“The United States and its key European allies clashed with Iran and Russia
over Tehran’s expanding nuclear program, with the U.S. vowing “to use all means
necessary to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran” in a U.N. Security Council meeting
on Monday. The U.S., France, Britain and Germany accused Iran of escalating its
nuclear activities far beyond limits it agreed to in a 2015 deal aimed at
preventing Tehran from developing nuclear weapons, and of failing to cooperate
with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. Iran
and Russia accused the U.S. and its allies of continuing to apply economic
sanctions that were supposed to be lifted under the deal, and insisted that
Tehran’s nuclear program remains under constant oversight by the IAEA.”











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Eye on Extremism



June 25, 2024



Associated Press: US And Allies Clash With Tehran And Moscow Over Iranian
Nuclear Program At UN Security Council
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“The United States and its key European allies clashed with Iran and Russia
over Tehran’s expanding nuclear program, with the U.S. vowing “to use all means
necessary to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran” in a U.N. Security Council meeting
on Monday. The U.S., France, Britain and Germany accused Iran of escalating its
nuclear activities far beyond limits it agreed to in a 2015 deal aimed at
preventing Tehran from developing nuclear weapons, and of failing to cooperate
with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. Iran
and Russia accused the U.S. and its allies of continuing to apply economic
sanctions that were supposed to be lifted under the deal, and insisted that
Tehran’s nuclear program remains under constant oversight by the IAEA.”



Bloomberg: Deadly Attack In Russia Stirs Fear Of Wave Of Extremist Violence
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“A deadly attack by gunmen in the majority Muslim region of Dagestan just
months after the assault on a Moscow concert hall is raising the spectre that
Russia may be facing a wave of violence by religious extremists. Security
services said that terrorists were behind Sunday’s attacks that targeted
churches and a synagogue in the often violence-wracked region in southern
Russia. At least 15 police officers and four civilians, including a priest,
were killed, Russia’s Investigative Committee said Monday on Telegram. Among
six militants who were killed, three were sons and a nephew of a local official
that the ruling United Russia party later expelled, according to the Interfax
news service. Investigators are trying to establish who was responsible for
organizing the attacks.”



CEP Mentions



The Daily Wire: After Suspected Tajik Terrorist Arrests, Little-Known Biden
Border Entry Program Demands Hard Focus
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“A multi-state FBI counterterrorism wiretap sting has rolled up eight
Tajikistani nationals in three cities who had entered over the U.S. Southwest
Border and were plotting some sort of bombing. On its own, what little is known
about this terrible new consequence of President Joe Biden’s ongoing historic
mass migration border crisis – a coordinated, large-cell infiltration attack on
the homeland – ranked as startling enough to draw congressional demands for
much more basic information than the administration will currently release. […]
As one indication of public sentiment toward Islamic extremist ideology in the
Kyrgyz Republic, an estimated 850 of its citizens reportedly joined ISIS
between 2013 and 2015, and regional scholars insist the real number is higher,
according to the Counter Extremism Project.”



DW News: Netanyahu: ‘Intense Phase’ Of Military Operations In Gaza Drawing To
A Close <[link removed]>



"Israel's declared aim with the war is to eliminate Hamas and liberate the
Israeli hostages held by militant groups. Both have yet to be achieved. But the
Israeli military chief of staff says the structure of Hamas in the city of
Rafah is nearly dismantled. Benjamin Netanyahu has signaled that the "intense
phase" of Israel's military operations against Hamas in Gaza is drawing to a
close. But the Israeli prime minister says fighting won't stop until the group
no longer controls the Gaza Strip. DW asks Hans-Jakob Schindler, Director of
the Counter Extremism Project in Berlin, how he views the progress of Israel’s
war in Gaza."



Global With JJ Green: Terror Attack In Dagestan: Who Did It And Why?
<[link removed]>



"Dr. Hans Jakob Schindler, Senior Director of the Counter Extremism Project
breaks down the terror attack in Dagestan on YouTube News Channel, GLOBAL with
JJ Green."



