Intelligence Sharing Remains Key To Fight Against
IS
“In late March, the Telegraph reported that four Islamic State (IS)
militants escaped from the Ghweran prison in the northeastern Syrian
city of Hasakah but were quickly recaptured. The Kurdish Syrian
Democratic Forces (SDF), which played such a critical role in
destroying IS' so-called caliphate, are in charge of the prison. The
US military was reported to have provided aerial reconnaissance
assistance to support the SDF’s recapture of the IS prisoners. Other
news stories said up to 12 prisoners escaped. The SDF continues to be
responsible for the security of the prisons in northern Syria, where
roughly 11,000-12,000 captured IS fighters are held. The March 30
prison incident highlights the conundrum surrounding the IS detainees.
Western governments refuse to accept their repatriation, while the SDF
believes they should face prosecution inside Syria, if necessary with
an international tribunal. Although IS no longer controls large swaths
of territory in Iraq and Syria, roughly 15,000-20,000 of the terror
group's fighters have morphed into an insurgency. IS continues to
mount guerilla attacks on Iraqi and Syrian security forces. IS sleeper
cells are reportedly planning bombings and assassinations.”
The
National: Dozens Killed In ISIS Attack On Syrian Town In Homs
Province
“At least 27 Syrian regime fighters were killed in an ISIS attack
in the central province of Homs on Thursday, a war monitor said.
Pro-government fighters backed by Russian air strikes were battling
the militants to prevent them from entering the desert town of Al
Sukhna in Homs, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The air
raids and clashes killed 22 ISIS fighters, the Britain-based monitor
said. “Russian aviation intervened to stop the jihadists from
advancing and retaking the town,” Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman
said. But the militants managed to break through and entered parts of
Al Sukhna in the evening, taking control of some neighbourhoods, he
said. Syrian regime forces recaptured Al Sukhna from ISIS in 2017.
Thursday's attack was the deadliest in the area since December, when
ISIS fighters attacked an army garrison in a gas facility east of Homs
city, killing four civilians and 13 troops or militiamen, Mr Abdel
Rahman said. ISIS proclaimed a “caliphate” in parts of Syria and
neighbouring Iraq in 2014. After years of various offensives against
it, US-backed forces finally expelled ISIS from its last patch of
territory in eastern Syria a year ago.”
Kurdistan
24: Kurdish Forces Arrest Senior ISIS Health Official In Northeast
Syria's Hasakah
“The Syrian Kurdish Anti Terror Forces (HAT) has arrested a senior
health official in the ranks of the so-called Islamic State in rural
northeastern Hasakah province, local sources said on Sunday. HAT is
affiliated with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which
is the US-led Coalition's partner in the fight against the terrorist
organization in Syria. SDF media sources told Kurdistan 24 that a HAT
unit arrested Mohammad Rashid Diyab, the head of the Islamic State
Health Bureau, in a joint operation with the US-led Coalition in the
Hasakah town of Shaddadi. The town was an Islamic State stronghold for
its oil trade operations in northeast Syria and was liberated by the
SDF in February 2016. The SDF source said on condition of anonymity
that investigations with the detainee are still ongoing and could not
give further information about the situation. The Syria-based North
Press Agency reported they obtained footage of the operation but
didn't publish it. The agency said the footage shows the HAT team
surrounding a house in Shaddadi and capturing the Islamic State member
who did not resist arrest.”
Iraq
Kurdistan
24: Iraqi Police Killed, Militant Captured In Three ISIS Attacks In
Disputed Areas
“Remnants of the so-called Islamic State late Sunday launched three
separate attacks on members of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) in both
Kirkuk and Diyala provinces, killing a police officer and wounding
others. The military communications center, known as the Security
Media Cell, confirmed that the members of the terrorist organization
attacked ISF forces in Mansourya village, located in southwest Kirkuk
province. One federal police officer was killed, and the security
forces captured a wounded Islamic State fighter. A local security
source told Kurdistan 24 that several members of the terror group
retreated into hiding following the attack. ISF members currently
surround the village and are conducting a security sweep of the area.
