“The Kurdish forces guarding Islamic State fighters at a jail in northern Syria
say they are opposed to handing the facility to the new Islamist rulers in
Damascus as they brace for attacks by the ultra hardline group and monitor its
attempts to re-emerge. The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a
Kurdish-led force which holds a quarter of Syria, has said Islamic State (IS)
has already attempted two attacks on prisons in a bid to break out their
comrades since Bashar al-Assad was toppled from power on Dec. 8, as the group
seeks to exploit the upheaval. At a prison in the city of Hasakah, where some
4,500 IS fighters, including many foreigners, are incarcerated, a Kurdish
officer predicted that the group known as ISIS would try again.”











<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>



Eye on Extremism



January 22, 2025



Reuters: Exclusive: Syrian Kurdish Forces Oppose Handing Jihadist Jails To
Islamist Rulers
<[link removed]>



“The Kurdish forces guarding Islamic State fighters at a jail in northern
Syria say they are opposed to handing the facility to the new Islamist rulers
in Damascus as they brace for attacks by the ultra hardline group and monitor
its attempts to re-emerge. The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a
Kurdish-led force which holds a quarter of Syria, has said Islamic State (IS)
has already attempted two attacks on prisons in a bid to break out their
comrades since Bashar al-Assad was toppled from power on Dec. 8, as the group
seeks to exploit the upheaval. At a prison in the city of Hasakah, where some
4,500 IS fighters, including many foreigners, are incarcerated, a Kurdish
officer predicted that the group known as ISIS would try again.”



The Jewish Chronicle: Auschwitz Commandant’s Home From Zone Of Interest
Reclaimed For Anti-Extremism Project
<[link removed]>



“... So number 88 has been reclaimed. In October, it was bought by the Counter
Extremism Project, a New York-based charity that has sought to combat extremism
since 2014, which is set to open the Auschwitz Research Centre of Hate,
Extremism and Radicalisation (Archer) inside the former family home. The
Counter Extremist Project will not reveal how much they paid, but it was market
rate, “plus a little bit”. “We didn’t want to pay a premium for Höss’s house
but wanted the family to be comfortable. We had built a relationship with them
over many years,” Schindler said.”




The CEP CounterPoint: Expert Analysis

*
Artificial Intelligence and Extremism: “Cybertruck Bomber”
<[link removed]>

*
The Muslim Brotherhood in Britain: Analysis of Recent Sanctions
<[link removed]>

*
CounterPoint Brief: Terror Attack In New Orleans
<[link removed]>

*
Luigi Mangione and the Mainstreaming of Accelerationist Saints Culture
<[link removed]>

*
The Fall of the Assad Regime: Terrorism Challenges
<[link removed]>




CEP Mentions



La Razon: The House Of Nazi Rudolf Höss, The Protagonist Of "The Zone Of
Interest", A New Tourist Attraction In Auschwitz
<[link removed]>



“… Last summer, Jurczak sold his home to the Counter Extremism Project (CEP),
an NGO that has been fighting extremism since its creation in 2014, and has now
decided to open the doors of this three-story house to the public. On January
27, coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz ,
visitors will be able to visit the house that Commander Höss once lived in. The
aim of this opening is to "create a global centre to fight extremism in the
home of one of the worst extremists and anti-Semites who ever existed,"
explains Hans Jakob Schindler, director of the NGO. He points out that "while
it is essential to never forget , that is not enough to prevent the hatred and
anti-Semitism that are taking over our society today."”



MEI: Security In Alawite Regions In Post-Assad Syria
<[link removed]>



“Syria’s first post-Assad protests broke out on Dec. 25 after a video
claiming to show the destruction of an Alawite shrine spread rapidly across
Facebook. The video was quickly debunked as several weeks old, the shrine only
partially damaged, and the damage occurring during the capture of Aleppo city
rather than in an act of sectarian vandalism. But those first hours were enough
to stir up the widespread fears lingering just below the surface among Syria’s
Alawite minority, bringing many Alawites (as well as Sunnis) to the streets to
denounce sectarianism. Rumors of apparently sectarian-motivated violations by
Syria’s new security forces against minorities have been widespread since Dec.
9, the day after the fall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad — rumors fueled by
both pro-Assad fake news campaigns and the very real violations that had
occurred within these communities.”



United States



Associated Press: Mexico Defends Sovereignty As US Seeks To Label Cartels As
Terrorists
<[link removed]>



“Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s
executive order moving toward designating drug cartels as foreign terrorist
organizations would only impact Mexico if there’s close coordination between
the two governments. She said that Mexico would defend its sovereignty and
independence while seeking coordination with the U.S. in the wake of the order
signed Monday. “We all want to fight the drug cartels,” Sheinbaum said at her
daily press briefing. The U.S. “in their territory, us in our territory.”
Trump’s order highlighted Mexican drug cartels and other Latin American
criminal groups like Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and Salvadoran gang Mara
Salvatrucha (MS-13).”



The Washington Post: Clemency For Oath Keepers, Proud Boys Fuels Extremism
Threat, Experts Say
<[link removed]>



“President Donald Trump defended his decision to free all of roughly 1,600
Jan. 6 riot defendants on Tuesday as the leaders of two extremist groups who
played outsize roles in the Capitol attack walked out of federal prisons after
serving a fraction of their sentences for seditious conspiracy. Trump called
the conspirators’ sentences “ridiculous and excessive,” saying he pardoned
“people that were treated unbelievably poorly.” But counterterrorism experts
say the pardons could further embolden fringe groups and hamper the Justice
Department’s fight against political violence.”



