At least 22 people were killed in an overnight raid on a village in a part of
eastern Democratic Republic of Congo plagued by Islamist rebel attacks

 

 


<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>
Eye on Extremism


January 6, 2021

 

Reuters: At Least 22 Killed In Eastern Congo Village
<[link removed]>

 

“At least 22 people were killed in an overnight raid on a village in a part of
eastern Democratic Republic of Congo plagued by Islamist rebel attacks, local
authorities said on Tuesday. The militants struck late on Monday, killing
residents of Mwenda village with machetes and guns, its civil society leader
Jeremi Mbweki said. He blamed the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan
Islamist group which has emerged as the most lethal militia in Congo's eastern
borderlands and is suspected of hacking to death at least 17 people in a nearby
village last week. “Now we live in total fear, with no certainty about the
future,” Mbweki said by phone. The administrator of Beni territory, Donat
Kibwana, confirmed the death toll and said the ADF was responsible. More than
1,000 civilians were killed in attacks attributed to the ADF in 2019 and 2020,
according to U.N. figures, despite repeated offensives by the army and U.N.
peacekeepers against the group over the past decade. Nine more bodies were
discovered on Monday in another village in the area - also victims of an
alleged ADF attack, Kibwana said. Congo's eastern borderlands with Uganda,
Rwanda and Burundi have been ravaged by attacks by militias, many formed of
remnants of groups that fought in Congo's civil wars around the turn of the
century.”

 

France 24: France Says Dozens Of Jihadists Killed In Weekend Mali Air Strike
<[link removed]>

 

“France said on Tuesday it had killed dozens of jihadists in a weekend air
strike in central Mali, while several villagers and a local group said up to 20
wedding guests were killed by a helicopter. Social media has been buzzing with
rumours since Sunday about events in Bounti, and villagers there told AFP that
a wedding party was attacked by an unidentified helicopter. Separately, French
military headquarters told AFP fighter jets had “neutralised” dozens of
jihadists in central Mali after the group had been tracked for several days.
“The reports relating to a wedding do not match the observations that were
made,” an army spokesman told AFP. With no early statements from French or
Malian officials, rumours filled the gap. Confirmation of reports is difficult
in a remote area where many jihadists are thought to operate. Offensive aerial
operations in Mali are mainly conducted by the Malian military or by the French
anti-jihadist force Barkhane. Villagers in Bounti said a lone helicopter opened
fire in broad daylight, sowing panic among a crowd gathered for a wedding. “It
was run for your lives,” said Ahmadou Ghana, who said 19 people died, two of
whom were his brothers, and several others were seriously wounded.”

 

United States

 

Slate: Proud Boys Leader Arrested And Charged With Burning D.C. Church’s Black
Lives Matter Banner
<[link removed]>

 

“Police in Washington, D.C., arrested the leader of the far-right extremist
group the Proud Boys on Monday afternoon in connection with last month’s
burning of a Black Lives Matter banner taken from a historic Black church in
the city. Authorities apprehended Enrique Tarrio, who lives in Miami, when he
entered the city ahead of Wednesday’s scheduled rally among fellow far-right
advocates of overturning the 2020 election in an effort to keep President
Donald Trump in office. While the charge of destruction of property is a
misdemeanor, prosecutors are also investigating whether actions of the
36-year-old Tarrio and the Proud Boys—a white nationalist, male-chauvinist
organization—constitute a hate crime, which would carry additional penalties.
The Proud Boys were part of the pro-Trump demonstration on Dec. 12 in the
capital. Full of grievance and provocation, ultimately the Proud Boys got what
they wanted that night, violence and chaos, as the event spiraled into street
skirmishes with counterprotesters, including a stabbing. That night four
churches in the district were vandalized, including Asbury United Methodist
Church, which sits six blocks from the White House. The historic Black church’s
Black Lives Matter banner was taken and burned.”

