“The leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist rebel group that
spearheaded the ouster of the Bashar al-Assad regime, said Tuesday that Syria’s
rebel factions will be dissolved, with all fighters uniting under the country’s
Defense Ministry. “Syria must remain united, and there must be a social
contract between the state and all sects to ensure social justice,” Ahmed
al-Sharaa, formerly known by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, said
during a meeting with the minority Druze community, according to a statement
posted on HTS’s Telegram account. “The factions will be dissolved and the
fighters will be prepared to join the Ministry of Defense, and everyone will be
subject to the law,” Sharaa added.”











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Eye on Extremism



December 18, 2024



The Washington Post: Syrian Rebel Leader Says Rebel Factions Will Be Dissolved
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“The leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist rebel group that
spearheaded the ouster of the Bashar al-Assad regime, said Tuesday that Syria’s
rebel factions will be dissolved, with all fighters uniting under the country’s
Defense Ministry. “Syria must remain united, and there must be a social
contract between the state and all sects to ensure social justice,” Ahmed
al-Sharaa, formerly known by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, said
during a meeting with the minority Druze community, according to a statement
posted on HTS’s Telegram account. “The factions will be dissolved and the
fighters will be prepared to join the Ministry of Defense, and everyone will be
subject to the law,” Sharaa added.”



NPR: Deadly Violence In Nigeria Tied To United Methodist Church Schism Over
LGBTQ Policies
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“A religious schism has turned deadly in Nigeria, with a church member
fatally shot and two young children killed as homes were set ablaze, according
to United Methodist News Service. The news service said the reported violence
on Sunday stemmed from a schism in the worldwide United Methodist Church over
its decision to repeal LGBTQ bans — and the ensuing formation of the new Global
Methodist Church by breakaway conservative churches. According to the news
service, a United Methodist church member was shot and killed in a
confrontation between both factions in Taraba, a state in northeast Nigeria.
Homes were set ablaze, claiming the lives of two children, ages 2 and 4, of the
overseer of a United Methodist school and nursery, the news service said.
Another 10 church members were reported injured.”




The CEP CounterPoint: Expert Analysis

*
CounterPoint Brief: Rebels Seize Aleppo, Renewing Fighting In Decade-Long
Syrian Conflict
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*
CounterPoint Brief: The Fear of Blasphemy Laws In Britain
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*
“Dark Foreigner”: Canada’s Outsized Far-Right Export
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*
CEP – KAS: Sahel Monitoring June 2024
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*
ISIS Redux: The Central Syria Insurgency In October 2024
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CEP Mentions



ARD: Hans-Jakob Schindler | Terrorism Expert | This Is Important To Prevent
Terrorist Attacks
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“The threats posed by the IS terror network have increased in recent years.
The terror network has expanded its branches, gained more fighters and
increased financial income. IS has expanded in Syria, Iraq and West Africa. The
attack in Moscow in March, the attempted attacks on Taylor Swift concerts in
Vienna and the attack in Solingen show the increased activities of IS. How can
attacks be prevented in the future? What role does the Internet play in this?
Terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler says: "Online, all terrorists are alone."
Hans-Jakob Schindler explains the current challenges in the fight against
international terrorism on SWR1 Leute. Hans-Jakob Schindler heads the Counter
Extremism Project, an international organization that aims to counteract the
threat posed by extremist ideologies.”



United States



Associated Press: Suspect Charged With Killing UnitedHealthcare’s CEO As An
Act Of Terrorism
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“The man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare’s CEO has been charged with
murder as an act of terrorism, prosecutors said Tuesday as they worked to bring
him to a New York court from a Pennsylvania jail. Luigi Mangione already was
charged with murder in the Dec. 4 killing of Brian Thompson, but the terror
allegation is new. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Thompson’s
death on a midtown Manhattan street “was a killing that was intended to evoke
terror. And we’ve seen that reaction.” Mangione’s New York lawyer, Karen
Friedman Agnifilo, declined to comment. Thompson, 50, was shot while walking to
a hotel where Minnesota-based UnitedHealthcare — the United States’ biggest
medical insurer — was holding an investor conference.”



Syria



Politico: ‘Ticking Time Bomb’: US Officials Worry About ISIS Jailbreak In Syria
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“American officials are scrambling to head off a new nightmare scenario in
Syria: a major terrorist jailbreak. Thousands of Islamic State group fighters
and their families remain in makeshift prisons, watched over by U.S.-backed
Kurdish forces with limited weapons. The prisons were supposed to be temporary,
but their home countries don’t want the fighters back. The situation was a
slow-boil crisis until Syrian President Bashar Assad’s downfall, which tossed
the country into an uncertain future. Now a full-scale ISIS comeback may hinge
on whether the U.S. and a weakening group of allies can prevent their escape.
“I usually hate this cliche, but this is the closest thing we have to a ticking
time bomb,” said one senior U.S. counterterrorism official, who like others was
granted anonymity to speak about internal plans.”



Iran



Reuters: Iran's Revolutionary Guards Extend Control Over Tehran's Oil Exports,
Sources Say
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“Iran's Revolutionary Guards have tightened their grip on the country's oil
industry and control up to half the exports that generate most of Tehran's
revenue and fund its proxies across the Middle East, according to Western
officials, security sources and Iranian insiders. All aspects of the oil
business have come under the growing influence of the Guards, from the shadow
fleet of tankers that secretively ship sanctioned crude, to logistics and the
front companies selling the oil, mostly to China, according to more than a
dozen people interviewed by Reuters. The extent of the Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps' (IRGC) control over oil exports has not previously been reported.”



