Armed groups on Wednesday attacked the northern Mozambique town closest to gas
projects worth some $60 billion, two sources told Reuters, striking eve

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


March 25, 2021

 

Reuters: Armed Groups Attack Mozambique Town Closest To Gas Projects: Sources
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“Armed groups on Wednesday attacked the northern Mozambique town closest to
gas projects worth some $60 billion, two sources told Reuters, striking ever
closer to developments that have already stalled due to security problems. The
attack on the town of Palma, less than 25 km (15 miles)by road from a
construction camp for the gas developments led by oil majors like Total,
happened on the same day that the French company announced it would gradually
resume works at the site after suspending them due to nearby attacks.
Mozambique’s northern-most province of Cabo Delgado has since 2017 been home to
a festering Islamist insurgency on the projects’ doorstep, which has escalated
in the past year as insurgents, linked to Islamic State, began taking on the
army to seize entire towns. Portuguese state news agency Lusa first reported
the attack, which was confirmed to Reuters by a security source and another
source familiar with the matter. Reuters was not able immediately to verify the
reports with officials, as calls to the spokespeople for the defence and
security forces as well as police were not answered. A local Total spokesperson
could not immediately be reached.”

 

Associated Press: German Woman Accused Of Fighting For IS In Syria Arrested
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“A German woman accused of taking her son to Islamic State-controlled
territory in Syria and fighting for the extremist group there was arrested
Wednesday after landing in Berlin. The woman, identified only as Stefanie A. in
line with German privacy rules, traveled to Syria in 2016 to join her husband,
federal prosecutors said in a statement. He had left Germany the previous year
and was fighting for IS, they added. Prosecutors said that the suspect joined
IS after her arrival and, together with her husband, decided to have her son —
aged under 15 at the time — get firearms training at a training camp run by the
group. Her son was used in military operations and she also at some point
became an IS fighter, they said. The son was killed in an air raid in March
2018, according to the statement. Stefanie A. and her husband were later
arrested. She is suspected of membership in a foreign terrorist organization,
violating her duty of care and a war crime, prosecutors said.”

 

United States

 

Military Times: Lawmakers Spar Over Problem Of Extremism In The Military
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“Both Democrats and Republicans believe that extremism has no place in the
U.S. military. But they don’t agree whether it’s already present there. Members
of Congress sparred Tuesday at a House Armed Services Committee hearing on
extremism in the ranks over what counts as hate speech, how big the problem is
in the armed forces, and whether anything needs to be done to address it.
Democrats on the panel pointed to the large number of veterans involved in the
Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol (reports have indicated almost a quarter of
individuals arrested have a military background) and increased recruiting of
military members by white supremacist groups in recent years as warning signs
that must be addressed. The Pentagon is signaling a crackdown on extremists in
the ranks. But it won't be easy. Republicans countered that actual criminal
convictions of extremist activity in the ranks remain low, and said they
believe the issue is more of a political talking point than an actual military
problem. “I want to root out of the military those who actively participate in
vile and violent hate groups,” said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala. “But it’s
important to remember that extremist behavior is already prohibited by the
Uniform Code of Military Justice and by each service’s own regulations … This
is far from the largest military justice issue facing our armed services.”

 

WTOP: The Hunt: Hate Groups Praise Atlanta Attacks Online, Encourage Violence
Against Asian Americans
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“Since the killing of eight people in Atlanta, hate groups have praised the
attacks and called for more against Asian Americans. On this week’s edition of
“The Hunt, with WTOP National Security Correspondent J.J. Green,” Dr.
Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director at Counter Extremism Project, said this
is an attempt to generate fear and create chaos nationwide.”