United States



Politico: US To Hezbollah: Don’t Count On Us To Stop An Israeli Attack
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“U.S. officials trying to prevent a bigger Middle East war are issuing an
unusual warning to Hezbollah: Don’t assume that Washington can stop Israel from
attacking you. The American message is designed to get the Lebanese-based
Shiite militia to back down and de-escalate the brewing crisis along the
Israeli-Lebanese border, a person familiar with the discussions said. The blunt
message comes as many U.S. officials appear resigned to the possibility that
Israel will make a major move against Hezbollah inside Lebanon in the coming
weeks. Two U.S. officials told POLITICO that the militia needs to also
understand that Washington will help Israel defend itself if Hezbollah
retaliates. They stressed that the militant group should not count on America
to act as a brake on Israeli decision-making.”



Afghanistan



Voice Of American: Taliban Tout UN Invite To Doha Meeting As Proof Of Regime’s
Rising Importance
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“Afghanistan's Taliban are touting a United Nations invitation to an
international conference in Qatar later this month, viewing it as an
acknowledgment of their administration's growing significance globally. The
two-day U.N. meeting between the Taliban and international envoys on
Afghanistan is set for June 30 in Doha, the capital of the Gulf state, amid
sharp criticism from human rights groups for excluding Afghan women
representatives. It will be the third session of what is known as the “Doha
process,” and the fundamentalist de facto Afghan rulers have agreed to attend
for the first time. “The Doha meeting will be held in the coming days, and the
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has been officially invited to attend,” Taliban
Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi announced in a video statement released by
his office on Monday.”



Pakistan



Bloomberg: Pakistan To Build ‘Consensus’ Before Operation Against Militants
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“Pakistan’s government is making efforts to build a nationwide “consensus”
before it launches a new military operation against militants, the defense
minister said, a move that comes after China showed concerns following attacks
on its projects in the South Asian country. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s
cabinet is discussing the modalities of the operation on Tuesday before the
plan is announced to Parliament, Khawaja Asif said at a news conference in
Islamabad. A few political parties have opposed the planned on-ground
operation.”



Yemen



The New York Times: ‘It’s All Happening Again.’ The Supply Chain Is Under
Strain. <[link removed]>



“Stephanie Loomis had hoped that the chaos besieging the global supply chain
was subsiding. The floating traffic jams off ports. The multiplying costs of
moving freight. The resulting shortages of goods. All of this had seemed like
an unpleasant memory confined to the Covid-19 pandemic. No such luck. As head
of ocean freight for the Americas at Rhenus Logistics, a company based in
Germany, Ms. Loomis spends her days negotiating with international shipping
carriers on behalf of clients moving products and parts around the globe. Over
the last few months, she has watched cargo prices soar as a series of
disturbances have roiled the seas. Late last year, Houthi rebels in Yemen began
firing on ships entering the Red Sea en route to the Suez Canal, a vital artery
for vessels moving between Asia, Europe and the East Coast of the United
States.”



Associate Press: Aerial Drone Launched By Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Hits Ship In
The Red Sea, Causing Damage And Injuries
<[link removed]>



“An aerial drone launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck and damaged a
vessel in the Red Sea on Sunday, officials said, the latest attack by the group
targeting shipping in the vital maritime corridor. The attack comes as the U.S.
has sent the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower back home after an eight-month deployment
in which it lead the American response to the Houthi assaults. Those attacks
have reduced shipping drastically through the route crucial to Asian, Middle
East and European markets in a campaign the Houthis say will continue as long
as the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip rages on. The drone attack happened
around dawn off the coast of the rebel-held port city of Hodeida, the British
military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. It said the
vessel sustained damage but its mariners on board “were reported safe.””



Lebanon



Associated Press: Thousands Of Iran-Backed Fighters Offer To Join Hezbollah In
Its Fight Against Israel
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“Thousands of fighters from Iran-backed groups in the Middle East are ready
to come to Lebanon to join with the militant Hezbollah group in its battle with
Israel if the simmering conflict escalates into a full-blown war, officials
with Iran-backed factions and analysts say. Almost daily exchanges of fire have
occurred along Lebanon’s frontier with northern Israel since fighters from the
Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip staged a bloody assault on southern Israel in early
October that set off a war in Gaza. The situation to the north worsened this
month after an Israeli airstrike killed a senior Hezbollah military commander
in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah retaliated by firing hundreds of rockets and
explosive drones into northern Israel. Israeli officials have threatened a
military offensive in Lebanon if there is no negotiated end to push Hezbollah
away from the border.”



