“Militants killed at least 45 people in an attack on the town of Faru in
northwest Nigeria, residents and a hospital worker said on Friday. Such viole

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


July 12, 2021

 

Reuters: Gunmen Kill At Least 45 People In Northwest Nigerian Town
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“Militants killed at least 45 people in an attack on the town of Faru in
northwest Nigeria, residents and a hospital worker said on Friday. Such
violence has increasingly become a part of everyday life in the region, with
the Nigerian government and security forces showing little ability to stem the
deterioration of law and order. “The armed bandits stormed Faru town on more
than 100 motorbikes, shooting sporadically on the people at about twelve noon
yesterday,” said Abubakar Iliyasu, a resident who witnessed the attack. Another
resident, Musa Dan Auta, also said the gunmen killed 45 people, while a local
hospital worker who declined to be named for fear of official retaliation said
corpses were brought in. “Yesterday evening, security forces and the local
militia vigilantes brought 29 dead bodies and 11 other injured people into the
hospital,” the worker said. Raids, killings and mass kidnappings for ransom,
particularly of school children, have become commonplace in northwest Nigeria.
The rampant violence has sparked concerns that the region is fallow ground for
extremist groups to move in and take advantage of the absence of governance to
foment insurgency. Nigeria is already fighting a 12-year battle with Islamist
extremists Boko Haram and Islamic State's West African branch, a war which
shows little sign of ending.”

 

Associated Press: Taliban Say They Now Control 85% Of Afghanistan’s Territory
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“The Taliban claimed on Friday that they now control 85% of Afghanistan’s
territory amid a surge in wins on the ground and as American troops complete
their pullout from the war-battered country. The announcement came at a press
conference at the end of a visit by a senior Taliban delegation to Moscow this
week — a trip meant to offer assurances that the insurgents’ quick gains in
Afghanistan do not threaten Russia or its allies in Central Asia. The claim,
which is impossible to verify, was considerably higher than previous Taliban
statements that more than a third of the country’s 421 districts and district
centers were in their control. There was no immediate response from the
government in Kabul on the latest claim. Earlier this week, Taliban advances
forced hundreds of Afghan soldiers to flee across the border into Tajikistan,
which hosts a Russian military base. Tajikistan in turn called up 20,000
military reservists to strengthen its southern border with Afghanistan. Russian
officials have expressed concern that the Taliban surge could destabilize the
ex-Soviet Central Asian nations north of Afghanistan. Since mid-April, when
President Joe Biden announced the end to Afghanistan’s “forever war,” the
Taliban have made strides throughout the country.”

 

United States

 

Associated Press: FBI: Nebraska, Iowa See Jump In Hate Crimes In Recent Years
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“Nebraska and Iowa have seen a rise in hate crimes in recent years, most of
which have been committed on the basis of race and ethnicity, according to the
FBI. The FBI region that includes Nebraska and Iowa has seen a 21% increase in
the reporting of hate crimes in recent years, Eugene Kowel, special agent in
charge at the FBI’s Omaha field office, said Thursday in a news conference.
Kowel cited an Iowa case as an example of the kinds of hate crimes the agency
has seen more of in recent years. In the Iowa case, 43-year-old Nicole Poole
Franklin, of Des Moines, pleaded guilty in April to federal hate crimes for
driving onto Des Moines sidewalks to hit two children in separate attacks in
2019. Authorities said she targeted the children because she thought that one
was Mexican and that the other was part of the Islamic State. The FBI’s Omaha
office has also formed a multicultural advisory council, Kowel said, which is
intended to help guide investigation strategies in hate crimes, he said. The
council is made up of community leaders and individuals from a cross-section of
demographics. Federal officials define a hate crime as a criminal offense, such
as assault or arson, with an added element of bias against the intended
target’s race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender or
gender identity.”

