Eye on Extremism
August 20, 2019
The
New York Times: ISIS Is Regaining Strength In Iraq And
Syria
“Five months after American-backed forces ousted the Islamic State
from its last shard of territory in Syria, the terrorist group is
gathering new strength, conducting guerrilla attacks across Iraq and
Syria, retooling its financial networks and targeting new recruits at
an allied-run tent camp, American and Iraqi military and intelligence
officers said. Though President Trump hailed a total defeat of the
Islamic State this year, defense officials in the region see things
differently, acknowledging that what remains of the terrorist group is
here to stay. A recent inspector general’s report warned that a
drawdown this year from 2,000 American forces in Syria to less than
half of that, ordered by Mr. Trump, has meant the American military
has had to cut back support for Syrian partner forces fighting ISIS.
For now, American and international forces can only try to ensure that
ISIS remains contained and away from urban areas. Although there is
little concern that the Islamic State will reclaim its former physical
territory, a caliphate that was once the size of Britain and
controlled the lives of up to 12 million people, the terrorist group
has still mobilized as many as 18,000 remaining fighters in Iraq and
Syria.”
Associated
Press: Afghanistan Mourns, Vows To Crush Militants After
Attack
“As Afghanistan mourned the 63 people killed in a suicide bombing
at a Kabul wedding , a brother of the groom spoke through tears of his
weariness at the bloodshed in the country and the crushing guilt he
felt at having to face his neighbors, many of whom lost relatives in
the weekend blast. “Around 20 victims’ families live in our very
neighborhood,” said 22-year-old Ramin, whose brother, Mirwais Alami,
survived along with his bride, Raihana. “We don’t know how we should
look at them,” said Ramin, who like many Afghans uses only one name.
“Maybe they don’t want us, or like us, anymore.” He was drained after
a day of burying the dead, which included the 8-year-old brother of
the bride. The bomber detonated his explosives Saturday night in the
middle of a dancing crowd in the wedding hall, wounding nearly 200
others. The attack was claimed by an affiliate of the Islamic State.
“We are just tired of this life,” Ramin said of the decades of war and
insurgency that Afghanistan has endured. The country on Monday marked
a subdued 100th Independence Day after the bombing, with President
Ashraf Ghani vowing to “eliminate” all safe havens for the IS
affiliate. Many outraged Afghans are asking whether an expected deal
between the United States and the Taliban to end nearly 18 years of
fighting — America’s longest war — will bring peace as the IS
affiliate poses a growing threat.”
Fox
News: Islamist Terror Plots In Europe Declining, But Schemes Getting
More 'Creative,' Analysis Says
“Despite being driven from its former Iraq and Syria strongholds
six months ago, ISIS continues to find ways to wreak havoc across the
Middle East, remaining an innovative -- if less strategically
successful -- terror force. According to a new report from The
Heritage Foundation, ”The Post-Caliphate Terror Threat in Europe – and
the Need for Continuing U.S. Assistance,” ISIS' territorial defeat can
be directly equated with the decline in attacks; but, the author also
notes, the threat landscape has changed. “America’s strategy has
worked: It took almost four-and-a-half years, but the Islamic State’s
self-proclaimed caliphate in Syria and Iraq has been dismantled. Yet
the threat from ISIS is far from over,” the report, authored by
Heritage National Security and Foreign Policy fellow Rob Simcox,
states. “Increased focus is now being placed instead on the danger
that ISIS is likely to pose as an insurgency.” The total number of
attacks on European soil has declined since 2014, the year ISIS
emerged and undertook a stunning campaign that won it large swaths of
territory across Iraq and Syria. In 2014, Europe was targeted with 16
Islamist attacks and plots, the number rising to 44 in 2015 and then
up to 84 in 2016 – the height of ISIS' influence before major efforts
were undertaken by numerous world powers to force the terrorists from
their operations base.”
BBC
News: How I Stopped My Teenager Being Recruited
Online
“A mother expressed her concern about extremist content poisoning
the minds of boys as they use the internet, in a post that went viral.