 

Iraq

 

Air Force Magazine: Coalition Aircraft, Iraqi Forces Continue Large Offensive
Targeting Isis
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“Extensive coalition and Iraqi operations targeting the Islamic State group in
northern Iraq continued, with aircraft now conducting at least 312 airstrikes
on ISIS remnants in the remote mountainous region. U.S.-led coalition aircraft
and Iraqi forces conducted the airstrikes as part of Operation Ready Lion in
the Makhmour Mountains, south of Erbil and Mosul. The strikes hit 120 hideouts,
and killed 27 terrorists, said Col. Wayne Marotto, spokesman for Combined Joint
Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve. Iraqi Ministry of Defense spokesman
Yehia Rasool said Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service snipers watched ISIS caves,
with the airstrikes targeting the cave system and forcing the fighters to flee,
according to a translated series of posts on Twitter. OIR announced the
offensive earlier this week, disclosing that U.S.-led coalition aircraft had
conducted 133 airstrikes over 10 days in the region. The pace of strikes so far
this month appears to be higher than any other period since March 2019, when
ISIS made its last stand in Syria before moving underground to become an
insurgency, according to statistics from Air Forces Central Command.”

 

Turkey

 

Daily Sabah: Turkish Police Arrest 18 Daesh Suspects In Istanbul
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“Eighteen people, 16 of them foreign nationals, were arrested in Istanbul,
Turkey for having suspected links to the Daesh terror group, security sources
said Wednesday. Police units launched simultaneous raids on 15 addresses in 10
districts to nab the suspects, who allegedly operated in the terror group in
Iraq and Syria and tried to enter Turkey illegally. Digital materials belonging
to the terrorist group were also seized in the operation. In 2013, Turkey
became one of the first countries to declare Daesh a terrorist group. The
country has since been attacked by the terror group multiple times, with over
300 people killed and hundreds more injured in at least 10 suicide bombings,
seven bomb attacks and four armed assaults. In response, Turkey launched
counter-terrorism operations at home and abroad to prevent further attacks.”

 

Afghanistan

 

Reuters: Biden Wants To Explore Keeping U.S. Counter-Terrorism Troops In
Afghanistan: Top Lawmaker
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“The Biden administration is looking to keep U.S. troops in Afghanistan past a
May 1 deadline while exploring a deal in which the Taliban would allow a U.S.
counter-terrorism force to remain as they confront their Islamic State foes, a
top U.S. lawmaker said on Wednesday. House of Representatives Armed Services
Committee Chairman Adam Smith’s comments provided new details of U.S. President
Joe Biden’s conduct of the Afghanistan peace process that he inherited from the
Trump administration. The State Department referred questions to the White
House. The White House and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests
for comment. U.S. officials have said Biden has made no decision on the
deadline to withdraw the last U.S. troops from America’s longest war. Biden has
said it would be “tough” to meet the deadline here set in a February 2020 deal
struck with the Taliban. Addressing an online Foreign Policy magazine forum,
Smith said he spoke to national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Defense
Secretary Lloyd Austin about the withdrawal. “I think there’s a general feeling
that May 1 is too soon, just logistically,” he said. “We’ve got ... closer to
3,500 troops in Afghanistan. Our allies have around 7,000.”

 

Agence France-Presse: Taliban Slam Afghan President's Proposal For New Election

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“The Taliban on Wednesday rejected a proposal by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani
to hold elections later this year, after months of peace talks between the two
warring sides have made little progress. Although he hasn't made details
public, Ghani will announce the election plan at a stakeholder conference in
Turkey next month, according to two government officials. The move is likely an
attempt to undercut a US proposal -- supported by Russia -- for the formation
of an interim government involving the Taliban to rule the country once the
last US troops withdraw. “The government will go to Turkey with a plan for an
early election which is a fair plan for the future of Afghanistan,” one senior
official told AFP. The Taliban immediately rejected the proposal. “Such
processes (elections) have pushed the country to the verge of crisis in the
past,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said of Ghani's plan. “They are now
talking about a process that has always been scandalous,” he told AFP, saying
any decision on the country’s future must be hammered out in ongoing talks
between the two sides. “We will never support it.” The United States is due to
withdraw the last of its troops by May 1 under a deal hammered out with the
Taliban last year, although President Joe Biden said earlier this month the
deadline would be “tough” to meet.”

