A new United Nations report says that the Taliban assured al Qaeda that it
would maintain their close links despite the "peace" deal with the organiza

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


June 2, 2020

 

CNN: UN Report Says Taliban Is Maintaining Relations With Al Qaeda Despite
Deal With US
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“A new United Nations report says that the Taliban assured al Qaeda that it
would maintain their close links despite the "peace" deal with the organization
which the Trump administration has touted as signifying a break between the
Taliban and the terror group responsible for the 9/11 terror attacks. "The
senior leadership of Al-Qaida remains present in Afghanistan, as well as
hundreds of armed operatives, Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent, and groups
of foreign terrorist fighters aligned with the Taliban," the UN report said,
estimating that some 400 to 600 armed al Qaeda operatives are currently in
Afghanistan. "The Taliban regularly consulted with Al-Qaida during negotiations
with the United States and offered guarantees that it would honour their
historical ties," the report added. The report was sent to the UN Security
Council late last month and was produced by the UN's Analytical Support and
Sanctions Monitoring Team. The Trump administration has said that its February
deal with the Taliban signified the group's break with al Qaeda, with Secretary
of State Mike Pompeo saying shortly after it was signed that the Taliban had
"agreed that they would break that relationship and that they would work
alongside of us to destroy, deny resources to and have al-Qaeda depart from
that place.”

 

The National: Altaf Hussain: UK Trial Begins For Pakistani MQM Founder Over
Terror Charges
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“The trial of Pakistani opposition politician Altaf Hussain has begun in a
British court over terror charges relating to an alleged 2016 hate speech
broadcast to supporters in Karachi. Proceedings at London’s Old Bailey began on
Monday via video link because of coronavirus lockdown restrictions. Mr Hussain,
the 66-year-old founder of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), requested asylum
in the UK in the 1990s and was later granted British citizenship while in
exile. However, he still wields power and influence within the political party
that is based principally in Pakistan’s largest city. Following the
politician’s arrest in 2019, police confirmed he had been charged in connection
with a speech he made from London to supporters in Pakistan in August 2016. He
appeared in court and was granted bail. Mr Hussain pleaded not guilty to the
charges. Crowds gathered to hear the 2016 address, which was broadcast from
loudspeakers in Karachi. Later violence erupted in the city as police clashed
with MQM supporters. The MQM, which was founded by Mr Hussain in the 1980s, has
long been the dominant and mobilising political force in Karachi. The party
draws support from working-class, Urdu-speaking Muslims who migrated to
Pakistan during partition with India in 1947.”

 

United States

 

Voice Of America: Four Extremist Groups Suspected Of Involvement In Protest
Violence
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“Amid the ongoing U.S. protests over the death in police custody of George
Floyd, state officials have blamed outside extremist agitators, saying they mix
with legitimate protesters to foment violence. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz
cited unconfirmed reports Saturday that white supremacists had been behind
violent protests in Minneapolis where Floyd, who was African American, died
last Monday. When that assertion was not borne out, President Donald Trump
pointed a finger at extremists of a different hue: left-wing anti-fascist
activists known as antifa. Blaming antifa for violence that took place at
protests around the country, Trump vowed to designate it as a terrorist
organization. Attorney General William Barr, for his part, warned that violence
committed by antifa and other similar groups is "domestic terrorism" and will
be treated as such. Here is a look at the extremist movements suspected of
involvement in the protests: White supremacists are individuals and groups that
believe in the supremacy of the white race, oppose immigration and, in some
cases, advocate the expulsion from the country of non-whites. Once boasting
organized groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi organizations, the
movement has become increasingly disjointed and leaderless in recent years,
with most members now operating online.”

