Eye on Extremism
June 11, 2024
The New York Sun: Al Qaeda Calls On Fighters To Return To Afghanistan To Create A Terrorist Safe Haven Once Again
“The de facto leader of Al Qaeda, Sayf Al-Adl, is calling on jihadists across the globe to travel to Afghanistan, marking an effort to re-establish the country as a safe haven for the terrorist group. “The loyal people of the Ummah,” the global Islamic community, “interested in change must go to Afghanistan, learn from its conditions, and benefit from” the Taliban’s experience, Adl said in a pamphlet titled, “This is Gaza: A War of Existence, Not of Borders.” This is a call for fighters to train in Afghanistan before launching attacks on “Zionists” and the West, according to the Long War Journal. “This is incredibly important. Many will heed the call” and make the pilgrimage, the director of the Allison Center for National Security at the Heritage Foundation, Robert Greenway, tells the Sun.”
Associated Press: Islamic State Group-Allied Militants Kill Dozens In Eastern Congo
“Militants allied with the Islamic State group in eastern Congo have killed at least 41 people in several villages in North Kivu province, the national government said Monday, as residents openly wondered why security forces weren’t protecting them. The statement said Friday’s attacks were carried out by Allied Democratic Forces militants in the villages of Masala, Mahihi and Keme. Local civil society members asserted that the true toll was higher, with as many as 80 killed. Richard Kirimba, a civil society official in the area that was attacked, said the militants appeared to be expanding their operations and that local mines were drawing them in. “There’s no state authority in this area, and in many villages there are no police, no soldiers, no national intelligence agency,” he told The Associated Press.”
CEP Mentions
Focus: Deportation Deal With The Taliban? The Traffic Light Coalition Would Face A Rude Awakening
“... However, experts warn against following this approach as an example: "The Taliban are always very willing to accept advance payments, but if they offer something in return, things get very complicated," Hans-Jakob Schindler from the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) in The Hague told Deutsche Welle. And German Afghanistan expert Thomas Ruttig also suspects in an interview with the broadcaster that "a kind of salami tactic" would appeal to the Taliban. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) also put a stop to the negotiation initiatives for the time being. A spokesman for the Foreign Office explained that the Taliban's statements showed that they "want to be paid for with international recognition at least" for any repatriations.”
DW: How Safe Are Fans At Euro 2024? A Security Expert Is Worried
“... "Everyone is going to look at Germany during those couple of weeks when we have the championship here," Hans-Jakob Schindler of the Counter Extremism Project told DW. "That means our adversaries are going to try to do whatever they can to disrupt this." Fears of a terrorist attack on the Euros have increased since an attack on a concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow claimed by an offshoot of the so-called "Islamic State" group left 145 people dead. A threat subsequently published in an IS propaganda magazine suggested the tournament was a target. Still, Schindler said the public nature of that threat makes it less likely that a coordinated attack is planned.”
United States
Reuters: California Public University Academics End Pro-Palestinian Strike Under Court Order
“Thousands of University of California academic workers who went on strike at six campuses protesting administrators' response to pro-Palestinian protests returned to the job on Monday under court order, but their union vowed more protests to come. An Orange County Superior Court judge late on Friday granted a temporary restraining order sought by the university, which asserted that the walkout stemmed from non-labor issues and that it violated the no-strike clause in the union's contract. University officials had originally petitioned the California Public Employment Relations Board, but the panel twice rejected their requests for an injunction. Unionized academic researchers, graduate teaching assistants and post-doctoral scholars walked off the job over what they called unfair labor practices in the university's handling of pro-Palestinian demonstrations in recent weeks.”
