The United States applauded Serbia on Sunday for announcing that it will
designate Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organization

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


September 15, 2020

 

Jewish News Syndicate: Serbia Designates Hezbollah In Its Entirety As Terror
Group
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“The United States applauded Serbia on Sunday for announcing that it will
designate Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organization. U.S. Secretary
of State Mike Pompeo called the move “another significant step limiting this
Iranian backed terrorist group’s ability to operate in Europe.” He also noted
that it was an “important action,” especially in the aftermath of Serbia
normalizing economic relations with Kosovo on Sept. 6 that included Belgrade
committing to move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. “There is
no doubt that the dominoes are falling on Hezbollah’s European operations,
where it has continued to plot terrorist attacks, procure military technology
and raise much-needed funding,” said Pompeo. “The United States continues to
call on the European Union and European nations to designate or ban Hezbollah
in its entirety, and recognize the reality that it is a terrorist organization
root and branch with no distinction between its so-called ‘military’ and
‘political’ wings,” added Pompeo, referring to the fact that Brussels has only
designated Hezbollah’s military wing as such.”

 

The Guardian: Venezuela Announces Terrorism Charges Against Alleged US 'Spy'
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“Venezuela’s chief prosecutor has announced charges of terrorism and weapons
trafficking against an alleged US “spy” who was detained last week in the South
American country. The man, named as Matthew John Heath, was plotting attacks
against the country’s oil industry and electricity system, Tarek William Saab,
chief prosecutor, said on state television on Monday. Saab showed pictures of
equipment allegedly seized from the group, including a grenade launcher,
plastic explosives, a satellite phone and a bag of US dollars. Saab added that
three Venezuelan citizens, including one member of the military, were arrested
and charged with treason as part of the alleged plot. “They tried to fill the
country with blood,” Saab said. “The Venezuelan state has managed to neutralize
the plans to attack the oil industry and national electric system.” Authorities
said cellphones taken from the men when they were arrested last week include
images of a large bridge in Zulia state and dilapidated oil refineries in
Falcón state. “Everything here could qualifies as a lethal weapon designed to
cause harm and to promote assassinations, crimes against the people of
Venezuela,” said Saab, who also accused the US man of planning to open a drug
trafficking route through Venezuela.”

 

United States

 

New York Post: NYPD Union Chief Calls Shooting Of LA Deputies ‘Domestic
Terrorism’
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“The president of the NYPD sergeants’ union condemned the weekend ambush
shooting of two Los Angeles County deputies as “domestic terrorism” — and
demanded that nationwide elected officials “take a stand on such crimes against
humanity.” The deputies, a 31-year-old mother and a 24-year-old man, were
inside a parked patrol car in the southern LA County city of Compton Saturday
night when a lone gunman walked up and opened fire, disturbing surveillance
video shows. They were rushed to the hospital in critical condition. In an open
letter to elected officials early Monday, Sergeants’ Benevolent Association
president Ed Mullins called the attack a symptom of “the unbridled violence
plaguing our nation.” “It continued unabated this weekend with the attempted
assassination of two police officers in Los Angeles,” Mullins wrote. “As they
were battling for their lives, scores of protestors descended on the hospital,
blocked entrances, and chanted that the officers should die.” “By any standard,
what happened in Los Angeles constitutes terrorism, and the American people
deserve to know if elected officials, regardless of their party affiliation,
stand with the angry mobs or with law enforcement, who are perilously on their
own in this battle against American ideals,” he declared.”

 

Iraq

 

Voice Of America: Iraqi, Peshmerga Forces To Step Up Anti-IS Joint Effort
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“Iraqi military and Kurdish Peshmerga forces will increase their cooperation
in the fight against Islamic State, an Iraqi military official said. Yahya
Rasool, spokesman for the Iraqi military, said Sunday that joint efforts are
under way to ensure the security of Iraq’s border with Syria, as IS militants
continue to exploit the instability in both countries to launch attacks on
Iraqi territory. “The Peshmerga forces are part of the Iraqi national defense
system, and now there is joint coordination between the federal forces and the
Peshmerga to protect those areas that lie between their lines of presence,”
Rasool said in a statement to the Iraqi News Agency. “It is very important
during the next phase to coordinate with the Peshmerga forces in order to carry
out joint operations within these areas, as well as sharing intelligence,” he
added. The Iraqi official noted that there is a new understanding between the
two sides to establish coordination centers for their anti-IS campaign.
Rasool’s statement comes days after Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi
visited Iraq’s autonomous region of Kurdistan, where he and Kurdish leaders
discussed among other issues the continued fight against IS, also known as
ISIS.”

