Eye on Extremism

August 9, 2021 

 

Reuters: US State Department Announces 5 Additions To Global Terrorist List

 

“The State Department on Friday announced the addition of five alleged Islamist militants to its Specially Designated Global Terrorist list, requiring the blocking of any ownership or interests in U.S. properties they hold. The designations also expose to possible U.S. sanctions individuals or foreign financial institutions who engage in certain transactions with the five. They include Bonomade Machude Omar, the senior military commander of Islamic State's affiliate in Mozambique, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. Omar led a group of extremists who killed dozens of people in an attack on the Amarula Hotel in the town of Palma in March, Blinken said. He also is responsible for attacks elsewhere in Mozambique and in Tanzania, Blinken said. Sidan Hitta and Salem Ould al-Hasan, senior leaders of Mali-based al-Qaida-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, also were designated, as were Ali Mohamed Rage and Abdikadir Mohamed Abdikadir, leaders of the al-Shabab group of Somalia, Blinken said.”

 

Voice Of America: Taliban Assassinate Head Of Afghan Government Media Department

 

“The Taliban shot to death the head of the Afghan government's media information center Friday at a mosque in the capital, the Interior Ministry said, days after warning they would target senior administration officials in retaliation for increased airstrikes. “Unfortunately, the savage terrorists have committed a cowardly act once again and martyred a patriotic Afghan,” ministry spokesman Mirwais Stanikzai said of the death of Dawa Khan Meenapal. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the death, with spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid sending a message to media saying, “He was killed in a special attack carried out by mujahedeen.” Meenapal previously worked for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Afghan Service, winning an award for his bravery in 2010. During his time with the network, Taliban militants kidnapped Meenapal and held him for three days. “We mourn with our colleagues at RFE/RL and with the people of Afghanistan,” Kelu Chao, the acting head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees RFE/RL and VOA, said in a statement Friday. Fighting in Afghanistan's long-running conflict has intensified since May, when foreign forces began the final stage of a withdrawal due to be completed later this month.”

 

United States

 

NBC News: 2 Myanmar Nationals Charged In Plot To Attack U.N. Ambassador In New York

 

“Two Myanmar nationals have been arrested on charges of plotting to seriously injure or kill the country’s ambassador to the United Nations on U.S. soil, New York federal prosecutors announced Friday. The pair, Phyo Hein Htut, and Ye Hein Zaw, were living in New York when they set the scheme in motion last month with the help of an arms dealer based in Thailand, according to their criminal complaints. Htut and the weapons trafficker agreed on a plan to hurt the ambassador, Kyaw Moe Tun, as part of an effort to force him to step down from his post, federal prosecutors said. If Tun refused to leave his position, prosecutors alleged, the arms dealer proposed that the attackers hired by Htut would kill him. The dealer sells weapons to the Burmese military, which overthrew Myanmar’s civilian government earlier this year, according to the complaints. Not long after agreeing to the plot, Zaw sent Htut $4,000 via an app as an advance payment, prosecutors said. Htut was later caught on a recorded telephone line telling Zaw that the planned attackers needed an additional $1,000 to carry out the attack in Westchester County, where the ambassador lives, court papers say. For an additional fee, the attacks could, in substance, “finish off” the ambassador, Htut said, according to prosecutors. Zaw agreed to pay the extra $1,000 and to try to obtain additional money, prosecutors said.”

 

Syria

 

Asharq Al-Awsat: Syria: ISIS Attack Kills 6 Pro-Regime Fighters

 

“At least six fighters loyal to the Syrian regime were killed on Friday in the latest attack by ISIS, a UK-based war monitor said. Four militants were also killed in the attack on the outskirts of Maarat al-Numan in the northwestern Idlib province, much of which remains outside of regime control, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. After the fall of its self-proclaimed “caliphate” in March 2019, ISIS went underground and continues to mount attacks against pro-regime forces across the country.”

