It took less than two hours for gunmen to kill more people in Nigeria’s
northeastern Borno state than the coronavirus reportedly had in three months.

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


June 11, 2020

 

The Washington Post: A Massacre In Nigeria’s Borno State Left More People Dead
Than Months Of Coronavirus
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“It took less than two hours for gunmen to kill more people in Nigeria’s
northeastern Borno state than the coronavirus reportedly had in three months.
Modu Ajimi, a 42-year-old civil servant in the district of Gubio, lost four
cousins in the massacre, which claimed at least 81 lives Tuesday, the latest
bloody chapter in the region’s decade-long conflict. The young adults were out
fetching water, he said — pandemic hygiene called for extra buckets — when
militants rolled up in trucks, shooting everyone in sight. No group has claimed
responsibility for the attack. “Their bodies bore a bullet hole in almost every
part,” said Ajimi, who found them in a dirt field: Ari. Mamman. Ibrahim. Maina.
He covered their faces with blankets. As Africa’s most populous nation battles
an Islamist insurgency and the coronavirus at the same time, Nigerians living
at the heart of the trouble fear the public-health response is eclipsing
efforts to fight the extremist threat. Boko Haram, which has killed more than
30,000 people since 2009, hasn’t stopped staging regular attacks and stealing
livestock in the country’s northeast during the pandemic. An offshoot, the
Islamic State in West Africa, has stuck to its strategy of striking army bases
while collecting taxes from villagers it aims to govern. “How many people has
the coronavirus killed in Nigeria?” asked Abubakar Sadiq Kurbe, a political
scientist in Borno’s biggest city, Maiduguri. “Insurgents and bandits and other
criminals kill more within a week.”

 

BBC News: George Floyd Death: Al-Qaeda Tries To Exploit US Unrest
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“Al-Qaeda is actively trying to exploit the current unrest in the US by
reaching out to both Muslims and non-Muslims to present themselves as
“champions of the oppressed”. The latest issue of the jihadist group's online
magazine One Ummah uses the iconic image of George Floyd's last moments and a
painting by the graffiti artist Banksy to help deliver its message of
unsolicited support to protesters on US streets. The English-language issue,
clearly aimed at a domestic US audience, predicts the imminent demise of the US
and its political system as well its economy and society. “Armed protests rage
across America and a civil war appears to be in the offing,” reads its
commentary. One of its messages is that, “not even the Democrats can help you
but we can”. Mina Al-Lami from BBC Monitoring says there is a contrast between
the approaches of al-Qaeda and its main rival, the Islamic State group (IS).
Whereas IS has simply been gloating at America's discomfort and predicting that
the unrest will spread to other countries, al-Qaeda has been more subtle,
reaching out and trying to convert Americans to its version of Islam and its
cause, she says. The magazine piece, our analyst suggests, has clearly been
written by someone who has a good knowledge of what is going on in the US.”

 

United States

 

Fox News: DOJ To Give Nearly $10M In Anti-Terror Funds To Parkland Shooting
Victims
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“The Justice Department’s (DOJ's) Office for Victims of Crime announced
Wednesday that it has granted $9.8 million in funding to assist victims of the
February 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in
Parkland, Fla. The grant will provide funds from the Anti-terrorism and
Emergency Assistance Program to the Florida Department of Legal Affairs’
Division of Victim Services and Criminal Justice programs for the victims of
the shooting. The funding will also reimburse “key agencies” that provided
immediate services. “More than two years after 17 innocent lives were violently
cut short, the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas remains as senseless as it
is painful,” Department of Justice Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General
Katharine T. Sullivan said Wednesday. “We open our hearts and pledge our
continued support to the families of the victims, to the brave first responders
who came to the scene that terrible day and to the entire community of
Parkland.” Fourteen students and three staff members were shot and killed, and
17 others were wounded during one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S.
history. The funding is also intended for students, families, staff and first
responders who survived the shooting to help with “ongoing trauma-informed,
evidence-based healing and resiliency services.”

