Eye on Extremism
February 4, 2025
The Guardian: Taliban Minister ‘Forced To Flee Afghanistan’ After Speech In Support Of Girls’ Education
“A senior Taliban minister who expressed support for reversing the ban on girls’ education in Afghanistan appears to have been forced to flee the country. Speaking at a graduation ceremony in Khost province, near the Afghan-Pakistani border, on 20 January, Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the Taliban’s deputy foreign minister, criticised the government’s ban on girls attending secondary schools and higher education. “There is no excuse for this – not now and not in the future,” Stanikzai said. “We are being unjust to 20 million people. “During the time of the prophet Muhammad, the doors of knowledge were open for both men and women,” he said.”
Daily Mail: Inside The ISIS Open-Air Prison Camp Where Thousands Of Families Are Forcibly Indoctrinated To Become Fanatics In A Lawless Dystopia Set To Become The Ground Zero For Islamic State 2.0
“In northeastern Syria, there is a jihadist crisis waiting to happen. Scattered across Rojava - the Kurdish-led autonomous region that spearheaded the global fight against the Islamic State - there are prisons holding thousands upon thousands of captured ISIS fighters. But another chilling threat lurks inside the sprawling refugee camps where their radicalised families are infecting helpless refugees with their ideology. Nearly six years after the Battle of Baghuz marked ISIS' territorial defeat, Rojava's authorities are warning that the terror group is poised for a resurgence. At the heart of their fears is Al-Hol - the largest refugee camp that many believe will become Ground Zero for ISIS' return.”
CEP Mentions
Süddeutsche Zeitung: “They Will Look For Even More Spectacular Targets”
“23 burned-out police vehicles, property damage totaling around two million euros: that is the result of the fire at the police dog unit in the Munich district of Allach-Untermenzing on the night of January 25th. The police are investigating arson and assume that the attack was carried out by serial offenders. A reward of 10,000 euros has been offered for information leading to these. Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann ( CSU ) sees "basic terrorist features". But what does that mean? Terrorism and extremism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler, Senior Director at the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), explains what is known about the case so far.”
Red Circle: Auschwitz Liberation 80th Anniversary And CEP's ARCHER At House 88; Axel Rudakubana; And Saudi Arabia
“Ian Acheson and Edmund Fitton-Brown discuss the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and the launch of CEP's major new initiative ARCHER at House 88, based at the former home of the Commandant of Auschwitz. They also discuss the jail sentence given to Axel Rudakubana in the U.K. and a changing Saudi Arabia. They end with "Never," a moving poem by Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel.”
United States
Reuters: Trump And Netanyahu Set For Pivotal Talks On Middle East Agenda
“When Benjamin Netanyahu meets U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday, the Israeli prime minister is expected to try to turn the page on sometimes tense relations with the Biden White House as the two leaders address the future of the Gaza ceasefire and ways to counter Iran. But Netanyahu, the first foreign leader to be hosted by Trump since his Jan. 20 inauguration, could also come under pressure from the staunchly pro-Israel president whose policy goals for the Middle East may not always coincide with Netanyahu's interests. They will meet just as indirect negotiations are due to resume this week between Israel and Hamas on the second stage of the ceasefire deal and hostage release.”
Syria
Associated Press: Trump’s Aid Freeze Shocks A Syria Camp Holding Families Linked To The Islamic State Group
“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. Human rights groups have for years cited poor living conditions and pervasive violence in the camp, which houses mostly wives and children of IS fighters as well as supporters of the militant group.”
Bloomberg: Syria’s President Reveals Talks With US-Backed Group Over Arms
“Syria’s authorities are holding talks with a US-backed armed group as part of an effort to control firepower in the war-torn country, a step that would cement the new rulers’ grip after the downfall of autocrat Bashar Al-Assad. The armed group, the Syrian Democratic Forces, expressed readiness for a new situation in which arms in Syria will all come under the authority of the state, although several disagreements are still being discussed, Interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa said in an interview with Syria TV. He didn’t disclose the points of contention with the group, which is based in the autonomous Kurdish areas of northern and eastern Syria, and has been a key ally in the US fight against Islamic State.”