 

Iran

 

The Jerusalem Post: Iran’s New President Hosts Terror Leaders As He Comes Into Office

 

“Iran’s new president Ebrahim Raisi hosted a series of prominent terror leaders and pro-Iran proxy group leaders during his inauguration, showcasing how he will want to leverage Iran’s proxies in Iranian foreign policy. The previous Iranian presidents have given him a formidable framework to work with across the region, and it looks like Raisi will want to increase the power of these groups. This comes as Iran’s media is boasting about new warming ties with Iran and also thinks it can get around US sanctions. Iran brazenly attacked a ship off Oman on July 30 and Iranian-backed Hezbollah has fired rockets at Israel on August 6. The meeting between key Iranian figures and Iran’s network of terror and proxy groups looks like a kind of meeting of the “five families” in the Godfather, as key figures came together. It’s not the first time this has happened, Iran in the past has hosted Palestinian factions, members of the Hashd al-Shaabi from Iraq, Hezbollah, Houthis and others.   The messaging here is aimed at the region and at the US, Israel and their partners and allies. Reports on Saturday evening indicated that IRGC head Hossein Salami had also met the Hezbollah deputy and said that they should prepare for the “collapse” of Israel.”

 

Afghanistan

 

The New York Times: Thousands Flee As Taliban Take A 6th Afghan Capital

 

“The collapse of Kunduz, a major city in Afghanistan’s north, has set off a new wave of displacement as thousands of people flee the city, fearing life under Taliban rule and an escalation of violence as government forces vow to retake the commercial hub. Hundreds fled to the Afghan capital, Kabul, where a fenced-in basketball court had been converted to place of refuge by Monday. Displaced people constructed makeshift lodging consisting of little more than large olive-green bedsheets stretched across four wooden poles. In a matter of days, the Taliban have overtaken six provincial capitals in a land offensive that has led many local officials to abandon their posts and flee the cities they administer.”

 

The Hill: Taliban Claim Responsibility For Deadly Kabul Blast

 

“The Taliban have continued their targeted campaign against Afghan pilots with a bomb attack in Kabul on Saturday that killed a member of the Afghan air force and injured five civilians. Reuters reported that the pilot, Hamidullah Azimi, was traveling in a vehicle when a sticky bomb that had been attached to it exploded. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid shortly after the explosion said that the group was behind the attack.

Abdul Fatah Eshaqzai, commander of the Afghan air force, said that Azimi had moved to Afghanistan’s capital city with his family a year ago due to security threats and was trained in flying U.S.-made UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. The pilot had been serving in the Afghan air force for nearly four years, according to Reuters. The explosion comes after Mujahid confirmed last month that the Taliban had launched an effort to track down and assassinate Afghan air force pilots. U.S. and Afghan officials have characterized the targeted campaign as a means for the Taliban to gain hold over the country and destroy the Afghan military's defensive capabilities as the U.S. nears the completion of its total troop withdrawal from the country.”

 

Pakistan

 

The Washington Post: Pakistan Police Arrest 50 Suspected Of Hindu Temple Attack

 

“Police arrested 50 people suspected of ransacking a Hindu temple in a remote town in eastern Pakistan and were searching for another 100 suspects, police said Saturday. The attack on a temple in the town of Bhong in Punjab province Wednesday followed the alleged desecration of a religious school by a young Hindu boy earlier in the week. The unruly mob burned down the temple’s main door and damaged statues. Muslims and Hindus generally live peacefully in predominantly Muslim Pakistan, but there have been attacks on Hindu temples in recent years. Most of Pakistan’s minority Hindus migrated to India in 1947 when India was divided by Britain’s government. Jam Ghaffar, the area police chief, said order was restored after the deployment of extra police and a paramilitary force and police were looking for the remaining suspects. Ramesh Kumar, a Hindu community leader said after the attack that the initially slow response from the police had made the situation and the damages to the temple worse. The trouble in Bhong started after a court ruling that granted bail to an 8-year-old Hindu boy who was arrested for intentionally urinating on a carpet in a school library housing religious texts.”

 

Associated Press: Pakistan Police: 5 Suspected Of Abducting Politician Killed

 

“Pakistani counterterrorism police said Sunday they killed five people involved in the abduction for ransom and subsequent death of a nationalist political party leader. The raid took place overnight in the southwestern city of Pishin, according to the Baluchistan province Counter Terrorism Department. Malik Ubaidullah Kasi, leader of the secular Awami National Party, was abducted for ransom from his native Kuchlak area near the provincial capital, Quetta, in late June. His body was found Thursday near an Afghan refugee camp in Pishin district. A statement issued by the CTD said investigators arrested a man after Kasi’s body was found. The suspect subsequently led investigators to the hideout in Pishin. Officers killed five men allegedly involved in Kasi’s abduction late Saturday night in a gun battle. Machine guns, hand grenades and hand guns were recovered from the abductors’ hideout, police said. Kidnappings for ransom have been reported frequently in Baluchistan. Criminal gangs have abducted physicians businessmen and others in recent years for sometimes huge ransoms. Kasi, a prominent political leader, was the first political figure abducted for ransom in the province Also on Sunday, counterterrorism police in eastern Punjab province said they killed three militants in a gun battle during a raid on their hideout near the eastern city of Lahore.”