Syria
Reuters: Eyeing Showdown With Hezbollah, Israel Presses Shadow Campaign In Syria
“Israel has intensified covert strikes in Syria against weapons sites, supply routes and Iranian-linked commanders, seven regional officials and diplomats said, ahead of a threatened full-scale assault on Tehran's key ally Hezbollah in Lebanon. A June 2 air raid that killed 18 people, including an adviser with Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, targeted a clandestine, fortified weapons site near Aleppo, three of the sources said. In May, an air strike hit a convoy of trucks headed to Lebanon carrying missile parts and another raid killed Hezbollah operatives, four said. Israel has for years struck militant groups backed by arch-foe Iran in Syria and elsewhere, in a low-level campaign that burst into open confrontation after Israel and Palestinian group Hamas - another Iranian ally - went to war in Gaza on Oct. 7. Israel has since killed dozens of Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and Hezbollah officers in Syria, from just two last year before the Oct. 7 attack, according to a tally by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a think tank.”
Afghanistan
Voice Of America: Taliban: Pakistan, Iran Expelled Over 400,000 Afghan Refugees So Far In 2024
“The Taliban government in Afghanistan has said that the eviction of hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees from Pakistan and Iran continues unabated, with around 2,000 individuals arriving in the country daily. “The two neighboring countries have forcibly deported over 400,000 refugees since the start of 2024, with Pakistan responsible for 75% of the deportations,” said Qari Yusuf Ahmadi, the spokesperson for the Taliban’s commission assisting and resettling returnees to their native Afghan districts. “They are being well served here, and efforts are being made to provide them with additional amenities of life,” Ahmadi claimed. Meanwhile, the United Nations warned Monday that recovery from years of conflict and "entrenched poverty" in Afghanistan is increasingly challenged by worsening humanitarian and economic conditions as well as a decline in foreign aid since the Taliban seized power almost three years ago.”
Yemen
Reuters: Yemen's Houthis Say They Have Arrested An 'American-Israeli Spy Cell'
“Yemen's Houthis said on Monday they have arrested an "American-Israeli spy cell", a few days after the Iran-backed group detained about a dozen United Nations personnel. The alleged cell included former staff of the U.S. embassy in Yemen, according to a television statement from Abdel Hakim Al Khaiwani, the Houthis' intelligence chief. "The American-Israeli spy cell carried out espionage and sabotage activities in official and unofficial institutions for decades in favour of the enemy," he said. "Members of the spy spell and American officers exploited their positions at the American embassy to carry out their sabotage activities. After the American embassy left Sanaa ... the members of the spy cell continued to implement their sabotage agendas under the cover of international and UN organizations." Israeli government officials had no immediate comment, and the U.N. declined to comment on the allegations. The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.”
Middle East
Associated Press: UN Security Council Adopts A Cease-Fire Resolution Aimed At Ending Israel-Hamas War In Gaza
“The U.N. Security Council on Monday overwhelmingly approved its first resolution endorsing a cease-fire plan aimed at ending the eight-month war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The U.S.-sponsored resolution welcomes a cease-fire proposal announced by President Joe Biden that the United States says Israel has accepted. It calls on the militant Palestinian group Hamas to accept the three-phase plan. The resolution — which was approved with 14 of the 15 Security Council members voting in favor and Russia abstaining — calls on Israel and Hamas “to fully implement its terms without delay and without condition.” Whether Israel and Hamas agree to go forward with the plan remains in question, but the resolution’s strong support in the U.N.’s most powerful body puts added pressure on both parties to approve the proposal.”
Nigeria
Reuters: Nigerian Fishing Community On Edge After Jihadists Threaten Attack
“Nigerian fisherman Modu Umar has hardly slept for two weeks, torn between staying in his Baga community or fleeing after Islamist militants warned residents to leave their homes or face an attack. Umar, a 33-year-old father of three, has known no life but fishing in nearby Lake Chad and selling his catch in the four countries around it. Now, like hundreds of other residents, he is anxious about his future. Five Baga residents said fighters from Islamic State West Africa Province(ISWAP), a Boko Haram offshoot, attacked the community on May 27, killing 15 people and abducting many more. Days later, the group issued a 14-day eviction notice that has rippled through Baga, which in the past has witnessed battles between the multinational forces of Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria and Niger, and jihadists. "We are in a difficult situation and helpless," Umar told Reuters by phone. "Ever since the notice, I have been constantly worried and in fear."”