The Washington Post: Syria’s Collapse And Israeli Attacks Leave Iran Exposed
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“A week of punishing Israeli airstrikes on Syria after the fall of Bashar
al-Assad didn’t just set Syria’s own military back years, experts said, but
also peeled away another layer of Iranian defenses in the region, leaving
Tehran more exposed than it has been in decades. Iran’s growing vulnerability
has generated alarm within the government, stirring fears that its steadily
escalating conflict with Israel could soon enter a more dangerous phase.
Hard-line supporters of the regime are talking more publicly, and more
frequently, about adopting nuclear deterrence to thwart a possible Israeli
attack. And among the country’s beleaguered opposition, there is new hope that
the crumbling of Iranian power abroad could lead to a loosening of
authoritarian rule at home.”



Turkey



Bloomberg: Turkey Begins Building Rocket-Launching Facility In Somalia
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“Turkey is building a facility to launch rockets from Somalia, the Horn of
Africa nation’s president said, boosting Ankara’s long-range rocket testing
program. The project will help generate jobs and revenue for the nation,
Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said at an event in Mogadishu.
Somalia’s location on the eastern tip of mainland Africa is ideal for firing
toward the Indian Ocean without the risk of debris falling into residential
areas and other countries, Bloomberg reported in September. The Somalia
facility will advance Turkey’s aspiration to join a space race traditionally
dominated by global powers. The nation has had plans to launch a rocket for
some years. Mohamud didn’t disclose the location of the project.”



Pakistan



Associated Press: Roadside Bomb Kills 3 Police Officers Escorting Polio
Workers In Northwest Pakistan
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“A powerful roadside bomb exploded near a vehicle carrying police officers
assigned to protect polio workers in restive northwest Pakistan on Tuesday,
killing three officers and wounding two others, police said. The attack
occurred in Dera Ismail Khan district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, as officers
were returning to their stations, local police officer Nasir Khan said. No one
has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, which came a day after
unidentified gunmen opened fire on police escorting polio workers in Karak, a
city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing one police officer and wounding a health
worker. The latest violence comes a day after Pakistan launched its final
nationwide polio vaccination campaign for the year, aiming to protect 45
million children.”



Yemen



Voice Of America: The Houthis' Upside Down Priorities
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““Rather than continue their assault on the Red Sea and surrounding
waterways,” said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield, “the Houthis must de-escalate
and return to a political process." Yemen is in the midst of one of the world’s
largest humanitarian crises. Nine years into a civil war, the country’s economy
is on the verge of collapse, as is the health system, according to the United
Nations. Around 19.5 million people in Yemen will require aid next year, a
seven percent increase compared with 2024, while 49 percent of Yemenis, or some
17 million people will face severe food insecurity, and 3.5 million of whom
will experience acute malnutrition. Ultimately, the root cause of the crisis is
years-long fighting between the government of Yemen and Houthi militants.”



Middle East



Reuters: Palestinian Security Forces Try To Exert Control In Volatile West Bank

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“Palestinian Authority security forces have battled Islamist fighters in
Jenin for days, as they wrestle to exert control of one of the historic centres
of militancy in the West Bank ahead of a likely shakeout in Palestinian
politics after the Gaza war. Forces of the PA, which exercises limited
self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, moved into Jenin in early December
and have since clashed with fighters from Hamas and Islamic Jihad. At least
three people have been killed, including a senior Islamic Jihad commander and
two civilians. The U.N. humanitarian agency OCHA has called for an
investigation into what it called violations of human rights law by the
Palestinian forces.”



BBC: Gaza Ceasefire Talks In Final Stage, Palestinian Negotiator Tells BBC
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“After months of deadlock, there are new signs that Israel and Hamas could be
moving closer to a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal. A senior
Palestinian official involved in the indirect negotiations told the BBC that
talks were in a "decisive and final phase". Israel's defence minister, Israel
Katz, has also said an agreement is closer than ever. In recent weeks, the US,
Qatar and Egypt have resumed their mediation efforts – reporting greater
willingness by both sides in this 14-month war to conclude a deal. An Israeli
delegation described as "working level" is currently in the Qatari capital Doha
amid a flurry of diplomatic comings and goings in the region.”



Associated Press: Middle East Latest: Israel Plans An Extended Occupation Of
Syrian Buffer Zone
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“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli troops will occupy a
buffer zone inside Syria for the foreseeable future. Israel’s recent capture of
the buffer zone has sparked condemnation, with critics accusing Israel of
violating the 1974 ceasefire and possibly exploiting the chaos in Syria for a
land grab. Netanyahu entered the buffer zone on Tuesday, making him the first
sitting Israeli leader to set foot this far into Syria. The Israeli advances in
Syria come as its forces are still fighting the war in Gaza against the
Palestinian militant group Hamas. Qatar, Egypt and the United States have
renewed efforts to broker a ceasefire deal.”



Africa



Fox News: Border Patrol Arrests South African National On Terrorist Watchlist
Who Entered US Illegally
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“A South African national who illegally entered the U.S. landed a "positive
match" on the terrorist watchlist leading to his "swift" arrest in New York
City. According to U.S. Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens, the unidentified South
African national was initially detained in Texas for criminal trespassing, but
was released. A Texas Department of Public Safety official confirmed to Fox
News that the migrant was first arrested on a ranch near Eagle Pass in
September, then they turned him over to federal border patrol who released him.
His arrest, alongside 36 other illegal migrants, was documented and shared on
social media by Lt. Chris Olivarez, the spokesperson for the Texas DPS.
Olivarez said that among the group were special interest illegal immigrants
from Turkey, Pakistan, India and Vietnam.”



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