Twin suicide bombings ripped through a crowded marketplace in Baghdad on
Thursday, killing at least 32 people and wounding at least 75 others in the

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


January 22, 2021

 

The Wall Street Journal: Islamic State Claims Responsibility For Deadly
Baghdad Bombings
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“Twin suicide bombings ripped through a crowded marketplace in Baghdad on
Thursday, killing at least 32 people and wounding at least 75 others in the
first such attack in Iraq’s capital in more than two years. The explosions
shattered a period of relative calm after Islamic State lost the territory it
controlled in Iraq and Syria in 2019. The blasts highlight the security
challenges facing Iraq after the U.S. withdrew much of its military presence
from the country in the last days of the Trump administration. Islamic State
claimed responsibility for the attack in a communiqué issued on Thursday,
according to SITE Intelligence Group, an organization that tracks extremist
propaganda. The group has carried out lethal bombings targeting civilians
throughout Iraq and the wider Middle East. Iraqi President Barham Salih
condemned the attack, saying in a tweet, “The two terrorist explosions
targeting innocent people in Baghdad and at this specific time confirms the
attempt by the groups of darkness to target all national entitlements and our
people’s aspirations for a safe future.” Yehia Rasool, a military spokesman for
Iraq’s prime minister, said Iraqi security forces had received information
about the two bombers before the attack and were pursuing them when they blew
themselves up.”

 

Agence France-Presse: French Troops Kill Over 20 Extremists In Burkina Faso
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“More than 20 militants have been killed by French troops this month in
Burkina Faso near the border with troubled Mali, the French military said
Thursday. One of the poorest countries in the world, Burkina Faso is struggling
with a ruthless insurgency by armed Islamists who swept in from neighbouring
Mali in 2015. Almost 1,100 people have died and more than a million people have
fled their homes. French Tigre helicopters on Saturday “neutralised” a
“suspicious convoy of 30 motorcycles” on Burkinabe territory near the Mali town
of Boulikessi in which some 10 extremists were killed, said Colonel Frederic
Barbry, spokesman for the French defence staff. The same day, a French drone
struck a four-wheel drive vehicle heading for Mali, he said. On Sunday, French
helicopters fired on a convoy of 40 motorbikes “allowing us to stop the convoy
and neutralise more than 10 armed terrorists and destroy about 10 motorbikes,”
Barbry added. France has deployed troops in the region to fight extremists.”

 

United States

 

The Sun: Joe Biden Must Tell Hate Preacher Abu Hamza To Abandon Hope Of Return
To Britain
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"Life for the notorious Islamist firebrand inside the US high security prison
will have been a shock after the soft-soap treatment he received in the UK,
where his dangerous preaching was indulged for years. Conditions at the
bleak ADX Florence fortress in Fremont, Colorado,
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where Hamza was locked up after being sentenced to life without parole are a
far cry from what he is used to here. It is a measure of the danger he poses
that the US sent him to the jail reserved for its most dangerous prisoners,
many moved there after murdering their guards. Nobody has ever escaped the
35-acre site where inmates spend 23 hours a day in 12ft by 7ft cells guarded by
12ft high razor wire fences, laser-beams, pressure pads and attack dogs. I have
no doubt he hankers after a return to the days when he was allowed to preach
freely in London, turning vulnerable youngsters into acolytes hellbent on
murder and destruction. It was clear that the UK failed to recognise the
horrific damage he caused to the country for almost a decade, giving him far
too much freedom to spread his dangerous ideology. Despite being listed as a
terrorist associate by the UN in the early 2000s, Hamza – who says he lost an
eye and both hands while experimenting with explosives, and must now use hooks
instead - carried on preaching openly for several years, hailing al-Qaeda’s
attack on the Twin Towers and grooming followers."

 

Syria

 

Agence France-Presse: UN Says 12 Murdered In Syria Camp In Two Weeks
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“Twelve murders have taken place at a displaced camp in northeast Syria in
just over two weeks, the UN said Thursday, sounding the alarm over an
“increasingly untenable” security situation. Held by Kurdish forces, Al-Hol
camp -- Syria's biggest -- holds almost 62,000 people, of whom more than 80
percent are women and children, including Syrians, Iraqis and thousands from as
far afield as Europe and Asia. The foreigners are families of jihadists from
the Islamic State group, which seized swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014. The
Iraqi and Syrian residents of the camp largely fled subsequent fighting between
IS and Kurdish forces. “Between 1 and 16 January, the UN received reports of
the murders of 12 Syrian and Iraqi camp residents,” said the UN statement,
adding that an Iraqi woman was among those killed. “The disturbing events
indicate an increasingly untenable security environment at Al-Hol,” it added.
The camp had already witnessed several security incidents in recent months,
sometimes involving IS supporters. These have included escape attempts and
attacks against guards or staff employed by NGOs, sometimes with knives, other
times with firearms.”

