Britain’s ambassador to Iraq has been targeted by a graphic propaganda campaign
featuring an image of his bloodied face after he spoke out against mil

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


July 29, 2020

 

The Telegraph: UK Ambassador To Iraq Targeted With Threatening Messages After
Speaking Out Against Militia Groups
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“Britain’s ambassador to Iraq has been targeted by a graphic propaganda
campaign featuring an image of his bloodied face after he spoke out against
militia groups which are strengthening their grip on the war-torn country.
Stephen Hickey was singled out by militias after he encouraged Iraq to turn its
back on armed groups that operate out­side the law. In response, one militia
group with ties to the Iranian regime published a series of posts on the
messaging app Telegram which warned the senior diplomat to keep his views to
himself. “Stop lying and mind your own business and represent your old country
as a diplomat,” reads one message seen by The Daily Telegraph. It was posted by
Harakat Hizbollah al-nujaba, an Iraqi Shia militia group backed by Iran. The
warning was accompanied by two photographs of Mr Hickey which were edited so
that his face and head were smeared with blood. Another mes­sage told the
ambassador to stop playing “malicious games”, and a third warned him “not to
intervene in issues that are bigger than you”. The warning was accompanied by
two photographs of Mr Hickey which were edited so that his face and head were
smeared with blood.”

 

The Washington Post: After Protester-Motorist Encounters, Activists Press
Authorities To Step Up
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“Two violent encounters over the weekend between motorists and racial justice
demonstrators are the latest in a string of incidents that have left activists
injured or dead, in some cases attracting criticism that police and prosecutors
aren’t taking such threats seriously enough. Authorities in Aurora, Colo., and
Austin — where the weekend incidents occurred — have not yet filed charges
against the motorists who engaged with protesters. They say the cases highlight
the difficulties they often face in trying to unravel these incidents, which
are often clouded by claims of self-defense or lost or disoriented drivers.
“Right now, we are getting cooperation only from one side, the Jeep driver,”
said Matthew Longshore, the public information officer for the Aurora Police
Department. “He is telling us his Jeep was surrounded. He felt threatened, and
felt he was going to get injured, so he needed to get out of there.” Austin
police released a statement saying they are trying to reconcile eyewitness
accounts that offer “different versions of the incident.” Since the eruption of
coast-to-coast protests after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on
Memorial Day, dozens of motorists have been recorded driving their vehicles
into marchers on city streets or highways.”

 

United States

 

The Wall Street Journal: Minneapolis Police Identify Man Suspected Of Inciting
Violence
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“A judge has granted permission for Minneapolis police to search the phone
records of a man they suspect of inciting a string of fires and looting that
engulfed the city in the days following the May 25 killing of George Floyd.
According to an affidavit filed in the Fourth Judicial District court in
Minnesota, the man—known as “Umbrella Man” from viral videos that show him
dressed all in black and holding a black umbrella—is a “known associate of the
Aryan Cowboys,” a white-supremacist prison gang, and a “full-fledged member” of
the biker club Hells Angels. He took a four-pound sledgehammer to an Auto Zone
store near the site of the killing and spray painted “free shit for everyone
zone” on the doors, Erika Christensen, an arson investigator with the
Minneapolis police, writes in the affidavit. “Within a short time after the
looting started, the Auto Zone was set on fire. This was the first fire that
set off a string of fires and looting throughout the precinct and the rest of
the City,” according to the affidavit. The suspect, named in the affidavit as
Mitchell Wesley Carlson, hasn’t been charged with a crime. In seeking the phone
records, police say they were informed of Mr. Carlson’s involvement by a
tipster who told them that the man’s motives were “to sow discord and racial
unrest.”

