Eye on Extremism

March 16, 2021

The New York Times: American Soldiers Help Mozambique Battle An Expanding ISIS Affiliate

“American Special Forces soldiers began training Mozambican troops this week as part of an effort to repel a spreading insurgency in northeastern Mozambique that American officials say is linked to the Islamic State. The insurgency, near some of the world’s biggest gas reserves, has killed at least 2,000 civilians and displaced another 670,000. The American program is modest in size and scope: a dozen Army Green Berets are to train Mozambican marines for the next two months. But it signals the entry of the United States military into a counterinsurgency effort that has been aided so far mainly by South African mercenaries, who have faced accusations of human rights abuses. The war in Mozambique is part of an alarming expansion of insurgencies believed to have ties to the Islamic State in several parts of Africa. In the past year, militants have captured swaths of territory in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, including a port on the Indian Ocean, and beheaded hundreds of civilians, according to human rights groups. “I don’t think anyone saw this coming,” Col. Richard Schmidt, the deputy commander of U.S. Special Operations Forces in Africa, said in a telephone interview from Maputo, Mozambique’s capital. “For this to crop up so quickly is concerning.”

The Wall Street Journal: Nigerian Gunmen Kidnap Primary-School Teachers In Latest Abduction

“Gunmen kidnapped three teachers from a primary school in northwestern Nigeria on Monday, government officials said, as parents of students kidnapped in another school four days earlier staged a protest demanding the government bring their children home safely. Samuel Aruwan, the security commissioner for Kaduna state, initially said that authorities had received reports that both pupils and teachers had been abducted on Monday morning in the Birnin Gwari area, but later issued a statement to say the missing children had escaped. A local vigilante group who was hunting for the kidnappers said it would take until Tuesday morning to say definitively that none of the students had been abducted. The victims’ families said the gunmen arrived Monday morning, shortly after school gates had opened, and attacked the school. Primary schools in Nigeria usually admit children between 6 and 9 years old. “They came to the village looking like normal people and one of them drew a gun from his caftan and started firing before moving to the school,” said Abduljalal Usman, the elder brother of one of the abducted teachers. It was the fifth mass school abduction since December in Nigeria’s northwest, where a surge in armed militancy has led to worsening security and kidnapping for ransom become a lucrative industry.”

United States

New York Daily News: U.S. Soldier Pleads Not Guilty To Plotting ISIS Attacks On NYC Landmarks

“A U.S. Army soldier pleaded not guilty Monday to plotting terrorist attacks on city landmarks with an undercover FBI employee posing as a member of ISIS. Cole Bridges faces a maximum of 40 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to ISIS and attempted murder of U.S. military service members. Prosecutors say Bridges, 20, shared his disenchantment with the military in online chats with the undercover FBI employee starting in 2019. The radicalized soldier eventually began advising the fake ISIS sympathizer on how to thwart U.S. military attacks in the Middle East and “provided advice” on potential targets in New York City, including the 9/11 Memorial, according to a complaint. Bridges, a resident of Stow, Ohio, and member of the Third Infantry Division, was arrested in January at the Army base at Fort Stewart, Ga. The accused traitor even recorded a video of himself in body armor in front of an ISIS flag and narrated another video hyping what he believed was an an imminent ISIS ambush of U.S. troops, authorities say. Bridges’ attorney Sabrina Shroff said during the Manhattan Federal Court hearing that she expected to discuss a “disposition” of the case before it goes to trial — meaning the soldier could soon plead guilty.”