At the same time, local media reported that another group of Islamic
State gunmen attacked an ISF checkpoint in the Jalawla district of
Diyala province. This incident did not lead to any casualties, as per
preliminary reporting. Jalawla, also known as Gulala in Kurdish, is
one of the disputed territories between the Kurdistan Regional
Government (KRG) and the Federal Government of Iraq. Furthermore,
Iraqi soldiers repelled another attack, as Islamic State fighters
struck an army post in the village of Tal-Basal, located in Kirkuk's
Daquq district.”
Afghanistan
Reuters:
U.S. Commander In Afghanistan And Taliban Discuss Violence Reduction
In Doha Meeting
“The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan met Taliban leadership
in Doha to discuss the need to reduce violence in the war-torn
country, spokesmen for both sides said on Saturday, as continued
clashes threaten to derail a fragile peace process. The meeting
between Taliban leaders and General Scott Miller, commander of U.S.
forces and the NATO-led non-combat Resolution Support mission in
Afghanistan, took place on Friday night. It came as the insurgent
group accuses U.S. forces of breaching an agreement signed between the
two sides in February. “General Miller met with Taliban leadership
last night as part of the military channel established in the
agreement,” a spokesman for U.S. Forces in Afghanistan told Reuters.
“The meeting was about the need to reduce the violence,” he said. The
February pact between the United States and the Taliban, under which
international forces will withdraw in phases in exchange for Taliban
security guarantees, is the best chance yet of ending the 18-year U.S.
military involvement in Afghanistan. The spokesman for the Taliban’s
political office in Doha also said on Twitter that the meeting
discussed implementation of the agreement.”
Pakistan
The
New York Times: Shelling Across Pakistan-India Border Kills
Three
“Shelling across the border between India and Pakistan killed three
Indian civilians and wounded two Pakistani civilians, military
officials from the two sides said on Sunday. Indian and Pakistani
troops exchanged mortar and artillery shelling along the de facto
border known as the Line of Control (LoC) that divides the disputed
Kashmir region. The sporadic exchanges began on Saturday and continued
into Sunday. Both countries claim the region in full, but rule only
parts, and often accuse each other of breaching a 2003 ceasefire pact
by shelling and firing across the LoC. Pakistani troops targeted
civilians living near the LoC, killing three people, including a child
and a woman, and wounding five, Vijay Kumar, police chief of Kashmir,
told Reuters. Pakistan blames Indian troops for ceasefire violations
and targeting civilians in Kashmir. Two Pakistani civilians were
injured due to shelling from India, Major-General Babar Iftikhar of
the public relations wing of the Pakistan Army, said in a Tweet.
Tension between the two countries was renewed when New Delhi withdrew
the autonomy of the Kashmir region in 2019 and split it into
territories federally administered by India. Until then, it had had
autonomy over all matters except defence, communications and foreign
affairs.”
Lebanon
The
Arab Weekly: Assassination Of Hezbollah Commander In South Lebanon
Sparks Speculation
“The assassination of Hezbollah commander Ali Mohammed Younes on
April 4 in southern Lebanon could be related to internal feuds with
the militant pro-Iran party especially in dealing with certain thorny
issues such as financial corruption, Lebanese political sources
said. According to the sources, Younes was a known second-rank figure
in the party in charge of counter intelligence. He worked on the
ground in south Lebanon and his main task was to hunt spies and
infiltrators. Younes was assassinated somewhere between the villages
of Qaqaiyat al-Jisr and Zutar al-Gharbiyeh in southern Lebanon, an
area entirely under Hezbollah’s control. Hezbollah was quick to
circulate information saying that Younes was ambushed by assassins who
came aboard three cars but observers in southern Lebanon ruled out the
possibility that anybody from outside the area, including Israel,
would ambush a leading figure of Hezbollah in that Lebanese location
simply because Hezbollah knows exactly who is travelling in and out of
the region. While Hezbollah sought to steer suspicion for the killing
of Younes towards Israeli intelligence (the Mossad), a resident of the
area said that Hezbollah’s account of the assassination did not seem
accurate.”
