“U.S.-backed Syrian fighters and American troops foiled an attack with drones
Wednesday on a base housing members of the U.S.-led coalition in eastern

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


July 8, 2021

 

ABC News: Bases Housing US Troops In Iraq, Syria Attacked; 2 Injured
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“U.S.-backed Syrian fighters and American troops foiled an attack with drones
Wednesday on a base housing members of the U.S.-led coalition in eastern Syria,
the Syrian Democratic Forces said. In neighboring Iraq, rockets hit a base
housing U.S. troops, inflicting two minor injuries. The attacks come as tension
has been on the rise between U.S. troops and Iran-backed fighters after
American airstrikes in eastern Syria killed four Iraqi fighters late last month
in areas along the Syria-Iraq border. The Pentagon said targets attacked on
June 27, were facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups to support drone
strikes inside Iraq. The spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition Col. Wayne
Marotto said that Al-Assad Air Base in western Iraq was attacked early in the
afternoon by 14 rockets that landed on the base and its perimeter, prompting
the activation of defensive measures. Marotto later tweeted: “100 %
accountability at Ain Al-Assad Air Base after rocket attack. Two personnel
sustained minor injuries." The damage was still to be assessed, he added
without elaborating.”

 

Reuters: 18 Nigerian Villagers Killed By Suspected Islamist Militants
-Officials
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“Suspected Islamist militants killed 18 people when they attacked a village in
northeast Nigeria on Wednesday, two local officials said. Attacks by Islamist
militants have been intensifying in northeast Nigeria in recent months, with
dozens of soldiers killed and thousands of Nigerians displaced. Wednesday's
attack took place in Dabna, a village near the administrative area of Hong in
the state of Adamawa, the officials said. James Pukuma, chairman of the Hong
administrative area, told Reuters that 18 people had been killed when a group
of gunmen on motorcycles stormed the village and some residents fled. Two
churches and a house belonging to a local resident were set on fire, said
Mohammed Aminu, the chairman of Adamawa state emergency agency. "The attack
took place in the early hours of Wednesday, about 5 a.m," said Aminu. Two
residents of Hong said the gunmen proceeded to nearby villages of Kwapre and
Garka, where they shot and injured some people. Police spokesman for Adamawa
state Sulieman Nguroje said police could not comment. A third resident said an
unknown number of people were injured and taken to Hong Federal Medical centre
in Yola, the state capital.”

 

United States

 

USA Today: Justice IG: Badly Depleted US Prison Chaplain Corps 'Impairs'
Safety; Terror Inmates Leading Religious Services
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“The chaplain corps serving the vast federal prison system is so badly
depleted that officials have allowed inmates convicted of terror-related
offenses or with links to terrorist organizations to lead religious services,
an internal Justice Department review found. Justice Inspector General Michael
Horowitz's report found that the chaplain ranks, with 236 serving more than
150,000 inmates, is down by 30% and represents just eight of 24 faith groups
recognized by the federal prison system. "We found that a significant shortage
in the number of chaplains and other chaplaincy services staff impairs the
BOP’s ability to implement a safe and effective religious services program,"
the report concluded, noting that officials relied on alternate inmate-led
programs "without ensuring adequate supervision and oversight..." "For example,
we found that some institutions permitted inmates with a known nexus to
international or domestic terrorism to lead religious services," according to
the report. Justice auditors said prison staffers "consistently" reported that
inmate-led services presented "safety and security risks" and the potential for
inmates to radicalize others while serving in religious leadership roles.”

 

Military Times: Proposal Would Push VA Leaders To Address Issue Of Extremism
In The Veterans Community
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“House lawmakers want Veterans Affairs officials to start talking to veterans
about misinformation and extremism online. Included in the House Appropriations
Committee’s proposal for more than $270 billion in department funding next
fiscal year is language focused on “the unique vulnerabilities that veterans
face online,” to include targeting of veterans by extremist organizations and
groups focused on sowing division in the military community. “Efforts to spread
extremist views and conspiracy theories among the veteran community have had
severely damaging effects, such as spreading conspiracies that may have
motivated participation in the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6,” a report on the
budget proposal states. It also calls for the department to “establish a
comprehensive, evidence-based program to educate veterans about malign
influences, transition assistance to include specialized counseling services,
as well as research into operations and methods to discern against
disinformation.” The specifics of what that will entail remain unclear. The
budget bill is likely months away from becoming law, and the provision could be
dropped during negotiations with Senate appropriators on the funding measures.”

