“The Trump administration plans to designate more than a half-dozen criminal
groups with roots in Latin America as foreign terrorist organizations, said
five U.S. officials with knowledge of the imminent action. The move, to be
carried out by the State Department, follows an executive order President Trump
signed on Jan. 20 calling for a crackdown on major cartels. The designation is
expected to be applied to eight groups, said two of the officials, though the
list could change before a public announcement. The officials who spoke for
this article did so on the condition of anonymity to talk about an action that
has not been made public yet.”











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Eye on Extremism



February 13, 2025



The New York Times: State Dept. To Designate Latin American Cartels As
Terrorist Groups
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“The Trump administration plans to designate more than a half-dozen criminal
groups with roots in Latin America as foreign terrorist organizations, said
five U.S. officials with knowledge of the imminent action. The move, to be
carried out by the State Department, follows an executive order President Trump
signed on Jan. 20 calling for a crackdown on major cartels. The designation is
expected to be applied to eight groups, said two of the officials, though the
list could change before a public announcement. The officials who spoke for
this article did so on the condition of anonymity to talk about an action that
has not been made public yet.”



The Wall Street Journal: Israel And Hamas Are Teetering Toward War
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“Just over three weeks into a cease-fire that has brought the Gaza Strip
relative peace, Israel and Hamas are already moving toward a return to war The
combatants have backed each other into a corner, with Hamas saying it won’t
release hostages until it gets more humanitarian supplies, and Israel saying it
will hit pause on the agreement and start fighting again if the militant group
doesn’t let the hostages go free. President Trump, who helped close the deal
before taking office, added a volatile new variable by laying down an ultimatum
of his own, demanding that Hamas release all the hostages it holds, not just
the ones due to be freed this week under the deal’s prescribed stages.”





Counter Extremism Perspectives

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

The London Docklands IRA bombing anniversary; Oman terrorist attack; Mexican
drug cartels; Gaza hostage swap; and the Orebro College attack in Sweden.
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CEP Mentions



War On Rocks: Defeating The Houthis Will Require More Than Killing Their Chief
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“Edmund Fitton-Brown, the former British ambassador to Yemen, recounted a
chilling 2016 discussion with Houthi negotiators: Houthi officials claimed that
their strategic advantage over Western-backed forces was that they “do not care
how many Yemenis die, and when enough have died, [the West] will come to us on
[their] knees and beg us to make peace.” This prediction generally proved
accurate as pressure grew on the anti-Houthi coalition from 2018 onward to wind
down the campaign in Yemen due to the conflict’s enormous humanitarian toll.
However, while the Houthisdo not care how many Yemenis die, the group might be
deeply impacted by the death of one specific Yemeni: the leader of the group,
Abdul-Malik al Houthi.”



WTOP News: The Hunt: How The Islamic State Group Regrouped In Somalia
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“The Washington Post reported this week that the Islamic State terror group
“has regrouped in Somalia — and has global ambitions.” On this week’s edition
of “The Hunt with WTOP national security correspondent J.J. Green,” Dr.
Hans-Jakob Schindler, former U.N. coordinator for the U.N.’s al-Qaida, Taliban,
ISIS monitoring groups, says this has been in the works since 2021.”



United States



The Independent: ‘Students Against Nazi Extremism’ Warn Tesla Owners To Sell
Their Cars – Or Else
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“A group calling itself “Students Against Nazi Extremism” is reportedly
issuing threats to Tesla owners ito sell their vehicles or they will be
vandalized, according to a local media report. Lost Coast Outpost reports that
residents in Humboldt County in northern California found notes left on their
Teslas saying "no Nazis in America." At least one of the notes was tied to a
brick, according to local media reports. The group mailed a supposed manifesto
to the news outlet claiming responsibility for the notes. The manifesto also
issued threats to Tesla owners in Rohnert Park in Sonoma County north of San
Francisco, Hayward in Alameda County in the city’s East Bay, and Seaside in
Monterey County.”



