Three years after ISIS appeared to be on its last legs in Iraq and Syria it has
seized a city in Mozambique. The city is called Mocimboa da Praia and

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


August 31, 2020

 

The Jerusalem Post: ISIS Spreading In Africa, Seizes A City In Mozambique
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“Three years after ISIS appeared to be on its last legs in Iraq and Syria it
has seized a city in Mozambique. The city is called Mocimboa da Praia and now
there are fears it may have a foothold that is growing in the country. This
slow process of ISIS radicalization has taken place for a year or more. However
it was largely dismissed as fear mongering. Now the group has infiltrated and
some are concerned that it may be on the cusp of a larger offensive. Much like
in the ISIS offensive in Iraq in the summer of 2014 the attacks in southeast
Africa have displaced hundreds of thousands. There are questions about how the
port city might be re-taken by security forces.  The port now affects the whole
of Cabo Delgado province. This is in northern Mozambique. The International
Committee of the Red Cross has warned of a humanitarian crises that may grow.
While some still argue that ISIS is not actually causing or driving the war
here, but it is instead just inequality and poverty, the kinds of images from
Mozambique look like the same Islamist insurgencies in Nigeria or Somalia or
other areas. While the international community is distracted by COVID-19 and
major powers like the US no longer play a role in coordinating efforts like
concentrating on these kinds of emergencies, ISIS can thrive in the margins.”

 

The New York Times: Taliban Violated Afghan Deal With Shelling Of American
Bases, U.S. Officials Say
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“Rockets launched at a U.S. military base and a joint U.S.-Afghan airfield in
southern Afghanistan in recent weeks are believed to have been fired by the
Taliban, according to three American military officials, in what would amount
to a clear breach of the peace agreement between the United States and the
insurgent group. Roughly a dozen rockets struck in late July around Camp
Bastion, a sprawling air base used by Afghan and American forces in the
southern province of Helmand. And several rockets were fired within the last
week or so at Camp Dwyer, a large U.S. military base about 50 miles south of
Bastion. A Taliban commander familiar with the region denied that the group had
carried out any strikes on American bases in Helmand and said that the group
would investigate. The rocket strikes may also have been carried out by a
Taliban faction that is against the agreement, according to one military
official who was briefed on the matter. There were no U.S. casualties in either
attack, nor a public response from Washington during a stretch in which
American officials have struggled to keep an already shaky peace process on
track. The American-led mission in Afghanistan also declined to comment.”

 

United States

 

Fox News: Man Arrested In NYPD Officer's Stabbing Showed Support For Islamic
State
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“A Bosnian illegal immigrant accused of stabbing a New York City police
officer in the neck and stealing his gun, then chasing other officers, had an
interest in Islamic extremism, prosecutors alleged on Thursday. Dzenan Camovic,
21, screamed “Allahu Akbar” as he approached Officer Yayonfrant Jean Pierre who
was stationed at an anti-looting post on a Brooklyn street corner and stabbed
him in the neck, according to surveillance and body camera footage of the June
3 incident as well as media accounts. After the stabbing, Camovic is seen
chasing another officer, Randy Ramnarine, before rushing back toward Jean
Pierre. Ramnarine fired two shots at Camovic and Jean Pierre fired six times,
according to authorities. Camovic then wrestled Jean Pierre's gun away from him
and fired six shots — wounding Ramnarine and another officer in the hand,
authorities said. Ramnarine and a responding sergeant returned fire. Both
officers survived their injuries. Camovic was hospitalized with gunshot wounds
to the face, legs and torso before being moved to the city's Rikers Island jail
complex. His injuries, including a shattered wrist and elbow, have required
several surgeries and he is still receiving physical therapy, Camovic's lawyer,
Robert Stahl told the Associated Press.”

 

Business Insider: Fake N95 Face Masks Were Being Sold On This ISIS-Linked
Website — And It Shows How Terror Groups Are Using COVID-19 As A Propaganda Tool
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“The US Justice Department shut down an ISIS-affiliated scam that attempted
sell fake personal protective equipment (PPE) through a website and Facebook
accounts, which researchers say is another novel way terrorists are taking
advantage of the coronavirus pandemic. FaceMaskCenter.com, a now-defunct
website that claimed to sell FDA-approved N95 respirator masks and other
sought-after PPE, contained all the hallmarks of a legitimate online store —
including accepting credit cards. The website claimed it was “the original
online personal protective equipment supplier and was the first of its kind”
since its inception in 1996, when in fact the site was created February 26,
2020. The website was seized by the Justice Department and visitors are now
greeted with an official disclaimer and a phone number to call if they were
victims of the scam. It was not immediately clear if anyone purchased PPE from
the website; however, when a US-based customer contacted the website to
purchase masks for first-responders, a Syrian national living in Turkey
responded by saying he could “easily provide up to 100,000 N95 masks, which he
claimed to have in his possession,” according to the Justice Department's
complaint.”

