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Eye on Extremism
August 30, 2021
The New York Times: U.S. Strike Kills Two ISIS-K Militants In Retaliation For Airport Attack
“The Pentagon said that two Islamic State militants were killed and one was wounded in Friday night’s drone strike in Nangarhar Province as part of the American retaliation for the suicide bombing at the Kabul airport that killed scores of people, including 13 American service members. Defense Department officials said one of the Islamic State drone targets was a “planner,” and one was a “facilitator.” Both, they said, were involved in planning attacks against Americans, although officials at a news conference on Saturday declined to say whether they were involved specifically in the Kabul airport attack. There remains a threat to American troops and civilians at the Kabul airport, officials said, making the ongoing evacuation effort perilous. For the first time, Pentagon officials publicly acknowledged the possibility that some of the people killed in the aftermath of the suicide bombing at Kabul airport may have died in gunfire coming from American service members after the suicide bomber detonated himself. Pentagon officials have previously said there was gunfire after the bombing, but were unsure where it emanated. Investigators are looking into whether the shots came from Americans at the gate, or from the Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing.”
Associated Press: Yemeni Official: Missile, Drone Attack On Airbase Kills 30
“A missile and drone attack on a key military base in Yemen’s south on Sunday killed at least 30 troops, a Yemeni military spokesman said. It was one of the deadliest attacks in the country’s civil war in recent years. Mohammed al-Naqib, spokesman for Yemen’s southern forces, told The Associated Press the attack on Al-Anad Air Base in the province of Lahj wounded at least 65. He said the casualty toll could rise since rescue teams were still clearing the site. Graphic footage from the scene showed several charred bodies on the ground with ambulance sirens blaring in the background. Yemeni officials said at least three explosions took place at the air base, which is held by the internationally recognized government. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war since 2014, when Houthi rebels swept across much of the north and seized the capital, Sanaa, forcing the internationally recognized government into exile. The Saudi-led coalition entered the war the following year on the side of the government. A ballistic missile landed in the base’s training area, where dozens of troops were doing morning exercises, the officials said.”
United States
“Al Qaeda and ISIS terrorists sprung by the Taliban from an Afghan prison could enter the United States via the porous southern border, security experts said, lending grim legitimacy to concerns raised by Republicans. Feds patrolling the 2,000-mile-long U.S.-Mexico border are increasingly on alert for foreigners on the terror watch list, given the situation in Afghanistan, a senior official at U.S. Customs and Border Protection who spoke on the condition of anonymity told the Washington Examiner. “I believe CBP and the Border Patrol are both taking it very seriously, but I can’t say the same as far as the administration,” the official wrote in an email. “If I was a bad person that wanted to do harm to the U.S., I know now is the time to illegally enter the border. You have sectors and stations that cannot fully man their areas of operation and people are getting through.” More people were encountered by law enforcement while illegally attempting to enter the U.S. from Mexico in July than any month in the past 21 years, and those numbers show no sign of declining. As a result, roughly half of the thousands of Border Patrol agents who work on the southern border have been pulled inside to process and take care of migrants in custody, resulting in fewer agents patrolling the border.”
Syria
“The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, more commonly known as ISIS, was at one point the richest and most well-funded terrorism and insurgency group on the planet, even holding a Guinness World Record due to its massive net worth. ISIS was first dubbed by Forbes as the wealthiest terrorist organization in the world in 2014, surpassing other groups such as Al-Qaeda, Al-Shabab and the Taliban. It was said to have an annual turnover of about $2 billion, according to the outlet's 2014 estimates. The group entered the Guinness World Records that year as the richest insurgency group. Some analysts estimated that the net worth of ISIS may have been closer to $3 billion around that time, according to a Forbes report. The group’s main sources of funding are the illegal sale of oil — believed to bring in millions of dollars per day — as well as kidnapping and ransom, collection of protection taxes, bank robberies and looting, the outlet said. Part of the group’s fortune in 2014 came from the funds it seized from the bank of Mosul when it took control of the Iraqi city that year. The amount was estimated to be more than $300 million.”
