“The U.S. military has conducted airstrikes against Islamic State operatives in
Somalia, the first attacks in the African nation during President Donald
Trump’s second term. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Saturday that the
strikes by U.S. Africa Command were directed by Trump and coordinated with
Somalia’s government. An initial assessment by the Pentagon indicated that
“multiple” operatives were killed. The Pentagon said it assessed that no
civilians were harmed in the strikes. Trump, in a post on social media, said a
senior IS planner and recruits were targeted in the operation. “The strikes
destroyed the caves they live in, and killed many terrorists without, in any
way, harming civilians. Our Military has targeted this ISIS Attack Planner for
years, but Biden and his cronies wouldn’t act quickly enough to get the job
done. I did!” Trump said."











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Eye on Extremism



February 3, 2025



Associated Press: US Military Conducts Airstrikes Against Islamic State
Operatives In Somalia
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“The U.S. military has conducted airstrikes against Islamic State operatives
in Somalia, the first attacks in the African nation during President Donald
Trump’s second term. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Saturday that the
strikes by U.S. Africa Command were directed by Trump and coordinated with
Somalia’s government. An initial assessment by the Pentagon indicated that
“multiple” operatives were killed. The Pentagon said it assessed that no
civilians were harmed in the strikes. Trump, in a post on social media, said a
senior IS planner and recruits were targeted in the operation. “The strikes
destroyed the caves they live in, and killed many terrorists without, in any
way, harming civilians. Our Military has targeted this ISIS Attack Planner for
years, but Biden and his cronies wouldn’t act quickly enough to get the job
done. I did!” Trump said.”



Associated Press: Gaza Ceasefire Sees Its Smoothest Exchange Yet Of Israeli
Hostages For Palestinian Prisoners
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“The ceasefire in Gaza saw its smoothest exchange yet of Israeli hostages for
Palestinian prisoners on Saturday, and the crucial Rafah border crossing
reopened two days before discussions on the truce’s far more difficult second
phase begin. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with U.S.
President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, giving him a chance to
showcase his ties to Israel’s closest ally and press his case for what should
come next after 15 months of war. The ceasefire’s second phase calls for the
release of remaining hostages and an indefinite extension of the truce in the
deadliest and most destructive war ever between Israel and Hamas.”




CEP Expert Analysis

* ISIS Redux: The Central Syria Insurgency, Special Edition
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*
ISIS Redux: The Central Syria Insurgency In October 2024
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*
ISIS Redux: The Central Syria Insurgency In September 2024
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*
CEP Report: Civilian Counterterrorism Militias Take Action, Introduce New
Challenges to Combatting Violent Extremism in Africa
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*
CEP Policy Brief: Identifying and Disrupting Key Antisemitic Actors
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CEP Mentions



NE Global: The New Face Of An Old Enemy: The Renewed Dangers Of ISIS And
Al-Qaeda
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“A dangerous cocktail of indifference and complacency enabled al-Qaeda to
evolve from a shadowy fringe network in the early 1990s into one of the most
destructive and infamous terrorist organizations the world has ever known.
Early warning signs – including attacks on U.S. embassies in East Africa and on
the USS Cole – were dismissed as distant dangers, failing to provoke a
coordinated decisive response in Western capitals. This complacency paved the
way for the tragedy of 9/11. As the several attacks in Europe and the recent
tragedy in New Orleans have shown, history is starting to repeat itself, except
now the scale of the problem is larger, the geography more expansive and the
consequences equally dire. In the 90s, the threat of terrorism emanated from
isolated bases in Afghanistan, set against the backdrop of a relatively subdued
Middle East. The Oslo Accords, flawed as they were, reflected an era of
tentative de-escalation in the region. Fast forward to today, and the
geopolitical landscape has drastically shifted.”



History Hit: Inside Infamous Camp Commander’s House
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“Dan Snow & History Hit were given unique access to the house formerly home to
the Commandant of the camp, Rudolf Höss. Inside Dan uncovers chilling evidence
of the horrors that unfolded 80 years ago and learns what life was like for the
family whilst living there. Special thanks to the Counter Extremism Project and
the Auschwitz-Birkinau State Museum. Additional thanks to Thomas Harding and Dr
Schindler for speaking with us.”



