“Gunmen killed a police officer and kidnapped at least 80 students and five
teachers from a school in the Nigerian state of Kebbi, police, residents a

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


June 18, 2021

 

Reuters: Policeman Killed, More Than 80 Students Abducted In Attack On
Nigerian School
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“Gunmen killed a police officer and kidnapped at least 80 students and five
teachers from a school in the Nigerian state of Kebbi, police, residents and a
teacher said. The attack is the third mass kidnapping in three weeks in
northwest Nigeria, which have authorities have attributed to armed bandits
seeking ransom payments. Usman Aliyu, a teacher at the school, said the gunmen
took more than 80 students, most of them girls. “They killed one of the (police
officers), broke through the gate and went straight to the students' classes,”
he told Reuters. Kebbi State police spokesman Nafiu Abubakar, said the gunmen
killed one officer during an exchange and also shot a student, who was
receiving medical treatment. Police late on Thursday had not released the
number of students missing, and a spokesman for the Kebbi state governor said
they were conducting a tally of the missing. The attack took place at a federal
government college in the remote town of Birnin Yauri. Abubakar said security
forces were searching a nearby forest for the abducted students and teachers.
Atiku Aboki, a resident who went to the school shortly after the gunfire
stopped, said he saw a scene of panic and confusion as people searched for
their children.”

 

The Portland Press Herald: Bill Nemitz: Neo-Nazis Moving To Northern Maine?
Say It Ain’t So
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“Here we go again. Another gang of neo-Nazi white supremacists thinks Maine is
the next thing to heaven. “I’d recommend anyone in Maine not interested in a
white ethnostate to move out of Maine. Because they’re in one,” Chris Pohlhaus,
aka “The Hammer,” told me in a text. Pohlhaus, a 34-year-old former Marine from
San Antonio, Texas, is a man on a mission: Move to northern Maine with a band
of like-minded misanthropes, buy up all the cheap real estate they can find,
stock up on guns, set up their own schools and live nastily ever after. And, oh
yes, no people of color allowed. It all began back in February, when Pohlhaus,
who’s cultivated a high profile in the world of rabid white supremacy by
selling Nazi banners for “banner drops” on highway overpasses, opened a chat
called “Great Maine Migration” on the instant messaging platform Telegram. Vice
News ran a story on the chat Monday after obtaining a transcript of the session
from the Counter Extremism Project, which tracks extremist groups and, when
possible, gums up their operations. The organization sent me a copy of the chat
transcript Wednesday, along with Pohlhaus’s contact information.”

 

United States

 

The New York Times: Two More Guantánamo Detainees Are Cleared For Transfer To
Other Nations
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“Two men who have been held for years without charge at Guantánamo Bay
following detention by the C.I.A. have been approved for transfer to other
countries, bringing to 11 the number of detainees cleared to be sent elsewhere
even as the State Department has yet to name someone to negotiate with other
governments to take them. Both of the men, Abdulsalam al-Hela, 53, and Sharqawi
Abdu Ali al-Hajj, 47, are Yemeni citizens, and present a particular challenge
to the Biden administration as it seeks places to resettle cleared detainees as
part of its aim of closing the military operation holding 40 detainees at the
U.S. naval station in Cuba. The latest decisions were disclosed on Thursday by
the interagency Periodic Review Board. Beyond the 11 detainees who have been
approved for transfer, 12 have been charged with war crimes, including a
prisoner who pleaded guilty as part of an agreement that will permit his
transfer. Now the administration needs to find governments willing to take the
detainees who have been cleared to be repatriated or sent to third countries.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken told Congress this month that he was
seeking to designate someone to work full time on arranging transfers.”

 

Defense One: Pentagon Works To Sharpen Definition Of ‘Extremism’
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“How do you define extremism? That’s one question the Defense Department is
asking itself as it works to implement the first National Strategic for
Countering Domestic Terrorism, released by the White House this week. The
32-page strategy document directs the government to increase information
sharing among agencies and the private sector, work more closely with community
partners to stop recruitment, including via social media, and stop domestic
terrorism attacks from happening. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called the
strategy “a milestone” in America’s effort to combat “a serious and growing
security threat.” “While domestic law enforcement agencies take the lead, the
Department of Defense will do our part to support this important strategy,”
Austin said in a statement on Tuesday. “That includes maintaining the
Department’s robust relationship with federal law enforcement as well as
refining our policies to better address this issue within the Department.” The
Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol capped a year that saw violence by homegrown
terrorists, especially white supremacist, anti-Muslim and far-right
anti-government extremists, hit a quarter-century high, according to recent
analysis by the Washington Post.”

