Rockets struck an Iraqi base used by U.S. and coalition forces near the airport
in the Kurdistan capital of Erbil late Wednesday, hours after Iraqi

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


October 2, 2020

 

Voice Of America: Rocket Attack Targets Coalition Base In Iraqi Kurdistan
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“Rockets struck an Iraqi base used by U.S. and coalition forces near the
airport in the Kurdistan capital of Erbil late Wednesday, hours after Iraqi
Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi told foreign diplomats that the country would
put a stop to such attacks. Iraq's foreign minister also said that reported
U.S. warnings that Washington may close its embassy in Baghdad would be a
mistake. Amateur video showed a string of fires burning in an empty field not
far from a U.S.-led coalition base near Erbil Airport in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Kurdish security officials accused Shi'ite militias of firing the rockets used
in the overnight attack. Shi'ite Hushd militia forces denied responsibility.
However, Iraqi state media reported that intelligence officials had arrived at
the Shi'ite Hushd militia's 33rd Brigade outside of Mosul to determine if they
fired the rockets used in the attack. Kurdish media indicated that security
investigators had recovered and were examining the rockets. The attack came a
day after Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi told diplomats from 25
countries that his government would protect their facilities from militia
attacks.”

 

Reuters: U.S. Defense Chief's Rare Algeria Visit Points To Sahel Region Threats
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“U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper made a rare visit to Algeria on Thursday
for talks with the president about war-torn Libya and the troubled Sahel region
to the south of the Sahara. Both countries are alarmed by the threat posed by
Islamist militant groups in North Africa and the Sahel, and Algeria is weighing
a more active military role against them outside its own borders. Esper and
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune held “talks on Libya and the Sahel and both
parties agreed to maintain cooperation and coordination,” a statement from
Algeria’s presidency said. In a statement, the Pentagon said Esper voiced
support for expanding military relations with Algeria during the meeting. “The
two leaders discussed security throughout North Africa and the Sahel and ways
to advance our strategic military and diplomatic partnership,” the Pentagon
said. Esper’s visit is the first by a U.S. Defense Secretary to Algeria since
Donald Rumsfeld’s in 2006 and he is also the most senior American official yet
to meet Tebboune. Tebboune took office in December after mass protests last
year led the army to push his predecessor Abdelaziz Bouteflika to step down
after 20 years in power.”

 

United States

 

The Dallas Morning News: Far-Right Extremists Pose Rising Threat In North
Texas Around Election, FBI’s Dallas Office Says
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“The FBI’s Dallas field office warned law enforcement this week that far-right
extremist groups are likely to expand their influence and could pose a violent
threat in North Texas, especially between the Nov. 3 election and January’s
presidential inauguration. The election could serve as a “potential
flashpoint,” says a field office report that was first made public by The
Nation. The field office’s report — marked “unclassified/law enforcement
sensitive” — says the fringe boogaloo movement is likely to step up its violent
anti-government rhetoric and criminal activities, increasing the threat of
violence in North Texas. One person who lives near Dallas, for example, used
social media to discuss “firearms and financing for fellow boogaloo adherents,”
the report says. The person also “discussed creating a shell company” to
launder money to buy guns. An FBI Dallas spokeswoman said the report had been
distributed in North Texas. “The FBI routinely shares information with our law
enforcement partners in order to assist in protecting the communities they
serve,” she said in a written statement. In response to questions about the
FBI’s warning, Dallas police said Thursday that they would continue to
coordinate with law enforcement agencies in the area, including federal ones,
“to ensure that our officers are up to date on intelligence in our efforts to
keep Dallas safe.”

 

Iran

 

The Jerusalem Post: Iranian Terror In Bahrain To Rise To Stop Deal With Israel
– Intel Center
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“Iranian-sponsored terrorism in Bahrain is expected to increase to capsize the
normalization trend with Israel, a new intelligence report obtained first by
The Jerusalem Post said Thursday. “Our estimate is that the deal could increase
the motivation of Iran and of terror organizations in Bahrain, which it
sponsors, to try to increase the public threat level, including to attack
Bahrain’s rulers and to thwart implementation of the deal,” the Meir Amit
Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center report said. The process of
normalization with Israel could effectively spell the end of a relatively quiet
three-year hiatus from problems between Bahrain’s Sunni minority rulers and the
disempowered Shi’ite majority, it said. Noting Bahrain’s September 20
announcement of busting a major terrorist cell, the Meir Amit Center said the
spike in threats from Iran-affiliated terrorist groups may already be here.
Only days after Bahrain signed a declaration with Israel on September 15,
signaling its intent to move toward full normalization, Manama said the
terrorist cell had planned to attack Bahraini officials, security installations
and economic centers.”

