“Iraqi security forces on Wednesday arrested militia commander Qasim Muslih,
the military said, in a move security sources said was linked to attacks

 

 


<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>
Eye on Extremism


May 27, 2021

 

Reuters: Iraq Militia Chief Arrested Over Attacks On Base Hosting U.S. Forces
-Security Sources
<[link removed]>

 

“Iraqi security forces on Wednesday arrested militia commander Qasim Muslih,
the military said, in a move security sources said was linked to attacks on a
base that hosts U.S. forces. Muslih was arrested at dawn and is being
questioned on anti-terrorism charges, a military statement said, without giving
further details. Two security sources told Reuters the militia chief was
arrested in Baghdad for involvement in several attacks including recent
assaults on Ain al-Asad air base, where U.S. and other international forces are
housed. Muslih is the Anbar province head of the Popular Mobilisation Forces
(PMF), a grouping of mostly Shi’ite militias backed by Iran, which the United
States regards as the biggest threat to security in the Middle East. Prime
Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said in a statement later on Wednesday that
security forces have arrested someone after an arrested warrant was issued
against him in accordance with the terrorism act and based on complaints filed
against him. Kadhimi did not name him in the statement but said the defendant
will stay in the custody of the Joint Operations Command until the end of the
investigation.”

 

The Defense Post: Suspected ADF Militia Kills 13 In Eastern DR Congo
<[link removed]>

 

“Thirteen people in the eastern DR Congo have been killed in a suspected
attack by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a militia that the US says is
linked to the Islamic State group, local officials said Wednesday. The massacre
occurred late Tuesday in the village of Kisima-Vutotolia, 30 kilometers (18
miles) from the city of Beni on the highway leading to Uganda, said territorial
administrator Donat Kibuana. “The situation in Kisima is very tragic. There was
a raid by the ADF around 7:00 pm last night. Thirteen people lost their lives,”
he said. “Several inhabitants are missing,” he added. “We have already
recovered 13 bodies. These people were bound and decapitated,” an aid worker
told AFP. Roger Masimango, a representative of civil society groups in the
Rwenzori area, said the village chief in Kisima and his wife were among those
who had been killed. “Two children aged four and two months were found alive
next to the corpses of their parents,” Masimango said. The ADF is the deadliest
of scores of armed militias that roam the mineral-rich east of the Democratic
Republic of Congo. Many are a legacy of two regional wars from 1996 to 2003.
More than 500 civilians have been killed in the provinces of North and South
Kivu alone since the start of the year, according to an AFP toll based on NGO
figures and local sources.”

 

United States

 

Associated Press: Man Convicted Of Lying In Terror Probe Denied Early Release
<[link removed]>

 

“A federal judge has denied compassionate release from prison for a Phoenix
man convicted of making false statements to FBI agents and witness tampering
during the investigation of a terror attack six years ago in suburban Dallas.
U.S. District Judge John Tuchi cited the prisoner’s refusal to take the
COVID-19 vaccine when rejecting a claim in an order issued Monday that Abdul
Khabir Wahid’s continued incarceration leaves him vulnerable to the
coronavirus. Wahid argued that his HIV diagnosis and hypertension make him
susceptible to severe or fatal consequences were he to contract the virus in
prison. He is serving a 5½- year sentence for convictions stemming from his
conduct during the investigation of a 2015 attack on a Prophet Muhammad cartoon
contest in Garland, Texas. Wahid wasn’t directly involved in the attack,
authorities said. Tuchi concluded that Wahid didn’t present extraordinary and
compelling reasons to justify a sentence reduction, noting a decline in
COVID-19 cases at the Arizona prison where Wahid is incarcerated and his
refusal to take the vaccine.”

 

New York Post: ISIS Bride Says She’ll Regret Leaving US For Terror Group ‘For
The Rest Of My Life’
<[link removed]>

 

“ISIS bride” Hoda Muthana — who fled Alabama to join ISIS in 2014 and is now
barred from returning to the US — said she will regret the decision “for the
rest of my life,” according to a report on Wednesday. Muthana, 26, tried to
explain what led her to become part of the terror group in the new documentary
“The Return: Life After ISIS” by Spanish filmmaker Alba Sotorra Clua, People
reported. “When you are brainwashed, you don’t realize it until you snap out of
it,” Muthana said. “I took everything too fast, and too deep.” What she
experienced was “this horrible way of life that I really regret for the rest of
my life and that I wish I could just erase,” she says in the film, according to
People. Muthana was 20 and a college student in Hoover, Ala., when she ran away
to join the Islamic State in Syria. The sheltered daughter of Yemeni
immigrants, Muthana said her path to the terror group began when she tried to
connect online with other Muslim people. “I didn’t have much friends in high
school and I was extremely shy, painfully shy,” she reportedly says in the
film. “I wasn’t allowed to hang out with friends. I wasn’t allowed to go
anywhere, not even to the mall.”