Reuters: Exclusive: Syria's Sharaa To Discuss Defense Pact With Turkey's Erdogan, Sources Say
“Syria's transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan are expected to discuss a joint defense pact in Ankara on Tuesday, including establishing Turkish airbases in central Syria and training for Syria's new army, four sources familiar with the matter said. NATO member Turkey has long backed Syria's armed and political opposition to ousted leader Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled in late December in a lightning offensive spearheaded by Sharaa's forces. Ankara is positioning itself to play a major role in the new Syria, filling a vacuum left by Assad's main regional backer Iran, in an expansion of Turkish sway that could spark rivalry with Gulf Arab states and put Israel on edge.”
Iraq
Reuters: Iraqi-Led Air Strikes Kill Five Islamic State Operatives, US Centcom Says
“Precision airstrikes led by Iraqi security forces (ISF) killed five Islamic State (ISIS) operatives near Iraq's Kirkuk on Jan. 31, the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) said in an X post on Tuesday. "An initial post-strike clearance found multiple explosive suicide belts and other materials," Centcom said, adding that the airstrikes were enabled by Centcom forces.”
Afghanistan
Associated Press: A Taliban Fires At A UN Compound In Kabul And Is Later Found Dead
“A Taliban fighter opened fire at the United Nations compound in Kabul, slightly injuring a security guard, and was later found dead, the U.N. mission in Afghanistan said Monday. The gunman shot at a U.N. guard post on Sunday from outside the compound’s perimeter wall, according to the U.N. U.N.-contracted security guards did not return fire. One international guard sustained minor injuries and received hospital care, the U.N. said. The Taliban fighter was later found dead in a location outside the compound. The U.N. statement did not clarify how the fighter died. The U.N. and the Taliban are carrying out separate investigations into the incident.”
Lebanon
Reuters: Hezbollah Tells Iran It Would Fight Alone In Any War With Israel
“With ally Hamas under attack in Gaza, the head of Iran's Quds Force visited Beirut in February to discuss the risk posed if Israel next aims at Lebanon's Hezbollah, an offensive that could severely hurt Tehran's main regional partner, seven sources said. In Beirut, Quds chief Esmail Qaani met Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the sources said, for at least the third time since Hamas' deadly Oct. 7 attacks on southern Israel and Israel's devastating retaliatory assault on Gaza. The conversation turned to the possibility of a full Israeli offensive to its north, in Lebanon, the sources said.”
Middle East
Associated Press: Middle East Latest: At Least 6 Injured In Attack In Israel-Occupied West Bank; Assailant Is Killed
“At least six people were injured in a shooting attack at a checkpoint in the Israeli-occupied West Bank early Tuesday morning, according to the Israeli military and area hospitals. The Israeli military said an attacker fired at soldiers at a checkpoint in the village of Tayasir, which is in the northern West Bank. In a tense exchange, soldiers returned fire and the attacker was killed, the military added. Israeli hospitals said they had received a total of six people injured in the shooting attack. Israeli media reported the injured are soldiers and at least two of them were critically injured. Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad militant group praised the attack but neither claimed responsibility for it.”
Associated Press: Middle East Latest: Hostages Freed From Gaza Rarely Saw Sunlight, Families Say
“The families of hostages freed from Gaza over the weekend, the latest release in the ceasefire deal, described difficult conditions — including rarely seeing the sun — during their captivity. The six-week first phase of the truce calls for the release of 33 hostages and nearly 2,000 prisoners, as well as the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza and an increase in humanitarian aid to the devastated territory. Israel and Hamas are beginning to negotiate a second phase of the ceasefire, which calls for releasing the remaining hostages and extending the truce indefinitely. The war could resume in early March if an agreement is not reached.”
Russia
Reuters: Moscow Urges Hamas To Release Russian Hostage From Gaza
“A senior Russian diplomat urged a top official of the Palestinian movement Hamas on Monday to keep to its commitment to release a Russian hostage held by the group since its raid on Israel in October 2023. Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov raised the issue in talks in Moscow with Musa Abu Marzuk, a member of Hamas's Politburo, Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "It was again stressed from the Russian side that it was vital to fulfil the promise expressed by the Hamas leadership concerning the release of Russian citizen A. Trufanov and others being held hostage in the Gaza Strip," it said. The statement also noted the "importance of continuing appropriate work in the interests of achieving inter-Palestinian unity".”
Technology
Voice Of America: Australia Hits Right-Wing Online Network ‘Terrorgram' With Sanctions
“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 offense 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."”
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