 

Syria

 

Voice Of America: Fighting Continues Over Flashpoint Town In Northern Syria
<[link removed]>

 

“A town in northern Syria is increasingly becoming a battleground between
Turkish-backed groups and U.S.-backed forces amid fears of a new large-scale
Turkish offensive in the area. In recent weeks, fighting around the northern
town of Ain Issa has intensified with Turkish-backed Syrian militias carrying
out attacks against U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The clashes
have forced thousands of civilians in Ain Issa to flee their homes as nearby
villages have already been caught in the crossfire. Ain Issa is largely
controlled by the Kurdish-led SDF, a major U.S. partner in the fight against
Islamic State (IS) terror group. But Russia, a staunch supporter of the Syrian
government, has a significant military presence in the region. Kurdish military
officials say Russia has been pressing them to hand over the town to Syrian
government troops. “When we refused the latest Russian demand to withdraw from
Ain Issa, the situation escalated with Turkey and its Syrian proxies waging
attacks on our forces on a daily basis,” a senior SDF official told VOA. The
official, who requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the topic, said that
“Russia and Turkey seem to in agreement to remove us from Ain Issa and its
surrounding areas.”

 

Iraq

 

Al Monitor: Iraq Regains Confidence In Dealing With Outlawed Militias
<[link removed]>

 

“Reports that Iraq has issued an arrest warrant for a member of a powerful
armed group and arrested another have led to tentative hopes for the future of
holding “outlaws” to account in the country, despite claims that some leaked
documents were false. A planned protest on the first anniversary of the Jan. 3
assassination of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani by US drone strike and the
Iran-linked Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis just outside the Baghdad
airport failed to attract as many participants as had been expected. Concerns
over threats about a major attack on US forces or interests as revenge for the
assassination also did not materialize. One of Prime Minister Mustafa
al-Kadhimi pledges when sworn in on May 6 following months of a government void
and massive protests across southern and central Iraq was to bring all arms
under state control. The extent toward which progress has been made on this
front almost eight months later has been the subject of heated debate but has
taken on greater urgency as the drawdown of US troops continues. Fewer foreign
troops in the country is seen by some as a risk to Iraqi security, while others
feel it is a positive step toward less “interference” in the country.”

 

Afghanistan

 

The Washington Post: Troubled Afghan-Taliban Peace Talks Resume Amid Violence,
Accusations
<[link removed]>

 

“Afghan delegates flew to Qatar on Tuesday to reopen peace talks with Taliban
leaders amid a rash of mutual recriminations, mixed signals from U.S. officials
and a continued spate of assassinations targeting prominent civilians. Zalmay
Khalilzad, the U.S. diplomat who brokered a separate U.S. deal with the Taliban
in February, arrived in Kabul on Tuesday from Doha, the Qatari capital and
Taliban political base. He tweeted that he hoped “both sides” would make “real
compromises” that would lead to “tangible progress” in the talks, which began
in September but have failed to address any major issues. While both Afghan and
Taliban officials have issued recent statements saying they were committed to
the talks and hoped to settle the 19-year conflict through discussions, their
messages were tinged with anger and blame that boded ill for the new round.
Some observers in Kabul predicted that the talks, which are resuming after a
two-week holiday hiatus, would probably collapse. The “demand of Afghanistan’s
people is that the bloodshed should end forever in this country,” Masoom
Stanekzai, a former national intelligence chief who heads the Kabul delegation,
said in a video posted Tuesday on Twitter.”

 

Al Monitor: Afghan Officials Skeptical Of Tehran's Offer To Send Iran-Led
Militia To Fight Islamic State
<[link removed]>

 

“The Fatemiyoun Brigade, a militia of Afghan refugees created by Iran to fight
in Syria, held a public symposium in the Iranian city of Mashhad in August
2020. According to online promotional material, the conference was held to
highlight the group’s “ultimate aim” to “expel US forces from the region.” To
policymakers and analysts in neighboring Afghanistan, the statement hit far too
close to home. The country, which shares a 936-kilometer (582-mile) border with
Iran, has been the theater of Washington’s longest-ever foreign incursion.
Then, on Dec. 21, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif appeared on
Afghan television and put forth a disquieting offer to the Afghan government.
“The Afghan government, if willing, can regroup [the Fatemiyoun]. … For the
fight against Daesh and for the fight against terrorism and for the protection
of Afghanistan security,” Zarif told TOLOnews, using the Arabic acronym for the
Islamic State (IS). The offer came after Zarif said the Afghans were in Syria
“voluntarily” and that the force numbered no more than 5,000 fighters. Both
claims have been heavily reputed by Afghan politicians, families of former
fighters and rights groups.”