She thinks there are warning signs parents should heed. In an age
where anyone can access just about anything on the internet, white
boys in the US seem particularly at risk from dangerous radicalisation
online. Many mass shooting suspects in the US have three things in
common: They are young, white and male. The suspect behind the El Paso
shooting that killed 22 people in Texas is believed to have posted a
racist manifesto online. Police investigating a deadly attack in
Dayton the following day said the gunman was influenced by a “violent
ideology”, although no motive has been disclosed. The dangers of the
internet are not a novel talking point for parents and teachers, but
these most recent tragedies have sparked renewed debate over what
families can - and should - do when it comes to raising white boys in
America. “The red flags started going up for us when, a year or so
ago, [our kids] started asking questions that felt like they came
directly from alt-right talking points,” says Joanna Schroeder, a Los
Angeles-based writer, media critic and mother of three.”
Bloomberg:
Brazil Considers Labeling Hezbollah As Terrorists In Pivot To
U.S.
“Brazil is considering designating Lebanese group Hezbollah a
terrorist organization, as President Jair Bolsonaro increasingly
aligns his government with the U.S. on foreign policy. Officials are
reviewing their options to move forward with the idea, which is being
discussed at the highest levels of government but doesn’t have
across-the-board support, according to three people with direct
knowledge of the matter. It wouldn’t be easily implemented due to the
particularities of Brazilian law, they added, requesting anonymity
because the discussion isn’t public. The idea is part of Bolsonaro’s
efforts to forge stronger ties with Donald Trump, with whom he also
seeks a trade deal. It also fits into the world-view of Brazil’s
right-wing president and his inner-circle. During last year’s
presidential campaign, his son Eduardo, who may become the Brazilian
ambassador to the U.S., already advocated a strong stance against
Hezbollah, and Hamas. Yet the move could strain relations with Iran, a
Hezbollah ally which imports $2.5 billion of Brazilian products per
year, and displease Brazil’s influential Lebanese community. The
government also worries it could make the country a target of
terrorism, said one of the people.”
United States
Newsweek:
Ex Antifa Member Wants Group Labeled A 'Domestic Terrorism' Threat,
Claims They're Trying To 'Hurt' And 'Harass'
“An ex-Antifa member is calling out the group, claiming that the
far-left group is “trying to hurt” and “harass” and that its actions
should be designated as “domestic terrorism.” President Donald Trump
and some Republican lawmakers have pushed for labeling the
decentralized left-wing group's activists, who fight back against
far-right white nationalism and fascism, as terrorists. But unlike
white nationalists and supporters of the far-right, Antifa members
have never been responsible for any deaths, although they routinely
brawl with far-right demonstrators at protests. Nonetheless, Gabriel
Nadales, who now works with the conservative Leadership Institute,
views the ideology and its activists as a significant threat. “Antifa
sounds good,” Nadales, who joined the group back in 2010, said during
an interview with Fox News America's Newsroom on Monday morning.
“Antifa stands for anti-fascism and I joined thinking I was going to
be doing something good.” “But unfortunately, once you get into Antifa
and you start realizing that what they're doing is not right,” he
continued. “They're trying to hurt people, they're trying to harass
people. And you know, the reason I left Antifa was because I started
asking questions and as soon as I asked questions, they started
harassing me.”
The
Hill: A Domestic Terrorism Law Is Not Enough To Combat Gun
Violence
“In response to the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton earlier
this month, Americans are rightfully focused on legislative solutions
to address the issue of gun violence. One idea that has resurfaced is
that of establishing a federal crime of domestic terrorism, and
similar bills doing just that have been introduced in the Senate by
Republican Martha McSally of Arizona and also in the House by Democrat
Adam Schiff of California. While I salute their efforts to step up and
propose more than mere platitudes, the fact remains that these bills
alone would do little to combat the threat of white nationalism and
other extremist ideologies and nothing to address the scourge of gun
violence in the United States. As drafted, the bills would establish
domestic terrorism as a standalone crime defined as committing murder,
kidnapping, assault, or creating a substantial risk of serious bodily
injury by destroying property with the intent to intimidate or coerce
a civilians or influence government policy. They would impose harsh
sentences on violators, including the death penalty or life
imprisonment for attacks where a victim is murdered. The Senate
version would impose new obligations on the Justice Department to
report each year to Congress on the domestic terrorism threat, while
the House version focuses on the civil liberties implications.”
Syria
Associated
Press: Militants Leave Key Rebel Town As Syrian Troops Push
In
“The main insurgent group in the Syrian province of Idlib pulled
out of a key rebel town as government forces advanced in the area on
Tuesday amid intense bombardment and airstrikes, a militant group and
opposition activists said. According to a statement from Syria’s main
al-Qaida-linked faction, the group made “a redeployment,” with its
fighters withdrawing to areas south of the town of Khan Sheikhoun.