 

India

 

Reuters: India Raids Banned Religious Group In Alleged Terrorism Funding Case

 

“India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) said on Sunday it conducted raids at nearly five dozen places linked to banned religious organization Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) in Jammu and Kashmir in an alleged terrorism funding case. The government accuses Jamaat-e-Islami of supporting militancy in Indian-controlled Kashmir, which is at the heart of decades of conflict with Muslim Pakistan. India's main counterterrorism arm said in a statement that members of the organization have collected funds domestically and abroad through donations for the charity and welfare activities, but the funds were instead used for violent and secessionist activities. “The funds raised by JeI are also being channeled to proscribed terrorist organizations such as Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba and others through well-organized networks of JeI cadres,” the agency said. The agency raided premises of the association's leadership, its members and also trusts run by JeI. The NIA also said JeI had motivated impressionable youth in Kashmir and recruited new members in Jammu and Kashmir to participate in disruptive secessionist activities. JeI was banned by the Indian government after a militant strike in Kashmir more than two years ago, which was claimed by a Pakistan-based Islamist militant group and in which 40 Indian troops were killed when a suicide bomber rammed his car into a bus carrying paramilitary troops.”

 

Lebanon

 

Associated Press: Hezbollah, Israel Trade Fire In Dangerous Mideast Escalation

 

“The militant Hezbollah group fired a barrage of rockets toward Israel on Friday, and Israel hit back with artillery in a significant escalation between the two sides. It was the third day of attacks along the volatile border with Lebanon, a major Middle East flashpoint where tensions between Israel and Iran, which backs Hezbollah, occasionally play out. But comments by Israeli officials and Hezbollah’s actions suggested the two were seeking to avoid a major conflict at this time. Israel said it fired back after 19 rockets were launched from Lebanon, and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett swiftly convened a meeting with the country’s top defense officials. No casualties were reported. “We do not wish to escalate to a full war, yet of course we are very prepared for that,” said Lt. Col. Amnon Shefler, spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces. Israel has long considered Hezbollah, which is based in Lebanon, its most serious and immediate military threat. Friday’s exchanges came a day after Israel’s defense minister warned that his country is prepared to strike Iran following a fatal drone strike on a oil tanker at sea that his country blamed on Tehran. The tensions come at a politically sensitive time in Israel, where a new eight-party governing coalition is already trying to keep the peace on another border under a fragile cease-fire that ended an 11-day war with Hamas’ militant rulers in Gaza.”

 

Middle East

 

The Jerusalem Post: Gaza Resort Bombed For Holding Mixed-Gender Concert

 

“Bianco Resort, one of the Gaza Strip’s most luxurious seaside tourist sites, was attacked last Thursday with an explosive device. The attack came after the resort was accused by Muslim extremists of holding a mixed-gender concert. No one was hurt, but a wall surrounding the resort was damaged. Palestinian sources accused terrorists belonging to Salafi-Jihadist groups of being behind the attack. Members of Islamic State (ISIS)-inspired groups in the Gaza Strip accused the resort of holding a music concert for men and women on the beach of Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip. Some members of the groups said they had warned the owner against holding the event, but he ignored the warning. Salafi-Jihadist terrorists have regularly clashed with Hamas members in the Gaza Strip over the past decade. Hamas has also arrested or killed some members of the groups. On August 5, Issa Miqdad, one of the men affiliated with the groups, wrote on Facebook: “Today we went to Bianco Resort in order to deny the evil before it happens, as this resort will hold a mixed singing party tomorrow on the beach of Beit Lahiya. Therefore, we ask the [Hamas] government to stop this evil before it happens. I call on all preachers and sheikhs to publicly denounce this evil after the owner refused our request not to hold the party.”

