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Eye on Extremism
July 27, 2021
France 24: France, UK Sign New Security Deal To Protect Against Channel Terror Threat
“Britain and France on Tuesday signed a new security deal aimed at protecting the public in the event of a terror attack in the Channel against a large vessel such as a passenger ferry, the British government said. The UK-France Maritime Security Treaty was signed in Paris as the defence and foreign ministers from both sides met for talks on shared security interests. The British government said in a statement that the treaty is the foundation for "seamless joint and coordinated action to be taken by UK and French forces in response to an incident, such as a terrorist attack on board a ferry or other large vessel in the Channel." The treaty includes provisions which will enable Britain and France to share information concerning potential threats, mount swifter responses to serious incidents, and coordinate more efficient joint responses. "As close allies it is vital the UK and France work together to protect our citizens and values," said British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. The treaty "will reinforce our ability to jointly respond swiftly and effectively to terrorist threats in the Channel," he added. There was no immediate communication on the new treaty from the French government. The British government emphasised that the treaty is aimed at fighting terror threats and incidents in the Channel and is not intended to tackle illegal migration.”
CNN: Civilian Casualties In Afghanistan Hit Record High Amid US Withdrawal, UN Says
“Civilian casualties in Afghanistan reached record levels in the first half of 2021, the United Nations warned Monday, noting that deaths and injuries spiked markedly from May when the United States and its allies began withdrawing troops from the country. Some 5,183 casualties were recorded in the first six months of the year -- a 47% increase from 2020 -- the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) found in a report. The number of deaths and injuries recorded during May and June alone was 2,392, almost as high as the total for the preceding four months, when 2,791 casualties were recorded. UNAMA said 2021 would be the deadliest year for Afghan civilians since its records began unless urgent action was taken to tackle violence in the country. The report added that it was "sickening" that almost half of all casualties had been women and children, who have been killed and injured in record numbers this year. Some 32% of casualties were children, while 14% were women -- with a combined total of 687 dead and 1,722 injured. The UNAMA report noted that for the first time, no casualties were attributed to international military action but rather that fighting had "taken on a distinctly Afghan fighting Afghan character."
United States
“The Anti-Defamation League is urging action from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) against a number of extremist and hate groups, including some associated with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, that it says may be using their non-profit status to “further their violent objectives or enrich their leaders.” The ADL published a report Monday identifying a number of extremist and hateful groups operating as “charitable” 501 (c)(3) or (c)(4) organizations it said appear to be abusing their tax-exempt status. Through analyzing the filings of more than 30 different groups, the ADL found some had misrepresented their purpose to gain non-profit status. For example, American Patriot Vanguard, a group that appears to be connected to the anti-government militia known as the Three Percenters, was granted tax-exempt status in 2019 after it said its purpose was to “provide assistance to underserved communities and our veterans.” Once registered as non-profits, a number of groups seem to have abused their status in other ways, says the ADL, which found instances of dealing leaders excessive salaries (representing more than half of an entity’s annual revenue in some cases) and diverting funds to enrich friends and family members.”
Iraq
The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Combat Role In Iraq To End This Year, Biden Says
“President Biden said the U.S. combat mission in Iraq would conclude by the end of 2021, but the U.S. military would continue to work with Iraqi forces in their fight against the Islamic State militant group. “We are not going to be, by the end of the year, in a combat mission,” Mr. Biden said Monday at the start of a White House meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. The president said U.S. military forces would “be available to continue to train, to assist, to help and to deal with ISIS.” The announcement is intended to help Mr. Kadhimi blunt criticism from hard-line Shiite politicians at home, who have been demanding that the approximately 2,500-strong American force leave Iraq. U.S. officials, however, say it won’t lead to a significant reduction in the number of American troops in the country nor fundamentally alter their mission. The focus of the American deployment has long been on advising and training Iraqi troops, which mainly takes place within the confines of large bases. The Iraqi military has been supported by American air power in carrying out their fight against cells of Islamic State militants and Iraqi officials have signaled they expect this to continue. In a Monday evening meeting with reporters, Mr. Kadhimi said his meeting with Mr. Biden had given a “boost of legitimacy” to Iraq’s relations with Washington.”
