Researchers at the Counter Extremism Project, an international policy
organization formed to monitor and combat extremist groups, say white supremacis

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


June 5, 2020

 

Voice Of America: Who's Behind The Violence At George Floyd Protests In US?
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“Researchers at the Counter Extremism Project, an international policy
organization formed to monitor and combat extremist groups, say white
supremacists and neo-Nazis have been celebrating the past week of mayhem on the
streets. On the Telegram channel of one violent neo-Nazi group, 5,500 followers
reportedly were advised that a large protest would provide the perfect
opportunity to commit a murder. Another Telegram channel said the time was
right to attack synagogues with law enforcement being distracted by the civil
unrest, according to CEP. But it is unclear to what extent radical groups of
left or right have been able to orchestrate violence. New York’s deputy
commissioner for intelligence and counterterrorism, John Miller, believes
anarchist and radical left groups have been stoking the fury in his city.
“Before the protests began,” he told reporters, “organizers of certain
anarchist groups set out to raise bail money and people who would be
responsible to be raising bail money, they set out to recruit medics and
medical teams with gear to deploy in anticipation of violent interactions with
police.” He added: “They prepared to commit property damage and directed people
who were following them that this should be done selectively and only in
wealthier areas or at high-end stores run by corporate entities.”

 

Associated Press: IS Claims Kabul Mosque Attack That Killed Prayer Leader
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“The Islamic State group claimed responsibility Thursday for a bomb attack
inside a mosque in the Afghan capital Kabul that killed two people, including
the prayer leader, and wounded eight others. In a statement on an IS-affiliated
website, the group said Tuesday’s attack in Kabul targeted a prayer leader who
was described as “an apostate and evil propagating loyalty to the apostate
Afghan government.” Prayer leader Ayaz Niazi was buried Thursday at the same
mosque where the attack took place after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and
several other officials paid tribute. IS attacks have increased, particularly
in Kabul, targeting Afghan media, civilians and minority Shiites. On Sunday the
group claimed responsibility for a roadside bombing against a bus belonging to
a local TV station in Kabul. Two employees were killed and four others wounded.”

 

United States

 

New York Daily News: Man Who Slashed Brooklyn Cop In Neck Probed For Terror
Links: Sources
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“A man shot by police after he slashed an officer in the neck in Brooklyn is
being investigated for possible links to terrorism, police sources said
Thursday. The suspect, 20-year-old Dzenan Camovic, has no criminal history —
but the Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating his background, sources
said, and whether he is linked to ISIS or other terror groups. Police released
image of knife used to attack officer. The FBI’s William Sweeney said the New
York office is on the case. “We will respond as if one of our own is attacked,”
he said in a statement. Such terror probes typically involve looking at a
person’s travel history and personal relationships, though it was not
immediately clear why the NYPD and FBI have suspicions about him. Camovic is an
immigrant, possibly from Bosnia, officials and neighbors of the suspect said. A
man shot by police after he slashed an officer in the neck in Brooklyn is being
investigated for possible links to terrorism, police sources said Thursday. All
three of the cops wounded in the clash with Camovic were also immigrants, Mayor
de Blasio said. “People come here from all of this country, all over this world
to find a better life and they represent this entire world and then some choose
to represent all of us,” de Blasio said.”

 

Syria

 

Associated Press: Syria: Israeli Warplanes Strike Targets In Central Syria
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“Syrian air defenses responded to an Israeli attack near a central town on
Thursday that caused explosions and a large fire in the area, state-run media
said. According to the Syrian news agency SANA, the Israeli airstrike occurred
near the town of Masyaf in the Hama countryside. There was no immediate word on
casualties or damage from the attack.Residents in neighboring Lebanon reported
hearing the Israeli warplanes flying at low altitude over parts of the
Mediterranean country, on their way to bomb in Syria. The airstrike is the
latest in a series of Israeli attacks in Syria in the past few weeks, despite
the coronavirus pandemic gripping the region, and comes amid rising tensions
between Israel and Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group in Syria, as well as
along the Lebanon-Israel border. Syria has accused Israel of carrying out at
least seven airstrikes in the past two months alone, believed to have targeted
Iranian and proxy interests. On Wednesday, Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab
said Israel violated Lebanon's sovereignty by land, sea and air over 1,000
times in the last five months. There was no immediate comment from Israel on
Thursday's reported strike in Syria.”