 

NBC Bay Area: Bay Area Attacks On Law Enforcement Likely Acts Of Domestic
Terrorism: Sources
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“Federal authorities believe two Bay Area attacks on law enforcement are the
work of the same domestic terror cell. The federal courthouse ambush in Oakland
that left Federal Security Officer David Underwood dead two weeks ago and the
attack that killed Santa Cruz Sheriff's Sergeant Damon Gutzwiller, and wounded
two other members of law enforcement, are believed to be connected. Multiple
sources with knowledge of the federal investigation into both shootings say
Steven Carrillo – who is being held for the shooting death of the deputy in Ben
Lomond – is believed to also be the gunman in the Oakland shooting. The driver
of the van involved remains at large. Justin Ehrhardt trained with Carrillo in
2014 at Hill Air Force Base in Utah and never had a hint that Carrillo was
capable of a homicide, especially of law enforcement.  “It was a huge shock to
say the least and those of us who know him no him as someone who is really nice
and helpful, friendly,” said Ehrhardt. At the time of the killings, Carrillo
was stationed at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, trained in explosives and
tactics. A month ago he called Ehrhardt and nothing stood out.”

 

Syria

 

Kurdistan 24: SDF Detains 110 Suspects In Anti-ISIS Campaign
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“The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Wednesday announced the arrest of 110
so-called Islamic State terrorists during the first phase of the Deterring
Terrorism campaign near the Syrian-Iraqi border. The Deterring Terrorism
campaign began on June 4, 2020. The operation covers the southern countryside
of Hasakah in the Dashisha area adjacent to the Iraqi border and extends to the
border of the Baghouz region in line with the Euphrates and the Khabour River
in the countryside of Deir al-Zor. The first phase ended on June 10, Deir
al-Zor Military Council spokesperson Lelwah Abdullah said in a press conference
on Wednesday on behalf of the SDF. Abdullah said the campaign was conducted “in
military coordination between our forces and the Iraqi government and with the
participation of the Coalition forces.” The operation is meant “to secure the
border areas, maintain civil peace, and secure the lives of people from the
attacks of ISIS cells,” the spokesperson added, noting that the terror group
has “intensified its activity recently.” “Our forces have covered nearly 175
kilometers in length and 60 kilometers in width, which included over 150
villages and farms.” In total, the SDF raided 65 locations and arrested 110
suspects.”

 

Associated Press: Kosovar Woman Repatriated From Syria Charged With Terrorism
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“Kosovo prosecutors on Wednesday filed terrorism charges against an ethnic
Albanian woman on allegations she joined the Islamic State extremist group in
Syria. The woman, identified only as V. I. in line with privacy laws, left with
her husband for Sweden in November 2014 where they established ties with the
Islamic State, prosecutors said in a statement. From there, they’re alleged to
have flown to Turkey, then crossed by land into Syria. V.I. worked in different
cities helping her husband and other IS fighters with logistics, earning $150
(132 euro) per month, prosecutors said. She was apprehended by Kurdish forces
in 2018 and turned over to Kosovo as part of a group of 110 citizens
repatriated in April, 2019 with the assistance of the American army, according
to prosecutors. Many already face terrorism charges. The suspect faces up to 15
years in prison if convicted. Prosecutors did not divulge details on her
husband.”

 

Iraq

 

The New York Times: ISIS Attacks Surge In Iraq Amid Debate On U.S. Troop Levels

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“The assailants came at dusk, creeping on foot through the dusty palm groves
near the Tigris River, armed only with a rocket-propelled grenade, a light
machine gun and Kalashnikovs. They had laid roadside bombs to kill anyone who
rushed to help the unsuspecting local guards, who were in their sights. When
the attack on the village last month was over, nine members of a Sunni tribe
that had opposed the Islamic State were dead and four were wounded, one of them
nearly burned to death. This is the Islamic State in Iraq in 2020: low-tech,
low-cost, rural, but still lethal. And while it has not carried out attacks on
the scale that it did a few years ago, the number of attacks has begun to grow
again. As American and Iraqi negotiators begin a new round of strategic talks
on Thursday, the question of how to respond to the Islamic State’s quiet
resurgence — and how much American help is required to do so — will be at the
center of the discussion. There are currently about 5,200 American troops in
Iraq, whose main missions are counterterrorism and training Iraqi forces. The
Trump administration, which sees the American presence as crucial for tamping
down the resurgence of ISIS and as a xxxxxx against Iranian power in Iraq,
wants to keep a substantial force there.”

