“Pakistan said Thursday it had provided Taliban leaders in Afghanistan with
“sufficient proof” to substantiate its claims that militants are using modern
weapons left behind by the United States military for cross-border terrorism.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan stated at a weekly news
conference in Islamabad that the presence of U.S. advanced weapons in the
neighboring country “remains a source of concern,” and it has been communicated
multiple times to the Taliban government in Kabul. “The proofs are regularly
provided,” Khan said when asked for his comments on whether Pakistan has shared
any evidence with the Taliban.”











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Eye on Extremism



January 31, 2025



Voice Of America: Pakistan Says Afghan-Based 'Terrorists' Increasingly Use US
Arms For Cross-Border Attacks
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“Pakistan said Thursday it had provided Taliban leaders in Afghanistan with
“sufficient proof” to substantiate its claims that militants are using modern
weapons left behind by the United States military for cross-border terrorism.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan stated at a weekly news
conference in Islamabad that the presence of U.S. advanced weapons in the
neighboring country “remains a source of concern,” and it has been communicated
multiple times to the Taliban government in Kabul. “The proofs are regularly
provided,” Khan said when asked for his comments on whether Pakistan has shared
any evidence with the Taliban.”



The Wall Street Journal: Iran Is Funding Hezbollah Via Suitcases Stuffed With
Cash, Israel Warns
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“Israel has complained to the U.S.-led committee overseeing the cease-fire in
Lebanon that Iranian diplomats and others are delivering tens of millions of
dollars in cash to Hezbollah to fund the group’s revival, a U.S. defense
official speaking for the committee and people familiar with the content of the
complaint said. According to the Israeli complaints, Iranian envoys have been
flying from Tehran to Beirut’s international airport with suitcases stuffed
with U.S. dollars, the people familiar with the allegations said. In addition,
Israel alleged in its complaints that Turkish citizens have been used to ferry
money from Istanbul to Beirut by air, the people said.”




Recent CEP Press Releases

*
Counter Extremism Project CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace Applauds President
Trump for His Commitment to Fighting Antisemitism and Thanks Him and His
Delegation Members at the 80th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz for
Their Visit to CEP’s ARCHER
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*
Extremist Content Online: Nashville School Shooter’s Manifesto Spread on
Several Platforms, Including White Supremacist Telegram Channels
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*
Counter Extremism Project Announces Purchase of Former Home of Auschwitz
Commandant Rudolf Höss and Its Transformation Into a Center for Research,
Education, and Action on Antisemitism, Extremism, and Radicalization
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*
Extremist Content Online: White Supremacist Telegram Channels Identify Need
for Alternative Platform After State Department’s Terrorgram Collective
Designation
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*
Extremist Content Online: ISIS Propaganda Allegedly Helped Inspire New Orleans
Attacker
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CEP Mentions



DW: Will German Agents Protect The Border In Gaza?
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“The Rafah border crossing on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip is still
closed to regular traffic. It was closed in May 2024 during the war between
Israel and the radical Islamist organization Hamas… In addition to humanitarian
aid, the EU mission has two goals, Hans-Jakob Schindler, Middle East expert and
director of the international organization Counter Extremism Project, told DW
in an interview. "First, to ensure that the goods that come in do not contain
things that could help Hamas rebuild its almost completely destroyed
infrastructure; and second, to prevent extremist terrorist individuals from
entering and leaving Gaza." Egypt is also interested in this and therefore
supports the European mission.”



iHeart: Auschwitz Commandant: Rudolf Höss
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“Every day Rudolf Höss oversaw the killing of thousands of people at the
death camp and then went home and acted like a doting father to his family.
Höss was brought in by top Nazis to pioneer the industrialisation of the mass
murder of Europe's Jews and others. He lived in a house that shared a wall with
Auschwitz, metres from the crematorium, where he and his family enjoyed a happy
domestic life - his wife once described their life at the house as 'paradise'.
The house was home to a Polish family until last year when it was taken over by
the Counter Extremism Project who invited History Hit to explore the house,
which is largely as it was when the Hoss family lived there. Dan travels to
Poland with historian and best-selling author Thomas Harding to discover more
about Höss' role in the Holocaust and what the house teaches us about 'the
banality of evil'. They learn about what went on there, what Holocaust
artefacts were recently found in the attic and the future of the house as a
centre to combat hate."



