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Eye on Extremism
June 25, 2021
Reuters: Northeast Nigeria Insurgency Has Killed Almost 350,000 - UN
“Northeast Nigeria's conflict with Islamist insurgencies had killed nearly 350,000 people as of the end of 2020, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said on Thursday. The toll, given by the U.N. agency in a new study on the war and its impact on livelihoods, is 10 times higher than previous estimates of about 35,000 based only on those killed in fighting in Nigeria since the conflict's start 12 years ago. “The full human cost of the war is much greater,” the UNDP said in a report, released with Nigeria's Ministry of Finance. “Already, many more have died from the indirect effects of the conflict,” said the UNDP, citing damage to agriculture, water, trade, food and healthcare. A Nigerian presidential spokesman declined to comment on the death toll. Nigeria's war with Islamist insurgencies Boko Haram and Islamic State's West Africa Province has spawned one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with millions of people dependent on aid. The conflict shows little sign of ending. Children younger than five account for more than nine out of 10 of those killed, with 170 dying every day, the UNDP said. If the conflict continues to 2030, more than 1.1 million people may die, the agency said.”
Reuters: New Zealand Plans Stronger Hate Speech Laws In Response To Christchurch Attack
“New Zealand said on Friday that it plans to strengthen its hate speech laws, and increase penalties for inciting hatred and discrimination, in response to the attack by a white supremacist in Christchurch two years ago that killed 51 Muslims. The move comes after a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Christchurch attack on March 15, 2019 recommended changes to hate speech and hate crime laws, which it said were weak deterrents for people targeting religious and other minority groups with hate. New Zealand's hate speech laws have resulted in just one prosecution and two civil claims so far, the Royal Commission had noted. “Protecting our right to freedom of expression while balancing that right with protections against ‘hate speech’ is something that requires careful consideration and a wide range of input,” Justice Minister Kris Faafoi said at a press conference. The government proposed new criminal offences for hate speech that it said would be clearer and more effective. Under the proposal a person who “intentionally stirs up, maintains or normalises hatred” would break the law if they did so by being threatening, abusive or insulting, including by inciting violence, the government said.”
United States
New York Post: DoD Contractor Gets 23 Years For Leaking Info To Hezbollah-Linked Boyfriend
“She was looking for love in very wrong places. A Pentagon linguist once attached to a special ops military facility in northern Iraq was sentenced Wednesday to 23 years in prison for leaking the names of informants and other secret information to a boyfriend with ties to the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah. Mariam Taha Thompson, 62, had pleaded guilty on March 26 to one count of delivering national defense information to aid a foreign government. “Thompson’s sentence reflects the seriousness of her violation of the trust of the American people, of the human sources she jeopardized and of the troops who worked at her side as friends and colleagues,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers said in a statement. “That Thompson passed our nation’s sensitive secrets to someone whom she knew had ties to Lebanese Hezbollah made her betrayal all the more serious. Thompson’s sentence should stand as a clear warning to all clearance holders that violations of their oath to this country will not be taken lightly, especially when they put lives at risk.”
The Jerusalem Post: 55 US House Members Introduce Hamas International Financing Prevention Act
“A bipartisan group of 55 House members has introduced the Hamas International Financing Prevention Act that seeks “to impose financial sanctions on foreign persons, agencies, and governments that assist Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or their affiliates.” If voted into law, the bill would require the president to submit to Congress an annual report “identifying foreign persons, agencies or instrumentalities of a foreign state who knowingly and materially assist Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or an affiliate or successor of one of those organizations.” Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) and Rep. Brian Mast (FL-18) led the legislation that was introduced on Wednesday. “It is critical that the United States and our allies continue to isolate terrorist groups like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad by cutting them off at the source,” said Gottheimer, the Vice Chair of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on National Security. Once identified, the president must impose two or more sanctions against such groups, including seizure of property held within the United States; denying export-import guarantees, denying export of goods or technology controlled for national security reasons, and denying loans more than $10 million.”