Iraq
RFI: Macron Says France Will Keep Troops In Iraq To Contain Terrorism
“Speaking at a regional summit in Iraq, French President Emmanuel Macron said his country would continue to deploy troops there to battle terrorism even if the US were to withdraw. The comments come in the wake of a deadly attack claimed by the Islamic State in Afghanistan, a country which has come under Taliban control. “Given the geopolitical events, this conference has taken a special turn,” Macron said at the summit convened by Iraq as it seeks to play the role of regional mediator. “No matter what choices the Americans make, we will maintain our presence in Iraq to fight against terrorism,” Macron told a news conference in Baghdad. “We all know that we must not lower our guard, because Daesh (the Islamic State group) remains a threat, and I know that the fight against these terrorist groups is a priority of your government,” Macron said earlier after a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi. “Fighting against terrorism, supporting structured regional projects and responding to challenges in the Middle East can only be done together,” Macron wrote on Twitter. “The Baghdad conference is historique. It's already a success in itself, a new form of cooperation is born.” The French president considers Iraq “essential” to stability in the Middle East.”
Afghanistan
The Washington Post: Fear And Anticipation On The Streets Of Kabul As Afghans Adapt To Taliban Rule
“The woman had never seen a Taliban fighter before. An artist and former social media influencer based here in the Afghan capital, she had spent most of her adult life in the city’s liberal circles. Taliban rule felt foreign and frightening. The city’s swift fall to the militants this month was “terrifying,” she said, and she spent days locked inside her apartment. She feared a knock on the door and a swift death sentence. When it didn’t come, she ventured downstairs. In place of the guards who ordinarily sat outside her building were Taliban fighters. She froze — but then said hello. “I was shocked: They were respectful,” she said. They exchanged pleasantries. “It made me think: Maybe these people are not who we thought they were.” Still, she has yet to leave her apartment building. She has seen reports on television and heard stories from friends and family of arbitrary beatings and extrajudicial executions. She doesn’t know what could await her just a few blocks away. Taliban leaders are promising peace, order and amnesty in Afghanistan. They promised that last time, too. Two weeks after the Taliban overran Kabul, seizing control of the capital and the country for the first time in 20 years, Afghans across the capital are bracing for what comes next.”
Bloomberg: Trusting The Taliban To Fight Islamic State
“Reports from Washington and Kabul show the extent to which the Biden administration has been counting on the Taliban to facilitate the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan — and, apparently, to keep up the fight against IS-Khorasan, the local franchise of the Islamic State, after the Americans are gone. The White House and Pentagon believe that the new rulers in Kabul share their eagerness for a speedy evacuation: a “common purpose,” in the words of Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, commander of the United States Central Command. There is also an assumption that the Taliban have an implacable enmity toward IS-Khorasan. These postulates are the basis for information-sharing between U.S. officials and their Taliban counterparts to ensure smooth passage of American citizens, green-card holders and Afghan allies through militant-controlled checkpoints outside the Kabul airport. Also, according to McKenzie, U.S. officials have for the past two weeks appraised Taliban commanders of threats to the airport, “so that they can actually do some searching out there for us.” The general has speculated that some attacks had been “thwarted” before Thursday’s twin blasts, which killed at least 75 Afghans and 13 American service personnel.”
Newsweek: Why The Taliban, Armed To The Teeth, May Struggle To Defeat ISIS-K
“…These emissaries networked primarily in southern and eastern Afghanistan and gathered disgruntled Taliban fighters as well as some local power brokers, declaring their existence openly only in 2015, gathering also a range of foreign fighters, primarily from Pakistani terrorist groups,” Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director at the Counter Extremism Project, tells Newsweek. The United States had provided the Taliban with prior intelligence about Thursday's attack. Terrorism experts have told Newsweek that the Taliban will not want to been seen to be too compliant with the U.S., over fears that Taliban members may defect to the Islamic State affiliate. “ISIS-K has more decentralized structure after taking several blows to leadership so it may not be so easy for Taliban to take them on,” Magnus Ranstorp, special advisor to EU Radicalisation Awareness Network, tells Newsweek. “Also if U.S. decides to strike, then [the] Taliban does not want to be seen to be too compliant to [the] West. It places Taliban between a rock and a hard place.” Taliban fighters wait for their meals to be served as they lunch at a restaurant in Kabul on August 26, 2021 after Taliban's military takeover following the U.S. troop withdrawal.”
