At least 1,300 prisoners escaped from a jail in the Democratic Republic of
Congo early on Tuesday, the United Nations said, after an armed assault for

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


October 21, 2020

 

The New York Times: 1,300 Prisoners Escape From Congo Jail After An Attack
Claimed By ISIS
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“At least 1,300 prisoners escaped from a jail in the Democratic Republic of
Congo early on Tuesday, the United Nations said, after an armed assault for
which the Islamic State has claimed responsibility. A local official attributed
the operation to an Islamist rebel group. But Amaq, the Islamic State’s
official news outlet, said that ISIS fighters had attacked a Congolese prison,
citing a military source. The assault in Beni, in the country’s northeast,
targeted the Kangbayi central prison and the military camp defending it, the
city’s mayor, Modeste Bakwanamaha, told news agencies on Tuesday morning. The
mayor said that just 100 of the prison’s inmates, who had numbered more than
1,400, remained, though 20 others later returned. “Unfortunately, the
attackers, who came in large numbers, managed to break the door with electrical
equipment,” the mayor said to Reuters. An estimated 1,335 prisoners escaped,
and one inmate died in the confrontation, said Mathias Gillmann, a spokesman
for a United Nations peacekeeping group in Congo, though local journalists,
citing the police, reported that two inmates were fatally shot during the raid.
According to the United Nations, the prison held 1,456 inmates.”

 

BBC News: France Teacher Attack: Macron Urges Russia To Boost Anti-Terror Fight
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“French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Russia to boost co-operation in
fighting terrorism after the beheading of a teacher by a Russian-born man. Mr
Macron's comments came in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin,
who described Friday's attack near Paris as a “barbarous murder”. Samuel Paty,
47, was killed after showing controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad to
his pupils. The attacker was named as Abdullakh Anzorov, an 18-year-old ethnic
Chechen. Anzorov was shot dead by police shortly after the attack close to the
teacher's school in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, north-west of the French capital.
The brutal murder has shocked France. On Wednesday evening, Mr Macron will
attend an official memorial at the Sorbonne University to award Mr Paty
posthumously the Légion d'honneur - France's highest order of merit. Mr Macron
said he wanted to see a “strengthening of Franco-Russian co-operation in the
fight against terrorism and illegal immigration”, the French presidency said.
It provided no further details about Tuesday's phone call with President Putin.”

 

Syria

 

Voice Of America: US Backs Release Of ‘Low-Level’ Islamic State Prisoners In
Syria
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“An effort to reduce growing strains on overcrowded prisons in Syria, some
holding thousands of captured Islamic State fighters, is being met with
cautious optimism in Washington, even though it involves letting hundreds of
the terror group’s adherents walk free. The plan put into motion last week by
the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), the political arm of the
U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), calls for the release of so-called
“low-level” Islamic State members under a general amnesty. Already, 631 such
Syrian nationals have been freed, allowed to return to their homes, while
another 253 have seen their sentences cut in half, and Kurdish officials say
more releases are expected in the coming months. So far, the United States is
on board. “We see these return and reintegration initiatives as positive,” a
State Department spokesperson told VOA, noting the release “focused on
nonviolent offenders who are not assessed to pose a radicalization risk to
their communities.” The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity given
the sensitivity of the matter, also suggested aid could be available to help
the process go smoothly.”

 

Iraq

 

