Some social media posters have said they have no intention of endorsing attacks
but feel protesters do not have a right to impede drivers. “The intent

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


June 16, 2020

 

The Washington Post: Amid Massive Demonstrations, Vehicles Striking Protesters
Raise Disturbing Echoes Of 2017 Charlottesville Attack
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“Some social media posters have said they have no intention of endorsing
attacks but feel protesters do not have a right to impede drivers. “The
intention to harm or kill should be denounced and punished,” wrote Brandon
Morse on the conservative site RedState earlier this month, “but if you’re a
protester and you begin giving signs that you have more than just the intention
to protest, then be prepared to find out that you’re no match for a giant hunk
of metal being self-propelled by a V6 engine.” Josh Lipowsky, a senior research
analyst for the Counter Extremism Project, said the messaging is dangerous
regardless of intent. “Putting this out there into the public sphere — we do
not know who is going to see that and take it to heart,” he said. Ari Weil, a
master’s degree candidate in international relations at the University of
Chicago who has researched vehicle-ramming incidents, pointed to legislative
efforts in 2017 that proposed limiting liability for drivers who hit protesters
blocking a roadway. The bills were proposed in a half-dozen states. Florida’s
version would have exempted drivers from liability if they “unintentionally”
killed or injured a person who “obstructs or interferes with the regular flow
of vehicular traffic.” The bills did not pass.”

 

The National: UN War Probe Says ISIS Committed 7 International Crimes In Camp
Speicher Massacre
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“A war crimes probe has concluded that ISIS committed seven types of
international crimes during the camp Speicher massacre that occurred six years
ago, the UN Security Council was told on Monday. The mass killing, in which an
estimated 1,700 unarmed, predominantly Shiite soldiers from Camp Speicher - a
former US base outside the city of Tikrit - were killed, became a symbol of the
insurgent’s brutality against Iraqis. The UN team known as Unitad, which was
set up in 2017 to hold ISIS accountable for its crimes, says its information
gathering has increased significantly in the past six months due to advanced
technology. “Unitad categorises seven types of international crimes committed
by ISIS against innocent Iraqis during the Camp Speicher massacre,” Karim Khan,
the head of the team said during a virtual UN session. “We remember the victims
and remain committed to investigate the incident, collect evidence and build
case files in line with international standards to support courts in Iraq to
hold criminals accountable and bring justice to victims,” Mr Khan said. Images
of soldiers, who were shot dead in their hundreds, were posted online by ISIS
and ranked as one of the deadliest single acts of bloodshed during the last
decade of conflict in Iraq.”

 

United States

 

Associated Press: Ex-Californian Pleads Not Guilty In Terrorism Case
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“A former California prison counselor pleaded not guilty Monday to federal
charges that he lied to the FBI during an international anti-terrorism
investigation. Brian Arthur Dempsey, 48, entered his plea in a federal court in
Sacramento. He was extradited from the United Kingdom last Friday after a 3
1/2-year legal battle, the U.S. attorney's office said in a statement. Dempsey
lived in Sacramento and from 2001 to 2012 he was a youth counselor for the
juvenile justice division of the California Department of Corrections and
Rehabilitation. Prosecutors said that in 2013, Dempsey, an convert to Islam,
flew to Syria to join Islamic militant fighters in that country and stayed for
less than two months before trying to fly home. He was detained by an FBI agent
at an airport in Rome, where he was stopped because he was on a no-fly list. He
is accused of lying to an FBI agent by falsely claiming he had gone to Syria to
help refugees. He was arrested in the United Kingdom in 2017. If conivcted,
Dempsey could face up to eight years in federal prison.”

