The militant group al-Shabab is claiming responsibility for a landmine
explosion in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, that killed four people. Dalsan

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


January 21, 2021

 

Voice Of America: Al-Shabab Claims Responsibility For Deadly Somalia Explosion
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“The militant group al-Shabab is claiming responsibility for a landmine
explosion in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, that killed four people. Dalsan FM
radio reports the deputy commissioner for security and politics in Garasbaale,
Abdi-Rashid Dubad, was among the victims killed in Tuesday's blast. Six others
were injured in the explosion just two days after the United States completed
the withdrawal of 700 military personnel from Somalia who supported security
forces with counter terrorism operations. The pull out of U.S. troops from
Somalia was one of President Donald Trump’s last official actions. It is
unknown whether President-elect Joe Biden will reverse the withdrawal of U.S.
military personnel from Somalia after he becomes the 46th U.S. president at
noon on Wednesday. The absence of U.S. troops in Somalia has taken on a greater
significance because the country is weeks away from the February 8 presidential
election, which militants have previously attempted to disrupt.”

 

USA Today: As Capitol Riot Arrests Climb, FBI Says Extremist Oath Keepers
Conspired In Attack
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“Chilling details emerged this week as federal authorities continued to round
up and arrest some of the hundreds who joined the deadly insurrection at the
U.S. Capitol two weeks ago.  A criminal complaint filed Tuesday alleges
conspiracy and other crimes against three members of an extremist group, the
Oath Keepers. The three have been arrested. The complaint traces how they
planned the attack weeks in advance, then coordinated by radio as they moved
into the Capitol with precision, wearing helmets, reinforced vests and
military-style insignia. The group communicated via Facebook with someone who
might have had inside knowledge, egging them on and directing them where to
find legislators who were  shielded and protected, the FBI alleges in the
complaint. “All members are in the tunnels under capital seal them in. Turn on
gas,” one such message read. The charges – against Thomas Caldwell of Virginia
and Jessica Watkins and Donovan Crowl of Ohio  – are among a number of more
serious crimes alleged as the riot investigation begins its third week. Those
three are among seven charged with conspiracy by the FBI and the Department of
Justice.”

 

United States

 

NBC News: Connecticut Man Charged In Attack On Police Officer Who Was Trapped
In Doors At Capitol Riot
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“The FBI arrested a Connecticut man for allegedly assaulting a Washington,
D.C., police officer who was seen in viral videos trapped between doors during
the Capitol riot, authorities said Wednesday. Patrick Edward McCaughey, 23, was
taken into custody at around 7 p.m. Tuesday in White Plains, New York, and
charged with assaulting a police officer, civil disorder and unlawful entry,
officials said. In McCaughey's initial court appearance on Wednesday, a judge
ordered him held without bail, citing the suspect's danger to the community.
“What we see in that video from this defendant is extraordinarily disturbing,”
U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew Krause said. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin
Gianforti said footage clearly links McCaughey to the disturbing attack on
Officer Daniel Hodges. “This video is crystal clear, you can clearly see the
defendant’s face and you can see officer Hodges' face as he’s screaming out of
pain,” Gianforti said. The suspect has been unemployed since late 2019 and
lives with his parents, according to McCaughey's defense attorney, who had
argued for a $150,000, which was denied. The Justice Department criminal
complaint says McCaughey repeatedly told the officer “just go home” and “come
on man, you are going to get squished, just go home” while allegedly using a
police shield against the officer during the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S.
Capitol Building.”

 

Turkey

 

Daily Sabah: Al-Qaida Terrorist Captured In Turkey, Jailed In Italy
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“24-year-old Italian suspected of fighting in the Middle East since 2014 with
al-Qaida-affiliated groups was arrested in Turkey and jailed in Italy, Italian
police said on Wednesday. The unnamed man, who had lived with his wife and
their four children near the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, agreed to
hand himself over after being tracked down on accusations of terrorist activity
in Syria and Iraq, police told a news conference according to a Reuters report.
“We managed to find him and bring him back to Italy ... we were also able to
get his wife and children out of a crisis area,” said Italy's anti-terrorism
agency Chief Diego Parente. The man was transferred to Turkey's southeastern
province of Hatay and then on to jail in Italy, while his family remains in
Turkey. The hunt began on information from his parents in Switzerland, where he
had lived and was radicalized, police said. Turkey has been carrying out
extensive anti-terror operations at home and abroad to capture terrorists.
Al-Qaida-linked groups are active in Syria where the ongoing civil war led to
the rise of Daesh, another terrorist group with a similar ideology.”