Associated Press: White House Cheers Release Of Two Americans Freed In A Swap
With Taliban Brokered By Biden, Qatar
<[link removed]>



“A prisoner swap between the United States and Afghanistan’s Taliban freed
two Americans in exchange for a Taliban figure imprisoned for life in
California on drug trafficking and terrorism charges, officials said Tuesday.
The deal to release two Americans, Ryan Corbett and William McKenty, was
brokered by Joe Biden ‘s administration before he left office Monday, according
to a Trump administration official who was not authorized to comment publicly
and requested anonymity. The Taliban’s Foreign Ministry in Kabul said the two
U.S. citizens had been exchanged for Khan Mohammed, who was sentenced to two
life terms in 2008. Biden, who oversaw the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from
Afghanistan in 2021, on Monday handed power to President Donald Trump.”



Syria



Voice Of America: Syrian Kurds Look For Continued US Support Under Trump
<[link removed]>



“Kurdish groups in Syria are expressing hope for continued support from the
United States as President Donald Trump begins his second term in office.
Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have been a key U.S. partner in the fight
against the Islamic State terror group, also known as IS or ISIS. Supported by
a U.S.-led global coalition, the SDF runs a large territory once controlled by
IS in northeastern Syria. Mazloum Abdi, general commander of the SDF,
congratulated Trump on Monday after he was sworn in. "We look forward to
continuing cooperation in achieving stability, defeating terrorism, and
supporting peace in Northeast Syria," Abdi said in a post on the social media
platform X.”



Yemen



The Guardian: Strike Houthis While Iran Is Weak, UN-Backed Yemeni Government
Urges West
<[link removed]>



“The west should seize the opportunity to target the Tehran-backed Houthi
leadership in Yemen while the Iranian government is weakened, the
vice-president of the UN-backed government in Aden has said. Aidarus
al-Zoubaidi said that Iran’s reverses in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza had left the
country “massively weakened”. “They have one remaining domain and that is
Yemen,” Zoubaidi told the Guardian. “Now is the time to counter the Houthis and
push them back into their position.” He said Yemen ground forces should work in
cooperation with western airstrikes as part of a multi-pronged strategy.”



Middle East



BBC: Ten Palestinians Killed As Israeli Forces Launch Major Operation In Jenin
<[link removed]>



“At least 10 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 40 injured by Israeli
forces during a major operation in the Jenin area in the occupied West Bank,
the Palestinian health ministry says. Palestinian media reported that on
Tuesday there were several air strikes as a large number of troops entered the
city and its refugee camp, backed by drones, helicopters and armoured
bulldozers. Israel's prime minister said it launched an "extensive and
significant" operation to "defeat terrorism" in Jenin, long seen as a
stronghold of Palestinian armed groups. It comes three days after the start of
a ceasefire in Gaza and highlights the threat of more violence in the West
Bank, where suspected Israeli settlers also went on the rampage on Monday
night.”



Mali



Associated Press: Mali Rebel Group Frees Spanish National Kidnapped In Algeria
<[link removed]>



“A rebel alliance in Mali said Tuesday it has freed a Spanish man who was
kidnapped in southern Algeria last week. The Azawad Liberation Front, or FLA, a
coalition of separatist armed groups in Mali’s predominately Tuareg north, said
on X that it freed Spanish citizen Gilbert Navarro. “The former Spanish
hostage, Mr. Navarro Giane Gilbert, has been released by the FLA and is in good
health,” said Mohamed Maouloud Ramaadan, a spokesperson for the separatist
movement. Boubacar Sadigh Ould Taleb, the FLA’s communications officer, told
The Associated Press that Navarro was kidnapped on Jan. 17 by a “transnational
mafia,” without identifying the group.”



United Kingdom



Reuters: UK's Starmer Vows To Uncover Failings, Lead Change After Southport
Murders
<[link removed]>



“UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed on Tuesday to "leave no stone unturned"
to uncover failings in preventing the killings of three girls at a Taylor
Swift-themed event, saying an inquiry could lead to a change in terrorism laws.
Starmer defended his government's stance to not divulge many details earlier
about the British teenager guilty of the killings by saying he did not want to
collapse the case, but admitted there were failings. Axel Rudakubana, 18,
unexpectedly pleaded guilty on Monday to murdering Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot
Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, in the English town of Southport in
July, and to producing ricin and possessing an al Qaeda training manual.”



BBC: Far-Right Group Exposed In Undercover BBC Investigation
<[link removed]>



“A far-right organisation should be banned and some members investigated by
police, the BBC has been told, after we secretly filmed people in the group
saying migrants should be shot. Former Counter-Extremism Commissioner Dame Sara
Khan believes the UK government should urgently change the law to make groups
like Patriotic Alternative illegal. Barrister Ramya Nagesh watched some of the
footage and said: "There's more than enough evidence for the police to
investigate and refer to the Crown Prosecution Service." An undercover BBC
reporter spent a year investigating the far-right group and its members were
recorded using racial slurs.”



France



Reuters: France Issues New Arrest Warrant For Syria’s Assad, Source Says
<[link removed]>



“French investigating magistrates have issued an arrest warrant against
ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad for suspected complicity in war crimes,
notably the launch of a deliberate attack on civilians, a legal source said
late on Tuesday. The mandate was issued on Jan. 20 as part of an investigation
into the case of Salah Abou Nabour, a Franco-Syrian national, who was killed on
June 7, 2017 in a bombing raid in Syria. This is the second arrest warrant
issued by French judges, for the former Syrian leader, who was overthrown in
early December 2024 by insurgent forces led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir
al-Sham (HTS).”



The Counter Extremism Project depends on the generosity of its supporters. If
you value what we do, please consider making a donation.

DONATE NOW
<[link removed]>
 




Click here to unsubscribe.
<[link removed]>