 

Syria

 

Voice Of America: Jihadists In Syria’s Idlib Form New ‘Operations Room’
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“Several al-Qaida-aligned militant groups in the northwestern Syrian province
of Idlib have announced the formation of a joint military operations room aimed
at coordinating efforts to fight Syrian government troops and its allied
forces. The new operations center, dubbed as “Be Steadfast”, consists of five
jihadist groups that operate in parts of the restive Idlib province, according
to a statement published Friday on jihadist blogs and local media outlets. “In
order to repel the attacks of the aggressors and to break the conspiracies of
the occupiers, the following factions mentioned announce the formation of the
‘Be Steadfast Operations Room’,” the statement said. These factions include
Hurras al-Din, Jamaat Ansar al-Islam and Jabhat Ansar al-Din, all of which are
affiliated with the al-Qaida terror group. The other two groups, al-Jihad
Coordination and the al-Muqatileen al-Ansar Brigade, are recent splinters from
the powerful Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which was al-Qaida’s
Syria branch until 2016 when it formally severed ties with the global jihadist
group.”

 

The National Interest: In Syria's Congested Air Space, America's F-22 Led The
Fight Against The Islamic State
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“Think of the F-22 like a sniper — it can use force if needed, but its primary
job in the Middle East is to provide overwatch. Case in point, in August 2016,
F-22s chased after Syrian Su-24 attack jets when they approached where American
commandos were operating in northeastern Syria. The F-22’s stealthiness also
allows the twin-engine jet to get closer to potentially hostile aircraft or
surface-to-air missile sites with less likelihood of being spotted. Years ago,
four F-22 Raptors taking part in the second-wave of the U.S.-led coalition’s
opening airstrikes on Islamic State in Syria dropped their bombs. It was the
first time the stealthy fifth-generation fighters had ever engaged in combat.
The coalition’s war planners also used the F-22s to leverage their
low-observable profiles — and far-reaching sensors — while escorting
non-stealthy fighters in case Syrian fighters or air-defense systems engaged.
Fortunately, the Syrian military held its fire. Fast forward to today, and F-22
Raptors are still flying over Iraq and Syria and have shifted almost fully into
that latter role, according to Air Force Magazine. “When we first got here, we
were 95 percent precision strike.”

 

Iraq

 

Bloomberg: Turkey’s Air Force Strikes Kurdish Separatists In Iraq
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“Turkey’s air force conducted one of its biggest airstrikes against Kurdish
separatists in northern Iraq, in a show of military might coinciding with its
growing involvement in regional conflicts. Dozens of Turkish warplanes, armed
drones, mid-air refueling and airborne communication aircraft were dispatched
from bases across the country to participate in overnight attacks against 81
hideouts used by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party or PKK, the Defense Ministry said
Monday. It characterized the offensive as retaliation for recent militant
assaults on the army. The rare use of a variety of planes and drones in
northern Iraq signaled Turkey’s readiness to act beyond the country’s borders
-- and was carried out just two days after the military conducted an air and
naval drill in the Mediterranean that reached as far as Libya. Under President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey has been expanding its military footprint in the
region with the aim of protecting its perceived interests. Its actions have
complicated relations with Russia and Iran, which have backed opposing sides in
Syria’s civil war, as well as with Cyprus and Greece, over competing claims to
natural resources in the Mediterranean. Turkey’s escalated involvement in Libya
in recent months has further strained ties with Russia, because of their
support for rival forces.”

 

Turkey

 

Daily Sabah: Police Detain 8 Daesh-Linked Suspects In Turkey's Capital
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“Turkish police detained eight suspected Daesh terrorists, all Iraqi
nationals, in the capital Ankara on Monday. Police's Counterterrorism squads
launched the operation following intelligence reports about 10 Iraqi nationals'
involvement with the terrorist group. The police are still looking for two more
suspects, Ihlas News Agency (IHA) reported. Security sources told Anadolu
Agency that the suspects had illegally entered Turkey and actively participated
in the terrorist group's activities in warzones. Turkey was one of the first
countries to recognize Daesh as a terrorist group in 2013, soon after it
emerged. The country has since faced numerous Daesh attacks, including 10
suicide bombings, seven bombings and four armed attacks that killed at least
315 people and injured hundreds of others. In response, Turkey has launched
military and police operations at home and abroad to prevent further terrorist
attacks. The Daesh terrorist group held vast swaths of territory across Syria
and Iraq from its rise in 2014 until its military defeat last year. Daesh's
expansion in Iraq and Syria featured serious public abuses. Largely unseen but
equally egregious were the widespread detentions and kidnappings by the
terrorist organizations where thousands of people were snatched from their
homes and cars and at checkpoints and subsequently went missing.”