 

Afghanistan

 

Agence France-Presse: Peace Talks At 'Snail's Pace' Due To Taliban, Says
Afghan Govt
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“Afghan authorities lambasted the Taliban Wednesday for failing to actively
participate in peace talks seeking to end the country's long-running war.
Following months of deliberations and a first round that failed to achieve any
major breakthrough, the Afghan government and Taliban are meeting again in
Qatar -- but so far only discussing the agenda for round two. “Unfortunately,
the talks are going at a snail's pace,” Waheed Omar, media adviser to President
Ashraf Ghani told reporters. “The Taliban have no clear vision. We see no
changes in them.” Kabul is pushing for a permanent ceasefire and to protect
governance arrangements in place since the ouster of the Taliban by a US-led
invasion following the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. But since the second
round of talks began on January 6 in Doha there has been no significant
announcement about how negotiations were proceeding. The talks have been marred
by a surge in violence, with a recent spate of high-profile killings of
officials, judges, journalists and activists leaving the war-weary country
reeling. Omar said there was no plan to release more Taliban prisoners to help
spur the talks along, saying the government's previous experience of releasing
insurgents failed to reduce fighting.”

 

Yemen

 

Agence France-Presse: Hundreds Protest In Yemen Capital Against US Terrorist
Label
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“Hundreds of supporters of Yemen's Huthi rebels took to the streets of the
capital Sanaa Wednesday to protest against the US labelling their movement as
terrorists in one of the final acts of outgoing President Donald Trump. “We've
come out to say the United States is the mother of terrorism and doesn't have
the right to classify anyone as terrorist,” a demonstrator told AFP, hours
before President-elect Joe Biden was to take over from Trump. Hizam al-Assad, a
member of the Huthis' political office, condemned “the continued aggression
against the Yemeni people by US administrations”. Biden's pick for secretary of
state, Antony Blinken, said Tuesday the new administration would review the
designation and also end support to the devastating Saudi offensive on the
country. Blinken said he would “immediately” review the labelling by the
outgoing administration of the Iran-linked insurgents, fearing the move would
worsen Yemen's humanitarian crisis. Trump's administration announced the move
on January 11, just nine days before Biden's takeover. Trump was a staunch ally
of Saudi Arabia, offering US logistical help and military sales for its
six-year campaign to dislodge the rebels who have taken over much of
neighbouring Yemen.”

 

Egypt

 

Al Monitor: Egypt Resumes Trade At Sinai Port As Islamic State Threat Regresses

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“For the first time in several years, a commercial ship docked Jan. 4 at
al-Arish port in North Sinai, where all activities had been suspended due to
military operations against IS militants.  The reopening is part of the
Egyptian government’s efforts to link this strategic port to the Suez Canal,
seeking to boost development in Sinai. The New Moon cargo ship is transporting
3,000 tons of cement from the military-owned al-Arish cement factory to Libya
for reconstruction projects, according to the port’s director Maj. Gen. Mohamed
Sharif. In a Jan. 4 statement, Sharif said that five more vessels will dock at
the port soon. He said that reopening the port to export traffic will offer a
lifeline for the people of North Sinai. Sharif added that the Suez Canal
Economic Zone (SCZone) Authority made great efforts during the downtime to
develop and modernize al-Arish port and turn it an international harbor on the
Mediterranean coast. On July 15, 2019, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
ordered that the port be affiliated with the Egyptian Armed Forces, with the
SCZone Authority financing, developing, operating and managing it while the
army provided security.”

