|
Eye on Extremism
April 27, 2020
Eurasia Review: Interpol Arrests Hundreds In Crackdown On Terrorist Routes In Southeast Asia
“An INTERPOL-led operation codenamed ‘Maharlika III’ saw law enforcement from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines (BIMP) deploy to strategic points along known terrorist transit routes in Southeast Asia in a series of simultaneous law enforcement and border control actions. The coordinated move – from February 24 to March 20 in the midst of the global COVID-19 outbreak – resulted in the arrest of more than 180 individuals for various offences, including one suspected member of the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG). The operation saw 82 victims of human trafficking, mainly young women aged between 20 and 30, rescued by Philippine authorities. In addition, Indonesian authorities identified and rescued a further 35 adults and 17 children (12 boys and five girls), aged between 10 and 15 years, arriving from Malaysia. Firearms, illegally assembled explosives made of ammonium nitrate and other illicit goods and substances worth more than one million euros were also seized. With participating units on the front lines provided with direct access to INTERPOL’s global databases, authorities were able to run more than 13,000 checks on travel documents, firearms and nominal data.”
Morning Star: Far-Right Loyalist Defence League Flogs Terror Trinkets ‘For The NHS’
“A far right group operating in Scotland has been condemned for exploiting the coronavirus by attempting to use social media to sell terrorist merchandise to “raise funds for the NHS.” The Loyalist Defence League (LDL) has been removed by social media platform Facebook after posting content which breached community standards by showing “support or praise for terrorist organisations.” Organisers from the LDL posted photographs of flags with the logo of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) printed on them, which they were offering for sale on their page. The post, which has also been removed, said 40 per cent of the flag price, understood to have been less than £20, would be “donated to the NHS,” and showed more than 50 items for sale. The UDA has been a proscribed terrorist organisation in Britain since 1992, and was reportedly responsible for about 400 deaths as part of an armed campaign to combat republicanism in Ireland during the Troubles…Unite Against Fascism’s Weyman Bennett said: “We oppose all far-right and fascist groups attempting to exploit the present crisis to [widen] divisions, which are both sectarian and racist. “If you organise around division we will lose our ability to fight against the coronavirus. Let us oppose the virus and the virus of racism and sectarianism at the same time.” David Ibsen of the Counter Extremism Project added: “It’s particularly distasteful that the LDL is exploiting the coronavirus and the needs of the NHS to sell merchandise and spread the ideology of a terrorist organisation. “There is no excuse for allowing organisations or their members to continue to promote their extremist views online.”
United States
New York Post: US Blocks Palestinian Coronavirus Relief Over Fear It May Aid Terrorism
“No COVID cash for terrorists. The United States Agency for International Development has moved to aggressively block the distribution of coronavirus relief funds to the entire Gaza strip over concerns the money could fall into the hands of Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. “The Trump administration is not supporting assistance to Gaza,” a senior administration official with knowledge of USAID plans told The Post. “There is a Hamas government in Gaza. They have indicated no interest in engaging with us, no interest in peace with Israel and in fact they continue — despite having coronavirus cases in Gaza — to fire rockets at the Israelis on a regular basis.” The issue of Gaza funding came to the fore internally after the United States pledged $5 million to help Palestinian relief services in their fight against the deadly pandemic. “I’m very pleased the USA is providing $5M for Palestinian hospitals and households to meet immediate, life-saving needs in combating COVID-19. The USA, as the world’s top humanitarian aid donor, is committed to assisting the Palestinian people, & others worldwide, in this crisis,” U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman announced in an April 16 tweet.”
Boston Globe: Salem Church Service Tightens Zoom Services After Racist Video Attack
“A Salem church is holding its first service with extra security measures Sunday, a week after its virtual gathering was disrupted by racial slurs and images of a burning cross, according to police and the church. Salem police confirmed Saturday that they are investigating a “zoombombing” incident at the Tabernacle Church on April 19 and have been in contact with the FBI.The Rev. Joseph Amico said a member of the congregation was about to address the 60 to 70 people who had joined the Zoom service to invite them to make baked goods for a local homeless shelter, when multiple unknown users blitzed the meeting’s moderator with meeting permission requests, and eventually took control of the call. In a video of the call, shared with the Globe, the image of Amico in the pulpit was abruptly replaced by a video of the Klu Klux Klan burning a cross, while a song played using a racial epithet. “We’re getting bombed,” the preacher, Holly Brauner, said in the recording, as a moderator tried to get what appeared to be three ill-intentioned users off the call. One was visible, a white man wearing a bandana over his mouth and dancing to the song in a desk chair. In about a minute, the Zoom meeting was ended.”