 

Syria

 

The National: Hate Preacher's Regret After Recruiting Dozens For ISIS
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“A notorious hate preacher jailed for 20 years for recruiting dozens of
Austrians to fight for ISIS expressed remorse for his sermons on Wednesday as
he gave evidence in a new terrorism trial, local media reported. Mirsad
Omerovic, whose lectures inspired a wave of young people to leave for the
battlefields of Syria, told a court in Vienna that his lectures had caused a
lot of harm and that he regretted not being able to undo his actions. Omerovic,
who was jailed in 2016, was speaking on the opening day of a trial of a group
of alleged ISIS sympathisers. They included a Chechen martial arts expert,
identified only as Turpal I, who is accused of joining combat units in Syria
where he was allegedly involved in killings and beheadings. The preacher, 39,
who also faces charges, told the court that he had persuaded Turpal I to go to
Syria but could not say what happened when he got there. “I made mistakes, I
admit it,” he was quoted as saying by the Austrian daily Kronen Zeitung. “My
lectures have caused a lot of harm.” Turpal I appeared for the first day of the
trial despite being released from prison in May because of the time taken to
bring the case to court. He had spent two years in pretrial detention before he
was freed. He told reporters that he had been working as a tiler before the
trial.”

 

Kurdistan 24: 15 Dutch Women With Links To ISIS Escape Camp In Northeast Syria
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“Fifteen Dutch women with alleged ties to ISIS have escaped from camps in
northeast Syria where they were being held, the Dutch government confirmed on
Monday. So far, no male ISIS-affiliated prisoners from the Netherlands are
known to have escaped camps or prisons in the area. In an update on the
European nation’s contribution to the anti-ISIS Coalition’s mission, Caretaker
Foreign Affairs Minister Sigrid Kaag and Defence Minister Ank Bijleveld told
the Dutch parliament on Monday that little was known so far regarding the
escapees’ identities or age. “It's also often unclear when they escaped,” Kaag
and Bijleveld said. The women were living in al-Hol and al-Roj displacement
camps, controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which the
Dutch ministers characterized as “under pressure due to the high number of
persons in the camps and the COVID-pandemic.” “The security within the camps is
fragile, and international organizations often report on violence,
radicalization and recruitment by ISIS. For this reason, the SDF recently
carried out a security operation in which over 100 persons were arrested who
were suspected of ISIS-activities.” In November, the Dutch government
previously confirmed that other women had escaped from al-Hol camp.”

 

Iraq

 

Al Monitor: Iraqi Government Calls Militia's Attack On US Base Terrorism
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“For the third day in a row, US bases are being targeted by militias in Iraq.
The latest attack is significant due to the number of rockets and the fact that
it caused injuries, unlike earlier incidents. The attack took place around noon
local time on July 7, when 14 rockets hit the Ain al-Asad base and led to at
least two injuries, according to coalition spokesperson Col. Wayne Marotto. The
attack was launched from a residential area in Al-Baghdadi city in Anbar
governorate. A rocket launcher shot 14 from a small truck carrying dozens of
rockets. The rest exploded, damaging nearby homes and a mosque, according to a
statement by the Security Media Cell. The attack was immediately claimed by a
newly formed militia that is believed to be a new front for one of the main
militias. “Our mujahideen were able to target the Ain al-Asad base occupied by
the Americans in Anbar province with 30 Grad missiles at exactly 12:33. The
targets were hit with high accuracy and we renew our call for the brutal
occupation … to leave our land defeated and broken,” read the statement signed
by Al-Muhandis Revenge Brigade.”