Voice Of America: Islamic State Resilient As Ever In Iraq, Syria
“Intelligence agencies studying the fate of the Islamic State in Iraq fear the terror group is not going anywhere, even as U.S. combat forces in the country prepare to "recede deep into the background" and leave the brunt of the work to Iraqi forces. The assessment is one of the key findings in a report released by the United Nation's sanctions monitoring team, which warns that despite setbacks, IS, also known as ISIS or ISIL, is poised to be a problem for some time to come in Iraq and in neighboring Syria, as well. "The group has evolved into an entrenched insurgency, exploiting weaknesses in local security to find safe havens and targeting forces engaged in counter-ISIL operations," according to the report released Friday, which was based on member state intelligence. "Attacks in Baghdad in January and April 2021 underscore the group's resilience despite heavy counter-terrorism pressure from Iraqi authorities," the report added. IS "is likely to continue attacking civilians and other soft targets in the capital whenever possible to garner media attention and embarrass the Government of Iraq.”
Afghanistan
The Wall Street Journal: How To Avert Disaster In Afghanistan
“The situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating rapidly. As the U.S. and its international partners withdrew military forces over the past few months, the Taliban roughly tripled the territory under its control. If the U.S. and allies don’t take urgent action, the world will bear witness to a disaster. The Taliban and its allies have taken control of more than 145 districts over the past two months, according to Foundation for Defense of Democracies analysts. The Taliban now threaten half of Afghanistan’s provincial capitals. The Taliban offensive in the north is particularly consequential because it is designed to strike the Afghan government’s power base and pre-empt the reconstitution of an anti-Taliban “northern alliance.” The point is clear: The Taliban intends to isolate and overthrow the government in Kabul. An American priority must be preventing the collapse of the Afghan government, lest the Taliban’s partners, including al Qaeda and other jihadist terrorists, re-establish a base to plan, prepare and direct attacks against the U.S., its allies and others who don’t conform to their perverted interpretation of Islam. Other objectives should include limiting the humanitarian disaster and ensuring that the gains the Afghan people—especially women and girls—made since 2001 aren’t lost.”
Financial Times: Russia Seeks To Forge Ties With Taliban As US Troops Leave Afghanistan
“Russia is stepping into the security vacuum created by the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, with President Vladimir Putin looking to re-exert influence in central Asia and prevent Islamist extremism from spilling over the borders. Moscow last week moved tanks to the Tajikistan-Afghanistan frontier for military drills to shield its ally from a possible collapse of the Kabul government, as the resurgent Taliban continues to advance and the US prepares to end a 20-year military mission that has failed to bring peace to the troubled country. Russia, which has cheered a US exit despite parallels with the Soviet Union’s humiliating 1989 retreat from Afghanistan, was one of the first to publicly engage with the Taliban. It hosted a 2018 delegation to spur peace efforts, the start of a series of meetings since, despite the fact it considers the Taliban a banned terrorist organisation. “Putin’s play is to embarrass the US,” said Asfandyar Mir, a fellow at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University. “Russia doesn’t want US-backed regimes in its backyard.” Instead, Putin is putting faith in a new relationship with the Taliban that he hopes will contain the threat from Isis and al-Qaeda.”
Pakistan
Voice Of America: Afghan Forces Seek Refuge In Pakistan After Fleeing Taliban Attack
“Pakistan said Monday dozens of Afghan border forces, including several officers, took refuge on the Pakistani side after being unable to hold their military posts apparently in the wake of advances by Taliban insurgents inside Afghanistan. Stepped up Taliban attacks in recent weeks have forced hundreds of pro-Afghan government forces to escape to Tajikistan, Iran, China and Pakistan, enabling the insurgents to seize landlocked Afghanistan’s strategic border crossings with these neighbors. The Pakistani military said in a statement Monday that a local Afghan army commander at the border crossing in the northwestern town of Chitral late Sunday “requested…for refuge and safe passage for 46 soldiers and police, including five officers…due to [the] evolving security situation in Afghanistan.” The Afghan personnel “have been provided food, shelter and necessary medical care as per established military norms” and they will be repatriated to the Kabul government after due process, the statement added. The Pakistani army noted that in early July it had also given “refuge/safe passage” to a group of 35 Afghan border forces under similar circumstances before they were handed over to Kabul.”