 

Turkey

 

Reuters: Turkey Detains Kurdish Opposition Members Over Terrorism Links -
Anadolu
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“Turkish authorities detained 19 people including two Kurdish deputy mayors in
the northeastern province of Kars as part of a terrorism related operation,
state-owned Anadolu news agency said on Thursday. The detainees included local
party heads from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and
municipality council members in the province, Anadolu said. The authorities
detained suspects as they were determined to have aided Kurdistan Workers Party
(PKK) members, attended meetings and operated under their orders, Anadolu said.
Last week, the HDP mayor of Kars along with dozens others were detained over
violent protests in 2014 against an attack on the Syrian Kurdish town of
Kobani. President Tayyip Erdogan’s government accuses the HDP of having links
to the PKK militant group, leading to prosecutions of thousands of its members
and some leaders. The HDP denies such links. Since March 2019 local elections,
mayors have been replaced by trustees in more than half of the roughly 65
municipalities won by the HDP. Ankara has appointed governors and other local
authorities as trustees in those districts.”

 

Afghanistan

 

Reuters: Truck Bomber Kills 11 In Afghanistan Despite Talks On Peace
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“A suicide bomber drove an explosive-laden truck into a checkpoint in
Afghanistan late on Wednesday killing 11 people, as peace talks between the
government and Taliban militants in Qatar seemed to have no bearing on the
violence at home. No group claimed responsibility for the attack in the
southern province of Helmand though officials blamed the Taliban, who have a
heavy presence in the area. The bomber rammed the truck into a post manned by
pro-government militia members, said Omar Zwak, spokesman for the provincial
governor. Seven soldiers and four civilians were killed, he said. In another
attack late on Wednesday, a suicide bomber was killed and six civilians were
wounded in a blast in the southeastern province of Khost, police said. There
was no claim of responsibility. The talks between the government and the
Taliban began in mid-September in Doha, the capital of Qatar, following a
February deal between the militants and the United States that has cleared the
way for U.S. forces to withdraw from their longest war. But the talks between
the Afghans have become bogged down on processes and procedures, diplomatic
sources say. The Taliban political spokesman, Mohammad Naeem, told Reuters
negotiators had not met for the last two days. He did not say why.”

 

Lebanon

 

The Washington Free Beacon: Republicans Push Far-Reaching Sanctions On
Hezbollah And Its Allies
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“Congressional Republicans are preparing a package of new sanctions on the
Iranian-backed terror group Hezbollah, an effort they told the Washington Free
Beacon will cut off the group's access to key funding sources. The new
legislation, which the Free Beacon has obtained, will have far-reaching
implications for financial institutions and senior government officials in
Lebanon, Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua—areas where Hezbollah has an active and
well-funded presence. The legislation would designate key territories in
Lebanon as sources of terror financing, a designation that will freeze
Hezbollah-friendly banks out of the international financial system. The bill
would enact the toughest Hezbollah sanctions Congress has ever proposed, said
Rep. Joe Wilson (R., S.C.), chair of the House Republican Study Committee's
Foreign Affairs and National Security Task Force. “By cutting off banks in
areas under the terror group's control from the international financial system,
this bill will go a long way towards drying up the Iranian terror proxy’s
resources to conduct murderous attacks against the U.S. and our allies.” The
legislation comes as U.S. aid to Lebanon has reemerged as a flashpoint after a
massive explosion decimated the capital city of Beirut.”

 

Middle East

 

The National: ISIS Fighters Penchant For Fast Cars And Chocolate Spread
Revealed
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“ISIS fighters have taken luxury cars and home comforts, including chocolate
spread Nutella, to Syria often at the expense of European taxpayers. The
lifestyles of the foreign fighters have come to light in social media posts by
the group in its bid to woo more recruits. Radicalisation experts say many
hired BMWs to drive across Europe to join the terror group taking with them
luxuries such as Nutella.Terrorism expert Pieter van Ostaeyen said recruits
travelling from France and Belgium would hire high-performance cars and arrive
in style to war zones … In a webinar, hosted by the Counter Extremism Project,
experts explained that key recruiters also helped facilitate their journeys,
weapons and training. It highlighted the role of hate preachers like Britain’s
Anjem Choudary in recruiting youngsters. The London-based Islamist has been
linked to 15 terrorist plots dating back almost 20 years and has been connected
to hundreds of Britons who fled to Syria to fight. He is believed to have
influenced the Sharia4Belgium group, which played a significant role in the
growth of extremism in Belgium, and took inspiration from Islam4UK - a group
once led by Choudary. Mr van Ostaeyen highlighted the role of Sharia4Belgium’s
now-deceased former leader Houssien Elouassaki in being “very successful” in
recruiting people via social media from the battlefield.”