 

Syria

 

Al Monitor: Is Islamic State Rebuilding In Syrian Desert?
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“Despite the announcement of the defeat of the Islamic State (IS), and despite
the numerous campaigns launched by all parties in Syria against it, the
terrorist group still poses a threat. At the field level, it seems IS cells
resumed their activities in the Syrian desert, known as Badiya. Military
operations have intensified to the point that hardly a day passes without IS
carrying out an explosion, ambush, assassination or attack in separate areas of
the Badiya, which extends over Raqqa, Hama, Homs, Deir ez-Zor and all the way
to Suwayda. These terrorist operations include targeting security and military
personnel from the government forces, Iranian militias and Russian forces.
Despite the numerous campaigns launched by the various parties in Syria against
IS, its power of offense remains unhinged, which indicates that it has regained
its ability to make a strong comeback. Local websites reported that the
government forces had attended the funeral of three members, including an
officer with the rank of captain, who were killed on June 6 by an IS mine as
they were riding a vehicle on a dirt road linking the city of al-Sukhna and
Athreya in the eastern desert of Homs. On June 3, a brigadier general with the
Syrian government army was killed in clashes with IS in al-Sukhna, east of Homs
in the Syrian desert.”

 

Iraq

 

PBS News Hour: Watch Iraq’s Secretive Counterterrorism Unit Track Down And
Extract An ISIS Fighter
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“Seven years ago this month the Islamic State declared its caliphate, killing
thousands in its years-long reign of terror in Iraq and Syria. The group may
have lost its territory, but its fighters still plague Iraq. Special
Correspondent Leila Molana-Allen and Videographer Adrian Hartrick provide an
exclusive look at the Iraqi counter-terror teams fighting ISIS, and the
civilians caught in between. Judy Woodruff: Seven years ago this month, the
Islamic State declared its caliphate, and its reign of terror in Iraq and Syria
would claim thousands of lives over the ensuing half-decade. The group may have
lost its territory in recent years, but its fighters still plague Iraq and its
people. Now an exclusive look at the Iraqi counterterrorism teams who are
fighting ISIS, and the civilians caught in between. Special correspondent Leila
Molana-Allen and videographer Adrian Hartrick report. Leila Molana-Allen: How
to track down and extract ISIS insurgents hiding in plain sight. These
commandos are training in a simulated village built to look like the areas
where many of the Islamic State's fleeing fighters still take refuge years
after the ISIS caliphate was destroyed.”

 

The National: Iraq's Extremists Are Formidable, But They Cannot Undo Its
History
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“A person who attacks settled beliefs or institutions”. That is the
Merriam-Webster dictionary’s definition of an iconoclast. Its Greek root is
“eikonoklastes” – literally meaning “image destroyer”. Generally, iconoclasts
are often those who are committed to destroying religious imagery in whatever
shape it comes, be it statues, stained glass or paintings. Some attack any
personification of an idea they reject. The most vicious of extremists are
those who attack heritage, identity and social cohesion. Iraq has been a victim
of attacks from iconoclasts for years, as competing groups try to shape the
cultural identity of the country, and force their dominance on it. The examples
are numerous, and most damaging was that of ISIS. When ISIS took over parts of
Iraq and Syria over seven years ago, they systematically went about destroying
historic relics in Ninewah, Aleppo and beyond. The motivation was threefold:
terrorise civilians, claim victory and attempt to destroy a collective identity
based on shared memory in order to divide and conquer the society. They
followed a long line of terrorists attacking human civilisation. The Taliban
attacked the 6th-century Buddhas of Bamiyan in Afghanistan in March 2001, and
Al Qaeda attacked the Al Askari shrine in Samara.”