 

Syria

 

The Jerusalem Post: 60 Pro-Iranian Militants Killed In Syria Since May
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“Some 60 pro-Iranian militants have been killed in attacks targeting Iranian
strongholds in Syria since May, many of which were alleged Israeli airstrikes,
according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). Over 10 sites have
been targeted throughout Syria since May, including warehouses and headquarters
belonging to Iran and pro-Iranian militias.The targets included Iranian sites
in Quneitra, Daraa, Homs, Aleppo, Deir Ezzor, Hama and Damascus. A large number
of ammunition and weapons depots were destroyed in the strikes. Eight
pro-Iranian militants of non-Syrian nationalities have died so far as a result
of alleged Israeli airstrikes that targeted weapons warehouses in and near
Damascus last week, according to SOHR. One of those killed was a terrorist from
the Lebanese Hezbollah terrorist movement, whose death led to ongoing tensions
along Israel's northern border. The death toll is expected to continue to rise
due to a number of injured people, including some in serious condition,
according to SOHR. Syrian air defense systems were activated after Israeli
aircraft launched missiles towards sites south of Damascus from over the Majdal
Shams area of the Golan Heights, according to Syria's state news agency SANA.”

 

Kurdistan 24: Six Civilians Killed During Attack By Turkish-Backed Forces In
Manbij: Report
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“The Manbij Military Council (MMC) on Monday said six civilians were killed
when Turkish-backed forces bombed villages in the countryside of Manbij. In a
statement, the MMC said the bombings occurred in the villages of Qurt Wiran and
Willanli, from the Turkish base in Sheikh Nasser and Awlashli village located
to the northwest of the city of Manbij. According to the statement, six
civilians, including children and women, were killed while six other children
were injured. Meanwhile, on Monday, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights (SOHR) said five people, including children, were killed and 10 others
injured by shelling from a Turkish military base in the village of Sheikh
Nasser. The MMC, supported by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), liberated
Manbij from the so-called Islamic State with American support in 2016 in one of
the bloodiest campaigns Syria has witnessed against the terror group. However,
US forces left the town and other border regions in northern Syria in October
2019 after Turkey targeted the SDF-held towns of Tal Abyad and Serekaniye (Ras
al-Ain). In a deal Moscow brokered, the SDF invited Syrian forces to prevent a
Turkish expansion. The deal paved the way for Russian and regime forces to
enter Manbij.”

 

Iraq

 

Amnesty International: Yezidi Child Survivors Of ‘Islamic State’ Facing
Unprecedented Health Crisis
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“Almost 2,000 Yezidi children who have returned to their families after being
held captive by the armed group calling itself Islamic State (IS) are facing a
physical and mental health crisis, Amnesty International warned in a new report
published today. The report, Legacy of Terror: The Plight of Yezidi Child
Survivors of ISIS, also addresses the urgent need to end the enforced
separation of women and their children born of sexual violence by IS members.
Between 2014 and 2017, IS committed war crimes, crimes against humanity, and
what the UN describes as genocide against the Yezidi community in Iraq. The
57-page report reveals the extensive challenges now faced by the estimated
1,992 children who have returned to their families after being abducted,
tortured, forced to fight, raped and subjected to numerous other horrendous
human rights abuses by IS. “While the nightmare of their past has receded,
hardships remain for these children. After enduring the horrors of war at an
extremely young age, they now need urgent support from the national authorities
in Iraq and the international community to build their future,” said Matt
Wells, Amnesty International’s Crisis Response Deputy Director – Thematic
Issues.”

 

Afghanistan

 

The New York Times: Taliban Announce Brief Cease-Fire, As Afghan Peace Talks
Look Imminent
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“The Taliban said on Tuesday that they would observe a three-day cease-fire
this week during the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, as Afghanistan’s president
suggested the long-delayed talks between his government and the insurgents over
ending the war could start in a week. The developments promise to inject new
optimism into a peace process that was floundering with disagreements over a
prisoner swap and increased insurgent attacks, even as the United States
continues to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. In a statement, the Taliban said
they had ordered the group’s fighters “not to carry out any kind of attacks
against the enemy” during the three days and nights of the Muslim festival, and
to “retaliate strongly” only if attacked. Afghan officials greeted the
announcement with a note of caution. “The Afghan government welcomes the
announcement of a cease-fire by the Taliban in Eid days, but the Afghan people
wanted a lasting cease-fire,” said Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s
president, Ashraf Ghani. “The Afghan government has taken all necessary steps
to show its commitment for the peace process and calls on the Taliban to show
commitment too. The Afghan people are tired of war and it must end.”

