Eye on Extremism
September 5, 2024
Voice Of America: Israel Targets Hezbollah Militants In Southern Lebanon As Families Of Hostages Demand Gaza Cease-Fire
“Israel’s military said Wednesday it carried out attacks targeting Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon after dozens of rockets were fired at Israel. The military said Israeli air defenses intercepted some of the 65 rockets, while others fell in open areas. Fighting along the Israel-Lebanon border has raised fears of a widening regional conflict amid the war between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. Family members of some of the hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza protested Wednesday outside the Tel Aviv headquarters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party. The family members chanted slogans in favor of the Israeli government reaching a cease-fire deal with Hamas that includes the release of hostages. The demonstration followed pressure Tuesday by the United States calling on Israel and Hamas to agree to a cease-fire.”
The New York Times: Racing The Clock To Document ISIS Genocide Of Iraq’s Yazidis
“The hours have been long, the heat extreme and the work painstaking for forensic experts extracting human remains from a mass grave in northern Iraq, evidence of one of this century’s most blatant cases of genocide — the murder of the Yazidi people by the Islamic State. Now they are running out of time to document that 2014 slaughter, a yearslong campaign in which the Islamic State, or ISIS, murdered, tortured, kidnapped and forced into sexual slavery thousands of Yazidis, explicitly aiming to wipe them out as a separate ethnic and religious group. The Iraqi government has given the team of international experts responsible for excavating the mass grave outside of Tal Afar, Iraq, less than two weeks to conclude its investigation, leaving unopened dozens of other mass graves that the United Nations says contain evidence critical for building a case to hold ISIS members criminally accountable.”
United States
NBC News: Hostage Families Press Biden Admin To Make A Deal With Hamas That Doesn't Include Israel
“The families of American hostages being held by Hamas have pressed the White House to seriously consider cutting a unilateral deal with the terrorist organization to secure their loved ones’ release, and the option is currently under discussion within the Biden administration, according to five people familiar with the discussions. In a meeting Sunday with national security adviser Jake Sullivan, after Hamas killed six hostages, including American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, the relatives of U.S. citizens still in captivity urged the administration to evaluate options that do not include Israel, the sources said. Administration officials told the families that they would explore “every option,” but a deal with Hamas that includes Israel is still the best approach, people familiar with the conversation said.”
Associated Press: House Republicans Subpoena Secretary Blinken For Testimony On US Withdrawal From Afghanistan
“House Republicans have issued a subpoena demanding testimony from Secretary of State Antony Blinken as they wrap up a sprawling yearslong investigation into the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. Rep. Michael McCaul, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, sent a subpoena letter late Tuesday ordering Blinken to appear before the committee by Sept. 19 or face a contempt of Congress charge. “You served as the final decision maker for the department on the withdrawal and evacuation,” McCaul wrote. He added that three years later, Blinken is “in a position to inform the Committee’s consideration of potential legislation aimed at helping prevent the catastrophic mistakes of the withdrawal, including potential reforms to the Department’s legislative authorization.””
Afghanistan
Voice Of America: US Voices Impatience With Taliban Over Morality Law Targeting Afghan Women
“An American diplomat has condemned the Taliban’s new morality law in Afghanistan, warning that it “aims to complete the erasure of women from public life.” Rina Amiri, the United States special envoy for Afghan women, girls, and human rights, posted on social media late Tuesday that she raised concerns about the law during her recent meetings with counterparts in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. “My message was clear: Our support for the Afghan people remains steadfast, but patience with the Taliban is running out,” Amiri wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The way to legitimacy domestically & internationally is respecting the rights of the Afghan people.” The U.S. warning comes days after the Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, enacted the contentious decree that orders Afghan women not to speak aloud in public and cover their bodies and faces entirely when outdoors.”
Yemen
The National: US And Allies Fail To Stem Houthis' High Pace Of Red Sea Attacks
“Ten months into the Houthi blockade of the Red Sea, industry experts are again asking if the Iran-backed militia has defeated two international naval coalitions trying to keep open the vital shipping route through which about $1 trillion of goods pass every year. One of those forces is led by the EU and aimed at shooting down Houthi missiles and drones launched at civilian ships and the other is led by the US and UK that has bombed Houthi positions. But the efforts of the US and EU would need to be more robust, said Salvatore Mercogliano, an expert on military and commercial shipping at Campbell University, North Carolina. The Houthis can expend missiles and drones attacking ships, or lose them in US-led air strikes, but Iran is able to resupply them.”
Middle East
Voice Of America: Hamas, Israel Trade Blame For Lack Of Cease-Fire Deal As US Maintains Deal Is Near
“The Hamas militant group Thursday accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of working to prevent a cease-fire deal for the war in Gaza, a day after Netanyahu said Israel will combine military pressure with a firm stance on its demands. A Hamas statement said talks about a new cease-fire proposal are unnecessary since the group agreed to a July proposal put forward by the United States. “We warn against falling into Netanyahu's trap and tricks, as he uses negotiations to prolong the aggression against our people,” the statement said. During a news conference Wednesday in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said Israel agreed to earlier cease-fire proposals, while Hamas refused. Netanyahu also stuck to his position that Israel retains control of the Philadelphi Corridor, a 14-kilometer strip of land in the Egypt-Gaza border area.”