 

Afghanistan

 

BBC News: Taliban Talks: US Peace Envoy 'Not Happy About' Release Of Prisoners
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“The US envoy for peace in Afghanistan has told the BBC he was “not happy
about” a controversial deal to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners in order to
secure historic peace talks. However, speaking to the BBC's Lyse Doucet, Zalmay
Khalilzad added that “you have to make hard decisions”. Asked about reports of
ex-prisoners returning to fight, Mr Khalilzad said they “do not have any
evidence”. Peace talks between Afghan leaders and the Taliban began in Qatar on
Saturday. This is the first time the Afghan government has held peace talks
with the militant Islamist group. The aim is to end 19 years of conflict in the
country.  The release of 5,000 prisoners was a condition, agreed between the US
and the Taliban after their peace talks last year, to begin these negotiations.
The Afghan government was not involved in making the agreement, and had
concerns about releasing thousands of militants. Last month, Afghan President
Ashraf Ghani warned that the prisoners' release was a “danger” to the world,
AFP news agency reported at the time. “Until this issue, there was a consensus
on the desirability of peace but not on the cost of it,” Mr Ghani said.”

 

NBC News: U.S. Commander: Intel Still Hasn't Established Russia Paid Taliban
'Bounties' To Kill U.S. Troops
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“Two months after top Pentagon officials vowed to get to the bottom of whether
the Russian government bribed the Taliban to kill American service members, the
commander of troops in the region says a detailed review of all available
intelligence has not been able to corroborate the existence of such a program.
“It just has not been proved to a level of certainty that satisfies me,” Gen.
Frank McKenzie, commander of the U.S. Central Command, told NBC News. McKenzie
oversees U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The U.S. continues to hunt for new
information on the matter, he said. “We continue to look for that evidence,”
the general said. “I just haven't seen it yet. But … it's not a closed issue.”
McKenzie's comments, reflecting a consensus view among military leaders,
underscores the lack of certainty around a narrative that has been accepted as
fact by Democrats and other Trump critics, including presidential nominee Joe
Biden, who has cited Russian bounties in attacks on President Donald Trump.
U.S. intelligence agencies have for years documented Russian financial and
military support to the Taliban, but a Russian program to incentivize the
killing of American service members would represent a significant escalation.”

 

Reuters: Fight And Talk: Facing Negotiations, Taliban Almost Took Key Afghan
City
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“Khan Agha has endured years of violence in Kunduz, but it was the Taliban’s
attack on the strategic city in northeastern Afghanistan, as the government and
insurgents were preparing for historic peace talks, that unnerved him. “Like
me, the majority of Kunduz residents are living in fear,” Agha, a 46-year-old
driver, told Reuters. “Looking at what’s going on, anything could happen at any
time.” The Taliban offensive, encircling and almost seizing Kunduz late last
month, came just weeks before the Kabul government sat down with their sworn
enemies in Doha on Saturday to start historic talks aimed at ending 19 years of
war that has killed and wounded more than 100,000 civilians. The opening
ceremony for the talks in the Qatari capital, replete with calls for peace from
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a grand hotel and a host of dignitaries
on video link urging a ceasefire, contrasted sharply with the recent violence
on the ground in Kunduz. Just hours after those talks started, Taliban and
Afghan government forces clashed across Afghanistan, officials said,
underscoring the uphill challenge of ending the long war.”

 

Voice Of America: Majority Of Americans Support Trump’s Deal With Taliban To
End Afghan War
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“A new U.S. public survey has found that two-thirds of supporters of President
Donald Trump “strongly” or “somewhat” support his deal with the Islamist
Taliban to extricate the United States from the 19-year war in Afghanistan.
Nearly 60% of supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden also
favor the landmark U.S. agreement with the Afghan insurgent group, according to
a poll conducted by New York-based Eurasia Group Foundation. “Ending the war in
Afghanistan is extremely popular, and Americans of all political persuasions
want to honor the recent agreement,” the foundation noted in its findings
released Monday.  The deal signed in February 2020 commits all U.S. troops to
leave the South Asian country within 14 months, ending what has become
America’s longest war. In return, the Taliban have agreed to disallow terrorist
groups such as al-Qaida to operate in the country and begin peace talks with
rival Afghan factions to end decades of hostilities in the country. Fewer than
10% of those surveyed opposed the accord, while one-third remained neutral.
“Since last year, the portion of respondents who believe the U.S. should stay
in Afghanistan until all enemies are defeated has dropped by half — from 30% to
15%,” the survey noted.”