BR24: Social Media: How IS Radicalizes Youth
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“... One person who analyses this propaganda is Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior
director of the international non-profit organisation Counter Extremism
Project. IS is planning for the long term, for example by threatening an attack
on the Oktoberfest, says Schindler. The terrorists want to stir up fear and
show strength in order to gain followers. IS is hoping for widespread
dissemination through various media. According to Schindler, IS is very
professional when it comes to spreading propaganda. The entire range of social
networks popular with young people is used - in addition to "TikTok", also
"Telegram" and the communication platform "Rocket.Chat".”



The Algemeiner: How The Auschwitz Commandant’s Infamous Home Has Been Turned
Into A Center Against Antisemitism
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“... Enter Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, who founded the Counter Extremism
Project (CEP) in 2014. Recognizing the urgent need to push back against the
normalization of Jew-hatred, he enlisted my good friend Elliott Broidy and
fellow philanthropist Dr. Thomas Kaplan. Together they purchased Rudolf Höss’s
former home in Oświęcim, just outside the Auschwitz compound, the very setting
of “The Zone of Interest” — and created the Auschwitz Research Center on Hate,
Extremism, and Radicalization (ARCHER) at House 88, whose goal is not just to
remember the victims of the Holocaust but also to find the best ways to combat
the spread of antisemitism and advocate for them.”



The Globe And Mail: Auschwitz, Beyond The Zone Of Interest
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“[…] Mr. Höss was a leading figure in Hitler’s plan to exterminate all Jews
and he transformed Auschwitz-Birkenau into a sprawling complex. He tried to
shield his children from the horror of the camps by clouding the glass in their
top-floor bedrooms. But any open window would have brought the sounds of
prisoners screaming and the smell of a nearby crematorium, said Hans-Jakob
Schindler, senior director of the Counter Extremism Project, which acquired the
house last year. “There is no way that anyone who’s lived in this house would
not understand what’s going on,” he added. The CEP has bought a neighbouring
property as well and plans to establish the Auschwitz Center on Hate, Extremism
and Radicalization. Dr. Schindler said the centre will host regular
conferences, seminars and events. “We hope, of course, that the centre will be
another draw for the town,” he said.”



The New Zealand Herald: UFC And Bryce Mitchell: Fighter’s Nazi Support
Deserves More Than Dana White’s Condemnation
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“Many of us might have thought the debate about whether Adolf Hitler was a
good bloke had been definitively settled long before the Allies took Berlin in
1945. Yet it seems the matter is still up for debate in some circles. UFC
fighter Bryce Mitchell this week said the Nazi dictator was “a good guy”…
“Several groups are enjoying fascism being in the public sphere and what they
view as liberal and leftwing panic and distress over Musk’s salute,” said
Joshua Fisher Birch, a terrorism analyst with the New York-based Counter
Extremism Project. Like Musk, White and other UFC luminaries were among the
supporters at Trump’s inauguration.”



Viory: 'Social Media Promotes Edges Of Society' - Hoss House Counter-Extremism
Project Warns Of Rising Sectarian Violence In Europe, US
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“The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) commemorated the 80th Holocaust Memorial
Day in Poland with the opening of 'House 88' to the public - and warnings that
sectarian violence and antisemitism were on the rise in Europe and the US.
Footage captured on Tuesday shows the property, which was home to Auschwitz
concentration camp commander SS Officer Rudolf Hoss and his family next to the
former camp, which now serves as a museum. Now known as 'House 88', the
property was bought by the CEP as a tribute to those murdered during the
Holocaust and to raise awareness. "This was the 80th anniversary of the
liberation of the Auschwitz concentration and death camp," explained Dr
Hans-Jakob Schindler of the Counter Extremism Project, noting that it would be
one of the last opportunities for witnesses to the Holocaust to attend due to
the advancing years of survivors.”



Welt: “This Has Nothing To Do With Debate, It Is Simply Illegal”
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“Demonstrations in front of offices must be accepted, says Hans-Jakob
Schindler, an expert on political extremism, with regard to the protest in
front of the CDU party headquarters. But storming offices and threatening
employees is beyond a political debate.”



