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Eye on Extremism
August 24, 2021
Vice: One Of The World's Most Wanted Terrorists Is Strolling Freely Through Kabul
“One of the United States’ most wanted terrorists and a senior member of a group with strong ties to al-Qaida appeared in the Afghan capital of Kabul late last week. Khalil al-Rahman Haqqani, who currently has a $5 million bounty on his head for his links to al-Qaida terrorist operations, was seen leading a crowd of worshippers through prayers at Pul-i Khishti mosque in Kabul's old city on Friday. Khalil is a prominent figure in the Haqqani Network, a militant organisation allied with both the Afghan Taliban and al-Qaida that has been described as the most lethal insurgent group targeting Coalition and Afghan forces in Afghanistan. His nephew is Sirajuddin Haqqani, the leader of the Haqqani Network and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in the eyes of the U.S. Department of State, who has a $10 million bounty on his head. The presence of representatives from the notorious group, which has a reputation for ruthlessness and has been accused of some of the most deadly militant attacks in Afghanistan, has rankled fears that the Taliban will be no less brutal in their governance of the country than when they were last in power, between 1996 and 2001. During that time, the Taliban ruled a reign of terror with rife human rights abuses, due to their strict interpretation of Sharia law.”
CNN: Police Kill Top Commander And Deputy Of Militant Group In Indian Kashmir
“The top commander of a militant group and his deputy, allegedly involved in dozens of target killings, died in a shootout, Indian police in Kashmir said on Monday. Abbas Sheikh, chief of the militant group The Resistance Front (TRF), and Saqib Manzoor were killed during a shootout in Srinagar, the main city of Indian Kashmir, said Kashmir police chief Vijay Kumar. Kumar said the militants were involved in dozens of target killings, including the murders of Babar Qadri, a prominent lawyer, and a few workers of the country's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The TRF is an offshoot of Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba, Kumar said. India and neighboring Pakistan have disputed Kashmir since the end of British colonial rule in 1947. Both countries claim it in full but rule it in part. More than 50,000 people have been killed in more than three decades of insurgency in Kashmir that India accuses Pakistan of fomenting by supporting Muslim militant groups fighting India's security forces in its part of the divided region. Pakistan says it only offers political support to its fellow Muslims in the Himalayan region.”
United States
Associated Press: Proud Boys Leader Who Burned BLM Flag Gets 5 Months In Jail
“The leader of the Proud Boys extremist group was sentenced to more than five months in jail on Monday for burning a Black Lives Matter banner that was torn down from a historic Black church in downtown Washington and bringing two high-capacity firearm magazines into the nation’s capital days shortly before the Jan. 6 riot. Enrique Tarrio told the court he was “profusely” sorry for his actions, calling them a “grave mistake.” “What I did was wrong,” Tarrio said during the hearing held via videoconference. Tarrio, from Miami, was arrested as he arrived in Washington two days before thousands of supporters of then-President Donald Trump — including members of the Proud Boys — descended on the U.S. Capitol and disrupted the certification of the Electoral College vote. Tarrio was ordered to stay away from Washington, and law enforcement later said Tarrio was picked up in part to help quell potential violence.”
Syria
Al Monitor: Syrian Jihadis Hail Taliban ‘Conquest’ Despite Their Own Effort To Rebrand
“Islamists of various shades have hailed the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan as a major victory for global jihad. Leaders of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the powerful extremist Sunni group that rules over broad swathes of the northwestern province of Idlib and used to pay fealty to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS), are no exception, airing hope that a similar scenario will unfold in Syria with the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad and his “criminal regime.” “With utmost joy and delight, we received the news of the conquest of our people in Afghanistan and their land’s [liberation] from the occupation and its agents at the hands of the Taliban,” HTS said in an Aug. 18 statement. “Perhaps in this victory witnessed today is a lesson and opportunity for the international community and other sides silent about the crimes of Bashar and his aides, as it should encourage them to support the will of the peoples and repeat their demands and not stand alongside the flayer in confronting the free peoples,” the statement added. Iraqi HTS leader Abu Maria al-Qahtani was even more bullish. “At a time when the massacres committed by the military against those who raised peaceful slogans among Muslims were being commemorated, good news started flowing from Afghanistan.”
