Eye on Extremism

August 28, 2020

 

Voice Of America: Afghan Leaders: US-Backed Peace Talks With Taliban To Begin Next Week

 

“Top leaders in Afghanistan announced Thursday that U.S.-backed peace talks with the Taliban insurgency will start next week to negotiate a political settlement to the country’s long conflict. The proposed dialogue stems from a landmark pact the United States sealed with the Taliban in February to promote a negotiated settlement to the Afghan war, the longest U.S. overseas military intervention. Abdullah Abdullah, who leads the state peacemaking High Council for National Reconciliation, told a seminar in Kabul his team “is well prepared” to enter what he referred to as intra-Afghan negotiations. Just hours later, Afghan Foreign Minister Haneef Atmar confirmed to an online forum in Washington that his government has moved to finally settle the dispute over a prisoner swap that had prevented the Taliban from joining the talks. “We are optimistic that next week we will be making big progress in this respect. The last hurdles in terms of release of prisoners are being addressed successfully. So, hopefully we will be soon done with all those initial hurdles that were in the way of starting the peace negotiations,” Atmar said in his speech at the U.S. Institute of Peace. Atmar noted he was “cautiously optimistic” that there will not be a further hurdle on the way to the talks.”

 

Iraq

 

Voice Of America: Militants Kill With Impunity In Iraq, Report Says

 

“On August 19, the day when Mustafa al-Kadhimi arrived in Washington for his first White House meeting as the Iraqi prime minister, his country lost a prominent female human rights activist who advocated for basic services such as drinking water in the oil-rich city of Basra.  Reham Yacoub, 29, had just left the gym when unknown gunmen on a motorcycle fatally shot her in her car, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW). In a report Wednesday, HRW warned that Iraq has turned into a country where militia groups openly defy the law with minimal response from authorities. “Unfortunately, the reality is that right now, people are getting killed in Iraq by groups who clearly from their behavior know that they are immune from the law,” Belkis Wille, author of the HRW report, told VOA. “That is what is most disturbing about these killings in Basra and people being able to conduct assassinations in broad daylight.” According to HRW, unidentified gunmen have killed at least two protesters and wounded four others since August 14 in the Iraqi southern province and city of the same name. The victims were reportedly members of Al-Basra Civil Youth, a group founded in 2014 by young people to organize protests in the city.”

 

Reuters: French Minister Heads To Iraq Amid Islamic State Resurgence

 

“French armed forces minister Florence Parly began a trip to Iraq on Thursday that the ministry said formed part of the country’s ongoing commitment to the fight against terrorism and its support for Iraq’s sovereignty. “The minister for the armed forces is insistent upon the fact that Islamic State remains a serious challenge which we must continue to face up to. French airstrikes against isolated pockets of Islamic State have picked up in recent months,” the French armed forces ministry said in a statement. Ministry officials said Paris was concerned by a resurgence in Iraq of the group, which is profiting from political uncertainty in the country and rivalries between Iran and the United States in the region.”

 

Lebanon

 

The Associated Press: Family Of Convicted Hezbollah Member Denounces 'Injustice'

 

“The family of a Hezbollah member convicted in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri described Thursday the guilty verdict handed down by a U.N.-backed tribunal as a “grave injustice.” The comment was the first by relatives of Salim Ayyash, who was found guilty as a co-conspirator in five charges linked to his involvement in the suicide truck bombing that killed Hariri and 21 others in a huge blast 15 years ago. It was released in a statement distributed by Hezbollah. The Shiite Muslim group has consistently denied involvement in Hariri's killing, calling it a conspiracy against it and has vowed not to hand over any suspects. Ayyash, 56, has been at large and is not likely to serve time. A hearing will be held at a later date to determine his sentence. In its verdict Aug. 18, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon convicted Ayyash and acquitted three others of involvement in the assassination, which sent shock waves through the Middle East. The tribunal’s judges also said there was no evidence the leadership of Hezbollah and Syria were involved in the attack.”

