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Eye on Extremism
July 8, 2020
The New York Times: Drivers Are Hitting Protesters As Memes Of Car Attacks Spread
“Vehicular attacks have proliferated in recent weeks. Experts believe it is because of the combination of widespread protests across the country and the circulation of dangerous memes among extremist groups about running over pedestrians. “There has been an increasing amount of propaganda online calling for vehicular attacks on protesters, targeting the Black Lives Matter movement in particular,” said Josh Lipowsky, a senior researcher at the Counter Extremism Project. “It is being used as a form of intimidation against them to get them to halt their protests.” Attacks with vehicles are easy to conduct, he said, because they do not require a lot of planning or financial resources. In Bloomington, the two protesters were flung off the car as it made a sharp turn at an intersection, Capt. Ryan Pedigo of the Bloomington Police Department said. But those involved said they would not be intimidated. Ms. Glago, who said her friend sustained a concussion, said she was heading out to another protest in Bloomington on Tuesday, determined not to let drivers get away with what she said was “domestic terrorism.” “I think it is more important to be an anti-racist and to support those with less privilege from you than to just sit at home,” she said.”
Reuters: Deadly Syrian, Russian Air Strikes In Idlib Amount To War Crimes, U.N. Says
“Syrian and Russian planes have carried out deadly aerial strikes on schools, hospitals and markets in Idlib province that amount to war crimes, U.N. investigators said on Tuesday in a report that also condemned attacks by Islamist militants. They said that “indiscriminate bombardment” by pro-government forces, ahead of a March ceasefire brokered with Turkey, claimed hundreds of lives and forced one million civilians to flee, which may amount to a crime against humanity. The U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Syria also accused Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a jihadist group that controls part of northwest Syria, of firing artillery into civilian areas “with no apparent legitimate military objective”. Fighters from HTS, a group formerly known as Nusra Front, have tortured and executed detainees, it added. “All sides likely committed war crimes,” Paulo Pinheiro, chairman of the U.N. panel, told a news briefing. “Children were shelled at school, parents were shelled at the market, patients were shelled at the hospital. Entire families were bombarded, even while fleeing these attacks.” The report, covering November 2019 until June 2020, was based on overflight data and witness testimony.”
“Presidential campaign ads for both Donald Trump and Joe Biden ran on YouTube channels controlled by Russian state-backed media and white supremacists, according to a report published Tuesday. The findings — from the nonprofit Global Project Against Hate and Extremism — showed Trump and Biden ads were displayed alongside videos from Ruptly, a Berlin-based media outlet controlled by the Kremlin, as well as on YouTube channels connected to the so-called Identitarian movement, a trans-Atlantic group of white supremacists. The ads allowed the Russian media outlet and white supremacist groups to pocket money from both campaigns as part of a Youtube program that allows content creators to earn money from ads running on their channels. It was impossible to verify how many Trump and Biden ads had run on these channels — Ruptly, for instance, has 1.3 million Youtube subscribers — but Google said the campaigns had, collectively, spent less than $60 on ads that had run on the two channels. Neither campaign actively chose to have their ads run against Russia-backed or white supremacist content. Instead, YouTube’s algorithms placed the campaigns’ political ads before videos from the Russian media outlet and white supremacist groups based on algorithms that automatically determine where such paid-for content should be shown, based on the demographics of YouTube views that individual advertisers want to target online.”
United States
HuffPost: Peaceful Protesters Targeted By Wave Of Vehicle-Ramming Attacks
“Of at least 50 vehicle-ramming incidents since Floyd’s death on May 25, 18 or more are categorized as deliberate assaults, researcher Ari Weil told NPR in late June. A number of the alleged assailants are accused of demonstrating openly hateful behavior, including a man who screamed “I will kill you” before trying to mow down protesters in Queens, New York, according to District Attorney Melinda Katz. (It was the community’s first of two vehicle-ramming incidents in a single week.) Days later, a man reportedly made a U-turn to get behind a group of protesters near Richmond, Virginia, revved the engine of his truck and then slammed it into them. Police later reported that he is a self-described state leader of the Virginia Ku Klux Klan. Vehicles are becoming increasingly popular weapons that terrorists and other extremists around the globe use to intimidate, harm and kill. Cars and trucks are easily accessible, require little skill to operate and can facilitate unpredictable attacks with mass casualties. “This is a tactic that has been around for several years,” said Josh Lipowsky, a senior researcher at the Counter Extremism Project. “It was originally used early on by Islamist extremists — ISIS, Al Qaeda, Hamas — but in the last five years or so, we have seen this tactic being adopted by the far-right.”