 

Pakistan

 

Radio Free Europe: Military Says 'Terrorist Commander' Killed In Northwestern
Pakistan
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“The Pakistani military says it has killed a “terrorist” commander and three
other militants in the country’s northwest. “In a major breakthrough, terrorist
commander Ihsan Ullah, alias Ihsan Sanray, along with 3 other terrorists were
killed during an Intelligence Based Operation (IBO) today in Ghariom, Shaktu
near the inter district boundary of North and South Waziristan,” army spokesman
Major General Babar Iftikhar tweeted on September 13. The spokesman said Ihsan
Sanray had “masterminded numerous terrorist activities,” including recent
attacks in the Shaktu area that claimed the lives of a lieutenant and a
captain. He did not provide further details. The Pakistani military has claimed
it had cleared North Waziristan of the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan -– also known
as the Pakistani Taliban -– and other militant groups following a major
offensive that was launched in 2014, but the region has been the scene of an
increasing number of attacks on security forces and targeted killings of
civilians. On September 12, at least one Pakistani soldier was killed in a
roadside bomb blast in North Waziristan. No group has claimed responsibility
for the attack.”

 

Saudi Arabia

 

Gulf News: UAE Condemns Al Houthi Terror Attacks On Saudi Arabia, Yemen
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“UAE has strongly condemned the Iranian-backed terrorist Houthi militia’s
firing of missiles and drones at civilian and economic facilities in Saudi and
Yemeni cities. In a statement, the Foreign Ministry also condemned the
continued attacks on the city of Marib, which hosts more than two million
displaced civilians fleeing from militia-controlled areas in Yemen. The
humanitarian situation in Yemen has greatly worsened as a result of these
attacks, the statement added. The UAE expressed concern about the Houthis’
continued rejection of the efforts of the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy
to Yemen, Martin Griffiths. Griffiths is pushing for a permanent ceasefire in
Yemen to resume humanitarian and economic measures and start the political
process to reach a political solution. The Houthis’ aim is to prolong the
crisis and complicate the efforts of the United Nations and the international
community to end the Yemeni crisis, the statement said. It indicated that the
continuation of these attacks and threats illustrates the nature of the danger
facing the region from the Houthi coup, and considered it a new evidence of
these militias’ endeavour to undermine security and stability in the region.”

 

Lebanon

 

Reuters: Pompeo Says Hezbollah Weapons Risk Torpedoing French Efforts In
Lebanon
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“U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday warned France that its efforts
to resolve the crisis in Lebanon would be in vain without immediately tackling
the issue of Iran-backed Hezbollah's weaponry. President Emmanuel Macron has
spearheaded international efforts to set Lebanon on a new course after decades
of corrupt rule led to its deepest crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war. But
unlike Washington, which deems the heavily armed and politically powerful
movement a terrorist group, Paris says its elected arm has a legitimate
political role. The United States last week expanded its sanctions related to
Lebanon by blacklisting two former government ministers it accused of enabling
Hezbollah. That has raised questions as to how much the U.S. and France are
coordinating as Lebanon's factional rivalries struggle to form a new
government. "The United States has assumed its responsibility and we will stop
Iran buying Chinese tanks and Russian air defense systems and then selling
weapons to Hezbollah (and) torpedoing President Macron's efforts in Lebanon,"
Pompeo told France Inter radio.”

 

Middle East

 

Voice Of America: Israel Sentences Jewish Extremist To 3 Life Terms
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“In Israel, a Jewish extremist who was convicted of three counts of murder for
throwing a firebomb that killed three members of a Palestinian family has been
sentenced to three life terms in prison. It is rare that convicted Jewish
extremists receive such a long sentence, but the judges — in their ruling —
said that 26-year-old Amiram Ben Uliel acted out of racist ideology. Ben Uliel
has never expressed remorse. Dressed in a white shirt and wearing a large white
skullcap, he was sentenced to three life sentences in prison. The firebomb
attack five years ago in the West Bank village of Duma was one of the most
brutal Jewish terror attacks in recent years and contributed to a wave of
Israeli-Palestinian tension. Israeli politicians, however, condemned the
attack, which claimed the lives of Saad and Riham Dawabshe and their
18-month-old son, Ali. Only one person survived — a five-year-old named Ahmed.
Ahmed’s grandfather Hussein, who is rearing the boy, said the verdict will not
bring back the dead. He said the court’s decision will not return anything to
Ahmed. The grandfather said he just does not want another child to go through
the trauma that the boy experienced. Ben Uliel had an accomplice who was a
minor at the time. He will be sentenced in the coming days.”

