Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted a large Hamas delegation on
Saturday on the eve of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Israel.

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


August 24, 2020

 

The Jerusalem Post: Turkey’s Erdogan Hosts Large Hamas Delegation With Wanted
Terrorist
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“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted a large Hamas delegation on
Saturday on the eve of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Israel. The
meeting was the latest in a series of high-profile Hamas meetings in Turkey
that have all been pushed by Erdogan and his team. Ankara is a supporter of
Hamas, which has been accused of plotting attacks on Israel in Turkey. The
country has given Hamas members citizenship, according to media accounts in the
United Kingdom. Both Hamas and Turkey’s ruling party have roots in the Muslim
Brotherhood, a far-right religious, extremist organization. Members of the
Muslim Brotherhood have been accused of having antisemitic views. Hamas praised
the meeting with Erdogan on Saturday in a press release. The delegation
included Hamas deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri, chief of Hamas abroad Maher Salah,
Hamas head of Arab and Islamic religions Ezzat al-Rihiq and Hamas
representative in Turkey Jihad Yaghmor, it said. Arouri is a wanted terrorist.”

 

Associated Press: Pakistan Sanctions Taliban To Avoid Global Finance Blacklist
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“Pakistan has issued sweeping financial sanctions against Afghanistan’s
Taliban, just as the militant group is in the midst of a U.S.-led peace process
in the neighboring country. The penalties, made public late Friday, target
dozens of individuals including Taliban chief peace negotiator Abdul Ghani
Baradar and several members of the Haqqani family, including Sirajuddin, the
current head of the Haqqani network and deputy head of the Taliban. Many
Taliban leaders, including those heading the much-feared Haqqani network, have
lived in Pakistan since the 1980s. In those years they were part of the Afghan
mujahedeen and allies of the U.S. to end the 10-year invasion by the former
Soviet Union. It ended in February, 1989. Many of the group’s leaders are known
to own businesses and property in Pakistan. The list of sanctioned groups
included others besides the Taliban and is in keeping with a 5-year-old United
Nations resolution sanctioning the Afghan group and freezing their assets. The
timing of Pakistan’s decision to issue the sanctions could be seen as a move to
pressure the Taliban into a quick start to intra-Afghan negotiations, the next
step in a peace deal signed in late February.”

 

Syria

 

Asharq Al-Awsat: Russia Strikes ISIS Positions In Eastern Syria
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“Hours after ISIS announced its responsibility for killing a Russian major
general in Syria’s Deir Ezzor, a squadron of Russian warplanes attacked the
terrorist group’s positions in the Syrian Desert. The groups' Amaq News Agency
said that a Russian patrol passed over a minefield planted by the militias in
the city of Sukhnah, which lead to the death of one major general, while two
servicemen were wounded. Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that a
Russian major general was killed in eastern Syria’s Deir Ezzor on Tuesday after
a convoy hit an IED. The IED attack reportedly took place near the At-Taim oil
field, about 15km outside the city of Deir Ezzor. The Ministry said that as a
result of the explosion, three Russian servicemen were injured. “During
evacuation and while receiving medical assistant, a senior Russian military
advisor with the rank of major-general died from the serious injuries
sustained,” it wrote in a statement. For its part, the Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights said a squadron of seven Russian jets flying over the Syrian
Desert in Homs and Al-Suwaidaa executed several airstrikes, targeting ISIS
positions.”

 

Iran

 

Arab News: Middle East’s Extremism And Sectarianism Can Be Traced Back To Iran
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“As many have noted, you can’t change geography. According to an Arab saying,
“The neighbor comes before the home,” meaning that choosing good neighbors is
more important than buying the best house. Similarly, Iranians say, “A good
neighbor is far better than a distant brother.” Before 1979, the Middle East
managed a reasonable neighborly coexistence between the nations on either side
of the Arabian Gulf. Despite some political differences and disputes over the
Iranian occupation of the three Emirati islands — Abu Musa and the Greater and
Lesser Tunbs — all sides prioritized the importance of harmony, transparency
and integrity. After the shah’s regime was deposed and the popular revolution
of 1979 was hijacked by the mullahs, however, the regional situation began to
slide toward chaos, with the emergence of fundamentalist orientations belonging
to the Middle Ages. The region and the world were at peace with Iran until the
Khomeinists came to power, hijacking an uprising that desired freedom and
imposing a medieval ideology based on fanning the flames of religious and
sectarian wars, and carrying out countless ethnic and religious killings. The
regime achieved this via the use of mercenaries, with the aim of projecting its
regional hegemony via “exporting the revolution.”