 

Bloomberg Law: Terror Conviction Remains Because Challenge Wouldn’t Reduce Time

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“A defendant’s collateral attack on a conviction for conducting terrorist
activities was rejected by the Second Circuit Friday, because a positive
outcome wouldn’t change the length of time he spends in prison. Oussama Kassir
was convicted in 2009 for providing material support to terrorists, conspiring
to kill in a foreign country, and distributing information about destructive
devices. He received two life sentences on the conspiring to kill charges and a
20-year sentence on the destructive devices charge—all of his sentences ran
concurrently and were affirmed on direct appeal. After the U.S. Supreme Court
handed down Johnson v. United States and…”

 

The Hill: Massachusetts Standoff Reveals Growing Extremist Threat
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“Last Saturday, July 3, U.S. law enforcement members once again confronted
heavily armed extremists. The 11 men arrested along I-95 near Wakefield, Mass.,
are not, however, white supremacists from the Oath Keepers,  Three Percenters,
or Proud Boys but members of a little-known African American group, the Rise of
the Moors. The episode reveals that the threat from domestic extremist groups
is widespread and increasingly diverse. The incident began when a Massachussets
State Trooper stopped to assist drivers of two vehicles refueling by the side
of the road. Seeing that some of the men wore body armor and were armed with
pistols and long guns, the officer asked them for identification, which they
failed to provide. Several of the men fled into the nearby woods, but they
eventually surrendered. The standoff lasted nine hours. To their credit, the
officers resolved the situation peacefully. The group’s leader said they were a
militia from Rhode Island traveling to Maine to engage in training on private
land. The suspects insist they did nothing wrong and were exercising their
second amendment rights to “bear arms.” However, the local district attorney
charged them with having unlicensed guns and other firearms violations.”

 

Syria

 

The National: UK Fixer Paid Smugglers To Spring ISIS Members From Syria Camps
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“A British sales consultant has been convicted of ISIS membership after paying
smugglers with Bitcoin to free the group’s supporters from detention camps in
Syria. Hisham Chaudhary, 28, using the cryptocurrency, received and transferred
thousands of pounds to ensure breakouts from the Kurdish-run camps. Chaudhary
ran a propaganda, communications and funding operation for the terrorist
organisation from his home in Leicester, central England. He proved himself to
be a trusted member of the organisation, creating videos to spread the group’s
ideology. He also sought help to try to prevent the videos from being taken
down. He has been convicted of seven terrorism offences after a five-week trial
in Birmingham, England. Chaudhary, who was detained in November 2019, was held
in prison after the verdicts and will be sentenced in September. Police said he
subscribed to the group's ideology and “immersed himself in supporting their
activities and creating and spreading propaganda on their behalf”. His
activities included setting up safe communication networks for other ISIS
supporters. Martin Snowden, a senior counter-terrorism officer, said: “From the
comfort of his home in the UK, Hisham Chaudhary took an active role in
promoting, supporting and funding terrorism.”

 

The Hill: US Troops In Syria Come Under 'Indirect Fire Attack'
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“U.S. forces in eastern Syria came under indirect fire on Saturday, though no
injuries or casualties have been reported, according to Reuters. A U.S. defense
official told Reuters that that the attack occurred in Conoco, Syria. Though no
one has claimed responsibility for the attack, it is believed to have been part
of a campaign carried out by Iranian-backed militias. The news services notes
that this is the most recent in a spate of attacks on U.S. personnel in Syria
and Iraq. Last Thursday, rockets landed near the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad,
causing some damage in the area. The day before that, over a dozen rockets
struck a base housing U.S. troops in Iraq and resulted in minor injuries. Iraqi
militia groups aligned with Iran — Kata'ib Hezbollah (KH) and Kata'ib Sayyid
al-Shuhada (KSS) — have vowed to attack U.S. forces in both Iraq and Syria in
response to airstrikes carried out on the Iraqi-Syrian border last month that
targeted their facilities and killed four of their members. Iran has denied
supporting these attacks. “As demonstrated by this evening's strikes, President
Biden has been clear that he will act to protect U.S. personnel.”