Somalia
The
Defense Post: US Airstrike Targets Al-Shabaab Near Kismayo, Covering
Somali Troops
“A U.S. airstrike killed 10 al-Shabaab militants in southern
Somalia on Thursday, April 9, in defense of Somali National Army
troops on the ground, Africa Command said. The strike came after
suspected al-Shabaab militants “engaged” Somali National Army’s
special Danab (Lighting) and Jubaland Security Force troops near
Kobon, not far from the coastal city of Kismayo, AFRICOM said in a
Friday release. Al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab has used Kobon to stage
attacks on Somali National Army troops in the past, the U.S. military
has said. Last year AFRICOM said a strike killed eight fighters near
the town. The U.S. also conducted a targeted strike on Friday, killing
one al-Shabaab militant in the town of Jilib, AFRICOM said. Neither
strike killed any civilians, the command claimed. Friday’s was the
latest in a series of targeted strikes on the town, which is
controlled by al-Shabaab. The U.S. Special Operations and African
Union troops have been supporting Somali Federal Government forces in
an effort to push al-Shabaab militants out of rural areas around the
capital at Mogadishu. The militants have killed hundreds of civilians
in the capital and control swaths of Somalia’s rural south and have
launched a number of deadly attacks in neighboring countries.”
Africa
The
Washington Post: In West Africa, Trafficking Brings Human Suffering.
But Removing It Can Set Off Instability.
“Earlier this year, police in Niger broke up a complex trafficking
and forced-labor ring involved in exploiting dozens of children and
hundreds of Ghanaian workers. A catchall term for illicit movement of
goods and people, “trafficking” evokes images of drugs, guns,
kidnapping, abuse and even slavery — and is often associated with
organized crime and human suffering. Controlling the profits from this
type of activity is one driver of violent conflict in many parts of
Africa, including West Africa’s Sahel region. In northern Mali, for
instance, competing militias battle to control routes used to traffic
shipments of illegal drugs. But my research suggests that ordinary
people elsewhere in the Sahel region may experience trafficking quite
differently. Much of the “contraband” crossing the region consists of
everyday commodities necessary for survival in remote desert zones —
things like spaghetti or gasoline. While some traffickers exploit
vulnerable people for the sex trade or other forced labor, the
migration hub at Agadez in northern Niger also has a history of
helping migrants head north of their own volition to seek jobs and a
better life in North Africa and Europe.”
Voice
Of America: 1,000 Boko Haram Fighters Killed In Raid, Chad Army
Reports
“Chadian army officials report military forces have killed about
1,000 Boko Haram extremists in an operation on the islands of Lake
Chad. In a video statement released late Thursday, Army spokesman
Colonel Azem Bermandoa said the eight-day operation cleared the
extremists from the islands in a vast area between Chad, Nigeria,
Niger and Cameroon. He said 52 Chadian army soldiers also were killed
and nearly 200 others wounded during the operation. The move follows a
Boko Haram attack last month on a Bohoma army base. More than 92
soldiers were killed. Army officials called it the deadliest attack
ever on the nation’s forces. Boko Haram extremists have killed tens of
thousands and forced millions from their homes during their more than
decade-long insurgency.”
Yahoo
News: Chad's Army Says It Will Continue Joint Operations Against
Jihadists
“Chad's government said on Sunday that its army would continue to
participate in regional taskforces targeting jihadist groups, as well
as the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali, following President Idriss
Deby's suggestion it might withdraw its troops. Chad is a key
contributor to a multinational force in the Lake Chad basin fighting
Nigerian jihadist group Boko Haram, and another farther north in the
Sahel zone that counters militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic
State. It is also the largest troop contributor to the U.N.
peacekeeping mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA, with more than 1,400
soldiers there as of January. In a speech broadcast on Friday that
followed heavy fighting between the army and Boko Haram, Deby said:
“From today, no Chadian soldier will take part in an external military
operation.” However, in a statement on Sunday, Chad's foreign affairs
ministry said Deby's remarks had been misinterpreted and only meant
the army would no longer conduct unilateral operations beyond its
borders in the Lake Chad basin. “It was never a question for Chad of
disengaging from the (anti-Boko Haram) Multinational Joint Task Force
or from the G5 Sahel joint force, much less from (MINUSMA),” the
statement said.”