 

Nigeria

 

Sahara Reporters: Granting Amnesty To Boko Haram Terrorists Cannot Bring
Peace, Says Senator Ndume
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“Senator Ali Ndume, lawmaker representing Borno-South at the National Assembly
and Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, has again kicked against the amnesty
granted to Boko Haram members. Senator Ndume made the declaration while
speaking with newsmen at the weekend in Abuja. He insisted that extending state
pardon to erstwhile members of the terror group when the war against their
activities was still ongoing would not bring the required lasting peace. He
said, “Majority of Nigerians are against the way that the Operation Safe
Corridor is being conducted. It is wrong to be granting amnesty to repentant
terrorists when the war is still far from being over. The war must be over
before we start doing that. The military could open up the corridor, allow
everybody to enter and start profiling them and keep them somewhere as
prisoners of war and train them. After the war, they could be reconciled with
the victims of their unfortunate actions. “That is what is being done all over
the world. The current arrangement where the repentant insurgents are granted
amnesty without apologising to the victims and the state, cannot bring about
the required peace.”

 

Africa

 

Bloomberg: ‘Hotel Rwanda’ Hero In Court On Terrorism Charge Denied Bail
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“Paul Rusesabagina, a former Rwandan hotel manager who sheltered people during
the nation’s 1994 genocide appeared in court on charges including terrorism. He
was denied bail. His lawyers David Rugaza and Emeline Nyembo had asked that
Rusesabagina be granted bail, partly on health grounds. The prosecution argued
that he will be taken care of. Rusesabagina said his responses to alleged
crimes against him were documented in files before the court on Monday. An
outspoken critic of President Paul Kagame, Rusesabagina was portrayed as a hero
in the Oscar-nominated 2004 Hollywood movie ‘Hotel Rwanda’ for helping shelter
over 1,200 people from extermination squads. The 66-year-old Belgian citizen
with permanent residency in the U.S., was presented to the media by the Rwanda
Investigation Bureau on Aug. 31, after he was arrested at Kigali International
Airport. The case was adjourned until Sept. 17.”

 

United Kingdom

 

UnHerd: Why Is The Manchester Bomber’s Praying Not Relevant?
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“This week the Manchester Arena inquiry heard that the bomber was seen
“praying” before his attack which claimed 22 innocent lives. Reporting of this
detail caused a stir on social media, and some headlines were changed as a
result. The concern was that reporting on Abedi praying would lead to ordinary
Muslim prayer being seen as a “predictor” or “indicator” of terrorism, and
therefore increased suspicion and profiling of Muslims. So is it relevant that
Salman Abedi was praying? The obvious answer is — as someone about to kill
themselves and others in exchange for eternal reward — yes, because every
action Abedi took in the lead-up to his attack is relevant.Prayer alone, of
course, would predict no such thing and be no reason for suspicion. But
security professionals are trained to be alert to behavioural patterns that are
outside the norms of a given situation. A young male loitering unaccompanied by
a busy music venue for over an hour with an oversized backpack amid a
heightened jihadist terror threat would have been well outside typical crowd
behaviour at the time, even without praying. That he was approached by
passersby on at least one occasion before the explosion was indicative of his
atypical behaviour.”

 

BBC News: Lisa Smith: Trial Of IS Accused Former Soldier Set For 2022
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“A former Irish soldier charged with membership of terrorist group Islamic
State and funding terrorism, will go on trial in 2022. Lisa Smith, 38, from
Dundalk, County Louth, appeared at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin on
Monday morning. She denies being a member of terrorist group Islamic State
(ISIS) between 28 October, 2015 and 1 December, 2019. She also denies financing
terrorism by sending 800 euros in assistance to a named man on 6 May, 2015. If
convicted she could face up to 10 years in prison. The trial is expected to
last 12 weeks. A trial date has been set for 11 January 2022. At Monday's brief
hearing, reported by RTÉ, Ms Smith was remanded on continuing bail.”