 

Al Monitor: Iraqi Sunnis Seek Answers For Those Displaced In Time Of Fighting
Islamic State
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“In an attempt to pressure the Mustafa al-Kadhimi government to reveal the
fate of Sunnis who disappeared during the operations to liberate the country
from the Islamic State (IS), Iraqis rolled out the hashtag Waiyoun (“Where Are
They”) on social media. The demands also include revealing the fate of those
who went missing during the October 2019 protests. As it went viral among
Iraqis, international organizations such as Human Rights Watch also interacted
with the hashtag and joined the popular demand. The issue of Sunnis who
disappeared during the fight against IS has always been sensitive, as one
rarely dared to talk about it because of militia involvement. It was also a
demand made by just the Sunni political forces and was included in their
political talks with the Shiite forces who consider the post of prime minister
— the top executive post in the Iraqi administration — to be strictly theirs.
Those who were forcibly disappeared in Iraq are the ones who went missing when
IS occupied nearly a third of Iraqi territory in 2014. Others disappeared
during the operations conducted by official security forces affiliated with the
ministries of the interior and defense and the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU)
to liberate the country from IS.”

 

Afghanistan

 

Voice Of America: US General: Taliban Not Yet Met Conditions For US Withdrawal
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“The Taliban have not yet met conditions required for a complete U.S. troop
withdrawal from Afghanistan by next May as envisioned in a U.S.-Taliban deal
signed in February, the commander overseeing U.S. forces there said Wednesday.
Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, said the U.S. is ahead of
schedule for an initial drawdown by July to 8,600 troops. Another U.S.
official, who was not authorized to discuss details and so spoke on condition
of anonymity, said troop levels are now below 9,000, compared with about 12,000
in February. “Those conditions would be: Can we be assured that attacks against
us will not be generated there? And as of right now ... frankly, if asked my
opinion, those conditions have not been fully met,” he said in a video
conference hosted by the Middle East Institute in Washington. McKenzie spoke
from his headquarters in Florida. McKenzie's skepticism comes as President
Donald Trump focuses on an early troop exit that would fulfill his frequent
promise to get the United States out of Afghanistan. Trump has said U.S. troops
are acting as police in Afghanistan and should get out of a conflict that is
now almost two decades old.”

 

Long War Journal: Taliban Denounces ‘Deviant Beliefs,’ Including ‘Satanic
Western And Disbelieving Ideologies’
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“As Western and Afghan officials cling to the hope that they can make peace
with the Taliban and integrate the group into the government, the Taliban
continues to display its true colors. In a recent video, the Taliban extolled
the virtues of jihad and its Islamic Emirate while denouncing “deviants … who
are trained in the poisonous deviant beliefs of atheism, communism, secularism,
democracy, and other satanic western and disbelieving ideologies.” The video,
titled “Real Men 4,” is the latest in a series of Taliban statements that makes
clear the group will not compromise with the Afghan government, which it has
previously described as a “puppet” of the U.S., as well as “illegitimate,”
“impotent,” and most importantly, “un-Islamic.” The Taliban has been clear that
the only acceptable government is its own Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, with
its emir, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada at the helm. “But the Deviants are
those who are trained in the poisonous deviant beliefs of atheism, communism,
secularism, democracy, and other satanic western and disbelieving ideologies in
order to mislead the Muslims with their deviant ideologies,” The Taliban
narrator states in English.”

 

Pakistan

 

Associated Press: Bomb Targeting Army Vehicle Kills 2 Pakistani Troops In NW
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“A roadside bomb targeting a vehicle carrying troops exploded Wednesday,
killing two soldiers and wounding two others in northwest Pakistan near the
Afghan border, the military said. The soldiers were on patrol when the attack
happened near Miran Shah, a key town in the North Waziristan district, the
military said in a statement. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the
attack but suspicion fell on local militants who have been blamed by
authorities for previous such attacks on security forces deployed there. North
Waziristan was a former militant base until the Pakistani military said a
succession of operations there had cleared the area of Taliban fighters.
However, violence has increased there in recent weeks, spreading fear among
residents that the military might carry out more operations.”