From there, they would continue to defend the territory, it said. The
withdrawal is a significant loss for the opposition in its last major
stronghold of Idlib, in northwestern Syria. Syrian government forces
have been on the offensive in Idlib and northern parts of Hama
province since April 30, forcing nearly half a million people to flee
to safer areas further north. The fighting also killed more than 2,000
people, including hundreds of civilians. Backed by Russian air power,
Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces were able to enter parts of the
town overnight, according to opposition activists. Syrian troops are
now clearing the area abandoned by militants of explosives and
booby-traps, activists said. “After fierce bombardment by the criminal
enemy that avoids direct confrontation with holy warriors by
implementing a scorched earth policy, our fighters have redeployed
south of Khan Sheihoun,” the statement said.”
Iran
Al
Jazeera: Iran Warns US Against Seizing Oil Tanker
“Iran has warned the United States against attempting to seize an
Iranian oil tanker that set sail from Gibraltar after being impounded
for six weeks. The Adrian Darya 1, previously named Grace 1, headed
east into the Mediterranean Sea on Monday hours after authorities in
Gibraltar rejected a request from Washington to hold the ship. Its
destination was the Greek port of Kalamata, according to shipping
data. Abbas Mousavi, spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry, told a
news conference that any attempt at seizing the vessel, which has a
cargo of 2.1 million barrels of crude oil, would have “grave
consequences”. “If such an action is taken or even if it is stated
verbally and not done, it is considered a threat against the maritime
security in international waters,” said Mousavi. “The Islamic Republic
of Iran has given necessary warnings to the US officials through
official channels, especially the Swiss embassy in Tehran, not to
commit such a mistake because it would have grave consequences.” The
British Royal Marines seized the ship on July on suspicion it was
shipping oil to Syria in violation of European Unionsanctions. Iran
had denied the tanker was ever headed to Syria. The British move
triggered a sharp deterioration in relations between Iran and the
United Kingdom, and Tehran subsequently detained a British-flagged
tanker in what was seen as a tit-for-tat move.”
Iraq
Iraqi
News: Iraqi Police Destroy Three Islamic State Hotbeds In
Diyala
“The Iraqi Interior Ministry has announced that three hotbeds of
the Islamic State terrorist group were destroyed during a security
operation in the oil-rich province of Kirkuk. “Federal police forces,
acting on intelligence information, destroyed three Islamic State
hideouts in Valley Shaybah in Kirkuk province,” Maj. Gen. Saad Maan,
the ministry spokesman, said in a press statement. “The hideouts
contained 15 explosive charges, two magazines and foodstuffs,” the
statement read. Kirkuk officials previously urged reinforcing military
troops in the south and west of the province, as the region still has
Islamic State members who escaped during liberation of Hawija to
remote areas. In October 2017, former prime minister Haider al-Abadi
declared that Iraqi troops recaptured Hawija, a main town held by
Islamic State in the country. Iraqi forces, backed by a U.S.-led
coalition and paramilitary troops, have been fighting since October
2016 to retake territories Islamic State occupied in 2014.”
Xinhua:
Iraqi Forces Captures Militant Close To Top IS Leader In Western
Iraq
“Iraqi forces have arrested an Islamic States (IS) militant close
to IS group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Iraq's western province of
Anbar, authorities announced Monday. The militant was ambushed and
captured in the town of Heet, some 160 km west of the Iraqi capital
Baghdad, the Iraqi Ministry of Defense said in a statement. “The
terrorist is close to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and he is the father of
several terrorists. Some of his sons were killed by the security
forces and another one blew himself up during a suicide attack, while
another fled the country after being wounded during the battles which
liberated Iraqi territories from IS group,” the statement said without
identifying the captured terrorist. The captured militant is accused
of displacing a number of families in Heet and forced security members
to leave their weapons and to abandon their duties, according to the
statement. The security situation in Iraq has dramatically improved
after Iraqi security forces fully defeated the extremist IS militants
across the country in late 2017. IS remnants, however, have since lied
low in urban areas or resorted to deserts and rugged areas, carrying
out guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians.”
Turkey
The
Washington Post: Turkey Suspends Three Mayors, Alleging Links To
Kurdish Militants
“Turkey’s government said Monday that it had indicted three popular
mayors from Kurdish-majority provinces on terrorism charges and
replaced them with state officials. The suspension came five
months after the mayors won landslide victories in local polls.
