“The Nigerian troops of Operation Hadin Kai bombarded a mass gathering of Boko
Haram members in Dawuri village at the weekend. The attack, which follo

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


May 19, 2021

 

Sahara Reporters: Nigerian Army Strikes Boko Haram Terrorists During Meeting
In Borno, Kills 40
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“The Nigerian troops of Operation Hadin Kai bombarded a mass gathering of Boko
Haram members in Dawuri village at the weekend. The attack, which followed
intelligence gathering, happened within the Konduga Local Government Area of
Borno State, with no fewer than 40 insurgents planning to execute a coordinated
storm in Maiduguri and its environs killed. Nigerian troops are fighting
jihadist insurgency in the northeastern part of Nigeria. The army reportedly
deployed a massive artillery gun against identified Boko Haram camps and hit
the target. A military source said the pre-emptive operation was ordered after
getting a report on the movement of the fighters and their communication was
also intercepted by the troops. “The strike hit the mass gathering of the
terrorists killing at least 40 of them while others escaped with various
degrees of injury,” the source said. It was learnt that the acting General
Officer Commanding 7 Division, Brigadier General Abdulwahab Eyitayo
subsequently sent words of commendation and encouragement to the soldiers for
the feat.”

 

Reuters: Germany Bans Hezbollah-Linked Groups, Conducts Raids - Ministry
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“Germany has banned three associations that are accused of donating to
Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday.
Police conducted early morning raids at several premises in seven German
states, a spokesman for the ministry said on Twitter. “Those who support terror
will not be safe in Germany. No matter in what guise our supporters appear,
they will not find a place of refuge in our country,” the spokesman said.
Germany banned Hezbollah on its soil and designated it a terrorist organisation
last year. The three associations that have been banned are “Deutsche
Libanesische Familie” , “Menschen für Menschen” as well as “Gib Frieden”, which
had already been banned on 15 April. The associations are accused of collecting
donations for Hezbollah's “martyr families” in Lebanon under the guise of
religious and humanitarian goals in Germany, ultimately promoting attacks on
Israel. As a legacy of the Holocaust, Germany feels a special responsibility
towards protecting Israel.”

 

United States

 

Cleveland.com: Ohio Supporter Of ISIS Pleads Guilty In Attempted Attack On
Jewish Synagogue
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“A Northwest Ohio resident admitted Tuesday that he planned to carry out a
mass shooting at a synagogue to show his allegiance to ISIS. Damon Joseph, 23,
of Holland pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Toledo to charges of
attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization and
attempting to commit a hate crime. He faces 20 years in prison when Judge Jack
Zouhary sentences him Sept. 14. Authorities arrested Joseph on Dec. 7, 2018,
moments after he grabbed a duffel bag that contained two semi-automatic rifles
from an undercover FBI agent’s car. Unbeknownst to Joseph, agents disabled the
weapons. Jewish community leaders condemned the plot and praised federal
authorities for stopping it before anyone was hurt. After Joseph’s arrest, the
Anti-Defamation League cited the fact that the plot came just weeks after 11
people were killed at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. “It’s shocking
to hear another attack was being planned,” Jeremy Pappas, then-the director of
the Anti-Defamation League’s Cleveland regional office, said. The investigation
began when the FBI learned of Joseph’s postings on social media. Undercover
agents, posing as sympathizers, connected with Joseph online about ISIS, and he
sent videos about the terrorist group.”

 

Fox News: McCarthy Briefed On Classified Memo About Terror Suspects Caught At
Mexico Border: 'National Security Crisis'
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“House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was briefed Tuesday on a classified memo
regarding his request last month for information about suspected terrorists
apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border, and told Fox News he's “even more
concerned for America’s security” than he was before. McCarthy, R-Calif., was
not able to share details about the memo due to its classified status, but told
Fox News the “border crisis has spiraled into a national security crisis.”
“When House Republicans traveled to the southern border earlier this spring,
Border Patrol agents told us firsthand that individuals on the Terrorism Watch
List had been apprehended trying to enter our country,” McCarthy told Fox News.
“Since then, numerous public reports confirmed these accounts.”  “Although the
briefing I received today was classified, I can tell you that I'm even more
concerned for America's security than I was before,” he said. “The border
crisis has spiraled into a national security crisis, and with public reports
showing that more than 1,500 individuals evade law enforcement at the border
every day, it must be immediately addressed.” McCarthy continued, “Every
congressional leader and Vice President Harris should receive this same
briefing to help them understand the extent of the security risks we face
because of the border crisis.”

