“At least 10 people were killed and 16 others injured in an armed attack on
staff members of a British-American charity in Afghanistan that has been c

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


June 9, 2021

 

The New York Times: Attack In Afghanistan Kills 10 From Charity That Clears
Land Mines
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“At least 10 people were killed and 16 others injured in an armed attack on
staff members of a British-American charity in Afghanistan that has been
clearing land mines in the country for decades, officials said on Wednesday.
Tariq Arian, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, blamed the Taliban for the
attack, which occurred late Tuesday at a demining camp in the northeastern
province of Baghlan and targeted employees of the HALO Trust. He said the
victims were all Afghan citizens, and the wounded were transferred to
hospitals. Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, denied any
involvement and said that the area where the “horrifying” attack had taken
place was not under the militant group’s control. He added in a post on
Twitter: “We condemn attacks on the defenseless & view it as brutality. We have
normal relations with NGOs, our Mujahidin will never carry out such brutal
acts.” The HALO Trust condemned the attack in a statement on Wednesday. It said
that 110 men from local communities had been carrying out humanitarian work at
the demining camp during the attack by an “unknown armed group.” Tolo News, a
news network in Afghanistan, published footage on Twitter that it said showed
people injured in the attack being taken on stretchers to a public hospital in
Pul-e-Khumri, a city about 140 miles north of Kabul, the capital.”

 

Al Jazeera: Thousands Flee After Massacre In Northern Burkina Faso
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“More than 7,000 families have fled their homes in Burkina Faso’s northern
region following the area’s worst massacre in years, the government has said.
The mass flight came after gunmen killed at least 138 people and wounded dozens
of others in an attack on Solhan village in Yagha province on Friday. “Steps
have already been taken to give [displaced people] a minimum level of comfort,
lodgings and food,” Prime Minister Christophe Dabire said on Tuesday. “More
than 7,000 families have moved to Sebba,” the capital of Yagha, about 15km (10
miles) from Solhan, he added. In Geneva, UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch tallied
the number of people fleeing violence at about 3,300 people, including more
than 2,000 children and nearly 500 women. Baloch said the death toll of 138
made the attack the “deadliest since 2015”. Burkinabe Communications Minister
Ousseni Tamboura said the village “has been completely emptied of people”. One
local elected official said most of those who left Solhan had already been
fleeing armed group violence, including in the Mansila district to the west.
“They killed so many people without even separating the women and children,”
Mannou Tambanga, a Solhan resident, told Al Jazeera. “They killed, they burned
all the goods they saw. They ransacked,” he added.”

 

United States

 

Associated Press: Senate Report Details Broad Failures Around Jan. 6 Attack
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“A Senate investigation of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol found a
broad intelligence breakdown across multiple agencies, along with widespread
law enforcement and military failures that led to the violent attack. There
were clear warnings and tips that supporters of former President Donald Trump,
including right-wing extremist groups, were planning to “storm the Capitol”
with weapons and possibly infiltrate the tunnel system underneath the building.
But that intelligence never made it up to top leadership. The result was chaos.
A Senate report released Tuesday details how officers on the front lines
suffered chemical burns, brain injuries and broken bones, among other injuries,
after fighting the attackers, who quickly overwhelmed them and broke into the
building. Officers told the Senate investigators they were left with no
leadership or direction when command systems broke down. The Senate report is
the first — and could be the last — bipartisan review of how hundreds of Trump
supporters were able to push violently past security lines and break into the
Capitol that day, interrupting the certification of Joe Biden’s presidential
election victory. The failures detailed in the report highlighted how, almost
20 years after the Sept. 11 attacks, U.S. intelligence agencies are still beset
by a fundamental issue: a failure of imagination.”

 

NBC News: House Communications Vendor Compromised By Ransomware Attack
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“An online vendor that provides constituent services for House offices has
been compromised by a ransomware attack, NBC News confirmed Tuesday morning.
David O’Boyle, a spokesman for the House chief administrative officer,
confirmed the attack on the vendor, iConstituent, in a statement. The vendor
told O'Boyle's office that “their e-newsletter system was hit with a ransomware
attack,” he said, noting that the system is an external service available for
House offices to buy. “At this time, the CAO is not aware of any impact to
House data,” O'Boyle said. “The CAO is coordinating with the impacted offices
supported by iConstituent and has taken measures to ensure that the attack does
not affect the House network and offices’ data.” The vendor did not immediately
respond to NBC News' request for comment. The attack was first reported by
Punchbowl News, which said nearly 60 House offices have not been able to get
constituent information for several weeks because of the situation.”