Opposition parties criticized the move as anti-democratic, saying it
was the latest evidence that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s
government is intent on marginalizing pro-Kurdish voices. The mayors —
of Diyarbakir, Mardin and Van provinces — are members of the
opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party, or HDP, a pro-Kurdish party.
Between them, they won nearly a million votes in local elections held
in March — easily defeating candidates from Erdogan’s ruling Justice
and Development Party, or AKP. Erdogan has frequently accused the HDP
of links to the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which has
fought a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish government. HDP
officials have denied such links. Dozens of HDP members have been
arrested in the past three years, including mayors who were replaced
with state administrators. ”This is a new and clear political coup,”
the HDP said in a statement. “It also constitutes a clearly hostile
move against the political will of the Kurdish people.”
Afghanistan
The
Washington Post: The Islamic State Is Far From Defeated. Here’s What
You Need To Know About Its Affiliate In Afghanistan.
“The Islamic State claimed responsibility for a suicide
bombing that killed 63 and wounded nearly 200 people at a wedding in
Kabul over the weekend, signaling the group’s enduring reach and
underscoring one of the challenges to a U.S. and Taliban peace
negotiation. The militant group lost its self-proclaimed caliphate in
Iraq and Syria earlier this year. But Saturday’s bombing showed that
the Islamic State remains a potent force beyond the borders it once
claimed and fixed a glare on one of its lesser known but growing
affiliates: the Islamic State in Khorasan, as the Afghanistan branch
is known. The bombing came as the U.S. and the Taliban work to
finalize a peace deal that would end the 18-year war in Afghanistan.
The Trump administration’s top negotiator presented a draft
agreement to President Trump Friday that outlines a plan to withdraw
thousands of American troops from the country — a move some fear would
allow the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, to gain an even bigger
footprint. Here’s what is known about the Islamic State in
Afghanistan: The Islamic State in Khorasan officially began operating
in Afghanistan in 2015, according to a report by the Center for
Strategic and International Studies. Its name invokes the Khorasan
Province, a medieval region that encompassed parts of Afghanistan,
Iran and Central Asia.”
Voice
Of America: Trump: Talks With Taliban Continue, Afghanistan Still
Terror 'Breeding Ground'
“The fate of a much-anticipated peace agreement between the United
States and the Taliban is hanging in the balance after both
adversaries in Afghanistan's 18-year-old war said they still have
“some details” to discuss. Taliban and U.S. negotiators in recent days
have repeatedly asserted they are ready to sign a deal. The statements
triggered widespread media speculation that a meeting between U.S.
President Donald Trump and his national security team this past Friday
could lead to a formal announcement about a U.S. troop drawdown. Trump
shared details of the meeting with reporters on Sunday as he headed
back to the White House from New Jersey, suggesting the drawdown plan
is still in the works. “We’re having very good discussions [with the
Taliban]. We will see what happens. We've really got it down to
probably 13,000 people [troops] and we’ll be bringing it down a little
bit more and then we will decide whether or not we will be staying
longer or not,” he said. The U.S. plans to leave behind a “very
significant intelligence” force, Trump stressed, for operations
against Islamic State and al-Qaida, maintaining that Afghanistan
remains “a breeding ground” for terrorists.”
The
National Interest: Taliban Trolls Could Adopt New Terrorist Tactics In
The Wake Of America's Peace Plan
“President Donald Trump wants out of Afghanistan by 2020. He may
get his wish. Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. Special Representative to
Afghanistan, has been negotiating with the Taliban for a nearly a year
and is hopeful that the next round of talks will produce a “lasting
and honorable” peace agreement. While peace would be wonderful, the
United States should not be too hasty in reaching a deal. Two of the
Trump administration’s top counterterrorism priorities—defeating ISIS
and preventing Afghanistan from once more becoming a hub of global
terror—are sometimes viewed as separate objectives. In fact, they are
part of the same fight—and that fight is complicated. For starters, Al
Qaeda and the Taliban aren’t the only extremist groups operating in
Afghanistan. More than twenty foreign terrorist organizations or
organizations that have provided support to terrorists are active
there. One of the worst is the Islamic State-Khorasan (ISIS-K), which
is an Afghan affiliate of the Islamic State. When the organization
was formed in January 2015, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi hand-pickedHafiz
Saeed Khan to lead it. Khan was joined by Abdul Rauf, a former
Guantanamo Bay detainee and member of the Taliban, who defected to
al-Baghdadi’s cause.”
