“Canada has listed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a
terrorist organisation, after years of pressure from opposition legislators and
some members of the Iranian diaspora. Announcing the decision on Wednesday,
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc called it a “significant tool in
fighting global terrorism”. The move will mean that thousands of senior Iranian
government officials, including top IRGC officials, will be barred from
entering Canada. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, quoted by Iran's Fars news
agency, has condemned what he described as the "unwise and unconventional"
step. The IRGC is a major military, political and economic force in Iran, with
close ties to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It is estimated to
have more than 190,000 active personnel with its own ground forces, navy and
air force that oversee Iran’s strategic weapons.”











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Eye on Extremism



June 20, 2024



BBC: Canada Lists Iran's Revolutionary Guards As A Terrorist Group
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“Canada has listed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a
terrorist organisation, after years of pressure from opposition legislators and
some members of the Iranian diaspora. Announcing the decision on Wednesday,
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc called it a “significant tool in
fighting global terrorism”. The move will mean that thousands of senior Iranian
government officials, including top IRGC officials, will be barred from
entering Canada. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, quoted by Iran's Fars news
agency, has condemned what he described as the "unwise and unconventional"
step. The IRGC is a major military, political and economic force in Iran, with
close ties to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It is estimated to
have more than 190,000 active personnel with its own ground forces, navy and
air force that oversee Iran’s strategic weapons.”



Associated Press: 5 Family Members Of Malaysian Man Who Attacked Police
Station Face Terrorism Charges
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“The father of a Malaysian man who attacked a police station and killed two
police officers last month was charged Wednesday with inciting terrorism in his
family. His Singaporean wife and three other children were also brought to
court to face charges. Radin Imran Radin Mohd Yassin, 62, faces four charges
including promoting terrorist acts by allegedly instilling the violent ideology
of the Islamic State group in his family, including his 21-year-old son Radin
Luqman, who was killed by police in the attack. Radin Luqman stormed the police
station in southern Johor state near Singapore in the early hours of May 17
with a machete. He hacked a police constable to death and then used the
officer’s weapon to kill another. He wounded a third officer before being shot
dead. Police initially said the man could have been planning to take firearms
from the station.”



CEP Mentions



Voice of America: Islamic State In Somalia Poses Growing Threat, US Officials
Say
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“The United States is sharpening its counterterrorism focus on Somalia, going
after increasingly high-profile targets linked to a resurgence of the Islamic
State terror group from its base in the Horn of Africa. U.S. officials are
concerned that IS-Somalia, as the terror group’s regional affiliate is known,
has moved from being a key cog in the Islamic State global financial network to
hosting the group’s top leader. […] “The importance of Mumin, ISIS-Somalia,
ISCAP [Islamic State Central Africa Province] and the al-Karrar office is not
in doubt,” said Edmund Fitton-Brown, a former senior United Nations
counterterrorism official who currently serves as a senior adviser for the
nonprofit Counter Extremism Project.”



CapX: Why Can’t Sinn Fein’s Candidates Condemn The IRA?
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“... One of the survivors of the 1987 IRA Remembrance Sunday massacre in
Enniskillen described his injuries when he regained consciousness in the
rubble: My mouth was blown out. My jaw was missing on the right-hand side. I
was split open nine inches from my chin to my ear. My face and tongue were
paralysed. I had nine broken ribs. My pelvis, two hips and one leg were
smashed. Most normal people would have no hesitation in condemning what was
done to Jim Dixon and the other townspeople murdered beside him as
straightforward terrorism. That is beyond the capability of Pat Cullen, the
Sinn Fein candidate standing for that constituency in the forthcoming
Westminster elections. When challenged directly to condemn the slaughter on BBC
Radio Ulster, all Ms Cullen had in response was evasive word salad: ‘Those were
very dark days’ she said, ‘let’s not go back there’.”



Garowe Online: ISIS Branch In Somalia Poses Danger To The World, US says
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“... “The importance of Mumin, ISIS-Somalia, ISCAP [Islamic State Central
Africa Province], and the al-Karrar office is not in doubt,” said Edmund
Fitton-Brown, a former senior United Nations counterterrorism official who
currently serves as a senior adviser for the nonprofit Counter Extremism
Project. “But ISIS is a profoundly racist organization, and they like to claim
that the caliph is descended from Muhammad,” he told VOA. “I don’t believe they
are ready for an African caliph.””



