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Eye on Extremism
August 20, 2020
The Washington Post: Mali Coup Opens Power Vacuum As Islamist Insurgency Expands In West Africa
“Tuesday's stunning coup in Mali — in which mutinous soldiers stormed the capital and arrested the country's president — has opened a power vacuum that West African leaders sought to avoid, injecting instability into the heart of the fight against the world's fastest-growing Islamist insurgency. Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta’s sudden ouster this week thrust the nation into chaos as it struggles to repel fighters loyal to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. The militants have expanded their territory in the countryside during the pandemic, analysts say, despite military intervention from France and the United States. The coup leaders revealed the first steps of their takeover on Wednesday on state television, pledging to build a civilian-led transition team, maintain ties with international partners and hold a new election. “We can restore this country to its former greatness,” said Col. Maj. Ismael Wagué, a spokesman for the mutineers, without specifying candidates or a date for the election. It was a dramatic cap to a turbulent two days in the country of about 20 million, after soldiers swarmed the capital on Tuesday morning and, by the evening, arrested Keïta and other top officials. The embattled leader’s removal followed weeks of protests in Bamako led by the influential imam Mahmoud Dicko, who said again on Wednesday that he would not be seeking office.”
The Guardian: Syria Deadliest Place To Be An Aid Worker, Amid Global 30% Rise In Attacks – Report
“There has been a sharp rise in the number of aid staff killed in the first six months of this year with Syria at the top of the list of the deadliest places to be a humanitarian worker. A total of 74 fatalities have been recorded globally since January, a 30% rise on the same period last year. Syria accounted for more than a quarter of the deaths. According to analysis by Care International using data from the Aid Worker Security Database, 20 of those killed in 2020 so far were in Syria and 14 in South Sudan. “The majority of humanitarians are local staff and true local heroes. Similar to what Covid-19 has shown us across the western world: they are the rubbish collectors, lorry drivers, nurses, care workers and community services assistants,” said Sally Austin, Care International’s head of emergency operations. The high number of attacks on aid workers is an increase on last year, when 483 aid workers were killed, kidnapped or wounded, the highest on record, according to independent research group Humanitarian Outcomes. The highest number of attacks happened in Syria, followed by South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Afghanistan, and the Central African Republic.”
United States
The New York Times: Barr Disavows Death Penalty For Two ISIS ‘Beatles’ If Britain Shares Evidence
“Attorney General William P. Barr has said that the United States will not seek the death penalty against two notorious British Islamic State detainees accused of playing a role in the torture and beheadings of Western hostages, potentially clearing the way for Britain to share evidence against them that prosecutors see as crucial to putting them on trial. The statement, which Mr. Barr made in a letter to the British home secretary that the Justice Department released on Wednesday, represented a major shift in the Trump administration’s policy. It could open the door to a long-delayed prosecution for the two men, El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey, who were captured by a Kurdish militia in early 2018 and are being held by the American military in Iraq. “I am writing to provide an assurance that, if the United Kingdom grants our mutual legal assistance request, the United States will not seek the death penalty in any prosecutions it might bring” against the two men, Mr. Barr wrote, adding that if they were somehow nevertheless sentenced to execution, “the death penalty will not be carried out.”
Modern Diplomacy: A Local And Global Threat: The White Racially And Ethnically Motivated Terrorism
“Far-right violence, right-wing extremism, and racially and ethnically motivated terrorism are on the rise globally—including Western countries such as the United States. FBI Director Christopher Wray has implied that the white-supremacist threat is significant and increasing. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the number of white nationalist groups in the United States increased 55 percent between 2017 and 2019, prompting the civil rights organization to conclude that white nationalism poses a serious threat to national security and pluralistic democracy in the United States. The Anti-Defamation League has reported similar findings, noting that “white supremacists have committed 78% of right-wing extremist-related murders” over the last10 years, that right-wing extremists were responsible for 90 percent of domestic extremist-related murders, and that white supremacists, particularly, were responsible for 81 percent of the killings in the year of 2019. A report from the Federal Protective Services (FPS) within the Department of Homeland Security, however, reported in one of its weekly intelligence briefs that white racially motivated violent extremists are interested in bioterrorism (in particular, spreading COVID-19 coronavirus in public places) and that threat could turn into reality.”
