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Eye on Extremism
August 11, 2020
The Jerusalem Post: French MP Demands France Designate Hezbollah Terror Organization
“French-Israeli member of the French National Assembly, Meyer Habib, categorically stated that France "must" designate Hezbollah a terrorist organization, via his social media channels on Monday. The call comes on the backdrop of the explosion that detonated more than 2,500 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, devastating Beirut and triggering public outrage - resulting in the deaths of at least 163 people, the injuries of more than 6,000 and the destruction of swathes of the Mediterranean capital. Habib penned the letter to French President Emmanuel Macron a year ago, requesting that the French leader denounces the organization and designates the movement as a terrorist entity. Following the public outcry and outrage from the Lebanese people - who Habib adds, "say it loud and clear," that the disaster was a direct result of the heavily armed Iran-backed Shi'ite Hezbollah movement's grip over the country - Habib decided to revamp his position and resend the letter. "My letter recalls the facts, all the facts, including that Hezbollah has a lot of French blood on its hands and that our country was even one of the first victims," Habib said on Facebook. He said that with regard to the letter, Macron gave him a courteous but evasive answer, "dodging the heart of the subject."
“Despite the reintegration of ex-Boko Haram terrorists into the society, governors of North-Eastern states in Nigeria have told President Muhammadu Buhari that the group was recruiting more members in the region. The Nigerian Government had in March 2016 launched Operation Safe Corridor programme to encourage Boko Haram terrorists to surrender. The programme is based on Deradicalisation, Rehabilitation and Re-Integration of former members of the Islamic sect that has terrorised the North-East region for over 10 years. A total of 881 'repentant' former terrorists have been released since the programme was launched four years ago, with 601 released in July, 2020. But the governors in a meeting with President Buhari alongside heads of security agencies on Monday recommended that the police should be empowered with adequate equipment to bridge the existing gap in manpower. Governors Babagana Zulum of Borno State, who addressed journalists after the meeting, said the governors highlighted the key security challenges in the region. He said, “The government of the region has commended the efforts of the Federal Government in securing the region. “However, we told the President that there is a need for the Federal Government to address the causes of insurgency, which are not limited to endemic poverty, hunger among others.”
Associated Press: Brooklyn Man Pleads Guilty In Subways-Related Terror Case
“A Brooklyn man charged with trying to help the Islamic State group by encouraging attacks on New York’s subway system pleaded guilty Monday in Manhattan federal court. Zachary Clark, 41, pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq. He faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on Feb. 9. Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a release that Clark admitted pledging allegiance to the terrorist group. Authorities said in court papers that he posted calls for attacks on the public and institutions in New York in encrypted pro-Islamic State group chat rooms. They said he posted maps and images of the New York City subway system and encouraged Islamic State supporters to attack it. According to a criminal complaint, Clark since at least March 2019 had spread propaganda and other information, urging suicide bombings and “lone-wolf” attacks in the United States and elsewhere. Authorities said the investigation relied on FBI employees working online in an undercover capacity, law enforcement members posing as representatives of the Islamic State group and two informants who were paid by the FBI and posed as group members.”
United States
“Six years ago this month, the Islamic State (IS) published its first video in what would become the prevailing image of the war: a jumpsuit-clad hostage kneeling before a knife-wielding executioner. For the parents of slain Americans James Foley, Steven Sotloff, Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller, justice has remained elusive. But two of the families told Al-Monitor they were given fresh hope after a phone call with Attorney General William Barr on Aug. 6. Barr told them federal prosecutors will take the death penalty off the table as a potential sentence for two men alleged to have tortured and killed foreign hostages. News of the call was first reported by NBC News. This decision would make it possible for the United Kingdom, the suspects’ home country, to share evidence that could be key to putting El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey behind bars in the United States. If the British government doesn't provide its evidence within six weeks, Barr told the families that Kotey and Elsheikh may be prosecuted in Iraq where they are currently detained. “At this point, the ball’s in their court,” said Carl Mueller, whose daughter Kayla was imprisoned by the group and raped by then-IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.”
Syria
Al Monitor: First COVID-19 Case Among Residents Reported In Syrian IS Camp
“A resident of al-Hol camp for Islamic State (IS) families in Syria has COVID-19. This is the first confirmed case of the coronavirus in the infamous camp, and the news follows the infections of three health workers there. There are concerns from humanitarian organizations that the virus could spread rapidly in the overcrowded dwelling. The first case in al-Hol was confirmed on Monday, according to Save the Children, one of the international humanitarian organizations that operate in the camp. The organization’s Syria head Sonia Khush said that poor living conditions in the camp will make it difficult to contain the virus. “An outbreak of COVID-19 in al-Hol camp is going to be challenging to control considering how overcrowded the camp is and how little access families have to water, personal hygiene items, tests and protective equipment,” Khush said in a press release. “Sadly, there will be more cases.” Al-Hol camp is home to more than 65,000 mostly women and children with varying degrees of allegiance to IS. Most residents are from Iraq and Syria, but there are also people from Europe, Asia and elsewhere. Families live in a conglomeration of tents that are close together in a desert area near the Iraqi border.”