United States



Associated Press: Trump’s Aid Freeze Shocks A Syria Camp Holding Families
Linked To The Islamic State Group
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“Ahmad Abdullah Hammoud was lucky to have some food stored to feed his family
after a U.S.-funded organization abruptly suspended its aid activities at the
sprawling tent camp in northeastern Syria where they have been forced to stay
for nearly six years. His family is among 37,000 people, mostly women and
children, with alleged ties to the Islamic State group at the bleak,
trash-strewn al-Hol camp, where the Trump administration’s unprecedented freeze
on foreign aid caused chaos and uncertainty and worsened the dire humanitarian
conditions.”



CBS: Trump Says He Ordered Precision Military Air Strikes On ISIS Leaders In
Somalia
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“The U.S. military conducted coordinated airstrikes against ISIS operatives
in Somalia, the first attacks in the African nation during President Trump's
second term. Mr. Trump said Saturday in a post on Truth Social that he ordered
"precision Military air strikes on the Senior ISIS Attack Planner and other
terrorists he recruited and led in Somalia." "These killers, who we found
hiding in caves, threatened the United States and our Allies," the post
continued. "The strikes destroyed the caves they live in, and killed many
terrorists without, in any way, harming civilians." On Saturday, Defense
Secretary Pete Hegseth said the strikes by U.S. Africa Command were directed by
Mr. Trump and coordinated with Somalia's government.”



Syria



Reuters: Car Bomb Kills 15 In Northern Syria, Deadliest Since Assad Toppled
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“A car bomb killed at least 15 people in the Syrian city of Manbij on Monday,
the second attack there in three days and Syria's deadliest since Bashar
al-Assad was toppled from power in December. There were no immediate claims of
responsibility for the attack in Manbij, located some 30 km (19 miles) from the
Turkish border. The civil defence rescue service identified the dead as 14
women and one man, and said another 15 women were wounded. The victims were
agricultural workers and the death toll was likely to increase, a civil defence
official told Reuters.”



Turkey



Reuters: Turkey Hopes Trump Will End US Cooperation With Syrian Kurdish Militia

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“Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Sunday he hoped President
Donald Trump would end U.S. cooperation with the Syrian Kurdish YPG, as Turkey
continued its military campaign against the group, killing 23 of its fighters.
The Turkish Defence Ministry said the 23 militants killed by Turkey's armed
forces in northern Syria belonged to the YPG militia and the outlawed Kurdistan
Workers Party, or PKK. Turkey regards the PKK and YPG as identical, while the
United States views them as separate groups, having banned the PKK as
terrorists but recruited the YPG as its main ally in Syria in the campaign
against Islamic State.”



Afghanistan



Associated Press: The Taliban Take Over Afghanistan’s Only Luxury Hotel, More
Than A Decade After Attacking It
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“The Taliban are taking over the operations of Afghanistan’s only luxury
hotel in Kabul, more than a decade after they launched a deadly attack there
that killed nine people. The Serena Hotel said Friday it was closing its
operations in the Afghan capital on Feb. 1, with the Hotel State Owned
Corporation taking over. The corporation is overseen by the finance ministry.
The finance ministry wasn’t immediately available for comment. Neither the
Serena nor the government clarified the terms under which the hotel was
changing hands.”



Associated Press: The Taliban Have No Legal Right To Multibillion Dollar
Afghan Fund, Says Us Watchdog
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“The watchdog for U.S. assistance to Afghanistan said the Taliban have no
legal right to billions of dollars in funding set aside for the country because
they are not recognized as its government and are under sanctions. In its
latest report issued Friday, the office of the Special Inspector General for
Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, also said President Donald Trump’s
administration and Congress may want to examine returning nearly $4 billion
earmarked for Afghanistan to the “custody and control” of the U.S. government.
In 2022, the U.S. transferred $3.5 billion in Afghan central bank assets
previously frozen in America to the Swiss-based Fund for the Afghan People.”



Pakistan



Associated Press: A Police Officer Working On Pakistan’s First Polio Drive Of
The Year Is Killed By Gunmen
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“A police officer working on Pakistan’s first polio vaccination drive of the
year was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen Monday, police said. Pakistan
deployed thousands of police officers to protect health workers who go
house-to-house to inoculate children and are targeted by militants who falsely
claim the vaccination campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilize children.
The police officer was killed in Jamrud, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
province bordering Afghanistan, local police official Jamshed Khan said. More
than 200 polio workers and police assigned for their protection have been
killed in Pakistan since the 1990s, according to health officials and
authorities.”



