“Russia is planning to hold high-level contacts with Syria in the near future,
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday. President Vladimir Putin
spoke by phone with Syria's interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on February 12, the
first direct communication between the two since Sharaa's forces overthrew
Moscow's ally Bashar al-Assad in December. Russia is hoping to retain the use
of two military bases in Syria.”











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Eye on Extremism



February 19, 2025



Reuters: Russia Plans High-Level Contacts With Syria In Near Future, Lavrov
Says
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“Russia is planning to hold high-level contacts with Syria in the near future,
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday. President Vladimir Putin
spoke by phone with Syria's interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on February 12, the
first direct communication between the two since Sharaa's forces overthrew
Moscow's ally Bashar al-Assad in December. Russia is hoping to retain the use
of two military bases in Syria.”



Reuters: Turkey Detains Nearly 300 People In Raids On PKK Suspects, Including
Opposition Figures
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“Turkish police have detained 282 suspects accused of ties to the outlawed
Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, militant group, the government said on
Tuesday, among them journalists, politicians, and academics. The raids of the
last five days took place as Turkey continues to remove elected pro-Kurdish
mayors from their posts over militant ties. The crackdown is coinciding with
some signs that there could be an end to a 40-year conflict between the PKK and
authorities. Jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan is expected to make a statement
as soon as this month on such efforts, four months after an ally of President
Tayyip Erdogan urged him to call on the militants to lay down their arms.”





Counter Extremism Perspectives

ARCHER at House 88 - the new initiative from the Counter Extremism Project
(Podcast in German)
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CounterPod

U.K. Home Office Counter Terror ‘sprint’ report; Donald Trump on Gaza; Eric
Glass; extremism in South Africa; kicked off by an irreverent explanation of
the Tush Push.
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The CEP CounterPoint: Expert Analysis

* CounterPoint Brief: The U.S.-Jordan Struggle to Extradite Hamas Member
Ahlam al-Tamimi
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* CounterPoint Brief: Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Deal
<[link removed]>
* Artificial Intelligence and Extremism: “Cybertruck Bomber”
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* The Muslim Brotherhood in Britain: Analysis of Recent Sanctions
<[link removed]>
* CounterPoint Brief: Terror Attack In New Orleans
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CEP Mentions



Merkur.De: Attack In Munich: That's Why There Are So Many Attacks Now -
"Massive Accumulation"
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“... "The incident in Munich is a classic attack scenario and every successful
attack motivates other people to carry out such attacks," says terrorism expert
Hans-Jakob Schindler from the Counter Extremism Project BuzzFeed News Germany.
"Cars were used at Christmas in Magdeburg and on New Year's Day in New Orleans.
So it is not totally surprising that another attack has been attempted using a
car."”



Merkur.De: “Intensify Hybrid Warfare Before Elections”: Russia’s Role In The
Munich Attack
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“... Hans-Jakob Schindler is well aware of the theory of Russian agents in
Afghanistan. "It is entirely possible, we had corresponding indications," said
the director of the NGO Counter Extremism Project (CEP) in an interview with
this editorial team. However, this cannot currently be proven, says the
terrorism expert and Middle East expert. But: "Russia's goal is to cause social
upheaval in Germany too." Acts of violence shortly before important elections
would certainly play into the Russians' hands, says Schindler. "However,
attacks cannot be timed precisely. For that to happen, Russia would have to
intervene directly with the perpetrator in question."”



Watson: Attacks In Germany: Is Russia Behind It?
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“... "That is certainly possible, we had corresponding indications," said
Hans-Jakob Schindler, the director of the NGO Counter Extremism Project (CEP),
to the "Frankfurter Rundschau". However, Schindler sees no evidence of Russia
or the Taliban's involvement in the attacks in Germany: "Acts of violence
shortly before important elections would certainly suit the Russians," said the
extremism researcher. "However, attacks cannot be timed precisely. For that to
happen, Russia would have to intervene directly with the perpetrator in
question. That should have been noticed during the investigations into the
attacks of the last few months," said Schindler.”