Syria
Reuters: Turkey Says Six Killed In Bomb Attack Near Syria Border
“A bomb attack by the Kurdish YPG militia killed six people and wounded 11 on Tuesday in the northeastern Syrian town of Tel Abyad, near the Turkish border, the Turkish Defence Ministry said. The Arab town, from which Turkish-backed forces last October pushed out the YPG militia in a major campaign spearheaded by the Turkish army, has seen a series of car blasts that have killed dozens of civilians. The attack was carried out with a car bomb and wounded civilians were treated in hospitals on both sides of the border, according to a statement by the governor’s office in Turkey’s southeastern province of Sanliurfa. The governor’s office said 17 people were wounded in the attack. The YPG — which Ankara considers a terrorist group because of its ties to PKK Kurdish militants in southeast Turkey — had for years been allied to the United States in the fight against Islamic State.”
Daily Sabah: Security Forces Thwart Terrorist Attack In Syria’s Afrin
“Security forces in northern Syria’s Afrin province, liberated from terrorists through Turkey’s Operation Olive Branch, thwarted a potential terrorist attack by detecting a bomb left in a package in front of a store. Military police and local security forces comprised of the Syrian National Army (SNA) late Monday discovered a bomb-laden package in the city center of Afrin left in front of a store and acted quickly to defuse the bomb. Security forces suspect the YPG/PKK terrorist organization of being responsible for the bomb package left in a crowded and busy street of central Afrin. Afrin had been a major stronghold for the YPG/PKK since July 2012, when the Bashar Assad regime in Syria left the city to the terrorist group without putting up a fight. In order to end the terrorist group's oppression of local people, Turkey cleared the area of PKK-affiliated terrorists with 72 Turkish aircraft striking targets. The Turkish military entered Afrin town center and liberated it from terrorists on March 18, 2018, with the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and the SNA taking a total of six town centers, 282 villages, 23 strategic hills, one dam and 50 other strategic points. In addition to military operations, Turkish aid foundations have worked to provide humanitarian relief to local people in the region.”
Iraq
“Iraq’s new leader has taken significant steps to confront Iranian-linked militias that have targeted American troops, a top U.S. military official said Tuesday, adding that the United States must remain patient as Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi challenges groups with formidable military and political clout. Marine Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., who heads U.S. Central Command, commended Kadhimi for ordering a late June raid on a militia group the Pentagon has accused of launching repeated rocket attacks on American personnel in Iraq. The unusual move against Kataib Hezbollah — which prompted an outcry from its leaders and the release of detained militiamen — illustrated the challenges that Kadhimi faces as he seeks to rein in militias without upsetting the fragile balance between Iraq’s two chief foreign backers, Washington and Tehran. “He’s negotiating a land mine now. I think we need to help him,” McKenzie said after meeting with Kadhimi during a visit to Baghdad. “And he’s just got to kind of find his way, which means we’re going to have less-than-perfect solutions, which is nothing new in Iraq. But. . . I’m a glass-half-full guy when I look at the prime minister and what he’s doing.”
The New York Times: Killing Of Security Analyst Seen As Message To Iraqi Government
“The assassination of an outspoken Iraqi researcher who had antagonized the Islamic State as well as Iraq’s Shiite militias was seen Tuesday as a message to the Iraqi government, but it was unclear who killed him. The researcher, Hisham al-Hashimi, 47, was a prominent figure and a favorite of television news channels, which turned to him for his unvarnished takes on Iraq’s lack of security and the government’s difficulties confronting both Sunni Muslim and Shiite Muslim extremists. He was killed in front of his Baghdad home at dusk on Monday by two gunmen on motorcycles, who have not been caught or identified. No group claimed responsibility for his assassination, which shocked Iraqis and dominated the television news in Iraq on Tuesday. Young people who supported his views of the militias took to the streets in grief and anger. Security analysts pointed out that he had enemies both among the Sunni extremists in the Islamic State and in the Shiite militias, some of which are close to Iran. Mr. al-Hashimi also antagonized some politicians and government figures, especially in the previous government, by accusing them of failing to confront the militias that were shooting protesters during antigovernment demonstrations last fall.”