Associated Press: Israel-Hamas War Latest: Israeli Strikes Kill 5 In Occupied West Bank, Palestinian Officials Say
“Palestinian health officials say Israeli strikes in the occupied West Bank killed five people, including the son of a prominent jailed militant. Israel has been carrying out large-scale raids in the territory over the past week that it says are aimed at dismantling militant groups and preventing attacks. The Palestinians fear a widening of the war in Gaza. The strikes overnight in the northern West Bank town of Tubas killed five people, including Mohammed Zubeidi, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Thursday. His father, Zakaria Zubeidi, was a well-known militant commander during the second Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s and took part in a rare jailbreak in 2021 before being arrested and returned to prison days later. The Israeli military said it conducted three airstrikes in Tubas on militants who threatened its soldiers. Here’s the latest: Palestinian health officials say an Israeli strike on a tent camp killed four men and wounded two children.”
Egypt
Associated Press: Israel’s Netanyahu Demands Open-Ended Control Of Gaza’s Border With Egypt
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel must keep open-ended control of Gaza’s border with Egypt, digging in on his stance on an issue that has threatened to derail cease-fire efforts. Netanyahu’s comments came as the United States is developing a new proposal for a cease-fire and hostage release, hoping to break a long deadlock and bring an end to the nearly 11-month-old war. The question of Israeli control of the Philadelphi corridor –- a narrow strip of land along Gaza’s border with Egypt, seized by troops in May –- has become a central obstacle in the talks. Hamas has demanded an eventual full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in the multi-phase truce deal. Egypt, a mediator in the talks along with the U.S. and Qatar, has also demanded a concrete timeline for Israeli troops to leave the Philadelphi corridor.”
Associated Press: Egypt’s President Makes His First Visit To Turkey As Relations Thaw
“The presidents of Turkey and Egypt on Wednesday found common ground on the war in Gaza as they continued to mend long-strained relations, emphasizing the need for a permanent cease-fire and guaranteed delivery of humanitarian aid. Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi spoke during the Egyptian leader’s first official visit to Ankara after years of tensions between the regional powers. “Turkey and Egypt have a common stance on the Palestinian issue,” Erdogan said after he and el-Sissi oversaw the signing of cooperation agreements. “The end of the genocide that has been going on for 11 months, the establishment of a permanent cease-fire as soon as possible, and the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid continue to be our priorities.” In February, Erdogan made his first visit to Egypt in more than a decade after the countries agreed to repair ties and reappointed ambassadors.”
Nigeria
Associated Press: Boko Haram Militants On Motorcycles Attacked A Nigerian Village, Killing Over 100, Residents Say
“At least 100 villagers were killed in northeastern Nigeria when suspected Boko Haram Islamic extremists opened fire on a market, on worshippers and in people’s homes, residents said Wednesday, the latest killings in Africa’s longest struggle with militancy. More than 50 extremists on motorcycles rode into the Tarmuwa council area of Yobe state on Sunday evening and began firing before setting buildings ablaze, according to Yobe police spokesperson Dungus Abdulkarim. The police blamed the attack on Boko Haram, which since 2009 has launched an insurgency to establish its radical interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia, in the region. Boko Haram has since splintered into different factions, together accounting for the direct deaths of at least 35,000 people and the displacement of more than 2 million, as well as a humanitarian crisis with millions of people in dire need of foreign aid.”
Somalia
Garowe Online: Airstrike Targets Key Al-Shabaab Bases In Somalia
“More than 19 Al-Shabaab militants have been killed in the latest airstrike in Somalia, state media reports, noting that the operation was carried out in central regions where the militants have been antagonizing locals within the area. The airstrikes were activated in the Ruunnirgood and Ceeldheer districts in the Galgadud region, where the military has been active for the last two years since the declaration of total war against al-Shabaab militants. The Middle Shabelle region is one of the Al-Shabab strongholds and for the last two years, several Alshabab militants have been killed by security forces. The airstrikes specifically targeted the militants, officials said. "In an aerial operation, a series of airstrikes targeted al-Shabaab terrorists in the Ruunnirgood and Ceeldheer districts, spanning the Middle Shabelle and Galgaduud regions," state media reports.”
Southeast Asia
Reuters: Pope Francis, In Muslim-Majority Indonesia, Warns Against Religious Extremism
“Pope Francis on Wednesday urged political leaders in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, to guard against religious extremism, which he said distorted people's beliefs through "deception and violence". On a packed first full day of his longest ever overseas journey that includes nine days in Southeast Asia, where Christians are a small minority, the pontiff also met local Catholics and asked them not to force their faith on others. In a speech to Indonesia's political leaders, Francis said the Catholic Church would increase its efforts toward inter-religious dialogue in hopes of helping tamp down extremism. "In this way, prejudices can be eliminated, and a climate of mutual respect and trust can grow," the 87-year-old pope said in an address at Jakarta's presidential palace.”
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