 

Afghanistan

 

Associated Press: Taliban Set Powerful Negotiating Team For Intra-Afghan Talks
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“The Taliban's chief has finalized a negotiating team that is to have sweeping
decision-making powers in upcoming intra-Afghan negotiations, the top Taliban
negotiator told The Associated Press on Sunday. Maulvi Hibatullah Akhunzada
hand-picked the 20-member team, 13 of whom come from the Taliban's leadership
council — around half of the council's total members. The negotiating team will
have the authority to set agendas, decide strategy and even sign agreements
with the political leadership of the Afghan government in Kabul, lead Taliban
negotiator Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai told AP. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar,
who signed the peace deal with Washington on Feb. 29 paving the way for
America’s troop withdrawal and the eventual intra-Afghan negotiations, will
keep the powerful post as head of the Taliban’s political office in the Gulf
Arab state of Qatar. The critical intra-Afghan talks, which were laid out in
the peace deal signed in February, were expected to begin Aug. 20 but have been
plagued by relentless delays. The talks are intended to set a road map for
post-war Afghanistan. They will include a permanent cease-fire, the rights of
minorities and women, constitutional changes and the fate of tens of thousands
of armed Taliban and militias loyal to Kabul-allied warlords.”

 

Al Jazeera: Afghanistan: At Least 14 Security Forces Killed In Three Attacks
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“At least 14 security forces have been killed in three attacks across
Afghanistan, as violence keeps the country in its grasp and the start of the
peace talks remains delayed. At least nine security forces were killed and one
wounded when the Taliban attacked a checkpoint in the northern Takhar province
on Saturday, the police chief spokesman for the province said. Taliban attacks
in the northeastern province of Badakhshan also left four security forces dead,
that province's spokesman said. Three magnetic bomb explosions in the Afghan
capital, Kabul, killed one and wounded at least four people, including a
civilian, the city's police spokesman said. There was no claim of
responsibility for the attack in Kabul which has recently seen a surge in
sticky bomb explosions, which were regularly being attached to security forces'
vehicles. On Friday, the Afghan National Army (ANA) said in a statement at
least 114 Taliban fighters were killed in air and ground offensives in the past
24 hours.”

 

India

 

Hindustan Times: Suspected ISIS Terrorist Wanted To Carry Out ‘Lone Wolf’
Attack In Delhi: Police
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“A suspected operative of the Islamic State, a “lone wolf who had planned an
attack in the national capital” was arrested by Delhi Police after a shootout
in Dhaula Kuan area late on Friday, officials said on Saturday. Nearly two
dozen National Security Guard (NSG) officials along with bomb detection and
defusal teams arrived near the Buddha Jayanti Park from where the suspected
ISIS operative, who has been identified as Abdul Yusuf Khan, was caught. Delhi
Police’s special cell recovered two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from
the possession of the man. “There was an exchange of fire after which he was
arrested. He was a lone wolf who had planned an attack in the national capital.
We have recovered a pistol and two IEDs from him,” Pramod Kushwaha, deputy
commissioner of police (special cell), said. The security personnel cordoned
off the entire area as the NSG team defused the two IEDs recovered from the
arrested ISIS operative. The team used a remote-controlled vehicle to lift and
contain the IEDs in a specially designed vehicle where they were defused by
bomb experts. The defusal operation last for nearly three hours, an official
privy to the development said, requesting anonymity.”

 

Yemen

 

Al Monitor: Al-Qaeda Executes Dentist In Yemen
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“A dentist anywhere in the world specializes in treating mouth-related health
issues. He or she can remove a molar, fix a tooth or make a filling. But in
Yemen, a dentist can be detained and be accused of espionage. Then his
execution and a public display of his body can happen in broad daylight. On
Aug. 15, al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen’s Bayda province killed Madhar
al-Yousifi, a 40-year dentist, and tied his body to a makeshift cross. The
militants alleged that Yousifi was spying on them so that they could be
targeted by American drones. Yousifi, originally from Yemen's Taiz province,
spent over 10 years in the al-Sawma district of Bayda in his dental clinic. Two
months ago, he quarreled with his wife, leading to a divorce. This dispute
reached al-Qaeda operatives at the request of the divorced wife’s family, the
victim's brother said. The group incarcerated the dentist for two months and
trumped up charges to justify his killing and the takeover of his properties.
Though the dentist’s brother managed to get a written document from Yousifi’s
ex-wife saying she was withdrawing her case, al-Qaeda declined to set him free.”