 

Voice Of America: US Warns No End To Fight Against Islamic State
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“More than a year after the U.S.-led coalition declared victory over the
Islamic State's self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria, a top U.S. official
admits the fight against the terror group is not close to over. U.S. Secretary
of State Mike Pompeo delivered the blunt assessment Thursday to representatives
of 31 countries and partners during a virtual meeting of the coalition, urging
allies not to be complacent. “Our fight against ISIS continues, and it will be
here for the foreseeable future. We cannot rest,” Pompeo said, using an acronym
for the terror group. “We must continue to root out ISIS cells and networks and
provide stabilization assistance to liberated areas in Iraq and Syria.” The
latest meeting of coalition partners, being held virtually because of concerns
about the coronavirus pandemic, came at a critical time in the fight against
Islamic State, also referred to as IS or by its Arabic acronym, Daesh. While
the U.S.-led coalition and independent monitoring groups point to a decreased
number of IS attacks compared with figures from years past, U.S.
counterterrorism officials warn the terror group has made significant progress
as it tries to rebuild. “They’ve made incremental, localized improvements to
their operating capacity,” a counterterrorism official told VOA last month,
adding that IS cells in eastern Syria have become increasingly bold.”

 

Iraq

 

Al Monitor: Iraqi Forces Team Up For Anti-IS Operation In Kirkuk
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“Iraq’s armed forces began a major operation called “Heroes of Iraq - Victory
of Sovereignty” to clear remnants of the Islamic State in the northern province
of Kirkuk at dawn Tuesday. The operation comes ahead of key talks with the
United States later this month. Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi visited the
operation in its early hours and social media was later flooded with photos of
him walking alongside the forces and members of a local family. He then
discussed the operation during a regularly scheduled cabinet meeting in the
capital. Kadhimi was sworn in on May 6 after several months of a government
void. Attacks and intimidation continue in the southern areas of Kirkuk
province against locals and the various forces deployed there, as well as in
neighboring Diyala and Salahuddin. However, the strategic location and disputed
status of Kirkuk render it of particular importance. The operation aims to
clear both the oil-rich province of Kirkuk, disputed between the Kurdistan
Regional Government (KRG) and the central government in Baghdad but back under
Baghdad control since late 2017, and Salahuddin. Weapons caches, hideouts, IEDs
and other supplies were found and at least two “terrorists” were killed during
the operation on Tuesday, according to a statement by the Iraqi Security Media
Cell.”

 

Afghanistan

 

Foreign Policy: In Afghanistan, The Islamic State Threatens Long-Term Peace
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“Overall violence in Afghanistan has abated somewhat as large numbers of both
Taliban and Afghan national forces have continued to informally observe a
cease-fire called during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marked the end of the
Islamic month of Ramadan in late May. But on May 30, a roadside bomb in Kabul
killed a journalist and a driver from an Afghan television station, and the
Afghan franchise of the Islamic State—known as the Islamic State Khorasan
Province (ISKP)—claimed responsibility. On Tuesday, June 2, another attack
occurred, killing Mawlana Mohammed Ayaz Niazi, a well-known cleric who served
as the imam of the Wazir Akbar Khan Mosque in the heart of Kabul, and ISKP
later said it was responsible for that blast as well. The surge of ISKP attacks
suggests to many Afghan experts that the terrorist group is likely intent on
disrupting any long-term move toward peace. Many of the most brutal attacks in
the last few weeks appear to have been the work of the ISKP. One of the
bloodiest occurred on May 12, when at least 24 mourners were killed by ISKP
militants at a funeral in the eastern province of Nangarhar. On the very same
day, another gut-wrenching massacre took place in western Kabul.”