Syria
Al Monitor: Turkey Attacks Kurdish Militants In Northern Syria
“Turkish soldiers “neutralized” three Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters in northern Syria, the Turkish state media outlet Anadolu Agency reported Thursday. The Turkish military uses the term “neutralized” to refer to enemy combatants who are killed or captured. The fighting took place in parts of northern Syria controlled by the Turkish military and its Syrian rebel allies. Two of the PKK fighters attempted to infiltrate Turkish territory near al-Bab while the other was engaged between the cities of Ain Issa and Tal Tamr, according to Anadolu Agency. Both areas are close to the Turkish-Syrian border. The PKK fights for greater rights for Kurds in Turkey. Its ideological ally the People’s Protection Units (YPG) is one of the main military forces in northeast Syria and leads the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which fights the Islamic State (IS). Turkey refers to the YPG and its allies as PKK. Ankara views the presence of PKK-aligned groups on its border with Syria as a threat. Both Turkey and the United States consider the PKK a terrorist organization. Turkey began a direct military intervention in Syria in 2016 against IS and the SDF. In 2019, Turkey launched a major military incursion into SDF territory in northeast Syria following the repositioning of US troops.”
Afghanistan
The Wall Street Journal: Disaster Looms In Afghanistan
“President Biden meets his Afghan counterpart Friday, and the White House says it is committed to providing Afghanistan “diplomatic, economic, and humanitarian assistance.” That’s cold comfort as emboldened Taliban militants advance across the country. Mr. Biden said in April that U.S. troops would leave Afghanistan by Sept. 11, and coalition forces have been departing faster than expected. Since May the Taliban have taken more than 50 of the country’s roughly 400 districts, a United Nations official said this week. Fighting continues in many districts, which are comparable to American counties. Some 8.5 million Afghans already live under Taliban control, the Long War Journal estimates, with more than 13 million in contested zones. These numbers will keep rising absent a policy reversal from Mr. Biden. Most of the newly captured districts surround provincial capitals, which the group will move on once U.S. and allied forces are gone. The intelligence community believes Kabul could fall six months after the U.S. withdrawal has finished. The offensive has moved into northern Afghanistan, far beyond the Taliban’s traditional strongholds in the south.”
Associated Press: US To Keep About 650 Troops In Afghanistan After Withdrawal
“Roughly 650 U.S. troops are expected to remain in Afghanistan to provide security for diplomats after the main American military force completes its withdrawal, which is set to be largely done in the next two weeks, U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Thursday. In addition, several hundred additional American forces will remain at the Kabul airport, potentially until September, to assist Turkish troops providing security, as a temporary move until a more formal Turkey-led security operation is in place, the officials said. Overall, officials said the U.S. expects to have American and coalition military command, its leadership and most troops out by July Fourth, or shortly after that, meeting an aspirational deadline that commanders developed months ago. The officials were not authorized to discuss details of the withdrawal and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. The departure of the bulk of the more than 4,000 troops that have been in the country in recent months is unfolding well before President Joe Biden’s Sept. 11 deadline for withdrawal. And it comes amid accelerating Taliban battlefield gains, fueling fears that the Afghan government and its military could collapse in a matter of months.”
“The Biden administration agreed to relocate thousands of Afghans who worked with the U.S. military as interpreters and translators while their visa applications are vetted, according to a senior administration official. “Those who helped us are not going to be left behind,” President Joe Biden told reporters on Thurday when asked about the plan. The decision comes amid growing pressure from lawmakers in both parties, who fear Afghans who served alongside American troops will be killed by the Taliban as the United States completes its military withdrawal. The official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, declined to say exactly how many Afghans would be relocated or where they would go while their visas are processed. The United States could fly them to a third country or a U.S. territory. The relocation plan was first reported by The New York Times. Thousands of Afghans are desperately seeking to leave their homeland as the Biden administration withdraws the last American troops in the coming months. These Afghans fear that once U.S. forces are gone, the Taliban will sweep back into power and target them as traitors.”
Pakistan
“Muhammad Anwar was 17 when he was involved in a group fight that caused a death in his village. His trial ended in a death sentence, and at one point, he came within a day of being executed as part of a government crackdown on terrorism. Twenty-eight years passed before Anwar was released from prison this spring. The once-healthy teen, now a partially paralyzed man with severe heart problems, returned to a place he barely remembered. Everything felt foreign. He made a list of places to visit, including the house of his older brother, a teacher who died while Anwar was behind bars. He considers himself lucky, though. A legal advocacy group took up his case and pursued repeated appeals. The country’s Supreme Court ultimately commuted his sentence because of his age at the time of the crime. “Stopping the death warrant . . . was a big task,” Anwar recounted last month. “We might not have managed to do it on our own.” Until a gruesome Taliban attack on a high school in December 2014, Pakistan had gone half a dozen years with a de facto moratorium on capital punishment. Although the government explicitly justified bringing it back to fight terrorism, officials resumed executions for other capital offenses several months later.”