 

Fox News: Pentagon Prepping Program To Screen Military Service Members' Social
Media For Extremism: Report
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“The Pentagon is preparing to launch a program that will screen the social
media posts of military members for “concerning behaviors” amid a broader
crackdown on domestic extremism, according to a report on Tuesday. Bishop
Garrison, a senior adviser to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, is leading
development of the program, the Intercept reported, citing internal documents.
The program would “continuously” track social media content for extremist
views. The Pentagon is expected to tap a private firm to run the program to
avoid potential First Amendment violations, the outlet reported, citing a
senior Pentagon official. The program will reportedly utilize keyword searches
to identify potential extremist views. Officials are attempting to compile a
list of keywords that would not violate freedom of speech protections. Pentagon
officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report.
Austin announced the establishment of a Countering Extremism Working Group, or
CEWG, in April in a bid to crack down on extremism within the military. At the
time, the Pentagon said the working group “will make recommendations on further
development of such capabilities and incorporating machine learning and natural
language processing into social media screening platforms.”

 

Afghanistan

 

NBC News: Taliban Ramped Up Attacks Against Afghans As Peace Talks Faltered,
Pentagon Watchdog Says
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“During the first three months of 2021, the Taliban stepped up attacks against
the Afghan people, maintained close ties with Al Qaeda and actively planned for
large-scale offensives — all while peace talks between the Taliban and the
Afghan government failed to make any progress, according to a new report by the
Defense Department's Office of Inspector General. “U.S. Forces-Afghanistan
reported a historic increase in enemy-initiated attacks since the signing of
the U.S.-Taliban agreement, with nearly 37 percent more enemy-initiated attacks
this quarter than during the same period in 2020,” the report from the
Pentagon's internal watchdog said about Operation Freedom Sentinel, the name of
the U.S. counterterrorism mission in Afghanistan. Citing information provided
by Resolute Support, the NATO mission in Afghanistan, the inspector general
found that enemy-initiated attacks in the first and second quarters of fiscal
year 2021 remained above historical averages, with 11,551 reported this quarter
and 10,431 last quarter. Enemy-initiated attacks for the past three quarters
have been at the highest levels since Operation Freedom Sentinel began in
January 2015, “indicating that the Taliban intensified attacks” against the
Afghan National Defense and Security Forces “after the signing of the February
2020 U.S.-Taliban agreement,” the inspector general found.”

 

Reuters: U.S. Eyes International Effort To Help Secure Kabul Airport After
Withdrawal
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“The United States and its NATO allies are exploring a possible international
effort to help secure the airport in Afghanistan’s capital after American
troops withdraw from the country, the top U.S. general said on Tuesday. U.S.
Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said a secure
airport would be essential to ensuring that the United States and European
allies could maintain embassies in Afghanistan. “We are working out the details
of how to secure the airport, how to support the Afghan military securing the
airport, and what countries are willing to contribute to do that,” Milley told
reporters shortly before landing in Washington after talks with NATO allies in
Brussels. President Joe Biden’s April order to pull out all troops by Sept. 11
could inflame Afghanistan’s internal conflict between the internationally
backed Afghan government and the Taliban insurgency. The Biden administration
has stressed that the United States will remain committed to Afghanistan,
shifting its focus to diplomacy while continuing robust financial support to
Kabul. But such diplomacy - including efforts to foster a so-far elusive peace
agreement between Kabul and the Taliban - would suffer greatly if the United
States and its European allies can’t keep embassies open because of security
threats inside Afghanistan.”