Syria
Voice Of America: COVID: Syrian Facilities Holding Is Prisoners Receive Needed Supplies
“U.S.-led coalition forces delivered much-needed medical and sanitation supplies to detention facilities in Syria holding 10,000 Islamic State prisoners, the coalition said Sunday. “Given the circumstances, staff at the detention facilities face an almost impossible task of applying precautionary measures to counter COVID-19,” a statement from the joint taskforce read Sunday. The supplies will support the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces who are holding the captured IS fighters. “The supplies given to the SDF will help protect the guards at the facilities, who detain thousands of foreign terrorist fighters, which is one step of a larger plan to ensure guards and detainees are at a minimum risk of contracting the virus,” it went on. Already, the U.S. has sent $1.2 million in medical supplies and other assistance to the SDF, hoping that will help mitigate the spread of the virus and also reinforce security at a series of prisons holding thousands captured IS fighters. But statements from the SDF’s politial wing, the Syrian Democratic Council, had said the supplies were not enough and were slow to arrive.”
Asharq Al-Awsat: Turkish Drone Kills Two Tahrir Al-Sham Militants In Idlib
“Two members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) were killed on Sunday and three others were injured after Turkish drones targeted a car they were driving in Al-Nayrab town in the eastern countryside of Idlib, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. This incident follows attacks launched by HTS on Turkish posts in Al-Nayrab area as a response to the killing of four protestors, including HTS members, participating in Al-Karama sit-in held on the M4 highway. SOHR sources reported that on Sunday morning, Turkish forces later destroyed most of the tents in the area where “Al-Karama sit-in” was held, in order to conduct joint patrols with Russian forces on the M4. It said a military group of the Turkish army removed soil barriers near Al-Nayrab town in eastern Idlib and they fired tear gas, while the protesters responded by pelting Turkish soldiers with stones. The M4 highway, which runs east-west through Idlib province, is part of a ceasefire agreement between Turkey and Russia signed in early March. Protesters, affiliated to the “Salvation Government” and to fighters of militant groups, had erected tents and held a sit-in in the area against this agreement.”
The Times: Mohammed Tano: Extremists Kill Syrian Teenager Over ‘Blasphemous’ Texts On Phone
“A teenager has been killed by an extremist militia in Syria after being found guilty of blasphemy. Mohammed Tano, 19, was arrested by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the successor to al-Qaeda in Syria, in December as he entered Idlib province, the group’s stronghold, from Turkey. HTS said it found “blasphemous” messages on his mobile phone: a crime punishable by death under its strict interpretation of Sharia. However, local activists and Mr Tano’s relatives said the material was actually critical of Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the militia’s leader. Mr Tano’s family was ordered to collect his body from Idlib’s central prison after he was killed by HTS last week.”
Iran
The Jerusalem Post: Iranian-Backed Militias Playing Key Role In Anbar Against ISIS
“The Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), a paramilitary group of the Iraqi security forces which also tend to be pro-Iranian, have continued to play a central role in operations on Iraq’s borders, according to Iranian media. An operation to clear ISIS cells from Anbar province on the Syrian border was conducted over the weekend. It is the second of similar operations this month to clear border areas. In the current operation, according to Tasnim News, the PMU had sent its Anbar operations command on pre-emptive raids to strike ISIS cells. The PMU was also continuing operations to find mines and improvised explosive devices. ISIS has continued to operate in Iraq more than two years after it was mostly defeated. With the coronavirus pandemic and drawdown of US-led Coalition forces there are concerns ISIS could increase its foothold. In addition US-Iran tensions have led to US airstrikes on the PMU after units within the PMU fired rockets at bases where US troops were located. Another article on April 10 noted that the PMU was continuing to “clear the Iraqi border with Jordan and Saudi Arabia.” These two articles illustrate the large role the PMU – which were formerly Shi’ite militias and still retain their own allegiance to various clerics and political leaders – plays along Iraq’s borders.”