Iraq
“Eighty-three PKK terrorists have been killed and a large number of weapons and ammunition seized as part of Turkey's cross-border anti-terror operations Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Sunday. Akar inspected troops at the border in Turkey's southeastern Şırnak province with Chief of General Staff Gen. Yaşar Güler and Land Forces Commander Gen. Ümit Dündar. Akar said the Claw-Eagle and Claw-Tiger operations, which started June 16, have been successfully continuing for the last 48 days. “In the operations carried out by Turkish forces, 83 terrorists have been neutralized so far. A total of 359 mines/handmade explosives and 267 shelters were detected,” he said. “A large number of weapons were seized in these shelters and caves, including 13 AT-4 anti-tank missiles, two guided missiles, 15 DShK (anti-aircraft weapons), 88 AK-47 infantry rifles, and 299 hand grenades,” Akar added. Akar also said an operation against the PKK positions in northern Iraq's Haftanin region was successfully carried out Saturday, adding that some top terrorists were killed during the operation. “Our fight against terrorism will resolutely continue until the last terrorist is neutralized,” he noted.”
Afghanistan
The Washington Post: As Afghanistan Struggles To Start Peace Talks, Violence Fills The Void
“In one of the most heavily contested provinces in Afghanistan, the government's control ends just two miles from the governor's residence. Beyond that point, Taliban influence reigns. The balance of power in Wardak province held relatively steady for years. But since the signing of a U.S.-Taliban peace deal in February, Taliban influence has grown here and in other key parts of the country. An uptick in violence, aimed at giving the militant group leverage in upcoming talks with the Afghan government, has caused hundreds of civilian and combatant casualties and is undermining local government officials. “It’s created a great distance between us and the people,” said Esmatullah Azim, a local politician in the province. He said fewer civilians are approaching him for help with compensation or for an explanation of the violence. Instead, they’re turning to the Taliban. “The people blame the government for the delay in peace talks. They are hungry for peace and want it any way and anyhow. Instead, day by day, the Taliban are getting stronger.” Under the U.S.-Taliban agreement, the Afghan-Taliban peace talks were slated to begin in March.”
The Diplomat: The Taliban Say They Have No Foreign Fighters. Is That True?
“In a historic agreement signed with the United States earlier this year, the Taliban made certain counterterrorism guarantees in return for a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. However, the fact that officially the Taliban continue to outright deny credible and detailed reports on the presence of foreign fighters in Afghanistan — even reports that The Diplomat has exclusively obtained from Taliban fighters on the ground — raises questions about their commitment to these counterterrorism pledges. On February 29, after more than 19 years of being at war, the United States and the Taliban signed the “Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan” in Doha, Qatar. At its core, the agreement foresees that the United States will withdraw its troops from Afghanistan in return for counterterrorism guarantees provided by the Taliban. The key guarantees pledged by the Taliban are that the group will: “not allow any of its members, other individuals or groups, including al-Qa’ida, to use the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the security of the United States and its allies.”
Pakistan
Radio Free Europe: Bomb Kills Five In Troubled Pakistani Border Town
“A bomb targeting a vehicle from Pakistan's Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) exploded in a busy market in southwestern Pakistan near the Afghan border on August 10, killing at least five people and wounding 10 others, police and hospital officials said. Responsibility for the attack in the troubled border town of Chaman was claimed by Jamaat ul-Ahrar (JuA), a splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban, in a message circulated to journalists in Pakistan. Authorities say the bomb had been attached to a motorcycle and detonated by remote control. Zakaullah Durrani, the deputy chief of the Chaman city police, told RFE/RL that all those killed by the explosion were civilians. Durrani said two members of the ANF also were wounded in the blast and that a total of seven wounded victims had been hospitalized in critical condition. Security forces and police cordoned off the area. Residents said several shops and vehicles were damaged. Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the attack. The incident follows violence by Pakistani troops who opened fire at a rally in Chaman organized by minority Pashtun workers who were demanding the reopening of the nearby border crossing into Afghanistan. The security forces killed at least three people and wounded 13 in that confrontation.”