Afghanistan
NBC News: Kabul Airport Shooting Heightens Evacuation Chaos As Taliban Try To Take Control
“A deadly firefight brought renewed chaos on Monday to the Kabul airport, where thousands of Afghans were waiting to flee the country as the Taliban faced down a nascent resistance movement in the north. One Afghan soldier was killed and three others were injured in the fight between Afghan security forces and “unknown attackers” at the north gate of the airport, the German military said in a tweet. It said American and German forces were also involved, adding that no German soldiers were hurt. NBC News reached out to U.S. Central Command and NATO for comment. It was not immediately clear if any U.S. troops were killed or injured. The German military said in a later tweet that the Afghan soldiers involved in the incident were “members of the Afghan army” taking part in a multinational operation to secure the airport. It was not clear how many Afghan soldiers were operating at the airport, or anywhere else in Afghanistan. The Afghan army, built and trained at a two-decade cost of $83 billion to the U.S., largely capitulated in the Taliban's offensive across Afghanistan, which culminated in the Afghan government collapsing and President Ashraf Ghani fleeing Aug. 15.”
The New Yorker: Afghanistan, Again, Becomes A Cradle For Jihadism—And Al Qaeda
“In March, I travelled to Afghanistan and the Middle East with General Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie, Jr., the Alabama-born marine who heads Central Command. He has been overseeing the frantic evacuation out of Kabul. During one of several interviews aboard his plane, I asked him, “Do you really think, given the intermarriage, the interweaving of the Taliban and Al Qaeda, that the Taliban is really ever going to be able or willing to restrain Al Qaeda from doing anything against us?” By then, the Taliban held roughly half of Afghanistan, a country about the size of Texas. McKenzie was chillingly candid. “I think it will be very hard for the Taliban to act against Al Qaeda, to actually limit their ability to attack outside the country,” he replied. “It’s possible, but I think it would be difficult.” For more than a year, both the Trump and Biden Administrations had reams of warnings—from the military and diplomats, congressional reports and a commissioned study group, its own inspector general, and the United Nations—that the collapse of the Afghan government, an ever-growing possibility, would also mean a resurgence of Al Qaeda. In April, a U.S. intelligence assessment warned Congress that Al Qaeda’s senior leadership “will continue to plot attacks and seek to exploit conflicts in different regions.”
The Daily Beast: Taliban May Have Inherited ‘Hundreds’ Of Missiles From Ex-Government
“The Taliban, its al Qaeda ally, and the renegade ISIS-K terror group may have inherited hundreds of deadly shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles from the fallen Afghan government’s weapons depots, experts say. The exact number of missiles and their origin, kind, age and viability are hard to come by. A 2019 report by the RAND Corp. think tank put the total at an alarming 4,500, but according to experts, that figure is unreliable, and almost certainly represents the number of MANPADS—Man-portable air defense systems—acquired by successive Kabul regimes going back decades. It’s highly unlikely that Washington supplied any to Kabul, experts explained. Any left today likely represent a fraction of those acquired by the Taliban regime overthrown by the U.S. in 2001, or its predecessors. Still, if even a fraction of MANPADS fell into the hands of the Taliban, Al-Qaeda or ISIS-K, an Islamic State faction active in Afghanistan and elsewhere nearby, that would be alarming. Elements of the terror groups have entered Kabul, according to current reports. “There is a strong possibility ISIS-K is trying to carry off an attack at the airport,” a U.S. defense official told CNN Saturday.”
“It’s only a matter of time until al-Qaeda uses Taliban backing in Afghanistan to target Europe. According to a terror specialist, the Taliban’s win in Afghanistan will soon bring terror strikes and misery to Europe. The Taliban have projected a more moderate face since seizing Kabul on Sunday, stating they want peace, will not seek retribution against old foes, and will protect women’s rights within the context of Islamic law. However, Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, Senior Director of the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), an international non-profit dedicated to combating the growing threat of terrorism and extremist ideology, cautioned that the group’s words should be treated with caution. Dr. Schindler, writing for Euronews, reminded the international community that the Taliban were the first to embrace al-Qaeda, allowing the terror organisation to create a massive terrorist network. If western democracies apply economic sanctions on Afghanistan’s unrecognized new ruling government, the Taliban will most likely resort to al-Qaeda for funds, according to the terror expert. In exchange, the terror group will be able to reestablish a strong presence in Kabul, raising fears of new strikes against the West. “There is little question that, aside from being a big military win, it is also a victory for the insurgency’s propaganda with worldwide repercussions and is considered as a significant step forward by the global Islamist terrorist movement,” he said.”