 

Libya

 

Al Jazeera: Libya: UN Chief Urges Foreign Fighters To Leave By Saturday
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“The UN chief urged the departure of all foreign fighters and mercenaries from
Libya by Saturday as called for in the October 23 ceasefire agreement signed by
the warring sides after years of fighting split the oil-rich North African
nation in two. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also urged the UN-recognised
government that holds sway in the capital, Tripoli, in western Libya and the
forces of renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar who runs most of the east
and the south, “to maintain their resolve in reaching a lasting political
solution to the conflict, resolving economic issues, and alleviating the
humanitarian situation”. In a report to the UN Security Council obtained on
Tuesday, Guterres welcomed the road map adopted by the Libyan Political
Dialogue Forum – 75 representatives from the country’s political and social
spectrum – leading to presidential and parliamentary elections on December 24,
2021. After a NATO-led uprising in 2011 that overthrew and later killed
hardline leader Muammar Gaddafi, Libya was divided between the rival
administrations in the east and west, each backed by an array of militias and
foreign powers. Turkey is the main patron of the Tripoli government, while the
United Arab Emirates, Russia and Egypt back Haftar.”

 

Nigeria

 

The Christian Post: Islamic State Fighters Temporarily Capture Nigerian
Military Base, Force Residents To Flee
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“Militants believed to be aligned with the Islamic State temporarily overran a
town and military base near Lake Chad in Nigeria’s troubled Borno state,
forcing many residents to flee for their lives as the rise of extremism
continues to plague the northeast part of the West African country. Brig. Gen.
Sagir Musa, the director of the Nigerian Army’s public relations unit, said in
a statement shared by the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday that military troops
were able to regain control of the Marte area of Borno following an attack by
extremists believed to be affiliated with the Islamic State West Africa
Province.  The attack, which security sources said was claimed by the Islamic
State terrorist group through its Amaq News Agency, occurred Friday and drove
military personnel from the area. The Islamic State claimed to have killed
seven people and captured one. The terror group also claimed that aligned
fighters seized weapons, ammunition and at least six vehicles. The group
additionally claimed to have burned down an Army barracks. Reuters reports that
the assault came about two months after residents, who had earlier been driven
from their homes due to attacks by extremists, had returned home under a
government program.”

 

Sahara Reporters: Again, Boko Haram Terrorists Capture, Destroy Armed
Personnel Carrier Newly Acquired By Nigerian Army
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“Militants belonging to the Islamic State-backed faction of Boko Haram, the
Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), formerly known as Jamā'at Ahl
as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād, have again destroyed an Armed Personnel
Carrier the group captured from Nigerian soldiers. According to ISWAP in a
statement sighted by SaharaReporters on Tuesday, the Isotrex Phantom 2 APC was
captured when the group ambushed some trucks conveying Nigerian soldiers at
Gorigi, Borno State. The group also claimed to have wounded and killed 30
soldiers and destroyed two other APCs. The Insurgents had on Monday displayed a
modified FV103 Spartan APC it said it captured from the military.
SaharaReporters gathered that about eight Isotrex Phantom 2 APCs were recently
acquired by the Nigerian Army for the newly launched operation tagged ‘Tura
Takaibango’ in the North-East theatre of operation, comprising Adamawa, Borno
and Yobe states. Chief of Training and Operations, Nigerian Army, Major General
Nuhu Angbazo, who launched the operation on behalf of the Chief of Army Staff
on January 7, 2021, said the operation would boost the efforts of troops of
Theatre Command Operation Lafiya Dole to enable the army to deal with the
emerging threats of the Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists in North-East.”

 

Mali

 

Reuters: Malian Police Disperse Protest Against French Military Presence
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“Malian security forces used tear gas on Wednesday to disperse an unsanctioned
protest in the capital Bamako against France’s military presence in the
country, one of the rally’s organisers said. France has more than 5,100
military personnel based in Mali and the West African Sahel region to help
counter militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State, an involvement that is
facing increased opposition at home and in Mali. Malian authorities, who have
denounced those opposed to the French military presence, deployed police in
riot gear to block around 1,000 protesters from gathering in Bamako’s
Independence Square, said organiser Adama Diarra. “We demand the departure of
French forces. After eight years of intervention it’s been a total failure,” he
said by phone. France deployed troops to Mali in 2013 to help drive out
Islamist militants who had occupied the north of the country after hijacking a
Tuareg rebellion. Though the fighters have been pushed from main towns, Mali
has failed to stabilise while the militants have regrouped and have carried out
attacks in a prolonged insurgency. The violence has spread to neighbouring
states, stoked ethnic and intercommunal tensions, and rendered large swathes of
the country’s semi-arid north ungovernable.”

