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Eye on Extremism
August 6, 2021
The New York Times: Gold Star Families Accuse Major Banks Of Aiding Terrorists
“Anne Smedinghoff, a Foreign Service officer at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, was escorting Afghan journalists on an outing when a roadside bomb killed her in 2013. The bomb’s design relied on fertilizer made in Pakistan, at two factories that regularly supplied a nearby Taliban bomb-making operation — a fact that U.S. authorities had publicized. The factories, Fatima Fertilizer and Pakarab Fertilizers, were not fly-by-night organizations. Both did business in U.S. dollars through accounts at the London-based bank Standard Chartered. Now Ms. Smedinghoff’s family and a group of nearly 500 others — including soldiers and civilians who were severely wounded in Afghanistan and their families, along with the families of victims who were killed — are accusing some of the world’s largest banks of helping terrorists carry out their attacks. Among the defendants are Deutsche Bank, Standard Chartered and Danske Bank. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit, filed on Thursday in federal court in Brooklyn, include 115 Gold Star families — relatives of American military service members killed in the war — as well as relatives of noncombatants like Ms. Smedinghoff, who was killed while taking the journalists to watch U.S. officials donate books to a school.”
Associated Press: Jihadi Rebels Kill 30 In North Burkina Faso, Says Official
“At least 30 people, including members of the military, were killed by jihadi rebels in northern Burkina Faso, the government said Thursday. Eleven civilians, 15 soldiers, and four volunteer defense fighters, were killed by “terrorists” in several villages outside the town of Markoye in Oudalan province near the border with Niger on Wednesday, Aime Barthelemy Simpore, assistant to the minister of defense, said in a statement. The civilians were killed at midday and the military and volunteers were ambushed four hours later after being detached to secure the area, the government said. At least 10 jihadi rebels were killed and the area has been secured by the army, with air and ground patrols conducting sweeps. The town of Gorom Gorom, approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Markoye, has been inundated with people fleeing the attack amid fear that the violence was going to spread, an aid worker in the area told The Associated Press. He insisted on anonymity for his safety. Violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State is increasing in Burkina Faso, killing thousands and displacing 1.3 million people. In June, at least 11 police officers were killed when their patrol was ambushed in the north and earlier that month at least 160 civilians were killed in the Sahel region, the deadliest violence in years.”
United States
“Democratic senators and families of victims of the 9/11 attacks called on Thursday for the Biden administration to declassify and make available key documents related to Saudi Arabia’s role in the terrorist attacks, ahead of the 20th anniversary commemorating the tragedy. Standing outside the Capitol, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) rejected reasoning that has been invoked by both Democratic and Republican White House administrations to withhold information related to Riyadh’s role in the attacks under the guise of national security. “Let's get real here: We're talking about the declassification of evidence relating to an attack that took place 20 years ago — and not just any attack, an attack that claimed nearly 3,000 American lives,” said Menendez, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “If the United States government is sitting on any documents that may implicate Saudi Arabia or any individual or any country in the events of Sept. 11, these families, and the American people, have a right to know.” Menendez and Blumenthal are co-sponsors of the September 11th Transparency Act of 2021. The bill, introduced Thursday, would require the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to oversee a full declassification review of the government’s investigation of the 9/11 attacks.”
Syria
Al Monitor: Violence Down In Syria’s Al-Hol Camp But Conditions Remain 'Horrifying'
“A five-day raid that targeted Islamic State members inside northeast Syria’s sprawling al-Hol detention camp in March appears to have led to a reduction in killings there, the US military reported. The raid led to the arrest of 125 people in the camp, including what security forces there say was a five-member assassination squad of Iraqi men believed to have been involved in a series of grisly murders in the camp. Yet US CENTCOM assessed that the lull in violence may only be temporary, as an uptick of eight murders were recorded in the camp in June alone, according to a new report released by the Pentagon’s inspector general. CENTCOM assesses that the Islamic State retains a “strong” presence in the camp, which houses more than 50,000 family members of IS fighters captured or killed during the war against the jihadist group. Conditions in the underserved camp, which is run by the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, have been described as “horrifying” by Fabrizio Carboni, the Middle East regional director of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Another 10,000 captured IS fighters remain in prisons that dot northeast Syria. That swath of the war-torn country is controlled by Kurdish-led militias backed by the US-led international coalition to destroy the jihadist group.”
