Five government employees were killed in two separate attacks in Afghanistan’s
capital on Tuesday, officials said, the latest in a series in which

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


February 10, 2021

 

Reuters: Five Killed In Kabul As Attacks Increasingly Target Civilians
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“Five government employees were killed in two separate attacks in
Afghanistan’s capital on Tuesday, officials said, the latest in a series in
which civilians have been targeted. Unknown gunmen opened fire on a vehicle
carrying employees of a provincial rural economic development department in
southern Kabul, killing four people. The head of the department was among those
killed as they headed back to the central province of Maidan Wardak where their
department was based, a spokesman for the national rural rehabilitation
department said. A foreign affairs ministry vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb
in eastern Kabul, killing the driver, the ministry said in a statement. Almost
daily deadly attacks with small, magnetic bombs attached to the undercarriages
of vehicles, roadside explosive devices and shootings are unnerving Afghan
officials, activists and journalists. The attacks are concentrated in urban
centres and come as protracted peace talks take place in Doha between Taliban
militants, fighting since 2001 to regain power, and Afghan government
officials. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters in a text message
that Tuesday’s attacks “had nothing to do with us.”

 

Asharq Al-Awsat: UN, EU Partnership To Combat Terrorism In Sudan
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“A partnership between the United Nations, the European Union and Sudan was
launched Monday to combat terrorism through a Capacity-Building Workshop that
focuses on countering the financing of terrorism. The two-day workshop,
organized by the National Organization for Combating Terrorism in coordination
with UNDP and the EU was held at the premises of the Higher Academy for
Strategic and Security Studies in Sudan’s Soba. “This program helps Sudan to
detect and arrest terrorists, and helps the Commission to curb terrorism, and
also to establish capacity-building activities in coordination with the African
Union and the IGAD,” Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General of the UN
Counter-Terrorism Office, told participants in a video message. He said this
initiative affirms Sudan’s commitment to work together with the EU and the UN
in the combat of terrorism. Voronkov explained that Sudan has started the
transition phase, and the project of the National Counter-Terrorism Capacity
Building comes at the request of the Sudanese authorities to support it in
fighting terrorism and money laundering.”

 

Syria

 

Air Force Times: Air War Against ISIS Holds Lessons For Future Battles
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“The five-year coalition air campaign to defeat the Islamic State group and
roll back its territorial gains in Iraq and Syria saw a “complex and contested”
airspace, overstretched enablers, depleted precision guidance munitions
stockpiles and more intense bombing than seen for similar periods in the Iraq
and Afghanistan wars. That’s according to, “The Air War Against the Islamic
State,” a recently released 511-page report by the Rand Corporation. The report
authors detail the 2014 to 2019 timeline of the Operation Inherent Resolve
campaign in phases and case studies. Their analysis paints a picture of an air
war that was critical in the defeat of ISIS, but that differed in many ways
from recent counterinsurgency operations and brought home key areas that need
improvement for future conflicts.  A U.S.-led multinational coalition has
launched tens of thousands of strikes in Iraq and Syria over the past seven
years, weakening the radical group's hold on the region. The authors make
specific joint force and Air Force recommendations that zero in on targeting,
assets, battlespace management, needed personnel, weapons use and self-defense
rules of engagement.”

 

Iraq

 

Reuters: Iraq Hangs Five Men Convicted Of Terrorism, Sources Say
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“Iraq on Tuesday hanged five people convicted of terrorism charges, local
security officials said. All those executed at a prison in the southern Iraqi
city of Nassiriya were Iraqi nationals, said one source who attended. A second
security source who is part of a team in charge of handing over bodies to their
relatives confirmed the details. The sources gave no details of the crimes that
the men had been convicted of. Another Iraqi man, convicted of murder, was also
hanged on Tuesday, the sources said. Iraq has put hundreds of suspected
jihadists on trial and carried out several mass executions since defeating
Islamic State fighters in U.S.-backed military campaign in 2014-2017. On Nov.
16, Iraq hanged 21 convicted terrorists and murderers, including people
involved in two suicide attacks that killed dozens of people in a northern
town. Human rights groups have accused authorities in Baghdad and other Iraqi
regions of inconsistencies in the judicial process and flawed trials leading to
unfair convictions. Iraq says its trials are fair.”

