“The United Nations counterterrorism chief said Europe faces a more acute
threat from ISIS-K, the Islamic State affiliate to whom a 19-year old man
pledged allegiance before plotting to terrorize Taylor Swift's concertgoers in
Vienna this week. Vladimir Vorokov, the UN undersecretary for counterterrorism,
said Thursday the ISIS-K threat, "regrettably," has "become manifest" in
Vienna, where three of Swift's concerts were canceled when Austrian authorities
arrested three suspects, and that the ISIS satellite is increasing in strength
and influence. "The group is considered the greatest external terrorist threat
to the continent," Vorokov told the UN Security Council, citing its
"intensified" recruitment efforts and array of financial and logistical nodes.”











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Eye on Extremism



August 12, 2024



ABC News: After Foiled Taylor Swift Concert Plot, UN Official Calls ISIS-K
'Greatest' Terror Threat To Europe
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“The United Nations counterterrorism chief said Europe faces a more acute
threat from ISIS-K, the Islamic State affiliate to whom a 19-year old man
pledged allegiance before plotting to terrorize Taylor Swift's concertgoers in
Vienna this week. Vladimir Vorokov, the UN undersecretary for counterterrorism,
said Thursday the ISIS-K threat, "regrettably," has "become manifest" in
Vienna, where three of Swift's concerts were canceled when Austrian authorities
arrested three suspects, and that the ISIS satellite is increasing in strength
and influence. "The group is considered the greatest external terrorist threat
to the continent," Vorokov told the UN Security Council, citing its
"intensified" recruitment efforts and array of financial and logistical nodes.”



Voice Of America: US Commits To Freeing Americans Held By Taliban In
Afghanistan
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“The United States has promised to make every effort to secure the release of
three Americans whom it says are being held “unjustly" by Taliban authorities
in Afghanistan. Ryan Corbett, Mahmood Habibi, and George Glezmann were taken
captive in separate incidents in Kabul in 2022, roughly a year after the
Taliban stormed back to power in the Afghan capital. “My thoughts and prayers
are with Ryan Corbett, Mahmood Habibi, and their families today,” Thomas West,
the U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan, said on X, formerly Twitter, marking
the two-year anniversary of the capture of the two men. “We will and we must
continue every effort to bring them and George Glezmann home to their
families,” he wrote Sunday. Roger Carstens, the U.S. special presidential envoy
for hostage affairs, in separate remarks posted on X, said that the three “have
been held for far too long and their families have endured unimaginable pain.””




CEP Expert Analysis

* Counterpoint Brief: US Designates Nordic Resistance Movement Specially
Designated Global Terrorist Organization
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* ISIS Redux: The Central Syria Insurgency in March 2024
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* CEP Report: Central Syria’s ISIS Insurgency In 2023
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* CEP Statement Calling For U.S. Sanctions Against Qatar, DIMDEX Conference,
And Al Thani Royal Family
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* Extremist Content Online: The Base Calls For Members of Other White
Supremacist Groups to Join
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CEP Mentions



The Washington Post: The Risky Bets Of The Paris Olympics Paid Off. Who Can
Claim The Win?
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“... “Was it embarrassing? Absolutely,” said Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior
director of the Counter Extremism Project. “But was it a security threat to the
Olympics and its participants? Absolutely not.” “They’ve done a fairly good job
at making sure that everyone at the Games was safe,” he said. That’s good for
Darmanin’s record — which had been tarnished by the 2022 Champions League final
at the Stade de France, where poor crowd management resulted in dangerous
congestion and police in riot gear deploying tear gas. Paris deputy mayor
Pierre Rabadan said the Olympics had given French police an opportunity to
increase public trust. “The relationship with the police has really evolved
positively,” he said. “Usually, with the police, we are often in a relationship
of conflict or concern. Here, we had police officers who provided information,
who guided.””



SBS News: Extremists Volunteering In Soup Kitchens: How Ideologies Have
Evolved To Attract Australians
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“...The Counter Extremism Project has also warned of the threat from "active
clubs", which were created in the United States in 2020 to "make fascism fun".
"They are often founded by members of established openly extreme-right Neo-Nazi
groups to attract members from mainstream society," the project's senior
adviser Alexander Ritzmann told a Senate inquiry into right-wing extremist
movements in Australia this year. The organisation explained in a submission
that active clubs recruit people through focusing on brotherhood, fitness and
self-defence, and were started as a way of avoiding scrutiny from authorities.
They don't display obvious Nazi symbols in public and are asked to avoid
threatening behaviour. But the Counter Extremism Project said there was
increasing evidence to suggest the network's main objective was the creation of
"shadow militias" that could be called upon for violent action.”