Afghanistan
Voice Of America: Official: Recent Taliban Violence Harms Hundreds Of Afghan Civilians
“Officials in Afghanistan alleged Saturday the Taliban has “killed or wounded” nearly 800 civilians since signing the February 29 peace-building deal with the United States. A spokesman for the Islamist insurgency swiftly rejected the charges. The allegations came on a day when Washington's peace envoy for the war-torn country, Zalmay Khalilzad, again called on the warring sides to work for peace, saying the U.S.-Taliban agreement “provides a historic opportunity for Afghanistan.” A national security council spokesman in Kabul, while releasing details of the stepped-up insurgent violence, claimed the Taliban conducted more than 2,800 “terrorist activities” between Feb. 29 and April 20, killing and wounding “789 civilians during this period.” Javid Faisal went on to say Afghan security forces in counter attacks also inflicted more than 2,700 casualties on the Taliban. “Last week was the bloodiest since the U.S.-Taliban deal, with the Taliban killing 34 and wounding 62 civilians across 17 provinces,” he said without elaborating. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen, when contacted by VOA for his reaction, questioned the veracity of the government claim on civilian casualties.“This is a general claim, can they say where and when?” Shaheen asked.”
Radio Free Europe: Taliban Constitution Offers Glimpse Into Militant Group's Vision For Afghanistan
“When most of Afghanistan was under Taliban rule in the late 1990s, the fundamentalist regime drafted a new constitution. The document was never officially ratified, and it was unclear how much of it was ever implemented before the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 toppled the extremist Islamic group from power. But the constitution offers a glimpse into what kind of government the militant organization envisages as it prepares to negotiate a future power-sharing arrangement with the current Afghan government led by President Ashraf Ghani. A political settlement made by the disparate Afghan sides is a key component of the peace deal signed by the United States and the Taliban on February 29 that is aimed at ending the 18-year war. Under the deal, foreign forces will leave Afghanistan in exchange for counterterrorism guarantees from the Taliban, which has agreed to launch direct negotiations with Afghan officials for a permanent cease-fire and a power-sharing formula to rule the country. Since 2001, the Taliban insurgency has vowed to drive out foreign forces and overthrow the Western-backed government in Kabul. But even as it seemingly pursues peace, it been vague about what kind of postwar government it envisions in Afghanistan.”
Pakistan
Radio Free Europe: Two Pakistani Soldiers, Nine Militants Killed In North Waziristan Clash
“Pakistani military officials say at least two soldiers from Pakistan's army and nine militants were killed in a gun battle late on April 25 near the border with Afghanistan. Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations, the military's media wing, said on April 26 that five Pakistani soldiers also were injured in the clash that took place in the volatile tribal region of North Waziristan. It did not identify which militant group the gunmen were thought to be linked to. According to Pakistani officials, security forces captured what they described as “an accomplice” of the militants and seized “a large cache” of weapons and explosives from a hideout used by the militants in North Waziristan. Terrorists linked to Al-Qaeda, the Haqqani network of the Afghan Taliban, and Pakistani militants have all been active in the region during the past decade. The Pakistani military managed to push militants out of their border-region strongholds through a series of offensives since 2014. But militants continue to stage surprise attacks there. The latest clash was the fifth between security forces and militants in the area within the past month. That has reinforced concerns that the militants may be trying to regroup in their former strongholds in Pakistan.”
Saudi Arabia
Associated Press: Saudi Arabia Ends Death Penalty For Minors And Floggings
“Saudi Arabia's King Salman has ordered an end to the death penalty for crimes committed by minors, according to a statement Sunday by a top official. The decision comes on the heels of another ordering judges to end the practice of flogging, replacing it with jail time, fines or community service and bringing one of the kingdom’s most controversial forms of public punishment to a close. King Salman's son and heir, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is seen as the force behind the kingdom’s loosening of restrictions and its pivot away from ultraconservative interpretations of Islamic law known as Wahhabism, which many in the country still closely adhere to. The crown prince has sought to modernize the country, attract foreign investment and revamp Saudi Arabia’s reputation globally. He's also overseen a parallel crackdown on liberals, women's rights activists, writers, moderate clerics and reformers. The 2018 killing of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey by agents who worked for the crown prince drew sharp criticism internationally. The latest royal decree by King Salman could spare the death penalty for at least six men from the country’s minority Shiite community who allegedly committed crimes while under the age of 18, including Ali al-Nimr, who had participated in anti-government protests.”
Lebanon
Long War Journal: Hezbollah Responds To Recent Warnings From Israel
“Recent warnings from Israel against Hezbollah’s military activity in southern Syria have elicited a response from the Iranian-backed group. The warning came in the form of an incident that occurred along the Lebanon-Israel border. On the evening of April 20, Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon severed sections of the security fence that separates Lebanon and Israel’s border. After the IDF detected the sabotage, flares were launched over the Lebanese town of Meiss al Jabal, which is near one of the areas where the fence was cut. After an IDF investigation, it was found that three sections of the fence between the Israeli towns of Avivim and Metula were cut in an orchestrated effort. It is worth noting that the section near Avivim is in the same area previously used by Hezbollah to fire an anti-tank guided missile, narrowly missing an IDF vehicle in September 2019. As previously detailed in FDD’s Long War Journal, Israel recently sent overt warnings to Hezbollah regarding its activities in Syria. One of those warnings occurred April 15 when a missile struck near a vehicle carrying members of Hezbollah in the Syrian town of Jdaidit Yabws, near the Lebanese border.”
