Eye on Extremism
October 24, 2024
Associated Press: Blinken Urges Israel To Seek Enduring Deal, As Officials Say A Limited Cease-Fire Has Been Discussed
“Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that Israel needs to pursue an “enduring strategic success” in Gaza after its tactical victories against Hamas, urging it to seek a deal that would end the war and bring back dozens of hostages. He spoke before traveling from Israel to Saudi Arabia on his 11th visit to the region since the war began. Air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv shortly before his departure as Israel intercepted two projectiles fired from Lebanon — the latest in Israel’s war with Hezbollah — and a puff of smoke could be seen in the sky from Blinken’s hotel. “Israel has achieved most of the strategic objectives when it comes to Gaza,” Blinken told reporters before boarding his plane. “Now is the time to turn those successes into an enduring strategic success.” “There really are two things left to do: Get the hostages home and bring the war to an end with an understanding of what will follow,” he said.”
The Washington Post: Turkey Says ‘Terrorist Attack’ On Aerospace Company Leaves At Least 5 Dead, 22 Injured
“Gun-wielding assailants on Wednesday attacked the headquarters of Turkish Aerospace Industries, a large Turkish defense and aviation company near the capital, Ankara, killing at least five people and injuring 22 in what Turkish authorities called a “terrorist attack.” Two attackers, a man and a woman, were also killed, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya told reporters. Efforts to identify the attackers were ongoing, he said. No group immediately claimed responsibility. Yerlikaya said that the “style of the attack and the footage that we have watched suggest that it was most likely carried out” by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which Turkey and the United States designate as a terrorist group. Turkey’s Defense Ministry said later Wednesday that it struck more than 30 Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria, likely in retaliation for the attack in Ankara, the Associated Press reported.”
CEP Mentions
The New York Times: Is Afghanistan’s Most-Wanted Militant Now Its Best Hope For Change?
“For the better part of two decades, one name above all others inspired fear among ordinary Afghans: Sirajuddin Haqqani. To many, Mr. Haqqani was a boogeyman, an angel of death with the power to determine who would live and who would die during the U.S.-led war. He deployed his ranks of Taliban suicide bombers, who rained carnage on American troops and Afghan civilians alike. […] “It’s a dangerous idea, working with the Haqqanis,” said Hans-Jakob Schindler, a former coordinator of the United Nations’ monitoring group on the Islamic State, Al Qaeda and the Taliban. “You don’t know what side the Haqqanis will be standing on on the day you deal with them — your side or their own or the side of international terrorists.””
Aze.Media: French Neocolonialism: A Threat To The European Economy And Security
“... According to the experts of the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) France and Qatar’s relationship deepened in 2024 with a €10 billion investment agreement, marking a strategic partnership. While the partnership boosts the French economy, particularly in luxury, sports, and real estate sectors, it raises concerns about Qatar’s influence on French policies. Qatar’s financial ties to Islamist groups like Hamas complicate the partnership, especially amid the ongoing Gaza conflict. Experts claim that Qatar’s growing leverage can affect France’s foreign policy stance, particularly as protests and public opinion in France grow increasingly pro-Gaza. “It is very likely that Qatar’s influence in French politics extends further than soft power alone. France’s current Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, has recently been revealed to have been in contact with Qatar’s labour minister, Ali bin Samikh al Marri, during the period of the Qatargate corruption scandal when she was serving as an MEP.”
United States
Associated Press: Middle East Latest: Blinken In Doha To Discuss Gaza Cease-Fire With Qatari Officials
“U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Doha on Thursday to meet with Qatari officials who have been key mediators for Hamas, as the U.S. struggles to break the logjam of cease-fire negotiations between Israel and the militant group. Blinken is on his 11th trip to the Middle East since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. Meanwhile, the Lebanese military said Thursday an Israeli strike killed three of its troops, including an officer, as they were evacuating wounded people in southern Lebanon, and French President Emmanuel Macron said his country will provide a 100 million-euro ($108 million) aid package to support Lebanon. The Israel-Hamas war began after Hamas-led militants on Oct. 7, 2023, blew holes in Israel’s security fence and stormed in, killing some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducting 250 others. Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, who do not differentiate between militants and civilians.”
Turkey
Reuters: Turkey hits PKK Targets In Northern Iraq, Syria After Deadly Attack In Ankara
“Turkey has hit outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq and northern Syria after a deadly attack on an aviation site in Ankara, the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday. Perpetrators of the attack in Ankara were highly likely PKK members, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said earlier.”
Pakistan
Associated Press: Pakistani Security Forces Kill 9 Militants In A Raid In The Restive Northwest Near Afghanistan
“Pakistani security forces killed nine insurgents in a shootout overnight in a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban in the volatile northwestern region that borders Afghanistan, the military said Thursday. Troops also seized weapons and ammunition from the insurgents’ hideout after the shootout in Bajur, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The military’s statement provided no details about the slain militants, including their affiliation. However, such operations often target the Pakistani Taliban, who are known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. Bajur was a base for the militants until many were killed or forced out in multiple operations by security forces. The TTP are a separate group but a close ally of the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021. The Taliban takeover next door has emboldened the Pakistani Taliban who have stepped up attacks on Pakistani forces.”