NPR: UCLA Student Charged In Capitol Riot Took Inspiration From Online Extremist

“For nearly a year, UCLA students said, they raised the alarm about one of their classmates. On Twitter, classmate Christian Secor attacked women and minorities, they said, and embraced the ideology of a far-right extremist. On campus, he pushed a student Republicans group toward extreme positions against all immigration. And on the video streaming site DLive, Secor took on the handle “Scuffed Elliot Rodger” — an apparent reference to the misogynist gunman who killed six people in Isla Vista, Calif., in 2014. Students of color and Jewish students said they felt targeted by Secor's rhetoric, and given his self-proclaimed “love” of guns, they worried about their own safety. Multiple students told NPR they took their concerns to the UCLA administration but said the school took no action. So when they recognized their 22-year-old classmate in footage from the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, they weren't exactly surprised. “I was a little shocked,” said Grayson Peters, a Jewish UCLA student, though “not because I thought it would be out of character.” The Department of Justice alleges that Secor stormed the chamber of the U.S. Senate and sat in the chair occupied just hours earlier by former Vice President Mike Pence.”

Syria

Australian Associated Press: Syria Says Damascus Bomb Plot Foiled

“Syria has foiled a bomb plot in the capital Damascus with security forces killing three militants and arresting three others, state news agency SANA says. SANA quoted a security source as saying the plot, which involved the use of explosive belts, was thwarted with the cooperation of residents of two towns of a formerly rebel-held rural region southwest of Damascus. It did not say when the would-be attack was foiled or give further details. President Bashar al-Assad's government regained control over the heavily populated region from insurgents about three years ago after reaching reconciliation deals with its local elders. But security forces continue to restrict movement into the towns of Kanaker and Zakia, from which those involved in the bombing plot came, according to state media. Russian-brokered deals brought back much of the strategic southern border area with Jordan and Israel back under state control after years in rebel hands. But the region continues to suffer from lawlessness and targeted killings, residents say.”

Sky News: 'We Have To Judge Them': The Court Trying Islamic State Fighters Left Behind In Syria

“On the edge of a dusty town in Kurdish-controlled northeastern Syria, a small team of lawyers are doing something remarkable; a task no other government globally is willing to do. Suspect by suspect, the lawyers are putting alleged members of the Islamic State on trial and Sky News has been given exclusive access to one man's hearing. His name is Shabib Ali Shabib and he's 21. We watch as he is led into the small courthouse by a guard. His head is bowed as he is guided up the stairs to a small simple courtroom. A single chair faces a desk where three judges prepare to question him. “The charges against Shabib Ali Shabib, born in 1999, from the city of Hassakah, town of Melabieh, village of Al Khamayel, who left to join the terrorist organisation Daesh (Isis)...” the presiding judge says. IS was defeated two years ago after four years in which it occupied and terrorised large parts of Syria and Iraq. Thousands of IS fighters survived the final battle in the Syrian town of Bagouz in early 2019. Ever since they have been held in insecure and inadequate prisons in the Kurdish-controlled northeastern Syrian region of Rojava. Now, one by one, in this basic courthouse, with no funding and no help, a few dedicated and brave lawyers are bringing them to justice.”

Afghanistan

Associated Press: Police: 15 Wounded In Minibus Bombing In Afghan Capital

“A bomb targeting a minibus in Afghanistan's capital exploded Monday wounding at least 15 civilians, police said, amid a surge in attacks in Kabul. Ferdaws Faramarz, spokesman for the Kabul police chief, said the minibus was attacked in the Dahan-e-Bagh area of Kabul and a taxi nearby was damaged. He said the casualty count could rise. The attack comes a day after separate bombings of vehicles in the western part of Kabul killed three people and wounded 12, Faramarz said. He said the first explosion targeted a van and another vehicle was targeted in a different district. Faramarz said an investigation was ongoing but all the casualties were civilians. No one immediately claimed responsibility for any of the attacks on Sunday and Monday. Afghanistan is experiencing a nationwide spike in bombings, targeted killings and other violence as peace negotiations in Qatar between the Taliban and the Afghan government continue. The Islamic State group’s local affiliate has claimed responsibility for some of the violene, but many go unclaimed, with the government putting the blame on the Taliban. The insurgents have denied responsibility for most of the attacks.”