 

Afghanistan

 

CBS News: U.S. Bolsters Security At Kabul Embassy As Troops Leave Afghanistan
And Taliban Close In
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“U.S. troops will be out of Afghanistan by the end of next month after 20
years of war. President Biden laid out the strategy on Thursday to withdrawal
the remaining American forces, defending the timeline even as the Taliban gain
strength, and take more ground in the country. CBS News correspondent Charlie
D'Agata reports that right across Afghanistan, districts are falling to the
Taliban like dominoes. As U.S. forces head for the exit and the militants inch
closer to the capital, the U.S. Embassy has been taking a hard look at its own
security situation. Charge D'Affaires Ross Wilson, the top U.S. diplomat in
Afghanistan, told D'Agata that the embassy had “added some additional quick
reaction capabilities, in the event that something happens.” Asked if the
embassy had emergency evacuation plans in place in the event of a “worst case
scenario,” Wilson said he didn't think any sudden flight from the
well-fortified compound was “imminent,” but he added that “planning for
evacuations in any post like this is serious business.” There are only a few
miles between the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and the capital's international
airport, which American troops are helping to keep secure. But on the streets
of Kabul, if it ever comes to an emergency evacuation, the roads will be a
no-go.”

 

Yemen

 

Asharq Al-Awsat: Hit, Run Battles Cost Houthis Hundreds Of Militants In
Al-Bayda
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“Within seven days, Houthi militias have deployed some of its most elite
forces in retaliation to military operations mounted by pro-government forces
in Yemen’s central governorate of Al-Bayda, where the Iran-backed group had
lost hold of the districts of al-Zahir and al-Soumaa. Despite sending the
“Hussein Brigades,” the insurgency militia failed in regaining any of the
ground it lost and ended up entangled in hit-and-run battles that saw over 200
Houthi combatants killed, pro-government military media sources revealed.
Meanwhile, Yemeni army forces, backed by the Saudi-led Arab Coalition and
Popular Resistance units, are determined to liberate Al-Bayda from the grip of
Houthis, government sources told Asharq Al-Awsat. Al-Bayda is considered highly
strategic given its geographic location connecting it to eight other
surrounding governorates. Houthis losing the central governorate will deal a
severe blow to the entire insurgency they lead. For the time being, Houthis
shifted their strategy in Al-Bayda to focus on replenishing depleted ranks by
deploying more artillery and fighters while continuing a terror campaign
against local tribes. Houthis are also isolating Al-Bayda locals by cutting off
communications and spreading fake news.”

 

Lebanon

 

The Times Of Israel: Troops Foil Mass Gun-Smuggling Attempt From Lebanon;
Probe If Hezbollah Involved
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“Israeli security forces foiled an attempt to smuggle dozens of weapons from
Lebanon into northern Israel overnight Friday, with police and the Israel
Defense Forces announcing on Saturday that they were investigating whether it
was carried out with the help of the Hezbollah terror group. In a statement,
police said the 43 weapons and ammunition seized were worth NIS 2.7 million
(approximately $820,000). According to Hebrew media reports, it was the largest
stash of weapons intercepted in recent years. There were no reports of any
arrests. The smuggling attempt near the village of Ghajar was carried out using
both “overt and covert methods,” the army said, without giving further details.
Hezbollah has long maintained control over the area adjacent to the border with
Israel and is unlikely to have been unaware of such smuggling operations. The
IDF released video footage it said was of the smugglers during the incident.
Last month Israel arrested a suspect and seized a number of weapons during an
apparently similar smuggling attempt. According to the police, a resident of
Ein Qiniyye, a Druze village in the Golan Heights, was arrested in a field near
the town of Metula, adjacent to the border with Lebanon, as he was attempting
to smuggle the supply of weapons in a tractor, under the guise of agricultural
activity.”