 

Bloomberg: U.S. Withdrawal Opens Way For Terror Alliance In Afghanistan
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“An alliance of terror groups aimed at destabilizing peace in South Asia is
emerging in Afghanistan as U.S. troops pull out of the war-ravaged nation,
security officials said. Pakistan-based militant organizations, the
Lashker-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, the Afghan Taliban and Islamic
State-Khorasan, the local affiliate of the terror group, have come together to
carry out raids on Indian assets in Kabul and also attacked a Sikh temple in
the city, the officials said, requesting not to be identified citing rules on
speaking to the media. The alliance is planning to step up attacks in other
regions in South Asia, including against troops in India’s Kashmir, they said.
A surge in terrorist activity in South Asia, home to quarter of the world’s
population and a third of its poor, could result in diversion of resources
needed to pull millions out of poverty in the region. There’s also a risk it
may lead to a confrontation between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, after an
attack on Indian forces in Kashmir brought them to the brink in 2019. “The
longstanding fear has been that such groups would simply ‘wait out’ the U.S.
and international presence, and that once the international presence was gone,
they would destabilize Afghanistan and the larger region,” said Alyssa Ayres,
Washington-based senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a former
U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state.”

 

Pakistan

 

Associated Press: Police: 5 Pakistani Commandos Killed In Early Morning Raid
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“A raid on a suspected militant hideout in northwestern Pakistan early on
Tuesday morning killed five anti-terrorism commandos and two militants, the
police said. According to police spokesman Imtiaz Khan, a blistering firefight
erupted when the commandos tried to raid a house in the Chilas district, 460
kilometers (285 miles) north of Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
province which borders Afghanistan. The fighting lasted several hours, Khan
said. Along with the two militants killed, a cache of weapons and explosives
was recovered, he added. It wasn’t immediately known which militant group was
involved in the firefight. The Pakistani Taliban — the Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan or TTP — are active in the province. Pakistan alleges that militants
from the outlawed TTP have found safe havens in Afghanistan. A U.N. report
released last week says that more than 6,000 Pakistani militants are hiding in
Afghanistan, the majority of them from the TTP, which has also aligned with the
Islamic State group based in Afghanistan. The U.N. report said the TTP and the
IS affiliate pose a serious threat to both Pakistan and Afghanistan. In 2018,
the group set fire to 14 schools for girls in the area; police arrested more
than 35 militants suspected of involvement in the attack.”

 

Lebanon

 

Voice Of America: Lebanon Calls For Caution After Israel-Hezbollah Clashes 
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“Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab said Tuesday that Israel had violated his
country’s sovereignty with what he called a “dangerous military escalation”
after Israeli and Hezbollah forces traded cross-border fire Monday. "I call for
caution in the coming days because I fear that things will get worse in light
of severe tension at the border,” Diab tweeted. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu said Monday that Hezbollah was “playing with fire” in comments
shortly after Israel’s military said it thwarted an attempt by the militant
group to sneak across the border. "Hezbollah and the state of Lebanon bear full
responsibility for this incident and any attack that comes from Lebanese
territory against the state of Israel. … Any attack against us will be answered
with great force,” Netanyahu said. “(Hezbollah chief Hassan) Nasrallah already
made a big mistake in estimating Israel's determination to protect itself, and
the state of Lebanon paid a heavy price for it. I recommend it not repeat that
mistake." The Israeli army said a small squad of armed men tried to infiltrate
Israeli territory from the Shebaa Farms region — an area Israel captured in the
1967 war and that Lebanon claims.”

 

Nigeria

 

The Jamestown Foundation: Boko Haram’s Expansionary Project In Northwestern
Nigeria: Can Shekau Outflank Ansaru And Islamic State In West Africa Province?
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“On June 15, Boko Haram released a video featuring English, French
(Cameroonian), Fulani, and Hausa-speaking fighters “greeting” fellow fighters
in Zamfara and Niger states. Three weeks later, on July 7, Boko Haram released
another video of fighters in Niger State returning “greetings” to Boko Haram
leader Abubakar Shekau and “brothers” in Zamfara, which is one of Nigeria’s
northwestern states; Lake Chad, which is the Boko Haram Bakura faction’s base;
and Sambisa, Borno, which is Shekau’s base. These back-to-back videos recall
the process of the Bakura faction’s pledge to Shekau one year earlier. Bakura’s
joining Boko Haram turned Nigerian jihadism’s tide in Shekau’s favor vis-à-vis
his rivals in Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Ansarul Muslim
Fi Biladis Sudan (Ansaru). On September 23, 2019, Shekau had issued “greetings”
to fighters on Lake Chad, which was reciprocated one day later in a video from
an imam surrounded by two armed fighters near Lake Chad who claimed they were
“commanded” by Bakura and “greeted” Shekau. These two videos followed a series
of Boko Haram-claimed attacks around Lake Chad using styles copying Islamic
State (IS), despite only ISWAP being formally part of IS.”