Pakistan

Reuters: Blast In Pakistan's Karachi Kills Soldier, Injures 8 Others

“A remote-controlled bomb exploded on Monday in the Pakistani city of Karachi, killing a paramilitary soldier and injuring eight other people, police said. “(The) initial investigation suggests an explosive-rigged motorcycle was used in the blast,” senior police officer Suhai Aziz told Reuters, adding that the device was detonated through remote control. The device, planted next to a security services vehicle, also injured six other people who happened to be in the area, according to Karachi police officials. Separatist insurgents from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the blast in a statement shared with Reuters. The group has been fighting an insurgency in the southwestern province of Balochistan, targeting security forces and infrastructure and mineral extraction projects that the militants say exploit the region at the expense of locals. Last June, the BLA took responsibility for an attack on the Pakistan Stock Exchange, also in the city of Karachi, where four militants armed with guns and grenades killed two guards and a policemen before security forces killed them. In 2018, three BLA militants attacked the Chinese consulate in the city, killing four people before being killed themselves.”

Yemen

Agence France-Presse: Yemen's Al-Qaeda Regenerates Amid Battle For The North

“Years of setbacks have weakened the once mighty Yemeni branch of Al-Qaeda, but the militants are seizing the opportunity to regenerate while the government and Huthi rebels are locked in a fight to the death in the north. Government security officials and tribal leaders told AFP that the fierce battle for Marib, which has raged for the past month, is creating a security vacuum that is being exploited by the jihadists. Once seen as the most potent Al Qaeda franchise, they have suffered multiple defeats in the past three years, leaving them deprived of territory and fighters, and with mystery surrounding the fate of the leadership. “The governorate of Marib has been AQAP's main stronghold for years,” said one intelligence official. While the main combatants in Yemen's six-year war sustain heavy losses in an effort to control Marib city, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula remains “at ease” elsewhere in the region where it retains strong influence in villages and small towns. “As others get busy fighting, they are training fighters again, planning, rebuilding relations” with local tribes and chasing “financial support” from local communities, the official added. Marib city, the capital of the oil-rich governorate, is the last northern stronghold for the internationally recognised government which is backed by a Saudi-led military coalition.”

Middle East

The Jerusalem Post: IDF Arrests Three Suspects For Attempted Terror Attack In Beit El

“IDF troops stopped an attempted terrorist attack in the West Bank settlement of Beit El late Monday night, according to the IDF Spokesperson. The soldiers identified three suspects throwing Molotov cocktails at houses and worked to apprehend them, using live fire as required. Two suspects were said to have been hit by the soldiers' fire, the spokesperson said. On March 8, three terrorist attacks were reported within 48 hours. An attempted stabbing attack was reported at the Sde Ephraim farm on Monday after a Palestinian woman entered the farm and attempted to stab the wife of the owner, according to the IDF. The woman was stopped by local residents and no one was injured in the incident.On Sunday night, the IDF thwarted an attempted stabbing attack in the Palestinian town of Tubas in the West Bank, north of Nablus, according to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit. In a third event, IDF forces identified two suspects throwing Molotov cocktails at passing Israeli cars on the road near the village of al-Khader on Monday, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit reported.”

Libya

Agence France-Presse: Eastern Libya Forces Say Arrested ‘Prominent IS Leader’ Abu Omar

“Forces loyal to Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar announced Sunday the arrest of a top Islamic State group figure in the south of the North African country. The eastern-based marshal’s forces led an operation in the southern desert town of Ubari targeting the “most prominent leader” of IS in Libya, Mohamed Miloud Mohamed — who goes by Abu Omar — leading to his arrest, said a statement by Haftar’s spokesman Ahmad al-Mesmari. Abu Omar was among the top IS leaders in Libya when the group took control of the central coastal city of Sirte in 2015, the statement added. The jihadists made Sirte a stronghold where they trained fighters and orchestrated attacks, including killing scores of foreign tourists in neighboring Tunisia, before they were driven out of the Libyan city in 2016. IS gained a foothold in Libya amid the chaos that reigned in the country after dictator Moamer Kadhafi was toppled and killed in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011. Described as a “dangerous terrorist,” Abu Omar had “close ties” with Abu Moaz al-Iraqi, the head of IS in Libya, who was killed last September by pro-Haftar forces, Mesmari’s statement said. Abu Omar is also accused of having abducted in 2015 four Italian engineers, who were freed after payment of a ransom estimated at four million euros ($4.8 million), it added.”

