“Armed assailants launched a deadly “terror” attack on Turkey’s state-run
aerospace company near the capital Ankara on Wednesday, government officials
said. At least five people were killed and 22 injured in the “terrorist attack”
on the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) headquarters in the outskirts of
Ankara, said Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. Two attackers – a man and a woman
– were killed, he added. Among the dead are four TUSAS employees and the taxi
driver who drove the assailants to the facility, according to Turkish Vice
President Cevdet Yılma. A social media video verified and geolocated by CNN
showed the moment an explosion rocked the TUSAS headquarters. After the blast,
a person holding a firearm is seen running in what appears to be a parking lot.”











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Eye on Extremism



October 25, 2024



CNN: Five Killed, 22 Injured In Terror Attack On Turkish Aerospace Company
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“Armed assailants launched a deadly “terror” attack on Turkey’s state-run
aerospace company near the capital Ankara on Wednesday, government officials
said. At least five people were killed and 22 injured in the “terrorist attack”
on the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) headquarters in the outskirts of
Ankara, said Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. Two attackers – a man and a woman
– were killed, he added. Among the dead are four TUSAS employees and the taxi
driver who drove the assailants to the facility, according to Turkish Vice
President Cevdet Yılma. A social media video verified and geolocated by CNN
showed the moment an explosion rocked the TUSAS headquarters. After the blast,
a person holding a firearm is seen running in what appears to be a parking lot.”



Associated Press: Israeli Strikes Kill 38 People In Gaza’s Khan Younis And 3
Journalists in Southern Lebanon
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“Israeli strikes killed 38 people in Gaza and three journalists in Lebanon on
Friday as growing worries about supply shortages in Gaza and international
pressure for a cease-fire mounted. The deaths reported by Gaza health officials
were the latest in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, where people have in
recent days lined up for bread outside the city’s only bakery in operation.
They come a day after United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that
Israel had accomplished its objective of “effectively dismantling” Hamas and
implored both sides to revive negotiations. Also on Friday, an Israeli
airstrike on guesthouses where journalists were staying in southeast Lebanon
killed three media staffers.”




Recent CEP Press Releases

*
Statement on the Death of Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar
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One Year After October 7
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CEP Report: Civilian Counterterrorism Militias Take Action, Introduce New
Challenges To Combatting Violent Extremism In Africa
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Counter Extremism Project Statement Marking 9/11
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CEP Statement on U.S. Indictment of Hamas Leaders
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CEP Mentions



IrishDentist: Terrorism: Abu Abdul Qader, “The Emir” Of The Islamic State In
Iraq, Eliminated
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“... However, experts warn that without continued pressure, the group may
attempt to regroup and continue guerrilla-style attacks in Iraq and Syria, and
the complete withdrawal of the US contingent from Iraq planned for 2025 risks
becoming a boomerang as happened in Afghanistan in 2021. According to data from
the United States Central Command, published in January 2024, ISIS has around
2,500 active fighters between Iraq and Syria, of which around 1,000 are in
Iraq. Speaking of Syria, according to data from the Counter Extremism Project
(CEP) ISIS carried out at least 16 attacks in September in the governorates of
Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Raqqa and Deir Ez Zor. These attacks killed at least 32
pro-Assad soldiers and one civilian and wounded at least 21 others.”



Focus Online: Terror In Ankara: Turkish Security Situation Remains Volatile
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“The attack on the Turkish arms company TUSAS in Ankara once again shows the
ongoing violence between the Turkish government and the PKK. The security
situation remains tense. Terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler comments on
this. Attack on TUSAS: Another round of violence. The attack on the Turkish
arms company TUSAS in Ankara is just another round in the Turkish government's
fight against the PKK. Since the terrorist organization was founded in 1978, it
has not been possible to achieve a lasting end to the group's terrorist
operations in the country.”



Syria



CBS: U.S.-Allied Kurds In Syria Say 12 Killed In Strikes As Turkey Responds To
Attack On State-Run Defense Firm
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“Statement posted FridayTurkey launched airstrikes late Wednesday in
Kurdish-held parts of Syria and Iraq in retaliation for a deadly attack at a
state-owned defense manufacturer in Ankara that saw two attackers kill five
people and wound more than a dozen others. The Turkish government quickly
blamed the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) for what President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan called a "nefarious" attack on the Turkish Aerospace Industries
headquarters outside the capital and, two days later, the PKK claimed the
attack. Video verified by CBS News Confirmed showed damage to electrical
infrastructure in Kobani and Qamishli, the de-facto capital of the
semi-autonomous region controlled by Kurdish-majority forces in northeast
Syria.”