Asharq Al-Awsat: Security Forces Pursue ISIS Remnants In West Iraq
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“The Iraqi security forces launched a military operation to pursue ISIS cells
in various areas to the west of the country in Kirkuk, Saladin, and Nineveh,
including Kanous Island, one of ISIS’ strongholds. The forces issued a
statement announcing that Iraqi artillery violently bombed Kanous, in
preparation for storming it and clearing it of the remnants of the terrorist
organization. In addition, the Diyala Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry
of Interior arrested ISIS commander Abu Taha al-Bakri, who is in charge of
kidnap and assassination operations. The directorate said in a statement on
Monday, that Bakri was arrested based on intelligence information and
confessions of arrested terrorists. Bakri admitted his responsibility for
several terrorist operations. Meanwhile, the Deputy Commander-Strategy of the
Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve, Major General Kevin
Copsey, said that the international coalition does not have military units on
Iraqi territories. Copsey said during his meeting with Iraq's National Security
Advisor Qassim al-Araji that the coalition's tasks were limited to providing
advice to the Iraqi military. Araji's media office issued a statement after the
meeting indicating that the officials discussed joint cooperation in the field
of combating terrorism, strengthening security, and intelligence coordination.”

 

Arab News: Pro-Iran Militias A Time Bomb Al-Kadhimi Must Defuse
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“Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi is facing a pressing challenge that
threatens to once again push the country into a sectarian furnace. He needs the
political will and the means to isolate and neutralize tens of renegade
pro-Iran militias. Two events that took place on Saturday underlined the
limited capabilities of the federal government and its military and security
arms. The first was the burning of the central Baghdad offices of the Kurdistan
Democratic Party by loyalists of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU). The
second was the gruesome execution of at least eight citizens in Salahuddin
province, allegedly by a pro-Iran militia. Four other victims remain
unaccounted for. The kidnappings and executions in Salahuddin were said to be
in retaliation for the killing a few days before of a member of a pro-Iran
militia in an attack blamed on Daesh. The massacre has focused attention on the
presence of pro-Iran militias in liberated Sunni provinces and their refusal to
allow tens of thousands of displaced people, mostly Sunnis, to return to their
homes. This case underlines the limitations of the federal government in
Baghdad in terms of extending its authority over a number of provinces that the
PMU entered to clear them of Daesh terrorists between 2014 and 2017.”

 

Afghanistan

 

BBC News: Taliban Conflict: Afghan Fears Rise As US Ends Its Longest War
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“The Taliban are advancing while peace talks stall. What are the chances for
peace once the last US-led Nato forces leave? Lyse Doucet looks at a critical
time for Afghanistan. The simple monument is stark and sharp-edged, a pointed
block of black-veined marble memorialising a dark chapter in northern
Afghanistan during a momentous history. At this hour, as America edges closer
to ending its longest war, it seemed fitting that a visiting delegation of
senior American and Afghan military officers should pause at this spot to
acknowledge a 32-year-old CIA officer - the first US casualty in the war to
topple the Taliban in 2001. Chiselled in Persian script and in English, this
marble marker honours Mike Spann, who was killed in a frenzied and bloody
battle in November that year: “A hero who sacrificed his life: for freedom; for
Afghanistan; for the United States of America.” Nineteen years on, after the
deaths of more than 3,500 coalition forces and more than 110,000 Afghans
killed, the overriding concern is averting a chaotic conclusion - at worst
another descent into civil war - as the countdown gathers pace for the gradual
removal of the last US and Nato forces in Afghanistan.”

 

Foreign Policy: The U.S. Once Surged Into Helmand Province. Now The Taliban
Is, Too.
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“In the last three weeks, Bibi Koh has lost at least three family members to
renewed fighting between Taliban and Afghan forces in the southern province of
Helmand. Three weeks ago, her oldest brother was killed in the crossfire
between the warring sides. A few days later, her two sons, aged six and eight,
went missing. “I don’t know where they went. I don’t know if someone took
them,” Bibi said. The ongoing clashes between the Taliban and government troops
made it impossible to search for them, but not to keep her three remaining
children safe. Last weekend, she gathered the last money she had left—about
$60—and brought her family to a makeshift refugee camp in Kabul by way of
Helmand’s neighboring province, Kandahar. The travails of Bibi Koh and her
children are common at Camp Shina, an informal settlement on the eastern
outskirts of the capital that houses more than two dozen Helmandi families that
have arrived in the last week. All the arrivals—mostly widows with
children—have lost family members in recent fighting; the men who stayed behind
are unreachable thanks to spotty telephone service.”