The Washington Post: Pakistan Arrests Key Suspect In Lahore Bombing That Killed 3
“Pakistani security forces on Thursday arrested one of the alleged perpetrators of a car bombing the day before that killed three people and wounded 25 near the residence of a convicted militant leader linked to the Mumbai terrorist attacks, officials said. The man behind Wednesday’s attack in the eastern city of Lahore was arrested at the airport as he was trying to leave the country, said Suhail Ahmad, a security official familiar with the investigation. He identified the man as Pakistani national David Peter. Ahmad refused to share further details, saying the government would issue a statement about a breakthrough in the case achieved by the Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department with the help of the country’s intelligence agencies. Hours earlier, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said in a video message on Twitter that the Punjab police were close to arresting those responsible for the Lahore car bombing. The powerful explosion in the Johar Town neighborhood was near the residence of anti-India militant leader Hafiz Saeed, designated a terrorist by the U.S. Justice Department and has a $10 million bounty on his head. Saeed is the founder of the outlawed Lashkar-e-Taiba group, which was blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people.”
Africa
Reuters: Child Soldiers Carried Out Burkina Faso Massacre, Say U.N. And Government
“A massacre in northeast Burkina Faso in which more than 130 people were killed this month was carried out mostly by children between the ages of 12 and 14, the United Nations and the government said. Armed assailants raided the village of Solhan on the evening of June 4, opened fire on residents and burned homes. It was the worst attack in years in an area plagued by jihadists linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda. Government spokesman Ousseni Tamboura said the majority of the attackers were children, prompting condemnation from the U.N. “We strongly condemn the recruitment of children and adolescents by non-state armed groups. This is a grave violation of their fundamental rights,” the U.N. children’s agency UNICEF said in a statement on Thursday. Despite interventions from U.N. peacekeepers and international armed forces, attacks by Islamist extremists continue unabated across West Africa’s Sahel region, including neighbouring Mali and Niger. Local officials in Burkina Faso’s north, where jihadists control large areas, said child soldiers have been used by Islamist groups over the past year, but this month’s attack was by far the highest profile case. It represented a new low for the impoverished West African country that since 2018 has seen a sharp rise in attacks on civilians and soldiers.”
The Defense Post: Two Killed In Niger As Troops Foil Jihadist Attack
“Two villagers were killed during a raid in Niger’s troubled south as troops repulsed an attack by jihadists in another area, security sources said Wednesday. The director of a school and a retired police officer were “killed in cold blood” while sleeping in the village of Fantio Tuesday night in the southwestern region of Tillaberi, a security source told AFP. The attackers, who were riding motorcycles, took away cattle, the source added. In mid-May, during the Muslim festival of Eid, raiders killed five people and seriously wounded two others in the same village. Also on Tuesday, soldiers foiled an attack by Boko Haram jihadists in the volatile Lake Chad region, killing three of the attackers and seizing weapons, a multinational military force said. The remaining attackers fled in four vehicles following the clash in the southeastern town of Bosso, said a statement from the Mixed Multinational Force (FMM). “Three attackers were neutralised (killed) and one vehicle seized,” the force said, adding that a machinegun and three Kalashnikov assault rifles had also been recovered. The FMM is made up of soldiers from Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon. A local lawmaker from Bosso confirmed both the attack and the toll.”
United Kingdom
BBC News: Aberdeen Terrorism Case 'Has More Than 1m Pages Of Documents'
“Lawyers for a man accused of planning to carry out terrorist acts in Aberdeen have to examine more than one million pages of documents, a court has heard. Richard Smith, 28, is charged with offences said to have happened between August 2018 and November 2019. Prosecutors claim Mr Smith “with the intention of carrying out acts of terrorism” did “engage in conduct” in the preparation of them. This includes a claim he allegedly stated “all Muslims must die”. His defence counsel said he was still not ready for a trial to be set. Ronnie Renucci told the High Court of Glasgow: “There is a mountain of evidence - over one million pages of material. “There are certain matters that need to be investigated.” He said a cyber crime expert had been instructed to examine information on 47 discs currently being held by police. Mr Smith - who denies the charges - was not present. Lord Matthews adjourned the case until a further hearing in August.”