 

Gulf News: Pakistan Police Kill A Terrorist Involved In Canadian Journalist
Qahaar’s Murder
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“The man accused of kidnapping and murdering Canadian journalist Khadija Abdul
Qahaar was killed in a police encounter in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of
Pakistan. Sanaullah Abbasi, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa, revealed on Tuesday that Amin Shah, the main accused involved in
abducting and killing the journalist was killed in a police encounter. Shah was
a member of the banned militant outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). He
said the police along with personnel from the Counter Terrorism Department
carried out the raid to apprehend a criminal identified as Amin Shah. Shah was
accused of abducting the journalist in 2008 and demanding a ransom of $2
million (Dh7.36 million). He also stood accused of killing her in 2010,
according to reports in Pakistan media. “As soon as the police approached to
arrest him, the acused opened fire at police team and was eventually killed in
a retaliatory fire from the police personnel,” said Police Chief Abbasi. He
added that one terrorist was killed and eight others were apprehended during
separate raids carried out by law enforcement agencies on Tuesday.”

 

Middle East

 

The Washington Free Beacon: Lawsuit Alleges Qatar Secretly Financed Terror
Attacks That Killed Americans
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“Qatar secretly provided funding for several terror attacks that killed
Americans and Israelis, according to allegations leveled in an unprecedented
new lawsuit filed in New York City on Wednesday that seeks compensation for the
families of those killed. Multiple Qatari financial institutions, largely
controlled by the country’s ruling monarch, provided millions of dollars to
Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), two U.S.-designated terrorist
organizations that waged multiple successful attacks on American citizens,
according to a copy of the lawsuit obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. As
part of this alleged funding scheme, Qatari charities allegedly used the U.S.
banking system to illegally funnel these groups the money necessary to
orchestrate and conduct the attacks. As Hamas’s most prolific funder, “Qatar
coopted several institutions that it dominates and controls to funnel coveted
U.S. dollars (the chosen currency of Middle East terrorist networks) to Hamas
and PIJ under the false guise of charitable donations,” according to the
lawsuit, which was filed under the U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act and has been in the
works for the last two years. Revelations of Qatar’s alleged involvement in
these terror plots is likely to fuel ongoing congressional investigations into
Qatar’s support for terror factions and other anti-U.S. militia groups.”

 

Somalia

 

The Defense Post: Three Civilians Dead In AU Firefight With Al Shabaab In
Somalia
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“The African Union said that three civilians were killed and two others
injured during a firefight between its forces in Somalia and Islamists from the
Al Shabaab group. The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) said its troops
clashed with Al Shabaab fighters who had laid a roadside ambush on Monday
northeast of Janale in Lower Shabelle, a hotbed for the insurgents.
“Regrettably, three women were killed in the crossfire while two were injured
and are currently receiving medical attention at the AMISOM hospital,” AMISOM
said in a statement late Tuesday. “We would like to render our sincere
apologies and heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and wish
the injured a speedy recovery.” AMISOM head Ambassador Francisco Madeira said
the incident was “unfortunate” and that its peacekeeping force deployed in
Somalia “remain committed to protecting the population.” AMISOM troops, which
support Somalia’s ill-equipped national army in the fight against Al Shabaab,
have been accused of killing civilians during past operations. US forces, which
regularly target the Islamists with airstrikes, announced in April that one of
its drone attacks the previous year resulted in two civilian deaths.”

 

Africa

 

WTOP: The Hunt: A Top Terrorist Killed In Mali
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“Abdelmalek Droukdel, the longtime leader of al-Qaida’s North African arm, was
recently killed in Mali. On this week’s edition of The Hunt with WTOP national
security correspondent J.J. Green, Hans Jakob-Schindler, senior director of the
Counter Extremism Project, explains the significance. Listen below.”



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