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Eye on Extremism
August 10, 2021
CNN: Taliban Seize Fifth Afghan Provincial Capital Since Friday
“The Taliban have seized the city of Taloquan in northeastern Afghanistan, marking the fifth provincial capital to fall under their control in just a matter of days, a local journalist confirmed to CNN on Monday. Taloquan, the capital of Takhar Province, is just the latest in a string of victories that come as foreign forces, led by the United States, complete their withdrawal from Afghanistan. The speed of the militants' gains, which include the major city of Kunduz, has compounded concerns about the civilian toll. At least 27 children have been killed and 136 injured over the past 72 hours in Afghanistan, the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) said in a statement Monday. UNICEF said the bulk of the casualties were in Kandahar province, where fierce fighting between Taliban forces and the Afghan army continues. “These atrocities are evidence of the brutal nature and scale of violence in Afghanistan which preys on already vulnerable children,” UNICEF said, adding that there are reports that children are “increasingly, being recruited into the conflict by armed groups.” On Friday, the first provincial capital, Zaranj, near the Iranian border, fell to the Taliban. The next, Sherberghan, near the Turkmenistan border, fell on Saturday.”
International Business Times: 5 Richest Terrorist Groups In The World: Isis Is Only Top 5
“Terrorist groups around the world are seen as a constant threat due to their power and ambitions. Many of the most infamous groups have massive wealth that allow them to fund their endeavors, but which of these groups is the richest? In 2017, which many considered to be one of the deadliest years in terms of terrorist attacks, eight large-scale attacks were executed. Al-Qaeda, ISIS or the Taliban group have been responsible for planning, financing and carrying out six of them. In total, the events resulted in the deaths of nearly 1,500 people in Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, Egypt and Somalia. About 70% of the worldwide terrorist attacks in 2016 was carried out by these three major terrorist groups, as per the University of Maryland’s Global Terrorism Database. A group’s deadliness and wealth go hand-in-hand. “There is a clear connection between the two factors,” Maj.-Gen. (Res.) Amos Gilead, the chairperson of the Institute for Policy and Strategy and former director of the Defense Ministry’s Political-Military Affairs Bureau, said in an interview with Forbes Israel. A list of the richest terrorist groups in the world in 2018 was compiled by the outlet. Find out how these groups actually make money to fund their terrorist attacks.”
United States
“As August gets into full swing, so does Antiterrorism Awareness Month for Soldiers, their families, civilians and everyone else in the Fort Leonard Wood community. August is about continuing education and training for all persons to increase antiterrorism awareness and vigilance. The emphasis this year is on a wide range of extremes — from insider threats to cybersecurity awareness — and this week, the focus is on domestic violent extremists. Sometimes referred to as homegrown violent extremists, a domestic violent extremist is a person who lives or operates primarily inside the United States or its territories; can be of any citizenship; and advocates, is engaged in or is preparing to engage in ideologically motivated terrorist activities to further political or social objectives promoted by a foreign terrorist organization. The threat posed by DVEs has increased and decreased over the course of U.S. history, reflecting their time period’s ideological motivations. Today’s domestic terrorists are motivated from a variety of topics. One current key motivator is racial, ethnic and religious hatred. This hatred can be directed to a variety of individuals, but most DVEs focus on persons of color, immigrants, Jews, Muslims, other religious minorities, females, LGTBQI+ and others.”
Fox News: Pompeo: We Need To Protect The Homeland From Future Terrorist Attacks
“Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discusses the Biden administration's response to Taliban advancement in Afghanistan after U.S. troop withdrawal on 'The Story.' MIKE POMPEO: We spent 20 years building up the Afghan forces there, giving them training and weapons, all the skill sets that they need. It’s their time. Everyone knew this day would come. Eventually, Afghan security forces had to stand up to protect their own, their children, their women, their sovereignty, their nation. I hope they’re able to regroup. I hope President Ghani can lead them forward. Our mission was set — we’re a month short of the attacks in New York City. Our mission set was twofold. One was to make sure that we took out Al-Qaida and destroyed it and second to make sure that something like what happened in New York that day could never happen again. We need to be focused on that. We have to be focused on the American interests there. I don’t know what the Biden administration is doing, how they’re handling it. President Trump’s mission to me was to negotiate peace and reconciliation and get our kids back home—That is the right thing to do, and this is now the Afghan fight.”