The New York Times: Some Migrants Sent By Trump To Guantánamo Are Being Held
By Military Guards
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“Dozens of Venezuelan migrants sent by the Trump administration to the U.S.
military base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, are being guarded by troops rather than
civilian immigration officers, according to people familiar with the operation.
While the Trump administration has portrayed the detainees as legally in the
custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, military guards and medics are
doing the work, the people said. The Trump administration has not released the
migrants’ names, although at least two have been identified by their relatives
through pictures released of the first flight.”



New York Post: Trump Fires USAID’s Top Watchdog After Reports Of Billions
Wasted On Educating Al Qaeda Terrorist And Drag Shows
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“President Trump has fired the top watchdog for the US Agency for
International Development (USAID) — just as details resurfaced that the
controversial agency had bankrolled the college education of an al Qaeda
terrorist with ties to 9/11 hijackers. Paul Martin, who had served as the
inspector general since 2023, was informed by a White House official via email
Tuesday that his termination was “effective immediately.” Martin wasn’t given a
reason for his firing, a copy of the email shows. The White House wouldn’t
comment on his termination. His dismissal came just one day after his office
had published a report criticizing Trump’s call to freeze USAID funds after
finding that the agency had wasted billions on lefty schemes in recent years.”



Syria



Reuters: Exclusive: Syria's New Leaders Zero In On Assad's Business Barons
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“Syria's new rulers are combing through the billion-dollar corporate empires
of ousted president Bashar al-Assad's allies, and have held talks with some of
these tycoons, in what they say is a campaign to root out corruption and
illegal activity. After seizing power in December, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham
(HTS) rebel group that now runs Syria pledged to reconstruct the country after
13 years of brutal civil war and abandon a highly-centralized and corrupt
economic system where Assad's cronies held sway. To do so, the executive led by
new president Ahmed al-Sharaa has set up a committee tasked with dissecting the
sprawling corporate interests of high-profile Assad-linked tycoons including
Samer Foz and Mohammad Hamsho, three sources told Reuters.”



Iran



The Washington Post: Israel Likely To Strike Iran In Coming Months, Warns U.S.
Intelligence
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“Israel is likely to attempt a strike on Iran’s nuclear program in the coming
months in a preemptive attack that would set back Tehran’s program by weeks or
perhaps months but escalate tensions across the Middle East and renew the
prospect of a wider regional conflagration, according to U.S. intelligence. The
warnings about a potential Israeli strike are included in multiple intelligence
reports spanning the end of the Biden administration and the beginning of the
Trump administration, none more comprehensive than an early January report
produced by the intelligence directorate of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the
Defense Intelligence Agency. The report warned that Israel is likely to attempt
a strike on Iran’s Fordow and Natanz nuclear facilities in the first six months
of 2025. Current and former U.S. officials familiar with the intelligence told
The Washington Post that the finding derives from an analysis of Israel’s
planning following its bombing of Iran in late October, which degraded its air
defenses and left Tehran exposed to a follow-on assault.”



Afghanistan



Voice Of America: Suicide Bombing At Afghan Ministry Kills 1, Injures Several
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“Taliban officials said Thursday a suicide bomb explosion outside a ministry
building in the Afghan capital of Kabul killed at least one person and injured
several others. The blast occurred when security guards at the entrance to the
Ministry of Urban Development and Housing intercepted and killed a suicide
bomber, an Interior Ministry spokesperson told VOA. Abdul Mateen Qani confirmed
the casualties, saying a member of Taliban security was killed, and three
others were wounded in the ensuing explosion. No immediate claims of
responsibility were made, but suspicions fell on a regional Islamic State group
affiliate, Islamic State-Khorasan, or IS-K.”



Pakistan



Voice Of America: US Warns Citizens Of Potential Terror Threats At Key Mosque
In Pakistan's Capital
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“The United States advised its citizens Wednesday to steer clear of a popular
mosque in Pakistan’s capital due to potential terrorist threats. The U.S.
Embassy in Islamabad issued the threat alert following the emergence of a
social media video earlier this week featuring a purported militant operative
at the city’s Faisal Mosque, a major tourist destination. The brief video
showed the individual displaying a hand-drawn pamphlet featuring the flag of
the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which the United Nations has listed as a
global terrorist organization. The video was shared on Monday via social media
affiliated with TTP.”