 

The Independent: Manchester Arena Bombing: Victims’ Families Tell Inquiry
Their Lives Have Been ‘Torn Apart’ By Attack
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“Moving tributes have been paid to victims of the Manchester Arena suicide
bombing at the public inquiry into the terror attack. Poignant memories from
family and friends remembering the 22 people murdered in the May 2017 attack
were heard on Monday as the commemorative hearings phase of the inquiry began.
Eilidh MacLeod, 14, from the island of Barra in Scotland's Outer Hebrides,
Martyn Hett, 29, from Stockport, John Atkinson, 28, from Manchester, and
Sorrell Leczkowski, 14, from Leeds, were the first four tributes to be heard,
with the rest to follow over the next two weeks. Roderick and Marion MacLeod
sat in the hearing in Manchester as a video tribute was played for their
daughter, the second of their three girls. It began with images of a sunrise
over the mountains and beaches of Barra, set to traditional Scottish bagpipe
music, one of Eilidh's passions. Ms MacLeod said: “Eilidh was a very special
girl, of course she was, she was mine. “Even though she was only 14 she was
loving life. My whole world has been shattered into pieces.” Another video
began with a portrait photo of Mr Hett, followed by a compilation of home
videos of him as a young boy to later social media posts and recordings made by
friends and his partner Russell Hayward.”

 

Europe

 

Reuters: Swiss Probe Terrorism Link To Fatal Stabbing Of Portuguese Man
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“Swiss federal prosecutors took charge of a homicide investigation, saying on
Monday they could not exclude a terrorist motive for the fatal stabbing of a
Portuguese man in the western town of Morges at the weekend. Police in Vaud
canton had said the 29-year-old victim who lived in the area was fatally
injured in the attack on Saturday evening and a suspect had been taken into
custody. “A possible terrorist motive for the crime in Morges cannot be ruled
out,” the Office of the Attorney General said in a statement, noting the
suspect had already been under investigation and had been known to the Federal
Intelligence Service since 2017. It gave no other details about the case.”

 

Canada

 

Montreal Gazette: Families Push To Repatriate Children Of Canadians Who Joined
Islamic State
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“Families of Canadians who left for Syria to support the militant group
Islamic State gathered Monday to press for the Trudeau government to repatriate
their children. They met with journalists in Montreal on Monday, accompanied by
NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice and immigration lawyer Stéphane Handfield. A video
production team reached camps where these children live to record a
documentary. The families used that fact to reject the government’s argument
that it would be too dangerous to send Canadians to repatriate the children.
There are 26 children born to Canadians who left for Syria, including 13 who
are under the age of 6, Handfield said. The lawyer asked the government to do
more for the children. “These children didn’t choose anything,” he said. “These
children didn’t decide to go fight in Syria or Iraq. These children are not
responsible for the decisions of their parents.” Boulerice, the deputy leader
of the NDP, noted that “other countries were capable of doing it” and said he
fails to comprehend why the Trudeau government is hesitating to act. “It must
be a political decision” he said, wondering if the government was “traumatized
by the financial compensation given to a child soldier held in Guantanamo,”
referring to Omar Khadr.”

 

Technology

 

The Washington Post: Violent Memes And Messages Surging On Far-Left Social
Media, A New Report Finds
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“Months of civil unrest have coincided with a significant rise in social media
posts critical of police that sometimes are laced with violent themes,
including calls to destroy property and attack officers, according to research
released Monday morning. The report, by the Network Contagion Research
Institute (NCRI), which previously has studied right-wing violence from groups
such as the “boogaloo boys,” warns that some left-wing groups have embraced
similar social media tactics, including memes and humorous catchphrases, to
spread their messages and possibly help coordinate offline activity. The
researchers pointed to possible signs of such coordination associated with
riots in Seattle, Portland and other cities on July 25, involving fires,
looting and property damage. The report acknowledges that left-wing political
actors, including those who embrace the antifa movement, have been responsible
for far less violence than white supremacists and other right-wing ones — a
finding consistent with the conclusions of law enforcement and other threat
analysts. But the researchers found the growing use of memes a worrying sign
and argue that the spread of dehumanizing rhetoric on the left could set the
stage for more serious incidents by what the report called “network-enabled
mobs.”

 



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