 

Agence France-Presse: Uphill Task For Taliban As Virus Spreads In Militant
Bastions
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“The Taliban boasted of their readiness to fight the deadly coronavirus when
it first reached Afghanistan, but now the insurgents are struggling to curb its
spread in their strongholds. For months, Habib Rahman, a resident of a
Taliban-controlled area in the south of the country, has been unable to test
whether his persistent cough is due to the virus. “I have a cough, fever and
chest pain,” said Rahman, 32, who owns a grocery store in Helmand province.
“There is neither a centre here to diagnose or treat coronavirus patients, nor
is there any effort to create awareness of the disease. Official figures show
Afghanistan has more than 17,000 confirmed cases -- including thousands in
Taliban-controlled territories. But an overall shortage of testing kits,
medical supplies and a dilapidated health system were compounding problems in
tackling the spread, said Ahmed Saeedi, an independent analyst. Years of war
have left Afghanistan with a crumbling health sector, hampering the
government's fight against COVID-19. In an attempt to bolster their narrative
that they can run Afghanistan better than the struggling administration, the
Taliban launched a campaign to tackle the virus in March. They posted images
online showing insurgents distributing masks and soap to villagers -- albeit
without any social distancing.”

 

Nigeria

 

The Economist: In The Dry Season, Nigeria’s Army Puts Boko Haram On The Back
Foot
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“The chief of staff of Nigeria’s army, General Tukur Buratai, has often
declared victory over Boko Haram, a jihadist group known for kidnapping girls
and strapping bombs to children. But it was only in April, after soldiers from
neighbouring Chad attacked the rebels’ bases, that he felt confident enough to
move his headquarters from Abuja, the sleepy federal capital, to Borno state,
the heart of the insurgency. It was intended as a signal that Nigeria was
entering the final stages of a bloody war that has raged for more than ten
years and cost perhaps 40,000 lives, according to the Armed Conflict Location &
Event Data Project (acled), a non-profit organisation based in America.
Nigerian forces claim to have made big advances and to have killed more than
1,000 insurgents in recent weeks. Few Nigerians believe the government’s
numbers or that it is winning the war, since it has been saying so since late
2015. But audio messages released by Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Boko
Haram’s main faction, since April suggest the group is indeed hard-pressed. In
one of them he wept and prayed for protection from the “devilish” army as he
urged his men to stand firm.”

 

Africa

 

Al Jazeera: Thousands Flee Niger Refugee Camp After Attack
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“Thousands have fled a camp hosting thousands of Malian refugees in western
Niger after a deadly attack devastated the site. About 50 fighters on
motorbikes killed three local leaders, abducted a guard, destroyed
communication antennas, and sabotaged the water supply in a coordinated attack
on Monday at the Intikane site near the Malian border. Intikane is home to
about 20,000 Malian refugees and 15,000 internally displaced Nigeriens - all of
whom previously fled their villages because of violence. Now many are on the
move again with some 3,000 people fleeing to Tlemces, 27km (43 miles) from
Intikane, the UN's refugee agency in Niamey told AFP news agency. UNHCR
official Kourouma Mamady Fatta said the agency was carrying out an assessment
of the damage and trying to get the water supply flowing again. The governor of
the Tahoua region, Moussa Abdourahamane, said: “Intikane is losing its
population, people are moving towards Tlemces.” The perpetrators “attacked the
sensitive points of the site - they cut communication lines to isolate the
population, and they destroyed the sources for drinking water,” he told the
national public radio station after visiting Intikane. A radio report said
troops had been deployed to secure the area.”