 

Afghanistan

 

Al Jazeera: Afghan Government, Taliban Agree On Doha As Venue For Talks
<[link removed]>

 

“The Afghan government and the Taliban group have agreed that Qatar's capital,
Doha, will be the venue for the first meeting in their peace talks, both sides
said. The talks, known as the intra-Afghan dialogue, will be the first
high-level meeting between the two sides after years of fighting. No date has
been announced for the meeting, but it is expected to take place after the two
sides settle differences on the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners by the
Afghan government, which could be as soon as the end of next week. “The first
intra-Afghan meeting will happen in Doha,” Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen
told the Reuters news agency on Sunday. He added that the armed group was ready
to hold intra-Afghan talks within a week of the completionof the prisoner
release. The Afghan government has released 3,000 Taliban prisoners so far
under an agreement signed between the United States and the armed group in
February. The US-Taliban deal outlined a plan for withdrawing all foreign
forces from Afghanistan and resuming intra-Afghan talks to end the 19-year war.
The government wants the talks to begin as soon as possible but has issues with
the release of a few hundred high-profile Taliban prisoners, a senior
government official told Reuters.”

 

Long War Journal: Taliban Falsely Claims Al Qaeda Doesn’t Exist In Afghanistan
<[link removed]>

 

“General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., the commander of U.S. Central Command
(CENTCOM), questioned the Taliban’s willingness to take action against al Qaeda
during an online conference held last week. The U.S. is prepared “to go to
zero” troops in Afghanistan, McKenzie told an online forum hosted by the Middle
East Institute. But he added: “Can we be assured that attacks against us will
not be generated there?” Only on that condition, the CENTCOM commander claimed,
would the U.S. leave no forces behind. McKenzie went on to question the
Taliban’s commitment to its Feb. 29 withdrawal accord with the U.S. “And as of
right now…frankly, if you were to ask me my opinion, those conditions have not
been fully met,” McKenzie said. The Taliban is openly opposed to the Islamic
State’s Khorasan arm, which rejects the legitimacy of the Taliban’s Islamic
Emirate of Afghanistan. The two sides have fought each other on multiple
occasions. The same is not true of al Qaeda, McKenzie noted. “It is less clear
to me that they [Taliban] will take the same action against Al Qaeda and only
time will tell,” McKenzie explained. He pointed to al Qaeda’s presence in
eastern Afghanistan and claimed that Ayman al Zawahiri, the group’s global
emir, was based there.”

 

Saudi Arabia

 

Arab News: Arab Coalition Vows To Take ‘Rigorous Measures’ Against Houthis
After Latest Drone Attack <[link removed]>

 

“The Arab coalition said on Monday it would take “rigorous measures” to stop
Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia after intercepting drones launched by the
militia towards Asir region. Spokesman Col. Turki Al-Maliki said the Houthis
deliberately target civilians with their attacks and that the coalition was
taking all necessary measures to protect the Kingdom's citizens, Saudi Press
Agency reported. “This terrorist act is an extension of the terrorist,
Iran-backed Houthi militia’s terrorist attempts to target innocent civilians,”
he said. “The continuation of the Houthi militia in its hostile, terrorist acts
using bomb-laden UAVs to target innocent civilians is a blatant violation of
the customary International Humanitarian Law. “The Joint Forces Command of the
Coalition will continue to apply and implement all decisive and rigorous
measures to neutralize and destroy such capabilities and to protect innocent
civilians from these terrorist acts.” Monday's attack came just two days after
the coalition intercepted a Houthi missile which targeted the Saudi city of
Najran on Saturday morning, launched from the Yemeni governorate of Saada. Some
civilians were injured after fragments of the missile fell on them. Following
Saturday's drone attack, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation strongly
condemned Houthi drone attacks on civilians in Saudi Arabia.”