 

Turkey

 

France 24: Gunman Attacks Turkey's Pro-Kurdish Party, Killing One
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“A gunman stormed a provincial office of Turkey's pro-Kurdish party on
Thursday, killing a woman and renewing alarm at the heated rhetoric
accompanying government efforts to shut the party down. The Peoples' Democratic
Party (HDP) identified the victim as Deniz Poyraz, a party official in the
western province of Izmir where the morning attack occurred. The party's
national co-leader said a planned meeting of 40 officials at the office had
been called off for unrelated reasons moments before the attack. “The plan here
was clear,” HDP co-leader Mithat Sancar told reporters. “What they wanted was a
massacre.” The HDP is the Turkish parliament's third-largest party, supporting
liberal causes and espousing leftist economic views. But President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan views it as the political front of outlawed Kurdish militants who have
been waging a decades-long insurgency that has claimed tens of thousands lives.
Erdogan frequently makes fiery speeches denouncing the party, which has seen
scores of its members detained. The government's attempt to use the courts to
disband it has drawn sharp rebukes in Europe and the United States. The HDP
said the rhetoric coming from Erdogan's ruling party was the “instigator of
this brutal attack.”

 

Afghanistan

 

The New York Times: Elite Afghan Forces Suffer Horrific Casualties As Taliban
Advance
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“At least 24 Afghan commandos and five police officers were killed after they
were surrounded by the Taliban in northern Afghanistan on Wednesday, according
to local and Afghan military officials. It was a profound blow to the elite
force at a time when such troops often serve as the only units keeping the
insurgents from capturing more territory. The vicious battle took place in the
early morning hours in a key district of Faryab Province. The Taliban seized
Dawlat Abad district roughly a week ago — one of dozens that have fallen since
American and international forces began withdrawing from the country last
month. “When the Taliban came to Dawlat Abad, they surrounded the commandos and
killed them in less than an hour,” said Mohammad Hakim, a militia commander who
escaped the district. What happened in Faryab is playing out in districts
across the country, at an alarming rate. Tolo News, a national media outlet in
the country, reported fighting in 80 of Afghanistan’s roughly 400 districts in
the country Thursday. On Thursday alone, the neighboring district of Shirin
Tagab fell after Afghan forces there fought for days and ran out of ammunition,
said Sebghatullah Selab, the deputy head of the provincial council in Faryab.”

 

Reuters: Militant Groups Could Pose Threat To U.S. In Two Years From
Afghanistan -Pentagon Leaders
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“Top U.S. military leaders said on Thursday that international militant groups
like al Qaeda could pose a threat from Afghanistan to the U.S. homeland and
American allies in two years. President Joe Biden's decision to withdraw troops
completely from Afghanistan by September has raised concerns that the country
could erupt in full-scale civil war, providing al Qaeda space in which to
rebuild and plan new attacks on U.S. and other targets. “It would take possibly
two years for them to develop that capability,” U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd
Austin said during a congressional hearing. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff General Mark Milley said he agreed with the timeline and said there was a
medium risk at the moment.  “If there was a collapse of the government, or a
dissolution of the Afghan security forces, that risk would obviously increase,”
Milley said. The comments are some of clearest signs of concern in the military
and intelligence community about the threat militant groups could pose from
Afghanistan and the risks of a complete withdrawal. A United Nations report in
January said there were as many as 500 al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan and
that the Taliban maintained a close relationship with the Islamist extremist
group.”

 

Pakistan

 

Associated Press: Militants Kill Soldier Near Airport In Southwestern Pakistan
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“Suspected militants opened fire on troops at a security post near an airport
in southwestern Pakistan on Thursday, killing a soldier before fleeing the
scene, the military said. The attack happened in the Turbat district in
Baluchistan province, a military statement said. Security forces have launched
a search operation in the region to trace and arrest the attackers, it added.
The slain soldier was identified as Aqeel Abbas. No group immediately claimed
responsibility but previous such attacks have been blamed on small separatist
groups that have been carrying out a long-running insurgency demanding
independence from the central government in Islamabad. The Pakistani Taliban
and the Islamic State group also have a presence in Baluchistan. Although
Pakistan’s military says it has quelled insurgency, isolated attacks hon troops
ave continued.”

