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Eye on Extremism
May 21, 2021
Associated Press: Israel, Hamas Agree To Cease-Fire To End Bloody 11-Day War
“Israel and Hamas agreed to a cease-fire Thursday, halting a bruising 11-day war that caused widespread destruction in the Gaza Strip, brought life in much of Israel to a standstill and left more than 200 people dead. At 2 a.m. local time, just as the cease-fire took effect, life returned to the streets of Gaza. People went out of their homes, some shouting “Allahu Akbar” or whistling from balconies. Many fired in the air, celebrating the truce. Like the three previous wars between the bitter enemies, the latest round of fighting ended inconclusively. Israel claimed to inflict heavy damage on Hamas but once again was unable to halt the Islamic militant group’s nonstop rocket barrages. Almost immediately, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced angry accusations from his hard-line, right-wing base that he stopped the operation too soon. Hamas, the Islamic militant group sworn to Israel’s destruction, also claimed victory. But it now faces the daunting challenge of rebuilding in a territory already suffering from poverty, widespread unemployment and a raging coronavirus outbreak.”
Reuters: Explosive Device Kills 16 In Northern Mali
“Sixteen civilians were killed and others injured in northern Mali when their vehicle struck an explosive device, an army spokesman said on Thursday. The incident took place late on Wednesday near the city of Gao, a part of Mali where militants with ties to al Qaeda regularly attack civilians, Malian and French soldiers and U.N. peacekeepers, army spokesman Souleymane Dembele told Reuters. He did not say who responsible for laying the device and provided no further details about the incident. Mali has been wracked by Islamist violence since 2012 when jihadist groups hijacked an uprising by Tuareg separatists in the north. The violence has since spread to other countries in West Africa’s Sahel region despite a costly international military response.”
United States
U.S. News & World Report: US To Ramp Up Tracking Of Domestic Extremism On Social Media
“The Department of Homeland Security plans to ramp up social media tracking as part of an enhanced focus on domestic violent extremism. While the move is a response to weaknesses exposed by the deadly U.S. Capitol insurrection, it's raising concerns about undermining Americans’ civil liberties. President Joe Biden's top appointees have called white supremacists the greatest security threat to the country and are pushing for bolstered intelligence gathering. Closely watching are advocates for communities of color and groups that have previously been the focus of intensified surveillance, sometimes unlawfully. DHS in recent weeks has announced a new office in its intelligence branch focusing on domestic extremism and a new center to facilitate “local prevention frameworks” that, according to a statement, can better identify people “who may be radicalizing, or have radicalized, to violence.” The overall effort is in its early stages. The department is exploring partnerships with tech companies, universities, and nonprofit groups to access publicly available data. DHS will also train analysts on tracking social media and how to distinguish a threat from the exercise of free speech.”
CBS Pittsburgh: DOJ Says Man Who Plotted Attack On Ohio Synagogue Pleads Guilty
“A man who vowed support for a terrorist group and planned an attack on an Ohio synagogue has pleaded guilty to related charges in federal court in Toledo, authorities said. Damon Joseph, 23, of Holland, Ohio, pleaded guilty Tuesday to attempting to provide material support for the Islamic State terrorist group and attempting to commit a hate crime. He was arrested by FBI agents in December 2018. After his arrest, federal authorities said Joseph, also known as Abdullah Ali Yusuf, spent months posting photos of weapons, praising the Islamic State group, and talking about carrying out a violent attack on the synagogue. Those posts drew the attention of the FBI, which assigned undercover agents to communicate with Joseph. The planned synagogue shooting was inspired by a gunman who killed 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue in October 2018. Authorities said he told an undercover agent: “I admire what the guy did with the shooting actually.” Joseph was arrested after taking possession of two military-style assault rifles from an undercover agent.”
Turkey
Al Monitor: Will Turkey’s Grey Wolves Land On EU Terror List
“Reports by the European Parliament (EP) that decry a lack of progress on Turkey’s human rights are hardly a novelty since the European Union’s only directly elected body undertook the task of penning annual “progress reports” on Turkey in the 1990s. Neither are Ankara’s claims that the report is biased and unfair, the “toughest report ever.” Yet this year's report, penned by Spanish Socialist Nacho Sanchez Amor, has ventured where no EP report has gone before: It suggested putting Turkey’s Grey Wolves, an ultra-right group linked to the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), the government's alliance partner, on the EU terror list. The parliament called on the European Council, the decision-making body of the union, and the member states to “examine the possibility of adding Grey Wolves to the EU terrorist list.” The list includes four groups from Turkey: the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), the Sunni Salafist Great Islamic Eastern Warriors (IBDA-C) and the Revolutionary People's Liberation Army/Front/Party (DHKP-C). The move comes at a time when several EU countries are trying to increase scrutiny on the movement that they consider part of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s power abroad and marks the first time that an EU institution has linked the Grey Wolves to terrorism.”