 

Afghanistan

 

Voice Of America: Targeted Killings Of Afghan Journalists Threaten Free Media
In Afghanistan
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“A recent string of targeted killings in Afghanistan has created an atmosphere
of fear among Afghan journalists who say they cannot carry out their duties
under growing threats. The Afghan Journalists Safety Committee, a local media
advocacy group, has warned that the country might lose one of its main
achievements in the past two decades, freedom of expression and press, if the
attacks on journalists continue. At least five journalists have been killed in
Afghanistan in the past two months as part of a wave of targeted attacks
against women working outside their homes, rights activists, tribal and
community leaders, religious figures and journalists. “If this trend continues,
we will lose one of the most noteworthy achievements of this country, which is
press freedom and freedom of expression,” Najib Sharifi, president of the
Afghan Journalists Safety Committee, told VOA. Journalists in many parts of
Afghanistan say they no longer feel safe amid the increased killings of fellow
journalists. “We are in constant fear of being targeted,” said Sami Serat, a
journalist working with a local radio station in Helmand province. “We do not
feel safe in the city, in our offices or even at home.”

 

The Economist: Assassinations Rise In Afghanistan Amid Negotiations
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“The traffic jams in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, have recently yielded a
sombre new spectacle. Almost every day, drivers crawling along at rush hour
have had to pass the blasted or bullet-riddled cars of those whose commute has
ended in an assassin’s attack. Two female judges were shot dead on their way to
work on January 17th. A car from the telecoms ministry was blown up the next
day. The day after, in a province to the south, a journalist was hurt in a bomb
attack. Some targets are bigwigs’ 4x4s, others are humble saloons. The
assassins’ favourite tactics are to sneak a “sticky bomb”—a magnetic one—onto
or under a car when it is stationary, or simply to ride up on the back of a
motorbike and open fire. Kabul’s traffic makes the targets sitting ducks.”

 

Yemen

 

Arab News: How Yemen’s Houthis’ Well-Deserved Terrorist Label Gives Biden
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“Joe Biden, the newly inaugurated US president, is using his first days in
office to review many of his predecessor’s policies and executive orders. How
his administration handles its strategic inheritance, particularly with regard
to Iran and its proxies, notably the Yemeni Houthi militia, could well shape
the Arab region’s opinion of his nascent presidency. On Jan. 10, Mike Pompeo,
the outgoing secretary of state, announced the State Department would designate
the Houthis (also known as Ansar Allah) as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization.”
Three Houthi leaders — Abdul Malik Al-Houthi, Abdul Khaliq Badr Al-Din
Al-Houthi and Abdullah Yahya Al-Hakim — were declared Specially Designated
Global Terrorists with effect from Jan. 19. “The designations are intended to
hold Ansar Allah accountable for its terrorist acts, including cross-border
attacks threatening civilian populations, infrastructure, and commercial
shipping,” Pompeo said. “The designations are also intended to advance efforts
to achieve a peaceful, sovereign and united Yemen that is both free from
Iranian interference and at peace with its neighbors.”

 

Nigeria

 

Voice Of America: Christian Group Names Nigeria Hot Spot For Persecution
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“A report by the U.S-based Christian persecution monitoring group Open Doors
shows the number of Christians killed in 2020 increased by 60%, mostly because
of Islamic violence against Nigerian Christians. The study says more than 2,200
of 4,761 Christians killed around the world in 2020 died in Nigeria because of
radical Islamists.  Open Doors CEO David Curry says the global focus on
battling the coronavirus pandemic last year also contributed to an increase in
Christian persecution. But Nigerian Muslim groups say the report is promoting a
false impression. “Nigerian Christians are not persecuted,” said Ishaq
Akintola, director at Muslim Rights Concern. “What is happening in Nigeria is
the persecutor crying out and claiming that he is being persecuted, claiming
that he is the victim. And it's because a Muslim is in power that the crying of
persecution is so loud.” Another U.S.-based organization, International
Christian Concern, estimates 50,000 to 70,000 Christians have died in violent
attacks in Nigeria over 18 years, mostly carried out by Boko Haram terrorists
or arms-wielding gangs.”

 

Somalia

 

The Africa Report: Somalia: Why Clan Elders Are Vital In Launching Talks With
Al-Shabaab
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“The Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab insurgent group and the Somali government
have remained locked in a violent stalemate for years. Other than lives lost,
neither party has inflicted grave damage or made significant territorial gains.
In a protracted conflict that has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of
people, there is no end in sight. Al-Shabaab continues to pursue the goal of
installing itself in power. To achieve this, it aims to overthrow the
Western-backed Somali government and eject foreign forces from the country. For
its part, the Somali government relies largely on international support to
deliver stability and reconstruction. To resolve the conflict, some observers
have urged the Somali government to initiate dialogue with Al-Shabaab. One
proposal is that the Somali government should engage with moderate members of
the group. Another recommends third-party Muslim state actors stepping in to
initiate talks. The government in Mogadishu has signalled its willingness to
enter into direct talks. But Al-Shabaab has rebuffed all attempts. Instead, it
has dismissed the government as a “criminal regime” that has “left the fold of
Islam.”