 

Pakistan

 

The Guardian: Pakistani Shias Live In Terror As Sectarian Violence Increases
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“Syed Kareem has been in hiding for weeks. He fears if he is seen on the
streets of Karachi, the Pakistan city he calls home, he will be a dead man
walking. His ordeal began with a Facebook post in early September, where he
condemned the killers of a Shia Muslim martyred centuries ago. Though Kareem
had meant it as a post of religious devotion, it caught the attention of an
extremist Sunni Muslim group, who called him a traitor to Muslims. Two days
later, the 21-year-old student found himself the subject of a police report,
accused of violating Pakistan’s draconian laws on blasphemy. He is one of over
50 Shia Muslims in Sunni-majority Pakistan, who have been booked under
blasphemy and antiterrorist charges over the last month. The youngest was three
years old. “I fear they will kill me,” said Kareem, his voice shaking as he
spoke from his place of hiding. “I am being targeted because I am from a Shia
religious minority. I fear for myself and my family.” With the police on their
way to interrogate him, and fearing the violent fate that extremist Sunni
groups in Pakistan inflict on those accused of blasphemy, last month Kareem and
his family chose to disappear. Over the past month, Pakistan has seen an
unprecedented rise in attacks and arrests of its Shia population, who make up
between 15% and 20% of the Sunni-majority country, the largest Shia community
outside Iran.”

 

Middle East

 

The Jerusalem Post: Terrorist Involved In Ramming Attack In 2019 Sentenced To
4 Years In Jail
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“A terrorist involved in a ramming attack against an IDF officer in 2019 will
serve four years in prison after reaching a plea bargain with the military
prosecution, a military court ruled on Monday. The attack took place nearly two
years ago near Kafr Ni'ma, a Palestinian village located 13 kilometers
northwest of Ramallah in the West Bank. According to the indictment, on March
2019, three terrorists wearing Hamas affiliated clothing made their way to a
military checkpoint near road 443 and threw seven Molotov cocktails towards it
- eventually setting it on fire. They then escaped, making their way towards
Ramallah, when noticing IDF troops positioned near Kafr Ni'ma. Taking advantage
of the fact that the soldiers were standing near the road, the terrorists
decided to run over them. The incident resulted in an IDF officer critically
injured and a border police soldier lightly injured. Two of the involved
terrorist were shot and killed by IDF forces on the spot, while the third one,
a minor, was arrested and sentenced on Monday. Following the attack, the
officer had to go through an intensive rehabilitation process, and has not yet
fully recovered. The military court decided to reject the officer's objection
to the plea bargain reached with the terrorist and on Monday sentenced him to
48 months in prison. He will also be required to pay the officer compensations
in an unspecified amount.”

 

Nigeria

 

Daily Post Nigeria: Boko Haram: Terrorists Intercept Over 10 Vehicles, Abduct
Travelers In Borno
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“Over 10 vehicles including buses carrying passengers along the
Maiduguri-Damaturu road were intercepted yesterday by the dreaded Boko Haram
terrorists and ISWAP at about 3:00pm around Jakana village. Report says many
passengers were reportedly abducted. DAILY POST reports that many families were
thrown into confusion as many others rushed to Borno Express terminus as they
could not connect with family members that travelled on Monday about the period
the incident happened. An elderly man who spoke to DAILY POST and identified
himself as Malam Usman said his daughter who travelled about the same time
could not be reached on the phone and her belongings were not among those
brought back to the station. “People have come and collected their family
members’ bags and boxes, but I am yet to see my daughters. I am confused. I
could not reach her on phone either. I hope she is not among those they were
saying the terrorists abducted,” he said.”