Afghanistan
Associated Press: Official: Roadside Bombings In Afghanistan Kill 13 People
“Roadside bombings in southern and central Afghanistan killed 13 people, including nine members of one family, officials said Thursday. Meanwhile, militants stopped a bus in western Afghanistan, ordered three men to get out and shot and killed them. No one has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks. The three men on the bus were ethnic Hazaras. The government blamed the Taliban, who denied responsibility. Previous attacks on Hazaras, who are mostly Shiite Muslims, have been claimed by the Islamic State group. Large swaths of war-ravaged Afghanistan have been littered with bombs and land mines. Many have been planted by insurgents to target military convoys but often kill civilians instead. One of the two bombs struck a car carrying a family of 12 in southern Helmand province late on Wednesday, said provincial police spokesman Zaman Hamdarad. Several of the nine family members who died were children, he said. The vehicle was travelling to the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah when it struck the bomb. The Nad Ali district where the explosion occurred is under Taliban control and Hamdarad said it is difficult to get information. Three wounded children were taken to the provincial hospital in Lashkar Gah, he said.”
Reuters: Tribal Elders Broker Local Taliban, Afghan Government Ceasefire
“Tribal elders in eastern Afghanistan have achieved something that has long eluded world leaders - a ceasefire between the Taliban and the Afghan government. The month-long stoppage in hostilities in the Alingar district of Laghman province, one of the hardest hit by violence, was called to allow local farmers to harvest their wheat crop and students to sit annual examinations. “A ceasefire has been something the world's most powerful countries were trying to establish in Afghanistan, but unfortunately, couldn't,” Jaber Alkozai, resident of Alingar, told Reuters on Wednesday. Tribal elders drafted a demand letter, known locally as an “Ariza”, which was then signed by two local officials of each the Taliban and the government. Reuters has reviewed a copy of the letter. There have been no reports of fighting in Alinger since the ceasefire began on Tuesday, despite heavy clashes elsewhere in Laghman. The ceasefire, which will last until June 21, is not the first such agreement during the war, but it comes at a critical time. Fighting has intensified across the country in the wake of Washington's announcement that it would unconditionally pull out all U.S. troops by September. Washington-led Western capitals and other influential regional countries have so far been unable to convince the Taliban to halt fighting against Afghan forces for an extended period, despite protracted attempts and talks.”
Voice Of America: Taliban Capture Eastern Afghan District
“Taliban insurgents have captured a district in eastern Afghanistan and negotiated a temporary truce with government forces in another, as U.S.-led foreign troops continue to withdraw from the country. Separately, a roadside bomb blast early Thursday killed at least nine civilians, including women and children, in southern Helmand province. Official sources and residents told VOA the Taliban entered the embattled Dawlat Shah district in Laghman province, after Afghan security forces retreated from their defense posts without offering any resistance. The insurgents reportedly set a key government building and several surrounding security posts ablaze. The Afghan district had been under the Taliban siege for the last six months. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed in a statement that it seized two tanks, a military vehicle, and “lots of weapons and ammunition” after Afghan police and soldiers “fled” the area. The Afghan Defense Ministry said its forces had staged a “tactical retreat” but clashes were still raging in the area, inflicting “heavy casualties” on the insurgents. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed the peace prospects in phone conversations with Afghan leaders.”
Lebanon
“A group of US lawmakers urged President Joe Biden’s administration to take urgent steps to address the ongoing crisis in Lebanon and to prevent the situation from deteriorating further. In a letter addressed to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the 25 lawmakers expressed their grave concern over the deteriorating economic and political crises that are destabilizing the country and creating real and clear threats to the entire region. Led by House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Rep. Gregory Meeks, the lawmakers made several recommendations, calling on the United States to lead a “Friends of Lebanon” group to coordinate aid to the country. “We write to express deep concern about Lebanon’s worsening economic and political crises which are destabilizing the country and present clear risks to the broader region,” the letter read. “We urge prompt and significant US action, in coordination with key international partners, to address the suffering of the Lebanese people and prevent Lebanon from economic collapse, posing further risks to the security and stability of the broader Middle East as well as US national security.”