 

Defense One: Growth Of Extremist Groups Follows Mathematical Pattern: Study
<[link removed]>

 

“Two distinct extremist groups, ISIS and the Boogaloo movement, would seem at
first glance to share little in common other than a willingness to commit
violence. Yet these groups emerge and grow online following a similar
mathematical pattern, according to a new paper from researchers at George
Washington University. The paper proposes a “shockwave equation” that can be
applied to a wide number of online groups to predict the point at which they
experience sudden growth. The groups include ISIS, which comprises Islamic
jihadists, and the Boogaloo movement, a loose collective of right-wing
extremists advocating for a new civil war. “You might think that because of
their very different ideologies etc., and the fact that ISIS support was very
focused while Boogaloos are diverse, the two movements, ISIS and Boogaloos,
would behave very differently. But what we found is that, in fact, they follow
the same mathematical blueprint in terms of their growth patterns,” Neil
Johnson, a physics professor at George Washington University, told Defense One.
Many extremist groups have benefited from the presence of a specific,
charismatic leader. But Johnson and his colleagues' research shows that growth
depends even more on the interpersonal online dynamics of the core members and
how they interact with new recruits, a factor he refers to as “collective
chemistry.”

 

Iran

 

The National: Pavlich: Throwing Good Money To Iranian Terrorism
<[link removed]>

 

“In 2014, during Operation Protective Edge, the United Nations Relief and
Works Agency (UNRWA) officially admitted rockets were found, again, in one of
their internationally funded schools in the Gaza Strip. Careful not to offend,
the UNRWA didn’t blame any group by name for placing them there, but evidence
and clear intelligence shows Hamas terrorists, funded and supplied by Iran,
were the culprit. “UNRWA condemns placement of rockets, for a second time, in
one of its schools,” a press release from UNRWA, published July 22, 2014,
states. “Today, in the course of the regular inspection of its premises, UNRWA
discovered rockets hidden in a vacant school in the Gaza Strip. As soon as the
rockets were discovered, UNRWA staff were withdrawn from the premises, and so
we are unable to confirm the precise number of rockets. The school is situated
between two other UNRWA schools that currently each accommodate 1,500
internally displaced persons. UNRWA strongly and unequivocally condemns the
group or groups responsible for this flagrant violation of the inviolability of
its premises under international law.” Fast forward to 12 days ago and Hamas,
with other terrorist factions like Islamic Jihad, launched a 4,000-strong
rocket war against Israeli civilian targets from Gaza.”

 

Iraq

 

The Independent: Tensions Rise In Baghdad After Arrest Of Militia Commander
<[link removed]>

 

“Tensions mounted in Iraq s capital on Wednesday after the arrest of a militia
commander on terrorism charges, prompting a dangerous showdown by the
detainee's paramilitary supporters and the Iraqi government. The confrontation
began after Iraqi security forces arrested at dawn militia leader Qassim
Mahmoud Musleh based on a judicial investigation and arrest warrant on
terrorism charges, Iraq's military said in a statement. The statement said he
was being questioned by a joint investigative committee. Musleh is the head of
the Popular Mobilization Forces in Anbar province. The PMF is a
state-sanctioned group comprised of an array of militias formed to defeat the
Islamic State group in 2014. Among the most powerful members of the group are
Iran-backed Shiite militia groups. Shortly after the arrest, forces affiliated
with the PMF, which maintains offices inside the heavily fortified Green Zone,
were deployed surrounding Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi's headquarters.
Tensions reached fever pitch when Iraqi security forces and the elite
Counter-Terrorism Service were deployed to protect the government and
diplomatic missions, sparking fears of violence. Some armed PMF factions
gathered around the Green Zone's entrance gates.”