Independent Australia: Media, Government, Spies — Collectively They're
Memory-Holing Neo-Nazism
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“THE SECOND HEARING of a Senate Inquiry into Right-wing extremist movements
in Australia was held in Canberra on 24 July. Individuals and organisations who
made public submissions to the Inquiry are given the opportunity to present
their contributions at these hearings. Many of these submissions are public if
you care to look. That afternoon, one policy body, the Counter Extremism
Project (CEP), was invited to discuss its submission, which chiefly focuses on
warning of what it describes as the “next challenge” to be posed by Australian
neo-Nazis: the adoption of the "Active Club" model."



Syria



Reuters: Syrian Army Attacks Islamic State Targets In Desert - Report
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“The Syrian military has mounted air strikes against Islamic State militants
and clashed with the jihadists in central Syria, the pro-Damascus al-Watan
newspaper reported on Tuesday. The flare-up in the area of al-Sukhna, between
Palymra and Deir al-Zor, on Monday points to the foothold the ultra-hardline
Islamist group still has west of the Euphrates even as U.S.-backed fighters are
poised to seize its last enclave east of the river. The Syrian air force
mounted "a number of air strikes targeting Daesh movements in the eastern
Badiya, specifically on one of the dirt roads leading to the town of al-Sukhna
and southeast of the town", al-Watan said, citing a military source. Daesh is
the Arabic acronym for Islamic State. The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces
(SDF) have been laying siege to Islamic State's last enclave east of the
Euphrates, the village of Baghouz, for several weeks.”



Turkey



Reuters: Turkey Says It Killed 12 Kurdish Militants In Northern Iraq
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“Turkey's military has "neutralised" 12 militants of the outlawed Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, the Defence Ministry said on Friday.
Turkey, which typically uses the term "neutralised" to mean killed, has been
carrying out a cross-border operation called Claw-Lock in Iraq as part of the
country's offensive against PKK militants. The PKK, which has been waging an
insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, is designated a terrorist
organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. More than
40,000 people have been killed in the conflict.”



Pakistan



Associated Press: Attack On Pakistani Army Posts Leaves 3 Soldiers And 4
Insurgents Dead
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“Militants attacked three army posts in northwest Pakistan on the border with
Afghanistan on Friday, triggering intense shootouts that killed three soldiers
and four insurgents, the military said. The attacks happened in the Tirah
Valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military said in a statement. It
said a search operation was underway in the area to eliminate any other
insurgents and security forces were “determined to wipe out the menace of
terrorism.” The military gave no further details, but a breakaway faction of
the Pakistani Taliban in a statement claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The Gul Bahadur group is based in Afghanistan, authorities say. The Pakistani
Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, has been emboldened since the
Afghan Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021. Pakistan has witnessed a
surge in militant attacks in recent years, predominantly in the northwest.”



Yemen



Associated Press: 4 Suspected Houthi Attacks Target A Ship Off Yemen,
Authorities Say
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“Four suspected attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted a Liberian-flagged
oil tanker in the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait linking the Gulf of Aden to
the Red Sea, including one that saw private security guards shoot and destroy a
bomb-loaded drone boat, authorities said Friday. The Houthis didn’t immediately
claim the assaults, though they follow a monthslong campaign by the rebels
targeting shipping through the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war in
the Gaza Strip. Since November, Houthi attacks have disrupted the $1 trillion
of goods that flow annually through the region, while also sparking the most
intense combat the U.S. Navy has seen since World War II. After a recent
two-week pause, their attacks resumed following the assassination of Hamas
leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, amid concerns of a wider regional war. Iran
backs the Houthis as part of what it calls a regional “Axis of Resistance.””