 

Turkey

 

Eurasia Review: Turkey: 39 People Detained For ‘Terrorist Propaganda’ Social
Media Posts
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“The Turkish Interior Ministry announced on Tuesday that security forces
detained 39 social media users in the first week of February for allegedly
posting propaganda for terrorist organisations online. It said that a total of
575 offenders have been detected and that detentions continue. “Debates and
developments on social media platforms as well as the social media accounts of
illegal groups and structures are being followed closely,” the ministry said in
a written statement. The detainees are accused of propaganda for organisations
which Turkey accepted as terrorist organisations, including the outlawed
Kurdistan Workers’ Party, PKK, the so-called Islamic State, extremist leftist
groups and the so-called Fethullahist Terrorist Organisation – a name Turkey
uses to brand followers of exiled Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara
accuses of orchestrating a failed coup attempt in 2016. The 39 detainees
include several students who allegedly run social media accounts to organise
the recent series of high-profile protests against the political appointment of
a new rector at the prestigious Bogazici University in Istanbul. Riot police
staged a major operation to disperse the student protesters last week, with
hundreds detained and dozens charged.”

 

Afghanistan

 

Voice Of America: Islamic State Poised For Possible Resurgence In Afghanistan,
US Officials Warn
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“The Islamic State’s affiliate in Afghanistan – seemingly pushed to the brink
last year following unrelenting pressure from the U.S. and Afghan militaries,
and by multiple Taliban offenses – appears to have recovered and may soon look
to strike further afield, according to U.S. military and intelligence
officials. The turnaround for IS-Khorasan, as the group’s Afghan affiliate is
known, contrasts with its waning fortunes just over a year ago, when U.S.
officials estimated it had lost “up to half its force” while suffering a string
of defeats in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces. Stripped of its key territories,
U.S. intelligence estimates at the time suggested IS-Khorasan was down to as
few as 1,000 fighters. So too, there were growing questions about its offensive
capabilities. Counterterror and military officials say IS-Khorasan is losing
its hold on some rural areas but caution it has been pushed to the brink before
and bounced back But more recent intelligence suggests the bleeding has, at
least stopped. “New leadership allowed it to stabilize and increase localized
and lone wolf attacks throughout the second half of the year [2020],” U.S.
Central Command Gen. Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie, who oversees U.S. forces in
Afghanistan, told a virtual forum Monday.”

 

Voice Of America: Violence Still ‘Too High' In Afghanistan, US General Says
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“Multiple attacks in Afghanistan Tuesday killed at least 10 police officers
and government employees, a day after a top U.S. general warned violence in
Afghanistan was “simply too high.”  Four of the people killed Tuesday were
civilian employees of the Afghan government and were shot in Kabul by unknown
gunmen. Another was a driver working for the Afghan Foreign Ministry who died
when his car was targeted using a magnetic bomb.  Five more men, members of
local police called the Afghan Public Protection Force, were killed in two
separate explosions in Herat and Badghis provinces. In an online discussion
hosted Monday by the Washington-based Middle East Institute, General Kenneth
McKenzie, the commander of the U.S. Central Command that covers the Middle East
and parts of South and Central Asia, said he was “concerned about the actions
the Taliban have taken until this point.”  McKenzie was referring to Taliban
actions since the group struck a deal with the United States in February of
last year. While the Taliban have stopped direct attacks on foreign forces,
their attacks on Afghan forces have increased. The Afghan government and
Western officials also blame them for a surge in killings.” 

 

Yemen

 

Asharq Al-Awsat: US, UK Express Concern After Latest Houthi Escalation In
Yemen’s Marib
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“The United States and Britain expressed their concern over the latest field
escalation by the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen’s Marib and al-Jawf
provinces. The militias had launched on Sunday rocket and drone attacks on
Marib, as well as ground attacks on the neighboring al-Jawf. Yemeni officials
blamed the latest spike in attacks on the United States’ decision to revoke the
terrorist designation of the Houthis. The move, they added, gave the militias
the green light to continue their war on the Yemeni people. “The United States
is deeply troubled by continued Houthi attacks,” said a State Department
statement on Monday. “We call on the Houthis to immediately cease attacks
impacting civilian areas inside Saudi Arabia and to halt any new military
offensives inside Yemen, which only bring more suffering to the Yemeni people.”
“We urge the Houthis to refrain from destabilizing actions and demonstrate
their commitment to constructively engage in UN Special Envoy Griffiths’
efforts to achieve peace. The time is now to find an end to this conflict,” it
stressed. British Ambassador to Yemen Michael Aron strongly condemned the
attacks on Marib and al-Jawf, urging the Houthis to cease such assaults
immediately and prove their commitment to achieve peace by supporting the
efforts exerted by the UN envoy.”