Turkey
Daily Sabah: Police Kill Terrorist Attempting To Blow Himself Up In SE Turkey
“Police killed a terrorist who had a bomb-laden vest and was planning to detonate it on Monday. The suspect, identified as a Syrian national, was attempting to detonate his vest despite warnings by the police, who then fatally shot him near Ziyapaşa Street in Mardin’s Nusaybin district. Bomb disposal units detonated the vest, which had two kilograms of explosives, after the terrorist died, Ihlas News Agency (IHA) reported. The terrorist had entered the country illegally through Syria, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported. The terrorist's affiliation was not identified, but there are PKK/YPG and Daesh terrorists across the border in Syria. Turkish security forces have ramped up their efforts against PKK/YPG and Daesh terrorists at home and across the country's borders and have been carrying out successful operations to eliminate senior terrorists. Turkey recognized Daesh as a terrorist organization in 2013. Since then, the country has been attacked by Daesh terrorists numerous times, including 10 suicide bombings, seven bombings and four armed attacks that killed 315 people and injured hundreds more. In response, Turkey has launched military and police operations both inside the country and abroad.”
Afghanistan
The New York Times: Fear Sets In As Taliban Seize Former Bastions Of Resistance
“The families flooded out of northern Afghanistan by the thousands, standing for hours in overcrowded buses and cramming into taxis to escape the Taliban’s swift advance. By Monday morning, many had arrived at a makeshift shelter in Kabul, the country’s capital. They huddled together, recounting how they had watched bombs ravage their neighborhoods while running battles consumed the streets outside. The Taliban’s relentless march across northern Afghanistan has sent panic rippling across the country, as Afghans watched a region that was once the heart of resistance to the southern Taliban insurgency collapse at a terrifying pace. In just four days, the insurgents have seized five provincial capitals across the north and one in the southwest, and they continue to press on in their brutal offensive. The Taliban’s breakthrough victories have further stoked fears that the insurgents could envelop Kabul, and have shattered many Afghans’ last hopes that government forces could somehow reverse the onslaught. With the Taliban encroaching on Kabul — a bastion of government control amid the insurgents’ onslaught — many fear that no corner of the country will be spared.”
Lebanon
Voice Of America: In Lebanon, Discontent Grows With Hezbollah's Political, Military Might
“There is growing discontent among Lebanese with political and military powerhouse Hezbollah calling the shots in the country. Analysts say a 2006-style confrontation with Israel, which bolstered its militia image then, is not an option for Iran-backed Hezbollah now, as it's seen as part of the problem. Even Lebanon's influential Maronite Catholic Patriarch is calling on the beleaguered country's army to “confront Hezbollah for the sake of Lebanon.” Lebanese analyst Dania Koleilat Khatib, with the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, said that as “Hezbollah has been accumulating and projecting power, it has simultaneously increased discontent among its opponents and positioned itself as a threat to others,” seen most recently in a revenge killing involving a Sunni Muslim Arab tribe. Writing in the Saudi Arab News daily, she said the incident “showed that Hezbollah is not as invincible as it once seemed, and that it can be intimidated. This encouraged protesters to chant anti-Hezbollah slogans at the commemoration” last week of the deadly 2020 Beirut bombing, Khatib said, with “fingers pointing at the group for illegally bringing tons of ammonium nitrate into Beirut port.”
Middle East
The Times Of Israel: Al Qaeda Re-Appears With Extended Terrorist Plot
“With the withdrawal of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan and the country gradually slipping into grips of the Taliban, global terror network Al Qaeda has started increasing its terrorist agendas. According to media reports, in India, security at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) has been beefed up following a bomb blast threat received by Delhi Police. Delhi Police has received threats through e-mail that the terror outfit is plotting an attack on al-Qaeda airport. IGI Airport said in an official statement that additional alerts have been issued after receiving the email and all security measures have been beefed up. On Saturday, the IGI police station informed the Airport Operation Control Centre about an email received by the al-Qaeda chief about the bomb blast threat, the airport said in a statement. “It said Karanbir Suri alias Mohammad Jalal and his wife Shaili Shara alias Hasina are arriving in India from Singapore on Sunday. They are planning to plant bombs at the airport in one to three days”. Meanwhile, according to Long War Journal, Hurras al Din (the “Guardians of Religion” organization, or HaD) has claimed responsibility for a bus explosion in Damascus. In a one-page statement posted on social media, the al Qaeda group says that an improvised explosive device targeted the bus, which was carrying members of the Syrian Republican Guard.”
Nigeria
Pulse Nigeria: Terrorists Come Under Troops' Heavy Fire During Attempt To Attack Borno Town
“Troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) have thwarted an attempted attack by the Boko Haram/Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists on Damboa town in Borno, Nigerian Army says. The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Abuja. Nwachukwu said the troops of 25 Task Force Brigade successfully quelled a dawn attack attempt on the town in the early hours of Sunday by terrorists. He said the criminals made a futile effort to infiltrate the town, but were met with heavy fire from the vigilant troops. He said the terrorists attempted to infiltrate the town with unconfirmed numbers of foot soldiers and some mounted on motorcycles. He added that the terrorists suffered debilitating gunshot wounds from troops’ fire, forcing them to beat a retreat in disarray. The Army spokesperson said the troops were currently on the trail of the fleeing terrorists. He disclosed that two vehicles belonging to the Civilian Joint Task Force were razed by fire in the exchange of fire that ensued. “They are also encouraged not to allow any form of distraction from the marauding terrorists, whose ranks have suffered enormous depletion in manpower as a result of ongoing air and artillery bombardments.”