Nigeria

CNN: Armed Men Attack Another Nigerian School, As 39 Students Still Missing

“Armed men attempted to kidnap more students in Nigeria's Kaduna state overnight on Sunday, a state government official said, as 39 others from an earlier attack remain missing. Attacks by armed gangs, usually referred to as bandits, have intensified across northwest Nigeria in recent years. Four school kidnappings since December have provoked nationwide outrage. Some 39 students, including a pregnant woman, are still missing from Thursday's abduction from the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization, in northwest Nigeria. Students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation in Kaduna, northwest Nigeria, pictured in Nigeria Defence Academy barracks after fleeing from gunmen who raided their school in the early hours of Friday morning. Thirty students are still missing, authorities say. Students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation in Kaduna, northwest Nigeria, pictured in Nigeria Defence Academy barracks after fleeing from gunmen who raided their school in the early hours of Friday morning. Thirty students are still missing, authorities say. Samuel Aruwan, Kaduna state commissioner of internal security and home affairs, said police, army and others had repelled attacks on another school and at a local government office near Kaduna airport.”

Africa

Reuters: Suspected Islamists Kill At Least A Dozen Villagers In Eastern Congo

“Attackers killed at least a dozen villagers in an overnight raid on a village in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a witness and two civil rights groups said on Monday. They blamed the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan militia active in eastern Congo since the 1990s, which has committed dozens of brutal reprisal attacks on civilians since the army began operations against it in late 2019. Men armed with knives and other weapons attacked the village of Bulongo, around 30 kilometres (18 miles) east of Beni, on Sunday night, the sources said. “There are 12 bodies lying on the ground,” said Mambo Kitambal, head of a civil society group in Bulongo. “We fear that this toll could increase especially since the enemy operated for several hours. The victims were executed with pickaxes and machetes,” he said. On Wednesday the United States designated the ADF as a foreign terrorist organisation, accusing it of links to Islamic State (ISIS), although U.N. experts have not found evidence of any direct relationship between the two groups. The ADF killed about 850 people last year, according to U.N. figures. “Here in the rain they savagely killed our brothers and sisters with knives and pickaxes,” said Paul Sakata, a resident of Bulongo.”

Germany

BBC News: Stansted Airport: German Man Admits Sharing IS Videos

“A German man arrested as he was about to board a flight at Stansted Airport has admitted sharing propaganda videos by the Islamic State (IS) group. Florian Flegel, 23, was set to fly to Germany on 12 October when he was arrested at the airport in Essex. At Woolwich Crown Court, Flegel, from Dusseldorf, pleaded guilty to six counts of disseminating terrorist publications including IS videos. He is due to be sentenced at the same court on 26 April. Judge Andrew Lees ordered a pre-sentence report to be prepared.”

Europe

The Spectator: We Shouldn’t Forget The Horrific Crimes Of ISIS Returnees

“Summer 2015. A five-year-old girl is chained up and left outside in the desert sun in Fallujah, Iraq – a punishment for wetting the bed while feeling unwell. The little girl slowly died of thirst in temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius. Condemned to the same inhumane punishment was the girl's mother, made to endure the additional and unimaginable horror of helplessly watching the life drain from her daughter's tiny body. The mother and child were members of Iraq’s Yazidi religious minority. Their captors, members of Islamic State (IS), are said to be German and Iraqi … Many of the international recruits to IS joined after this dividing line, and after the genocide and sexual enslavement of Yazidis was well publicised – mostly by the group’s own grisly propaganda, loudly trumpeting the restoration of a glorious ancient institution. Troubled by the lack of accountability and debate on their crimes, I wanted to build a more complete picture of the role of Westerners in the genocide. The findings, published by the Counter Extremism Project, are uncomfortable, and point to much more widespread involvement than either debate or court cases indicate.”