Frankfurter Rundschau: Russia's Influence On Munich Attack: "Hybrid Warfare
Before Elections"
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“... Hans-Jakob Schindler is aware of the theory of Russian agents in
Afghanistan. "That is entirely possible, we had corresponding indications,"
said the director of the NGO Counter Extremism Project (CEP) in an interview
with this editorial team. However, this cannot currently be proven, said the
terrorism expert. But Russia's aim is to cause social unrest in Germany. Acts
of violence shortly before important elections would suit the Russians well,
explains Schindler: "However, attacks cannot be timed precisely. For that to
happen, Russia would have to intervene directly with the perpetrator in
question." If there had been direct Russian intervention, "this should have
been noticed during the investigations into the attacks of the last few
months."”



FDD’s Long War Journal: Status Update On Global Jihad
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“Bill is joined by Caleb Weiss and Edmund Fitton-Brown to discuss the latest
UN Sanctions Monitoring Team report on the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda that was
released this week.”



Nieuwsuur: How Jihadism Is Advancing In The Sahel
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“Civilians in the Sahel region are caught between warring factions. From
jihadists from IS and al-Qaeda, to Russian mercenaries and government troops
from the military juntas. There seems to be no end in sight to the hopeless
cocktail of violence in the Sahel. The name Sekou has been changed for security
reasons. His real name is known to us. The data in this video about jihadist
activities in the region can be found here: [link removed]”



United States



Fox News: Trump Admin Reveals List Of Cartels And Gangs To Be Designated
Terrorist Organizations
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“The Trump administration sent a list of over half a dozen drug cartels to
Congress last week that it plans to designate as foreign terrorist
organizations, Fox News confirmed on Tuesday. The list sent to Congress
includes the international Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua – Spanish for "Train
from Aragua" – that has ties to the socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro and has
been terrorizing U.S. cities in recent months. Other groups included in the
Trump administration’s list are the Salvadoran gang Mara Salvatrucha – also
known as MS-13 – as well as several Mexican cartels, including the Sinaloa,
Jalisco, Zetas, the Gulf Cartels, Cartel Unidos and "La Nueva Familia
Michoacana."”



The New York Times: Climate Aid Projects Fighting Extremism And Unrest Are
Closing Down
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“Numerous programs aimed at averting violence, instability and extremism
worsened by global warming are ensnared in the effort to dismantle the main
American aid agency, U.S.A.I.D. One such project helped communities manage
water stations in Niger, a hotbed of Islamist extremist groups where conflicts
over scarce water are common. Another helped repair water-treatment plants in
the strategic port city of Basra, Iraq, where dry taps had caused violent
anti-government protests. U.S.A.I.D.’s oldest program, the Famine Early Warning
Systems Network, ran a forecasting system that allowed aid workers in places
like war-torn South Sudan to prepare for catastrophic floods last year.”



The Hill: Al Qaeda-Linked Group Member Killed In Us Airstrike, Pentagon Says
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“A member of a group linked to al Qaeda has been killed in a U.S. airstrike,
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on the social platform X. “On
Feb. 15, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Forces conducted a precision airstrike
in Northwest Syria targeting and killing a senior finance and logistics
official in the terrorist organization Hurras al-Din (HaD), an Al-Qaeda
affiliate,” CENTCOM said Sunday. In 2018, Hurras al-Din came out of the
militant group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham. Hurras al-Din was designated in 2019 a
specially designated global terrorist group by the U.S. State Department. “We
will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists in order to defend our
homeland, and U.S., allied, and partner personnel in the region,” CENTCOM
Commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla said in the Sunday X post.”



Afghanistan



The Guardian: Off Air: One By One, The Taliban Are Removing Women’s Voices
From Afghan Radio
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“When the Taliban began marching towards cities across Afghanistan in the
summer of 2021, Alia*, a 22-year-old Afghan journalist, found herself doing
some of the most important work of her short life and career. In the weeks
leading up to the Taliban takeover in August, Alia’s voice on the radio became
familiar to many in northern Afghanistan. She reported on the withdrawal of
foreign troops, the siege of government offices and on the detention of former
officials in her province. Above all, Alia reported on the situation for women
and their fears and concerns – emotions she was experiencing herself. As the
Taliban gradually began imposing restrictions on them, Alia was documenting
history repeating itself.”