 

Egypt

 

Al Monitor: Tribes Become More Involved In Anti-Terrorism Operations In Sinai
Peninsula
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“With the assistance of a large number of local tribal members fighting
alongside the Egyptian army, Egyptian authorities have expanded their
coordination with the tribes when confronting armed organizations in the Sinai
Peninsula. An agreement was reached in May among tribal elders and sovereign
security agencies in which the elders would secure the return of tribal members
who were involved with Wilayat Sinai, the Islamic State’s (IS) branch in Sinai,
who would then be pardoned upon interrogation. The Sinai Tribal Union, a group
of tribesmen cooperating with Egyptian authorities on security operations in
the northern Sinai Peninsula, announced June 7 that one of its members had been
brutally murdered by Wilayat Sinai in southern Rafah two months after he was
kidnapped. The union had revealed in late May “the killing of two civilians
from the Tarabin tribe during security operations in Sinai [as they fought]
members of Wilayat Sinai.” Adel al-Munaii, of the Sawarka tribe, told
Al-Monitor over the phone that after Eid al-Fitr, tribal youths began assisting
security services; this led to the escalation of IS attacks on residents of
some villages known to cooperate with the army.”

 

Somalia

 

Daily Nation: Kenya: Suspected Al-Shabaab Kill Mandera Police Reservist In
Attack On Mast <[link removed]>

 

“Suspected Al-Shabaab militants have killed a police reservist in Mandera
County in an attack seen have been targeting to destroy a communications mast.
The Sunday 3am incident was carried out by a group of about 10 heavily armed
militants, according to Lafey Deputy County Commissioner John Marete. “We have
lost a police reservist this morning in an incident at Warankara Township. The
attackers hauled two rocket propelled grenades at the mast resulting into a gun
battle with police reservists guarding the mast,” said Mr Marete. The reservist
was hit by bullets during the battle to repulse the attackers. Mr Marete said
the reservists managed to repulse the attackers after an intense gun battle
that lasted for about a half an hour. According to the DCC, the reservists
managed to injure one of the militants who died a kilometre from the scene of
attack. “One of the attackers was injured in the incident and his colleagues
tried carrying him away but left him about a kilometre from the scene where he
was found dead,” Mr Marete said. During the incident, a boy aged about 10
suffered a gunshot wound in the hip. “This boy was hit by the bullet while in
their family house at Warankara Township but he is in stable condition,” the
Lafey DCC said.”

 

Africa

 

BBC News: Mali Ambush: Gunmen Kill 24 In Attack On Convoy
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“At least 24 soldiers were killed and others are unaccounted for after gunmen
ambushed a convoy in central Mali. The army said eight survivors had been found
following Saturday's attack, about 60 miles (100km) from the border with
Mauritania. No group has admitted carrying out the raid but Islamist militants
are active in the area. Mali has been blighted by instability since 2012 when
an Islamist rebellion broke out in the north. Army officials said about 12
vehicles had been in the convoy and four of them were destroyed in Saturday's
ambush. BBC Africa editor Will Ross says that with reports of soldiers missing,
it is possible that the death toll could be higher than the military is
admitting. It is the biggest loss for the military since November last year
when more than 50 soldiers died in an attack. On Saturday two UN peacekeepers
were also killed when a logistics convoy was targeted in the north of the
country. The UN has 13,000 troops in Mali. Since 2012, Malian forces have
managed, with French help, to regain control of large swathes of territory
taken by militants. France has 4,500 troops deployed in the region. But
thousands of lives have been lost as Mali struggles to contain the violence,
which has spread to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.”

 

United Kingdom

 

The Telegraph: Iranian Asylum Seeker From Newcastle Encouraged German Terror
Cell To Carry Out Mass Casualty Attack
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“An Iranian asylum seeker tried to incite a German terror cell to carry out a
mass attack by driving into a crowd and then hacking down the survivors with a
meat cleaver, a court has heard. Fatah Abdullah, from Newcastle upon Tyne, also
stockpiled bomb making equipment to help arm his co-conspirators. When police
raided his flat in the Arthur’s Hill area of the city in December 2018 they
discovered propaganda videos showing children beheading prisoners and
animations of lorries exploding at well known UK landmarks. The 35-year-old
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) inspired fanatic used the encrypted
Telegram site to encourage to German based terrorists, Omar Babek and Ahmed
Hussein to carry out a bomb, vehicle and knife attack....”