 

The National: Terrorist Preacher Abu Hamza Sues US Over ‘Cruel’ Prison
Conditions <>

 

“Extremist preacher Abu Hamza is taking legal action against the US over
“cruel” conditions in the maximum security prison where he is jailed. The
Egypt-born cleric, who delivered hate-filled speeches at Finsbury Park mosque
in north London, has complained of inhuman treatment in solitary confinement in
the United States. In a civil lawsuit, Abu Hamza claims he has been reduced to
tearing food packages open with his rotten teeth after being deprived of his
hooks or any other prosthesis for his arms. The Al Qaeda imam has also said he
has been deprived of sunlight in his isolated cell and explained he’d launched
a 10-day hunger strike over the treatment, according to The Sunday Times. In
the suit filed against US Attorney General William Barr, Abu Hamza said he was
suffering from stress and anxiety because of the “inhuman and degrading”
conditions inside ADX Florence, a supermax prison in Colorado. He has been
incarcerated inside the Rocky Mountains prison after being extradited to the
United States on terrorist charges in 2012 and given a life sentence without
parole. Abu Hamza, whose real name is Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, was convicted in
2014 of facilitating satellite communications between kidnappers during a 1998
attack that killed four tourists in Yemen, of supporting plans to open an Al
Qaeda training camp in Bly, Oregon, and sending someone to an Afghanistan
training camp.”

 

Iraq

 

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. To Cut Troop Presence In Iraq By About
One-Third, Officials Say
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“The Pentagon is cutting the U.S. force in Iraq to about 3,500 troops, U.S.
officials said, a roughly one-third reduction that President Trump is expected
to tout as progress toward winding down what he has described as endless wars.
The U.S. and Iraq refrained from publicly setting a schedule for reducing the
approximately 5,200 American troops now in the country when Iraq’s prime
minister visited Washington last week. Several American officials said the
Pentagon is cutting troop levels by roughly one-third over the next two to
three months. That would bring American force levels roughly back to where they
were in 2015 when the U.S. was in the early phase of its campaign against
Islamic State. The Pentagon confirmed The Wall Street Journal’s report late
Friday. “We are reducing troop levels as the Iraqi capability to defeat ISIS
remnants and prevent its resurgence improves, said Navy Commander Jessica
McNulty, a Pentagon spokeswoman. “Any reduction of U.S. forces in Iraq will be
determined through careful coordination with the Government of Iraq, as well as
with our Coalition and NATO partners, and calibrated to our shared security
interests and progress in the campaign against ISIS.”

 

Kurdistan 24: ISIS Sleeper Cell Attack Kills Four SDF Fighters Near Iraq
Border: Statement
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“Four Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters were killed during an attack by
members of the so-called Islamic State near al-Dashisha area close to the Iraqi
border on Friday, the SDF announced on Sunday. “Sleeper cells” of the terrorist
organization launched another attack, targeting the defense units stationed in
al-Dashisha area of Deir al-Zor, four fighters of which were “martyred,” the
SDF media center said in a statement. According to Voice of America,
al-Dashisha is a former key Islamic State stronghold and a major corridor for
the group to move fighters and resources between Iraq and Syria. The SDF seized
it in June 2018. SDF sources suggest that former Islamic State leader Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi was at one point based in al-Dashisha before moving to Idlib.
Baghdadi was killed in a US operation in Syria near the Turkish border in
October 2019 with the help of intelligence from the SDF. On Saturday, the
Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack in Tuwaymin in southern
Hasakah that allegedly killed five SDF fighters. The SDF has not confirmed the
incident. It’s unclear if this is a separate incident from the al-Dashisha
attack, with the two locations being near the Iraqi border 34 kilometers apart.”