 

Mali

 

Reuters: Mali Soldiers Air Drop Provisions To Village Besieged By Suspected
Jihadists
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“Mali’s military said on Tuesday it had air dropped food into a village in the
centre of the country where more than 2,000 residents have been besieged by
suspected Islamist militants for the past two weeks. The situation in
Farabougou, most of whose population is ethnic Bambara, has again underscored
the government’s difficulties imposing its authority in a part of the country
where jihadists linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State are gaining strength. The
siege began two weeks ago when the militants, who have generally sided with
Fulani herders in their conflicts with farming communities like the Bambara,
kidnapped several villagers and clashed with local hunters. Malian troops have
not been able to reach Farabougou by land because heavy rains have made the
roads impassable, a local resident said. In a statement, Mali’s armed forces
said a transport plane had “conducted a significant humanitarian action” on
Monday and Tuesday by dropping a cargo of basic necessities in Farabougou. But
a resident of a neighbouring village, who asked not to be named, said the
supplies of grains and cooking oil were insufficient to meet the population’s
needs. “It’s the status quo. The village is still under siege. No one goes in
or out,” he said.”

 

Africa

 

Bloomberg: Sudan To Get U.S. Funding After Terror Delisting, Minister Says
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“Sudan will receive U.S. financial assistance when the African nation’s
long-standing designation as a state sponsor of terrorism is lifted, the
finance minister said, hours after the Trump administration indicated the step
is imminent. “We all know that Sudan is witnessing hardship and needs urgent
assistance, so the U.S. would help with a package of aid and some money,” Heba
Mohammed Ali said in a phone interview from Khartoum. She declined to give any
details, including on the amount. President Donald Trump said in a tweet Monday
that he intends to remove Sudan from the list after authorities agreed to pay
$335 million in compensation to families of Americans killed in bombings in
East Africa in the 1990s that Sudan’s previous government under dictator Omar
al-Bashir was accused of supporting. The delisting, which requires U.S.
congressional notification but not approval, has been keenly sought by the
transitional government that took over after Bashir’s ouster last year. It has
previously said the U.S. tried to link the discussions with potential Sudanese
recognition of Israel. Ali didn’t comment on any agreements that might be
connected to the removal of the 27-year designation.”

 

Al Jazeera: Donors Pledge $1.7bn In Humanitarian Aid To Conflict-Hit Sahel
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“International donors have pledged $1.7bn in humanitarian aid for countries in
the conflict-hit Sahel region, surpassing by $300m the fundraising target of a
virtual conference, according to the United Nations. The announcement on
Tuesday came as UN agencies reported that needs in the border region between
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have reached record levels due to changing
climates, rising insecurity and most recently the coronavirus pandemic. “The
central Sahel region is at a breaking point,” UN Secretary General Antonio
Guterres said at the meeting hosted by the UN, Denmark, Germany and the
European Union. In a statement on Tuesday, the World Food Program (WFP), which
was recently awarded the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize, said violence and insecurity
have already pushed some 7.4 million people across the three countries into
acute hunger. The UN food relief agency said thousands in the volatile region
will be “pushed into further destitution”, unless access is urgently granted to
humanitarian organisations. Meanwhile, the number of internally displaced
people has jumped to a staggering 1.6 million, up from 70,000 two years ago.
That figure included more than 288,000 people in Mali, some 265,000 in Niger
and one million in Burkina Faso, which is now home to the world’s
fastest-growing displacement crisis.”

 

Voice Of America: Victims Of Terror Attacks Reject US Deal To Delist Sudan
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“One of the attorneys representing victims of the 1998 terror attacks on U.S.
embassies in East Africa and their families says the majority of his clients
reject the deal that would result in President Donald Trump removing Sudan from
the U.S. State Sponsors of Terrorism list. Michael Miller says the deal, in
which Sudan would pay $335 million to settle claims related to the bombings,
discriminates between victims based on their nationality, paying American
victims and their families far more that it will pay East African victims who
worked for the American embassies. “I do not believe an American life is worth
more than a fellow co-worker who is the in the next desk because one was born
in Kenya and one was born in America,” Miller told VOA’s South Sudan in Focus
in an interview Monday. The August 1998 truck bombings at U.S. embassies in
Kenya and Tanzania killed a total of 224 people and injured thousands of
others. Victims and their families sued Sudan in American courts, based on
findings that Sudan harbored al-Qaida operatives who planned the attacks.
Miller says his clients deserve over $3 billion compensation, as awarded by a
federal district court in Washington.”