 

Egypt

 

The Times Of Israel: Islamic State Kills At Least 6 Bedouins In Sinai Ambush
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“Members of the Islamic State terror group kill at least six Bedouins in an
ambush for their alleged collaboration with the Egyptian military in the
country’s restive Sinai Peninsula, Egyptian security officials say. The ambush
took place in the mountainous Maghara area in central Sinai when members of a
local IS affiliate established a fake checkpoint and opened fire on two
vehicles carrying Bedouins, the officials say. They say a seventh Bedouin is
missing following the attack. Egypt has been battling militants in the northern
part of Sinai Peninsula for years. Violence and instability there intensified
after the 2013 military ouster of Mohammed Morsi, an elected but divisive
Islamist president amid nationwide protests against his brief rule. The
militants carried out numerous attacks, mainly targeting security forces,
minority Christians and those they accuse of collaborating with the military
and police.”

 

Nigeria

 

Sahara Reporters: Nigerian Army Keeps Mum As Boko Haram Terrorists Kill '20
Soldiers’ In Borno
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“About 48 hours after Boko Haram/Islamic States West Province (ISWAP)
terrorists repelled an attack by the military, killing at least 20 soldiers in
Malari, Borno State, the Nigerian army has yet to officially speak on the
incident. SaharaReporters gathered that the soldiers were on patrol to clear
some Boko Haram elements in the area following credible intelligence when they
were ambushed by the insurgents. A senior military officer said the gunmen
subsequently engaged the troops with an overwhelming firepower, killing about
20 soldiers. The terrorists also destroyed about three operational vehicles of
the Nigerian army. The attack comes few days after six soldiers were killed in
an ambush along Goniri-Gorigi Road while returning from a clearance operation.
Authorities of the Nigeria army have however been silent on both incidents.
“They have contacted their families as usual, they will be buried in a cemetery
here in Maiduguri during the week,” a source told SaharaReporters. Boko Haram
and its offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province, have killed thousands and
displaced millions in North-Eastern Nigeria. Nigerian army has repeatedly
claimed that the insurgency has been largely defeated and frequently underplays
any losses.”

 

Africa

 

Voice Of America: At Least 10 Dead In New Congo Attack
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“At least 10 people have died in an overnight attack on a village in the
eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The attackers, who invaded a village near
the border with Uganda, are believed to be part of the Allied Democratic Forces
(ADF), a Ugandan Islamist group. Local authorities confirmed the army has been
deployed to the region. Last week, the group committed a similar massacre that
killed at least 12 people in the nearby village of Mabule. Active in the region
since the 1990s, the ADF has increased its attacks against civilians since
2019, when the Congolese army began an operation against it. In 2020 alone, the
group killed over 840 people, according to United Nations data. The Islamic
State militant group has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks in the
region, although ties between IS and ADF have never been confirmed.”

 

Africanews: Mozambique Sees Militia Violence Dwindle As Military Gains Steam
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“Islamist attacks in Mozambique's remote north have become less frequent and
violent in recent weeks, a trend that analysts attribute in part to scaled-up
counter-insurgency tactics. Shadowy jihadists affiliated to the so-called
Islamic State group have wreaked havoc in the gas-rich but impoverished Cabo
Delgado province since 2017. Their attacks rocketed last year, triggering a
humanitarian crisis akin to the end of Mozambique's 1977-1992 civil war. More
than half of the roughly 800 assaults documented by US conflict tracker ACLED
since 2017 took place last year alone, defying government efforts to boost its
military presence in the area. At least 2,500 people have been killed and more
than half a million displaced in over three years, many of them impoverished
villagers, according to ACLED and government figures. But recent figures
tentatively suggest intensified ground and air strikes are starting to bear
fruit. ACLED only registered around 10 militant strikes in January, down from
about 30 in December. “We are seeing a success of the government forces'
offensive strategy,” Calton Cadeado, a security researcher at the Joaquim
Chissano University in Maputo told AFP.”