Middle East
The Jerusalem Post: Jordan Foils Plot To Kill IDF Soldiers - Report
“Jordan has thwarted an attempt by Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists to kill IDF soldiers near the border with Israel, the Jordanian newspaper Al-Rai revealed on Tuesday. Four ISIS terrorists were arrested in February in connection with the planned attack, which was supposed to take place in the Ghor es-Safi area in the Jordan Valley, the newspaper said. Ghor es-Safi is situated between the governorates of Karak and Tafilah, near the southern Dead Sea. The four have been charged with conspiring to carry out terrorist attacks and promoting the ideology of a terrorist group, according to a charge sheet prepared by Jordanian prosecutors. Jordan’s General Intelligence Directorate succeeded in detaining the terrorists before they carried out the attack. The first suspect was arrested late last year. The ISIS terrorists planned to first attack against Jordanian soldiers near the border with Israel before reaching the IDF soldiers and killing them, according to the charge sheet.”
Nigeria
All Africa: Nigeria: Counterinsurgency - 265 Policemen Killed In Borno - POWA
“About 265 police officers have been killed in Borno State since the outbreak of the Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast. Chairperson, Officers Wives Association (POWA), Borno State chapter, Zara Yakubu, disclosed this at an event to welcome Hajara Alkali, POWA president and wife of IGP Usman Baba Alkali, over the weekend in Maiduguri, the state capital. She lamented that the families of the deceased policemen were neglected. She said, "It is heartbreaking to note that 265 police officers have paid the supreme price in the counterinsurgency war here in Borno. They lost their lives while protecting the territorial integrity of our great country. "Their families have been neglected and their children abandoned to their fate. They have been allowed to bear the burden of the sacrifices of their breadwinners.” The wife of the IGP said she was determined to improve the living conditions of the families of the fallen officers as well as empower others, to serve as motivation for their husbands at the war front. Meanwhile, Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, has approved the renovation of primary schools being attended by children of police personnel.”
Mali
U.S. News & World Report: UN Says Five Peacekeepers Injured In Attack In Northern Mali
“Five U.N. peacekeepers were injured in an attack using an improvised explosive device in Mali's restive north Monday, the United Nations said. U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said a quick reaction force was immediately sent to the site in Aguelhok in the Kidal region and the wounded peacekeepers were taken to a hospital. No other details were immediately available. The attack came a day after the U.N. peacekeeping mission’s camp in Aguelhok experienced indirect fire, he said. There were no reports of casualties or damage in Sunday’s incident. Mali has been trying to contain an Islamic extremist insurgency since 2012. Islamic extremist rebels were forced from power in Mali’s northern cities with the help of a French-led military operation in 2013. However, the insurgents quickly regrouped in the desert and began launching frequent attacks on the Malian army and its allies fighting the insurgency. The extremists have expanded their reach well into central Mali, where their presence has inflamed tensions between ethnic groups in the area. Haq said U.N. peacekeeping helicopters and other assets dispersed armed combatants over the weekend before they were able to launch an attack in Bandiougou, in central Mali.”
Africa
Reuters: Armed Men Kill 14 In Latest West Niger Village Attack
“Armed men on motorbikes killed 14 people in a part of western Niger where Islamist militants have repeatedly massacred civilians this year, the Interior Ministry said on Monday. The assailants killed nine people in the fields, three in a nearby village and two who were walking back to the village in the rural commune of Banibangou on Sunday afternoon, the ministry said in a statement read on national television. It said the identity of the attackers was not known. Previous attacks in Niger's western Tillabery region have been attributed by local officials to an affiliate of Islamic State, including raids in January that killed at least 100 civilians. read more Tillabery sits on Niger's border with Mali, the regional epicentre of Islamist violence that has spread to Niger, Burkina Faso and now threatens coastal West African countries. Militants in Niger had previously focused their attacks on security forces. But this year they have been drawn increasingly into local ethnic conflicts, leading to greater violence against civilians.”