 

Al Monitor: US Woman Convicted Of Providing Material Support To Islamic State
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“A US citizen was sentenced to more than five years in prison for attempting
to provide material support to the Islamic State (IS). Alison Marie Sheppard of
Florida purchased 10 mobile phones and arranged to ship them to undercover
officers posing as IS supporters, according to a press release by the US
Justice Department. Sheppard believed the phones would be sent to the Middle
East for IS operatives to use as bomb detonators. She also provided IS
instructional material on how to travel to Syria to a person she believed was a
sympathizer with the extremist group. That person was later caught by the FBI
and provided information to investigators. Sheppard also told an undercover law
enforcement officer that she had pledged loyalty to IS’ supposed caliph, Abu
Bakr al-Baghdadi, who died in a US Special Operations raid in northwest Syria
late last year. Sheppard, who went by the name Aiisha Abdullah, pled guilty on
May 17. The FBI has investigated IS affiliation in all 50 US states, where more
than 200 people have been charged with crimes related to the group. A majority
of those convicted in the United States were arrested following investigations
involving at least one undercover agent or informant, according to George
Washington University’s Project on Extremism.”

 

Politico: ‘Domestic Terrorist Actors’ Could Exploit Floyd Protests, DHS Memo
Warns
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“Anarchist and militia extremists could try to exploit the recent nationwide
protests spurred by the death of George Floyd, the Department of Homeland
Security warned in an intelligence note sent to law enforcement officials
around the country. Floyd, a black man who pleaded that he couldn't breathe
while a police officer held him down and pressed his knee into his neck for
nearly 9 minutes, was killed in Minnesota on May 25. The officer responsible
has been charged with murder and manslaughter. The memo, dated May 29 and
marked unclassified/law enforcement sensitive, cites “previous incidents of
domestic terrorists exploiting First Amendment-protected events” as one reason
for DHS’ concern of additional targeted violence by “domestic terrorist
actors.” It also reveals, citing the FBI, that on May 27, two days after
Floyd’s death, “a white supremacist extremist Telegram channel incited
followers to engage in violence and start the ‘boogaloo ’— a term used by some
violent extremists to refer to the start of a second Civil War — by shooting in
a crowd.” One Telegram message encouraged potential shooters to “frame the
crowd around you” for the violence, the document said.”

 

Iraq

 

Kurdistan 24: Bombing Kills Iraqi Soldiers Near Disputed Town, As Anti-Terror
Operations Continue
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“The Iraqi army on Monday announced that an improvised explosive device (IED)
had killed two of its soldiers, as they were conducting anti-terror operations
near the disputed town of Makhmour, some 100 kilometers southeast of Mosul.
Iraq’s Security Media Cell, the country’s official military communications
center, said in a statement that the IED blew up under an Iraqi army vehicle
“while searching the Mount Kraw area within the Makhmour sector.” In addition
to the two soldiers who were killed, two others were wounded in the incident.
Located in the southwest of Erbil province, Makhmour lies within the areas that
are contested between the federal government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional
Government (KRG.) The district includes rugged, barren terrain that has long
been a haven for terrorist groups, including the so-called Islamic State, which
uses such areas as a base for planning and launching attacks against
surrounding settlements and towns. The Islamic State appears to have taken
advantage of several recent crises hitting Iraq, including the coronavirus
pandemic. It also exploits the long-standing security gap between Peshmerga
Forces and Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) in the disputed areas to carry out
attacks against security forces and civilians.”

 

Turkey

 

Al Monitor: Turkey Looks To Link Syrian Kurdish Militia To ANTIFA Following
Trump Tweet
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“Turkish commentators and a Kurdish armed group in Syria are at odds over the
latter’s alleged connections to the ongoing riots in the US. US President
Donald Trump tweeted yesterday he would declare the left-wing ANTIFA movement a
terrorist organization after its apparent role in protests and riots in the US.
Trump’s statement prompted some in Turkey to draw a connection between the
movement and the Kurdish group in Syria the People’s Protection Units (YPG),
which the US backs against the Islamic State (IS) and which has accepted some
international volunteers with ANITFA affiliations. One former foreign fighter
in the YPG said that while there were ANTIFA supporters in the YPG, they do not
represent the group nor its foreign volunteers as a whole. “It's no secret that
international antifascists joined the YPG,” Joshua Molloy told Al-Monitor. “But
to say all international YPG volunteers were ANTIFA activists is not accurate.”
The US is currently engulfed in protests and riots following the death of
George Floyd. The late Floyd was an African-American former security guard who
died while in the custody after a white policeman kneeled on his neck.”