Syria



Reuters: US Army Kills Senior Islamic State Official In Syria
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“The U.S. Central Command said on Wednesday it had conducted an airstrike in
Syria that killed a senior Islamic State official and facilitator named Usamah
Jamal Muhammad Ibrahim al-Janabi. "His death will disrupt ISIS’s ability to
resource and conduct terror attacks," it said in a statement on X. It said:
"There is no indication any civilians were harmed in this strike."”



Afghanistan



The Washington Examiner: ISIS-K Is Going International
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“As foreign policy discourse has shifted focus to great power competition and
the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, it is tempting to forget the threat that
terrorist organizations pose to the United States. However, the danger posed by
those such as the Islamic State group has risen to levels not seen since the
peak of their international attacks in the mid-2010s. After the ascent of the
Taliban regime in Afghanistan, the local chapter of the Islamic State group,
known as ISIS-K, has faced setbacks in its attempts to found a territorial
state in the country’s eastern regions. Taliban counterinsurgency operations
and crackdowns on ISIS-K international financing have led to a decline in
ISIS-K’s local power. Many Salafi leaders in Afghanistan, the traditional base
of support for ISIS-K, have instead sought a détente with the Taliban emirate.”



Voice Of America: Taliban Accuse UN Rights Expert On Afghanistan Of
Undermining Doha Meeting
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“Afghanistan’s Taliban have labeled the latest United Nations report on
alleged human rights violations as an attempt to “tarnish perceptions” in the
lead-up to this month’s international meeting to discuss the crisis-ridden
country. Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief Taliban spokesman, emphasized Wednesday
the need for “constructive and positive engagement” between their government
and the international community. His response came a day after Richard Bennett,
the U.N. special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Afghanistan,
alleged that the Taliban’s “pattern of systematic violations of women’s and
girls’ fundamental rights” has intensified. Bennett presented his hard-hitting
report on Tuesday to a meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva,
demanding that those responsible for Afghan human rights abuses be held to
account.”



Yemen



Associated Press: Ship Attacked By Yemen’s Houthi Rebels In Fatal Assault
Sinks In Red Sea In Their Second Sinking
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“A bulk carrier sank days after an attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who are
believed to have killed one mariner on board, authorities said early Wednesday.
It was the second ship sunk in the rebels’ campaign targeting Red Sea shipping.
The sinking of the Tutor marks what appears to be a new escalation by the
Iranian-backed Houthis in their campaign of attacks on ships in the vital
maritime corridor over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. The attack comes
despite a monthslong U.S.-led campaign in the region that has seen the Navy
face its most-intense maritime fighting since World War II, with near-daily
attacks targeting commercial vessels and warship. The Liberian-flagged,
Greek-owned-and-operated Tutor sank in the Red Sea, the British military’s
United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said in a warning to sailors in
the region.”



Lebanon



Associated Press: The Latest | Hezbollah Says Israeli Strikes Kill 3 Fighters
As Us Envoy Tries To Calm Tensions
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“Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed three Hezbollah fighters on
Wednesday, the militant group said, as a U.S. envoy tasked with avoiding a
devastating regional war returned to Israel after meeting officials in Lebanon.
Lebanese state media reported multiple Israeli strikes along the border and in
an area north of the coastal city of Tyre, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from
the frontier. The Israeli military said two Hezbollah launches damaged several
vehicles in northern Israel. Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to U.S. President
Joe Biden, was back in Israel after meetings in Lebanon on Tuesday. There has
been no word on whether he has made progress in his efforts to avoid a wider
war. With the Israeli offensive in Gaza now in its ninth month, international
criticism has grown steadily over the U.S. support for Israel’s air and ground
attacks.”