Newsweek: Lindsey Graham Warns Biden's Afghanistan Exit Has 'Set The Conditions For Another 9/11'
“…On Sunday, the U.S. military confirmed that an airstrike hit an explosives-packed vehicle headed for the Kabul airport. Security experts are concerned that the Taliban—left with many of the highest technology American weapons given to the Afghan army—may struggle to defeat ISIS. “What was surprising is that ISIS-K regularly conducted attacks in Kabul, the center of the operational area of the Haqqani network, the Salafi-oriented network within the Taliban that has the closest links to Al-Qaeda of all the various Taliban factions,” Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director at the Counter Extremism Project, told Newsweek. “These attacks were not followed by visible retaliation of the Haqqani network, which used to 'defend' its area of operations against other Taliban factions. This noteworthy lack of reaction of the Haqqani network is even more worrying now that the network is in charge of security in Kabul.” Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment, but had not heard back by publication. This article will be updated with any response.”
“…Senior adviser at Counter Extremism Project, Ivor Roberts, said Al-Qaeda is “deeply embedded” with the Taliban. “I don’t think they will ever cut ties with Al-Qaeda,” Roberts, a retired British diplomat, noted. Taliban has yet to be designated by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization. However, the Haqqani Network has been linked to hostage-taking activities against Westerners. U.S. officials said the network currently has at least one U.S. citizen in captivity, the Wall Street Journal reported. Retired Lt. Gen. Michael K. Nagata said the Haqqani Network is “the single most impressive nonstate militant group” he has ever seen besides the ISIS during its first two years in power. While Taliban has signed a peace deal with the Trump administration, the recent bombing in Kabul as well as the group’s refusal to extend foreign evacuations out of Afghanistan past the Aug. 31 deadline has increase skepticism over the Taliban’s pledges. Recent developments have also implied the United States’ limited power in a country that could be overtaken by terrorism once U.S. military fully departs at the end of the month.”
The Washington Newsday: Why The Taliban, Although Being Heavily Armed, May Struggle To Defeat ISIS-K
“…Since 2018, the Taliban have been fighting ISIS-K. ISIS in Syria and Iraq, on the other hand, despatched agents to Afghanistan in 2014 to establish an affiliate. This was the second time ISIS’ core operations had purposefully created a branch, following Libya. “These emissaries networked primarily in southern and eastern Afghanistan, gathering disgruntled Taliban fighters as well as some local power brokers, declaring their existence openly only in 2015, gathering also a range of foreign fighters, primarily from Pakistani terrorist groups,” says Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director at the Counter Extremism Project. The Taliban had received advance intelligence regarding Thursday’s attack from the US. Terrorism specialists told This website that the Taliban will not want to be regarded as too accommodating with the US because they are afraid that Taliban militants could desert to the Islamic State offshoot.”
Egypt
Arab News: Egypt Bans Books On Extremism And Muslim Brotherhood From Mosques
“The Egyptian Ministry of Endowments has decided to prevent the entry of books on extremism and the Muslim Brotherhood to all mosques in Egypt and to remove those already there within the coming 15 days. Mohammed Mokhtar Gomaa, minister of endowments, said that committees will be formed to re-examine mosque libraries and the books, magazines and publications in them and remove any publications that adopt extremist ideology or belong to any extremist group. In an urgent statement, the minister directed the punishment of any official neglecting these orders. There was also an urgent warning that all imams take a pledge to not allow any books to be included in mosque libraries without permission from the General Administration of Religious Guidance in the Ministry’s general office. The minister also directed the removal of any violating posters inside or outside the mosque. Hisham Abdel Aziz, who is in charge of running the work of the head of the religious sector at the Ministry of Endowments, issued a poster alerting all directorates to quickly form committees to re-examine any libraries, books, magazines or publications in mosques, and purify them of any publications that adopt an extremist ideology or belong to any extremist group or the Brotherhood.”
Nigeria
International Business Times: Nigeria's Troubled Exit Path For Repentant Jihadists
“Gaunt men sit in the shade sewing hats while women in headscarves cook leaves, watching children play as the dry wind blows through the thatched huts. It's a typical scene in the sprawling camps set up for over two million people who have fled jihadists waging war in northeast Nigeria -- and where Aliyu, Abubakar, Muhammad and Mallam now also live. But the desolate site is a far cry from where these four men had expected to end up after completing a government programme to deradicalise and rehabilitate Boko Haram fighters. The years since entering the custody of the authorities -- time mostly spent in overcrowded and filthy cells -- have been traumatic, the men say. Now left to live in dusty camps with no jobs in sight, they say the government has not delivered the fresh start promised. The deradicalisation programme has also targeted the wrong people, with participants saying that many civilians, rather than fighters, end up in the hands of the military. Over more than a decade, Boko Haram jihadists, along with combatants from dissident offshoot the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), have killed at least 40,000 people.”