Afghanistan
Associated Press: Suicide Bombing, Attack In 4 Afghanistan Kill 7 Police
“A suicide car bomber targeted an Afghan police convoy in eastern Nangarhar province on Tuesday morning, killing four officers, including a police commander, a local official said. Three other officers were killed in an attack in the country's south. The bombing, which struck at a market in the district of Khewa, also wounded 11 people — nine civilians and two members of the security forces, according to Attahullah Khogyani, the spokesman for the provincial governor. He identified the slain commander as Mir Zaman; the other three officers were Zaman's bodyguards. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but both the Taliban and the Islamic State group are active in eastern Afghanistan, especially in Nangarhar. Afghanistan has seen a recent spike in violence, with most attacks claimed by the local IS affiliate. Earlier in May in the same district, an IS suicide bomber targeted the funeral of a pro-government militia commander and former warlord, killing 32 people and wounding 133. The dead in that attack included Abdullah Lala Jan, a provincial council member. His father, Noor Agha, a lawmaker, was wounded in the attack.”
Al Jazeera: Taliban Violence Poses 'Serious Challenges' To Peace: Ghani
“Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has warned that violence by the Taliban is threatening the country's peace process, as he briefed the international community on Kabul's preparations for peace talks with the armed group. Afghan authorities and the Taliban are preparing to engage in the so-called intra-Afghan talks aimed at bringing lasting peace to the war-torn country. The negotiations, slated to be held in the Qatari capital Doha, are part of a February deal between the US and the Taliban to end the nearly two-decades-old war. But violence, which had briefly reduced after a surprise ceasefire offer by the Taliban in May, has again spiked with officials blaming the armed group for killing hundreds of security personnel and civilians in recent weeks. The Taliban has been running a bloody armed rebellion since it was toppled from power in a US-led invasion in 2001. Ghani on Monday hosted the first of three online conferences aimed at briefing the global community on the expected peace talks. "If the Taliban continue fighting, the Afghan peace process will face serious challenges," he told online attendees from several nations. "Unfortunately, the current level of violence is higher compared to last year," Ghani said, according to a statement issued by his office.”
Long War Journal: Taliban Again Denies Al Qaeda Is In Afghanistan
“In an effort to keep up the facade of a ‘peace’ deal with the U.S. government, the Taliban has yet again denied that Al Qaeda has a presence in Afghanistan. This time, the group refuted a Department of Defense report that Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) cooperates with the Taliban by claiming AQIS isn’t inside the country. The Pentagon report, Enhancing Security and Stability In Afghanistan June 2020, included canned language about Al Qaeda that mirrors previous reports. The Pentagon minimized Al Qaeda’s threat to U.S. personnel in Afghanistan, while the ties between the Taliban and Al Qaeda were downplayed. The report claimed that AQIS only “supports and works with low-level Taliban members.” Al-Qa’ida poses a limited threat to U.S. personnel and our partners in Afghanistan. Al-Qa’ida’s regional affiliate—al-Qa’ida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS)—poses the greatest threat to those elements. AQIS routinely supports and works with low-level Taliban members in its efforts to undermine the Afghan Government, and maintains an enduring interest in attacking U.S. forces and Western targets in the region. Additionally, AQIS assists local Taliban in some attacks, according to al-Qa’ida statements.”
Lebanon
Reuters: Lebanon's Hezbollah Talks To Government About Iran Fuel Idea
“The powerful Hezbollah group said on Tuesday it is in talks with the Lebanese government about the possibility of Iran supplying the country with refined oil products in exchange for Lebanese pounds. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Iran-backed Hezbollah, said a “calm discussion” was underway with the Beirut government over the idea that would ease the pressure on Beirut’s hard currency reserves. Lebanon is suffering an acute financial crisis and hard currency liquidity crunch. The Lebanese pound has lost some 80% of its value since October, when the long-brewing crisis came to a head. “We started a discussion...to see where this option can go,” Nasrallah said in a televised speech. “This track is moving...What’s the result going to be? I don’t know. But we have to try,” he said. Iran will announce its official position on the matter at the appropriate moment, he added. The Shi’ite Muslim Hezbollah, which is classified as a terrorist group by the United States, supports Prime Minister Hassan Diab’s government. Nasrallah also criticised the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon, Dorothy Shea, for what he described as interference in the country’s affairs.”