 

Turkey

 

Daily Sabah: Drug Gang Suspects Accused Of Funding Terrorist Groups In Turkey
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“Indictments have been handed down in Turkey’s largest operations against
international drug smugglers, charging the alleged drug lords with funneling
money to the PKK terrorist group and the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ). Nejat
Daş and Çetin Gören, the two main suspects in the indictment covering 73
defendants, including a former police chief, face hundreds of years in prison
on charges of running a criminal organization and laundering money. The
suspects were rounded up in an international operation dubbed “Operation Swamp”
last summer. A court accepted the indictment on Tuesday and a hearing has yet
to be scheduled at a court in the capital, Ankara. Following the operation,
Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu announced that the suspects, who had
international connections, had accumulated criminal revenue amounting to more
than TL 500 million ($57.6 million). Authorities have seized suspects' assets,
which include luxury cars, residences and bank accounts. The operation was
carried out after months of surveillance that started in 2019 following an
intelligence tip-off from South Africa about the drug dealings of Gören.”

 

Afghanistan

 

The New York Times: Taliban Attack A Provincial Capital In Afghanistan’s
North, Freeing Prisoners
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“The Taliban pushed their way into a provincial capital in Afghanistan’s
northwest on Wednesday, freeing prisoners there and threatening to overrun the
city itself. Details were murky from the city, Qala-e-Naw, the capital of
Badghis Province, where fighting was widespread. Videos posted on social media
showed some residents welcoming Taliban fighters on motorbikes as they entered.
“The entire city is under control of the Taliban,” said Abdul Rahim Rahin, a
member of Parliament from Badghis, though his statement could not be
immediately confirmed. Reports from the city in the afternoon said that
airstrikes by the Afghan Air Force had helped push back the Taliban fighters.
Despite dire reports from the ground, a statement from the Ministry of Defense
on Wednesday afternoon said the Taliban were “fleeing” and that “in the next
few hours, all parts of the city will be cleared.” The assault on Qala-e-Naw is
the latest in the Taliban’s recent offensive, which began in earnest as U.S.
and international forces began withdrawing from the country in May. In the span
of just over two months, the Taliban have managed to seize at least 150 of
Afghanistan’s roughly 400 districts.”

 

The Washington Post: Taliban’s Rapid Advance Across Afghanistan Puts Key
Cities At Risk Of Being Overtaken
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“The Taliban’s mounting pressure campaign on key cities across Afghanistan
continued Wednesday as fighters battled government forces in the capital of
Badghis province, the latest advance in a string of attacks on
government-controlled districts since foreign forces began to withdraw in May.
Clashes reached the city center Wednesday, but Afghan government officials said
the city remains in government control. Videos circulated by Taliban spokesmen
showed cheering civilians on the outskirts of Qala-e Nau as dozens of militants
sped by on motorcycles. In a video released by the Afghan government, the
province’s governor — holding a rifle and wearing an ammunition vest — pledged
to defend the city. “The Taliban suffered casualties and were defeated,”
Hasamuddin Shams, the provincial governor, said in the video as explosions
rumbled in the background. Hours later, Ajmal Omar Shinwari, a spokesman for
Afghanistan’s security forces, said the city’s perimeter had been secured. The
assault on Badghis comes as the Taliban has besieged the capitals of several
provinces across the country by overrunning surrounding districts, according to
interviews with local officials.”

 

Bloomberg: Iran Hosts Taliban Talks With Afghan Officials As U.S. Exits War
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“Iran is hosting talks between senior Taliban negotiators and officials from
the Afghan government, as the militants make rapid territorial gains ahead of
the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces. The Taliban said its delegation was led
by Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, deputy head of the movement’s political
office in Qatar, where months of formal peace talks between the Afghan
adversaries appear to have stalled. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency on
Wednesday published video of the meeting chaired by Iranian Foreign Minister
Mohammad Javad Zarif in Tehran, without naming any of the Afghans present.
“Iran is ready to help in the process of dialog between different factions in
order to resolve the current conflicts and crises in Afghanistan,” Tasnim
quoted Zarif as saying. The Taliban’s Mohammad Suhail Shaheen, another of the
group’s negotiators, said discussions would “touch on the current situation of
the country and exchange views on a peaceful solution of the issue.” Iran’s
long border with Afghanistan places it on the front lines if fighting escalates
and triggers a refugee crisis. The two countries have deep historical and
cultural ties, and Iran is already home to almost 3 million displaced Afghans,
according to the United Nations.”