 

Somalia

 

Associated Press: US Military Says Airstrike Killed Civilian In Somalia
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“The U.S. military on Tuesday acknowledged killing a civilian and wounding
three others with an airstrike in Somalia earlier this year. This is the second
in a new series of quarterly reports the U.S. Africa Command issues on
airstrikes in Somalia and allegations of civilian deaths after coming under
pressure from Somalis and human rights groups. The new report substantiates
allegations around a Feb. 2. airstrike. At the time, the U.S. said one member
of the al-Shabab extremist group was killed in the vicinity of Jilib. “This
admission is the third case they have substantiated in 13 years of airstrikes
in the country,” Brian Castner, Amnesty International’s senior crisis adviser
for arms and military operations, said in a statement. “Now that there has been
an acknowledgment of their actions, there must be accountability and
reparations for the victims and their families.” While the U.S. statement
didn’t give details about the civilian killed, the Amnesty statement said the
airstrike killed a woman and wounded three of her relatives. The human rights
group last year released an investigation into U.S. airstrikes in Somalia that
led to the U.S. acknowledging killing five civilians and wounding six others in
three separate airstrikes.”

 

United Kingdom

 

BBC News: Terror Accused Hisham Muhammad 'Was Planning Lone-Wolf Attack'
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“An alleged supporter of the Islamic State group planned a "lone-wolf" drone
attack, possibly targeting the British Army or police, a court has heard.
Officers found weapons including a tomahawk and a machete inside a house in
Greater Manchester rented by Hisham Muhammad, the Old Bailey was told.
Prosecutors allege the 26-year-old researched how to modify a drone to be used
in a terrorist attack. Mr Muhammad denies engaging in conduct in preparation
for acts of terrorism. His cousin Faisal Abu Ahmad, 25, denies failing to alert
authorities of the alleged attack plan. Prosecutor Anne Whyte QC told the court
Mr Muhammad held "strong extremist views" and had downloaded extremist content.
The Old Bailey heard the defendants, who shared a house in Victoria Avenue,
Bury, received a visit from their landlord in June 2018 who felt "uneasy" after
finding weapons inside. During a search of the house, officers also discovered
wooden lollipop sticks attached together with a battery and electrical
component, jurors were told. These items allegedly corresponded to sketches,
which had details for modifying a drone to drop a device from it, the court
heard. Two painted eggs containing crushed chilli seeds and shards of glass
were also found, which prosecutors claim could be used as a "blinding
disorientation device.”

 

Europe

 

Newsweek: Jehovah's Witness In Russia Convicted Of Extremism, Concern Over
Crackdown
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“A court in Russia has convicted and fined a Jehovah's Witnesses follower amid
growing global concern over a campaign of persecution in the country against
adherents of the religion. Russia's Supreme Court ruled the religion as an
extremist organization in April 2017 and since then, the group has complained
that authorities have raided more than 1,000 properties of its followers. There
are 372 believers under criminal investigation and 43 people are in
prison—including 10 who have been convicted of extremism. Yevgeniy Spirin, 34,
had spent 160 days in pretrial detention and had been under house arrest from
July 5, 2019, before his sentence was handed down on Tuesday on charges of
organizing the activities of an extremist organization. The Furmanovsky City
Court in the Ivanovo Region convicted Spirin and fined him 500,000 Russian
rubles ($6,920). Spokesman for the Jehovah's Witnesses, Jarrod Lopes, said the
conviction was "in complete disregard for the religious freedom enshrined in
Russia's Constitution."