Associated Press: Turkey’s President Arrives In Pakistan’s Capital On A 2-Day
Visit To Boost Trade, Economic Ties
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“Turkey’s president, accompanied by a high-level delegation, arrived in
Pakistan’s capital late Wednesday night on a two-day visit to discuss how to
boost trade and economic ties between the nations, officials said. When his
plane landed at an airport near Islamabad, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan was
received by his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz
Sharif, and other senior government officials. Erdogan is visiting Pakistan at
the invitation of Sharif, according to a statement released by the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs. It said the Turkish president will jointly chair “the 7th
Session of the Pakistan-Turkiye High Level Strategic Cooperation Council
(HLSCC)” and the sides are expected to sign a number of agreements.”



Middle East


Reuters: Israel Has US Backing To Stay In Lebanon Beyond Truce Deadline,
Israeli TV Says
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“Israel's public broadcaster said on Wednesday the U.S. had authorised a
"long term" Israeli troop presence in southern Lebanon, after sources told
Reuters Israel had sought an extension to a Feb. 18 deadline to withdraw its
forces. Under a truce deal brokered by Washington in November, Israeli troops
were granted 60 days to withdraw from southern Lebanon where they had waged a
ground offensive against fighters from Lebanon's armed group Hezbollah since
early October. Hezbollah combatants were to leave the zone and Lebanese troops
were to deploy in the area within the same period.”



Associated Press: Israel Threatens ‘All Hell Will Break Loose’ On Hamas In
Latest Gaza Ceasefire Crisis
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“Israel’s defense minister on Wednesday vowed that “all hell will break
loose” on Hamas if it fails to free hostages this weekend as planned, stepping
up threats against the militant group as mediators worked to salvage their
ceasefire. There were signs that the gaps could be bridged. The dispute was
sparked when Hamas accused Israel of failing to meet some commitments under the
truce, including the delivery of tents and other aid, and said it would delay
the next hostage release on Saturday. Hamas official Mahmoud Merdawi told The
Associated Press there were “positive signals” the three hostages will be
released as planned on Saturday but the group had not yet received a commitment
from Israel that it would adhere to the deal.”



Somalia



Voice Of America: Key Islamic State Planner Killed In Airstrike, US And Somali
Officials Say
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“Ahmed Maeleninine, an Omani-born leader of Islamic State, was killed in U.S.
airstrikes against the terror group in Somalia earlier this month, officials of
the Puntland region said Wednesday. Maeleninine was the main target of the Feb.
1 airstrike against Islamic State hideouts in the semi-autonomous region of
northern Somalia. In an interview with VOA Somali, the Puntland state minister
for presidency, Abdifitah Mohamed Abdinur, said Somalia and its international
security partners had been watching Maeleninine’s movements in the region. “He
was an Omani-born man in his 40s who was wanted for international crimes and
his movements and activities have been followed at least for the last two
years, as he was hiding in the mountainous area of Puntland,” Abdinur said.”



United Kingdom



BBC: Man, 18, Charged With Preparing Terrorist Acts
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“An 18-year-old man has been charged with preparing terrorist acts as part of
an ongoing investigation by counter terrorism police. Muhammad Billal, was
arrested in Nelson, Lancashire, on Tuesday, Greater Manchester Police said. He
was charged with two counts of preparation to commit terrorist acts and four
counts of collecting information likely to be useful to a person committing or
preparing an act of terrorism. Mr Billal appeared before Westminster
Magistrates earlier where he was remanded into custody to appear at the same
court on 19 February.”



Germany



Politico: Assaults Stoke Fear Among Migrants In Eastern German City
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“Just a few hours after a Saudi man drove his car into a crowded Christmas
market in this eastern German city in December, killing several and injuring
hundreds more, a 13-year-old Syrian boy was in an elevator across town when an
adult neighbor grabbed him by the throat. The attack happened “because of
people like you,” the man allegedly told the boy, who had come to Germany as a
refugee. The Magdeburg Christmas market attack helped reshape the campaign
ahead of Germany’s Feb. 23 election, putting migration front and center and
prompting top politicians to vow to drastically reduce the number of asylum
seekers entering the country. But it has also had very real consequences for
immigrants and people of color.”



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