Middle East
Associated Press: Violence Tests Biden’s Pullback From Middle East Hotspots
“Surges in violence and scenes of civilian suffering are testing President Joe Biden’s resolve to wrench America’s foreign policy focus and troops away from the hotspots of the Middle East and Afghanistan, and giving ammunition to Biden’s political rivals at home. Biden and his supporters say that by shifting the U.S. military and diplomatic focus from the region’s bogged-down conflicts, he’s bringing an overdue end to failed policies that often only prolonged strife, and that the stepped-back U.S. engagement already is encouraging countries to resolve disputes on their own. But fighting has flared recently in some of the areas affected by Biden’s pivot. The Israel-Gaza war has exploded just as Biden has tried to step back, creating scenes of crushed bodies and flattened homes and a growing rift in Biden’s own party about whether he should do more. Israel and Hamas announced a cease-fire Thursday in airstrikes and rocket attacks that have killed at least 230 Palestinians and 12 in Israel. Fears of a Taliban takeover and renewed civil war are building ahead of Biden’s troop withdrawal in Afghanistan. And outside desert cities under siege in Yemen, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels are pressing an offensive as Biden ends U.S. military support for a 6-year Saudi-led war there.”
The Times Of Israel: 35-Country Pan-American Group Designates Hamas A Terrorist Organization
“The Organization of American States, an international coalition of 35 countries in North and South America, has designated Hamas a terrorist organization amid Israel’s worst bout of fighting with the group in years. “The recent attacks launched by Hamas against the Israeli civilian population undoubtedly constitute attacks of a terrorist nature,” Luis Almagro of Uruguay, the OAS secretary-general, wrote Monday in a statement. “Hamas’s terrorist aggression is unlimited and always seeks civilian victims, seeks to escalate conflict dynamics and armed actions, as well as sowing terror among innocent populations, be they Israeli or Palestinian.” The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Latin American branch applauded the move and pointed to four member states whose governments have expressed opinions counter to the OAS statement: Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico and Venezuela. “We congratulate Secretary General Luis Almagro for clarifying this to the OAS’ member-states whose foreign ministries have taken positions of ignorance or partiality,” Simon Wiesenthal regional director Ariel Gelblung said.”
Nigeria
The Guardian: Boko Haram Leader Tried To Kill Himself During Clash With Rivals, Officials Claim
“Intelligence officials in Nigeria have claimed the leader of Boko Haram is dead or seriously wounded after trying to kill himself to avoid capture during clashes with a rival extremist faction. There is no confirmation of the claims, and Nigeria’s intelligence services and military have reported Abubakar Shekau’s death many times before. But this is the first time that reports have described Shekau – who won global infamy with the kidnapping of nearly 300 female students from a college in 2014 – as dying in fighting with other militants. Nigerian intelligence officials have told reporters that Shekau and some of his fighters were surrounded on Wednesday by fighters from the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (Iswap), who attacked in dozens of pickup trucks equipped with heavy weapons. According to the officials, after killing many of his bodyguards, the Iswap fighters demanded that Shekau swear an oath of allegiance to Iswap’s leader, Abu Musab al-Barnawi. After an hour of negotiation, Shekau used either a gun, grenade or a suicide belt to attempt to take his own life, the officials said. “To avoid capture, Shekau shot himself in the chest and the bullet pierced his shoulder,” one intelligence official said, adding: “He was badly injured.”
“Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu says the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government has declared war on the people of the South-East. He described the Operation Restore Peace commanded by the acting Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba as another plot to massacre civilians in the South-East. Kanu disclosed this in a statement issued by the IPOB spokesman, Emma Powerful on Thursday. “The attention of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) ably led by our great leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has been drawn to the recent security meeting held in Aso Rock by the service chiefs and the impostor parading himself as President Muhammadu Buhari. Far-reaching but undisclosed decisions were reached at the meeting on how to quell insecurity in the Eastern region. “It's on record that nobody from South-East was present or invited at the meeting where such critical decisions were taken. Despite the mounting public outcry trailing the decision of the Fulani-controlled federal government to commence another military operation in the Eastern region as approved at the meeting with shoot-on-sight order against Igbo youths and Biafra agitators, the security agencies are bent on carrying out the order.”