 

Pakistan

 

Al Jazeera: Explosion Targeting Police Kills Three In Southwest Pakistan
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“An improvised explosive device blast has killed at least three people and
wounded 12 others in the southwestern Pakistani border town of Chaman,
officials say. The blast took place on Tuesday evening and targeted a police
vehicle that was on routine patrol in the Levies Lines area of the town,
located about 100km (62 miles) northwest of provincial capital Quetta. “There
was a motorcycle parked in front of the market [in the area] and it was filled
with explosives,” Shamsullah, a local official, told Al Jazeera. “When the
vehicle came in front of the motorcycle, it exploded.” Shamsullah, known by one
name as is common in the region, confirmed the death toll and number of
wounded. Those killed were civilian passersby, he said, while most of the
wounded were police personnel who were in the vehicle. Images from the scene
showed extensive damage to several shops in the market and broken windows on
buildings around the blast site. Chaman is a key border crossing between
Pakistan and its northwestern neighbour Afghanistan, with thousands of
pedestrians and many container trucks crossing each day. Balochistan province,
in which Chaman is located, is Pakistan’s largest but least densely populated
and is rich in mineral resources.”

 

Nigeria

 

Agence France-Presse: Electricity Restored In Nigerian City Two Months After
Jihadist Attack
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“Residents of the northeastern Nigerian city Maiduguri were elated Wednesday
evening when electricity was restored nearly two months after jihadists blew up
power supply lines. The attack on January 26 was the third time in a month that
militants from the IS-linked Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) group
had plunged the city into darkness. On a bustling street near Bakassi camp,
which hosts more than 30,000 people displaced by the violent conflict in the
region, residents were rejoicing. “Seriously, I appreciate it,” Sihiyina
Chinde, 24, sitting on a wooden bench, preparing pan-fried rice cake and
grounded beans in a pan she could finally see thanks to the street lights. “I'm
a maths and statistics student and now I can read my books without using my
torchlight.” Across the road, a group of children were buying cold water, sold
in small plastic bags. “The light came back at 5:42pm (16:42 GMT),” said the
shop owner, Ibrahim Mustafa Goni. The power company has not yet released a
statement but had said it was working on repairing the supply lines to the city
of three million people. “Life has been hard,” says 48-year-old Goni,
“especially at the moment, in the hot season, when cold water is really needed.”

 

Sahara Reporters: How Boko Haram Terrorists Have Been Raping Women, Girls
Without Government Action—Amnesty International
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“A recent study by Amnesty International has revealed that women and girls who
were victims of rape by Boko Haram insurgents are neglected by the Nigerian
government. The report, made available to SaharaReporters on Wednesday, showed
during raids in Borno communities, Boko Haram fighters raped women and girls
who were caught at home or trying to flee. Amnesty International, however, said
none of the survivors appeared to have accessed formal health service linking
it to a significant underreporting of such events. It read, “Rape and other
sexual violence survivors and witnesses described attacks involving sexual
violence in at least five villages in the Magumeri local government area of
Borno State. During raids, usually at night, Boko Haram fighters raped women
and girls who were caught at home or trying to flee. “One woman was physically
assaulted by Boko Haram fighters as she fled from an attack in late 2020. She
crawled to home and hid there with her children, and saw fighters return and
enter a nearby home. “She said: 'In the next house, I started hearing some
women were shouting and screaming and crying. I was very afraid. After some
minutes, maybe 30 minutes, I saw the men come out of the house.”