 

All Africa: Attack On Tanzanian Town By Mozambique-Based Militant Group
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“Islamic State militants operating in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo
Delgado, have carried their attacks across the border into Tanzania, where they
allegedly beheaded 20 people, according to a news report from Carta de
Mocambique. The raid was in the village of Kitaya, in Mtwara province, near the
border with the Cabo Delgado district of Palma. According to military sources,
the insurgents entered Tanzania via the Rovuma River, a border between
Mozambique and Tanzania. Houses were razed, an armoured vehicle was destroyed
and cash and military equipment were stolen. The militants claimed
responsibility for the attack, saying it also killed three Tanzanian soldiers.
The Mozambique government and the UN have said that at least 300,000 people
have been displaced due to conflict in Cabo Delgado and that between 1,000 and
2,000 people have been killed.”

 

United Kingdom

 

The Guardian: Second Witness Suspected Manchester Arena Bomber Was Planning
Attack
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“A second witness has told the inquiry into the Manchester Arena terror attack
that he suspected that Salman Abedi might be a suicide bomber, and that he even
challenged him over his presence at the concert. Christopher Wild said he spoke
to Abedi, 22, in the foyer of the arena, while he waited with his partner to
pick up her daughter and her daughter’s friend after the Ariana Grande concert
taking place that night. Abedi’s appearance – dressed all in black with a large
rucksack – and his apparent attempts to remain inconspicuous outside the event
seemed strange, Wild told the public inquiry into the attack. Wild said: “I
just thought it was strange. It’s a kids concert. It just all seemed very
strange to me why he would be sat there. He was keeping out of view and that’s
another reason why I thought it was strange. I started to think about things
that happened in the world, I just thought it could be dangerous.” Paul Greaney
QC, counsel to the inquiry, which is taking place in Manchester, asked Wild:
“What danger was it? What did you think he might do?” Wild said: “Let a bomb
off.” On Monday the inquiry heard from Neil Hatfield, who also said he thought
“suicide bomber” when he saw Abedi while waiting to collect his four daughters
following the Grande concert.”

 

Daily Mail: Extremist Is Found Guilty Of Terrorism For Telling ISIS Fanatics
To 'Attack' The Royal Festival Hall In 'Chilling' Video He Shared With Fellow
Islamists Including Star Of 'The Jihadis Next Door'
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“An extremist who made a 'chilling' video of London's Royal Festival Hall with
the message 'Attack, attack' has been found guilty of encouraging terrorism.
Shehroz Iqbal, 29, posted the mobile phone footage to a group of like-minded
friends on WhatsApp in March. Among them was high-profile extremist Abu
Haleema, who has been linked to the ringleader of the London Bridge attack,
Khuram Butt, and featured in the documentary The Jihadis Next Door. Iqbal, of
Ilford, east London, had denied encouraging terrorism on WhatsApp and
disseminating Islamic State propaganda on Facebook. A jury at the Old Bailey
deliberated for three hours and 45 minutes to find him guilty of the charges.
The defendant, who had declined to give evidence, was remanded into custody to
be sentenced on November 20. Prosecutor Kate Wilkinson had described Iqbal as
an extremist who is 'volatile and prone to act on his extremism'. On March 11,
he visited the Hayward Gallery on the South Bank, near the Royal Festival Hall
and Waterloo Bridge, the court heard. He spent about an hour-and-a-half at the
popular art attraction and made a video on his phone, it is claimed. Ms
Wilkinson said: 'It was a calm video, it was short and its message was clear.”