 

The Times Of Israel: Gaza Terror Groups Send Fire Balloons Into Israel, Sparking Four Blazes

 

“At least four brush fires were ignited Friday in southern Israel by balloons carrying incendiary devices that were launched from the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. Three of the fires ignited in the Kissufim forest, and another one in the Be’eri forest, two nature reserves located on the border of Israel and Gaza, a spokesperson for the Jewish National Fund said. Fire services said they were working to extinguish the blazes and their investigators had determined that they were caused by four balloons carrying incendiary devices. In Gaza, the so-called balloon unit, Ahfad an-Nassar, said it had launched balloon-borne incendiary devices toward Israel in solidarity with Lebanon. “We will not be humiliated,” the group said in a brief statement on Friday. Earlier on Friday, Hezbollah fired 19 rockets into northern Israel from Lebanon, in the heaviest such barrage since the 2006 Second Lebanon War, sending residents in a number of towns in the Golan Heights and Galilee Panhandle scrambling to shelters. Israel responded with artillery strikes. Witnesses reported artillery fire by Israeli forces on the Lebanese side of Shebaa Farms and outside the town of Kfar Shouba.”

 

Egypt

 

Al Monitor: Sinai Militants Launch Sporadic Attacks Against Egyptian Army

 

“The Egyptian army has recently revealed that eight Egyptian soldiers have been killed and wounded in recent anti-terrorism operations in the Sinai Peninsula. Egyptian military spokesman Col. Gharib Abdel Hafez said in a statement posted on his official Facebook page Aug. 1 that the military operations resulted in the killing of 89 militants in north Sinai, while dozens of automatic firearms, ammunition and electronic devices were confiscated. He continued that the army also destroyed dozens of vehicles and motorcycles, which were used for terrorism purposes against army and police stations in Sinai, in addition to destroying tunnel entrances used to cross into north Sinai. Meanwhile, officials said that Islamic State (IS) militants ambushed a checkpoint in the northern Sinai town of Sheikh Zuweid July 31, killing at least five security members, and wounding six others. Tension between the Egyptian army and extremist militants had decreased in north Sinai in the past months, with the latest operation led by the army announced on Dec. 8, 2020. Back then, Abdel Hafez had posted a video of the operation, saying that 40 militants were killed; dozens of cars, motorcycles and terrorist hideouts destroyed; weapons and ammunition seized; and explosive devices dismantled.”

 

Nigeria

 

France 24: Chibok Schoolgirl Reunited With Family After Seven Years In Boko Haram Captivity

 

“One of the Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram militants more than seven years ago is free and has been reunited with her family, a state governor’s office said on Saturday. Nearly 300 schoolgirls, most aged between 12 and 17, were abducted by Boko Haram in April 2014 from Chibok in northeast Nigeria, sparking an international outcry and the #BringBackOurGirls campaign for their release. Over the years, many of the girls were released or found by the military, but more than 100 are still missing, Amnesty International said in April to mark the seven year anniversary of the abduction. Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum said in a statement that Ruth Ngladar Pogu surrendered to the military last month along with a person she said she had married. “I am extremely excited both as Borno’s Governor and father of all sons and daughters of the state, and also as a father to daughters,” the statement said. “I know the feeling of families of those still under captivity but we have to remain hopeful especially with today’s development.” The governor’s office said she had surrendered to the military on July 28. But officials had not announced the development earlier to give them time to contact her parents and other Chibok families.

 

Africanews: Nigerian Authorities Warn Of Increased Gang, Terror Activities

 

“The Nigerian authorities have raised concerns over the recent escalation of both terror and gang-related activities orchestrated by both the Islamic State jihadists and the bandits in the northeastern and northwestern regions. The recent increase in kidnappings in the two regions is creating a worrying trend in terms of security. They warned that this may further complicate the task of Nigeria's security forces, who are running an extensive operation against both the jihadists in Borno state and against the criminal gangs also known as the bandits. On 23 July, a memo from Nigeria's immigration chief Muhammad Babandede warned of a major “movement of bandits from Zamfara in the northwest towards Borno region who are seeking intensive training by Boko Haram”. Nigerian forces killed 78 gunmen on Thursday, known locally as bandits, during military operations including airstrikes in northwestern Zamfara state, the air force said. Heavily armed bandits have wracked northwest and central Nigeria for years, but the groups have recently stepped up attacks on schools, kidnapping hundreds of students for ransom and prompting a military response. The Nigerian military first deployed to the area in 2016 and a peace deal with bandits was signed in 2019 but attacks on communities have continued.”