 

Des Moines Register: Pre-Trial Release Hearing Set For U.S. Capitol Attack
Suspect Doug Jensen, Whose Attorney Says Fell Victim To QAnon
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“A District of Columbia judge said on Tuesday he will review later in June
whether U.S. Capitol attack suspect Doug Jensen can be released from jail while
he awaits trial. Jensen, of Des Moines, was arrested three days after the Jan.
6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, which left five people dead.  After several
indictments, he now faces seven charges, including allegations that he brought
a folding knife into the Capitol. Jensen was photographed aggressively
confronting officers in the building, including at one point chasing one up a
staircase at the head of a larger mob. In March, it was reported he was in plea
talks with prosecutors to resolve the case. At a hearing Tuesday, prosecutors
indicated the “main sticking point” to those plea negotiations is the question
of pretrial detention. Judge Timothy Kelly agreed to address the matter
swiftly. “If that seems to be the next thing to move the case forward, I’ll
take that up and do my best to resolve it promptly, perhaps on the same day,”
he said. Kelly set a new hearing June 24 to review Jensen's request for
pre-trial release. Tuesday's hearing comes one day after Jensen's attorney
filed a motion to for bond review.”

 

Patch: MA Hate Group Founder: Students Should Bully 'Kids Who Race Mix'
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“The nonprofit Counter Extremism Project says NSC-131 is a “leaderless,
decentralized organization” and lists Hood, previously of Malden, as its
“alleged founder.” During the Jan. 6 riot, screenshots taken from Telegram, the
encrypted messaging app NSC-131 uses to communicate, showed members holding up
the group's logo outside the Capitol. “Known NSC tactics include antagonizing
social-justice protesters, vandalism, and posting stickers and other
propaganda,” the Counter Extremism Project says in its entry on NSC-131. “NSC
members have joined right-wing and pro-police rallies where they have displayed
Nazi flags and symbols, as well as engaged in physical altercations.” In 2017,
Hood graduated from Henry Owens High School, a Chelsea school for behaviorally
and academically challenged students and adults run by the Shore Educational
Collaborative. In 2016, the nonprofit featured a photo of Hood on its annual
report. “Chris is a good student, respected by his teachers, counselors,
support staff, and peers,” the photo's caption reads. “He is involved in
Shore's Student Council and is on the Track Team. Chris attributes his high
school success to the individualized support he has received from his teachers
and counselors at Shore.”

 

Syria

 

The National: The Case For Repatriating ISIS Families In Syrian Camps
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“At the height of its power, ISIS recruited thousands of people from across
the world. Many of them were women and minors. The women had various reasons
for joining. Some went to seek adventure or felt they were joining what they
deemed a “noble” cause. Some went to fight in the feared, all-female Al Khansaa
Brigade, a self-appointed ISIS female “police team”. Others went with romantic
notions, to marry and have children. Gulfer Ulas, a researcher at the London
School of Economics determined that the “typical” female recruit was a second
or third generation immigrant living in a western country. In countries such as
France, where Muslims often feel alienated and are pushed to the periphery of
society in terms of housing, education and work – an ISIS “family” was a heady
notion. Being a part of such a unit in a false caliphate gave them a sense of
purpose. Today, two years after the collapse of the so-called caliphate, more
than 200 women from 11 European countries and their 650 children live in two
Syrian camps called Al Hol and Roj. European women are a minority in the camps
compared to others who are Iraqi or Syrian, but European governments are under
pressure from rights’ groups to bring their citizens home.”

 

Yemen

 

The National: Activists Say Hamas Honouring The Houthis Was A 'Smack In The
Face' For Yemeni People
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“Hamas's representative in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, Mouath Abu Shamala, met
Houthi leader Mohammed Ali Al Houthi in his office on Sunday, leading to
widespread anger. Al Houthi was honoured with a Hamas plaque of honour for his
support to the Palestinian cause and in recognition of the donation campaign
launched by the rebel group to support the Gazan militants financially. A woman
from the Akhdam community holds her son in a slum area in Yemen's south-western
city of Taez. Reuters'The marginalised': the plight of Yemen's forgotten black
minority The meeting sparked anger on social media, after which the Palestinian
group said Abu Shamala was acting on his own. A Yemeni politician and member of
Parliament, Shouqi Al Qadhi, said on Twitter that he was shocked by the visit
and called for an explanation. Mr Al Qadhi said Yemen’s internationally
recognised government could sever ties with Hamas. “We are waiting for a full
clarification regarding its shocking stance. Does Hamas officially represent
Abu Shamala?” he said. Hamadan Al Alyae, a Yemeni journalist, accused Hamas of
betraying Yemenis by honouring Houthi militants who have attacked innocent
civilians. Baraa Shiban, a Yemeni expert and consultant, said this was not the
first time that Hamas had thanked the rebels.”