Turkey



The New York Times: What We Know About The Militant Attack In Turkey
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“Two armed militants attacked the headquarters of Turkey’s state-run
aerospace company on Wednesday, killing five people and injuring 22 others in
what the government called a terrorist attack. The attackers were killed. The
Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or P.K.K., a militant group that has been fighting
the Turkish state for decades, said on Friday that it was responsible for the
attack. In the days following the assault, Turkey’s government has bombed sites
that it said belonged to the group and its affiliates in neighboring Iraq and
Syria. One of those groups said strikes in Syria on Thursday hit infrastructure
and the security forces, killing 12 people, including two children.”



Pakistan



Reuters: Pakistan Militant Attack Kills 10 Frontier Police, Sources Say
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“At least 10 Pakistani frontier police were killed in a militant attack on an
outpost near the northwestern city of Dera Ismail Khan, police sources said.
Thursday's attack, claimed by Islamist militant group Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP), comes as Pakistan battles a resurgence of militant attacks in
its rugged northwest, as well as a growing ethnic separatist insurgency in the
south. Three senior police sources confirmed the attack, saying a large group
of militants stormed the outpost, killing members of the frontier constabulary
security force. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity as the matter is a
sensitive one. The attack was confirmed by Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, chief
minister of the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in a statement on
Friday that condemned it, but did not state the number of deaths.”



Lebanon



Reuters: UNHCR: Israel's Border Air Strikes Hindering Refugees Fleeing Lebanon
For Syria
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“Israeli air strikes overnight on the main border crossing to Syria had left
Lebanon's main crossing point to its neighbour unable to function, hindering
refugee attempts to flee a country where a fifth of the population is already
internally displaced, the UN's refugee agency said. Rula Amin, the UNHCR's
Amman-based spokesperson, said she was unaware of any warning being given
before the strike, which landed 500 metres from the main border crossing. Some
430,000 people have crossed from Lebanon to Syria since Israel's campaign
started, she said. "The attacks on the border crossings are a major concern,"
she said. "They are blocking the path to safety for people fleeing conflict."”



Middle East



Reuters: Israeli Army Chief Sees Possibility For 'Sharp Conclusion' To
Hezbollah Conflict
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“Israel's military chief said there was a possibility for a "sharp
conclusion" to the conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, the military
said on Thursday. "In the north, there's a possibility of reaching a sharp
conclusion. We thoroughly dismantled Hezbollah's senior chain of command,"
Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi said in a video statement from a
security assessment in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.”



Associated Press: Massive Displacement From Israel-Hezbollah War Transforms
Beirut’s Famed Commercial Street
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“Inside what was once one of Beirut’s oldest and best-known cinemas, dozens
of Lebanese, Palestinians and Syrians displaced by the Israel-Hezbollah war
spend their time following the news on their phones, cooking, chatting and
walking around to pass the time. Outside on Hamra Street, once a thriving
economic hub, sidewalks are filled with displaced people, and hotels and
apartments are crammed with those seeking shelter. Cafes and restaurants are
overflowing. In some ways, the massive displacement of hundreds of thousands of
people from south Lebanon, the eastern Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern
suburbs has provided a boost for this commercial district after years of
decline as a result of Lebanon’s economic crisis. But it is not the revival
many had hoped for.”



BBC: Gaza Ceasefire Talks To Resume In Coming Days
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“Negotiations over a potential Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal are
set to resume in Doha in the coming days, officials from the US, Israel and
Qatar have said. A spokesperson for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu
said an Israeli delegation will travel to Qatar on Sunday. It is not yet clear
whether Hamas has agreed to participate in the talks. The US believes the death
of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar last week - seen as one of the group's most
extreme figures - may open the door to an agreement, though Hamas has accused
Israel of being the primary block to any deal. “With Sinwar gone,” US Secretary
of State Antony Blinken told journalists, “there is a real opportunity to bring
[the hostages] home and to accomplish the objective.” That objective, Mr
Blinken said, was to reach a deal "so that Israel can withdraw, so that Hamas
cannot reconstitute, and so that the Palestinian people can rebuild their lives
and rebuild their futures".”



Egypt



Reuters: Egypt Hosts Hamas Talks In Cairo To Revive Gaza Ceasefire, Report Says

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“An Egyptian security delegation met with a delegation of Hamas leaders in
Cairo as part of efforts to resume the Gaza ceasefire negotiations, Egypt's
state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV said on Thursday, citing an unnamed official
source. Egypt and Qatar have acted as mediators between Israel and Hamas in
months of talks that broke down in August without an agreement to end fighting
that began when the Palestinian militant group launched attacks on southern
Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas-run Al Aqsa TV said later on Thursday citing
sources that a Hamas delegation, headed by chief negotiator and deputy Hamas
Gaza chief Khalil Al-Hayya, arrived in Cairo to meet with the head of general
intelligence agency, Hassan Mahmoud Rashad. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu said on Thursday that he welcomed Egypt's willingness to advance a
deal for the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip.”