Syria
Center For Global Policy: Strengthening And Expanding: ISIS’ Central Syria Campaign
“While most international attention has been focused on the “post-caliphate” Islamic State insurgencies in northeast Syria and Iraq, ISIS has steadily carried out an ever-expanding insurgency against the Syrian regime and its allies in central Syria. The insurgency began immediately following the Syrian regime’s capture of this area in late 2017 and has continued unabated since. On August 18, 2020, Russian Major General Vyacheslav Gladkikh was killed alongside a senior Syrian regime commander and four others while driving through the Tayem Gas Field near Deir Ez Zor city. These were the 20th and 21st high ranking officers killed by ISIS in central Syria since January 2019. ISIS cells operating out of bases in the mountains north of Palmyra and Sukhnah, in the south Raqqah countryside, and in the cities and desert west of the Euphrates have grown in strength over the past year and a half, expanding the geographic reach and effectiveness of their attacks. These cells now control territory in central Syria, operating training camps in support of ISIS operations across the country. Since early 2020, Syrian regime forces have faced increasingly regular ISIS attacks outside of the traditional ISIS strongholds of east Homs and west Deir ez-Zor, with attacks now occurring in southern Raqqah, eastern Hamah, and southern Aleppo.”
Afghanistan
Al Jazeera: Three Killed In Kabul Rocket Attack: Afghan Government
“Afghan officials say a rocket attack that struck Kabul as the city marked Afghanistan's independence day killed at least three people, including two members of President Ashraf Ghani's honour guard. Fourteen rockets were fired into central Kabul on Tuesday as the country marked the 101st anniversary of its independence, one of the missiles slamming into the compound of Arg presidential palace. Interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian on Wednesday said three people, including two government employees, had been killed in the attack. He did not specify who the employees were, but two palace officials told AFP, on condition of anonymity, that they had been members of Ghani's honour guard. Another six honour guard members were wounded when the rocket hit the palace compound shortly after Ghani had wrapped up his ceremonial duties. Arg Palace is located in a highly fortified area of the capital that also houses several embassies. Arian said 16 other people were wounded in the rocket salvo, including four children and a woman. No group has so far claimed the attack, which came as the Afghan government and the Taliban are poised to begin peace talks.”
Lebanon
Foreign Policy: Hezbollah Still Has A Knife At Lebanon’s Throat After Hariri Verdict
“Lebanon’s postwar hopes of becoming a free and prosperous nation died smoldering in a mangled crater of seared flesh and jagged metal on the Beirut waterfront. The devastating bomb blast that tore through the Beirut coast didn’t just rip the fragile fabric of Lebanese society apart—it permanently mutilated it beyond all recognition. But this did not happen in 2020; it happened in 2005. That time, however, it was no act of criminal negligence or corruption but a premeditated murder. On Feb. 14, 2005, a suicide bomber detonated a Mitsubishi Canter pickup truck loaded with over 2,000 pounds of TNT next to the convoy of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, murdering him and 21 other people. On Tuesday, after more than 15 years of turmoil, bloodshed, and destitution, as well as the murder of one of the men pursuing the killers, the first-ever international court tribunal established to prosecute terrorist crimes returned a verdict that no one in Lebanon ever doubted: Hariri was assassinated by senior Hezbollah operatives. But justice has come under absurd circumstances.”
The Jerusalem Post: Hezbollah Purchased Explosive Material During Time Of Port Storage—Report
“The Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah purchased a large amount of ammonium nitrate that was linked to the storage of the ammonium nitrate that was lodged at the Beirut port and led to a massive explosion in early August, according to a Wednesday report in the German daily Die Welt. The paper wrote that the “Welt has exclusive information from Western secret services. Accordingly, the [Hezbollah] militia bought large quantities of the dangerous substance,” adding that “After the disaster in the port of Beirut, Hezbollah was suspected of having been involved in the storage of the explosive ammonium nitrate.” Die Welt reported that “according to information from Western secret services that are available to Welt, Hezbollah in Lebanon received large deliveries of ammonium nitrate, which are closely related to the material detonated in Beirut.” It is not certain if the ammonium nitrate at the port was the same ammonium nitrate shipped around the same time to Hezbollah in 2013 and 2014, according to the Welt. Hezbollah's purchasing of ammonium nitrate was shipped through the port and other amounts via airport or overland through Syria. The Jerusalem Post could not verify the unnamed Western intelligence sources contained in Welt’s story.”
Nigeria
Al Jazeera: Armed Fighters Take Hundreds Hostage In Nigeria's Borno State
“Armed fighters have taken hundreds of hostages in a northeast Nigerian town where residents had only just returned after fleeing their homes, residents and militia sources said on Wednesday. The Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) group, a splinter group of Boko Haram, overran the town of Kukawa in Borno state late on Tuesday, the sources told the AFP news agency. They seized residents who had returned to the town in a government operation on August 2, after spending nearly two years in displacement camps, said Babakura Kolo, head of a local militia. “The terrorists attacked the town in 22 trucks around 4:00 pm (16:00 GMT) yesterday and engaged soldiers guarding the town in a fierce battle,” he said. Kukawa's residents had returned to their homes just 16 days earlier under military escort, on the orders of the Borno state authorities. They had been living in camps in the regional capital Maiduguri, 180km (120 miles) away, where they fled following a bloody attack in November 2018. A town chief who accompanied the residents to the town said the people had returned with the hope of cultivating their farmlands “only to end up in the hands of the insurgents”. “We don't know what they would do to them but I hope they don't harm them,” said the chief, who asked not to be identified for safety reasons.”