 

Pakistan

 

Pakistan Today: Military Leadership Vows To Defeat Terrorists And Abettors
<[link removed]>

 

“The Pakistan Army leadership, in a meeting at the General Headquarters in
Rawalpindi on Tuesday, vowed that terrorists and their abettors would be
“defeated at all costs”, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a
statement. At the 238th Corps Commanders’ Conference, chaired by Chief of Army
Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the army leadership reviewed the
security situation in the country and the region with a “special focus on the
situation along the borders, internal security and other professional matters
of the army”. It also discussed the “ongoing security situation along the Line
of Control (LoC), Working Boundary and eastern border”, the ISPR said. The army
huddle paid “special tribute to all shuhada (martyrs) and their families” for
their sacrifices for a “peaceful and secure Pakistan”, especially the martyrs
in the recent incidents in Balochistan. “Their sacrifices won’t go [to] waste.
Terrorists and their abettors will be defeated at all costs,” the statement
added. Earlier this week, 11 coal miners belonging to the Shia Hazara community
were shot dead in the Mach area of Balochistan after armed militants kidnapped
them and took them to a nearby area before opening fire at close range. The
militant Islamic State group or Daesh claimed responsibility for the killing.”

 

Middle East

 

The Jerusalem Post: Attempted Terror Attack At Gush Etzion Junction Thwarted
<[link removed]>

 

“The IDF thwarted a terror attack at the West Bank's Gush Etzion junction,
with a security guard killing a Palestinian man who had thrown a knife at him
near the bus stop across from the entrance to the shopping mall on Tuesday.
According to an IDF spokesperson unit statement, a security guard that was
present at the scene spotted the suspect and together with an IDF soldier
started the IDF procedure when encountering a suspect - which includes shooting
to the air. The suspect then threw his knife at the security guard, who
responded by shooting him and neutralizing him, the IDF said. No other injuries
were reported. Following the attack, Israel Police briefly closed route 367 to
all traffic. The Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Health reported that Ahed
Abdel Rahman Ekhleel, 25, from the village of Bet Ummar had been killed in the
afternoon during an incident with the IDF. Gush Etzion Regional head Shlomo
Neeman came to the scene after the incident stating that,  “The attempted
terror attack finished as it should. Any attempt at carrying out a terror
attack in the State of Israel, should end without casualties and with the
terrorist dead.” He added, “To our enemies we say that they don’t really scare
us, and certainly will not weaken the mission of the residents of Judea and
Samaria.”

 

Nigeria

 

Daily Trust: Nigeria: Civilians Flee Homes As Boko Haram Attack Another
Village In Borno <[link removed]>

 

“Hundreds of civilians are fleeing their homes following an attack by
suspected Boko Haram insurgents on a community in Askira/Uba local government
area of Borno state on Tuesday. It was learnt that the deadly groups are
currently setting houses ablaze at Womdeo village in Askira/Uba council of
Borno state. According to a fleeing resident, Musa Ishaiku, he said hundreds of
residents “are currently taking refuge in the bushes and hills without knowing
the whereabouts of their love ones.” “They came at about 6:30 pm and started
shooting from all angles, there was confusion as many parents could not find
their children, we are on the hill now. Watching how are they currently burning
down our houses.” Musa stated. Another resident, Steve Mamza said that the
insurgents came in hundreds to attack the community. “As I am speaking with you
they are still in Womdeo village, walking free for about two hours now. Many of
our people have fled to the adjoining community for safety. Our village is
under attacks by Boko Haram.” Mamza added. As of the time of filing this
report, the military was yet to confirm or deny the incident.”

