“The United States will send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery to
Israel, along with the troops needed to operate it, the Pentagon said Sunday,
even as Iran warned Washington to keep American military forces out of Israel.
Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement that Defense
Secretary Lloyd Austin authorized the deployment of the THAAD battery at the
direction of President Joe Biden. He said the system will help bolster Israel’s
air defenses following Iran’s ballistic missile attacks on Israel in April and
October. The delivery of the sophisticated missile defense system risks further
inflaming the conflict in the Middle East despite widespread diplomatic efforts
to avoid an all-out war. The Iranian warning came in a post on the social
platform X long associated with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who noted the
earlier reports that the U.S. was considering the deployment.”











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Eye on Extremism



October 14, 2024



Associated Press: US Will Send A Missile Defense System And Troops To Run It
To Israel To Aid Defense Against Iran
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“The United States will send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery to
Israel, along with the troops needed to operate it, the Pentagon said Sunday,
even as Iran warned Washington to keep American military forces out of Israel.
Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement that Defense
Secretary Lloyd Austin authorized the deployment of the THAAD battery at the
direction of President Joe Biden. He said the system will help bolster Israel’s
air defenses following Iran’s ballistic missile attacks on Israel in April and
October. The delivery of the sophisticated missile defense system risks further
inflaming the conflict in the Middle East despite widespread diplomatic efforts
to avoid an all-out war. The Iranian warning came in a post on the social
platform X long associated with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who noted the
earlier reports that the U.S. was considering the deployment.”



The Wall Street Journal: A Port Deal Unsettles U.S. Counterterror Fight In The
Horn Of Africa <[link removed]>



“A surprise deal that could allow Ethiopia to base warships in a breakaway
region of Somalia is stoking tensions throughout a corner of Africa already
ablaze with militant violence. Under the agreement, Somaliland, a self-declared
state within Somalia’s recognized borders, would grant landlocked Ethiopia
rights to naval and commercial port facilities on the Red Sea. In exchange,
Ethiopia would become the first country in the world to recognize Somaliland as
an independent state. The accord, announced at the beginning of the year, has
set the region on edge, with bellicose rhetoric now heating up between Somalia
and Ethiopia, and international players from Cairo to Washington getting
involved. Somali authorities are opposed to Somaliland’s independence. In
response to the port deal, they are threatening to expel Ethiopian troops who
have been helping them fight al-Shabaab, the local al Qaeda affiliate.”




CEP Expert Analysis

* CEP Report: Civilian Counterterrorism Militias Take Action, Introduce New
Challenges to Combatting Violent Extremism in Africa
<[link removed]>
* CEP Policy Brief: Identifying and Disrupting Key Antisemitic Actors
<[link removed]>
* Extremist Content Online: Extreme Right Celebrates Anti-Muslim Immigratn
Riots on Telegram and X
<[link removed]>
* 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
<[link removed]>



CEP Mentions



Middle East Forum: UK Limiting Islamist Books In Prisons Raises Questions
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“... Acheson, senior advisor to the UK NGO the Counter Extremism Project and
former prison governor, warns that the new measures will prove to be
“fiendishly difficult” to enforce “If you are running a high security prison …
you are lucky to get from one end of the day to the other without a major
incident,” he said. “So pragmatically, taking on highly ideological prisoners
who have gang followings in prisons to limit the amount of material they have
in their cells, is inevitably going to provoke a violent reaction. Prison
governors think ’We won’t be backed up if we try to do that, so we’ll just have
to try to manage it.” Despite recent recruitment of imams trained in countering
violent extremist views and beliefs, there are not always enough to lead
prayers,” Acheson said, adding that “Some of those who are [available] are not
strong enough to call out any dissent that might exist.””



Tagesspiegel: New Documents On The Attack On October 7, This is How Hard Hamas
Wanted To Hit Israel With Iran’s Help
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“It was apparently intended to be an ultimate, devastating blow against
Israel. This is suggested by new findings on the Hamas massacre on October 7,
2023. According to the New York Times and the Washington Post, the terrorist
strategists around their leader Jahia Sinwar planned their attack in detail for
more than two years. […] Hans-Jakob Schindler calls Iran's reaction to Hamas's
request "typical". The leadership of the Islamic Republic almost always avoids
an open "no" in negotiations and prefers to use formulations such as "further
clarification required", says the senior director of the international Counter
Extremism Project and head of the Berlin office.”