Nigeria
“The Abubakar Shekau’s faction of Boko Haram, Jama’atu Ahlussunnah Lidda’awati Wal Jihad, has released a new video and confirmed its link with the armed groups in Niger State that also operate in the North-West. According to HumAngle newspaper, the six minutes and five seconds video shows fully armed fighters speaking in Hausa, English and Kanuri. “Special greetings from your jihadi brethren in the Lake Chad Basin. Greetings to our leader Abu Muhammad Ibn Muhammad Abubakar Asshakawy. “My second message is for all of the Mujahideen, especially those close to us. We send you Islamic greetings. “My other message is for all the unbelievers in the world. Repent, you still have time. And if you don’t, wait and see what will happen to you very soon,” he said. HumAngle further revealed that other speakers in English and Kanuri emphasised the same message in different languages. “My message to Kuffar (unbelievers). O’Kuffar, you have time to repent to Allah before Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala punishes you with our hands,” the English speaker warned. “Soon you will see what is happening in your marketplaces. Soon you’ll see what is happening in your offices. “Soon you’ll see what is happening in your homes. Anywhere you are, soon you’ll see what is happening.”
Daily Post Nigeria: Boko Haram: 1 Soldier Killed, 2 Injured In Borno
“One soldier was reportedly killed, and two others injured following the explosion of an improvised explosive device, IED planted by members of the Boko Haram insurgent group at Mainok town along the Maiduguri -Damaturu road. The incident occurred late in the evening of Monday 6th July. The residents say there has been an increase in the activities of Boko Haram insurgents in the axis recently. “We saw soldiers evacuating the corpse of their colleague and the injured. It is very unfortunate. We have to keep on praying for our soldiers. It is not easy.” Kabiru, a member of the CJTF in the area told DAILY POST in Maiduguri There was also a reported attack by the Boko Haram insurgents in Gubio town of Gubio local government area of Borno State. Residents said the attack was targeted at security operatives in the area but was repelled and that the situation is now under control.”
Somalia
“At least four AMISOM soldiers have been killed after landmine targeting them went off in the outskirts of Mogadishu. The attack took place in the vicinity of Elasha Biyaha Lower Shabelle region. According to multiple sources within the vehicle ferrying AMISOM troops run through the remote-controlled landmine caught the soldiers off guard causing the death of four soldiers. Alshabab, a Somali based terror group linked to Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility citing they have hit their target killing four AMISOM soldiers. The government and AMISOM have not commented on the incident. Al Shabaab was forced out of Mogadishu in 2011 and has since lost most of its other strongholds. But its fighters frequently carry out attacks in Mogadishu.”
Africa
Voice Of America: Central Mali Seeks Protection Following Deadly Attacks
“Local officials in central Mali are calling on the government to deploy additional troops to the restive region following several attacks that targeted civilians last week. The simultaneous attacks, which killed at least 30 civilians, took place in four villages of the Bankass region last Wednesday, local officials said. While no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, local officials have blamed jihadists for carrying out the deadly assaults. “These attacks were conducted by the jihadists,” said Allaye Guindo, mayor of Bankass. “They came from Baye, a village on the border between Mali and Burkina Faso, to carry out these attacks in the Bankass municipality.” Guindo told VOA that 33 villagers, including women and children, were killed in the attacks. The victims were all from the Dogon ethnic group, he said. The mayor added that the attacks have forced hundreds of villagers to leave their homes, fearing that armed groups could launch new attacks. Deadly clashes between the ethnic Fulani and Dogon communities have increased in recent months. The United Nations said in a report last month that violence in central Mali has killed about 600 civilians this year. The conflict in Mali began in 2012 when a separatist uprising in the north was largely taken over by al-Qaida affiliates. Since then, thousands of civilians and military personnel have been killed.”