Lebanon



Reuters: Exclusive: US Seeks To Block Hezbollah Ally From Naming Lebanon
Finance Minister
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“Washington is pressuring top Lebanese officials not to allow Hezbollah or
its allies to nominate the country's next finance minister, five people with
knowledge of the matter said, in an attempt to limit the Iran-backed group's
sway over the state. The unusually direct U.S. intervention in Lebanon's
sectarian politics appears aimed at capitalizing on shifts in the power balance
in Lebanon and the wider Middle East, with Iran-backed Hezbollah badly
pummelled from last year's war with Israel and its Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad
ousted from power. Like all of Lebanon's main factions, the armed group
Hezbollah has long named ministers to government, in coordination with its
Shi'ite ally the Amal Movement, which has picked all of Lebanon's finance
ministers since 2014.”



Qatar



Reuters: Qatar's Prime Minister Calls On Hamas, Israel To Begin Immediate
Talks On Gaza Ceasefire Phase Two
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“Qatar's prime minister on Sunday called on Israel and Hamas to immediately
begin negotiating phase two of the Gaza ceasefire, adding that there is no
clear plan for when talks will begin. "We demand (Hamas and Israel) to engage
immediately as stipulated in the agreement," Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al
Thani said at a press conference held jointly with Turkey's foreign minister in
the Qatari capital Doha on Sunday. According to the ceasefire agreement,
negotiations on implementing the second phase of the deal should begin before
the 16th day of phase one of the ceasefire, which is Monday.”



Middle East



Associated Press: Israel’s Netanyahu Heads To US To Discuss ‘Victory Over
Hamas’ With Trump
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“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he will discuss
“victory over Hamas,” countering Iran and expanding diplomatic relations with
Arab countries in his meeting with President Donald Trump. Tuesday’s meeting at
the White House will be Trump’s first with a foreign leader since returning to
office. It comes as U.S. and Arab mediators begin the daunting work of
brokering the next phase of a ceasefire agreement to wind down the 15-month war
in Gaza. Hamas, which has reasserted control over Gaza since the ceasefire
began last month, has said it will not release hostages in the second phase
without an end to the war and Israeli forces’ full withdrawal.”



Europe



Reuters: Russia's Supreme Court Refuses To Consider Nationalist Girkin's
Appeal, TASS Reports
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“Russia's Supreme Court refused to consider supervisory appeal of prominent
nationalist and former militia commander Igor Girkin against his four-year jail
term, TASS agency reported early on Monday. Girkin accused President Vladimir
Putin and the army of failures in the war in Ukraine and was convicted a year
ago of inciting extremism, a charge he denied. "The panel of the Supreme Court
of the Russian Federation decided to refuse to consider Igor Strelkov's
supervisory appeal," TASS cited the court as saying. Girkin, who used the nom
de guerre Igor Strelkov when he was a separatist commander in east Ukraine a
decade ago, has filed several unsuccessful appeals against his sentence. A
supervisory appeal in Russia's judiciary system is an appeal to the Supreme
Court against a ruling or a court decision that has already entered into legal
force, according to information provided on websites of Russian courts.”



Australia



SCMP: Australia Follows US, Britain In Sanctioning ‘Terrorgram’ Extremist
Network
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“Australia on Monday imposed sanctions on extreme right-wing online network
“Terrorgram” as part of its efforts to combat a rise in antisemitism and online
extremism, following similar moves by Britain and the United States. Foreign
Minister Penny Wong said the government’s action would make it a criminal
offence to engage with “Terrorgram” and help prevent children from becoming
caught up in far-right extremism. “Terrorgram is an online network that
promotes white supremacy and racially-motivated violence,” Wong said in a
statement. “It is the first time any Australian government has imposed
counterterrorism financing sanctions on an entity based entirely online.”
Offenders will face up to 10 years in jail and heavy fines, she said.”



Technology



The Guardian: Labor Imposes Counter-Terrorism Sanctions On Online Neo-Nazi
Network Terrorgram
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“An online network for neo-Nazis that openly advocates for acts of violence
has been hit with counter-terrorism sanctions in an escalation of the federal
response to the spate of antisemitic attacks in Australia. The foreign affairs
minister, Penny Wong, announced the sanctions on Terrogram, a network of groups
that use encrypted platforms such as Telegram to share radical white
supremacist content. The group promotes militant accelerationism, which calls
for violent acts to destabilise society.”



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