 

Afghanistan

 

The Washington Post: 3 Afghans Accused Of Links To Insider Attacks That Killed
U.S. Troops Are Among Taliban Prisoners To Be Released
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“Three Afghans accused of involvement in the deaths of U.S. troops in
so-called insider attacks are among more than 300 high-value Taliban prisoners
that the Afghan government is set to release to facilitate direct talks with
the militant group, according to a senior Afghan official and a Kabul-based
diplomat briefed on the matter. The United States has not publicly objected to
the expected release of the three prisoners; instead, negotiators are exploring
other options, including temporarily placing the inmates under house arrest,
the two officials said, both speaking on the condition of anonymity because
they were not authorized to speak to the press. The U.S. response puts it at
odds with its Western allies: France and Australia have publicly opposed the
release of at least three other prisoners accused of carrying out separate
attacks against French and Australian nationals, including humanitarian
workers. Since a peace deal between the United States and the Taliban was inked
in February, U.S. officials have applied consistent, intense pressure on the
Afghan government to quickly release all those remaining of the 5,000 Taliban
prisoners cited in the deal as a precondition to talks. It was unclear what
attacks the three prisoners are alleged to have been involved in or how many
Americans were killed.”

 

Associated Press: Afghan President Names Council For Peace Deal With Taliban
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“Afghanistan’s president has appointed a council for national reconciliation,
which will have final say on whether the government will sign a peace deal with
the Taliban after what are expected to be protracted and uncertain negotiations
with the insurgents. The negotiations were envisaged under a U.S.-Taliban peace
agreement signed in February as intra-Afghan talks to decide the war-torn
country’s future. However, their start has been hampered by a series of delays
that have frustrated Washington. Some had expected the negotiations to begin
earlier this month. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani issued a decree late Saturday
establishing the 46-member council, led by his former rival in last year’s
presidential election, Abdullah Abdullah, who is now in the government. The
council is separate from a 21-member negotiating team, which Ghani appointed in
March and which is expected to travel to the Gulf Arab state of Qatar, where
the Taliban maintain a political office, for intra-Afghan talks. The council
will have the final say and will ultimately decide on the points that the
negotiating team takes up with the Taliban. Abdullah’s appointment to head the
reconciliation efforts followed a power-sharing deal he signed in May with
Ghani to end the political deadlock after last year’s election — a vote in
which Abdullah had also declared himself a winner.”

 

Yemen

 

The Jerusalem Post: Senior Al-Qaeda Commander Planning Attack Arrested By
Yemen's Military
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“An al-Qaeda commander was arrested in Yemen on Saturday while he was planning
a terrorist attack in the capital Sana'a, according to the Tasnim News Agency.
The Yemeni official said that the terrorist was coming from the central
province of Ma'rib to carry out a terrorist operation in the capital.
Brig.-Gen. Abdul Khaleq al-Ajri, spokesperson of the Yemen's Interior Ministry
said that the detained al-Qaeda commander had led the terrorist forces in the
Qaifa area of the central province of al-Bayda, where they were forced to flee
after suffering defeat from the Yemeni forces. Besides, the Yemeni military is
also fighting on the Saudi front, since Saudi Arabia invaded Yemen in March
2015. While a blockade imposed on Yemen extremely impoverished the country, the
ongoing war have already killed tens of thousands of Yemenis, have made immense
damages on the country's infrastructure, destroying hospital, schools and
factories, and have pushed the country to the brink of famine. Yemen's health
system is already on the brink of collapse, kept going through aid. Cholera,
malaria and dengue were rife amid a malnourished population even before the
coronavirus outbreak.”

 

Egypt

 

Arab News: Egypt Kills 77 Extremist Militants In Anti-Terror Operations
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“Dozens of militants have been killed in anti-terrorism operations during the
period July 22 - Aug. 30, the General Command of the Egyptian Armed Forces said
on Sunday. Various operations to clear Egypt of extremists have resulted in the
the deaths of 77 militants. Operations had targeted the alleged “homes of
terrorists” which led to the deaths of 73 extremists in northern Sinai. Two
other militants, considered “extremely dangerous” individuals, were killed in
an operation. They were in possession of two automatic rifles, five magazines
of ammunition and an explosive belt. In another such operation, two other
militants were killed and another was injured. They had four automatic rifles,
ammunition, explosives, a motorcycle and sums of money in their possession.  A
total of 317 dens, hideouts and stores where explosive materials were kept in
northern Sinai by militants and ten four-wheel drive vehicles were also
destroyed.  The Air Force also destroyed nine four-wheel drive vehicles loaded
with weapons and ammunition while they tried to penetrate the country's western
borders. A total of three officers and four soldiers were killed in the
operations.”