Africa



Reuters: In Ghana, Sahel Jihadis Find Refuge And Supplies, Sources Say
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“Islamist militants fighting in Burkina Faso are discreetly using Ghana's
north as a logistical and medical rear base to sustain their insurgency, seven
sources told Reuters, a move that could help them expand their footprint in
West Africa. The sources, who include Ghanaian security officials and regional
diplomats, said Ghanaian authorities appeared to be mostly turning a blind eye
to the insurgents crossing over from neighbouring Burkina Faso to stock up on
food, fuel and even explosives, as well as getting injured fighters treated in
hospital. But they said that approach, while so far sparing Ghana from the kind
of deadly Islamist attacks that have plagued its neighbours, risks allowing
militants to put down roots in the country and recruit in some marginalised
local communities. Ghana shares a 600 km (372 mile) border with Burkina Faso,
the country at the heart of an insurgency that has killed thousands, displaced
millions and, according to some experts, turned the Sahel region into the
epicentre of global terrorism as factions loyal to al Qaeda and Islamic State
expand their presence.”



United Kingdom



BBC: Far-Right Extremist Jailed For Terrorist Offences
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“A far-right extremist has been jailed for 12 years after posting videos of
an extreme right-wing nature on social media. Gabriel Budasz, 24, of Drove Road
in Weston-super-Mare, was sentenced at Winchester Crown Court on Thursday. He
had been found guilty of terror offences, after police seized books, masks and
memorabilia of an extreme right-wing nature, as well as a 3D-printed firearm
from his home in August 2023. Judge Forster told the defendant: "You have no
interest as to how your actions could have affected others." Prosecutors seized
Budasz's mobile and computer devices and found he used a number of social media
sites under different usernames to post extreme right-wing material. The court
heard Budasz was living in supported accommodation, where he made videos that
were broadcast on social media.”



Europe



The Washington Post: A Deadly Attack At A Police Station In Bosnia Is An Act
Of Terrorism, Prosecutors Say
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“An attack by a teenager who broke into a police station in northwest Bosnia
— killing one officer and wounding another — was described as an act of
terrorism by authorities on Friday. The assault happened around 9 p.m. in the
town of Bosanska Krupa on Thursday. The assailant, born in 2009, went into the
local police station and stabbed the officers in a “totally unprovoked” attack,
police said. Prosecutors working to determine the motive and all the
circumstances of the attack characterized it as a terrorist assault. They said
the injured officer has been hospitalized and is in a stable condition.”



Associated Press: Ukrainian Father-Son Pair Sentenced To 20 Years In Belarus
Prison For Terrorism
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“A father and son from Ukraine were sentenced to 20 years imprisonment each
in Belarus after being convicted of preparing terrorist acts. A court in the
city of Gomel decreed the conviction and sentencing on Wednesday of Serhiy
Kabarchuk and his son Pavlo. Both were arrested in February for allegedly
assembling a store of weapons and explosives. State television later ran
footage in which the Kabarchuks said they were acting under the direction of
Ukraine’s SBU security service. Many observers claim that such televised
confessions in the authoritarian country are made under duress. Belarus has
long borders with both Ukraine and Russia. Russian troops are based in Belarus
and have been deployed into the Ukraine-Russia war from there. Belarus also
hosts an unspecified number of Russian tactical nuclear weapons. Ukraine made
no immediate comment on the convictions.”



Southeast Asia



Reuters: Four Killed In Militant Attack In India's Kashmir
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“At least four people, including two soldiers, were killed when militants
ambushed an army vehicle in India's restive Kashmir on Thursday night,
officials said, the fourth attack in the region in a fortnight and the second
this week. The attacks come close on the heels of a government formed by an
opposition alliance taking over in the territory where separatist militants
have fought security forces for decades and thousands of people have been
killed. At least nine soldiers were killed in two separate militant attacks in
the region in July. Thursday's attack occurred in the Bota Pathri area near
Kashmir's border with Pakistan, officials said, adding that two army porters
were also killed in the incident and three soldiers injured. "A massive search
operation has been launched against the militants responsible for the
attack...Additional reinforcements have been sent to the area," said an army
official who declined to be named.”



China



Reuters: China To Offer Taliban Tariff-Free Trade As It Inches Closer To
Isolated Resource-Rich Regime
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“China will offer the Taliban tariff-free access to its vast construction,
energy and consumer sectors, Beijing's envoy to Afghanistan said on Thursday,
as the ailing resource-rich but diplomatically-isolated regime looks to build
up its markets. Beijing has sought to develop its ties with the Taliban since
they took control of Afghanistan in 2021, but like all governments has
refrained from formally recognising the Islamic fundamentalist group's rule
amid international concern over its human rights record and those of women and
girls. But the impoverished country could offer a wealth of mineral resources
to boost Beijing's supply chain security although it risks becoming a haven for
militant groups threatening China's Xinjiang region and huge investments in
neighbouring Pakistan.”



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