 

The Jerusalem Post: Turkey Bombs Christian Villages In Iraq’s Kurdish Region -
Analysis
<[link removed]>

 

“Turkey continued its campaign of bombarding villages in northern Iraq’s
autonomous Kurdistan region this week, reportedly damaging homes and a church
of local Christian minorities. Ankara claims it is fighting “terror” although
there have been no major terror attacks in Turkey for many years. The real
terror, according to the locals, comes from Turkey’s bombardment using drones,
aircraft and even artillery. The Assyrian Policy Institute noted that
“yesterday, Mar Yousip Assyrian Church of the East in the Assyrian village of
Musaka in Barwar, northern Iraq was damaged during a Turkish aerial campaign
targeting suspected PKK positions in the area.” According to the local reports
from Rudaw and other sources, the bombing damaged a Christian village and a
church. One villager from Miska said that bombs fell near buildings. It appears
Miska and Musaka are related spellings of the name for the same place. In
northern Iraq, many towns have multiple names, sometimes including a Turkish,
Arabic, Assyrian and Kurdish name and spelling. For instance, the large
Christian town of Qaraqosh is also called Hamdaniyeh and Bakhdida. Erbil is
called Hawler in Kurdish. “People were terrified,” a local told Rudaw about
Turkey’s bombing of the area.”

 

The National: Iraq Is In A Legal Mess Over ISIS - And The West Has Made It
Worse
<[link removed]>

 

“A little over a fortnight ago, Karim Khan, the lawyer heading the UN
Investigative Team to Promote Accountability against ISIS (Unitad), gave his
final briefing in that capacity to the UN Security Council. He said there was
“clear and compelling evidence” that between 2014 and 2017 ISIS committed
genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Iraq. No one knows exactly
how many ISIS members are currently housed in Iraq’s overcrowded prison system,
but a low estimate is somewhere in the thousands. No one knows how many have
been tortured or sentenced to death, but the figures are thought to be high.
And no one knows how many have actually been executed, either – Iraq does not
publish records. The ambiguity might be slightly easier to accept if it were
certain that every convict were guilty, and that those slated for death row
were killers themselves. It’s true that ISIS was hardly ambiguous in its
intention to torture, enslave and wipe out whole sections of Iraq’s population.
Due legal process didn’t come into it for them. That Iraq and other countries
are disinclined to apply due process in return now that their terrorisers are
themselves in the dock is, perhaps, understandable.”

 

Turkey

 

Arab News: Turkey Tracks Down, Detains Members Of Terror Groups In Latest Ops
<[link removed]>

 

“Turkish police on Wednesday detained seven suspected members of the Jabhat
Al-Nusra organization during a counter-terrorism operation in the capital
Ankara. Anti-terror teams were also hunting four other people still at large
and thought to be linked to the movement that was originally established in
Syria and has been classified by Turkey as a terror group since 2014.
Simultaneous operations have been taking place against Daesh in Turkey with
police recently arresting several senior operatives in various cities. On
Tuesday, police caught 16 Daesh suspects in a countrywide operation in 11
provinces, one day after another suspected Daesh member of Syrian nationality
was held in the central Anatolian province of Nigde.  Meanwhile, on Monday, a
Daesh suspect named Mustafa Abdulvahap Mahmut, was detained in Istanbul. An
explosives specialist who is also being sought by the US, Mahmut was reportedly
planning to carry out a terror attack in Turkey. The operation was held jointly
between American and Turkish intelligence units. Last week, a Daesh suspect was
stopped by Turkish police 500 meters away from the US Consulate in Istanbul,
while another one was detained on the top floor of a nearby building.”

 

Afghanistan

 

Los Angeles Times: ‘The Taliban Will Come ... 100%.’ As U.S. Withdraws,
Kandahar Faces A Takeover
<[link removed]>

 

“Off a two-lane highway on this city’s northern edge lies a cemetery for Arab
Al Qaeda fighters and their families, all killed in the waning days of 2001,
when America first unleashed its wrath on Afghanistan. Their graves — earthen
mounds and crypts, marked by flags and colorful scarves stretched out on bamboo
poles — have become shrines, a place of pilgrimage for those seeking divine
healing. Dozens wander here every day, praying, rubbing pinches of salt placed
on the graves for blessing. For them, the buried are martyrs of the jihad that
first swept the Taliban to power, brought about the U.S. occupation and now
forced its exit. “Jihad is part of the history of Afghanistan. … We see it’s
already succeeded again,” said 38-year-old Mohammad Nazir, the pride evident in
his voice. “The British attacked, the Russians attacked and now the Americans;
all are defeated. The Taliban will come into the city — 100%.” Two decades into
the guerrilla war that has wrecked the worn-out towns and villages of
Afghanistan’s southern region, America’s stab at nation-building here is
winding down, with the Taliban more popular in many ways than the
Washington-backed government.”