Mali
Al Jazeera: At Least 51 Killed In Mali Rebel Attacks: Officials
“Gunmen have attacked several villages in northern Mali, “shooting at anything that moved” and killing at least 51 people in apparent retribution for the recent arrest of several rebel leaders, authorities said. The latest violence took place in the volatile area along the borders of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso where fighters linked to ISIL (ISIS) and al-Qaeda are active. A note from the Asongo district administrator to the governor of the Gao region, seen by the Reuters news agency, said houses were ransacked and burned to the ground and herds of livestock carried away. “Provisional toll is 51 killed, several other injured,” the note said. No group has yet taken responsibility for the attacks. Mali’s army spokesman Colonel Souleymane Dembele confirmed the attacks on Monday but gave no further details. The attackers arrived on Sunday around 6pm local time (18:00 GMT) in the communities of Ouatagouna and Karou, local official Oumar Cisse said. “Most of the victims were in front of their houses; others were going to the mosque,” he told The Associated Press. A local official, who asked not to be identified for security reasons, told the AFP news agency that “20 civilians were massacred in Karou. Fourteen civilians were killed in Ouatagouna, and other civilians were killed in the hamlet of Daoutegeft.”
Africa
Deutsche Welle: Mozambique: 40% Spike In Children Fleeing Violence — Report
“Growing numbers of children have been forced to flee fighting in Mozambique's northern Cabo Delgado province, according a new report released Monday by aid group Save the Children. The report shows a 40% increase in the number of unaccompanied children arriving at refugee camps. “The crisis in Cabo Delgado is a children's crisis. As such the needs of children must be front and center of any regional response. These children rely on the adults in their lives — including their political leaders — to protect them,” the organization's director in Mozambique, Chance Briggs, said in a statement. According to figures in the report, Save the Children said it had seen an increase from 395 children arriving unaccompanied at camps at the end of June, to 550 at the end of July. The report added that staff were seeing 5 unaccompanied children arriving at camps on a daily basis. They had either been separated from their parents while fleeing, or their parents had been killed in violence. In total over 336,000 children have been displaced by fighting in the province. Mozambique is battling an Islamist insurgency being carried out by a group known locally as al-Shabab. It is not connected to the Somali militant group of the same name. It is is widely reported to have links with the so-called Islamic State.”
Navy Times: 17 Months Later, Congress Still Waits For Details About Deadly Al-Shabab Attack In Kenya
“Nearly a year and a half of waiting with no response to “repeated” requests for information from the Defense Department is prompting lawmakers to press Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for answers to questions about the Jan. 2020 attack by al-Shabab militants in Manda Bay, Kenya, that took the lives of three Americans. “It is simply unacceptable for the Department to withhold information from Congress about a terrorist attack that killed three American citizens,” Rep. Steven Lynch D-Mass. and Rep. Glenn Grothman R-WI of the House Oversight Committee wrote to Austin. Congress first requested a briefing on the jihadi attack on Feb. 5, 2020, one month to the day after it occurred. However, according to lawmakers, DoD has provided no briefing and “has not provided any substantive information” regarding the attack or the “security lapses that contributed to it.” “Congress has a solemn constitutional duty to conduct oversight of US military operations, including and especially when a terrorist attack claims the lives of American citizens overseas,” the legislators wrote. The absence of information provided to lawmakers comes despite the DoD launching at least two investigations into the attack on Manda Bay.”
Germany
Deutsche Welle: Berlin Christmas Market Attack Made Possible By 'Serious' Errors, Report Finds
“A special committee of the Berlin state parliament released its comprehensive report into the December 2016 Christmas market terror attack on Monday. The attack at the Breitscheidplatz market was the most serious act of Islamist terrorism in Germany to date. The attacker, Anis Amri, drove a truck into the market, killing 12 people. He was later shot dead by police while on the run in Italy. The 24-year-old Tunisian national, a small-scale drug vendor and rejected asylum-seeker, was known to police and had been monitored by authorities. More than 1,200 pages of records and 92 witness interviews were used in the report. The investigative committee found serious errors on the part of security authorities ahead of Amri's attack, Berlin's Tagespiegel newspaper reported. The committee report said it was “the sum of these errors and failures that made the attack possible and facilitated it.” A lack of staff, insufficient exchange of information between city offices and an incorrect assessment of Amri's behavior were among the criticisms levied at authorities by the committee. The Berlin House of Representatives' report adds to previous assessments at the federal level of how the Christmas market attack could have been prevented, if authorities had taken action.”
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