Middle East



Associated Press: With Another Setback For Cease-Fire Talks, Worries Of
Full-Scale War For Israel And Lebanon Escalate
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“The prospect of a full-scale war between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah
militant group terrifies people on both sides of the border, but some see it as
an inevitable fallout from Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza,
particularly as cease-fire negotiations have faltered. Such a war could be the
most destructive either side has ever experienced. Israel and Hezbollah each
have lessons from their last war, in 2006, a monthlong conflict that ended in a
draw. They’ve also had nearly nine months to prepare for another war, even as
the United States tries to prevent a widening of the conflict that could spark
a confrontation with Iran and endanger U.S. forces in the region. Here’s a look
at each side’s preparedness, how war might unfold and what’s being done to
prevent it.”



Associated Press: Experts Say Gaza Is At ‘High Risk’ Of Famine Despite
Increased Aid To The North
<[link removed]>



“An influx of aid appears to have eased a hunger crisis in northern Gaza for
now, but the entire territory remains at “high risk” of famine after Israel’s
offensive in Rafah caused displacement and the disruption of aid operations in
the south, a draft report said Monday. The report by the leading international
authority on the severity of hunger crises said nearly everyone in Gaza is
struggling to get enough food and that more than 495,000 people, or greater
than a fifth of the population of 2.3 million, are expected to experience the
highest level of starvation in the coming months. That’s despite months of U.S.
pressure on Israel to do more to facilitate aid efforts, the installation of a
$230 million U.S.-built pier that has been beset by problems and repeated
airdrops by multiple countries that aid agencies say are insufficient to meet
vital needs”



Somalia



Garowe Online: Kenyan Troops Withdraw From Border Town In Somalia Amid
Al-Shabaab Threat
<[link removed]>



“Several Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) service members left El-wak Forward
Operating Base along the border between Kenya and Somalia, consequently handing
over the mandate to protect the region to the Somali National Army (SNA) which
will be responsible for the security. The KDF team from the region is leaving
the country as part of the Somali Transition Plan (STP) in which the entire
African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) is expected to leave the
country by the end of December 2024. The African Union Transition Mission in
Somalia announced that 5,000 troops have since left the country as the third
phase kicks off in the coming days. The Somali National Army has been
inheriting all FOBs left by the ATMIS contingent.”



Russia



The Wall Street Journal: Terrorist Attacks In Russia’s Dagestan Target
Synagogue, Churches, Police
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“Gunmen killed at least nine people in attacks Sunday on a synagogue, police
station and two churches in Russia’s restive North Caucasus republic of
Dagestan, the latest incidents in a trend of rising violence across Russia in
the past year. Dagestan’s Interior Ministry said assailants with automatic
rifles opened fire on houses of worship in Dagestan’s capital of Makhachkala
and the city of Derbent, in apparently coordinated attacks. Russian authorities
said the attacks were carried out by followers of an international terrorist
organization, without giving further details, the TASS state-run news agency
reported. Seven of the dead are police officers. Dagestan governor Sergei
Melikov called for calm as a manhunt unfolded on Sunday evening. Four gunmen
were later killed in a shootout with police, according to TASS.”



CNN: Russia Has Seen Two Major Terror Attacks In Just Three Months. Here’s
What We Know
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“Russia is reeling from another major terror attack, with at least 19 people
killed and 25 injured in what appeared to be coordinated shootings at various
places of worship in Russia’s southernmost Dagestan republic. The attack is the
second in the last three months after more than 130 people were killed at a
concert hall near Moscow in a terrorist attack claimed by ISIS-K in March, and
challenges President Vladimir Putin’s self-declared reputation as a leader able
to guarantee order across the vast, turbulent country. The uptick in violence
comes as long-simmering ethnic tensions resurface, compounded both by drives to
fill Russia’s military ranks as Putin’s war against Ukraine grinds on – and by
the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Here’s what you need to know.”



The Counter Extremism Project depends on the generosity of its supporters. If
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