Afghanistan
The New York Times: As Taliban Advance, Biden Officials Cling To Hope For Afghan Peace
“As Taliban fighters make startlingly swift advances across Afghanistan, Biden administration officials continue to pin their hopes on a peace deal that would halt the country’s relentless violence with a power-sharing agreement. They have stressed, at least in their public statements, that the peace process could succeed, even as the U.S. military withdraws from the country and as critics say the talks should be declared a charade and scrapped. But now even the most encouraging U.S. officials increasingly concede in public what they have previously said in private: that prospects of a negotiated outcome, which could partially salvage the 20-year American project in Afghanistan, appear to be fading fast. President Biden’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, offered a downbeat assessment of what he called the “difficult situation” in the country and the wide gaps between Taliban and Afghan government negotiators. “They are far apart,” Mr. Khalilzad said during an appearance at the annual Aspen Security Forum on Tuesday. Privately, U.S. officials are even more pessimistic. On Thursday, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Afghanistan’s second-ranking government official, Abdullah Abdullah, and “discussed ways to accelerate peace negotiations and achieve a political settlement,” the State Department said in a statement.”
“First Lt. Ali Rezaie stood by a gutted Black Hawk helicopter in a hangar at the Afghan Air Force headquarters, explaining why the aircraft is broken and can’t be flown. The Black Hawk was damaged in June in combat against the Taliban in Kandahar, its fuel bladder shot up with holes. Afghan aircraft mechanics known as maintainers patched the leaks well enough to fly it back to Kabul, where it has sat for weeks in need of more serious repair. Soon, American contractors will replace the fuel cell and the helicopter will be off and running again. But Lt. Rezaie, who leads a small unit of Afghan Black Hawk helicopter mechanics, says when the American contractors depart as expected in coming weeks, a helicopter in need of this level of repair may not get fixed. The contractors’ know-how will disappear, and the morale boost they brought to the hangar each day will be gone, too. “Right now, they are here, it’s OK, everything is cool,” Lt. Rezaie said of the U.S. contractors. “The aircraft is getting repaired and getting fixed. But once they leave, when we are confronted with major issues that are above our knowledge, that’s a problem.” President Biden said in April that the U.S. was removing not only all its combat forces but also the thousands of contractors who have quietly supported American troops for years.”
Saudi Arabia
Asharq Al-Awsat: UN Praises Saudi Arabia’s Role In Countering Terrorism
“Jehangir Khan, Director of the UN Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF) and the UN Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT), said the Arab region has borne many of the burdens of extremism and terrorism, adding that the international community and the United Nations were required to help resolve conflicts that constitute a fertile environment for the growth of extremist ideas. Khan described terrorism as a global pandemic, affecting countries and societies alike, stressing that it was not linked to any specific religion or culture. His comments came during a joint news conference on Wednesday in Riyadh with the Secretary-General of the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology (Etidal), Dr. Mansour Al-Shammari. The UN official stressed that Saudi Arabia provided an important model for countering terrorism, underlining the continuous efforts backed by the Kingdom to achieve peace in both Syria and Iraq. He added that the United Nations was looking forward to establishing justice and achieving a settlement that would end the suffering of the two countries, which have been severely affected by extremism for years.”