Africa
All Africa: Mozambique Terror Leaves Kids Parent-Less
“More than 2 000 children have been separated from their parents during the violence perpetrated by Islamists in northern Mozambique. This includes 454 who have lost their parents in the most recent violence in Pemba in April. Save the Children has documented the separation of 2 424 children from their parents since the conflict in the Cabo Delgado region started in 2017. Lost birth certificates and a lack of schools are some other most pressing fears raised by children who have been displaced by the violence according to a new report launched on Thursday (today) by the organisation. “Children are suffering disproportionately in this conflict and need special attention. We call on the donor community to ensure that funding for children's needs are prioritized,” Chance Briggs, Save the Children Country Director for Mozambique, said. This includes funds for protection, health, education and to ensure children get the mental health support they need. “Critically, we need donors to understand that education plays a role not only in providing children with skills for their future, but also gives kids a sense of 'normalcy', and helps protect them from things like early marriage,” Briggs said. At least 800 000 people are now displaced in the provinces of Cabo Delgado, Nampula, Niassa, Sofala and Zambezia as a result of violence and insecurity.”
United Kingdom
The Independent: Police Wrongly Thought Probation Knew Usman Khan Could Be Planning Terror Attack
“A senior counter-terror police officer wrongly thought probation officers knew that a released terrorist may be planning an attack, an inquest has heard. Usman Khan, 28, murdered two people at a rehabilitation event at Fishmongers’ Hall in London in November 2019. He launched the attack 11 months after being freed from prison, where he had served a sentence for attempting to set up a terrorist training camp in Pakistan. Khan was being investigated by MI5, covertly monitored and overtly managed by police and probation officers. Inquests into his victims’ deaths have heard that MI5 received intelligence shortly before he was freed from prison saying that Khan wanted to return to his “old ways” of terrorism and wanted to launch an attack on his release. Officials who managed Khan after he was freed and participated in public protection meetings have said they did not know about the attack-planning intelligence. Kenneth Skelton, Khan’s probation officer, previously told the inquests that if he had been told, “the whole management process would have been altered”, potentially including the decision to let Khan attend the event where he launched the attack. Detective Chief Inspector Ryan Chambers, of the West Midlands Police Counter-Terrorism Unit, said he had “no reason to think” that probation and other agencies did not know of Khan’s feared intentions.”
Germany
The New York Times: German Officer Goes On Trial, Accused Of Plotting Far-Right Terrorism
“One of postwar Germany’s most spectacular terrorism trials opened Thursday, with federal prosecutors laying out their case against a military officer who they said had been motivated by a “hardened far-right extremist mind-set” to plot political murder in the hope of bringing down the country’s democratic system. The case of First Lieutenant Franco A., whose surname is abbreviated in keeping with German privacy laws, shocked Germany when he was arrested four years ago and has since pushed the country to confront a creeping threat of infiltration in the military and the police by far-right extremists. Franco A. was caught in 2017 trying to collect a loaded gun he had hidden in an airport bathroom. His fingerprints later revealed that he had a second — fake — identity as a Syrian refugee, setting off alarm bells and an investigation that would span three countries and multiple intelligence agencies. Prosecutors have accused him of planning terrorist attacks using that identity with the intention of stoking growing fears over immigration in Germany and triggering a national crisis. The case has become the latest warning for a country that has spent decades atoning for its Nazi past but that also has a track record of turning a blind eye to far-right extremism and terrorism.”
Australia
Yahoo News: Alleged ISIS Recruit To Be Sent To NSW
“An alleged Islamic State recruit arrested in Melbourne after returning from overseas will be extradited to NSW next week. Mohamed Zuhbi was taken into custody by counterterrorism officers after arriving back in Australia on a flight from Turkey two weeks ago. The 30-year-old faced Melbourne Magistrates Court by phone on Friday morning where prosecutors said his extradition had been delayed because of the 14-day quarantine requirement, which runs out on Saturday. “There is still a degree of uncertainty. Mr Zhubi has to return a negative result to his final COVID test tomorrow and then he can be cleared from quarantine,” Patrick Darby said. “Allowing for that, arrangements are being made for him to be taken to NSW hopefully on Tuesday.” Zuhbi travelled from Sydney to Turkey in 2013 and then allegedly on to Syria, where he recruited and helped foreign fighters travel to the area. He has been charged with supporting a terrorist organisation, engaging in hostile activity overseas, supporting another person to engage in hostile activity overseas and entering a banned jurisdiction. Zuhbi's lawyer Sarah Condon did not oppose his extradition. He is also wanted by US law authorities for multiple offences including conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country.”
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