 

Nigeria

 

All Africa: Nigeria: Boko Haram Killed Over 40,000 Nigerians In 20 Years, Says
Report <[link removed]>

 

“The International Committee on Nigeria (ICON) in collaboration with the
International Organisation for Peace Building and Social Justice (PSJ) has
published a report on genocide, religious persecution, among other crimes in
Nigeria. The report titled 'Nigeria's Silent Slaughter: Genocide in Nigeria and
the Implications for the International Community,' revealed how the Boko Haram
terrorist group killed more than 40,000 Nigerians. It also exposed the ongoing
attack by militants, who according to the report, killed many Nigerians,
primarily Christian farmers. Based on the data collected between January 2000
and January 2020, deaths resulting from militant attacks are recorded to be
19,101 across the country. Similarly, 52, 861 is recorded to have been killed
by the Boko Haram terrorists' group, while 44,303 were documented killed by
other actors. The report presents researched and documented data and analysis
that highlights the critical need for intervention by the United States
(coordinated by an empowered presidential envoy) to address this situation in
Nigeria and the Lake Chad region.”

 

Somalia

 

The Hill: The Violence In Somalia Needs To Be Addressed
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“Somalia’s Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble unveiled the timetable for
indirect parliamentary and presidential elections. The timetable schedules
elections for the upper house to take place on July 25 and the lower house
between August 10 and September 10. Afterward, both houses will convene to vote
for the presidency on October 10. The delayed election comes at a tense time
and could spiral into widespread violence unless more is done to address the
root causes of violence. Since the formation of the Somali National Movement in
the 1980s, violence in Somalia has become the norm. Whether it is violent
attacks by al-Shabaab, civilian deaths from U.S. drone strikes, the government
firing on protesters, or the failure of AMISOM to protect civilians, violence
continues to be a daily reality for the people of Somalia. The escalating
situation in Somalia is more than a constitutional crisis. The 30-year-old
armed conflict has become one of the most complex, multi-dimensional security
crises in the world. The way forward needs to include local civil society and
peacebuilding actors working alongside security actors to bridge the
state-society divide.”

 

Africa

 

Africanews: East African Intelligence Chiefs Call For United Front Against
Terrorism
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“Rebel groups and terrorist forces are in disarray and would soon be
neutralised across East Africa. A senior representative of the government of
the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Claude Ibalanky Ekolomba declared this
Tuesday, at the fourth meeting of Heads of Intelligence and Security services
of the DRC, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, and Tanzania in Bujumbura. "The current
attacks that you are talking about are groups that are in disarray as they
flee, they commit massacres on the way, so it doesn't bother us, especially
since we know that they have been uprooted from where they were positioned or
based. So, in a short time, we won't talk about it anymore". Ekolomba said.
Centered on the theme: "confidence building towards enhanced regional
cooperation to neutralize negative forces," the meeting of the heads of
intelligence and security services was the fourth edition. Referring to the
recent terrorist attacks on Catholic churches in the DRC, he said that the
Islamic State wants to settle in the region. Hence the need for a coalition to
confront it. "It is no secret that the Islamic State wants to settle in the
Great Lakes region using the DRC as their base, but they have already been
uprooted in the two bases, the two points where they were centered.”

 

United Kingdom

 

The Independent: Convicted Murderer Who Fought Fishmongers’ Hall Terrorist
With Narwhal Tusk To Be Released From Prison
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“A convicted murderer who fought the Fishmongers’ Hall terrorist with a
narwhal tusk is to be freed from prison. Steven Gallant, 44, was among the
inmates attending an event held by Cambridge University’s Learning Together
rehabilitation scheme on 29 November 2019. He was in a workshop when another
attendee, Usman Khan, launched a terror attack armed with two large knives and
wearing a fake suicide vest. Inquests into his victims’ deaths heard how
Gallant, who was on day release at the time, ran towards sounds of a commotion.
He started hitting Khan with pieces of wood and chairs, before trying to stab
the terrorist in the chest with an ornamental narwhal tusk. The makeshift
weapon snapped but the battle continued, and Gallant and others chased Khan out
of Fishmongers’ Hall and onto London Bridge. The inquests heard that Gallant
tackled Khan to the ground and subdued him with a punch to the face before
armed police arrived and shot him dead. Speaking of the struggle, Gallant told
the inquests he had seen Khan’s realistic-looking suicide vest but “chose to
ignore it” so he could keep fighting. After Khan was shot, he returned to
Fishmongers’ Hall and tried to help injured victims.”