 

Nigeria

 

Agence France-Presse: ISWAP Fighters Kill 14 In Nigeria-Cameroon Border Over
‘Blockade’
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“Jihadists have killed 14 people on a Cameroonian island on Lake Chad near the
border with Nigeria after their town decided to block food supplies to the
insurgents, security sources said Thursday. Fighters from the so-called Islamic
State West Africa Province (ISWAP) landed on the island of Bulgaram aboard
speedboats from an enclave on the Nigerian side late Tuesday, they said. “They
came around 6:30 pm (1830 GMT) while people were preparing for evening prayers
and shot dead 14 community leaders,” a security source told AFP. Some of the
victims were shot in their homes while others were killed in the mosque where
they had gone to pray, said another source, who gave a similar toll. The
assault was launched after the town — a major logistical route for ISWAP
jihadists on the Nigerian side of the lake — decided to cut off food supplies
for the jihadists. In recent days, local chiefs had invoked the Koran at a town
hall meeting and placed a curse on any resident allowing supplies to the
jihadists. The insurgents viewed the decision as a betrayal and a show of
support for the local authorities. The past week has seen several Nigerian air
raids on ISWAP strongholds that have inflicted heavy casualties, according to
military and local sources.”

 

Somalia

 

Shabelle Media Network: U.S. Military Denies Al-Shabaab Claims Of American
Casualties In Airstrike <[link removed]>

 

“The United States military denied claims by Somali Islamist militant group
Al-Shabaab that American military personnel were injured in an airstrike on
Monday. The U.S. military conducted an airstrike in the vicinity of Dar as
Salam after Al-Shabaab militants attacked partner forces from a building. The
airstrike killed six militants and injured three others. A statement by the
U.S. Africa Command acknowledged that American forces were in the locality to
support Somali forces but none of them were casualties in the strike. “When
this airstrike occurred, U.S. forces were in the vicinity in order to advise
and assist Somali partner forces. Al-Shabaab falsely claimed U.S. casualties.
No U.S. forces were injured or killed during the attack,” AFRICOM said in a
statement. The Al-Qaeda-linked group is known to use propaganda videos and
messages to lure in unsuspecting members, build community support, seek media
attention and dupe the Somali public, a fact that AFRICOM was quick to point
out given this most recent claim. “Al-Shabaab routinely resorts to the
tradecraft of terror, crime, and propaganda to intimidate and seek control of
the local populace. Persistent pressure against the al-Shabaab damages their
narrative, network, and plans for broader destruction and violence,” Colonel
Chris Karns, AFRICOM director of public affairs, said.”

 

Mali

 

Reuters: Where State Is Weak, Mali Militants Broker Talks Between Rival Clans
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“A few weeks before military officers overthrew Mali’s government in a
bloodless coup, a series of meetings in the remote centre of the country
underscored how much the state’s grip on power had loosened. Video of one
gathering in the rural commune of Sangha shows leaders from the rival Dogon and
Fulani communities, whose militias have slaughtered hundreds of civilians in
tit-for-tat attacks this year, sitting down together and making peace. Also
surprising were the mediators: fighters from al Qaeda’s Mali affiliate, who can
be seen squatting in the shade with rifles and ammunition belts, many of their
faces obscured by turbans and dark sunglasses. Until recently, members of the
al Qaeda-linked Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) - Mali’s most
powerful militant group - had sided with the semi-nomadic Fulani herdsmen when
they clashed with the Dogon people over land and resources. But flush with new
recruits and weapons captured from overwhelmed state forces, the jihadists have
turned to mediation in a bid to further entrench their local control, said
Idrissa Sankare, a former member of parliament from the area.”

 

Africa

 

Reuters: Ten Militants And Five Civilians Killed In East Congo Violence -
Army, Local Leader <[link removed]>

 

“Ten Islamist militants were killed after they ambushed an army convoy in
eastern Congo on Friday, according to the military, while a community leader
said five civilians were killed by members of the same rebel group soon after.
The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan armed group operating in eastern
Democratic Republic of Congo for more than three decades, has killed more than
1,000 civilians since the start of 2019, according to United Nations figures.
The latest violence saw six Congolese soldiers wounded in clashes with the
militants following the ambush near the town of Mbau, army spokesman Antony
Mwalushayi said on Sunday. “Two ADF fell on the spot. In the evening after we
secured the area, we discovered another eight,” he said, referring to the
militant casualties. Not long after the ambush, members of the same ADF group
killed five civilians near Mbau, including three women, and took a few
hostages, according to Mathe Esdras, head of the local youth council. Reuters
could not independently verify his report. The army launched a large offensive
against the ADF late last year, sparking a violent backlash against civilians.”