 

Middle East

 

The New York Times: Israel Strikes Gaza Again, After Militants Set Fires In
Israel
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“Israeli airstrikes hit several sites in Gaza on Thursday night for the second
time in three days, after Palestinian militants sent incendiary balloons into
farmland in southern Israel for the third day in a row. There were no reported
casualties in either Israel or Gaza, but the exchange raised the specter of a
return to full-scale conflict for the first time since an 11-day air war ended
nearly a month ago. The Israeli Army said it had targeted military compounds
and a rocket launching site near Gaza City and Khan Younis, two of the biggest
cities in the strip, shortly before midnight on Thursday. A Hamas-linked media
outlet in Gaza reported hits on sites near Gaza City and Khan Younis, as well
as in Jabalia, a town in the north of the strip. About an hour later, early on
Friday morning, sirens sounded in areas of southern Israel close to Gaza, a
warning that the Israeli military said was prompted by gunfire from militants
in Gaza, not rockets, which might have led to an even more forceful Israeli
response. The Israeli airstrikes followed attempts by militants in Gaza to set
fires in Israeli farmland surrounding the strip. Militants sent balloons over
the perimeter fence that were attached to incendiary devices. Eight fires were
reported on Thursday, in addition to scores earlier in the week.”

 

Arab News: Arab Experts Discuss Media Handling Of Extremism And Terrorist Acts
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“Representatives from a variety of media sectors met on Thursday to draft a
code of conduct for the media’s handling of terrorist incidents and to
formulate a strategy for the reporting of issues related to extremism and
terrorism. The meeting — held at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of
the Council of Arab Interior Ministers in Tunisia — was attended by members of
information ministries and heads of the security media agencies of interior
ministries from across the Arab world, as well as representatives from the Arab
League, the Arab Radio and Broadcasting Union, Naif Arab University for
Security Sciences, and the Saudi Broadcasting Authority. In his opening speech,
Khalid Hilal Al-Maamari, the assistant secretary-general of the Arab Interior
Ministers’ Council, said the meeting highlighted the importance of the media
and its role in security awareness and crime prevention. He also stressed the
need to establish an effective partnership between the media arms of the
security services and the news media to ensure unified efforts to protect Arab
countries from any possible threats, not only in terms of security, but also at
cultural, social, health and economic levels.”

 

Nigeria

 

Sahara Reporters: Nigerian Soldiers Arrest Suspected Chadian Terrorist And
Kidnap Kingpin, Eliminate Others
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“The Defence Headquarters on Thursday said troops of Operation Hadin Kai have
arrested one Mohammed Maki, who claims to be a Chadian, coordinating a
kidnapping syndicate and terrorist groups in the north-eastern part of Nigeria.
The Acting Director, Defence Media Operation, Brig.-Gen. Bernard Onyeuko
disclosed this while briefing newsmen on military operations across the country
between June 3 and June 16 on Thursday in Abuja. Onyeuko said the troops
conducted several raids, extensive airstrikes, responded to distress calls as
well as repelled and thwarted terrorist attacks in the region during the
period. He said the Air Task Force conducted airstrikes executed within Damboa
on June 3, dislodging several terrorists and inflicted significant damages on
their logistics facilities. According to him, troops also repelled terrorist
attacks on the town on the same day, where several fighters of the ISWAP sect,
including one of their commanders named Umar Tela, were neutralised. “Other
locations where troops recorded significant results are Gujba in Yobe, Magumeri
in Borno, and Mubi in Adamawa. Troops conducted raid operations on terrorist
hideouts on June 4 and June 5. “In the course of these operations within the
period under review, several terrorists were neutralised, while some escaped
with gunshot wounds.”