 

Reuters: Taliban Warns Nearby Nations Against Hosting U.S. Military After
Withdrawal
<[link removed]>

 

“The Afghan Taliban on Wednesday warned nearby nations against allowing the
United States to use their territory for operations in the country after they
withdraw from Afghanistan. As foreign forces withdraw troops by President Joe
Biden's announced deadline of Sept. 11, experts and diplomats have speculated
that Washington's future role in the region could include bases in nearby
countries, especially Pakistan. “If such a step is taken, then the
responsibility for all the misfortunes and difficulties lies upon those who
commit such mistakes,” the insurgent group said in a statement, without
specifying a country. U.S. officials have privately said that they are
exploring potential basing options in countries near Afghanistan, like
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, but have so far not come to an agreement with any of
them. In recent days, there has been a spate of talks between senior Pakistani
and U.S. officials, including a meeting between Biden's National Security
Adviser Jake Sullivan and his Pakistani counterpart. Pakistan shares a border
with Afghanistan that runs along heavily contested areas of south and eastern
Afghanistan where the Taliban have a large presence.”

 

Nigeria

 

Premium Times Nigeria: Nigerian Army Raids Boko Haram’s Logistics Warehouse In
Yobe
<[link removed]>

 

“Nigerian troops on Tuesday seized 62 jerrycans of petrol and three vehicles
during a raid on a Boko Haram logistics supply base in Kukareta in Yobe State.
The army’s spokesperson, Mohammed Yerima, said the operation was carried out
with the help of local vigilantes following a tip off that some members of the
community were supplying fuel to Boko Haram. Kukareta town is located about 21
kilometres from Damaturu, the state capital, on the Maiduguri/Damaturu highway.
It was the largest self-established IDP camp in the state with more than 40,000
households before it was closed down in 2018. The statement reads in full:
“Troops of Operation Hadin Kai on Tuesday, May 27, 2021, raided a suspected
Boko Haram logistics stockpile in Kurkareta town, Yobe State. “Items recovered
during the raid operations by troops in conjunction with local vigilantes
include 62 jerrycans loaded with Premium Motor Spirit popularly called petrol,
hidden in different houses and shops. Three vehicles belonging to the
terrorists’ suppliers with registration numbers DAL 626 YE (Kano), GBK 413 GR
(Benue) and XA 390 SHN (Borno) were also impounded.”

 

Africa

 

Yahoo News: Southern African Leaders To Hold Summit On Jihadist Threat
<[link removed]>

 

“Leaders of the southern African regional bloc SADC will hold an extraordinary
summit on Thursday in Maputo to discuss the violence engulfing northern
Mozambique, the South African presidency said Wednesday. The top-level meeting
of the Southern African Development Community was postponed in April because of
scheduling conflicts. President Cyril Ramaphosa will lead South Africa's
delegation to the talks, the presidency said in a statement. “The SADC
Extraordinary Double Troika will discuss terrorism engulfing the region,
including insecurity in the Cabo Delgado Province in the Republic of
Mozambique,” it said. The meeting is expected to discuss the possibility of
SADC deploying 3,000 troops to battle the insurgents. Jihadist violence has
escalated in the gas-rich north of Mozambique since it broke out in late 2017.
Islamic State-linked militants launched coordinated attacks on the northern
town of Palma on March 24, ransacking buildings and murdering residents as
thousands fled into the surrounding bush. The assault marked an intensification
of violence that has driven some 700,000 to flee their homes, leaving more than
2,800 people dead according to NGOs and the United Nations.”