 

Nigeria

 

Daily Trust: Boko Haram Kills 11 Soldiers In Fresh Ambush
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“At least 11 soldiers including two officers have been killed and an
unconfirmed number injured after their convoy ran into an ambush along Dikwa
highway on Tuesday, security sources said. The incident reportedly occurred
along Marte to Dikwa highway on Tuesday morning when the convoy step on a
landmine and thereafter the insurgents opened fire on the troops. “It occurred
yesterday (Tuesday). “The troops while on their way to Dikwa; at about 7km from
Dikwa, in the process of trying to scan the road, they mistakenly step on
landmines planted by suspected Boko Haram insurgents. “The troops came under
heavy gunfire of the enemies. “We lost 11 persons who paid the supreme prize
for their fatherland; two officers, a captain and lieutenant and nine soldiers
all killed”, one of the security sources said. It would be recalled that less
than a week ago insurgents laid an ambush against the state official convoy
killing soldiers, policemen, members of the Civilian Joint Task Force and some
civilian along Monguno/Baga axis of the state.”

 

Africa

 

Bloomberg: Total Warns Of Islamic State Instability Risk In Mozambique
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“Total SE Chief Executive Officer Patrick Pouyanne called on European nations
to help Mozambique fight an insurgency, backed by Islamic State, in part of the
East African nation where the energy company is developing a natural gas
project. For more than a month, militants have occupied a town about 60
kilometers (37 miles) south of where a group led by Total plan to spend $20
billion to extract gas from below the ocean and export it to European and Asian
customers. The violence, including alleged human rights violations by security
forces, is now creeping toward Total’s Mozambique LNG project in the far
northeast of the company. “Western powers are realizing that a Daesh enclave is
settling within Mozambique,” which is “a major problem” for East Africa’s
stability, Pouyanne said Thursday during a press conference near Paris. “It
would be good if the situation is brought back under control, not just for
Total’s project, but for the stability of the region.” Pouyanne, who met
Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi to discuss the situation last month, said he
can help by bringing the attention of European nations to the issue. France has
a vested interest in the region because it owns Mayotte, an island located
between Mozambique and Madagascar, he said.”

 

Germany

 

Deutsche Welle: German State Suspects Intelligence Staff Of Far-Right Activity
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“Four domestic intelligence staff in Germany's western state of North
Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) are suspected of being involved in far-right activity
online, according to a local media report on Thursday. It comes just two weeks
after the state discovered five right-wing extremist chat groups among its
police, leading to the suspension of 29 officers. Three of the four suspected
cases worked for an intelligence observation team, local newspaper Rheinische
Post reported, citing the NRW Interior Ministry. Another was an administrative
clerk in the police department. They were flagged in social networks and chats
for sending videos with “anti-Islam or xenophobic connotations.” The suspected
staff were part of an observation team that was involved in all areas of
investigation, including monitoring right-wing extremism, according to the
ministry. “The intelligence team concerned was disbanded and leadership changes
were made,” a ministry spokesperson told the Rheinische Post. The police
department employee was connected to people from the right-wing extremist scene
on Facebook, the ministry said. The Interior Ministry took immediate
disciplinary action, according to the spokesperson.”

 

Europe

 

The National: Photo Of Twin Towers Cake Used To Prosecute Terrorists
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“Photos of a woman celebrating Osama Bin Laden’s birthday with a Twin Towers
cake are among a cache of battlefield evidence being used in European courts to
prosecute returned foreign fighters. Wedding invitations and marriage and death
certificates found in conflict zones by coalition forces are helping to convict
ISIS and Al Qaeda militants, as evidence is being shared in a global push to
combat terrorism. Recent cases have seen the recovery of a phone showing a
woman and her children with guns, and emails sent to high-ranking Al Qaeda
operatives containing terror plot information. Many fighters arrived in Syria
from Europe in high-performance cars and continued their western lifestyles,
however, their failure to abandon home comforts has helped in the cache of
evidence being collected against them, such as high-end mobile phones. Earlier
this year, Interpol trained more than 30 Iraqi military personnel in crime
scene preservation, including collection and management of evidence. A report
published by crime agency Eurojust this week, entitled 2020 Memorandum on
Battlefield Evidence, shows the practice is being used by at least 10 EU member
states.”

 

Deutsche Welle: Poland: German Far-Right Terror Suspect Arrested With
Explosives
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“A German man suspected of belonging to a far-right terror group was arrested
in Poland with explosives and ammunition in his possession, Poland's PAP news
agency reported on Thursday. The suspect, referred to as “Jürgen K,” was
arrested last week in northern Poland and had published extremist views on
social media, Poland's Internal Security Agency said. Stanislaw Zaryn, a
spokesman for the agency, said the man is accused of belonging to “an organized
criminal group of a terrorist nature.” The man also publicly supported
“radical, anti-system views and right-wing extremist organizations,” according
to PAP. A search of Jürgen K's place of work found two cubes of TNT weighing
1.2 kilograms (2.6 pounds) as well as ammunition, firearms, a teargas canister
and a grenade, according to prosecutors. Authorities charged him with
possession of arms and explosives without a permit and he was placed in
preventive detention for three months. The suspect faces up to eight years in
prison. His arrest is part of an ongoing investigation by the National
Prosecutor's Office into the “activities of an organized terrorist group”
operating in Poland and other countries, Zaryn told PAP. Prosecutors said that
the case was still developing and that further detentions in the case were
possible.”

 



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