NPR:
U.S. And The Taliban May Be Near A Deal. What Does That Mean For
Afghanistan?
“Nearly two decades into the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. suddenly
appears to be nearing an agreement with the Taliban that could bring
the remaining 14,000 U.S. troops home. That's causing unease inside
the Afghan government, which has been left on the sidelines as the
U.S. and the Taliban have held multiple rounds of talks this year in
the Gulf nation of Qatar. The latest round wrapped up last week
without a deal, but with signs of progress. The Afghan government says
it's prepared to negotiate with the Taliban — but the Taliban are
refusing to reciprocate, calling the Afghan government an American
puppet. Roya Rahmani, Afghanistan's ambassador to the U.S., said that
while she supports efforts toward peace, “peace negotiations would
start when the Taliban are able and ready to face the Afghan people,
the people they are fighting, and their legitimate elected
government.” The Taliban seized power in her homeland in the 1990s,
when she was a teenager. She spent most of those years as a refugee in
Pakistan, but in visits home during that time, she says she “found my
country drained of energy and worse than that, drained of hope.”
Yemen
Asharq
Al-Awsat: UAE Minister Says Confronting Houthi Coup Priority In
Yemen
“United Arab Emirates State Minister for Foreign Affairs Anwar
Gargash said on Monday that the priority in Yemen is confronting the
coup by the Iran-backed Houthi militias. “Any decision on Yemen must
be the culmination of Yemeni dialogue within the political solution
that we all aspire for,” he added. Tensions have been high in Aden
after southern separatists seized military camps and other state
institutions after four days of clashes with the legitimate government
forces. Saudi Arabia intervened to end the fighting and is set to host
a meeting for the rival parties.”
Middle East
The
National: The World Cannot Keep Turning A Blind Eye To Qatar’s Funding
Of Terrorism
“A country smaller than Armenia in both land mass and population,
Qatar commands a global presence disproportionate to its size. With
plans to host the World Cup in summer 2022, Qatar remains at the
forefront of the world’s attention. While this spotlight has
occasionally shed light on abuses of workers’ rights in the build-up
to the World Cup, far too little attention has been heeded to perhaps
Qatar’s most looming concern - its role as a sponsor of terrorism. To
this day, Qatar remains one of Hamas’s largest funders and supporters.
Qatar has pledged more than $1.1 billion to Hamas since 2012. However,
Hamas is an extremist group with a malign influence on the
Arab-Israeli conflict and an extremist agenda. Doha has also welcomed
high-profile Hamas figures, inviting senior officials such as Khaled
Meshaal, the former chief of Hamas’s political wing. Ever since,
Meshaal has taken full advantage of his hosts, arranging a Hamas
conference at Doha’s Four Seasons hotel and revealing the group’s new
charter in the city’s Sheraton hotel. Ultimately, Qatar has encouraged
the Iranian-backed group to operate with impunity. In addition to
harbouring Hamas, the Qatari government has sought to amplify the
organisation's voice and mission, as well as that of other terrorist
groups.”
Egypt
The
Washington Post: Egypt Court Hands Out 6 Death Sentences On Terror
Charges
“An Egyptian court has sentenced six people to death on terror
charges for carrying out attacks that killed at least three people,
including a policeman, on the outskirts of the capital. Giza criminal
court on Monday also sentenced 41 defendants, including 28 in
absentia, to life in prison on similar charges, including possession
of weapons and explosives. Another seven defendants received 15 years,
and one got three years. The court acquitted 14 others. The verdict
can be appealed. The charges stem from two different attacks in 2013
and 2015 in the town of Kerdasa, located near the famed Giza Pyramids.
Kerdasa had been a hotbed of Islamist support for ex-President
Mohammed Morsi, who was ousted by the military in June 2013 after
massive protests against his rule.”