Nigeria
All Africa: Nigeria: Millions Of Children Hungry In Northeast Due To Boko Haram - Group
“As millions of children are going hungry in the North East of Nigeria due to attacks devastating lives through malnutrition hunger, abuse and trauma, Save the Children said it remains committed to working with the authorities in the northeast of Nigeria to deliver urgent, life-saving humanitarian assistance for children and their families who are in dire need. Save the Children also said it was deeply concerned to find that an estimated 2.3 million children and youth, including some 700,000 children under five [1], were going hungry in the Northeast of Nigeria. A recent UN report found that 4.4 million people in the area are on the brink of acute hunger as attacks by militants are forcing farmers from their lands. Save the Children strongly condemns the reported attacks and displacement of farmers and other civilians in the North East, Nigeria. A statement issued by Kunle Olawoyin, Media and Communication Manager, said around 2.2 million people have fled their homes because of the violence, leaving families and children wanting food, a safe place to live and, for many children, and education. “Shannon Ward, Acting Country Director, Save the Children International Nigeria, said: “The situation in the northeast is extremely dire.”
Africa
BBC News: Mozambique Insurgency: Rwanda Leads The Fightback
“A 1,000-strong Rwandan force has hit the ground running since its deployment in Mozambique to fight poor insurgents who have carried out devastating attacks in the far north of the country. In two weeks, the troops - the first foreign force to be deployed against the insurgents - have taken a key road junction, held by the militants for the past year, and have reached the port town of Mocímboa da Praia. In four years the insurgents have taken control of most of five districts in Cabo Delgado province in the north east of Mozambique. So far 3,100 people have been killed and 820,000 displaced - more than the entire population of the five districts. When in March the insurgents captured Palma, the gas boom town adjoining Total's $20bn (£14bn) development of the second largest gas field in Africa, the French oil giant abandoned the massive construction site. Mozambique's defence forces are widely regarded as corrupt, poorly trained and ill-equipped and were no match for a growing but still rag-tag band of insurgents. Despite opposition within his own party, President Filipe Nyusi called for foreign help. There is broad agreement that the uprising was begun by young people without jobs protesting about growing poverty and inequality, as well as the lack of any gains from mineral resources including rubies and gas.”
United Kingdom
The Guardian: What Do Many Terrorists Have In Common? They Abuse Women
“Five years ago, I began to notice that the perpetrators of some of the worst terrorist attacks had something in common. A high proportion shared a history of assaulting wives, girlfriends and other female relatives, sometimes involving a whole series of victims, long before they attacked total strangers. In the summer of 2016, for example, when just two terrorist attacks in Florida and the south of France left 135 people dead and hundreds injured, both perpetrators claimed to be Islamists. But I was struck by the fact that each had a horrific record of domestic violence. A year later, there were four fatal attacks in the UK and all six perpetrators turned out either to have abused women or, in one case, to have witnessed his father abusing his mother and sister. There were striking similarities between the histories of Darren Osborne, the rightwing extremist who drove a van into worshippers leaving a mosque in north London, and Khalid Masood, the Islamist who staged an attack on Westminster Bridge. Both men had criminal records for violent offences – and both had abused women. I thought these cases challenged conventional wisdom about terrorism, which holds that it is all about ideology. Many fatal terrorist attacks actually appeared to be an escalation of violence that had been going on, sometimes for years, against members of the perpetrator’s family.”
Europe
Associated Press: Spain Arrests Algerian Man On Trafficking, Terror Charges
“Spain’s Guardia Civil said Thursday it has arrested an Algerian man suspected of leading a gang that trafficked people from North Africa to Europe and sent fighters to jihadist groups in Libya. The Guardia Civil’s intelligence service detained the man on the night of July 31 on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca. He faces terror charges, a Guardia Civil statement said. It did not identify him by name. The man is believed to have led, from Europe, a human trafficking gang in North Africa, according to the statement. He is also suspected of facilitating the movement of jihadist fighters to Libya from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, using the revenue from the group’s human trafficking activities. Authorities also suspect the trafficking organization has sent terrorists from Algeria to Spain, and some of them have been arrested, the statement said, without providing further details. Interpol and Algeria cooperated in the Algerian man’s arrest. He had several identity documents and moved around frequently, it said. The investigation is continuing and more arrests may be made, police said.”
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