 

Germany

 

Deutsche Welle: Vienna Terror Attack: Police Search Suspects' Homes In Germany
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“German police announced Wednesday they raided the homes of two alleged
accomplices of the November 2020 terror attack in Vienna that left four dead
and more than 20 injured. The German Federal Prosecutor's Office in Karlsruhe
said the two accused, Blinor S., a national of Kosovo, and Drilon G., a German
national, are believed to have had advanced knowledge of the attack and failed
to report that such an attack was imminent. The raids were carried out in their
homes in Osnabrück and Kassel.  Before Kujtim Fejzulai, a dual citizen of
Austria and North Macedonia, was killed by police following the attack, the two
alleged accomplices visited him for several days in July 2020. Shortly before
their visit, Fejzulai acquired the weapon he used in the attack.  Both men had
been targets of the investigation since shortly after the attack due to DNA
traces on the rapid-fire rifle used in the attack. Prosecutors allege that on
the day of the attack on November 2, even before the attack got underway, the
two men deleted their communications on social media with the attacker. 
Fejzulai had a previous conviction for trying to join the "Islamic State" in
Syria.”

 

Europe

 

AFP: ‘Alarming’: Austria Passes Heavily Criticised Terrorism Law
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“Austria's National Assembly on Wednesday adopted a heavily criticised
anti-terror law that was formulated in the wake of a deadly jihadist terror
attack and allows for increased surveillance.  After a sympathiser of the
Islamic State group (IS) group killed four people in central Vienna in
November, the conservative party (OeVP) of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz pushed for
new anti-terror laws. Judges, rights groups and the opposition have criticised
the legislation, passed on Wednesday for a measures in which released terror
offenders would be monitored with electronic ankle bracelets. Some have also
criticised a new offence of “religiously motivated” crimes. “Highlighting
‘religious motivation’ for crimes is unnecessary at best, but also worrisome
from a fundamental rights point of view,” the president of the Austrian Judges’
Association, Sabine Matejka, told AFP Wednesday. “It’s alarming that other
motivations aren’t highlighted as well, like racism,” Matejka said. Although
the Justice Ministry did say the criticism would be “examined”, the law passed
without further revisions. The new legislation also regulates Islamic religious
activity, in particular through a mandatory register of all imams, a measure
criticised by representatives of the Muslim community and by church leaders.”

 

Southeast Asia

 

The Wall Street Journal: Suicide Attack On Hong Kong Police Officer Highlights
Tension Over China’s Rule
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“Few people appeared to notice the middle-aged man as he walked up to one of
dozens of police officers patrolling one of Hong Kong’s busiest streets on the
July 1 anniversary of the city’s return to Chinese rule. The 50-year-old man
dressed in gray pulled a knife out of his pocket and stabbed the officer in the
back. As the officer staggered toward colleagues, the assailant stabbed himself
in the heart and collapsed as officers rushed to subdue him. He died a short
time later. The evening attack, which was partly captured on video, signalled a
potential shift to more extreme tactics by some government opponents, as police
enforce China’s national-security law that has all but eliminated avenues for
political dissent. The response to the attack shows the deep divisions that
persist in the city after authorities curtailed street demonstrations, jailed
opposition figures and silenced dissenting voices. Many have mourned the
attacker, who was identified as Leung Kin-fai by a well-known beverage company
where he worked as a purchasing manager. Some brought flowers to Causeway Bay,
a busy shopping district where the attack took place. Others left messages on
social media calling him a martyr.”



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