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Eye on Extremism
August 24, 2020
The Jerusalem Post: Turkey’s Erdogan Hosts Large Hamas Delegation With Wanted Terrorist
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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?
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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.”
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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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