 

Afghanistan

 

Foreign Policy: Leader Of Afghan Taliban Said To Be Gravely Ill With The
Coronavirus
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“The supreme leader of the Afghan Taliban has contracted COVID-19 and has
possibly died while receiving treatment, according to Taliban officials.
Confirmation that Mullah Haibatullah Akhunzada had contracted the virus, which
has stricken a number of senior Taliban leaders, came Monday from a senior
military official of the Islamist movement, Moulawi Muhammad Ali Jan Ahmed.
“Our leader is sick, but he is recovering,” Ahmed told Foreign Policy in an
interview. However, three other Taliban figures in the Pakistani city of
Quetta, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they believed Akhunzada had
died of the illness. No official confirmation appeared to be forthcoming
Monday. A senior official in the Afghan government said other Taliban leaders,
including many in the movement’s office in Doha, Qatar, who negotiated a
bilateral deal with the United States that was signed in February, were also
ill with COVID-19. Speaking on the condition that he not be identified, the
official said: “Nearly all the Taliban leadership in Doha has the bug.” “This
is significant because if talks [between the Afghan government and the Taliban]
are likely not to start within the next few weeks if they’re sick, how long
will they keep up the cease-fire?” the official added.”

 

Libya

 

The Washington Post: Civilian Casualties Surge In Libya During Tripoli Battle,
Study Finds
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“Reported civilian casualties in Libya have surged over the past year amid a
prolonged battle for the capital, Tripoli, with forces believed to be linked to
a warlord based in the eastern part of the country responsible for most
noncombatant deaths, a new study has found. The analysis by the New America
Foundation and Airwars, which tracks allegations of civilian deaths, showed
that forces associated with military leader Khalifa Hifter were believed to be
responsible for the majority of reported casualties. Airstrikes and civilian
deaths have increased dramatically since Hifter’s so-called Libyan National
Army launched an operation to take Tripoli in April 2019 from the U.N.-backed
Government of National Accord (GNA). According to Airwars, at least 429 of the
estimated minimum of 727 civilian deaths since 2012, or about 60 percent, are
believed to have taken place since the offensive began. Airwars assigned
responsibility to Hifter’s group or affiliated forces for at least 270 of the
deaths since the start of the Tripoli battle while saying the GNA and
affiliated forces were believed to be responsible for 95.”

 

Nigeria

 

All Africa: Nigeria: Why Boko Haram Attacks Are Declining In N-East -
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“There appears to be a shift in the insurgency war between the military and
Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East, as the latter now seem to be under
heat for the first time since the terrorists started their destructive campaign
in 2009.This came as Zamfara State governor, Mohammed Bello Matawalle, weekend,
warned emirs, Fulani leaders and stakeholders in the state to be vigilant and
never allow the security currently being enjoyed in the state to be threatened.
His warning came as a result of last Wednesday's killing of over 70 persons in
Sokoto by bandits. Prior to about two months ago, specifically between January
and April, 2020, there had been series of coordinated Boko Haram attacks and
closure of many roads in some parts of the North-East, especially the attacks
and ambush on military formations, humanitarian hub in Gamboru Ngala, Auno,
Buni Gari, Goniri, and Baga communities of Borno and Yobe states. Unspecified
number of soldiers, other security agencies, innocent civilians and even some
of the terrorists lost their lives in those attacks. This development forced
relocation of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Yusuf Tukur Buratai, and other
service chiefs to the theatre of operations on April 4, 2020.”