Lebanon
Al Jazeera: Hezbollah And The People Will Have To Negotiate A New Lebanon
“The Beirut port explosion is likely to go down in history as a turning point in Lebanon's political configuration. The blast, which killed more than 200 people, injured more than 6,000 and destroyed large parts of the city, has revitalised the Lebanese protest movement which had been trying to remove the entire political class since October 2019. Last year, when the economy finally collapsed under unbearable debt and mismanagement, many Lebanese people realised they had become pauperised, dispossessed and marginalised in their own country, forced to survive on their own, with few basic services from the government and little hope for the future. The tens of thousands of citizens in the streets since August 7 have demonstrated new heights of distrust and anger at their government, whose incompetence and disregard for the people's wellbeing had allowed the port explosion to happen. The mock hangman's nooses set up during the protests clearly express the citizens' sheer disgust with the political elite who have long ruled them and have driven them and the entire economy into bankruptcy and debt.”
Washington Examiner: Lebanon's Political Explosion May Be The End Of Hezbollah
“Everyone from Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah to President Trump seems to agree that storing 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate in the middle of a civilian city was a really bad idea. The explosion of that material last week and the horrific damage and hundreds of deaths caused by the explosion leave no room for doubt on that score. Hezbollah has used ammonium nitrate for terrorist attacks around the world and has been caught storing it several times in Western Europe. But whether Hezbollah was responsible for the Beirut disaster is still a matter of debate for some. Yet as the most powerful political force in the country at the moment of the disaster, it’s hard to believe that the organization does not bear blame. It makes little difference whether Hezbollah’s was a sin of commission (because it actually put the stuff there and kept it there) or of omission (because, as the entity in de facto control of the country, it failed to take the necessary steps to protect the Beirut population). Wherever you come out on that question, there’s no way to avoid the fact that Hezbollah is directly responsible for exactly the same horrific choice, which it has made throughout the once prosperous, now failed country of Lebanon: placing 150,000 missiles, and the launchers needed to fire them, in houses, schools, mosques, and other storage facilities in the middle of Lebanese towns and villages.”
Libya
The National: Victims Of Libyan-Backed Terrorism Face New Compensation Battle
“British victims of Irish republican terrorism are preparing legal action to force the government to share a report examining the compensation claims of those injured and bereaved in attacks using explosives supplied by the regime of Muammar Qaddafi. William Shawcross, a writer and former charity regulator, delivered his report in March which examined how best to secure compensation from Libya for victims of 1970s and 80s terrorism but the government has not committed to publishing his findings. Families of victims responded angrily on Monday as they had believed that the report would be made public and would bolster their campaign to persuade the UK to take a more active role in pursuing their cases. Mr Shawcross’s task was to inform government thinking on the subject and advise on the level of compensation that should be sought. Belfast lawyer Kevin Winters, who is taking legal action on behalf of families of victims, told The National that he was working on a multi-pronged effort to see the report first ordered by former Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt. “There was an expectation on behalf of victims that would get access to the report, if not the whole of it,” he said. “We accept there may be sensitive issues in relation to intelligence that may be subject to redaction and we accept that.”
Nigeria
The Conversation: Nigeria: Why Terrorism Continues In Nigeria And How To Turn The Tide
“For ten years, the Nigerian authorities have engaged the terror group Boko Haram in the northeast without making much headway. After what appeared to be some success in 2015 and 2016, there was a resurgence of Boko Haram violence in 2017. This worsened with the emergence of Islamic State in West Africa and, in more recent times, banditry and kidnap gangs all over the northern Nigeria region. Having studied this crisis over the years as a political scientist, my view is that it is rooted in ethnic, religious and partisan politics and corruption. National security springs from mutual respect, peaceful co-existence and equality of social groups. But as argued in a paper I co-authored, the affiliation of Nigerian leaders to identity groups poses a challenge to national security. We conclude that the government must show the will to fight the terrorists and eschew nepotism and ethnic or religious sentiments in the war. It must also deal decisively with corruption. Additionally, we underscore that neither Boko Haram or Islamic State in West Africa is Nigerian or Muslim. No responsible or patriotic leader should see it as such. Nigeria should be unified in the struggle and united against terrorism.”
Somalia
Voice Of America: Seven Killed As Al-Shabab Inmates Fire At Somali Prison Guards
“Somali security forces have shot dead four armed inmates after a fierce gun battle in Mogadishu’s central prison, security officials told VOA Somali. Three prison guards were also killed in Monday’s incident, officials confirmed. The inmates, all members of Islamist militant group al-Shabab, had obtained three pistols and six hand grenades smuggled into the prison, a senior security official told VOA. The inmates attacked guards, sparking the confrontation. Two other inmates suspected of involvement were wounded and apprehended, according to officials. One inmate is believed to have escaped the facility. Officials said they believe the escapee killed the driver of a rickshaw and another civilian outside the prison. The gunfire started in the section where inmates serving a life sentence are held, according to the official. The security official said it is believed the weapons were hidden in food and other items smuggled into the prison when inmates receive visits twice a week. An inmate held in a different part of the prison who was interviewed by a local radio said the shooting started during change of shift by the guards.”
