Eye on Extremism
September 17, 2024
Associated Press: Israel Says Halting Hezbollah Attacks Is Now A War Goal As Officials Warn Of A Wider Operation
“Israel said Tuesday that halting Hezbollah’s attacks in the country’s north to allow residents to return to their homes is now an official war goal, as it considers a wider military operation in Lebanon that could ignite an all-out conflict. Israeli officials have repeatedly threatened to take heavier military action to halt the near-daily attacks, which began shortly after the outbreak of the nearly yearlong Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Israel has regularly launched airstrikes on Lebanon in response and has targeted and killed senior Hezbollah commanders. As recently as last month it appeared a full-blown war was imminent. Tuesday’s statement by Israel’s security Cabinet signaled a tougher stance at a time when Israeli leaders have stepped up their warnings. But it also appeared to be largely symbolic and may not herald an immediate change in policy.”
BBC: Al-Qaeda-Linked Group Says It Was Behind Mali Attack
“An al-Qaeda-linked group has said it was behind an early morning attack in the Malian capital, Bamako. Armed men targeted a military training school and other areas in the city, the authorities said. In its statement, the army described the assailants as "terrorists.” After residents reported hearing gunfire on Tuesday, the army said the attackers had struck near the city's airport but that the situation was now "under control.”
CEP Mentions
InvestmentWeek: How IS Is Making Europe's Security Authorities Look Old
“…An 18-year-old Islamist in Munich, for example, radicalized on TikTok, about to attack the Israeli consulate. Only the quick intervention of the police prevented a catastrophe. The problem: Such cases often go unnoticed for a long time. “Without communication with other terrorists, it is extremely difficult for the authorities to identify such attackers at an early stage,” explains Hans-Jakob Schindler of the Counter Extremism Project.”
New Eastern Europe: How Russia Exploits Right-Wing Organizations And Polarizes Societies
“An interview with Kacper Rękawek, senior fellow at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism and a non-resident fellow at the Counter Extremism Project.”
United States
CBS: Texas Officials Declare Venezuelan Gang A Terrorist Group, Back Trump Claims About Migrants
“Officials in Texas on Monday designated a Venezuelan gang called the Tren de Aragua as a "foreign terrorist group" and endorsed former President Donald Trump's claim that many migrants crossing into the United States were released from prisons in Latin America. The Tren de Aragua is an international criminal organization that operates in several Latin American countries and engages in extortion, homicide, drug trafficking and smuggling of people, authorities say. Because of a political and economic crisis in Venezuela, many people from that country are allowed to enter the United States and apply for asylum. But Texas's top border official, Mike Banks, argued that Venezuela "has released prisoners with one condition: you leave Venezuela and don't come back."”
Reuters: US Still Working On Revised Proposal For Gaza Ceasefire Deal, State Dept Says
“The United States is still working with mediators Egypt and Qatar to present a revised proposal for a ceasefire in the war in Gaza, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Monday. Officials have for weeks said a new proposal would be presented soon for a deal that would include the release of hostages taken from Israel by Palestinian militants Hamas when the war began on Oct. 7. Miller told reporters Washington was working with the mediators on what the proposal will contain and ensuring that "it's a proposal that can get the parties to an ultimate agreement." "I don't have a timetable for you other than to say that we are working expeditiously to try to develop that proposal," Miller added. Talks over months have so far failed to reach a deal to end the war, now in its twelfth month, even after U.S. President Joe Biden in June publicly laid out a proposal that Israel had agreed to.”
Iraq
Bloomberg: ISIS Defeat Means US Troops No Longer Needed In Iraq, Says PM Al-Sudani
“The US has about 2,500 military personnel in Iraq, a legacy of an American-led coalition formed in 2014 to combat the Islamist group widely known as ISIS. While the organization is much weaker than a decade ago — when it held major cities and provinces in Iraq and Syria and shocked the world by posting beheadings online — its fighters still operate in both nations. The presence in Iraq of soldiers from the US and other countries is politically sensitive and many civilians and politicians want them to leave. Yet some US lawmakers have voiced unease about a total military exit, saying it could allow ISIS to regroup or neighboring Iran to increase its influence within Iraq.”
Afghanistan
Associated Press: The Taliban Have Suspended Polio Vaccination Campaigns In Afghanistan, The UN Says
“The Taliban have suspended polio vaccination campaigns in Afghanistan, the U.N. said Monday. It’s a devastating setback for polio eradication since the virus is one of the world’s most infectious and any unvaccinated groups of children where the virus is spreading could undo years of progress. Afghanistan is one of two countries in which the spread of the potentially fatal, paralyzing disease has never been stopped. The other is Pakistan. It’s likely that the Taliban’s decision will have major repercussions for other countries in the region and beyond. News of the suspension was relayed to U.N. agencies right before the September immunization campaign was due to start. No reason was given for the suspension, and no one from the Taliban-controlled government was immediately available for comment.”
Yemen
Bloomberg: Oil Tanker Struck By Houthis Towed Away After Four Weeks At Sea
“An oil tanker in the Red Sea that was struck by Houthi militants was towed to a safe area after almost four weeks. The Greek-flagged ship Sounion, laden with 1 million barrels of Iraqi crude, was towed without any oil spill, the European Union naval force in the region said Monday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. The task force will continue to monitor the situation as private stakeholders complete the salvage operation.”
Mali
Reuters: Mali Says Capital Under Control After Insurgent Attack
“Mali said on Tuesday that the capital Bamako was under control after insurgents attacked a gendarmerie training school and other areas before dawn, firing gunshots that reverberated around the city. "Early this morning, a group of terrorists attempted to infiltrate the Faladie gendarmerie school. Mopping-up operations are currently underway," the army said in a statement. It called on residents to avoid the area and await further official communication. The military government said "some sensitive points of the capital" came under attack, including the gendarmerie school. It said the army had pushed back the "terrorists" responsible for the assault and urged civilians to go about their daily business. The gendarmerie school is in Faladie, a district on the southeastern outskirts of Bamako, near the main international airport. Reuters heard the gunfire in the Banankabougou neighborhood near Faladie before sunrise.”
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