 

Mali

 

The North Africa Post: Leader Of The Islamic State Of The Great Sahara
Captured In Northern Mali
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“A man described as a “high-ranking fighter of the Islamic State in the
Greater Sahara” (EIGS) has been captured by French forces in Mali, in a joint
Nigerien-French operation against the group’s militants. Dadi Ould Chouaib,
also known as Abou Dardar, was arrested on June 11 in the flashpoint
“tri-border” region between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, the site of frequent
attacks by extremist groups, the French military said in a statement released
on Wednesday. He was located during a helicopter sweep as part of a joint
mission between troops from France’s Barkhane anti-jihadist force and Nigerien
forces. Niger’s army said in a statement late Wednesday that the joint
operation, launched June 8, had led to a clash Tuesday with “armed terrorists”
that left a Nigerien dead and “12 terrorists neutralized.” The fighting took
place in Arabane, near Ménaka, Mali, in the Three Borders area. Several actions
have been carried out in this area in recent days, leading to the arrest of
several executives of the Islamic State group. One Nigerien soldier was killed,
another wounded, and two French soldiers from the Barkhane force were also
wounded in this operation, according to details provided by the French
military.”

 

United Kingdom

 

ABC News: Inquiry Slams Security Faults Before Manchester Arena Attack
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“A public inquiry into a mass attack at a 2017 Ariana Grande concert in
northwest England concluded Thursday that “serious shortcomings” by venue
operators, security staff and police helped a suicide bomber who killed 22
people carry out his “evil intentions.” Retired judge John Saunders, who is
leading the ongoing inquiry, said Salman Abedi should have been identified as a
threat by those in charge of security at Manchester Arena “and a disruptive
intervention undertaken.” “Had that occurred, I consider it likely that Salman
Abedi would still have detonated his device, but the loss of life and injury is
highly likely to have been less,” Saunders said. Abedi, 22, set off a knapsack
bomb in the arena’s foyer at the end of the May 22, 2017 concert, as fans —
including thousands of children and young people — were leaving the pop star’s
show. He died in the explosion. His younger brother Hashem Abedi was convicted
last year of helping plan and carry out the attack. Saunders recounted missed
opportunities to stop Abedi, citing failures by arena operator SMG, security
company Showsec and British Transport Police, the agency responsible for
patrolling the area in the city of Manchester. He said authorities showed a
reluctance to believe an attack could happen, even though Britain and other
European countries had experienced multiple deadly attacks in the previous
months and years.”

 

BBC News: Man And Woman Appear In Court In Edinburgh On Terror Charges
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“A man and a woman have appeared in court in Edinburgh on terrorism charges.
Nikolaos Karvounakis, 35, and Artemis Parissi, 32, were detained in an
investigation into the discovery of a suspicious object in a city centre park.
They were charged under terrorism and explosive substances legislation. Both
were remanded in custody following a short private appearance at Edinburgh
Sheriff Court on Thursday. Karvounakis and Artemis, who both live in the city,
entered no plea to allegations that they breached section 57 (1) of the
Terrorism Act 2000. The legislation states that a person has committed “an
offence if he possesses an article in circumstances which give rise to a
reasonable suspicion that his possession is for a purpose connected with the
commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism.” They also
entered no plea to a charge of section 3 of the 1883 Explosive Substances Act.
This legislation states that it is an offence for anybody to use an “explosive
substance to cause an explosion likely to endanger life or cause serious injury
to property, whether or not any explosion actually takes place. The pair also
entered no plea to an allegation of breach of the peace.”

 

Technology

 

EU Reporter: When It Comes To Online Extremism, Big Tech Is Still Our Main
Problem
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“Over the past two months, lawmakers in the UK and Europe have introduced a
number of major new bills aimed at curbing the malicious role that Big Tech
plays in the spread of extremist and terrorist content online, writes Counter
Extremism Executive Director Project David Ibsen. In this new legislative
climate, social media giants such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, who for
years have been complacent, if not deliberately negligent, in policing their
platforms, are finally beginning to come under pressure. Unsurprisingly, their
belated efforts to appease governments through self-regulatory initiatives such
as Digital Trust and Safety Partnership are already giving way to a search for
scapegoats. Lately, Big Tech advocates have begun to promote the idea that
extremist and terrorist content online remains an issue solely for smaller
social media sites and alternative encrypted platforms. While tackling
extremism and terrorism on smaller and alternative sites is certainly worth
getting ahead of, the overall narrative here is more than a little convenient
for Silicon Valley and flawed in a number of crucial respects.”



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