 

The National: Lebanon: Two Killed In Armed Clashes With Hezbollah Supporters

 

“At least two people were killed and 10 wounded when clashes broke out between armed members of the militant group Hezbollah and tribal members south of Beirut on Thursday, local media reported. The clashes in Khaldeh, south of the Lebanese capital, reportedly erupted after a row over banners that had been hung. The National News Agency said the two dead were a Lebanese and a Syrian citizen; the three wounded were members of the same family. Heavy automatic weapons fire could be heard in videos posted to social media. The clashes took place around the motorway that links Beirut with the country’s south. The Lebanese army was sent to the area, made four arrests and sealed off the motorway. “Four people have been arrested in Khaldeh, including two Syrians, and the rest of those involved are being pursued,” the army said. It said reinforcements were being sent to the area. The fighting lasted nearly three hours and a nearby building was torched. Lebanese President Michel Aoun called different political factions to try to calm the situation. Last week, a brief clash broke out in the same area when Hezbollah supporters tried to raise a poster of Salim Ayyash, a Hezbollah member charged by a UN-backed tribunal of involvement in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in a huge suicide truck bombing in Beirut 15 years ago.”

 

Haaretz: Despite Its Troubles In Lebanon, Hezbollah Is Still Bent On Revenge On Israel

 

“Following the August 4 Beirut port disaster, the Israel military lifted the intelligence warning of a possible attack on the border with Lebanon, and lowered the alert level. The reason was simple: Even though Hezbollah had not yet settled the score over the death of one of its senior officials in Damascus on July 20, in an airstrike attributed to Israel, the explosion had entirely changed the Lebanese context. The thought was that the Shi’ite organization, which is seen as part of a corrupt political and governmental system in Lebanon, should not compound the country’s suffering by turning up the heat at the Israeli border.”

 

Nigeria

 

Vanguard: Nigeria: Boko Haram Has Political Patrons, The Question Is - Who Are They?

 

“Obadiah Mailafia, former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, recently stirred up a hornet's nest when he told a radio station that “one of the northern governors is the commander of Boko Haram”. As quick as a flash, the Department of State Services, DSS, invited him for “questioning”, and the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission, NBC, slammed a N5m fine on the radio station, Nigeria Info 99.3 FM, for giving Dr. Mailafia a platform “to promote unverifiable and inciting views”. Defending the DSS's action, President Buhari's senior media assistant, Garba Shehu, said: “When somebody claiming to be a responsible citizen makes such a claim as Obadiah Mailafia did ... and he shouldn't be asked questions, so what kind of society do we want?” My immediate reaction was: What an utter distraction! The Yoruba would say A kii fi ete sile pa lapalapa, meaning: “One does not ignore leprosy to treat a rash.” But that's what the Buhari government is doing. It is ignoring the leprosy of terrorism that is devastating lives and communities across Nigeria and focusing on the rash of so-called hate speech!”

 

Agence France-Presse: Two Killed, 15 Injured In Jihadist Ambush In Nigeria

 

“Jihadists have ambushed a civilian convoy in northeast Nigeria's Borno state, killing two people and injuring 15, militia sources said Friday. The gunmen opened fire as the convoy, under military escort, was heading to the town of Gamboru near the border with Cameroon late Thursday, they said. "The insurgents killed two civilians and seriously injured 15," militia leader Ibrahim Liman told AFP. The convoy, comprising mostly traders, was coming from the regional capital Maiduguri, 130 kilometres (80 miles) from the Cameroonian border, when the attack occurred in the village of Mussine. "The troops returned fire and the attackers retreated, but unfortunately two people were killed among the passengers," said another militia leader, Umar Kachalla. Travelling on highways in northern Borno has become dangerous as fighters from the so-called Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and rival Boko Haram set up bogus checkpoints where they kill or abduct passengers. The situation has prompted the authorities to organise travellers in convoys under military protection but attacks have persisted.”

 

Mali

  

Reuters: Militants Kill Four Malian Soldiers In Ambush

 

“Four Malian soldiers were killed and 12 wounded on Thursday after militants ambushed a military anti-poaching patrol in the violence-plagued central region of Mopti, the army said. Mali was rocked last week by a coup that ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, which international powers fear could further destabilise the country and undermine the fight against insurgents there and in the wider Sahel region. Islamist groups with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State operate in arid central and northern Mali, using the area as a base to attack soldiers and civilians in neighboring Burkina Faso, Niger and beyond. Reinforcements have been sent to the area of the Mopti attack around 25 km (16 miles) from the town of Konna, the army said in a statement.”