 

The East African: Mozambique: Security Forces Kill 78 Insurgents Cabo Delgado
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“The Mozambique defence and security forces have killed 78 insurgents,
including two of their top leaders, and injured 60 others in Cabo Delgado, in
the northern part of the country, the government has announced. The two
militant leaders were said to be foreign nationals. During the raid, government
forces seized equipment and goods suspected to have been stolen from locals,
including vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles. Mozambique's Defence Minister Jaime
Neto told journalists Sunday that following this offensive, they are hopeful
that life in Macomia District will now return to peace and order. “The
insurgents have been attacking the village since Thursday May 28,” he said,
adding that one of the militants' leaders “was involved in the first attacks to
the village in October 5, 2017.” On Saturday, President Filipe Nyusi visited
Cabo Delgado Province where he met officials from the defence and security
forces. Recently, the country's Interior Minister Amade Miquidade told
Parliament that insurgents used sophisticated technology such as drones to
carry out their attacks. Cabo Delgado Province, about 1,663km north of Maputo,
has for a long time suffered militant attacks. The province, however, boasts of
minerals such as gold, grenadines, aquamarines, tourmalines, blue topaz and
green tourmalines.”

 

The Christian Post: 27 Killed, Some Burned Alive In Jihadi Attacks On
Predominantly Christian Villages In Mali
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“Suspected Islamic radicals killed at least 27 people, some of whom were
burned alive, in a series of attacks that spanned from last Tuesday to
Wednesday evening in three villages that advocates say are predominantly
inhabited by Christians in Central Mali, officials said. As escalations in
communal violence have plagued the West African country in recent years, local
officials told Reuters that attacks in the villages of Bankass, Koro and Tillé
were carried out by armed men on motorcycles whom they believe to be jihadists
that claim to protect Fulani herders from Dogon farmers. “We were surprised by
the attack on the village of Tillé,” Doucombo Deputy Mayor Yacouba Kassogué
told the news agency. “Seven were killed, all Dogons, some of them burned
alive.” At least 20 additional people were reported to have been killed in
neighboring villages of Bankass and Koro. According to local officials, most of
the victims in those two villages were shot or burned to death.  According to
the interdenominational Christian aid agency Barnabus Aid, the attacks carried
out last week in Central Mali victimized “mainly-Christian Dogon villages.”

 

Germany

 

Deutsche Welle: German Neo-Nazis Trained At Russian Camps: Report
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“Right-wing extremists in Germany are participating in paramilitary training
at a special camp near city of Saint Petersburg in Russia, German news magazine
Focus reported Friday. Members of the youth wing of Germany's extreme-right
National Democratic Party (NPD) and the minor right-wing party The Third Way
have completed the training, the report said, citing German intelligence
sources. The participants received training in how to use weapons and
explosives. They were also trained in close combat, the magazine said. Swedish
and Finnish nationals are also among the trainees. Participants go on to join
Russian militias active in eastern Ukraine.  The “Partizan” camp is run by
followers of Russia's right-wing extremist Russian Imperial Movement (RIM).
German intelligence believes RIM has two camps close to Saint Petersburg. The
organization seeks the restoration of the Russian Empire. The US recently added
RIM to its list of global terrorist groups. The group had “provided
paramilitary-style training to white supremacists and neo-Nazis in Europe,” the
US said. Russia responded at the time saying that adding the group to the list
did not help fight terrorism and that the US had not provided any details.”

 

Australia

 

The Strategist: Early Intervention Is Key To Diverting Young People From
Violent Extremism
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“The involvement of young people in violent extremism isn’t a 21st-century
phenomenon. The Nazi party in Germany founded the Hitler Youth organisations in
the early 1920s to indoctrinate juveniles, and the Irish Republican Army
discovered the value of recruiting juveniles or ‘cleanskins’ during the 1980s
and 1990s war of attrition in Ulster. The 21st century has brought a new level
of concern about the number of young people now engaging in violent extremism.
The Radicalisation Awareness Network reported in 2018 that young people make up
the highest percentage of individuals joining violent extremist groups
worldwide. This phenomenon also occurs in Australia. In 2018, the Australian
Security Intelligence Organisation indicated that, due particularly to the
persistent use of online propaganda and the presence of young people detained
in the youth justice system, the number of young people involved in
terrorism-related offences may continue to rise. More than 10% of all people
convicted for terrorism offences since 2014 in Australia were under the age of
18 at the time they offended, and a further 25% were aged between 18 and 25
years.”