 

BBC News: Terrorism Arrest After Hull Street Disturbance
<[link removed]>

 

“A man has been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences after reports
someone had been carrying a knife and shouting in a street. Humberside Police
officers were called to a disturbance in Cheadle Close, Hull, at about 10:00
BST on Saturday. A 31-year-old local man was arrested on suspicion of affray
and possessing an offensive weapon. He was also later arrested on suspicion of
offences under section 41 of the Terrorism Act. The man remains in custody. The
investigation is being led by Counter Terrorism Policing North East. Ch Supt
Scott Young, of Humberside Police, said: “We do believe this to be an isolated
incident with no wider risk to the public.”

 

Germany

 

Agence France-Presse: German Neo-Nazi On Trial For Politician's Murder
<[link removed]>

 

“A German neo-Nazi stands trial Tuesday on charges of murdering pro-refugee
politician Walter Luebcke, in a case that shocked the country and highlighted
the growing threat of right-wing extremism. Federal prosecutors believe the
main suspect, 46-year-old Stephan Ernst, was motivated by “racism and
xenophobia” when he allegedly drove to Luebcke's house on June 1, 2019 and shot
him in the head. Ernst is to appear before the higher regional court in
Frankfurt alongside co-defendant Markus H. who is accused of helping Ernst
train with firearms -- including the murder weapon. The killing has been
described as Germany's first far-right political assassination since World War
II. The trial is expected to draw huge interest but seating in the courtroom
will be limited because of coronavirus social distancing measures. Luebcke's
wife and two adult sons plan to attend the opening hearing. “Hatred and
violence can have no place in our society,” they said in a statement. “All of
us who stand for a free democracy must not fall silent, but take a clear
position.” Luebcke, 65, belonged to Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative CDU
party and headed the Kassel regional council in the western state of Hesse.”

 

Agence France-Presse: Police Pressure Mounts Against Germany's Far-Right AfD
<[link removed]>

 

“An entire regional chapter of Germany's far-right AfD party has been placed
under police surveillance because of its extremist tendencies, local
authorities said Monday, increasing pressure on the anti-migrant group. The
Brandenburg chapter of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is now “a
suspicious case and an object of surveillance”, said a spokesman for the
region's interior ministry. There were “enough important factual indications”
to show that the AfD in Brandenburg was “striving against the free democratic
order”, said Joerg Mueller, the head of the state's office for the protection
of the constitution. The decision will give the authorities in Brandenburg
far-reaching powers to monitor the AfD's institutions and officials in the
state, where the party came second in 2019 elections with 23.5 percent of the
vote. Such surveillance is reserved for groups or organisations judged to pose
a threat to democracy and the rule of law. Party co-chief Alexander Gauland
said the decision to keep tabs on the group was “wrong”. The move comes three
months after the party's most radical fringe, known as the “Wing”, was also
placed under police surveillance due to its association with known neo-Nazis.”

 

Technology

 

The National: Putting ISIS Killers In Jail: UN Investigators Have An App For
That
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“Former Yazidi sex slaves and others who suffered under the brutal reign of
ISIS will soon be able to upload evidence against their abusers through a
mobile phone app, the head of the UN investigation team in Iraq said on Monday.
Karim Ahmad Khan told a video UN Security Council meeting that the app, which
will come online this month, will allow ISIS victims to upload photographs and
other proof of abuse to help put perpetrators behind bars. Mr Khan is the head
of the investigations team known as Unitad. The app is a boon for ISIS victims,
many of whom fled overseas during the extremist group's onslaught and have
struggled to testify against their abusers. Victims’ groups say that too few
ISIS militiamen have faced justice for their crimes. “We’re rolling out a
mobile application that allows Unitad to work and communicate directly with the
survivor communities, whether they’re in Iraq, Australia or Germany,” Mr Khan
said. “They can actually give us their names and details securely. They can
even update photographs and other material so that we can expedite our focused
investigation to get results.” The app was initially designed to gather
evidence in Iraq under the coronavirus pandemic travel restrictions, Unitad
said in its latest report.”



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