 

Lebanon

 

Agence France-Presse: Lebanon's Beirut Blast Shattered Taboos Around Hezbollah
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“Hezbollah's emphatic defence of the political status quo in Lebanon has
exposed it since the deadly Beirut blast to levels of public contempt and anger
it was once shielded from. The powerful Shiite movement remains the dominant
player in Lebanon, but the special status it enjoyed and the fear it instilled
were torn down by the explosion. In a scene that was almost unthinkable only a
few months ago, an image of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was among the
cardboard cutouts protesters hanged from their mock gallows this month. “In the
hours that followed the explosion, many blamed Hezbollah,” said Fares
al-Halabi, who has been active since an unprecedented anti-government protest
movement that erupted in October 2019. Last year, he said, “there had been a
tacit agreement among the revolutionary camp not to raise the issue of
Hezbollah and of its weapons.” The group is the only faction to have kept its
weapons long after the 1975 to 1990 civil war. Its military might rivals the
state's and is seen by many as one of the main obstacles to democratic reform.
The verdict of a special court based in The Netherlands on Tuesday found a
Hezbollah member, Salim Ayyash, guilty in absentia of murder over the 2005
assassination of former prime minister Rafic Hariri, a Sunni.”

 

The National: Will Lebanon Finally Gather The Strength To Oust Hezbollah?
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“Now that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon has ruled that a terrorist with the
Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah was responsible for the murder of former
Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the challenge for Lebanon is to end the
malign influence Iran continues to exert over its political system. There will
be many in Lebanon who will be profoundly disappointed at the tribunal’s
judgment; it found only one of the four defendants guilty and no evidence
linking Hezbollah’s leadership or the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar Al Assad
to the atrocity. On one level it is perhaps unsurprising that the tribunal,
which has cost a staggering $1 billion, reached such an unsatisfactory outcome.
Both the Hezbollah leadership and the authorities in Damascus refused to
co-operate in any meaningful sense, so investigators were denied access to
evidence that might have resulted in a very different conclusion. The extent of
Hezbollah’s hostility to the tribunal was reflected in the fact that none of
the four indicted suspects were made available to it. The entire trial was held
in their absence, meaning it is highly unlikely that Salim Ayyash, who was
found guilty, will ever serve a moment of the sentence the tribunal is expected
to hand down on Friday.”

 

Nigeria

 

This Day: Nigeria: 106 People Escape From Boko Haram
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“No fewer than 106 persons who “escaped” from Boko Haram captivity have found
their way into the hands of the Multinational Joint Taskforce (MNJTF).
Ninety-four of the escapees, who were Nigerians, were released to the Borno
State's Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Kaka Shehu Lawan at
a remote location in the Republic of Chad. A statement shared on the verified
social media handles of the Borno State Government said the MNJTF on Tuesday
received 106 civilians who escaped from the Boko Haram terrorists and
surrendered to them. The said that the 94 Nigerians were made up of 37 adult
males, 17 adult females and 40 children while the other 12 escapees were
Cameroonians and Chadians. The Commander of the MNJTF, Major General Ibrahim
Yusuf, said that it was interesting that some of the escapees voluntarily
surrendered themselves to the Headquarters Sector 1 of the MNJTF in far North
Cameroon while the women and children were rescued. Yusuf said that some of the
surrendered persons would be investigated to ascertain their relationship with
the terrorists.”