 

Christian Post: Nigeria’s Christians Trapped Between COVID-19 And Terrorism,
Human Rights Leader Says
<[link removed]>

 

“The combination of COVID-19 and the rise in terrorist activity in Nigeria has
left Christians in that country in peril, said Nigerian human rights group
leader Dalyop Solomon. “Life became very, very brutish. You will wish you had
not been born in this part of the world. There was no way out. There was no way
out,” the CEO of the Emancipation Centre for Crisis Victims in Nigeria told The
Christian Post. “Behind us are the Egyptians, in front of us is the Red Sea.”
Nigeria’s government has advised Christians to stay in their homes to avoid
COVID-19, said Solomon. But if they remain locked down at home, they cannot
escape when groups of terrorists attack them. The government fails to respond
to these attacks, which have increased in frequency across Nigeria. In 2020,
human rights groups estimated that over 2,200 Christians were murdered by
radical Islamist militants. “Prior to this time, the attacks were only
concentrated in a few communities, but we can see now it has become very
pervasive. Only a few states were not touched by terror attacks. They have
expanded the attacks to become land grabs,” he said. The attacks during the
pandemic are also having long-term consequences. Many Nigerians rely on farming
to survive. Since radical Fulani militants often destroy or plunder crops when
they attack, farmers' livelihoods are destroyed, said Solomon.”

 

Mali

 

BBC News: Sahel Conflict: France Rejects Reports Of Airstrike On Mali Wedding
<[link removed]>

 

“Reports from Mali say more than 20 people, including children, were killed
when an airstrike hit a wedding party in a remote village at the weekend.
Residents of Bounti, in the central Mopti region, said a helicopter opened fire
on the ceremony on Sunday. The French military, which has troops in the region,
said it carried out a strike on jihadist militants in central Mali, but that no
wedding was involved. Five French soldiers have been killed in attacks in Mali
in recent days. On Tuesday, France said a military operation - involving an
airstrike and carried out after detailed research and days of tracking
individuals - had killed dozens of Islamist insurgents in the region. A
spokesman for the French military, who was not named, told AFP news agency that
“reports relating to a wedding do not match the observations that were made”.
Villagers in Bounti said a low-flying helicopter, which has not been
identified, carried out the strike in broad daylight. Ahmadou Ghana said two of
his brothers were killed. “It was run for your lives,” he said, according to
AFP.”

 

Africa

 

Arab News: Pompeo Signs Order Removing Sudan From Terror Sponsors List
<[link removed]>

 

“US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday that he had signed an order
to remove Sudan from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism following months
of negotiations. He also vowed to “ensure compensation for American victims of
terrorism and their families.” The US formally removed Sudan’s state sponsor of
terrorism designation on Dec 14, 2020, 27 years after putting the country on
its blacklist, the US Embassy in Khartoum announced. “Once in a generation
opportunity for freedom — huge benefits,” Pompeo said in a tweet. Washington
once labeled Khartoum a hub of the “axis of evil,” but relations between the US
and Sudan have warmed since ex-president Omar Bashir was ousted last year. In
1993, the US put Sudan on its blacklist of countries it accuses of supporting
terrorism.”

 

United Kingdom

 

Yahoo News: 'Far-Right' Extremist Jailed For Threatening To Shoot MP Who
Backed Second Brexit Vote
<[link removed]>

 

“A far-right extremist has been jailed for threatening to shoot and kill North
East MP Bridget Phillipson over her support for a second Brexit referendum.
Colin Brown, who was mentally unwell and had a previous conviction for verbally
abusing council staff, said he wanted to make an example of Phillipson, who
represents Houghton and Sunderland South. Brown also threatened to “hurt”
Sunderland Central MP Julie Elliott and said politicians needed “shooting”. He
had previously “expressed support” for the murder of MP Jo Cox by a far-right
killer and warned he would drive a car into a mosque in a bid to target
Muslims. A judge jailed Brown for 18 months on Tuesday, saying the length of
the term should act as a “deterrent to others who seek to poison democratic and
political debate by threatening those who disagree with you”. Phillipson
described Brown’s threats as “very worrying and distressing” and added: “I work
hard to serve my community. I am concerned for the safety of myself, my family
and my staff. “Due to the repeated nature and violence involved in the threats
towards me I am fearful he may carry out his threats. “My role in the community
puts me in contact with members of the public on a regular basis, at public
forums and surgeries.”