Associated Press: The Leader Of Lebanon’s Hezbollah Militant Group Warns
Archenemy Israel Against Wider War
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“Lebanon’s Hezbollah has new weapons and intelligence capabilities that could
help it target more critical positions deeper inside Israel in case of an
all-out war, the militant group’s leader warned on Wednesday. Hassan
Nasrallah’s comments came as the monthslong cross-border conflict simmering
between Hezbollah and Israel appears to be reaching a boiling point, and a day
after a top U.S. envoy met Lebanese officials in his latest attempt to ease
tensions. “We now have new weapons. But I won’t say what they are,” he said in
a televised address commemorating a top Hezbollah commander killed in an
Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon last week. “When the decision is made,
they will be seen on the front lines.” Hezbollah has used locally made
explosive drones for the first time since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in
Gaza in October, as well as surface-to-air missiles to chase off Israeli jets."



Middle East



Associated Press: The Fate Of The Latest Cease-Fire Proposal Hinges On
Netanyahu And Hamas’ Leader In Gaza
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“The fate of the proposed cease-fire deal for Gaza hinges in many ways on two
men: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas’ leader in Gaza, Yahya
Sinwar. Each leader faces significant political and personal pressures that may
be influencing their decision-making. And neither seems to be in a rush to make
concessions to end the devastating eight-month-long war and free hostages taken
by Hamas in its Oct. 7 attack. Hamas has accepted the broad outline of the plan
but requested “amendments.” Netanyahu has publicly disputed aspects of it, even
though the U.S. has framed it as an Israeli plan. Among the major sticking
points is how to move from an initial temporary truce in the deal’s first phase
to a permanent cease-fire that includes an end to the fighting and full
withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.”



Associated Press: Rifts Seem To Appear Between Israel’s Political And Military
Leadership Over Conduct Of The Gaza War
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“The Israeli army’s chief spokesman on Wednesday appeared to question the
stated goal of destroying the Hamas militant group in Gaza in a rare public
rift between the country’s political and military leadership. Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted Israel will pursue the fight against Hamas, the
group running the besieged Gaza Strip, until its military and governing
capabilities in the Palestinian territory are eliminated. But with the war now
in its ninth month, frustration has been mounting with no clear end or postwar
plan in sight. “This business of destroying Hamas, making Hamas disappear —
it’s simply throwing sand in the eyes of the public,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari,
the military spokesperson, told Israel’s Channel 13 TV. “Hamas is an idea,
Hamas is a party. It’s rooted in the hearts of the people — whoever thinks we
can eliminate Hamas is wrong.”’



Nigeria



Voice Of America: Nigeria Announces Plans To Acquire 50 Military Aircraft;
Analysts Question Intent
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“The Nigerian air force said Tuesday it will acquire 50 new aircraft to
strengthen its capabilities against armed gangs and terrorists in northwest
Nigeria. Nigerian Chief of Air Staff Marshal Hassan Bala Abubakar made the
announcement at the opening of new military facilities, including two aircraft
hangars in northwest Katsina state. Abubakar said the aircraft would include 12
AH-1 attack helicopters, 24 M-346 combat planes, 12 AW109 multipurpose
helicopters and a pair of Casa 295 transport aircraft. He did not disclose the
cost, nor did he say who would provide the aircraft. He said Nigeria is
expected to receive them by next year. The aircraft will be used to bolster
offensives against jihadist groups and armed gangs that have terrorized
northwest and central states in recent years, Abubakar said. But security
analyst Mike Ejiofor says acquiring 50 aircraft is overambitious and possibly
misdirected.”



Africa



Associated Press: Jihadis From Africa’s Sahel Have Crossed Into Nigeria’s
North, A New Report Says. A Lot Is At Stake
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“Jihadi fighters who had long operated in Africa’s volatile Sahel region have
settled in northwestern Nigeria after crossing from neighboring Benin, a report
said Wednesday, the latest trend in the militants’ movements to wealthier West
African coastal nations. The extremists believed to be linked to al-Qaida have
in the last year crossed over from Benin’s hard-hit northern region and settled
in Kainji Lake National Park, one of Nigeria’s largest, where other armed
groups have also gained access, according to the report by the Clingendael
Institute think tank, which has done extensive research in the Sahel. Residents
close to the park told The Associated Press that the facility, which holds one
of West Africa’s fast-declining lion populations, has been closed for more than
a year because of security threats from armed groups attacking neighboring
villages and roads.“



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