Agence France-Presse: Morocco: Pro-Isis Cell Dismantled, Four Arrested
“Morocco’s Interior Ministry announced Tuesday that four alleged members of a “terrorist cell” linked to the jihadist group Islamic State (EI) had been arrested. Nabbed in Nador in the country’s north-east, the arrested persons, aged between 21 and 26, had “decided to carry out terrorist attacks targeting sensitive sites in the kingdom,” the ministry said in a statement. The suspects, “were in close contact” with members of another cell dismantled in December between Morocco and neighbouring Spain, according to the same source. Tuesday’s dismantling operation was carried out by the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ, anti-terrorism) and the suspects were “taken into custody for further investigation,” according to the statement. Spared in recent years by violence linked to jihadist groups, Morocco was the scene of an attack against two Scandinavian tourists, beheaded in the name of the EI in the mountains of the High Atlas in late 2018. After a closely watched trial, the perpetrators were sentenced to death, which has not been carried out in Morocco since 1993. Last year, 79 people were arrested in this country for “terrorism” cases, according to an official report.”
Europe
Deutsche Welle: Was 'IS' Trying To Sell €1 Billion Worth Of Drugs In Europe?
“Last week Italian law enforcement agents carried out what they said was the world's largest ever drugs bust of amphetamines. A video from the Guardia di Finanza, a financial crime and smuggling investigations unit attached to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, shows officers using circular saws to cut their way into industrial paper cylinders shipped from Syria. Thousands of tablets, identified by police as captagon, come streaming out of the holes, filling dozens of large containers. Officials say in total they seized 84 million tablets weighing 14 tons (12,700 kg) — almost enough to supply the whole of Europe, according to the police. Their estimated worth is €1 billion ($1.13 billion). It was slick PR. But there was something even more remarkable about the accompanying statement. It claimed the drugs were shipped from Syria by the terrorist group "Islamic State" (IS). According to the Guardia di Finanza, the amphetamine tablets all bear "the symbol of the 'captagon,' which distinguishes the 'Jihad drug' made by IS." The drug got its nickname after IS militants admitted to taking it to stay awake and not feel fear or pain during battle.”
Southeast Asia
Reuters: Philippines' Duterte Tells Citizens Not To Fear Anti-Terror Bill
“Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday told citizens not to fear a new anti-terrorism law, addressing for the first time the controversial legislation that has unnerved rights groups over potential violations of civil liberties. The mercurial leader last week signed the anti-terrorism bill, prompting rights groups to stage protests and lawyers to question the law before the Supreme Court. “For the law-abiding citizen of this country, I am addressing you with all sincerity, do not be afraid if you are not a terrorist,” he said in a televised national address mainly to update Filipinos on the coronavirus outbreak. Those not planning to bomb churches and public utilities to derail the nation have nothing to fear, Duterte said, adding that communists are among the terrorists. The conflict between the government and the armed wing of the communist party has raged for half a century and killed more than 40,000 people. In the volatile south, the Philippines faces piracy, kidnappings and extremism by groups influenced by Islamic State, who occupied a southern city in 2017 and are now increasingly carrying out suicide bombings.”
Technology
Wired: Islamic State Terrorist Propaganda Is Going Viral On Facebook
“On August 10, 2019, a woman on Facebook posted a status warning her contacts not to accept friend requests from her sister Charlotte, whose account had been hacked She shared a screenshot of the account: an image of a blonde-haired boy dressed in desert camouflage and gripping a pistol with both his hands stared out from the screen. The image was captioned, in Arabic, “Luqmen Ben Tachafin. He does not tire. He does not bore”. Over the coming months, the account went silent, and the incident became just another story of social media hacking. That changed in March 2020, when Facebook accounts whose bios read “Luqmen Ben Tachafin. I shake your throne and destroy your dreams. Never tired, never bored, until the Judgement Day” began sharing Isis content across the platform. In a span of 87 days, 90 of them would appear – all with the same signature images and bios. Luqmen, the “destroyer of dreams”. The accounts, were part of a small army of Isis supporters on Facebook who called themselves the Fuouaris Upload network – after Fuorusiyya, the practice of equestrian fighting popular in 14th Century Islam.”
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