Pakistan



Associated Press: Palestinian Families Flee West Bank Homes In Droves As
Israel Confronts Militants
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“By car and on foot, through muddy olive groves and snipers’ sight lines,
tens of thousands of Palestinians in recent weeks have fled Israeli military
operations across the northern West Bank — the largest displacement in the
occupied territory since the 1967 Mideast war. After announcing a widespread
crackdown against West Bank militants on Jan. 21 — just two days after its
ceasefire deal with Hamas in Gaza — Israeli forces descended on the restive
city of Jenin, as they have dozens of times since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack
on Israel. But unlike past operations, Israeli forces then pushed deeper and
more forcefully into several other nearby towns, including Tulkarem, Far’a and
Nur Shams, scattering families and stirring bitter memories of the 1948 war
over Israel’s creation.”



Associated Press: 7 Killed After Militants Intercept Passenger Buses In
Restive Southwestern Pakistan
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“Militants armed with guns intercepted several passenger buses on a highway
in the restive southwestern Pakistan late Tuesday night, forcibly removed seven
passengers and killed them before fleeing the scene, officials said. The attack
occurred in Rakhni, a town in Balochistan, as the buses were heading to the
eastern Punjab province from the southwestern city of Quetta, said Waqar Alam,
a district administrator. He said the attackers targeted and killed only those
people who were from the Punjab province. No group claimed responsibility for
the attack but the suspicion is likely to fall on ethnic Baloch separatists,
who have been blamed by the government for previous such attacks on passenger
buses in Balochistan.”



Lebanon



Reuters: Lebanese Search For Dead In Devastated Villages As Israel Withdraws
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“Residents of south Lebanon returned to devastated villages on Tuesday,
searching for the bodies of relatives killed in last year's war between Israel
and Hezbollah, as Israeli troops withdrew from most of the territory. Israeli
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel would complete its withdrawal from the
south on Tuesday to meet a deadline set under a U.S.-backed ceasefire, but that
it would temporarily remain in five points needed for its security. Hezbollah,
which was badly pummelled in the war, said Israel was still occupying Lebanese
territory and put the onus on the Lebanese state to get Israeli forces out. In
the frontline village of Kfar Kila, barely a building was left standing.”



Middle East



CBS: Hamas Says It Will Release More Hostages Than Expected This Week,
Including Bodies Of The Bibas Family
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“In a surprise announcement, a top Hamas leader said Tuesday that the U.S.
and Israeli-designated terrorist group would release six living Israeli
hostages on Saturday and the bodies of four others on Thursday, including the
remains of the Bibas family, who for many Israelis have embodied the captives'
plight in Gaza. Israel has said it is gravely concerned about Shiri Bibas and
her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, but has not confirmed their deaths. Hamas
said they were killed in an Israeli airstrike early in the war.”



The Washington Post: Hamas Says It Will Release Six Living Hostages And The
Bodies Of Four Others
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“Hamas said Tuesday that it would release the bodies of four Israeli hostages
on Thursday, including members of the Bibas family, and six living hostages two
days later, on Saturday. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu confirmed in a statement that “understandings” had been reached for
Hamas to release the 10 living and dead hostages. The bodies of “four
additional deceased hostages” would be released next week, the statement said.
That would complete the hostage releases connected to the first phase of the
ceasefire deal. Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official, said in a recorded
message that the releases were aimed at ensuring the success of the first phase
of a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, and “to prepare for the
second phase.””



Somalia



Associated Press: Ethiopia And Somalia Hold A First Round Of Technical Talks
In Turkey Toward Resolving Their Dispute
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“Top diplomats from Ethiopia and Somalia on Tuesday held a first round of
technical talks aimed at resolving a dispute sparked by a deal between Ethiopia
and Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said.
Turkey has been mediating between the Horn of Africa countries after concerns
about potential conflict in an already volatile region. Tensions have simmered
since landlocked Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding with Somaliland
last year to lease land along its coastline to establish a marine force base.
In return, Ethiopia would become the first country to formally recognize
Somaliland’s independence. Somalia says the deal infringes on its sovereignty
and territory.”