France 24: Hurricanes In The US: How Neo-Nazis Are Taking Advantage Of The
Devastation
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“"We are trying to bring some normality back to the lives of the affected
communities."Any volunteer who comes to North Carolina or Florida to help the
victims of hurricanes Helene and Milton could say the same. But the man who
says this in front of a camera in a video posted on Telegram on October 6 and
shared on most social networks is not just anyone. […] "The Patriot Front is
also clearly fascist, and its logo is inspired by that of Benito Mussolini's
Italian National Fascist Party ," says Matthew Feldman. It is also a group
anchored in a culture of violence that "is linked to the American network of
neo-Nazi cells of the Active Club Network ," says Joshua-Fisher Birch, an
American analyst for the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), an international
organisation that fights extremist movements.”



United States



ABC News: Soldier Who Attempted To Assist ISIS in Killing US Troops Sentenced
To 14 Years
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“A United States Army soldier has been sentenced to 14 years in prison after
he allegedly attempted to assist ISIS in conducting a deadly ambush on U.S.
troops, according to the Department of Justice. Cole Bridges, a 24-year old man
from Stow, Ohio, has been sentenced to 168 months in prison followed by 10
years of supervised release for “attempting to provide material support to a
designated foreign terrorist organization and attempting to murder U.S.
military service members, based on his efforts to assist the Islamic State of
Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) to attack and kill U.S. soldiers in the Middle East,”
the DOJ announced Friday. Bridges originally pleaded guilty to terrorism
charges on June 14, 2023, but his sentence was handed down this week, officials
said. Bridges joined the U.S. Army in approximately September 2019 and was
assigned as a cavalry scout in the Third Infantry Division based in Fort
Stewart, Georgia, according to court documents.”



Syria



Associated Press: US Airstrikes Target Multiple Militant Camps In Syria
<[link removed](AP)%20%E2%80%94%20A%20series,in%20the%20region%20and%20beyond.>



“A series of U.S. airstrikes targeted several camps run by the Islamic State
group in Syria in an operation the U.S. military said will disrupt the
extremists from conducting attacks in the region and beyond. The U.S. Central
Command said the airstrikes were conducted Friday, without specifying in which
parts of Syria. About 900 U.S. troops have been deployed in eastern Syria
alongside the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces that were
instrumental in the fight against IS militants. Despite their defeat, attacks
by IS sleeper cells in Iraq and Syria have been on the rise over the past
years, with scores of people killed or wounded. The Islamic State group seized
territory at the height of its power and declared a caliphate in large parts of
Iraq and Syria in 2014, but was defeated in Iraq in 2017. In March 2019, the
extremists lost the last sliver of land they once controlled in eastern Syria.”



Lebanon



Associated Press: UN Peacekeepers In Southern Lebanon Are In The Crosshairs Of
Israel’s War On Hezbollah
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“The U.N. peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon said Israeli tanks
“forcibly entered” one of its positions on Sunday, as Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu demanded it leave the area. International criticism is
growing after Israeli forces have repeatedly fired on U.N. peacekeepers since
the start of its ground operation in Lebanon. Five peacekeepers have been
wounded in attacks that struck their positions in recent days, most of them
blamed on Israeli forces. As Israel escalates its ground invasion against
Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon, the 10,000-strong peacekeeping force
is increasingly in the crosshairs. Relations have worsened between Israel and
the United Nations over the way Israel has conducted its war in Gaza. In an
unprecedented move, Israel earlier this month said the U.N. secretary-general
was persona non grata in Israel.”