 

Egypt

 

The Times Of Israel: Egypt Upholds Life Sentences Of 10 Muslim Brotherhood
Leaders
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“Egypt’s highest appeals court has upheld the sentencing of ten leaders of
Egypt’s outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, including the group’s head, to life
imprisonment, the state-owned MENA news agency reports. In 2019, a Cairo
criminal court found all ten, including the group’s Supreme Guide Mohamed
Badie, guilty of charges related to killing policemen and organizing mass jail
breaks during Egypt’s 2011 uprising. That revolt culminated in the ouster of
longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak. The defendants were found guilty of helping
around 20,000 prisoners escape, and of undermining national security by
conspiring with foreign terror groups — the Palestinian Hamas and Lebanon’s
Hezbollah. Meanwhile, the Court of Cassation acquittes eight middle-rank
leaders of the nation’s oldest Islamist organization, who were sentenced
earlier to 15 years in prison. All of the sentences, which the court considered
on appeal, are final.”

 

Somalia

 

Associated Press: Extremist Attack In Somalia’s Capital Kills At Least 9
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“A large explosion in Somalia’s capital killed at least nine people and
injured eight others, a health official said Saturday. Dr. Mohamed Nur at the
Medina Hospital told reporters that the toll reflected only the dead and
wounded who were taken to the facility in Mogadishu where he works. “I am sure
the number is bigger as some of the victims were rushed to other hospitals,
such as the privately owned ones,” he said. The al-Shabab extremist group
claimed responsibility. A Somali police spokesman said Mogadishu’s police
commissioner, Col. Farhan Mohamud Qaroleh, was the target of the attack but he
was safe. “A suicide car bomber with heavy explosives plotted by the terrorist
group al-Shabab has targeted the Mogadishu police commissioner,” police
spokesman Sadiq Adam Ali said. “They hit the vehicle of the Mogadishu police
commissioner.” It was the second such large explosion in the city this month. A
blast targeting a teashop killed at least 10 people last week. Last month, a
suicide bomb attack at a military base in Mogadishu killed at least 15 people.”

 

Africa

 

Al Jazeera: France To Pull More Than 2,000 Troops From Africa’s Sahel Region
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“France will soon begin reshaping its military presence in the Sahel region of
West Africa and will ultimately halve it, President Emmanuel Macron has said.
Macron announced last month that he would start removing much of the
5,100-member Barkhane force in the Sahel after eight years of helping local
forces stave off the threat from armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL
(ISIS). “We will remain committed. But to remain committed is also to adapt,”
Macron told a news conference on Friday after a virtual summit with leaders of
Niger, Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso and Mauritania that make up the G5 Sahel
region. Macron announced that France would reduce its force to 2,500 to 3,000
troops over the long term. The French leader insisted that his country is not
abandoning African partners, and would keep helping them fight groups linked to
al-Qaeda and ISIL. “France doesn’t have the vocation or the will to stay
eternally in the Sahel,” Macron said. “We are there because we were asked to
be.” French troops have been present in Mali since 2013, when they intervened
to force armed rebels from power in towns across the country’s north. Operation
Serval was later replaced by Barkhane and was expanded to include other
countries in an effort to help stabilise the broader Sahel region.”

 

Voice Of America: Rwanda Sends 1,000 Soldiers, Police To Fight Mozambique
Militants
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“Rwanda says it is sending 1,000 security personnel to Cabo Delgado province
in northern Mozambique to help fight Islamist militants who have terrorized the
region. In a statement issued Friday on the government's website, Rwanda said
the deployment would start immediately and was being done at the request of the
Mozambican government. Mozambican officials did not respond to VOA’s request
for comment Friday. “We are deploying 1,000 soldiers and policemen to help
Mozambique in the fight against jihadists in Cabo Delgado,” Rwandan army
spokesman Colonel Ronald Rwivanga told VOA’s Central African Service. The
Rwandan government said its troops would join forces with Mozambique’s and
others from the South African Development Community to “support efforts to
restore Mozambican state authority by conducting combat and security
operations.” SADC countries agreed last month to deploy forces to troubled Cabo
Delgado but have yet to announce the size of the force or a timeline. Rwanda is
not a member of the 16-country bloc. Cabo Delgado has experienced several years
of unrest that intensified in 2020, when Islamist extremists seized parts of
the province, including the city of Mocimboa da Praia.”