Reuters: Yemen Border Strikes Kill Two Saudis, Yemen Death Toll Near 2,000: WHO

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“Two Saudi border guards were killed and five wounded by shells fired from
Yemeni territories, an Interior Ministry spokesman said late on Wednesday, as
the United Nations said the war's death toll was close to 2,000. Saudi forces
and the Houthis have been trading fire across the border since an Arab alliance
began military operations against the Iranian-backed Shi'ite group in March to
try to restore exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power. Saudi state
news agency SPA said the border guards were killed at a military post in
Dhahran al-Janoub, along the border with Yemen, when projectiles fired from the
Yemeni side struck. Two of the soldiers died on the spot while five others were
wounded and taken to a hospital, the agency said. The Saudi-led coalition says
it began their campaign heeding a call by Hadi after the Houthis started
advancing south towards the port city of Aden, where the president was based.”



Lebanon



Voice Of America: Hezbollah Says Two Fighters Killed In Israeli Strike
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“Lebanon's Hezbollah movement said an Israeli airstrike on Sunday killed two
fighters from the Iran-backed group, with the health ministry reporting another
death from an attack days ago. Hezbollah has traded near-daily fire with Israel
in support of its ally Hamas since the Palestinian militant group's Oct. 7
terror attack on Israel triggered war in Gaza. Tensions have skyrocketed since
a strike on Beirut's southern suburbs late last month killed Hezbollah's top
military commander, Fuad Shukr, just hours before the assassination, blamed on
Israel, of Hamas's political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. An "Israeli
strike that targeted the village of Taybeh today left two dead," the Lebanese
health ministry said in a statement. Hezbollah confirmed they were group
fighters, killed in Taybeh near the border with Israel. The official National
News Agency reported that "a drone fired two missiles on the village of
Taybeh."”



The Washington Post: Hezbollah Is Undeterred As Lebanon Braces For War With
Israel
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“An Israeli strike that killed a Hezbollah fighter traveling a rural road
here earlier this month left a blasted car, a scorched patch of earth and the
Israeli claim that the attack had dealt a “significant blow” to its enemy
across the border. But there seemed to be plenty of young men willing to take
the place of the fighter, Ali Abdul Ali, in his hometown in southern Lebanon,
less than two miles from the spot where he was killed. They were seen crowding
around his flower-decked coffin in footage of his funeral, where local grief
and anger mingled with the party supporters’ zeal. “Hezbollah!” they chanted.
Ten months after entering the conflict between Israel and its ally Hamas,
Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group and political party, appears undeterred
after absorbing withering blows from Israeli strikes and the killing of nearly
400 fighters and commanders. Hezbollah has only paused its strikes into
northern Israel once, back in November.”



Middle East



Reuters: Israeli Strike Kills Nearly 100 In Gaza School Refuge, Officials Say
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“An Israeli airstrike on a Gaza City school compound housing displaced
Palestinian families killed around 100 people, the Gaza Civil Emergency Service
said on Saturday, while Israel said the toll was inflated and 19 militants were
among the dead. Video from the site showed body parts scattered among rubble
and more bodies being carried away and covered by blankets. Empty food tins lay
in a puddle of blood, and burned mattresses and a child's doll lay in the
debris. In another video, men prayed over a dozen body bags laid on the ground
of the Tabeen school complex. The Israeli strike drew condemnation from Arab
states, Turkey, France, Britain and the European Union and an expression of
deep concern from the U.S., which has been working with partners to prevent the
10-month-old Gaza conflict from escalating into a regional war.”



Associated Press: Israel Widens Evacuation Orders In Southern Gaza. Hamas
Wants Plans For A Deal Instead Of More Talks
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“The Israeli military ordered more evacuations in southern Gaza early Sunday,
a day after a deadly airstrike on a school-turned-shelter in the north killed
at least 80 Palestinians, according to local health authorities. The airstrike
was one of the deadliest attacks in the 10-month war. Hamas appeared to push
back against resuming negotiations on Thursday on any new cease-fire proposals.
In a statement, it urged mediators United States, Egypt and Qatar to submit a
plan to implement what was agreed on last month, based on U.S. President Joe
Biden’s proposal, “instead of going to more rounds of negotiations or new
proposals that provide cover for the occupation’s aggression.” Israel has
repeatedly ordered mass evacuations as its troops return to heavily destroyed
areas where they previously battled Palestinian militants.”