 

Somalia

 

Long War Journal: Islamic State In Somalia Suffers Setbacks Despite Uptick In
Claimed Activity
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“During the course of May, Somalia witnessed a relative uptick in Islamic
State claimed attacks compared to recent months. However, this activity was
offset by significant setbacks dealt to the organization across the country. In
total, the Islamic State in Somalia (ISS) claimed just four attacks in May
according to data maintained by FDD’s Long War Journal. While this number is
minuscule compared to other Islamic State branches around the world, this
number represents a relative boost since the beginning of the year. In February
and March, the Islamic State released only four total claims from Somalia. And
in April, the group stated its responsibility for three raids. The total amount
of claims for May matches the number for January at four. Additionally, three
of the four claims in May were part of the Islamic State’s global “Battles of
Attrition” campaign. This campaign, in which other branches also saw relative
boosts to their activities, was meant to signal the group’s staying power in
the face of a global battle against it. The first use of this moniker was in
April 2019 when then-Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi urged his
followers to conduct a “battle of attrition” in order to “drain the enemies of
their resources.” The relative increase in activity inside Somalia last month
is likely explained by ISS participating in this renewed campaign.”

 

Africa

 

Al Jazeera: Civilians Killed As Attackers Storm Niger Refugee Camp
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“At least three civilians have been killed in a coordinated attack on a camp
housing thousands of Malian refugees in western Niger, according to the United
Nations. Some 50 fighters launched a "well-planned operation" against the
Intikane refugee camp in the Tahoua region on Sunday afternoon, the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Niamey told AFP news agency.
The three victims were the head of a refugee committee, the head of a refugee
vigilance group and a representative of a Tahoua nomadic group, the UNHCR said
on Monday. The attackers also abducted a guard and sabotaged the camp's water
supply. "The jihadists inflicted damage on the camp's facilities, in
particularly emptying the food supplies and destroying the system which
supplies drinking water to the area within a radius of 40km (25 miles)," the UN
agency said.Alessandra Morelli, the UNHCR's representative in Niger, denounced
the attack. "It is very serious, the terrorists have destroyed our space to
live," Morelli told AFP. A security source told the news agency that before the
attack, the fighters destroyed telephone relay antennas in the area.”

 

Southeast Asia

 

Jakarta Globe: Suspected IS Militants Attack Police Post, Kill Officer In
South Kalimantan
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“A small group of militants with suspected link to global terror network
Islamic State attacked a police station and killed an officer with a sword in
Indonesia’s South Kalimantan province early on Monday. One of the attackers was
killed at the scene in South Daha subdictrict, South Hulu Sungai district. The
deceased militant carried a handwritten manifesto calling Muslims to wage
jihad. It remains unclear how many people were involved in the attack, which
also left a police car burned out. “Investigation is underway but we need time
before we can go to the details,” South Kalimantan Police spokesman Senior
Comr. Muhammad Rifai said on the phone. The attack occurred at around 2.15 a.m.
local time when only three officers were of the guard. Brigadier Leonardo
Latipapua was killed with a sword inside the integrated public service office,
Rifai said.  Two other officers identified as Brigadier Djoman Sahat Manik Raja
and Brigadier Muhammad Azmi, who were at a different room, rushed to the scene
and found one man brandishing a sword. The attacker, later identified as
Abdurrahman, was shot as he tried to attack the two officers. He was pronounced
death moments later at a local hospital.”

 

Al Jazeera: Alarm Over Duterte's New Anti-Terrorism Bill For Philippines
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“The Philippine Congress moved closer on Monday towards enacting a new
anti-terrorism law that would allow longer detentions without charge, and give
the executive branch more power against dissent, raising alarm among rights
groups and the opposition. The Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 has been approved at
the committee level and members of the House of Representatives are expected to
debate and fast-track its approval before they go on a two-month break from
June 6. The Senate approved a similar proposal earlier this year, with only two
members dissenting. Both chambers of Congress are controlled by allies
President Rodrigo Duterte, whose administration has been pressing for the quick
passage of the bill. On Monday, Duterte sent a letter to the Speaker certifying
the bill as "urgent". By passing a bill identical to the one approved by the
Senate, members of the House of Representatives skirt a longer process of
reconciling the two versions, and cutting the time to debate and question the
merits of the law. Among the most contentious provisions include the
warrantless arrest and 14-day detentions of suspected "terrorists", and the
creation of an anti-terror council that would determine what is terrorism and
order arrests without a warrant - a function usually reserved for the courts.”



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