Sahara Reporters: Boko Haram Terrorists Attack Borno Community, Raze Hospital, Telecoms Mast, Others
“Residents of Magumeri in Borno State have fled their homes following the invasion of the town by heavily-armed Boko Haram terrorists. SaharaReporters gathered that the insurgents razed down the only functional telecommunications mast, a hospital recently equipped by the Borno State Government and other facilities in the town. One of the fleeing residents told SaharaReporters that the insurgents invaded the community at about 4pm on Monday while the military airstrike engaged them, but to no avail. It was learnt that a woman died during the exchange of gunfire between the insurgents and the military, while others were seriously injured. Magumeri is about 40km drive from Maiduguri, the state capital, which has witnessed series of Boko Haram attacks.”
Premium Times: Two Soldiers, Boko Haram Terrorists Killed As Troops Repel Attack On Magumeri
“Security sources have confirmed the death of two soldiers, a nursing mother and many Boko Haram insurgents after troops fought fiercely to repel a major attack on Magumeri, a local government headquarters in Borno State. Sources familiar with the incident said Magumeri came under attack on Tuesday evening when a group of armed insurgents stormed the outskirts of the community in many trucks. Soldiers of the Special Task Force in Magumeri, led by their Commander, Major Manga, were said to have saved the residents from yet another massacre. “It would have been deadly, but for the swift arrival of Oga Manga and his troops,” said Bunu Bukar, an official of the state vigilante group, called Rapid Response Squad. “The troops engaged them in a fierce fight that led to the death of many Boko Haram. A gun truck was recovered from the Boko Haram amongst many other arms and ammunition.” The source said two soldiers paid the supreme price. “We lost two soldiers in the fight, while one sustained an injury,” he said. Other sources familiar with the incident confirmed that the insurgents had, before the arrival of the soldiers, burnt down a general hospital that was recently rebuilt and equipped by the Borno State Government.”
Somalia
“Al-Shabaab said it has killed a minister in Jowhar, the regional capital of Middle Shabelle region on Monday night. In a statement, the Al-Qaeda affiliate in Somalia claimed the murder of Abdulkadir Abukar known as [Karani] who was executed by armed men while on his way home. The killing of the minster has shown how HirShabelle's leadership failed to protect its elite officials who are vulnerable to assassinations by Al-Shabaab as they don't have escorts. Al-Shabaab has in the past two years killed MPs and security officials in separate attacks on Bal'ad-Jowhar road, the most insecure street in the regional state.”
Africa
Bloomberg: How African Jihadists Took Root In Mali And Beyond: QuickTake
“Islamist militants are wreaking havoc in West Africa. A separatist insurgency that began in northern Mali in 2012 first enabled jihadists to gain a foothold in the country. Attacks have since spread to neighboring Burkina Faso and are threatening coastal states including Benin, Ghana and Ivory Coast. Thousands have died in recent years. Increased defense spending weighs heavily on the budgets of some of the world’s poorest countries. Frustration over the Malian government’s inability to quash the militants was one of the triggers of a coup that has forced the president to step down. 1. What’s the source of the trouble? Mainly continuing instability in Mali and, further afield, in Libya, where years of turmoil have opened up smuggling routes and access to weapons. A French military intervention in 2013 dealt a heavy blow to jihadist groups that partnered with ethnic Tuareg rebels to seize control of northern Mali a year earlier. Deprived of their urban bases, the jihadists resorted to bombings and hit-and-run attacks, targeting army posts and the 15,000-person United Nations peacekeeping mission. They extended their operations to Burkina Faso, which faces its worst-ever humanitarian crisis as 1 million people have been forced to flee their homes.”
Technology
“Twitter has given its biannual transparency reports a new home with today’s launch of the Twitter Transparency Center, which the company says was designed to make the reporting more easily understood and accessible. The launch was timed alongside the belated release of Twitter’s latest transparency report covering the second half of 2019. The company attributed the delay to the COVID-19 health crisis and its work in getting the new Transparency Center up and running. The report touts Twitter’s increasing efforts in enforcing its policies, including a 95% increase in accounts actioned for violating its abuse policy, a 47% increase in account locks and suspensions and a 54% increase in accounts actioned for violating hateful conduct policies, among others. The company claims its ability to “proactively” surface content violations for human review has helped it increase enforcement of its rules, along with more detailed policies, improved reporting tools and other factors. As a result, this period saw the largest increase in the number of accounts actioned under Twitter’s abuse policies — a metric that could speak to better technology, as Twitter claims, but also perhaps hints at the devolving nature of online discourse.”
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