 

Africa

 

Reuters: Three Die, 10 Hurt After Bus Hits Suspected Explosive Device In
Northern Kenya
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“Three people died and ten were wounded on Wednesday after a bus they were
travelling in hit a suspected improvised explosive device planted in the road
in Mandera county in Kenya’s north along its border with Somalia, a government
official said. The incident occurred along a busy highway, and four of the ten
injured were in critical condition, Nicholas Ndalana, the government
coordinator for the region told Reuters on phone. The bus had departed from
Lafey and was en route to Mandera town. “An attack of a bus took place this
morning, sad enough we lost three passengers, the bus was completely damaged by
an explosive device that was planted on the ground” Ndalana said. It was not
immediately clear who was responsible. The area has, over the years, been
frequently hit with bomb and gun assaults by fighters from Somalia’s al Shabaab
Islamist group. Osman Liban, a resident from Mandera, told Reuters his nephew
was among those injured and that his leg was fractured. Fighters from al
Shabaab have killed hundreds in such attacks that have targeted security
personnel, schools, vehicles, towns and telephone infrastructure in the area as
part of their campaign to pressure Kenya into withdrawing its forces from
Somalia.”

 

Daily Nation: Kenya: One Killed In Suspected Al-Shabaab Attack In Lamu
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“One person died on Tuesday morning when a water bowser headed to Usalama
Camp, where the Kenya-Somalia border wall is being constructed, ran over an
improvised explosive device suspected to have been planted by Al-Shabaab
militants. The vehicle, which had two occupants -the driver and the conductor-
was ferrying water to be used for the ongoing construction of the border
securitization wall, when the incident occurred at around 7.30am. Lamu County
Commissioner Irungu Macharia confirmed the incident, saying enough security
officers have been deployed to search for the terrorists responsible for the
morning attack. Following the incident, an urgent security meeting, which was
chaired by Mr Macharia was organised within Usalama Camp to strategise on how
best the safety of the construction workers will be taken care of. The County
Commissioner however said no construction activities were hampered as the
terrorist attack happened very far from the camp. He appealed to members of the
public on the border villages of Kiunga, Ishakani, Madina and Boni forest to
provide information to security agencies if they witness any suspicious
individuals for prompt action.”

 

Europe

 

Associated Press: Spain: Police Question Head Of Islamic Body In Terror Probe
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“Spain's National Police says it has briefly detained and questioned the
highest-ranking representative of the Muslim community in Spain as part of a
terrorism investigation. Aiman Adlbi heads the Islamic Commission of Spain, or
CIE, the organization that oversees everything from Muslim education to
religious services in the country's more than 1,600 mosques and Muslim cultural
communities. A police spokeswoman, who wasn’t authorized to be named in media
reports, said Wednesday that Adlbi was arrested late Tuesday and released after
being questioned. She said that the arrest was motivated by “possible terrorism
crimes.” The arrest is connected to a 2019 judicial investigation that resulted
in the arrests of at least 10 people - nine Spaniards and a Syrian national -
who were accused of funding alleged extremist operations in Syria and other
conflict zones. The Islamic Commission of Spain didn't immediately respond to
requests for comment.”

 

Technology

 

Fortune: What Big Tech CEOs Will Tell An Angry Congress About Policing
Misinformation And Extremism
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“Big Tech CEOs plan to defend their services against accusations that they
have failed to root out hate and anti-vaccine hoaxes when they testify before
Congress on Thursday. “People want to see accurate information on Facebook, and
so do we,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg says in written testimony submitted ahead of the
hearing to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which is examining social
media’s role in promoting extremism and misinformation. “That’s why we have
made fighting misinformation and providing people with authoritative
information a priority for the company.” Many lawmakers from both parties want
to crack down on Big Tech companies, which they say have become too powerful.
They point to how extremists have used social media services to organize things
like the U.S. Capitol riot in January or how anti-vaccine activists have spread
misinformation about COVID. In response, the CEOs will stress that they will
continue trying to eliminate harmful posts, though they admit their systems are
imperfect. They will also emphasize the good their services do.”



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