United Kingdom
The
Times: Terrorism In The UK: Number Of Suspects Tops 40,000 After MI5
Rechecks Its List
“MI5 is aware of more than 43,000 people who pose a potential
terrorist threat to the UK, according to a government report — almost
twice the number of terror suspects previously disclosed. After the
2017 attacks at London Bridge and Manchester Arena, it was revealed
that MI5 had about 23,000 current and historic suspects on its radar.
This included 3,000 so-called subjects of interest (SOI) who were
under active investigation, as well as 20,000 people who had been
investigated in the past and who might engage in terrorism in the
future. The latter are known as “closed” subjects of interest (CSOI)
and included terrorists such as Salman Abedi, who went on to kill 22
people in the Manchester Arena suicide bombing.”
Germany
The
Jerusalem Post: Germany Imposes Four-Year Travel Ban On Senior
Palestinian Terrorist
“The German government has issued a four-year travel ban against a
senior member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
(PFLP) who allegedly supports terrorism and Boycott, Divestment and
Sanctions (BDS) movement against the Jewish state. The Palestinian
journalist and alleged PFLP terrorist Khaled Barakat, who is based in
Canada, said in a webinar in late March that the German authorities
imposed a “four-year ban on me entering Germany” because “I support
[the Palestinians'] right to resist Israel, call for the liberation of
Palestine from river to sea… that I support the Palestinian
organization and they name it the Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine (PFLP).” The EU and the US both classify the PFLP as a
foreign terrorist organization. Barakat is a senior member of the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, according to the
Israeli government. Barakat also said that Germany cited his
opposition to the Oslo peace plan and a two state solution for the
Israel-Palestinian conflict, refusal to recognize Israel’s right to
exist, as well as his support for the BDS campaign targeting the
Jewish state in the 23-page ruling. The German document outlining the
six reason for banning him deemed his refusal to recognize Israel’s
right to exist as “antisemitic,” said Barakat.”
Southeast Asia
The
New York Times: 1 Year After Attacks, Sri Lankans Mark Easter At
Home
“Christians in Sri Lanka celebrated Easter in their homes on
Sunday, participating in religious services through television as
churches remained closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. TV stations
aired the Easter Vigil and Holy Mass in all three main languages used
in the Indian Ocean island nation. But there were no organized events
to remember the more than 260 people, mostly Catholics, who were
killed in Islamic State group-inspired bomb attacks on three churches
and three hotels in Sri Lanka last Easter. “Last year, some misguided
youths attacked us and we as humans could have given a human and
selfish response,” Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the archbishop of
Colombo, said in his sermon at a Mass celebrated at his residence on
Sunday. “But we mediated on Christ's teachings and loved them, forgave
them and had pity on them,” he said. “We did not hate them and return
them the violence.” Sri Lanka has been under curfew for most of the
past three weeks. The Church is planning a private ceremony on April
21 — the anniversary of the 2019 attacks — to remember the dead.
Dushyanthan Niroshan, who works as a travel coordinator, said he
participated in Holy Mass at home, but looked at it positively.”
Reuters:
Myanmar Frees Journalist Who Was Charged Under Terrorism
Law
“A Myanmar journalist arrested on terrorism charges after
publishing an interview with a spokesman for the Arakan Army rebel
group was freed on Thursday and said police had told him they would
not pursue the case. Nay Myo Lin, the editor-in-chief of Voice of
Myanmar, was charged under sections of the Terrorism Act last week by
a court in the second largest city, Mandalay, over a March 27
interview with the AA, which is waging a war in the conflict-torn
western Rakhine region. Mandalay police declined to comment on his
release when contacted by phone. Reuters was unable to contact the
court for comment. A government spokesman declined to comment. The
government declared the AA a terrorist group last month after more
than a year of intense fighting against the organization, which
recruits from the mostly Buddhist ethnic Rakhine majority and seeks
greater autonomy for the region. In the March 27 article, the group’s
spokesman gave his views about the designation. Nay Myo Lin told
Reuters that police had told him they would not prosecute the case
under the Terrorism Act, but that he had been asked to sign an
agreement vowing to cooperate with any further questioning and had
done so.”
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