All Africa: Kenya: 'Day Armed Al-Shabaab Militants Attacked Bus I Was Driving'
“Abdul Abdalla has been a bus driver plying the Lamu-Mombasa route for more than 12 years. Each working day, his life has revolved around the images and events unfolding on the 300km highway. The route is so much a part of his life that even after escaping death by a whisker on two occasions, the idea of quitting never crossed his mind. Mr Abdalla, 41, survived an attack on a bus he was driving on the Lamu-Witu-Garsen stretch of the highways he plies each day. He also had a close shave in another terror attack in which innocent people were killed in Mpeketoni, Lamu County, in 2014. In the first incident, Mr Abdalla was driving from Mombasa to Lamu, all his focus trained on negotiating the gaping potholes that made driving such a rough and bumpy affair. Then he and his passengers sat still at the sounds of gunshots. "They shot five times at the windscreen. Some other bullets were ricocheting on the rear bumper of the bus. Apparently, the target was the tyres. All this time, I had lowered my head and kept on driving. More gunshots rent the air and I reckoned that if I didn't stop the attackers would have killed all of us," Mr Abdalla reminisced in an interview with the Nation, which took place after his daily journey to and from Lamu.”
United Kingdom
BBC News: Speakers' Corner: Counter-Terrorism Police Probe Knife Attack
“An attack on a woman who was slashed with a knife at Speakers' Corner in London is being investigated by counter-terror police, the Met said. The 39-year-old needed hospital treatment after she was attacked in Hyde Park on Sunday afternoon. The force said while its investigation was being led by Counter Terrorism Command, "the incident is not being treated as terrorism-related". No arrests have been made although a knife was later found in the park. Footage shared on social media showed a person dressed in black approaching a woman wearing a Charlie Hebdo T-shirt at Speakers' Corner. She was later seen clutching her right hand close to her body, with what appeared to be blood at her temple, as she was helped into a police van by officers who were nearby. Scotland Yard said the woman had since been discharged from hospital and her injuries were not life-threatening. "Inquiries are ongoing and we continue to keep an open mind about possible motives," it added. Charlie Hebdo is a French satirical magazine that was targeted in a deadly attack by Islamist extremists in 2015 after it published a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed.”
Canada
Global News: Charges Approved Against Canadian ISIS Fighter Detained In Syria, Documents Reveal
“Prosecutors have approved charges against a captured Canadian ISIS fighter, according to documents that show how federal officials have dealt with citizens detained in Syria. The approved charges are the first known to have been authorized against a Canadian member of the so-called Islamic State caught in Syria. They were disclosed in records released to Global News by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) under the Access to Information Act. “The Ali charge package has now been approved by PPSC,” read the ‘secret’ report by GAC’s Task Force on International Critical Incidents. PPSC is the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, which handles terrorism cases. The only Canadian ISIS member named Ali who is in custody in Syria is Mohammed Ali, a 30-year-old resident of Mississauga, Ont., captured by U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters shortly before the June 25, 2018 report was distributed. Also known as Abu Turab Al-Kanadi, Ali has told Global News he was part of an ISIS sniper team. On social media, he called for terrorist attacks in Canada, gave advice on how to join ISIS and joked about beheadings. “Can’t wait for the day ISIS beheads the first American soldier :D #SoccerAnyone,” one of his Tweets read.”
Technology
The Hill: Tech Coalition Expands Tracking Of Extremist Content
“A counterterrorism organization made up of some of the biggest U.S. tech companies is expanding the kind of extremist content that it tracks. The Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism — which counts Facebook, Twitter and YouTube among its 17 member companies — said it will add manifestos, PDFs of terrorist publications and certain URLs to its database, which has so far focused on United Nations-designated terrorist groups such as al Qaeda, the Taliban and ISIS. The expansion will include a greater focus on content from white supremacists. The organization announced the expansion of its database in a 177-page report Monday.”
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