 

The Guardian: Man Viewed Extreme Isis Content Before Reading Knife Attack,
Court Hears
<[link removed]>

 

“A man who stabbed three people to death in a minute in an alleged terrorist
rampage had viewed material about a notorious Isis killer, a court has heard.
Khairi Saadallah murdered three men in a park in Reading on 20 June as they
enjoyed a summer’s evening. A hearing at the Old Bailey to determine if the
attacks were terrorist acts and therefore subject to a higher sentence, was
told that Saadallah viewed extremist material in the days before the attack and
had a longstanding interest in extremism. It also heard that Saadallah, 26,
bought the knife from a supermarket the day before the stabbing spree in which
he stabbed three people to death, wounded three others, and shouted: “Allahu
Akbar”. He has already admitted to three murders and three attempted murders at
an earlier hearing. The hearing was told Saadallah had in 2019 accessed
material on his mobile phone about Mohammed Emwazi , the Isis propagandist seen
in videos taunting victims before killing them, and two days before the attack
had accessed a website with the flag associated with Isis, which had staged
numerous attacks against western targets. The prosecutor, Alison Morgan QC,
said Saadallah, who was from Libya, believed the murders were an act of holy
war.”

 

Europe

 

Vice: Far-Right Extremists Charged Over Alleged Bomb And Poison Terror Plot In
Poland
<[link removed]>

 

“Two alleged right-wing extremists have been charged with plotting a
Christchurch-style terror attack on a mosque to “prevent the Islamisation of
Poland,” the country’s security agency has said. Stanisław Żaryn, a
spokesperson for Poland’s Internal Security Agency, said the attack was
intended to be carried out with explosives against “a specific religious object
of the Islamic community,” understood to be a mosque. He added the accused also
planned to use poisonous substances in the attack. Żaryn said the accused both
held right-wing extremist views, with one having made public calls to
“exterminate” Muslims, and the second having written a manifesto outlining his
Islamophobic views, calling for migrants to be hounded by hooligans and
intimidated with firearms and explosives … “These plots are rare in Poland, to
say the least,” Kacper Rekawek, an affiliated researcher at the Counter
Extremism Project, told VICE World News. He believed the reason for this was
that, unlike Western European countries like Germany, where the governments
took a more welcoming stance towards migrants, the prevailing mood in Poland
and other Central and Eastern European countries was sharply against the new
arrivals. “For the whole of Central and Eastern Europe, when the migrant crisis
erupted, I would say that anti-migrant sentiment was the dominant sentiment in
the region,” he said.”

 

Technology

 

NBC News: Violent Threats Ripple Through Far-Right Internet Forums Ahead Of
Protest
<[link removed]>

 

“Online forums popular with conservatives and far-right activists have been
filled in recent days with threats and expectations of violence ahead of a
planned protest in Washington on Wednesday to coincide with congressional
certification of the election. In anticipation of possible violence, Washington
Mayor Muriel Bowser has asked residents to stay away from the downtown area
where protesters will be marching. Every city police officer will be on duty,
and the National Guard has been mobilized. “In regards to the protests planned
for January 6th, the violent rhetoric we're seeing online is at a new level,”
said Daniel J. Jones, president of Advance Democracy Inc., a global research
organization that studies disinformation and extremism. “There are endorsements
of violence across all of the platforms.” A new report from Advance Democracy
chronicled a wide variety of posts about the protests, including many that
anticipated violence from other groups and called for people to arm themselves.
On Twitter, QAnon-related accounts posted conspiracy theories alleging that
Black Lives Matter and antifa activists were going to kill supporters of
President Donald Trump at the protest and suggested that protesters arm
themselves Wednesday, calling it “Independence Day.”



Click here to unsubscribe.
<[link removed]>