 

United Kingdom

 

The Independent: Neo-Nazi Accused Of Terror Offences Was UKIP Member And
‘Nigel Farage Fan’
<[link removed]>

 

“A neo-Nazi accused of terror and explosives offences has said he was first
drawn into “politics” by Nigel Farage. Dean Morrice has been charged with eight
terror offences and two counts of possessing explosive substances that were
found at his home near Bristol. Prosecutors accuse the 34-year-old of creating
parts for a 3D-printed gun and running a social media channel that encouraged
far-right terror attacks. Giving evidence at his trial on Wednesday, the former
British Army driver denied the offences but said: “I think it’s fair to say I
have fascist and neo-Nazi views.” Mr Morrice told Kingston Crown Court he
enjoyed dressing up as a “right-wing fascist” in outfits including a tactical
vest, beret, and skull mask, but described the activity as “LARPing” - a form
of live action roleplaying. The court was shown photos that Mr Morrice had
taken of two crossbows, a collection of bolts, a skull mask and the tactical
vest with a badge reading “ban Islam”. The defendant broke down in tears
several times while being questioned, and said he now feels “very ashamed” of
his “disgusting” conduct. Mr Morrice, who had left the Army by the age of 18,
later worked in different jobs and ran companies fixing gadgets and audio
equipment.”

 

Latin America

 

Reuters: Peru's President Condemns 'Terrorist' Massacre
<[link removed]>

 

“Peru's interim president on Tuesday condemned the deadly weekend massacre of
more than a dozen Peruvians, saying there would be “no impunity” for those
responsible. Peru's justice minister has blamed the massacre on rebels
associated with the Shining Path, a militant group responsible for one of Latin
America's deadliest conflicts. President Francisco Sagasti on Tuesday mourned
the victims of what he called a “national tragedy,” but he warned Peruvians not
to let it sway the upcoming election on June 6, after pamphlets encouraging
people not to vote were found at the site of the massacre. “We have seen a
cowardly terrorist group kill 16 people. Yesterday we had confirmation of 14
(deaths), but today we found another two who died as a result of this attack.
Some of the dead are boys and girls, a one-year-old girl, a three-year-old boy
and two adolescents. There will be no impunity.” Peru in the 1980s and 1990s
endured a long-running conflict between the leftist Shining Path and government
forces. It led to the killing of nearly 70,000 people, according to official
figures. The Shining Path has largely retreated in recent years, but still has
ties to drug traffickers and remains active in parts of the Peruvian jungle.”

 

Technology

 

Axios: Why QAnon Is Disappearing From Online View
<[link removed]>

 

“Specific language about the QAnon conspiracy theory has all but disappeared
from mainstream public social media platforms, new research concludes. Driving
the news: Researchers from the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensics Lab found
that the volume of QAnon content available online plummeted following major
moderation and policy moves from Google, Facebook and Twitter. Details:
Researchers analyzed more than 45 million mentions of QAnon catchphrases and
related terms from April 1, 2020 to April 1, 2021 on both mainstream platforms
and alternative ones such Gab and Parler. Terms included popular QAnon phrases
including “the storm,” “the great awakening,” “save the children” and “WWG1WGA
(Where we go one we go all).” Those terms started being used more frequently
online in March 2020, peaked in June 2020 around racial justice protests, and
spiked again before the January 6 Capitol riot. Other factors contributed to
the reduction in QAnon content. “Q,” the shadowy figure whose posts kicked off
the conspiracy theory, went silent. Some participants in the Q world masked
their phrases to evade getting moderated.”

 

Financial Times: Governments Have Stalled For Too Long On Encrypted Messaging
Regulation <[link removed]>

 

“My firm developed the world’s first “quantum-safe” instant messaging system
in 2014. This means not even a mature quantum computer with code-breaking
capabilities can decipher the encrypted text. When we made the system available
through the App Store, it seemed like a victory for privacy at a time when the
exploitation of user data was deemed out of control. The reality proved vastly
more complex when our app appeared on an Islamic State recommended technical
tools list. We were aghast. A tool we had developed to help people assert their
right to online privacy, to conduct their lives away from the prying eyes of
Big Tech and to uphold individual liberty had been co-opted by an organisation
committed to destroying those very same values. Even though we were achieving
healthy daily downloads, the eventual decision to switch it off was relatively
easy.  We would not put profit before human lives. This experience was a
microcosm of the debate that rumbles on to this day: what should be the
trade-off between privacy and the protection of citizens from harm? The issue
was raised by UK home secretary Priti Patel last month when she called for
stricter regulation of encrypted messaging, which has historically been used by
criminals to exploit children.”



Click here to unsubscribe.
<[link removed]>