“A group of militants attacked a security post in southwest Pakistan,
triggering an intense shootout in which two soldiers and five insurgents were
killed, military and local officials said on Tuesday. The overnight attack
happened in Qila Abdullah, a district in Balochistan province, the military
said in a statement. It said the attempt by insurgents to enter the post was
foiled, and the attackers then rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a
perimeter wall. The military said that the troops responded bravely and killed
the attackers, who the military referred to as “khwarij,” a phrase which the
government uses for Pakistani Taliban.”











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Eye on Extremism



January 29, 2025



Associated Press: 2 Soldiers, 5 Militants Killed In Southwest Pakistan During
Attack On Security Post
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“A group of militants attacked a security post in southwest Pakistan,
triggering an intense shootout in which two soldiers and five insurgents were
killed, military and local officials said on Tuesday. The overnight attack
happened in Qila Abdullah, a district in Balochistan province, the military
said in a statement. It said the attempt by insurgents to enter the post was
foiled, and the attackers then rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a
perimeter wall. The military said that the troops responded bravely and killed
the attackers, who the military referred to as “khwarij,” a phrase which the
government uses for Pakistani Taliban.”



ABC: South Australian Teenager Pleads Guilty To Possessing Extremist Material
And Information For Terrorist Acts
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“A teenage girl who police say had 21 items of extremist material on her phone
and school-issued laptop is just a "young, naive, Muslim girl with autism", a
court has heard. The 15-year-old, who can't be named for legal reasons, pleaded
guilty on Wednesday to one count of possessing a document or record of
information for terrorist acts and one count of having possession of extremist
material. Police prosecution dropped 19 additional charges of having possession
of extremist material and one charge of possessing explosive instructions with
no lawful excuse.”




The CEP CounterPoint: Expert Analysis

*
CounterPoint Brief: Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Deal
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*
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
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*
Luigi Mangione and the Mainstreaming of Accelerationist Saints Culture
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CEP Mentions



Vox News Albania: Inside The House Of The Head Of Auschwitz, Rudolf Hoss'
Daughter Speaks: He Was A Loving Parent, We Didn't Know What He Did
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“... On Sunday, coincidentally, I was among the first journalists allowed
inside the house since it was taken over by the International Counter-Extremism
Project, led by Mark Wallace, the former US ambassador to the United Nations.
Returning from Ukraine with my friend David Fox-Pitt, founder of the Scottish
charity HopeFull, we decided to stop in the Polish city of Krakow and visit the
camp, but discovered that the entire complex had been closed for security
reasons on the eve of the anniversary.”



The Spectator: Why Do Home Office Staff Think Talk Of Two-Tier Policing Is
‘Extremist’?
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“How do you create a low-trust society? One way to do so is to have an
administrative class which seems to treat the views of ordinary people with
contempt. Today’s news of a leaked Home Office report on counter-extremism is a
classic of the genre. The report, commissioned by the Home Secretary, Yvette
Cooper, in the wake of the August 2024 riots, says that claims of ‘two-tier
policing’ are a ‘right-wing extremist narrative’.”



The Times Of Israel: New Auschwitz Research Centre To Use Rudolf Höss's House
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“Given the number of world leaders and diplomats who visit the house on the
edge of the Auschwitz concentration camps, once occupied by Nazi commandant
Rudolf Höss, the property is eerily quiet. The house, which was once a
luxurious "paradise" where Auschwitz's longest-serving commandant lived from
1940 to 1944, has been transformed into a research center against anti-Semitism
and extremism, run by the nonprofit Counter Extremism Project (CEP). The CEP
recently purchased this vast property, whose rooms are still empty, except for
several exhibitions arranged in the house. Journalists walk quietly through the
rooms, read the articles on the walls and talk to the representatives.”



United States



Reuters: Rubio Told Egypt About Need To Stop Hamas From Governing Gaza Again,
US Says
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“U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Egypt's foreign minister on Tuesday
it was important to ensure Hamas can never govern Gaza again, the State
Department said, with their call coming after President Donald Trump suggested
Egypt and Jordan should take more Palestinians. Trump on Saturday floated a
plan to "clean out" Gaza, where Israel's war has killed tens of thousands and
caused a humanitarian crisis, in comments that echoed long-standing Palestinian
fears of being permanently driven from their homes.”



Syria



The Guardian:IS Fighters In Syria Could Break Free Amid Trump Aid Cut,
Terrorism Expert Warns
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“Donald Trump has thrown into doubt the security and administration of the
main two detention facilities in north-east Syria that hold thousands of
Islamic State fighters, the former counter-terrorism director of M16 Richard
Barrett says. The state of limbo has been caused in the short term by the US
president unexpectedly suspending all USAid funding for 90 days, and by
long-term uncertainty over his willingness to retain troops in Syria. It
emerged that all security and administration around al-Hol and al-Roj, the main
two detention facilities, was withdrawn for the several days after funding of
the camp’s humanitarian and security work was suddenly cut. It appears funding
as a stopgap has been transferred from the frozen US aid budget to the Global
Coalition to Defeat Isis, a military alliance of dozens of countries including
the US.”