The Washington Times: A Report Says Women Were Abused In Nigerian Military Cells After Fleeing Boko Haram Captivity
“Dozens of women and young girls have been unlawfully detained and abused in Nigerian military detention facilities after escaping captivity by Boko Haram extremists in the country’s northeast, Amnesty International said in a new report on Monday. Some of the women were detained with their children for years because of their real or perceived association with the extremists, the report said. It cited 126 interviews, mostly with survivors, over the 14 years since the Islamic extremists launched their insurgency. The report echoes past human rights concerns about the Nigerian military, which in the past has been accused of extrajudicial killings and illegal arrests in one of the world’s longest conflicts. The report, however, noted the practice of prolonged and unlawful detentions has been less widespread in recent years.”
Reuters: Nigeria Gunmen Kill 50 In Raid On Northwest Village, Residents Say
“At least 50 people were killed and an unspecified number kidnapped, including women and children, when gunmen attacked the village of Yargoje in northwest Nigeria at the weekend, residents said on Monday. A year after President Bola Tinubu came to power promising to end widespread insecurity, attacks in the northwest by armed gangs, often referred to as bandits, have become almost routine, with authorities seemingly powerless to stop them. Dozens of gunmen on motorbikes stormed Yargoje in the Kankara local government area of Katsina state late on Sunday, according to resident Hassan Ya’u. "They shot sporadically at people, claiming the lives of more than 50 (of us), including my younger brother," he told Reuters by phone. He added that an unknown number of villagers had been abducted and properties looted.”
Somalia
Voice Of America: 'Dozens Dead' In Somalia Clan Clashes
“A deadly clash over the weekend between two clans in central Somalia has killed at least 50 people, residents and medical officials told VOA on Monday. Another 155 people are said to have been injured in the clashes in the Galgudud province near Somalia’s border with Ethiopia. The fighting between the Dir and Marihan clans erupted on Saturday in rural areas between Abudwaq and Herale towns over grazing land and watering points, said Feysal Abdullahi Kheyre, a commissioner and resident of Herale. Witnesses who asked for anonymity for fear of reprisals said about 400 militiamen fought each other during the clashes, using anti-tank weapons and heavy machine guns mounted on pickup trucks. “The reason behind the high casualties is the fact that the fighting took place in an open ground and that the clan militias are heavily armed,” said Muhidin Aden Wali, a commissioner and resident of Abudwaq.”
France
The Kyiv Independent: France Charges Russian-Ukrainian Man Over Alleged Terrorist Plot
“A Russian-Ukrainian man has been charged in France with planning to commit a violent act in a "terrorist" plot, French authorities said on June 7. According to the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office, the 26-year-old man had arrived in France several days ago and was detained earlier this week after injuring himself in an explosion. He has been charged with participation in a "terrorist conspiracy" and possession of a substance or explosives with a view to harming people. The man had been staying in a hotel near the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, and "products and materials intended to manufacture explosive devices" were found in his room, authorities said. An investigation is still underway to identify anyone else involved in the plot.”
Southeast Asia
CBS: Militants Attack Bus In India-Controlled Kashmir, Kill 9 Hindu Pilgrims, Police Say
“An attack by unidentified militants in the Indian-controlled portion of the restive Himalayan region of Kashmir left nine people dead and 33 others injured Sunday, police said. Suspected terrorists opened fire on a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims, making the driver lose control and sending the bus plunging into a gorge in the mountainous region, district police said. The bus was on its way to the famous Hindu shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi, in the Katra region, when it came under fire on a mountain road. Videos posted online and aired by Indian media showed bodies lying on a rocky slope running down one side of the highway. Police and paramilitary forces had wrapped up search and rescue operations by Monday, but the hunt for the attackers continued. No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but the district police said militants had "ambushed the bus."”
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