 

Middle East

 

AFP: Post Does Not Depict Palestinian Violence Against Queer Community
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“…Researchers at the Counter Extremism Project, a non-profit international
group working to combat the threat from extremist ideologies, confirmed the
context of the video to AFP. It was taken in Homs province, and released by
ISIS member Wilayat Homs on August 13, 2015, with the title: “But Who is Better
Than God in Judgement.” According to the researchers, the description of the
video reads as follows: “Execution of two men identified as “people of Lot,”
(referring to gay men) by ISIS. ISIS proclaims that two men thrown from the
building’s roof are to be executed for being gay. After both men are thrown
from the building, they are pelted with stones, and their bodies are then
washed, wrapped in a shroud, and buried.” The SITE Intelligence Group, which
tracks extremist threats, also confirmed the origin of the video to AFP,
providing a link to its website that contains the photo. In September 2015, AFP
wrote about similar killings of men accused of being gay by jihadists in
central and northern Syria.”

 

Fox News: Palestinian President Pays $42k To Family Of Terrorist Who Killed
Israelis After Biden Restarted Aid: Report
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“The president of the Palestinian Authority reportedly greenlit a payment of
$42,000 to a terrorist who stabbed two Israelis to death as part of the
government’s policy of paying terrorists following the Biden administration’s
$100 million aid package to the Gaza Strip. Palestinian National Authority
President Mahmoud Abbas this week reportedly sent a district governor of
Ramallah, Laila Ghannam, to personally deliver the cash to the family of
Muhannad Al-Halabi, who was part of the terrorist group Palestinian Islamic
Jihad. The payment came “on behalf of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas to
‘complete the payment of the cost’ of their home, which was demolished by
Israel following the attack,” according to the a report from the Middle East
Media Research Institute (MEMRI). The MEMRI report was first flagged by the
Washington Free Beacon. “The governor stressed that the meeting was being held
on instructions from Abbas, who had ordered [Ghannam] to handle the issue of
the house ‘in order to preserve the dignity of the family,’” MEMRI wrote.
“Ghannam thanked Abbas, who she said ‘attributes special importance to the
families of the martyrs, prisoners and fighters’ and is ‘like a compassionate
father to all our [Palestinian] people.’”

 

Egypt

 

Associated Press: Egyptian Officials Say IS Militants Abduct 5 People In Sinai
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“At least five Egyptians were abducted by Islamic State militants on Tuesday
in the restive northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, security officials said.
The five were driving to their workplace in the small town of Bir al-Abed when
the militants from the Islamic State group stopped their vehicle and took them
to an unknown place. The five include three engineers, a laborer and their
driver, said the officials. They all work at the el-Salam canal project that
moves the Nile Delta drainage water to be reused in agriculture in the
peninsula. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. The
two security officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not
authorized to talk to the media. Egypt has been battling militants, now led by
the Islamic State group, in the northern part of Sinai for years. Violence and
instability there intensified after the 2013 military’s ouster of Egypt's
elected but divisive Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi, amid nationwide
protests against his year in power. IS has carried out numerous attacks, mainly
targeting Egyptian security forces, the country's minority Christians and those
whom the militants accuse of collaborating with the military and police. They
have also kidnapped people, mostly Christians and Bedouins, sometimes for
ransom.”

 

Nigeria

 

Deutsche Welle: Death Of Boko Haram's Leader Spells Trouble For Nigeria And
Its Neighbors
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“Several times in the past, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau was declared
dead, only to reappear in videos taunting the government of Nigerian President
Muhammadu Buhari. Nevertheless, Nigerian security expert Kabir Adamu is fairly
sure that this time Shekau was killed. “Every sort of source that could confirm
the information has verified that it is true,” he told DW. Boko Haram's rival,
the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), claimed that Shekau detonated a
suicide vest during a gunfight in Sambisa forest on May 18, to avoid being
taken prisoner and made to renounce the leadership of his group. The Nigerian
military is showing some reticence, pointing to ongoing investigations to
ascertain what happened. But their plan to obtain DNA to prove a death that
occurred three weeks ago is not realistic. “He is said to have blown himself
up, so any remains will be difficult to get,” Adamu said. Shekau's faction has
not confirmed his death either. But this is mainly due to its current state of
disarray, which precedes Shekau's purported death. “In the last few months, its
commanders have been arrested. Most have either accepted the leadership of
ISWAP, or they've been killed,” said Adamu, pointing out that in the last
couple of years, the number of followers in Shekau's camp has been dwindling at
a steady rate, while ISWAP has had no trouble finding recruits.”