 

Africa

 

Reuters: Suspected Islamist Militants Kill 13 In Eastern Congo Villages
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“Suspected Islamist militants killed 13 people during raids on two villages in
eastern Congo, the army and a village chief said, the latest in a spate of
attacks the United Nations says may constitute war crimes. The Allied
Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan armed group operating in North Kivu province
in Democratic Republic of Congo, have killed more than 1,000 civilians since
the start of 2019, according to U.N. figures. Militiamen tied up the victims in
the villages of Kinziki-Matiba and Wikeno, 10 km east of the city of Oicha,
before killing them in the attack on Friday afternoon, said Chui Mukalangirwa,
a local village chief. “We beg the authorities to put an end to this
bloodbath,” he said. The army helped civilians bury the bodies and is looking
at deploying more units in the area, army spokesman Antony Mwalishayi said. The
ADF has operated in the dense forests near the Ugandan border for more than
three decades. Late last year the Congo army launched a large-scale operation
against them, sparking a violent backlash against civilians. Several attacks
attributed to the ADF have also been claimed by Islamic State, although
researchers and analysts say there is a lack of hard evidence linking the two
groups.”

 

United Kingdom

 

BBC News: New IRA: Two Men Charged Under Terrorism Act
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“Two men have been charged under the Terrorism Act as part of an ongoing
investigation into the New IRA. A 50-year-old from Londonderry and a
26-year-old from Lurgan were charged with membership of a proscribed
organisation, directing terrorism and preparatory acts of terrorism. The
26-year-old was also charged with conspiracy to possess explosives and
conspiracy to possess ammunition with intent to endanger life. They will appear
in court on Saturday. PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Barbara Gray said the men
had been charged as part of Operation Arbacia, which is “an ongoing
investigation into the activities of the New IRA”. Seven men and two women,
aged between 26 and 50, were arrested on Tuesday. Police have until Saturday
afternoon to question the seven other people who remain in custody. The New IRA
is considered to be the largest dissident republican group and has been behind
numerous attempted attacks on police officers. There has been a renewed focus
on its activities since the death of Lyra McKee, shot in 2019.”

 

The Guardian: Counter-Terror Police Arrest Man And Search Property Near Bath
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“A 33-year-old man has been arrested under the Terrorism Act and remains in
custody, Avon and Somerset police said on Friday. The suspect was held as part
of an investigation from Counter-Terrorism Policing South East and South West,
and detectives said there was no wider threat to the public. The man, from
north-east Somerset, was first arrested on Thursday under the Explosive
Substances Act 1883, on suspicion of making or possessing an explosive
substance in suspicious circumstances. The suspect was re-arrested on Friday
under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000. As part of the investigation
searches are being carried out at a property in Paulton, near Bath. “Officers
carrying out this search are wearing protective suits due to the nature of this
investigation and the explosive ordnance disposal team have also been called to
the property as a precaution,” the force said. Ch Insp Steve Kendall said: “I
would like to reassure the local community that the arrest was carried out by
specialist officers from the counter-terrorism policing network. “I would like
to thank the local community for their patience while officers carry out a
search of the property and continue their investigation.”

 

Daily Mail: ISIS Beatles Say Life Sentence Inside 'Hell On Earth' Supermax
Prison Would Be Worse Than The Death Penalty If They Are Sent To Face US
Justice For String Of Terrorist Beheadings
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“The ISIS Beatles say they fear a life sentence in a 'hell on earth' maximum
security prison in the US that for some people would be a 'fate worse than the
death penalty.' Alexanda Kotey, 36, and El-Shafee el-Sheikh, 32, face rendition
to the US, who have agreed that they will not insist on the death penalty for
the duo. Kotey, from Ladbroke Grove, west London, in an interview with the
Daily Mirror last year said he and El-Sheikh agreed that being convicted in the
States would be a terrible scenario. He said: 'I would not want to spend time
in a prison in the US. That would not be good. That would be the worst thing
that could happen.' El-Sheikh and Kotey - who were caught in January 2018, are
accused of belonging to a brutal four-man cell of executioners in Syria,
nicknamed The Beatles - could end up imprisoned at America's toughest jail. The
proper name for the prison in Florence is the United States Penitentiary
Administrative Maximum Facility. It is currently home to 490 convicted
terrorists, gang leaders and neo-Nazis. Many have been transferred from other
prisons after killing inmates or prison staff. They include Richard Reid, the
attempted shoe bomber; Zacarias Moussaoui, the so-called 20th 9/11 hijacker;
and al-Qaeda terrorists behind the bombing of the World Trade Centre in 1993
and the bombing of the US embassies in Africa.”