Africa
The Guardian: France Launches Anti-Terror Inquiry Into Attack On Aid Workers In Niger
“France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor has opened an investigation into the killing of six French aid workers at a wildlife reserve in Niger, as Emmanuel Macron condemned what he called a “cowardly” attack. A local driver working with the French humanitarian group ACTED and a guide were also killed in the attack, which took place on Sunday morning in a reserve known as the Giraffe Zone, home to the last remaining population of west African giraffes, in the south-western region of Kouré. Attackers on motorbikes ambushed the group as it drove through the reserve, which is in an area considered safe by Niger’s government. Images broadcast on France’s TF1 television channel showed the torched remains of a 4x4 vehicle sprayed with bullet holes. Jihadist groups have not claimed responsibility for the killing but are widely suspected, in a country that has been beset by a jihadist insurgency. In the clearest sign yet that France believes a militant group was involved, the office of France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor said it was launching an investigation on suspicion of the involvement of a terrorist group. In a statement posted on Twitter, the French president said: “Several of our compatriots and Nigeriens were cowardly murdered yesterday in Niger in a deadly attack. I share the pain of their families and loved ones. Some were hired for the most altruistic of missions: to help people.”
United Kingdom
The National: Alleged ISIS Member Living Off Benefits In The UK
“A British-German woman who is accused of marrying an ISIS fighter in Syria is now living in a canal boat in the UK and claiming government benefits, she says. Natalie Bracht, 45, who is a mother to nine children, rejected reports that she headed up an all-female ISIS brigade in Syria and was the second wife of Celso Rodrigues Da Costa, a Portuguese convert who travelled to Syria to fight for ISIS. She was living in Germany when Covid-19 reached Europe but she arrived in the UK on April 3. Upon landing she was questioned under the UK terrorism act and denied having been in Syria. Ms Bracht said she was asked about Brexit, elections and vaccines but also where she had stayed in Syria. “It has affected my family. I’ve been treated like a terror suspect. It looks like I have to have a new identity and the stories must be put straight,” she told The Sunday People. “It’s not for me. I can live with this. I have accepted I am a full-time terror suspect without conviction. It either breaks you or makes you stronger. In my case it has made me stronger,” Ms Bracht added. The newspaper said that Ms Bracht claimed to have volunteered as a translator in 2012 for the controversial advocacy group Cage, which says it supports victims of the war on terror.”
Technology
The Advertiser: Facebook Hackers Use ISIS Propaganda To Target ABC Host Julia Baird
“Hackers are hijacking people’s social media accounts, using them to post terrorist propaganda and stopping the account owners from getting them back in a new tactic affecting ordinary Australians and prominent public figures. One lawyer says Facebook is not doing enough to combat the new technique, saying the social giant giants fails to meet requirements of its own contract with users. “It’s not doing what it says it will do, it’s not combating harmful conduct and protecting and supporting our community, it’s effectively shutting out someone that’s been hacked,” Sydney law firm Dowson Turco partner Nicholas Stewart told news.com.au. “If Facebook wants to be consistent with what it puts out there as its Terms of Service, you would think that it would respond to a person’s request for help. Over the weekend, ABC host and Nine newspaper columnist Julia Baird had her Facebook account compromised, which the hackers then edited to feature the flag of the Islamic State terrorist group as its profile picture and background. This is apparently not the first time this has happened. Melbourne pilot Jake Barden told Nine News last month the same thing had happened to him.”
Law360: Google Asks 11th Circ. To Uphold Win In Pulse Shooting Suit
“Google, the parent company of YouTube, asked the court to uphold a Florida federal judge's decision to dismiss a suit brought by Angel Colon and 61 other plaintiffs alleging the tech giants aided and abetted an international terrorist act and provided material support to ISIS by knowingly allowing the terrorist group to use their social media sites to recruit, raise funds, spread propaganda and carry out terrorist operations, including the June 12, 2016, attack carried out by Omar Mateen that killed 49 and injured another 53 victims. The company pointed to the Sixth Circuit's April 2019 ruling in Crosby v. Twitter , which found the plaintiffs' Anti-Terrorism Act suit failed to present sufficient evidence that the social media companies aided or supported ISIS and failed to prove "proximate cause" as required by the ATA.”
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