Newsweek: White Supremacist Who Encouraged Attacks On Black People Via Telegram Jailed
“A British man who shared terrorist materials and spoke about his hatred of Black people in far-right social media channels has been jailed. Michael Nugent, 38, of Surrey, southeast England, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail on Wednesday, June 23, after pleading guilty to terrorism offenses. Nugent was found to have used different personas on the encrypted messaging service app Telegram to express racists views and his hatred of ethnic minorities, as well as to share terrorism documents with others. Among some of the extremist materials he shared were manuals on how to make explosives and homemade firearms. Nugent also posted an edited video of the Christchurch Mosque terror attack in which Brenton Tarrant killed 51 people in March 2019. According to an extract from the defendant's diary that was read out in Kingston Crown Court, Nugent wrote that ethnic minorities should be “sent home” and “sterilised,” the BBC reported. “We are being genocided in our own homes,” Nugent wrote. “Terrorism is the only way out of it.” Nugent also described the massacre in Christchurch targeting Muslims as a “game changer” on Telegram. He was arrested on August 19, 2020, after London's Met Counter Terrorism officers linked the racist accounts to Nugent.”
France
The National: France Jails Louvre Machete Attacker For 30 Years
“A French court on Thursday jailed for 30 years a man who used machetes to attack soldiers outside the world-famous Louvre museum in Paris. Judges issued the sentence in line with anti-terrorism prosecutors' demands for Egyptian citizen Abdalla El Hamahmi, 33, who did not react from behind his coronavirus mask as it was read to him by an interpreter. El Hamahmi, a married father, rushed at a group of soldiers patrolling the Louvre area early on February 3, 2017, with a machete in each hand and wearing a T-shirt with a skull motif. He wounded one soldier to the scalp before being severely injured when the patrol opened fire. El Hamahmi insisted throughout the trial that he planned to protest against French policy in Syria by destroying masterpieces inside the Louvre, which houses thousands of works including Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. He claimed to have been surprised to encounter soldiers, who have patrolled central Paris since a wave of terrorist attacks that killed more than 250 in France from 2015. El Hamahmi said he attacked them “as a reflex”, saying he was acting “like a robot”. During the trial, tried to deny the authenticity of a video in which he swore allegiance to ISIS.”
Germany
“It was Yom Kippur, it was not every day,” says a witness in “Frontline: Germany’s Neo-Nazis and the Far Right” (Tuesday, 10 p.m., PBS), which opens with memories of the October 2019 attack on a synagogue in Halle, Germany. The attacker, too, knew that it was not every day. It was the one in the year that was most sacred to Jews, which was why there would be a great many of them in the synagogue—a condition essential to his plan. The assassin had come to the scene attired in full combat fatigues. That fact comes from a broadcast bringing word of the attack, a description characteristic of the detail that gives this riveting and richly complex “Frontline” presentation ( Evan Williams, reporter-director) its powerful sense of immediacy. So—if with far less subtlety—do the furious efforts of the attacker with murder in his heart, who keeps trying, and failing, to break through the locked door of the synagogue. Which doesn’t prevent him, a while later, from killing two people at random before he’s captured. This killer, we learn, is 27-year-old Stephan Balliet, a man who lives with his mother and who, as he soon shows, now considers himself a loser: His plan had been to kill many people, and in that he had fallen far short.”
Southeast Asia
Arab News: Philippines Rescues Daughter Of Suicide Bombers From Militant Group
“Philippine security forces have rescued the daughter of suicide bombers from the militant Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG). The girl’s parents were Indonesian nationals 35-year-old Rullie Rian Zeke and his 32-year-old wife Ulfah Handayani Saleh. They were behind the Jan. 2019 attack on a cathedral in the southern island of Jolo that killed 23 people and wounded more than 100 others. The girl, identified as Siti Aisyah Rullie, alias Maryam Israni, was recovered in a joint operation by military and police teams in Barangay Bangkal, Patikul, Sulu, shortly before midnight on Wednesday. “She is estimated to be between 10 and 13 years of age,” Col. Alaric Delos Santos, Western Mindanao Command spokesperson, told Arab News. “There is ongoing coordination with the Department and Social Services, and even with Indonesian authorities, to determine what to do with her.” Aisyah’s parents were members of the Indonesian Daesh-linked group Jamaah Ansharut Daulah and affiliates of the ASG. The cathedral bombing was the first suicide attack in the Philippines to involve a woman. Aisyah was reportedly married to ASG member Rudymar Habib Jihiiran, alias Gulam, and had been indoctrinated to become a suicide bomber like her parents.”
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