Voice Of America: Exclusive: Hezbollah Running Out Of Money Amid Israeli
Bombardment
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“Lebanese militia Hezbollah is running out of money, researchers tell VOA, as
a weekslong Israeli offensive against the Iran-backed group disrupts three of
its key sources of cash. U.S. and Lebanon-based researchers and U.S. Treasury
Department reports identify Hezbollah’s main cash source as Al-Qard al-Hasan,
or AQAH, a Lebanese quasi-banking institution operated by the U.S.-designated
terror group without a government banking license. The researchers say the
group’s other cash sources include Lebanon’s insolvent but licensed commercial
banks and arrivals of cash-bearing planes at Beirut’s airport. The Israeli
military escalated its attacks on Hezbollah leaders and facilities last month,
after 11 months of limiting its responses to the militia’s daily attacks on
northern Israel in support of Hamas. The Palestinian terror group, also backed
by Iran, invaded southern Israel from Gaza last October, sparking a fierce
Israeli response.”



Associated Press: As Hezbollah And Israel Battle On The Border, Lebanon’s Army
Watches From The Sidelines
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“Since Israel launched its ground invasion of Lebanon, Israeli forces and
Hezbollah militants have clashed along the border while the Lebanese army has
largely stood on the sidelines. It’s not the first time the national army has
found itself watching war at home from the discomfiting position of bystander.
Lebanon’s widely beloved army is one of the few institutions that bridge the
country’s sectarian and political divides. Several army commanders have become
president, and the current commander, Gen. Joseph Aoun, is widely regarded as
one of the front-runners to step in when the deadlocked parliament fills a
two-year vacuum and names a president. But with an aging arsenal and no air
defenses, and battered by five years of economic crisis, the national army is
ill-prepared to defend Lebanon against either aerial bombardment or a ground
offensive by a well-equipped modern army like Israel’s.”



Middle East



Associated Press: Israel Says 4 Soldiers Killed By Hezbollah Drone Attack
While Israeli Strike In Gaza Leaves 20 Dead
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“A Hezbollah drone attack on an army base in central Israel killed four
soldiers and severely wounded seven others Sunday, the military said, in the
deadliest strike by the militant group since Israel launched its ground
invasion of Lebanon nearly two weeks ago. The Lebanon-based Hezbollah called
the attack near Binyamina city retaliation for Israeli strikes on Beirut on
Thursday that killed 22 people. It later said it targeted Israel’s elite Golani
brigade, launching dozens of missiles to occupy Israeli air defense systems
during the assault by “squadrons” of drones. Israel’s national rescue service
said the attack wounded 61. With Israel’s advanced air-defense systems, it’s
rare for so many people to be injured by drones or missiles. Hezbollah and
Israel have traded fire almost daily in the year since the war in Gaza began,
and fighting has escalated.”



Reuters: Israeli Tanks Deepen Their Push Into The Northern Gaza Strip
<[link removed]>



“Israeli forces widened their raid into northern Gaza and tanks reached the
north edge of Gaza City, pounding some districts of the Sheikh Radwan
neighborhood and forcing many families to leave their homes, residents said. In
the early hours of Monday, an Israeli air strike killed three people and
wounded 40 others when it hit some tents of displaced Palestinians inside
Al-Aqsa Hospital in the central Gaza Strip city of Deir Al-Balah, where a
million people were sheltering, medics said. Footage circulated on social
media, which Reuters couldn't immediately verify, showed several tents were set
ablaze as some Palestinians tried helplessly to put out the fire. The Israeli
military said it struck militants operating from a command center inside the
compound, accusing Hamas of using civilian facilities such as hospitals for
military purposes, which Hamas denies.”



Nigeria



Associated Press: They Fled Their Homes To Escape Boko Haram. Now Nigeria Is
Resettling Them Back Despite Their Fears
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“When Boko Haram launched an insurgency in northeastern Nigeria in 2010,
Abdulhameed Salisu packed his bag and fled from his hometown of Damasak in the
country’s battered Borno state. The 45-year-old father of seven came back with
his family early last year. They are among thousands of Nigerians taken back
from displacement camps to their villages, hometowns or newly built settlements
known as “host communities” under a resettlement program that analysts say is
being rushed to suggest the conflict with the Islamic militants is nearly over.
Across Borno, dozens of displacement camps have been shut down, with
authorities claiming they are no longer needed and that most places from where
the displaced fled are now safe. But many of the displaced say it’s not safe to
go back. Boko Haram — Nigeria’s homegrown jihadis — took up arms in 2009 to
fight against Western education and impose their radical version of Islamic
law, or Sharia.”