 

United Kingdom

 

BBC News: Man Arrested In Birmingham On Suspicion Of Terrorism Offences
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“A man has been arrested on suspicion of collecting and disseminating
terrorist publications. The 21-year-old was arrested at a property in
Birmingham on Wednesday, West Midlands Police said. He was taken to a local
police station where he remains in custody, the spokesman added. The arrest is
part of an on-going investigation and there is not believed to be any imminent
threat to the public.”

 

France

 

France 24: French Muslim Groups At Odds Over Macron's Anti-Extremism Charter
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“The head of France's main Muslim organisation on Thursday slammed a
“unilateral” move by three Islamic groups not to sign up to an anti-extremism
charter championed by President Emmanuel Macron. Macron wants French Muslim
groups to sign up to the charter as he seeks to secure France's secular system
in the wake of a spate of attacks blamed on Islamist radicals in 2020. But the
Committee for Coordination of Turkish Muslims in France (CCMTF) and the Milli
Gorus Islamic Confederation (CMIG) -- both catering to citizens of Turkish
origin -- as well as the Faith and Practice movement, announced late Wednesday
that they would not be signing up to the charter. “Through these repetitive
actions, the groups... all risk being held responsible for this situation of
division,” said Mohamed Moussaoui, the president of the French Council of the
Muslim Faith (CFCM), the umbrella grouping for France's Muslim groups. This
refusal “is not likely to provide reassurance... on the state of the
representative bodies of the Muslim religion”, he added. A source close to the
issue, who asked not to be named, said the three groups refusing to sign the
charter were particularly concerned about the definition of foreign
interference in religion and the definition of political Islam.”

 

Germany

 

Deutsche Welle: Far-Right Terrorism In Germany: Walter Lübcke's Murder And The
NSU
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“The lawyer defending Stephan E.*, the neo-Nazi on trial for the assassination
of regional governor Walter Lübcke, has made his final statement to the court
ahead of next week's verdict. In the hope of shortening his client's prison
term, attorney Mustafa Kaplan argued that the defendant should be found guilty
of manslaughter rather than murder. Lübcke, a conservative politician in the
state of Hesse who defended Chancellor Angela Merkel's refugee policies in the
2015 crisis, was shot dead on the porch of his home in June 2019. Stephan E.
confessed to the killing, though he told the court that he had been helped by
his erstwhile friend and co-defendant, Markus H., another known neo-Nazi, who
has denied involvement. For many observers, among them state prosecutor Dieter
Killmer, Lübcke's killing could only be understood as the latest of a series of
far-right terrorist attacks in Germany dating back to the Oktoberfest bombing
in the 1980s. But those attacks are not random. For the past 20 years, Germans
have learned more and more about an underground network of neo-Nazis who are
prepared to assassinate politicians, stockpile weapons, compile lists of the
addresses of perceived enemies, and plant nail bombs in minority communities.”

 

Southeast Asia

 

Eurasia Review: Indonesia: Support For Islamic State Declining
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“Support for Islamic State is declining among Indonesian extremists, and
Jemaah Ansharul Daulah (JAD), once the largest of the country’s many pro-ISIS
groups, has become largely inactive, according to a report by the Jakarta-based
Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC). The IPAC report notes, that
at the same time, a process of regrouping and splintering is producing new
cells, and some Indonesians believe their oath of loyalty to ISIS leaders
obliges them to continue fighting in any way they can. The overall picture is
of a manageable threat, even as there is no end in sight to the emergence of
small, poorly trained groups with the intention to do harm. “There are no
extremist groups operating in Indonesia today that present a serious threat to
Indonesian stability or that are beyond the capacity of the police to manage,”
said Sidney Jones, director of the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict
(IPAC). “The Decline of ISIS in Indonesia and the Emergence of New Cells”, the
latest report from the examines the status of the major pro-ISIS organisations
in Indonesia and a selection of smaller ones to understand the dynamics that
have weakened them and caused discontent and departures.”

 

Technology

 

The Verge: Dems Push Facebook, Twitter, And Youtube For Anti-Radicalization
Changes After Capitol Attack
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“Only hours after gaining full control of Congress, House Democrats are going
after Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for the platforms’ perceived roles in
inciting violence at the Capitol earlier this month. In letters addressed to
the chief executives of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-CA)
and Tom Malinowski (D-NJ), along with dozens of other members, called for the
companies to make sweeping changes to their platforms to curb violent and
extremist activity on their networks. The lawmakers accused the companies of
using certain product features and algorithms that boost content that evokes
extreme emotions as a means of increasing engagement, pointing out specific
features they want to see changed on each platform. For YouTube, lawmakers said
they would like to see the company disable auto-play and stop recommending any
conspiratorial content alongside videos or on users’ homepages. Facebook was
asked to start a “fundamental reexamination” of its use of user engagement “as
the basis of algorithmic sorting and recommendation.” Lawmakers also asked
Twitter to begin prompting users to quote-tweet tweets instead of automatically
retweeting them when the retweet button is selected.”



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