 

Canada

 

Reuters: Teen Pleads Guilty To Terrorism Charges In Canadian Court
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“A teenager charged with terrorism-related offenses pleaded guilty on Tuesday
in a Canadian courtroom. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) said the
teen pleaded guilty to four charges, including knowingly facilitating terrorist
activity, making or possessing explosive materials and counseling a person to
place a bomb or other lethal device in public. The accused cannot be identified
by law while being tried as a minor. The individual was charged in January 2019
after a pair of national security raids in Kingston, Ontario, a community
located about two hours from Canada’s capital city of Ottawa. The Royal
Canadian Mounted Police has said the investigation stemmed from an FBI tip in
December 2018 and involved multiple agencies. Police have said a bomb was never
placed and that, while there was a substantial and credible attack plot, there
was never any imminent danger to the public. CBC said the Crown is seeking an
adult sentence.”

 

Australia

 

The Sydney Morning Herald: 'It's Complicated': Australia Hardens Stance
Against IS Wives, Children
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“Dozens of Australian-born women married to Islamic State fighters in Syria
face an even tougher battle to return home, after Foreign Minister Marise Payne
warned coronavirus had stretched the resources needed to deradicalise and
reintegrate women and children. Speaking during high-level talks with US
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington, Senator Payne said that while
some orphan children of IS families had returned to Australia, the Morrison
government "would not put our communities at home at risk" in order to
repatriate more people from Syria. The toughening of the government’s stance
sits at odds with Pompeo’s calls for countries to bring back and prosecute
their own jihadist nationals. It also comes amid ongoing debate over the future
of the wives and children of Australian fighters, many of whom have been
residing in the squalid al-Hawl camp for years and are seeking to return
following the fall of the terror group. Asked about the matter at the latest
Australian-US Ministerial (AUSMIN) consultations on Tuesday, US time, Senator
Payne said coronavirus travel restrictions had complicated what was an already
challenging situation in Syria, "so any assessment of the sorts of resources
that would be needed - to re-integrate, to monitor, to secure, and to
deradicalise people who are brought home - are under significantly more
pressure than they usually would be."

 

Southeast Asia

 

Arab News: Bangladesh Raises Security Alert After Eid Terror Attack Warning
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“Bangladesh police have issued a security alert for all units following a
tip-off about an impending terror attack by a militant group during the
upcoming Eid Al-Adha festival, officials from the police headquarters told Arab
News on Tuesday. “Police have beefed up security measures considering all the
security aspects of recent developments and members will remain on high alert
during Eid Al-Adha and August,” Haider Ali Khan, additional deputy inspector
general of intelligence and special affairs, told Arab News. It follows police
intelligence sources saying that Daesh had asked its followers to “operate
globally ahead of Eid” while the police notice said that the “Neo JMB” may
carry out the attack. The Neo JMB is a new branch of the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen
Bangladesh (JMB), a home-grown Islamist group militant outfit that has been
outlawed in the country since 2005. Bangladesh has been on high alert since
2016, when seven militants attacked a cafe in Dhaka killing 22 people. The
12-hour siege of the Holey Artisan cafe saw eight people go on trial, while one
man was acquitted. Daesh claimed the attack, but Bangladeshi authorities
rejected the claim and blamed the JMB instead.”

 

Technology

 

Cyber Scoop: Islamic State Propaganda Efforts Struggle After Telegram
Takedowns, Report Says
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“The Islamic State terrorist group is reportedly struggling to regain a
foothold on mainstream social networks amid tighter controls from technology
firms and ongoing attention from the U.S. military. As major networks have
stifled the group, it has tried to build a presence on a number of marginal
social media platforms, only to be met “by increasing efforts by these
companies to bring down content,” the European Union’s law enforcement agency,
Europol, said Tuesday in a report examining the extremist group’s activities
over 2019. Telegram, previously the primary source of terrorist propaganda
online, according to Europol, said in November that it had removed more than
5,000 “terrorist accounts and bots” during a two day effort against the group,
an uptick from the typical average of 200 to 300 removals. Since then, IS
supporters have shifted to more fringe services, like the Russia-based TamTam
and Hoop Messenger, which is hosted in Canada. Extremists also have explored
the use of chat services designed for blockchain developers in an apparent act
of desperation, Europol noted.”



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