Syria



The New York Times: U.S. Funding Freeze Threatens Security At ISIS Camps In
Syria
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“President Trump’s sweeping executive order to halt foreign aid threatens to
freeze a U.S. program supporting security forces inside a notorious camp in the
Syrian desert that holds tens of thousands of Islamic State members and their
families, Syrian and U.S. officials said. The order has also wreaked havoc on
another U.S. organization in Syria that was forced to briefly stop operations
inside the camp, known as Al Hol, where the large concentration of ISIS members
is seen as a security threat. Concerns over an ISIS comeback have been rising,
with Syria in a state of flux as its new leaders try to solidify control over a
nation still fragmented after rebels ousted its authoritarian leader, Bashar
al-Assad.”



Reuters: US Airstrike In Syria Kills Senior Operative Of Al-Qaeda Affiliate
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“The U.S. military said it killed a senior operative of an
Al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group in an airstrike in northwest Syria on
Thursday. The airstrike, part of an ongoing effort to disrupt and degrade
militant groups in the region, resulted in the death of Muhammad Salah
al-Za'bir of the Hurras al-Din group, the U.S. Central Command said in a
statement.”



Pakistan



Associated Press: 2 Pakistani Soldiers And 6 Militants Are Killed In A Raid In
The Northwest, The Military Says
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“Pakistani security forces raided a militant hideout in a former stronghold
of the Pakistani Taliban in the restive northwest, triggering an intense
shootout in which two soldiers and six militants were killed, the military said
Thursday. The raid was carried out Wednesday in North Waziristan, a district in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, it said in a statement. The military said a major
was among the two soldiers who were killed and its forces were going after
other militants in the area “to wipe out the menace of terrorism.” Authorities
often carry out such operations against the Pakistani Taliban, who are also
known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP.”



Middle East



Associated Press: Who Are The Palestinian Prisoners Released In Exchange For
Israeli Hostages?
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“Israel released 110 Palestinian prisoners on Thursday in exchange for three
Israeli hostages held in Gaza. Five Thai workers held captive in the enclave
were also freed in a separate deal with Thailand. Thursday’s
prisoner-for-hostage swap marked the third round of exchanges as a ceasefire
deal between Israel and Hamas entered its second week. Most of the prisoners
stepped off the Red Cross bus and onto the shoulders of jubilant supporters in
the occupied West Bank, where U.N. data shows that one in five Palestinians has
passed through Israeli jail and the release of prisoners is a source of joyous
national celebration — a homecoming in which almost all Palestinians felt they
could partake.”



The New York Times: Israel Says 8 Of The 26 Hostages Listed For Imminent
Release Are Dead
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“Eight of the 26 hostages that Hamas is expected to release in the coming few
weeks are no longer alive, according to Israeli officials. Late on Sunday,
Hamas provided Israel with long-awaited information about the status of the
hostages listed for release during the first phase of the cease-fire agreement
in the Gaza war. The move followed intense negotiations over the weekend to
resolve a dispute that had threatened to derail the deal. Under the cease-fire
deal, 33 hostages were to be released in the first phase in exchange for
hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Seven have already returned home, after more
than 15 months in captivity in Gaza.”



Egypt



The New York Times: Egypt Fears Syria’s Revolutionary Fervor Could Be
Contagious
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“Soon after Islamist rebels overthrew the authoritarian president of Syria,
Bashar al-Assad, a hashtag gathered steam on Egyptian social media: “It’s your
turn, dictator.” The message for President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt was
unmistakable. But he hardly needed the warning. Since the ouster of Syria’s
longtime dictator on Dec. 8, Egyptian leaders have watched events in the Syrian
capital, Damascus, with grim-faced vigilance, knowing well that revolutionary
fire has a tendency to spread. Both countries have had a turbulent history
since the Arab Spring uprisings that started in late 2010 and spread across the
Middle East.”



United Kingdom



BBC: Foster Calls For Law Change On Glorifying Terrorism
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“The law should be changed so that people in authority like Michelle O'Neill
can be prosecuted for glorifying terrorism, according to a former DUP leader.
Baroness Arlene Foster referred to the appearance of the first minister at a
recent commemoration in Magherafelt for three IRA members killed when the bomb
they were driving blew up prematurely in 1971. Speaking in the House of Lords
she said: "If the current first minister of Northern Ireland is intent on
continuing the glorification of terrorism, and at best be reckless to the
consequence of that, then surely that should be a matter the security minister
should delve into.”



BBC: Muslim Convert Found Guilty Of Planned Terror Acts
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“A Muslim convert who threatened to "flatten" a mosque and plotted to attack
an Islamic cleric who was an outspoken critic of terrorism has been found
guilty of preparing a terrorist act. Jason Savage, 35, was convicted at
Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday. Video footage released by West Midlands
Police after his conviction showed him filming reconnaissance near a mosque in
Wright Street, Small Heath. Savage, from Fourth Avenue in Small Heath, was
remanded in custody for sentencing at Birmingham Crown Court on 11 April.”



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