Africa
“As Afghanistan fell to the Taliban this month, one of the most notorious extremists in West Africa praised his “brothers” and what he cast as their successful strategy. “Two decades of patience,” said Iyad Ag Ghaly, head of an al-Qaeda affiliate that aims to conquer Mali. The rare public statement illustrated how Afghanistan’s collapse has lifted morale and offered fresh motivation to militant groups driving rapidly growing insurgencies across West Africa. Fighters across the continent — many of whom have professed loyalty to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State — have publicly celebrated the Taliban’s takeover as the result of perseverance against the United States and other Western armed forces. Now that France has announced plans to start slashing its military presence in West Africa by about half over the next year, some who have endured nearly a decade of extremist violence see a chilling parallel. “I fear that we will meet the same fate as the Afghans,” said Azidane Ag Ichakane, 30, the president of a youth group in Bamako, the Malian capital. The Taliban’s lightning-fast takeover after the U.S. departure from Afghanistan has cranked up pressure on France, which has about 5,100 troops in West Africa, the most of any overseas partner.”
Reuters: Suspected Militants Kill 19 In Eastern Congo Village
“Suspected Islamist militants killed at least 19 people in a raid on a village in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local authorities said. The attackers looted houses and started fires in Kasanzi-Kithovo near Virunga National Park in North Kivu province overnight between Friday and Saturday, they said. “I don't know where to go with my two children,” villager Kahindo Lembula, who lost four of her relatives in the attack, told Reuters by phone. “Only God will help us.” The head of Buliki district, Kalunga Meso, and local rights group CEPADHO blamed the assault on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) - an Islamist militant group accused of killing thousands of people in recent years, mostly in remote areas. There was no immediate claim of responsibility and the ADF could not be reached. The government declared martial law in North Kivu and neighbouring Ituri province at the beginning of May, in an attempt to quell a surge in violence that the military largely attributes to the ADF. But the number of civilians killed in such attacks has only increased since then, according to the Kivu Security Tracker, which maps unrest in eastern Congo.”
Europe
Bloomberg: Switzerland Warns Of Terror Attacks On Vaccine Sites
“Switzerland’s Federal Intelligence Service is warning of potential terrorist attacks on coronavirus vaccine infrastructure including vaccination centers, transport and manufacturing facilities, newspaper NZZ am Sonntag reported. “Attacks on such targets would both hit large crowds and generate intensive media coverage,” the NDB spokesperson, Isabelle Graber, said in a written response to questions from NZZ. The NDB is concerned about attacks from jihadist groups, the newspaper reported. So far, there are no tangible indications of planned attacks, according to the NDB. Switzerland’s vaccine deliveries are coordinated and conducted by the Swiss Army. Doses are stored in secret locations. A spokesperson for Lonza Group AG, a manufacturer of Moderna Inc’s vaccine, told the newspaper the company wouldn’t comment “on such sensitive topics.” Switzerland has suffered a significant increase in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks. The Alpine nation has distributed 9.51 million vaccine doses, enough to cover 55.6% of the population, according to Bloomberg’s vaccine tracker. That’s one of the lowest vaccine rates among major economies in Europe. NZZ also reported that Health Minister Alain Berset said in an interview that mobile vaccination efforts need to be increased.”
Technology
The Washington Post: Amazon Web Services Disables ISIS Propaganda Website It Had Hosted Since April
“Amazon late Friday disabled a website used by a propaganda arm of the Islamic State that celebrated the suicide bombing that killed at least 170 people in Kabul on Thursday after The Washington Post reported the extremists relied on the company’s technology to promote extremism. Nida-e-Haqq, an Islamic State media group that distributes Islamist content in the Urdu language, had been using the company’s dominant cloud-computing division, Amazon Web Services, to host its content, despite company policies against working with terror groups. Some of that content included messages about the Islamic State-Khorasan offshoot that claimed responsibility for the lethal attack, said Rita Katz, executive director of SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors online extremism and discovered the link with Amazon Web Services. Urdu is widely spoken in neighboring Pakistan and occasionally in Afghanistan itself. The Nida-e-Haqq app on Thursday carried what it claimed was an image of the bomber wrapped in a suicide vest ahead of a blast whose victims included 13 U.S. service members, further marring the American pullout from the nation after nearly 20 years of war.”
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