 

France 24: Dozens Killed In Niger After 'Terrorists' On Motorcycles Attack
Village
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“Five civilians, four soldiers and 40 armed attackers were killed Sunday in a
clash in Niger's restive southwest region near the border with Mali, the
government said. Around 100 heavily armed “terrorists” riding motorcycles
attacked the Tchoma Bangou village, striking around 3 pm Sunday, Niger's
Ministry of Defence said in a statement read on public television that did not
identify who it suspected was behind the latest deadly incident. The “prompt
and vigorous reaction” by the Defense and Security Forces (FDS), “made it
possible to repel the attack and inflict heavy losses on the enemy”, the
ministry said, adding that its soldiers had seized motorcycles and a cache of
weapons, including AK47s and machine guns, from the assailants. Tchoma Bangou
is located in the Tillaberi region, bordering Mali and Burkina Faso, an area
known as “the three borders” that has been regularly targeted by jihadist
groups. Tillaberi has been under a state of emergency since 2017. The
authorities have banned motorbike traffic night and day for a year and ordered
the closure of certain markets suspected of supplying “terrorists.”

 

Punch: Fending Off Global Terror Influx In Africa
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“The global terrorist influx into Africa with Nigeria as one of its epicentres
is gathering renewed international attention. Expert assessment of recent
jihadist expansion in sub-Saharan Africa coincided with a summit of the Global
Coalition to Defeat ISIS held in Rome, Italy, where a new continental task
force was proposed among other measures to combat the growing threat. Nigeria
and other countries should deploy vigorous proactive strategies in coordination
with international partners to crush the home-grown groups and deny jihadism
its desired continental operational base. Recently, The Guardian (London)
reported that following recent gains in Nigeria, the Sahel, in Mozambique and
the Democratic Republic of the Congo, ISIS propaganda published by the group’s
leadership in its heartland in the Middle East is increasingly stressing
sub-Saharan Africa as a new front which, may compensate the group for
significant setbacks elsewhere. A French expert on jihad, Olivier Guitta of
GlobalStrat Risk Consultancy has also predicted: “Africa is going to be the
battleground of jihad for the next 20 years and it’s going to replace the
Middle East.” But some African leaders still appear ignorant of the existential
danger posed by global Islamic terrorism.”

 

Southeast Asia

 

Associated Press: 2 Suspected IS-Linked Militants Killed In Central Indonesia
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“Indonesian security forces on Sunday killed two suspected militants with ties
to the Islamic State group who were believed to be connected to the killing of
Christian farmers on Sulawesi island, the country’s military said. The two men,
identified as Rukli and Ahmad Gazali, were fatally shot during a pre-dawn raid
by a five-man team of military and police in Central Sulawesi province’s
mountainous Parigi Moutong district, said Maj. Gen. Richard Tampubolon, who
heads the joint operation. Parigi Moutong borders Poso district, considered an
extremist hotbed in the province. Security operations in Central Sulawesi have
intensified in recent months to try to capture members of the East Indonesia
Mujahideen network, particularly targeting Ali Kalora, the group’s leader and
Indonesia’s most wanted militant. The network pledged allegiance to the Islamic
State group in 2014. Tampubolon said the security team located the militant
camp on Wednesday in the densely forested village of Tanah Lanto. The team was
able to approach the camp early Sunday with five militants inside, however
three militants escaped the firefight into the jungle, Tampubolon said in a
statement. He said security forces were still searching for the seven remaining
members of group who are still at large, including Kalora.”



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