 

Africa

 

Reuters: Attack In Burkina Faso Kills At Least 12 Soldiers, Sources Say

 

“At least 12 soldiers were killed in an attack in northwestern Burkina Faso on Sunday and seven others are missing, three security sources said. There was no immediate comment from the army. The sources said the incident took place in the Toeni commune in the Boucle du Mouhoun region near the border with Mali. No group claimed responsibility for the attack. On Saturday, a special army unit killed two prominent jihadists in the same region, according to the Communications Ministry. Attacks by militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State are on the rise in West Africa’s Sahel region, killing thousands and displacing millions in recent years across Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. On Wednesday, an armed group killed 30 civilians, army soldiers and pro-government militiamen in a series of attacks near Burkina Faso’s border with Niger.”

 

Germany

 

Associated Press: Germany: Extremism Probe For Driver Who Caused 13 Crashes

 

“Berlin police said on Friday that they are investigating whether Polish man a detained in connection with more than a dozen traffic accidents in the German capital had extremist motives in causing the crashes. Police said witnesses reported seeing the driver of a Peugeot van crash into least 13 vehicles in the German capital Thursday and run several red lights. One woman suffered minor injuries in a crash. Officers were able to stop the 32-year-old driver in neighboring Brandenburg state. Police said the man, who wasn’t named for privacy reasons, made references to Norwegian right-wing extremist Anders Breivik after he was detained. Breivik killed 77 people on the island of Utoya on July 22, 2011. German tabloid B.Z. reported that the driver of the van claimed to have taken drugs and referred to himself as a “Knight Templar.” Berlin police said the case has been referred to a unit that investigates extremism crimes.”

 

Canada

 

Global News: Terrorism Peace Bond Placed On Toronto Man With ISIS, Al Qaeda Propaganda On Phone

 

“A Toronto man who had hundreds of ISIS, Al Qaeda and Taliban videos on his phone was placed on a terrorism peace bond on Friday due to concerns he might commit extremist violence. During a court hearing, a federal prosecutor said Daniel Khoshnood had come to the attention of the RCMP counter-terrorism team through his association with Kevin Omar Mohamed. Khoshnood, 30, had “expressed an interest in violent extremism” while serving in prison, and a search of his phone turned up “extremist literature,” including the Al Qaeda propaganda magazine Inspire. Material about ISIS, bomb-making and attack planning was also found on Khoshnood’s phone, along with more than 200 “violent propaganda” videos of terrorist groups, according to the Crown. “Police uncovered some further online comments by Mr. Khoshnood suggesting support of extremist groups, and uncovered evidence suggesting that he had taken steps to locate some corrections staff with whom he had previous dealings,” the Crown said. Khoshnood agreed to be placed on a terrorism peace bond that will restrict his activities for 10 months. He is required to follow 25 conditions, including wearing a GPS monitor for five months and participating in de-radicalization programming under Project ReSet.”

 

Europe

 

BBC News: Malta: The Teenagers Pulled From The Sea And Accused Of Terrorism

 

“Lamin squints at the sun as he points across the harbour. “This place reminds me of the worst day of my life,” he says. It is where he was handcuffed by Maltese soldiers and led away to a maximum-security prison. He was only 15 at the time and, unknown to him, a suspected terrorist. It was just a misunderstanding, he thought. Once everyone realised what had happened, he would be freed. But that was two years ago. Today Lamin, from Guinea in West Africa, stands accused of hijacking the ship that rescued him at sea and brought him to Europe. This alleged act of terrorism could put him in jail for the rest of his life. So how did a child refugee end up in Malta facing accusations of such a crime? For six months I have been investigating this curious case. It is a story of fear, desperation and of being in the wrong place at the wrong time - as a small country decided to take an almighty stand. Lamin had never envisaged making the treacherous journey across the Mediterranean. He ran away from home aged 13 because of a family feud. After making it through the baking Algerian desert - passing the bodies of others who hadn't survived - he was convinced by a friend he'd find work in Libya. There, he cleaned houses for three months for no pay, until his boss offered to help him travel to Europe.”

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