Nigeria



Reuters: Boko Haram Attacks Northern Nigeria Town: Military Sources
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“Boko Haram Islamist militants have attacked the northern Nigerian town of
Buni Yadi, which they lost to a Nigerian army offensive in March, military
sources said. A Reuters correspondent saw a detachment of troops with armored
personnel carriers and a fighter jet heading towards Buni Yadi in Yobe state on
Friday morning. It was not clear if fighting was continuing in the area. There
was no information on casualties after the attack, which started at around 9
p.m. (2000 GMT) on Thursday, the sources said on Friday. "Those boys (Boko
Haram) came to Buni Yadi yesterday and attacked our people. They came in about
nine Hilux (pick-up trucks) and opened fire ... Our people have mobilized for
reinforcement," one of the sources said. Boko Haram has been trying to carve
out a state adhering to strict sharia in the country's northeast since 2009.
Buni Yadi was one of the towns captured by the insurgent group in 2014 and then
reclaimed in March by Nigeria's army.”



Africa



Voice Of America: Death Toll In East DR Congo Attacks Climbs, Others Missing
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“The death toll of two attacks in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has
climbed to at least 18, with 14 people missing, local sources told AFP on
Sunday. The attacks, which took place Saturday in the Beni territory in the
troubled North Kivu province, were blamed on ADF rebels affiliated with the
Islamic State group. The death toll of those killed "has been revised from 10
to 18 people," Kinos Katuo, a civil society leader of the area where the
attacks took place, told AFP. He added that 14 people are missing, with four
houses and two motorcycles also burned. Another local leader, Charles Endukado,
told AFP the number of people killed in the attacks is "more than 18." "No one
can go to recover the bodies that are still lying on the ground," he said.”



Associated Press: Militia Infighting Kills At Least 9 In Libya’s Capital,
Officials Say
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“Clashes between two heavily armed militia groups in Libya’s capital
terrorized residents and killed about a dozen people, the latest bout of
violence in the largely lawless North African nation, officials said Saturday.
The hours-long clashes, which involved heavy weapons, happened Friday in
Tripoli’s eastern neighborhood of Tajoura between the Rahba al-Duruae militia,
which is led by warlord Bashir Khalfallah — known as al-Baqrah — and another
militia al-Shahida Sabriya, the officials added. The Health Ministry’s
Ambulance and Emergency Services said at least nine people were killed and 16
others were wounded in the hours-long clashes. The clashes stemmed from an
attempted assassination of al-Baqrah on Friday, which his militia blamed on
al-Shahida Sabriya, according to local media reports.”



United Kingdom



Bloomberg: White Supremacists Turn UK Riots Into Online Recruiting Pitch
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“White supremacist groups have seized on riots in the UK as a recruiting
opportunity, using the Telegram messaging site to promote conspiracy theories
and incite violence in their bid to lure new members. Hard-line organizations
previously designated by the UK as domestic terrorists are calling for an
overthrow of the British government with posts that say “the revolution has
started.” Some extremist Telegram users have openly discussed how to capitalize
on anti-immigrant sentiment in the UK to steer Britons to radicalized
communities, according to findings from Logically, a UK-based firm that tracks
online disinformation. British authorities are trying to stamp out disturbances
fueled by online instigators following the July 29 murder of three schoolgirls
in the UK town of Southport.”



Europe



Associated Press: Israel-Hamas War Latest: Leaders Of France, Germany And
Britain Endorse Calls For Cease-Fire In Gaza
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“The leaders of France, Germany and Britain have endorsed calls for a
cease-fire in Gaza, the return of scores of hostages held by Hamas and the
“unfettered” delivery of humanitarian aid. In a joint statement released
Monday, they endorsed the latest push by the United States, Qatar and Egypt to
broker an agreement to end the 10-month-old Israel-Hamas war. The mediators
have spent months trying to get the sides to agree to a three-phase plan in
which Hamas would release the remaining hostages captured in its Oct. 7 attack
in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel and Israel would withdraw
from Gaza. “The fighting must end now, and all hostages still detained by Hamas
must be released. The people of Gaza need urgent and unfettered delivery and
distribution of aid,” the statement said.”



Technology



The Guardian: Children To Be Taught How To Spot Extremist Content And Fake
News Online
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“Children in England will be taught how to spot extremist content and
misinformation online under planned changes to the school curriculum, the
education secretary has said. Bridget Phillipson said she was launching a
review of the curriculum in primary and secondary schools to embed critical
thinking across multiple subjects and arm children against “putrid conspiracy
theories”. One example may include pupils analysing newspaper articles in
English lessons in a way that would help differentiate fabricated stories from
true reporting. In computer lessons, they could be taught how to spot fake news
websites by their design, and maths lessons may include analysing statistics in
context.”



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