Middle East
The Times Of Israel: Gaza Arson Attacks Spark 9 Fires In Israel; Terror Groups Plan Border Protests
“Terrorists in the Gaza Strip sparked at least nine fires in southern Israel throughout Monday with balloon-borne incendiary devices flown over the border as tensions in the region heated up, Fire and Rescue Services investigators said. Firefighters from Fire and Rescue Services, the Israel Defense Forces, the Jewish National Fund and local communities have been battling brushfires throughout the day in the Eshkol and Sdot Negev regions of southern Israel. Fire and Rescue Services investigators said they determined that at least nine fires in Eshkol were sparked by these balloon-based attacks. Another fire in Sdot Negev was also likely the result of arson, but this was still being checked, the investigators said. The attacks drew harsh criticism from local government officials, who called on the government to take action. “The audacity of the terror groups to renew the terrorism of balloons and to burn our fields must be rooted out today. If it is not stopped today, we will find ourselves… [again] putting out fires and crying that our harvests have gone up in smoke,” the mayor of the Eshkol region, Gadi Yarkoni, said in a statement.”
Libya
Asharq Al-Awsat: ISIS Attack Thwarted In Southern Libya
“A leaked confidential document from the Libyan interior ministry revealed that 100 terrorists have set up base at Libya’s Watiya Air Base. The Libyan National Army (LNA), commanded by Khalifa Haftar, meanwhile announced that it had thwarted a suicide attack by the ISIS terrorist group in southern Libya. LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari said the terrorist had attempted to detonate a booby-trapped vehicle at a military position in the southern town of Zella. A clash ensued with the LNA, with the attacker being fatally wounded. Moments before dying, he said that he hailed from Sudan. Zella is a small oasis town that lies south of Sirte city and near an oilfield carrying the same name. The attack coincided with a revelation that some 100 Tunisian terrorists at the Watiya base were planning to infiltrate Tunisia to carry out attacks. The information was revealed by Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) Interior Minister Khaled Mazen in correspondence to several heads of security agencies and police forces in Arab and international countries. In the leaked letter, Mazen called for intensifying operations and efforts to thwart any terrorist plots.”
Nigeria
PM News Nigeria: Four Boko Haram Terrorists Shot Dead In Gun-Duel With Soldiers
“The Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), has shot four Boko Haram terrorists dead in a gun-duel along the fringes of lake Chad. A statement signed by Col. Muhammad Dole, Chief of Military Public Information of MNJTF, on Monday in Maiduguri, Borno, said rifles, ammunition and other accessories were recovered from the insurgents in the encounter. “The renewed vigour and resilience in the conduct of the ongoing clearance operations to flush out remnants of BHT/ISWAP terrorists around the fringes of Lake Chad region, is yielding positive results. “The troops of MNJTF Sector three, Monguno, conducting routine patrols along Gajiram general areas, suddenly came under attack by BHT/ISWAP terrorists at Gambari axis. “The ambush was successfully repelled and the troops charged through. During the encounter, four insurgents were neutralised while many fled with multiple gunshot wounds. “Unfortunately, one solder sustained injury and is receiving treatment at a military medical facility,” Dole said. According to him, items recovered include, three AK 47 rifles, 10 special rounds of 7.62 special rounds and assorted drugs, among others.”
Canada
“Far-right extremist groups are “actively recruiting” past and present members of the military and police, according to a declassified Canadian intelligence report obtained by Global News. The report cited 17 examples in Canada, the U.S., U.K., Germany and New Zealand which “illustrate the intersections and relationships between ideologically motivated violent extremism and uniformed personnel.” Six of the cases involved members of the Canadian military or reserves. “IMV extremist groups actively recruiting uniformed personnel,” Canadian government threat assessment said. IMV is the acronym for Ideologically Motivated Violence. “Several xenophobic and anti-government/anti-authority violent extremist groups openly recruit current and former military and law enforcement personnel.” It said the groups included the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and Boogaloo Movement, as well as the Three Percenters — a so-called patriot group that took part in the Jan. 6 assault at the U.S. Capitol. “While there is a small number of members in every province, including members of the military, ex-military, and police, the movement is growing in Canada,” it said of the Three Percenters.”
Technology
The Hill: UN-Backed Tech Group Adds Taliban To List Of Terrorist Organizations
“Tech platforms should ban or restrict content from the Taliban, a United Nations-backed group advised Monday. The group, Tech Against Terrorism, added the Taliban, which has regained control of Afghanistan amid the pullout of U.S. forces, to its Terrorist Content Analytics Platform (TCAP), which detects verified terrorist content online and alerts platforms of it. “The Taliban was one of the groups that we have considered adding to the TCAP for a long time, however in light of recent events in Afghanistan and to provide clarity for the tech companies we work with on this (admittedly challenging) content moderation issue, we have decided to accelerate inclusion of official Taliban content,” the group said in a statement. “Whilst we appreciate that this is a challenging moderation issue, the fact that the Taliban now effectively constitutes the Afghan government should not prevent platforms from implementing their rules in this area and from removing material produced by a designated terrorist organisation,” the group said. The TCAP has previously listed ISIS and al Qaeda content, as well as content from designated far-right organizations.”
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