 

Southeast Asia

 

The New York Times: Philippine Dissenters May Face Terrorist Designation
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“President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines is expected to sign sweeping
antiterrorism legislation that critics said on Thursday would allow the
authorities to classify government opponents as terrorists and detain people
for critical social media posts. The measure, which has passed both houses of
Congress, neared finalization as the United Nations released a scathing report
that cites widespread human rights violations under Mr. Duterte, including the
extrajudicial killing of more than 8,000 people. Despite years of international
and domestic criticism over rights abuses, Mr. Duterte appears eager to double
down on his strategy of suppressing dissent and to give the police an even
freer hand to crack down. Critics said the legislation was so broadly written
that it would allow the arrest and detention of people without a warrant or a
charge for criticizing the government or acts such as causing property damage
or carrying a weapon. “It’s obvious that the bill is not after real
terrorists,” said Senator Leila de Lima, a critic of Mr. Duterte who has been
imprisoned for more than three years. “There is a new crime here, called
inciting to terrorism. Just protest against not receiving aid amid the
pandemic, and they can charge you with ‘inciting.’”

 

The Diplomat: What Does COVID-19 Mean For Terrorism In Bangladesh?
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“Islamist militancy is not a new phenomenon in Bangladesh; rather it dates
back to the early 1980s. Islamist militancy in Bangladesh, based on its
evolution process and the range of activities involved, can be divided into six
phases. The first phase, the incubation period, covers the period from the late
1970s to 1986, where there were no attacks and public activity. The second
phase, the formation period, starts with the formation of the Muslim Millat
Bahini in 1986 and ends in 2001 with the introduction of Hizb-ut Tahrir (HT) to
Bangladesh. During this formation period, many Islamist extremist groups
including HT, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Jagrata Muslim Janata
Bangladesh (JMJB), and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami Bangladesh (HUJIB) came into
existence in Bangladesh. The third phase, the operational phase, started in
2001 with the bombing of a Communist Party of Bangladesh rally and ends in 2007
with the execution of JMB and JMJB leaders. This phase witnessed the killing of
156 people — cultural activists, renowned poets, judges, and secular voices.
The fourth phase (2007-2013) is called a “silent phase” because it was a quiet
period in terms of militant activity.”

 

Technology

 

NBC News: From Extremism To Coronavirus: How A Nonprofit Pivoted To Confront
Arabic-Language Misinformation
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“Faisal Al Mutar was at his home in New York City when he saw the first hints
of what would become a tidal wave of Arabic-language coronavirus conspiracy
content spreading online. It was mid-February and while the virus was starting
to appear in Iran, there was yet to be a serious outbreak in an Arab country —
the rampant misinformation had arrived in the Arab world before the virus. Al
Mutar, 28, watched videos suggesting the pandemic was part of a biological war
between the United States and China. Homespun articles claimed that eating
garlic was enough to ward off the virus. Religious authorities argued the
disease was a punishment for China’s treatment of the Uighur Muslims. “The most
dangerous misinformation I saw is the claim that because we are Muslims, the
virus is not going to affect us,” he said. Al Mutar decided then that such
misinformation had the potential to get people killed and redirected his
organization, Ideas Beyond Borders, to join the fight against coronavirus
falsehoods. Al Mutar founded the group in 2017, four years after he arrived in
the U.S. as a refugee from Iraq. Its mission was to provide “a positive
alternative to extremism, authoritarianism and censorship” by creating online
content in Arabic that encourages free expression and critical thinking.”



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