Libya
Asharq Al-Awsat: Mismari To Asharq Al-Awsat: 17,000 Terrorists Moved From Syria To Libya
“Libyan National Army (LNA) spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari dismissed on Sunday claims by Interior Minister of the Government of National Accord (GNA), Fathi Bashagha, that the military could be expelled from Tarhuna city. “Such remarks are aimed at raising the morale of the militias that are fighting with him,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat. “He is using such claims to bring in greater Turkish intervention in the fighting.” “The militias attempted to attack Tarhuna on seven fronts in a comprehensive operation that saw the participation of Turkish drones and ground forces. They pushed with all they have and could not even come close to the city outskirts,” he stressed. “Tarhuna will resist those who are fiercely vying to control it and cut off military supply routes,” he vowed. “We are aware of all of the militias’ targets and we are prepared for them.” Tarhuna lies 88 kilometers southeast of the capital Tripoli and is a main supply base for the LNA’s operations in the west. Observers believe that the military loss of the city will deal it a major blow in the conflict and turn the tide against it.”
Nigeria
“Boko Haram fighters have opened fire on the convoy carrying the family of a former governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff. Security sources told SaharaReporters that the insurgents attacked the convoy while traveling from Abuja to Maiduguri to attend the three-day prayer of Sheriff’s late father, Alhaji Galadima Modu, who died following a fire outbreak at his residence in Maiduguri on Thursday. It was gathered that five persons including three policemen were killed during the attack that took place on Friday. “Boko Haram launched an attack on the convoy carrying the family of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, former governor of Borno State, from Abuja to Maiduguri to attend the burial of his late father. “Three policemen, a driver and one member of his family were killed and several others were injured in the attack. “The terrorists also went away with the riffles of the dead officers and some cars in the convoy,” one security source said. SaharaReporters gathered that two of the policemen killed are Corporal Mustapha Inusa and Corporal Abubakar Idris. The attack comes days after the Nigerian Defence Headquarters disclosed that Abubakar Shekau, leader of the Boko Haram sect, may soon surrender.”
Sahara Reporters: How Boko Haram Sustains Operations Through International Trade In Smoked Fish
“Among the major economic activities disrupted by the insurgency in Lake Chad were commercial fishing and farming of red pepper. These were major trading products upon which the local economy of a vast array of communities in the Lake Chad Basin, particularly Borno state in Nigeria, was dependent. But in 2015 the insurgents took strategic steps to control and re-order trade in both products. They encouraged local fishing among the communities by the banks of the lake and created a new regime of levies and secure routes for fish traders to reach designated markets. According to the World Food Programme, before the Boko Haram crisis, the combined fish and red pepper trades contributed 28 billion CFA Francs (48 million dollars) to the Nigerien economy, with most of this coming from exports to Nigeria. The red pepper or red gold farming and trade is estimated to employ over 300,000 people. The leadership of the break-away Boko Haram, which metamorphosed into the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), seemingly more adept at economic planning, saw this and went ahead to design an elaborate scheme to control the sectors.”
Somalia
Voice Of America: Police Killings Spark Street Protests In Somali Capital
“Hundreds of disgruntled people took to the streets of Mogadishu on Saturday to protest alleged abuses by government security forces. The demonstration came after a government police officer fatally shot two civilians while enforcing coronavirus restrictions Friday night. The placard-carrying protesters shouted anti-government slogans, set rubber tires on fire and burned photos of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed. In the early hours of Saturday, the protesters crowded into the city center, demanding justice from the government. Speaking to the crowd, Mayor Omar Mohamud Mohamed said the police officer who killed the two civilians Friday in the Bondhere neighborhood, south of the city, had been arrested and would be prosecuted. “On behalf of my name and that of the country’s leaders, I would like to share with you that the killer is in custody and will face justice,” the mayor said. There has been growing anger among some residents about what they describe as heavy-handedness by some government security forces enforcing a nighttime curfew imposed on the city to control the spread of the coronavirus.”