 

United Kingdom

 

BBC News: Manchester Attack: Prisoner In Touch With Bomber Recalled To Jail
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“A convicted terrorist organiser and friend of the Manchester Arena bomber has
been returned to prison weeks after being released on licence, the BBC has
learned. Abdalraouf Abdallah, 27, was jailed in 2016 after being found guilty
of helping people travel to Syria to join the Islamic State group. In November
the BBC revealed he was about to be released on licence. It is now understood
he was returned to a high-security prison on Tuesday. While living at an
approved premises he received a number of warnings relating to his conduct,
resulting in a breach of a general condition requiring good behaviour, the BBC
has been told. A source said the breach was not terrorist-related. When
Abdallah was released, a source said his licence conditions would be among the
strictest ever imposed on a released prisoner. A public inquiry into the
Manchester Arena attack heard Abdallah was in touch with bomber Salman Abedi in
the months leading up to the attack. But he has refused to assist the inquiry
despite being regarded as an important witness. In July 2016, Abdallah was
jailed for five and a half years, but time spent on remand and on curfew at
home meant that his period in custody automatically expired in late November.”

 

BBC News: Bristol Islamic Extremist Shared 'Terror Tutorials'
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“An Islamic extremist has admitted sharing “terrorist tutorials” and having a
stash of bomb and poison-making instructions. Souhaib Embarek, 34, was arrested
after firearms officers forced entry into his Bristol home on 9 December 2019.
He denied two charges of disseminating a terror document but changed his plea
for one count as his trial opened. Embarek had already admitted five charges of
possessing information useful to a terrorist. Judge Philip Katz QC, sitting at
the Old Bailey, ordered for the other charge to lie on file. Embarek, a Spanish
national, rolled his eyes as he entered a guilty plea by video link from
Wandsworth Prison. Prosecutor Joel Smith said Embarek threw a mobile phone from
his bedroom window as his Clifton home was stormed by armed police in December
2019. He said: “After being arrested, he denied to police that he even had a
mobile telephone. “Notwithstanding his attempts to frustrate the police, a
number of mobile phones and a computer that he was using were recovered.”
Material relating to weapons, poison, violence and terrorism, in particular
radical Islamic ideology, was found on the devices at his home in Tyndale
Court, Mr Smith said.”

 

Europe

 

Asharq Al-Awsat: Chechnya Kills Militant Tied To ISIS
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“Chechnya's strongman leader Ramzan Kadyrov said Wednesday that police had
killed Aslan Byutukayev, alleged leader of ISIS in the volatile republic and
mastermind of deadly attacks in Moscow. Byutukayev, also known as Amir Khamzat,
was designated in 2016 as a “global terrorist” by the US State Department,
which said he had become an ISIS leader in June 2015. The department also said
Byutukayev was responsible for suicide bombings in Russia including the January
2011 attack on Moscow's Domodedovo airport that killed 35. Kadyrov said Chechen
police officers had killed Byutukayev and five militants associated with him
who were on Russia's wanted list “on the spot”. “The bandit underground in the
Chechen Republic is completely eradicated!” the leader of the North Caucasus
region wrote on his Telegram channel alongside graphic images of bloodied
corpses. The militants had evaded pursuit twice before they were killed and he
had personally taken part in the planning of the operation “long ago”, Kadyrov
added. Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated the Chechen leader on the
operation in a phone call, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists
Wednesday.”

 

Technology

 

Fox News: Airbnb Used Social Media To Identify And Ban Extremist Users: Report
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“It’s not a good time to be a member of an extremist hate group who wants to
go on vacation. In the wake of the riot at the U.S. Capitol, Airbnb says it has
been taking more aggressive actions to prevent members of violent hate groups
from using its service. The company reiterated, however, that its concern is
focused on people who may commit violent acts, regardless of where they fall on
the political spectrum. In a report from Engadget, which cited a tech website
called The Information, Airbnb has been using dummy accounts on Facebook,
Twitter and other online forums to identify users with ties to various hate
groups. Members of Airbnb’s team would reportedly avoid interacting with
individuals and would only search out public posts to make their
determinations. Since many users link their Airbnb accounts with their Facebook
accounts, team members could easily take action in those cases. When reached
for confirmation, an Airbnb spokesperson told Fox News on Wednesday that the
company has long taken a stance against members who are associated with
“terrorist, organized criminal and violent racist groups.” The company has
required users to agree to this through its Community Standards since 2016.”



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