 

France

 

France 24: France To 'Intensify' Actions Against Islamist Extremism After
Teacher Beheaded
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“French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Tuesday the dissolution of a
pro-Hamas group active in France, accused of being “directly implicated” in the
murder of teacher Samuel Paty. Speaking days after Paty was beheaded last
Friday, he said actions against Islamist extremism will be “intensified”. The
decision to shut down the Cheikh Yassine Collective, which supports the
Palestinian cause and is named after the Hamas founder, will be taken at a
Wednesday's cabinet meeting, Macron told an audience during a speech after a
meeting with a unit for the fight against Islamism, in the north-eastern Paris
suburb of Bobigny. The French group was created by Abdelhakim Sefrioui, a
radical Islamist activist who is now in police custody as part of the
investigation into the attack. Sefrioui is the author of one of the videos in
which the father of a girl in the school accused Paty of having insulted Islam
and called him a “thug”.  Samuel Paty had shown his pupils cartoons of the
Prophet Mohammad in a civics class on freedom of expression earlier this month.
Speaking four days after Paty’s beheading, which sparked police raids on people
and institutions with alleged links to Islamist militants, Macron said that
“actions will be stepped up” against Islamist extremism.”

 

Reuters: France's Macron, Iraq PM Highlight Importance Of Fight Against
Terrorism
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“French President Emmanuel Macron and Iraq Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi
both highlighted the importance of the fight against terrorism following a
meeting in Paris, a statement from Macron’s office said on Tuesday. Macron
hosted the meeting on Monday, which followed the French leader’s own trip to
Iraq in September, when he expressed his support for Iraq’s sovereignty and
said Iraq’s main challenges were Islamic State militants and foreign
interference in its affairs. The statement from the French president's office
also said the two leaders had also welcomed French group Alstom's ALSO.PA plans
to work on a Baghdad metro project.”

 

Technology

 

Gizmodo: U.S. Democrats Say Facebook Algorithms Cradle Violent Extremists
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“The company said in June it had removed nearly 200 accounts with white
supremacist ties. “Social media companies have been playing whack-a-mole trying
to take down QAnon conspiracies and other extremist content, but they aren’t
changing the designs of a social network that is built to amplify extremism,”
Malinowski said. “Their algorithms are based on exploiting primal human
emotions — fear, anger, and anxiety — to keep users glued to their screens, and
thus regularly promote and recommend white supremacist, anti-Semitic, and other
forms of conspiracy-oriented content.” UC Berkley professor Dr. Hany Farid, a
senior advisor to the Counter Extremism Project, called the Eshoo-Malinowski
bill “an important measure” that would “hold the technology sector accountable
for irresponsibly deploying algorithms that amplify dangerous and extremist
content.” “The titans of tech have long relied on these algorithms to maximise
engagement and profit at the expense of users,” he added, “and this must
change.”

 

The National: Revealed: Muslim Brotherhood 'Fatwa' App Ranks In Top 100
Downloads In Europe
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"Google and Apple are under pressure to remove a Muslim Brotherhood-sponsored
app that has consistently ranked in the top 100 download charts in their stores
across multiple European countries. The Euro Fatwa app ranked strongly during
the pandemic after the platforms failed to respond to government warnings that
it had the potential to act as a gateway for extremism. Officials around Europe
have warned about the threat posed by the product and the organisations
promoting it. "The app is a building block in the process of radicalisation,"
Germany’s federal office for the protection of the constitution, the country's
domestic intelligence agency, said earlier this year ... Hans-Jakob Schindler,
director at the Counter Extremism Project, said tech companies were failing to
tackle extremist content. “The CEP is very critical of the tech industry for
its failings to adequately monitor and moderate its products so that they do
not cause harm,” Mr Schindler told The National. “Self-regulation has clearly
failed and existing regulations should be strengthened. "As long as there is
not a more stringent regulatory framework, including fines that are
significant, and far more transparency in the industry, issues such as the Euro
Fatwa App will remain unresolved.”

 



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