 

Pakistan

 

Asia Times: Why Pakistan Is Changing Its Tune On The Taliban
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“In a strategic shift, Pakistan’s security establishment appears to see more
geopolitical upside to an inclusive rather than Taliban-dominated Afghan
government in Kabul when US troops fully withdraw by September 11. That marks a
distinct flip of Pakistan’s previous position in favor of a Taliban total win
over Kabul, one that violently ousts President Ashraf Ghani’s government and
establishes a new Islamic emirate to the exclusion of non-Taliban and
non-Pashtun groups. Like the Taliban, Pakistan authorities are known to view
dimly Ghani’s elected government, both as a US-backed puppet regime and one
that is dangerously close to rival India. Islamabad’s shift became apparent a
fortnight ago when the security establishment renewed its efforts to push the
Taliban to rejoin peace talks with Ghani’s government. Informed sources say the
Taliban was told in clear terms that not doing so could invite “tough action”
from Pakistan. In a meeting between Pakistan’s top security officials and
Afghan Taliban representatives on April 28 in Istanbul, Turkey, the latter was
reportedly given an “enough is enough” message, with Pakistan emphasizing that
the Taliban’s seizure of power through the sheer use of force and violence
would not be viable.”

 

Lebanon

 

France 24: All Eyes On Hezbollah As Tensions Rise On Israel Border
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“Israel's deadly Gaza offensive has many eyes trained on the Lebanese border
for a Hezbollah reaction, but observers argue the Iran-backed movement is
unlikely to risk an all-out conflict. Incidents at the border in recent days
have raised the temperature but, with Lebanon already on its knees amid a deep
political and economic crisis, the Shiite group seems intent on refraining from
an escalation. “There is nothing that currently suggests escalation,” said
Sadiq al-Nabulsi, a Lebanese academic close to Hezbollah. “But the decision to
go to war traditionally falls on Israel.” Hezbollah and the Palestinian Hamas,
both designated as terrorist groups by Israel and much of the West, have mended
fences after ending up on opposing sides of the Syrian war a decade ago.
Hezbollah, founded in the 1980s to fight Israeli occupation of southern
Lebanon, has grown into Iran's main regional proxy with operatives in Syria,
Iraq and Yemen. The only Lebanese faction to have kept its weapons after the
1975-90 civil war, Hezbollah now has a more powerful arsenal than the Lebanese
national army. It justifies this by emphasising its role of “resistance”
against the Israeli enemy, a theme that still occupies a central place in the
rhetoric of the movement.”

 

Middle East

 

Voice Of America: Israel, Palestinian Militants Carry Out Cross-Border Attacks
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“Israel carried out airstrikes early Tuesday in the Gaza Strip, while
Palestinian militants fired rockets into Israel, continuing a wave of violence
between the two sides that has stretched on for more than a week. There were no
immediate reports of casualties from the latest attacks. The Israeli strikes
were again focused on Gaza City, while militant rocket fire set off sirens in
southern Israel. The fighting has brought statements of concern from the
international community and diplomatic efforts to halt the violence. European
Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell is holding talks Tuesday with EU
foreign ministers to discuss how to best support de-escalating the conflict.
U.S. officials have spoken about efforts to work behind the scenes to calm the
situation, including coordinating with other countries in the region. White
House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Monday, “We want to deescalate
as quickly as possible,” and that actions would be required from both Israel
and Hamas to end the violence. “The most effective way we feel we can do that
is through quiet and intensive diplomacy, and that is what our focus is on at
this point in time,” Psaki said.”

 

Nigeria

 

All Africa: Nigeria: Boko Haram Exploiting Covid-19 To Push Back Into Nigeria
- Buhari <[link removed]>

 

“President Muhammadu Buhari says Boko Haram terrorists have taken advantage of
the COVID-19 pandemic to push back into Nigeria, while still launching raids in
Chad, Cameroon, and Niger Republic. President Buhari said this in an opinion
article titled “Post-Covid-19 Pandemic, Nigeria and France Must Seize the
Chance to Strengthen Military and Economic Ties”, published on Tuesday by the
leading Paris-based magazine, Le Point. The President underscored the need for
Nigeria and France to deepen anti-terror cooperation to overcome the scourge,
especially after the murder of the late President of Chad. President Buhari,
who focused on the post-COVID 19 opportunities in Nigeria-France relations
especially in areas of security and economy, underscored the need for the
leaders of Sahel countries to present a unified front to lobby other Western
nations, particularly Great Britain and the United States and the European
Union, for further military and humanitarian assistance. He said: “Today,
leaders from across Africa meet in Paris to discuss plans to recover from the
impact of a common enemy - COVID-19.”