Iran



The Economist: Iran’s Alarming Nuclear Dash Will Soon Test Donald Trump
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“”It would really be nice if that could be worked out without having to go
that further step,” declared Donald Trump on January 23rd, speaking with the
insouciance of a man complaining to a waiter about his meal. In fact Mr Trump
was referring to Iran’s nuclear programme. The “further step” was an Israel
strike. And whether it can be “worked out” is perhaps the biggest question in
the president’s in-tray. The past year was painful for Iran. Its president died
in a helicopter crash. It was twice hit by Israeli missiles, which wiped out
its best air defence and missile facilities. And three of its regional
allies—Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, Hizbullah in Lebanon and Hamas in
Gaza—have crumbled. Its nuclear programme is a rare area where Iran might claim
to retain the initiative.”



Afghanistan



Amu TV: Rights Group: Taliban Rapidly Expanding Jihadi Madrassas Across
Afghanistan <[link removed]>



“The Afghanistan Human Rights Center has reported an unprecedented surge in
the construction of jihadi madrassas under Taliban rule. The 30-page report
highlights how these institutions have become a tool for power consolidation
among Taliban leaders and warns of their potentially harmful impact on the
mindset and future of the country’s younger generation. According to the
report, the Taliban’s Ministry of Education has allocated a significant portion
of its budget to developing religious-jihadi madrassas. In 2023 alone, the
Taliban established more than 21,000 such schools nationwide, compared with
only 106 regular schools constructed during the same period, the report says.
Each province now hosts at least one large-scale jihadi madrassa, accommodating
up to 2,000 students and equipped with comprehensive facilities.”



EFE: Women, Children Among 10 Family Members Killed In Afghanistan’s Khost
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“Ten members of a family, including women and children, were killed in a
brutal attack in Khost province in the southeast of Afghanistan, official
sources told EFE on Wednesday. Unidentified armed men broke into a residence at
around 9 pm on Tuesday and opened fire, killing everyone inside the house, the
spokesperson for the provincial governor, Musaghfir Gurboss, said. The attack
occurred in the Bokhana area of Alishir District, according to the official.
Taliban security forces have launched an investigation into the attack but have
yet to identify the attackers or their motives.”



Middle East



Reuters: Israeli Drone Strike Injures 5 People In Southern Lebanon, Health
Ministry Says
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“Five people were injured in an Israeli drone strike targeting the southern
Lebanese town of Majdal Selm on Wednesday, the Lebanese health ministry said.
On Tuesday night, Israeli airstrikes injured 24 people in Nabatieh, a major
town in south Lebanon. The Israeli military said in a statement it had struck
Hezbollah vehicles that were transporting weapons on the edge of Nabatieh.
Following the strikes on Nabatieh, senior Hezbollah official Mohammad Raad said
that the Lebanese people's right to resist Israeli attacks is a "sacred and
legitimate right. He emphasized that this right should be exercised at the time
and place deemed necessary to protect the country's security.”



Voice Of America: Jordan Engages With Syria’s HTS Leaders To Tackle Terrorism
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“Jordan, which faces new regional challenges in dealing with Syria’s
transitional Islamist regime, is pursuing a strategy of containment through
engagement to secure its long, shared border, analysts say. Jordanian Foreign
Minister Ayman al-Safadi told the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos,
Switzerland, last week that Jordan has engaged “very deeply” from day one with
Syria’s new Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leaders to tackle challenges both countries
face. Jordan and other countries want to see inclusive governance in which all
of Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities are represented.”



Somalia



Voice Of America: Puntland Blocks Illegal Entry Of Foreigners In Is Crackdown
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“Authorities in Somalia’s Puntland region this week banned the illegal entry
of foreigners and ordered telecom companies to deactivate SIM cards linked to
undocumented people and Islamic State terrorists. The moves are an attempt to
disrupt Islamic State financial networks as the military continues an offensive
against IS fighters hiding out in the region. Authorities recently launched
military operations against IS fighters in the Alimiskaad and Al-Madow
mountains in Puntland’s Bari region. Security forces seized camps and defensive
positions and pushed the fighters further into the mountains.”



Africa



Associated Press: 3 Coup-Hit West African Nations Formally Leave ECOWAS
Regional Bloc
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“The junta-led West African nations of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have
formally withdrawn from the regional bloc known as ECOWAS, the body said
Wednesday, the culmination of a yearlong process during which the group tried
to avert an unprecedented disintegration. The withdrawal of the three
countries, first announced a year ago, “has become effective today,” ECOWAS
said in a statement. The bloc, however, said that it has also decided to “keep
ECOWAS’ doors open,” requesting member nations to continue to accord the trio
of nations membership privileges, including free movement within the region
with an ECOWAS passport.”



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