 

Africa

 

Mozambique News Agency: Terrorist Behead Seven On Nhonge Island

 

“Islamist terrorists have beheaded seven people in an attack against the island of Nhonge, off the coast of Mocimboa da Praia district, in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, reports Thursday's issue of the independent newssheet “Mediafax”. According to local sources, cited by “Mediafax”, the island was formerly regarded as a safe haven. People used to flee to Nhonge from the mainland to escape the atrocities committed by the terrorists, known locally as “Al-Shabaab”, although they do not seem to have any organisational links with the Somali organisation of that name. But the island came under attack last Friday, perhaps because, at low tide, it is possible to walk to the island from the main land village of Ulo. The attackers seized seven men and beheaded them. They kidnapped a further ten to 20 people (the paper's sources differed as to the exact number) and looted goods from the informal shops on the island. The stolen goods were loaded onto five boats and taken to the mainland.”

 

United Kingdom 

 

BBC News: Man Charged With Terrorism And Explosive Offences

 

“A man in Somerset has been arrested and charged with terrorism and explosive offences. Dean Morrice, 33, of Pithay Court, Paulton, was arrested under the Terrorism Act and searches were carried out at a property in Paulton last week. He has been charged with transmitting a terrorist publication and possession of terrorist related material. He has also been charged with making or possessing an explosive substance in suspicious circumstances. Mr Morrice has been remanded in custody and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court later. A joint investigation is being carried out by officers from Counter Terrorism Policing South East and Counter Terrorism Policing South West.”

 

Germany 

 

Deutsche Welle: Far-Right Suspect Extradited To Germany From Netherlands

 

“A German man accused of spearheading a far-right group that shared pro-Nazi and anti-Semitic material online has been extradited to his home country from the Netherlands, German federal prosecutors confirmed Thursday.  Fadi J. was arrested in Heerlen, in the Netherlands, near the German border in July. Authorities have withheld his last name in line with German privacy laws.  J. is accused of co-founding the “Goyim Party Germany” group in 2016. Prosecutors say the group’s website promoted material denying the Holocaust and praising crimes committed by the Nazi regime, news agency AP reported.  The site also featured “deeply disparaging anti-Semitic propaganda'' that included a call to kill Jews.  The accused appeared Wednesday evening before a Federal Court of Justice judge who had issued the warrant and ordered he be detained ahead of his trial, prosecutors said. A second suspect was arrested in Berlin at the same time J. was apprehended in the Netherlands, AP said. Suspect Marcus B. is accused of joining the group in 2018.  At least six other suspects are also being investigated.”

 

Europe

 

Agence France-Presse: Mutating Terror Threat Still Looms Over Europe

 

“The terrorist threat against Europe has mutated in the last half-decade as jihadist groups have seen their Middle East sanctuaries eroded, but analysts say the West must remain braced for more attacks. Both Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group -- together responsible for the highest-profile and most horrific terror attacks of the past two decades -- have lost potency as global organisations. Despite splintering into branches and franchises, their murderous ideology is still able to inspire individuals to carry out random attacks in their name. Next week in Paris, 14 people face trial over the massacres in January 2015 at satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, a policewoman and hostages in a Jewish supermarket -- violence claimed for both IS and Al-Qaeda. The murderous shooting spree heralded an unprecedented wave of attacks in France. The deadliest were the coordinated attacks in Paris on November 13 that year at the Bataclan music venue and other venues, when gunmen killed 130 in a plan stemming from the IS group's core leadership in Syria. Experts believe the same style of assault would be unlikely to recur now, not least because IS has seen a dramatic loss of its territory and membership in Iraq and Syria.”

 

Technology

 

Agence France-Presse: YouTube Video Removals Soar As Software Enforces Rules

 

“YouTube said Tuesday that video removals soared in the second quarter of this year as the company relied more on software to enforce content rules to protect workers from the pandemic. Slightly more than 11.4 million videos were pulled from the popular online platform, nearly double the number removed in the first three months of the year, setting a new quarterly record for the Google-owned company. "When reckoning with greatly reduced human review capacity due to COVID-19, we were forced to make a choice between potential under-enforcement or potential over-enforcement," YouTube said in a blog post with the latest enforcement figures. The video-streaming site said it opted to "cast a wider net so that the most content that could potentially harm the community would be quickly removed," realizing that without humans making judgment calls, some videos that don't actually violate policies would be taken down. YouTube devoted extra resources to reviewing take-down appeals, which doubled from the previous quarter but remained less than 3 percent of the total, according to the company. For decisions on removing content such as violent extremism and child safety, YouTube tolerated a lower level of accuracy that resulted in a tripling of the number of videos pulled for breaking those rules, the report said.”

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