 

Africa

 

Bloomberg: Mozambique’s Response To Insurgency Perplexes Neighbors
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“Mozambique’s reticence to enlist the help of its neighbors to quash an
Islamist insurgency runs counter to a regional assessment of how best to
speedily halt the violence, South Africa’s state security minister said. While
the 16-nation Southern African Development Community is willing to intervene,
Mozambique has yet to extend an invitation to the regional trading bloc to
deploy troops, Ayanda Dlodlo said. “We have been clear from day-one on what
needs to be done,” Dlodlo said in an interview on Tuesday. “Mozambique is
engaging a number of countries outside the SADC to seek assistance in quelling
the insurgency in Mozambique, so that it does not spread to the rest of the
region. SADC does however have the political and military will to intervene
once invited.” Mozambique’s military has so far failed to contain the jihadist
group that’s pledged allegiance to Islamic State and claimed responsibility for
attacks in the northern Cabo Delgado province, which have been growing in
frequency, size and sophistication. The violence has claimed at least 2,838
lives and forced more than 700,000 from their homes.”

 

Yahoo News: DR Congo Army Says Killed 22 Militiamen In Under-Siege East
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“DR Congo's army said Tuesday its troops have killed 22 rebels since May 6
when it launched an offensive against the notorious ADF militia in the restive
east of the country. A historically Ugandan Islamist group, the Allied
Democratic Forces is the bloodiest of scores of armed militias that roam the
mineral-rich zone, many of them a legacy of two regional wars from 1996 to
2003. The army has also seized eight AK47 machine guns, regional army spokesman
Antony Mualushayi told AFP. He said the army arrested 60 ADF collaborators
including about a dozen foreigners, mainly Ugandans. The ADF -- which the
United States brands a “terrorist” organisation” affiliated to Islamic State
group -- has been accused of murdering more than 1,000 civilians since November
2019 in and around the major city of Beni in North Kivu province. “We have the
support of the people, a population that is sick of the lack of security and
wants peace to return,” Lieutenant Mualushayi said. The government of DR Congo
President Felix Tshisekedi placed North Kivu and neighbouring Ituri province
under a 30-day “state of siege” on May 6. The move is allowed under the former
Belgian colony's constitution “if severe circumstances immediately threaten the
independence or integrity of the national territory, or if they interrupt the
regular functioning of institutions.”

 

Star Tribune: Chad Says Libya Fighters Risk Undermining Terrorism Fight
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“Chad's deputy foreign minister warned the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday
that mercenaries and foreign fighters from Libya are crossing into the Sahel,
threatening to undermine gains in fighting terrorism by five West African
nations and plunge the region into violence that will be difficult to control.
Oumar Ibn Daoud also said a worsening situation in the Sahel would be harmful
to Africa as a whole and could turn the continent into “a battlefield and base
for international terrorism.” The incursion of mercenaries from Libya into Chad
that led to last month's death of the Chadian president of three decades,
Idriss Deby Into, “is a perfect illustration of what could happen throughout
the Sahel” if appropriate measures aren't taken by the international community.
He said more than 400 people have been killed in attacks in Burkina Faso, Mali
and Niger since March. One instrument “to defeat the terrorists in the Sahel”
is the five-nation African force fighting terrorism in the region, which Daoud
said needs sustained financing and a U.N. logistical and operational support
office financed by assessed contributions from the U.N.'s 193 member nations.”