Africa
Daily Nation: Kenya: Al-Shabaab Crafts New Ways To Replenish Funds
“Local Al-Shabaab terrorists are leading a vicious extortion ring for the Somali-based terror organisation within Kenyan borders, a security report seen by the Sunday Nation indicates. The Kenyans were recruited by the group and trained in Somalia before being deployed in the northern counties of Wajir, Mandera and Garissa to lead in the extortion of locals through which they fund Al-Shabaab activities across the border in Somalia. The report reveals how the terror organisation, which has lost considerable territory in Somalia, is finding new ways to make vast sums of money, something that could boost its capacity to carry out more terror attacks. The terror group's activities appear to have intensified in Kenya's coastal and northeastern regions, where it has deployed local recruits to collect millions of shillings through extortion, illegal taxation and even robbery. According to the report, the changing tactic is fuelled by the financial mess in Somalia, following the widening gap between Al-Shabaab's de facto leader Ahmed Diriye, aka Abu Ubeyda, and the head of finance Mahad Karate. Karate, the terror commander who maintains a tight hold on Al-Shabaab's coffers, has reportedly refused to share the money with Diriye, who is now unable to pay fighters.”
United Kingdom
“Two Isis supporters have been jailed for sending thousands of pounds to jihadis through a man connected to “central figures” in the terrorist group. Ayub Nurhussein and Said Mohammed admitted funding terrorism by transferring £2,700 in three instalments between April and July last year. The Old Bailey heard that they hatched the plan after failing to travel abroad to fight for Isis themselves. Mohammed’s contact in Iraq, named only as Wassim, urged him to help raise funds from “brothers from abroad” to support Isis after its caliphate collapsed. Wassim told him: “The situation is bad, my brother. The situation is bad at all levels in Iraq. “If there are brothers ... that would still give support, tell them this is a time of seriousness and this is a time when the mujahideen really need you.” Judge Rebecca Poulet QC said Wassim appeared to be associated with “central figures” within Isis, and the money was intended to assist activities to endanger life. Sentencing Nurhussein and Mohammed on Friday, she said both men “have deeply held radicalised beliefs and that they were, and possibly still are, committed to the cause of the proscribed organisation Islamic State”. “It is quite clear that both men were wholehearted supporters of this terrorist cause and that both wished the funds to go to support the fighters of that organisation,” she added, saying the “most grave and alarming” aspect of Nurhussein’s case was his possession of bomb manuals.”
Germany
Vice: Berlin’s Anti-Lockdown Protests Are Getting Way Bigger, Crazier, And More Far-Right
“Berlin’s wild anti-lockdown protests took a decided turn to the far right on Saturday as extremist activists — and reps from Germany’s far-right parties, for the first time — came out in big numbers to swell the crowds to about 1,000 people, double the size of last weekend’s protest. Dozens of people were arrested, versus just two a week ago. The so-called “hygiene demos,” defying a nationwide ban on gatherings of more than 20 people, have been held for the past few Saturdays outside Berlin’s iconic Volksbühne theater, drawing together an eclectic coalition of conspiracy theorists from the political left and far-right. Their numbers spiked to 1,000 Saturday, while about 20 left-wing counter-demonstrators turned up. While the protests are organized by a fringe group that considers themselves left-wing anticapitalists, they’ve increasingly attracted support from far-right groups and activists. Extremism experts monitoring the protests said that Saturday’s demonstrations were the first time politicians from far-right parties turn out to show their support, with two politicians from the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) in attendance, as well as a senior representative of the National Democratic Party (NPD), a fringe ultra-nationalist political party typically described as a neo-Nazi group.”
The Jerusalem Post: Islamic State Cell Planned To Murder Critic Of Islam In Germany
“A cell of Tajiki members of the Islamic State terrorist organization planned to execute a critic of Islam in Germany. The German paper Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger reported in mid-April that the now-arrested Islamic State cell “planned to assassinate the Islam critic Amir Masoud Arabpour M. from Neuss. The ex-Muslim, who converted to Christianity, repeatedly questioned the teaching of the Koran in YouTube clips. M. has been a considered an enemy of the radical Islamic Salafist scene since the beginning of 2019.” The paper added that “On March 14, 2019, a member of the cell evaluated the surroundings of the targeted victim. According to the federal prosecutor, the goal was to shoot the Islam critic.” The Iranian-born Amir Masoud Arabpour lives in the city Neuss near the major city of Düsseldorf in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, According to the prosecutor, the Islamic State cell “planned a murder attempt on a person who, from the perspective of the accused, had made public statements that were critical of the Islam. Against this background, the targeted murder victim has already been spied on by the accused Farhodshoh K. US Air Force bases in Germany were also scouted.”
| |
Click here to unsubscribe.