Somalia
Voice
Of America: Under Pressure, IS Militants In Somalia Look To
Ethiopia
“Islamic State militants in Somalia say they will release jihadist
materials in Amharic — a step unmistakably aimed at winning recruits
in restive, neighboring Ethiopia. The announcement came in the form of
a three-minute video released last month by pro-Islamic State sites
and endorsed by the official IS media. The video posted the words to
one of Islamic State's best-known chants in Amharic and promised IS
will release more materials in the language, one of the two
most-spoken tongues in Ethiopia. Matt Bryden, an Africa analyst with
Kenya-based Sahan Research, believes Islamic State — also known as
ISIS — is reaching out to Ethiopia's Muslim community in an attempt to
take advantage of ongoing ethnic and political unrest in Africa's
second most populous nation. “I think ISIS sees in Ethiopia a
potential opportunity. We know the group has been expanding its
influences and its activities across Africa quite aggressively — so
far with small results in much of the continent but they are
persisting,” Bryden told VOA's Somali service. He says Ethiopia's
unrest may be worsening despite political reforms enacted by Prime
Minster Abiy Ahmed, including the release of thousands of political
prisoners and the signing of a peace treaty with longtime foe
Eritrea.”
Stars
And Stripes: US Says Airstrike In Somalia Kills Al-Shabaab
Militant
“The U.S. military says it has conducted an airstrike targeting an
al-Shabaab militant in the vicinity of Qunyo Barrow, Somalia, killing
a militant. In a statement, U.S. Africa Command says the airstrike was
carried out Tuesday in coordination with the Federal Government of
Somalia. The command says it appears that no civilians were wounded or
killed in the strike. The director of operations for U.S. Africa
Command, Army Maj. Gen. William Gayler, says the strike is an example
of the pressure U.S. Africa Command places on terrorist networks,
including the al-Qaida aligned al-Shabaab.” Gayler says persistent
pressure limits militants' freedom of movement, creates confusion
within the network, and supports Somali partners “as they continue to
take the fight to al-Shabaab.”
Xinhua:
Somali Forces Kill 20 Al-Shabab Militants In Southern
Region
“Somali special forces (Danab) killed 20 al-Shabab militants in
counter-offensive in southern Somali region of Lower Shabelle on
Sunday night, officials said on Monday. Odawa Yusuf Rage, the
commander of Somali infantry division said the militants launched an
attack on Somali army base in Bariire town in Lower Shabelle region
but the forces fought them back bravely and inflicted severe
casualties. “The confrontation was fierce but our forces repelled the
militants, killing 20 of them and injured more than 30 others,” Rage
said, adding that the forces were on alert to counter any attempts by
the militants. Locals reported seeing bodies on the streets following
the clashes. “We were shocked by the sounds of heavy gun fire last
night and in the morning we saw many bodies in the streets near the
army base,” Guled Adow, a resident told Xinhua by phone. On Aug. 14,
the militants drove suicide car bombs on the army's base in Awdheegle
town in the same region in which the government said it killed 7
al-Shabab militants and injured 10 others. The militant group
reportedly deployed hundreds of its fighters to Lower Shabelle region
after losing control of Bariire, Sabiid, Caanole and Awdheegle towns
this year.”
Africa
Reuters:
At Least 10 Burkina Faso Soldiers Killed In Militant
Attack
“Unidentified militants killed at least 10 soldiers and wounded
many others in an attack on a military unit in northern Burkina Faso
on Monday, the army said. Burkina Faso has been overrun by Islamist
violence this year that armed forces have been unable to contain.
Hundreds of civilians have died and more than 150,000 have fled as the
influence of jihadist groups with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State
spreads across the Sahel region. Monday’s attack occurred in the
early hours of the morning in Koutougou in Soum province, an army
statement said, without providing much further detail. “In reaction
to this barbaric attack, a vast air and land search operation is
seeking to neutralise the many assailants,” the statement said. Once
a pocket of calm in the Sahel, Burkina has suffered a spillover of
Islamist violence from its neighbors, including the kind of ethnic
attacks that have destabilized Mali in recent years. Deteriorating
security prompted the Ougadougou government to declare a state of
emergency in several northern provinces bordering Mali in December,
including Soum.”
Voice
Of America: Cameroon President Assists Militia After Boko Haram
Raids
“Authorities in Cameroon are giving huge consignments of food,
money and equipment to militias fighting Boko Haram on the country's
northern border with Nigeria. The militias are defending areas from
which the military has withdrawn. Twenty-year old cattle rancher
Hussein Abu still suffers from pain in his abdomen and forehead from
when he fell into a river while hiding from attacking Boko Haram
fighters on August 3. Abu says he and his father were part of the
militia on duty in Kousseri that day. He says his father was killed in
the attack alongside four other vigilante group members. Abu says if
his father were alive, he should have been able to ensure his young
ones would have education, food and clothing, and he should have had a
means to take care of his failing health and that of his mother. He
says he wants the state to help them. The government appears to be
listening. Authorities have given a half-million dollars worth of
food to Kousseri and an unspecified amount of money. They pledged to
give $1 million to militias in other areas. The militias are defending
areas from which the military has withdrawn, presumably to fight
separatists in Cameroon's English-speaking areas.”