Africa



The Washington Post: The Militia Commander
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“As Islamist extremist groups have advanced in the past few years, often
overpowering government forces in the Sahel, tens of thousands of civilians
have taken up arms to defend themselves. Some of them, like a millet farmer
turned militiaman nicknamed Tidjie, now wonder whether they’ll ever be able to
lay them down. “We are stuck,” he said. “All we can think about is death.” For
months, Tidjie said, he had woken from his nightmares believing he’d heard
gunfire. He had developed stomach ulcers. He was so tired, he said, that all he
could think about was quitting. But he said he was sure there was no way out.
If he put down his Kalashnikov rifle, Tidjie feared, he would face near-certain
death at the hands of the Islamist extremists he had spent nearly five years
fighting.”



The Washington Post: The Islamist Militant
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“As Islamist extremist groups have wrested large swaths of territory from
government control in the Sahel, young men have streamed into their ranks,
often compelled more by economic desperation than ideology. Ibrahim, a
soft-spoken Nigerien in his 20s, joined the local al-Qaeda affiliate after
bandits sacked his village, leaving him with few prospects, and the sense of
adventure and fellowship he found among the militants helped keep him fighting
by their side, even as he grew increasingly troubled by the group’s brutality.
“In the army, if there is a battle and soldiers win, then they are happy. It
was like that for us,” he said. “I was with my friends, and it was joy.””



Germany



Voice Of America: Yazidi Woman Enslaved By Islamic State Relocates To Germany
Months After Rescue
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“A Yazidi woman who survived rape and enslavement by Islamic State and was
rescued from Gaza last October in a U.S.-led operation arrived in Germany on
Tuesday, February 18. Fawzia Amin Saydo, 21, was kidnapped by IS militants from
her hometown of Sinjar, northern Iraq, in August 2014, just a month before her
11th birthday. She endured a decade of suffering, including rape, enslavement
and forced marriage to a Palestinian IS fighter in Syria before being sent to
Gaza to live with her captor's mother. She was rescued from Gaza on October 1,
2024, during a secret U.S.-led operation that involved cooperation among human
rights activists, as well as Israeli, Jordanian, Iraqi and United Nations
officials.”



Australia



Bloomberg: Australia Spy Chief Sounds Alert On Use Of Minors In Terrorism
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“Australia’s spy chief Mike Burgess has revealed that almost all foiled
terrorist attacks over the past year involved the radicalization of children,
while adding that the range of threats to national security is increasing
exponentially. In his annual threat assessment delivered in Canberra on
Wednesday, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation director-general
said the threat of terrorism and politically-motivated violence is rising, with
individuals “self-radicalizing” through complicated and contradictory systems
of belief. “Of all the potential terrorist matters investigated last year,
fewer than half were religiously motivated. The majority involved mixed
ideologies or nationalist and racist ideologies,” Burgess said, according to
excerpts of his speech provided in advance.”



Southeast Asia



BBC: Facing Islamist Threats, Bangladesh Girls Forced To Cancel Football
Matches <[link removed]>



“Asha Roy, 17, was excited to take part in a women's football tournament, but
her hopes were dashed as Islamists forced the organisers to cancel the match in
northern Bangladesh. Shortly before the game began earlier this month, the
Islami Andolan Bangladesh group announced a protest rally against the event in
Rangpur region, saying it was un-Islamic. Fearing trouble, local police stepped
in and the women's team members were asked to return to their home for their
safety. "I was frustrated and frightened. We had never faced such a situation
before. It was disappointing that we came back without playing," Ms Roy told
the BBC.”



Bloomberg: India To Allow Ambassador-Level Taliban Post To Counter China
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"India’s government is expected to accept a top Taliban representative to the
country soon, the latest step from New Delhi to improve ties with Kabul and
counter China’s growing influence in Afghanistan. The Taliban-led government
has identified two potential candidates to take charge of the Afghan embassy in
New Delhi, according to officials familiar with the matter, who asked not to be
identified because the discussions are private. The Taliban official won’t be
recognized as a diplomat by India but will be the top representative for the
government there, the people said. The Taliban won’t be able to fly its flag at
the embassy, at events or on official vehicles, they said.”



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