United Kingdom



The Guardian: Teenagers As Young As 13 Under Suspicion For Uk Far-Right
Terrorism
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“Teenagers as young as 13 are coming under suspicion of engaging in terrorism
after being exposed to a toxic cocktail of easily accessible far-right
extremism online, experts have warned. Insiders describe “a horrible hateful
soup” of social media content where children can “pick and mix” terrorist
narratives, including the Terrorgram network – recently banned in the UK – of
white supremacist channels on Telegram. Experts have tracked 49 children
convicted of terror offences since 2016 – all but one of whom are boys – and
this week Ken McCallum, the head of MI5, said “13% of all those being
investigated by MI5 for involvement in UK terrorism are under 18”, a threefold
increase in three years. But the increasing proportion of children under
scrutiny also poses problems, with questions arising over whether teenagers
should be criminalised – and MI5 and experts acknowledge cases often raise
issues of mental health or grooming.”



Reuters: British Police Reduce X Presence Amid Extremist Content Worries
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“As Elon Musk's X battles to keep users in key markets, several British police
forces are scaling back their presence on the global social media platform and
one has abandoned it, reflecting concern about its role in promoting extremist
views. X, formerly Twitter, was used to spread disinformation this summer that
sparked riots across Britain, and has reinstated British-based accounts that
had been banned for extremist content. Critics say Musk's hands-off approach
has allowed lies and hate speech to spread. Reuters contacted all 45
territorial police forces and British Transport Police by email. Of the 33 to
give details about their policy, 10 forces who collectively police nearly 13
million people said they were actively reviewing their presence on X, while 13
said they frequently reviewed all their social media platforms.”



France



Associated Press: French Anti-Terror Authorities Investigate Afghan National
Over Suspected Attack Plot
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“French anti-terror prosecutors said Saturday that an Afghan national is being
investigated on terrorism charges over a suspected attack plot. The 22-year-old
suspect was among three people who authorities revealed earlier this week were
detained in the southern Toulouse region. The two other people were released
from custody. Authorities said that an investigation that was opened on Sept.
27 subsequently revealed a suspected “plan for violent action targeting people
in a football stadium or a shopping center” allegedly linked to the Afghan
suspect. They said they found “several elements” allegedly linking the person
to “radicalization” and “adherence to the ideology of the Islamic State” group.”



Europe



Voice Of America: Sweden Wants EU To Classify Revolutionary Guards As
Terrorist Organization
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“Sweden wants the European Union to classify Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps
as a terrorist organization after several attacks on Israeli targets in Sweden
that Stockholm blames on Iran, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Sunday. The
Scandinavian country's intelligence agency, Sapo, has accused Iran of
recruiting members of Swedish criminal gangs to commit "acts of violence"
against Israeli and other interests in Sweden, a charge Tehran has denied. "We
want Sweden to seriously address, together with other EU countries, the
incredibly problematic connection between the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
and its destructive role in the (Middle East) region, but also its increasing
actions in various European countries, including Sweden," Kristersson told the
Expressen daily. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is a special branch of
the Iranian armed forces whose officers hold key positions within the Iranian
government.”



Associated Press: Middle East Latest: EU Condemns Attacks On Peacekeepers In
Lebanon
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“The European Union on Monday condemned attacks on U.N. peacekeepers in
Lebanon and rejected Israeli allegations that the U.N. was keeping them there
to obstruct military operations against Hezbollah. Five peacekeepers have been
wounded in attacks that struck their positions since Israel began a ground
campaign against the Hezbollah militant group, with most blamed on Israeli
forces. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that “their work is very
important. It’s completely unacceptable attacking United Nations troops.”
Israel has been escalating its campaign against Hezbollah after a year of
exchanges of fire, while it is also at war with Hamas in Gaza. Israel’s
offensive in Gaza has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, according to local
health authorities, who do not say how many were fighters but say women and
children make up more than half of the fatalities.”



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