 

Germany

 

Deutsche Welle: Germany: Investigations Find 40 Cases Of Extremism In Police
Ranks
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“Germany's federal and state interior ministers reported that at least 40 new
cases of alleged extremism, mostly right-wing, were found among federal and
state police forces in the first half of 2020, according to a survey carried
out by dpa news agency. German police number around 300,000 throughout the
country, and of the 40 new cases, one disciplinary proceeding has already been
dropped due to unsubstantiated suspicion. The Interior Ministry of Hesse
reported the largest share of new cases with 17 police officers currently under
criminal investigation. The states of Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt declared six and
five new cases respectively between January and June. According to the Federal
Interior Ministry, three federal police officers were also suspected of
harboring right-wing extremist tendencies. Cases of extremism in other police
forces were reported with two such cases in the Brandenburg police force and
one each in Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia.
Bremen and Saarland had no known cases in the six-month period. In
Baden-Württemberg, officials began three disciplinary proceedings against
officers “on suspicion of extremist behavior,” but dropped one case and
promptly reinstated the officer after suspicions could not be substantiated.”

 

New Zealand

 

CNN: After The Christchurch Shootings, New Zealand Promised Change. But
Muslims There Still Don't Feel Safe
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“In the days and weeks after a right-wing terrorist live-streamed the massacre
of 51 people at two Christchurch mosques, New Zealand's leaders promised the
country would change. “I don't have all of the answers now, but we must
collectively find them. And we must act,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said,
after the worst mass shooting in the country's modern history on March 15,
2019. Within 24 hours of the shooting, she announced that gun laws would
change. Within days, she put on a hijab for an emotional meeting with members
of the Muslim community. Within four weeks, the gun reforms passed through
Parliament almost unanimously. And within two months, Ardern launched a global
campaign to stop terrorism spreading on social media. That swift action won
praise from experts and the Muslim community, as the country reeled from the
massacre.  On Monday, Brenton Tarrant, the Australian citizen who carried out
the attack, will appear in court as sentencing proceedings begin.”

 

Sky News: Christchurch Gunman Planned To Attack Third Target And Burn Mosques
To The Ground
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“Christchurch mosque gunman Brenton Tarrant wanted to kill as many people as
he could and had planned to attack a third mosque, a court was told as his
sentencing hearing began. The mass murderer appeared at the High Court in the
New Zealand city on Monday, amid heightened security, armed police, barriers
and road blocks. Tarrant, a 29-year-old Australian, has admitted killing 51
people after opening fire on men, women and children at two mosques in the city
on 15 March last year. He has also pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of a
further 40 worshippers, and a charge of terrorism. The court has heard that
after attacking the two mosques in Christchurch, he had been driving to
Ashburton, planning a similar attack, when he was stopped by police. In a
police interview after the attacks, Tarrant admitted “going into both mosques
to kill as many people as I could.” Crown Prosecutor Barnaby Hawes said the
white supremacist had also planned to burn the mosques to the ground and said
he “wished he had done so”. Tarrant “refers to his actions as terror attacks,
saying they were motivated by his ideological beliefs and he intended to
instill fear into those he described as 'invaders' including the Muslim
population or more generally non-European immigrants”, the court was told.”

 

Technology

 

The New York Times: Threatened By Facebook Disinformation, A Monk Flees
Cambodia
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“In just four days, the reputation of a Buddhist monk who had spent decades
fighting for the human rights of Cambodians was destroyed. First, grainy videos
appeared on a fake Facebook page, claiming that he had slept with three sisters
and their mother. Then a government-controlled religious council defrocked the
monk for having violated Buddhist precepts of celibacy. Fearing imminent
arrest, the monk fled Cambodia, destined for a life in exile, like so many
people who have stood up to Asia’s longest-governing leader. The monk, Luon
Sovath, was the victim of a smear campaign this summer that relied on fake
claims and hastily assembled social media accounts designed to discredit an
outspoken critic of the country’s authoritarian policies. A New York Times
investigation found evidence that government employees were involved in the
creation and posting of the videos on Facebook. His downfall shows how
repressive governments can move with stunning speed to disgrace their
opponents, using social media and technology to amplify their divisive
campaigns. Under Prime Minister Hun Sen, the Cambodian government has
repeatedly used falsified Facebook posts or manipulated audio to defame and
imprison politicians, activists and other human rights defenders.”



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