Lebanon
Associated Press: Israeli Strikes Pound Lebanese Coastal City After Residents Evacuate
“Israeli jets struck multiple buildings in Lebanon’s southern coastal city of Tyre on Wednesday, sending up large clouds of black smoke, while Hezbollah confirmed that a top official widely expected to be the militant group’s next leader had been killed in an Israeli strike. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that an Israeli strike on the nearby town of Maarakeh killed three people. There were no reports of casualties in Tyre, where the Israeli military had issued evacuation warnings prior to the strikes. Hezbollah meanwhile fired more rockets into Israel, including two that set off air raid sirens in Tel Aviv before being intercepted. A cloud of smoke could be seen in the sky from the hotel where U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was staying on his latest visit to the region to try to renew cease-fire talks. On Wednesday night, the Israeli military said another four “projectiles” crossed from Lebanon into Israel, with two intercepted and one falling in open land. There were no immediate reports of injuries, the military said.”
Middle East
Reuters: Israel Names Al Jazeera Reporters As Gaza Militants, Network Condemns 'Unfounded Allegations'
“The Israeli military named on Wednesday six Palestinian Al Jazeera reporters in Gaza it said were also members of the Hamas or Islamic Jihad militant groups, an allegation which the Qatari network rejected as an attempt to silence journalists. "Al Jazeera condemns Israeli accusations against its journalists in Gaza and warns against (this) being a justification for targeting them," the network said in a statement. The Israeli military published documents which it said it had found in Gaza that proved the men had a military affiliation to the groups. Reuters was not able to immediately verify the authenticity of the documents. The Israeli military said the papers included Hamas and Islamic Jihad lists of personnel details, salaries and militant training courses, phone directories and injury reports. "These documents serve as proof of the integration of Hamas terrorists within the Qatari Al Jazeera media network," the military said.”
Reuters: Hezbollah Says In Statement It Has Killed 70 Israeli Soldiers
“Hezbollah’s operations room said on Wednesday its fighters had killed more than 70 Israeli troops in its clashes with Israeli forces, updating from a statement last week saying 55 were killed. It did not say in what time frame they were killed. Israel has said it has lost around 20 soldiers inside Lebanon since its ground operations began, and around 30 more in Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel.”
Somalia
Bloomberg: Somalia Wants Ethiopia Excluded From Force Battling Al-Shabaab
“Somalia’s government asked the African Union and United Nations to exclude Ethiopian soldiers from a revamped peacekeeping force fighting al-Qaeda-linked insurgents. The request will strain already fraught relations between the two countries. Ties deteriorated in January, when Ethiopia offered to recognize Somaliland — a breakaway region in the north — as a sovereign state in return for access to a port and a military base in a region that Somalia regards as part of its territory. About 13,000 troops from Ethiopia and four other nations are set to leave Somalia at the end of this year, before a reconstituted mission is scheduled to take over next year. “Ethiopia’s recent unilateral actions, including an illegal agreement with Somalia’s northern region, violate our sovereignty and erode the trust essential for peacekeeping,” Somalia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.”
Reuters: Somalia Security Cameras Aim To Cut Al Shabaab Attacks But Militants Fight Back
“Thousands of security cameras have been installed across Somalia's capital to monitor the movement of al Shabaab militants and reassure residents, but they have also made business owners fearful of reprisal attacks. Rolled out this year as part of a municipal government initiative, officials say CCTV cameras have helped authorities keep track of militant activity in Mogadishu and ensure that security forces are doing their jobs properly. The aim is to stave off the bombings and shootings that have plagued the capital in Islamist al Shabaab's nearly two decade-long fight to overthrow the government. But in a city where militants have eyes and ears everywhere, some businesses who have installed cameras have themselves come under attack. At least three people have been killed and four wounded in assaults on such businesses since the start of October in the Daynile and Hodan districts of Mogadishu, Mohamed Ahmed Diriye, a deputy mayor, told Reuters.”
Southeast Asia
Bloomberg: Sri Lanka Boosts Security As US, Israel Warn Of Terrorist Attack
“Sri Lanka beefed up security in tourism hot spots after the US and Israel warned citizens to leave popular beach resort areas because of possible attacks on visitors. The US Embassy in Sri Lanka told citizens on Wednesday to avoid Arugam Bay, a surf resort in Sri Lanka’s southeast coast, after “credible information warning of an attack targeting popular tourist locations.” Israel’s National Security Council asked its citizens to immediately leave Arugam Bay and the south and west coastal areas of Sri Lanka, adding that it has raised the travel alert level for the South Asian island nation “due to credible terrorism threats.” Sri Lanka’s acting inspector general of police Priyantha Weerasooriya said intelligence had been received around Oct. 7, which was the first anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel, of a threat to a “specific nationality of tourists.””
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