 

Mozambique News Agency: Terrorist Commanders Killed
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“The Mozambican defence and security forces have killed six ringleaders of the
islamist terrorists operating in the northern province of Cabo Delgado,
according to a report in “Noticias de Defesa”, an unofficial website that
supports the Mozambican forces. One of those killed was a Tanzanian national,
and two were described as “Arabs”. The operations in which they were killed
took place in Macomia and Muidumbe districts, where the defence forces are
driving terrorists out of their hideouts. The “Noticias de Defesa” source says
the terrorists are running short of supplies, and some of their main bases have
been dismantled. As a result members of the terrorist groups are now deserting.
Three of the young terrorist recruits have abandoned the Cabo Delgado bush and
plan to apply for the amnesty promised by President Filipe Nyusi to those who
voluntarily leave the terrorist ranks. The three were apparently recruited in
the neighbouring province of Nampula, and efforts are being made to return them
safely to their home district of Memba. Police sources said that recruits have
been attracted to the terrorist cause, not because of any religious or
ideological conviction, but because they have been promised large sums of
money.”

 

Agence France-Presse: Growing Desperation Over Al-Shabaab Threat In Kenya's
North
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“Schools are shut due to an exodus of teachers, travel has become risky
because of armed attacks and roadside bombs, and cellphone towers are regularly
destroyed. In the vast, arid northern corner of Kenya, bordering Somalia and
Ethiopia, frustration is boiling over due to the growing strength of the
Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab jihadist group in the region. Some 1,000 kilometres
(620 miles) and a world apart from the bustling capital Nairobi or Kenya's
famed beaches and wildlife parks, the county of Mandera is increasingly coming
under the control of Al-Shabaab, the area's governor warned recently. In a rare
public cry for help, governor Ali Roba published a long letter in January over
the “undeterred movements of terror cells within the county”, saying the
government was “failing miserably” at stopping them. He cited a recent
Al-Shabaab attack on an ambulance carrying a pregnant woman, and the beheading
of a local chief in December whose “head was thrown into a bush.” “A police
post was attacked ... Mobile phone transmission stations are regularly attacked
and masts felled leaving residents cut-off from communication,” the governor
wrote in a letter published in The Standard newspaper.”

 

Agence France-Presse: Senegal Uncovers Jihadist Cell In East Of Country
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“Senegalese authorities have foiled a jihadist cell linked to
al-Qaeda-affiliated militants in Mali, a leading newspaper in the West African
state reported on Monday. Gendarmes arrested four men in late January in the
eastern town of Kidira, which lies on the border with Senegal’s war-torn
neighbor Mali, according to the Liberation newspaper. A shopkeeper who has been
under surveillance for two years was among the men who were arrested, it added.
The shopkeeper’s telephone number reportedly appeared on a Whatsapp group
linked to the Katiba Macina jihadist group. Although he denies affiliation with
the group, he is suspected of acting as a recruiter inside Senegal. Katiba
Macina is one of the key armed groups in al-Qaeda-aligned Group to Support
Islam and Muslims (GSIM) — which is one of the largest jihadist alliances
operating in Mali. Mali has been struggling to contain an Islamist insurgency
that first emerged in 2012, killing thousands of soldiers and civilians and
displacing hundreds of thousands more. The conflict has since spread to
neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, inflaming ethnic tensions along the way.
Senegal has so far been spared jihadist attacks. However, the United Nations
Security Council warned in a report this month that GSIM figures “have
established themselves in Senegal.”

 

United Kingdom

 

The Independent: Isis Fighters’ Brother Bought Sword And Rapped About Lee
Rigby ‘While Planning Terror Attack’
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“An alleged Isis supporter whose two brothers died fighting for the terrorist
group in Syria planned a terror attack in the UK, a court has heard. Sahayb
Abu, 27, bought a sword, knife, balaclava and gloves while allegedly making
preparations for an act of terrorism. The Old Bailey heard that he sent two of
his surviving brothers videos of himself rapping about “sending bombs” and
“eliminating foes”. Jurors were told that days before he was arrested, Abu
rapped about the 2013 terror attack where Fusilier Lee Rigby was murdered and
talked about seeing “many Lee Rigby’s heads rolling on the ground”. He
allegedly discussed wanting to conduct homophobic attacks in the UK in an
extremist chat group, as well as targeting a Shia Muslim cleric. On the day of
his arrest on 9 July, Abu allegedly praised the 9/11 terror attacks and wrote:
“We need a 9/11 2.0” Prosecutor John McGuinness QC said Abu had also conducted
numerous online searches for terror attacks in the UK, France and Germany. “The
kuffar [disbelievers] have felt their share of pain, I just wish it was
multiplied a million fold,” he allegedly wrote in a text message to his
brothers on 3 July. Two days before, he had ordered an 18in blade from an
online shop that described it as a “deadly close-combat design … used by
warriors”, and paid extra to have it sharpened before delivery.”



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