 

United Kingdom

 

BBC News: Man Charged With Terrorism Offences Had IED Ingredients
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“A former Army employee charged with terrorism and explosive offences had the
ingredients to make an improvised explosive device (IED), a court heard. Dean
Morrice, 33, of Paulton, Somerset, was arrested under the Terrorism Act on 20
August and his property searched. Police found the components for the
pyrotechnic composition thermite, ball bearings and metal pipes, Westminster
Magistrates' Court heard on Thursday. He was remanded into custody and is due
to appear at the Old Bailey in October. Mr Morrice is charged with possessing
the explosive substance black powder, possessing a document containing
information useful to terrorism and two counts of transmitting content of a
terrorist publication electronically. The allegations against him relate to the
period 15 March 2019 to 20 August 2020. Sajad Chaudhury, for the defence, said
Mr Morrice was in the military for less than a year and had a desk job. He said
his client denied the offences and would plead not guilty in due course. He is
next due to appear in court at The Old Bailey on 2 October. The charges follow
an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing South East and Counter Terrorism
Policing South West.”

 

BBC News: Boy, 15, Accused Of Islamic Terror Bomb Plot
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“A 15-year-old boy is to stand trial accused of preparing acts of terrorism.
The child, who cannot be identified, is accused of trying to make bombs
containing shrapnel in an Islamic terror plot. The teenager, from Eastleigh,
Hampshire, was arrested on 12 June, according to Counter Terrorism Policing
South East (CTPSE). He pleaded not-guilty to the charge during a hearing at
Leicester Crown Court where he appeared via video link. The boy, who is said to
have converted to Islam this year, was charged with preparation of terrorist
acts contrary to Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006 in connection with
Islamist terrorism. During the 40-minute hearing, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb
remanded the boy into custody until his trial at the same court on 28
September.”

 

Europe

 

Daily Sabah: Terrorism From Syria, Iraq Still Poses Threat To Security In
Europe, Analysts Say
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“The terrorist threat against Europe has mutated in the last half-decade as
terrorist groups have seen their Middle East sanctuaries eroded, but analysts
say the West must remain braced for more attacks. Both al-Qaida and the Daesh
terrorist group – together responsible for the highest-profile and most
horrific terror attacks of the past two decades – have lost potency as global
organizations. 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 Daesh and
al-Qaida. The murderous shooting spree heralded an unprecedented wave of
attacks in France. The deadliest was the coordinated attacks in Paris on Nov.
13 that year at the Bataclan music venue and other venues, when gunmen killed
130 in a plan stemming from the Daesh group's core leadership in Syria. Experts
believe the same style of assault would be unlikely to recur now, not least
because Daesh has seen a dramatic loss of its territory and membership in Iraq
and Syria.”

 

Australia

 

The Sydney Morning Herald: 'More Organised, Sophisticated And Security
Conscious Than Before': Right-Wing Extremist Threat Growing
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“Australian security agencies are on alert for extremists who could have been
inspired by the Christchurch mosque killer and other massacres overseas, as
small far-right cells across the country are becoming more organised and
sophisticated than ever before. The concern is being heightened by extreme
right-wing groups increasingly attracting people from a military background who
know how to use weapons, as well as a younger membership who aren't displaying
obvious signs of their extremism - making them harder to detect. Brenton
Tarrant, 29, was sentenced last week to life in prison without parole after
pleading guilty to slaughtering 51 worshippers at two New Zealand mosques. The
Morrison government has opened the door to the Australian-born white
supremacist serving out his sentence in Australia. The Australian Security and
Intelligence Organisation has been increasingly focused on right-wing extremism
for a number of years, including the possibility of extremists being inspired
by killers such as the Christchurch gunman. The problem is being fuelled by
online forums allowing people on the far-right to make quick and easy
connections with like-minded individuals around the world, which ASIO believes
has created a toxic peer environment in which acts of violence based on extreme
right-wing ideologies are “encouraged, glorified and promoted.”



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