 

United Kingdom

 

Yahoo News: Two Men Arrested By Counter-Terror Cops Accused Of Handing Out
‘Far-Right’ Extremist Materials Across London
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“Two men accused of spreading “far-right extremist material” have been
arrested in dawn raids at their homes in south and east London. Officers from
the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command arrested two men, aged 38 and 33, on
suspicion of dissemination of terrorist publications. The Met said Tuesday’s
arrests were made under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) and were
both part of the same terror probe. A spokesman for the force told the Standard
that the arrests were “right-wing terrorism-related”. The men were taken to a
south London police station where they are still being questioned. Police added
searches of the homes they were found in are currently ongoing. The arrests
come after Michael Nugent, who shared explosives and firearms manuals while
expressing his far-right views online, was convicted of terrorism offences. The
37-year-old from Ashford, in Surrey, ran and was active on a number of extreme
right-wing chat groups on the Telegram app. Using different personas, he
expressed racist views and a hatred of ethnic minorities while also sharing
terrorist-related documents. Nugent also shared manuals on how to make
explosives and homemade firearms and told group members about how to deliver
bombs in Amazon packages.”

 

The Guardian: What Links Cybercrime, Terrorism And Illegal Trade? Dark Money
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“In March, the government published its review of all the threats facing this
country, and how it would respond to them, from hostile autocracies and
cybercrime to terrorism and trade. Running through the pages of this huge and
complex document, like lead through a pencil, is one consistent vulnerability:
dark money. No matter who you identify as our adversaries – mafia groups,
al-Qaida, whoever – they all hide their wealth in the shadows of the financial
system: by obscuring ownership with shell companies, or using dodgy banks, or
by holding wealth in the form of physical assets, such as fine art. And shining
light on those shadows will expose their secrets and help make us all safer. It
will also make us more prosperous: more than 2,200 acts of fraud are reported
every day in Britain. Those crimes cost us billions upon billions of pounds,
and often most affect older and vulnerable people. For those concerned about
the damage wrought by rampant fraud and corruption, this absence was
depressing. We hadn’t been expecting much either. Officials had managed
expectations downwards before the speech, insisting Johnson’s top priority was
to repair the damage caused by Covid-19. And it’s true that many of the
proposed measures in March’s review were qualified with the usual “when
parliamentary time allows.”

 

Europe

 

Associated Press: Belgian Search For Man On Terror List Goes Into Second Day
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“The search for an armed man who is on a Belgian terror watch list because of
his extreme right sympathies and who had threatened several people, including a
top virologist, entered a second day on Wednesday. Justice Minister Vincent Van
Quickenborne described the man as an “acute threat” and is known for his
extreme right sympathies. Earlier this month, he had threatened several people,
including Marc Van Ranst, one of the best-known virologists working on
containing the COVID-19 pandemic. In a Twitter message early Wednesday, Van
Ranst said that “let one thing be clear: such threats do not make an impression
on me.” Authorities were centering their efforts to look for the man, who has a
military background, in the northeastern part of Belgium in Limburg province.
His name wasn’t disclosed in line with Belgian privacy rules.”

 

Southeast Asia

 

Reuters: Malaysian Police Say Five Suspected Abu Sayyaf Militants Killed In
Raid
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“Malaysian police said on Tuesday five suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf
militant group were killed in a shootout in the state of Sabah on the Malaysian
portion of Borneo, state news agency Bernama reported. The Abu Sayyaf group,
whose members pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in 2014, is based in the
southern Philippines and is notorious for bombings, beheadings, extortions and
kidnap-for-ransom activities. Authorities in Malaysia have stepped up efforts
to crack down on militant activity in recent years after an attack linked to
Islamic State in the capital Kuala Lumpur in 2016 and others in neighbouring
countries. The five men killed in a Monday night shootout in a squatter area
included Mabar Binda, an Abu Sayyaf sub-commander on the Philippine
government's wanted list, the Sabah state police commissioner Hazani Ghazali
said. Hazani said police responded with gunfire after one of the suspects
opened fire during the raid. Officers found two pistols, 20 rounds of
ammunition and three machetes. “With the fall of these five, the police are
confident we have crippled one Abu Sayyaf cell hiding out in Sabah,” Hazani was
quoted as saying in the report. The police had detained 83 people in Sabah
between 2014 and 2020 for suspected links to Islamic State, Hazani said.”



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