United Kingdom
Al
Jazeera: Canada 'Disappointed' By UK Decision On Suspected ISIL
Fighter
“Canada has denounced the United Kingdom's decision to revoke the
citizenship of a British-Canadian man imprisoned in Syria, saying the
move was an attempt to “offload their responsibilities” over the
suspected Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, or ISIS)
fighter. The office of Canadian Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale
confirmed on Sunday in a statement that 23-year-old Jack Letts had
been stripped of his UK citizenship. “Canada is disappointed that the
United Kingdom has taken this unilateral action to offload their
responsibilities,” the statement said. ”Terrorism knows no borders, so
countries need to work together to keep each other safe.” The
statement also said officials were aware some Canadian citizens were
being detained in Syria, but there was “no legal obligation to
facilitate their return”. “We will not expose our consular officials
to undue risk in this dangerous part of the world,” it added. Under
international law, a person can only be stripped of their citizenship
by a government if it does not leave them stateless. The British Home
Office does not routinely comment on individual cases, but said in a
statement that revoking British citizenship was one way it counters
“terrorist threats.”
France
24: Bomb Detonates Near Northern Ireland Border
“An explosive device described as an attempted trap for security
forces detonated in a village on the Northern Ireland border on
Monday, but failed to injure anyone. Police and bomb disposal experts
had been working in the area of Newtownbutler over the weekend since
receiving an initial report about a suspect device on Saturday. “I am
of the firm belief this was a deliberate attempt to lure police and
ATO (Anti-Terrorism Officer) colleagues into the area to murder them,”
Stephen Martin from the Police Service of Northern Ireland said in a
statement. Martin later told reporters that two Irish republican
dissident groups, the New IRA and the Continuity IRA, “would be a very
good starting point for the investigation”. However, no group
immediately claimed responsibility for the blast which hit near a busy
road in County Fermanagh. He added: “It's fair to say their level of
activity has increased this year.” Concerns have grown that the
possible return of a hard border between British-ruled Northern
Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after Brexit could increase
security tensions in the once war-torn province.”
Germany
Deutsche
Welle: Germany's Far-Right: Police To Restructure As Threat Of
Extremism Grows
“Germany's Federal Criminal Police (BKA) wants to set up a new
central unit to fight right-wing extremism and hate crimes, research
conducted by German media outlets WDR, NDR and Süddeutsche
Zeitung showed. They examined a BKA planning paper and concluded that
the agency wants to set up the new unit in the state security policing
(ST) division. An additional 440 jobs are expected to be created for
the purpose. The BKA proposal suggests putting in place a system that
helps identify far-right extremist groups and their networks at an
early stage. It also recommends better coordination between various
national and international bodies dealing with the problem. The plan
foresees setting up a risk assessment system, called “RADAR-rechts”
(“radar right”) for violent right-wing extremists, similar to the one
that's being used to identify Islamist terrorists. As evidence of the
rising danger, BKA pointed to incidents like the murder of local
German politician Walter Lübcke, who was shot dead in an apparent act
of right-wing violence, as well as the shooting attacks at mosques in
Christchurch, New Zealand.”
Haaretz:
Germany Begins Repatriating Children Born To Islamic State Militants
In Syria
“Four German children fathered by Islamic State militants,
including an ill toddler, were handed over to Germany on Monday by
Syria's Kurdish-led administration, a Kurdish official and Germany's
foreign minister said. The children had been held in detention camps
in Syria alongside over 70,000 women and children, many of them
foreigners, who emerged from the last ISIS-controlled territories in
Syria. Two of the German children are orphans, while a third, who is
six months old, is ill. Her mother gave permission for her handover to
German authorities, said Abdulkarim Omar, a foreign affairs official
in the U.S-backed Kurdish-led administration. He said the handover
occurred at a Syrian border crossing with Iraq in the presence of a
German foreign ministry official. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told
reporters in Berlin it was “very gratifying” that the four children
were no longer in Syria. “We will continue to work so further children
can leave Syria. They are mainly small children and their
accommodation there is anything but ideal,” he said. Bottom of Form”In
the end, they can't be held responsible for the actions of their
parents,” he added. Germany is the latest European country to
repatriate children born to ISIS militants.”
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