 

Africa

 

Reuters: One Soldier Killed In Attack In Northern Ivory Coast
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“One soldier was killed on Monday evening when armed men attacked the northern
Ivory Coast town of Tougbo, near the border with Burkina Faso, the army said on
Tuesday. Ivorian troops were already deployed in the town and quickly pushed
back the assailants. No civilians were killed, said the head of the armed
forces, Lassina Doumbia, in a statement. There was no immediate claim of
responsibility for the attack, but previous attacks in the area have been
blamed on jihadists. Armed groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State are
active in Ivory Coast's northern neighbours, Mali and Burkina Faso, and have
made incursions south.  Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara said last month
that the country would spend 1% of its GDP this year on equipment to prevent
“terrorists” from coming into Ivory Coast, which stands between their bases in
the Sahel and the West African coast.”

 

Canada

 

USA Today: 'Mass Murder': Muslim Family Targeted, Killed In Attack Motivated
By Hate, Canadian Police Say
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“A man killed four members of a Muslim family and seriously injured another
with his pickup in a “planned, premeditated attack motivated by hate,” police
in Canada said Monday. Nathaniel Veltman, 20, was arrested Sunday after
witnesses said he struck the family of five with his vehicle while they were
waiting at an intersection in London, Ontario, police said at a news
conference. Veltman, a resident of London, was charged with four counts of
first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder and is due in court
Thursday. The victims were identified as Salman Afzal, 46; his wife Madiha, 44;
their daughter, Yumna, 15; and a 74-year-old grandmother whose name was
withheld in a statement issued by extended family. A 9-year-old boy was
hospitalized with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. “Everyone who knew
Salman and the rest of the Afzal family know the model family they were as
Muslims, Canadians and Pakistanis,” the statement said. “They worked extremely
hard in their fields and excelled. Their children were top students in their
school and connected strongly with their spiritual identity.” A GoFundMe said
the father was a physiotherapist and cricket enthusiast and his wife was
working on a Ph.D in civil engineering at Western University in Ontario.”

 

Europe

 

The Daily Caller: Italian Neo-Nazis Plotted To Bomb NATO Base, Authorities Say
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“Italian anti-terror authorities have reportedly thwarted a plan by a
far-right, neo-Nazi extremist group that allegedly included planting a bomb and
detonating it at a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) base. Italy’s
Carabinieri law force conducted a raid against 12 alleged members of the white
supremacy-oriented “Roman Aryan Order” extremist group on Monday following a
two-year investigation into their activities, Politico reported. The agency
uncovered images of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, images of swastikas and a book
that allegedly contained Jewish surnames that the group would have used to
attack certain individuals, according to Politico. Police conducted the raid
after a WhatsApp chatroom, discovered by authorities, allegedly revealed
members sharing bomb-making instructions and a plot to detonate the explosives
at a NATO base, the outlet reported. The 12 individuals have not yet been
formally charged and must report to the local police station weekly until a
decision regarding charges is made, according to Politico."

 

Southeast Asia

 

Yahoo News: ISD Detains Singaporean Woman For Supporting ISIS Terror Group
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“The wife of a radicalised man who wanted to travel to Syria to fight for the
Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group has been detained by the
Internal Security Department (ISD). In a statement on Wednesday (9 June), the
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said 34-year-old Ruqayyah Ramli, a housewife and
former freelance religious teacher, was detained in April. She is married to
Mohd Firdaus Kamal Intdzam, 33, who was repatriated to Malaysia in August last
year. In April, he was jailed three years by the Malaysian High Court for
possession of terrorism-related propaganda materials. MHA said Ruqayyah was
given a Restriction Order (RO) in August last year after she was found to have
been radicalised by Firdaus. “She was willing to accompany him to the conflict
zone, where she intended to take care of the family and assist wounded ISIS
fighters,” said the ministry. Among other restrictions, Ruqayyah was not
allowed to access the Internet or social media without the ISD director's
permission. However, since then, MHA said “there has been an escalation in
Ruqayyah’s radical behaviour and involvement in activities prejudicial to
Singapore’s security.”



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