“Taliban fighters watched the last U.S. planes disappear into the sky over
Afghanistan around midnight Monday and then fired their guns into the air,

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


August 31, 2021 

 

 

Associated Press: Taliban Celebrate Victory As U.S. Troops Leave Afghanistan
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“Taliban fighters watched the last U.S. planes disappear into the sky over
Afghanistan around midnight Monday and then fired their guns into the air,
celebrating victory after a 20-year insurgency that drove the world’s most
powerful military out of one of the poorest countries. The departure of the
U.S. cargo planes marked the end of a massive airlift in which tens of
thousands of people fled Afghanistan, fearful of the return of Taliban rule
after the militants took over most of the country and rolled into the capital
earlier this month. “The last five aircraft have left, it’s over!” said Hemad
Sherzad, a Taliban fighter stationed at Kabul’s international airport. “I
cannot express my happiness in words. ... Our 20 years of sacrifice worked.” In
Washington, Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, announced the
completion of America’s longest war and the evacuation effort, saying the last
planes took off from Kabul airport at 3:29 p.m. EDT — one minute before
midnight Monday in Kabul. “We did not get everybody out that we wanted to get
out,” he said. With its last troops gone, the U.S. ended its 20-year war with
the Taliban back in power. Many Afghans remain fearful of their rule or of
further instability, and there have been sporadic reports of killings and other
abuses in areas under Taliban control despite the group’s pledges to restore
peace and security.”

 

NPR: House Panel Investigating The Capitol Attack Orders 35 Companies To
Preserve Records
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“The Democratic-led House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on
the U.S. Capitol has issued orders to 35 social media and communications
companies to preserve records, as the panel continues to expand its probe into
the deadly riot. The companies include telecom giants AT&T, T-Mobile and
Verizon Wireless, as well as other platforms where communications tied to the
siege may have taken place in the months leading up to January. The House
committee is targeting the records of individuals who have been charged with
crimes related to the attack, and those who participated in a rally preceding
the riot or in its potential planning. Monday's orders follow the committee's
requests last week to federal agencies and other preservation orders to social
media companies in its first wave of document demands since the panel was
formed and held its first hearing. “The Select Committee today sent letters to
35 private-sector entities, including telecommunications, email, and social
media companies, instructing them to preserve records which may be relevant to
the Select Committee's investigation,” a select committee spokesperson said in
a statement Monday. “The Select Committee is at this point gathering facts, not
alleging wrongdoing by any individual.”

 

United States

 

Reuters: U.S. Says Brooklyn Woman Who Aided Islamic State Is Arrested After
Skipping Hearing
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“A Brooklyn woman who faces a resentencing for supporting Islamic State but
skipped a court hearing because she feared being sent back to prison has been
arrested in New Mexico, U.S. prosecutors said. Sinmyah Amera Ceasar, who
prosecutors said used the name “Umm Nutella” in her role as a “committed
recruiter” for Islamic State, was arrested on Friday afternoon by FBI agents
following a nationwide search, prosecutors said in a letter on Sunday. Ceasar,
26, had missed a scheduled appearance in Brooklyn federal court on Aug. 25, one
week after the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan threw out what it
called her “shockingly low” four-year prison term and ordered her resentenced.
In their letter to U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto, prosecutors said Ceasar,
when she was arrested, did not have the GPS ankle bracelet she was supposed to
wear, and before fleeing had told others she “expected to be sent to prison” at
the Aug. 25 conference. Prosecutors also said Ceasar should remain in federal
custody, given that “there is no longer any conceivable argument that she is
not a risk of flight.” Federal public defenders who represent Ceasar were not
immediately available on Monday for comment.”

 

The Hill: White House: Biden Told Commanders To 'Stop At Nothing' To Go After
ISIS
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“President Biden has told his top generals that they should “stop at nothing”
to make Afghanistan’s ISIS affiliate pay for the 13 U.S. service members’
deaths in Kabul last week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday.
“I can tell you that the president has made clear to his commanders that they
should stop at nothing to make ISIS pay for the deaths of those American
service members at the Kabul airport,” Psaki said when asked if Biden
personally gave the Pentagon permission for a Sunday drone strike on an
explosives-laden vehicle. U.S. Central Command carried out the airstrike on the
vehicle, which was traveling through a residential neighborhood in Kabul
carrying “an imminent ISIS-K threat” to the Hamid Karzai International Airport,
according to the Defense Department. The strike follows a suicide bombing
carried out by so-called ISIS-K, a branch of ISIS that operates in South Asia
and Central Asia, near the airport Thursday that killed 13 U.S. service members
and dozens of Afghans. “They have the authorities necessary, it is
self-defense,” Psaki continued. “Obviously, these are ISIS terrorists who
killed U.S. service members, and the president is regularly briefed, but he has
directed them to go after and to kill these ISIS terrorists who have taken the
lives of the men and women serving our country.”

 

Forbes: New Terrorism Peril For Transportation Networks
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“Much of the coverage of America’s exit from Afghanistan has focused on the
chaos at the Kabul airport, the vital challenge of getting Americans and
Afghans out of the country, and the lives saved. Of longer-term importance is
how the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan will affect Americans here in the
United States. U.S. transportation networks, with their dependence on
technology, are particularly vulnerable. Afghanistan now gives terrorists a
base to launch coordinated, sophisticated attacks against the United States, as
was the case on September 11, 2001. Those attacks and many others targeted
transportation systems. America was the victim of coordinated plane attacks on
9/11. When the planes hit the World Trade Center I was in the office of the
Director of the National Economic Council in the West Wing of the White House.
We were told to leave in case the fourth plane, which passengers took down in
Pennsylvania, hit the White House. Throughout the day, the federal government
defined the threat as attacks on airliners. Civil aviation in America and
around the world was halted for a week. Terrorists have targeted transportation
systems in other countries. Spain suffered explosions on four commuter trains
on March 11, 2004, killing almost 200 people and injuring another 2,000.”

 

Syria

 

Asharq Al-Awsat: ISIS Attacks Russian-Backed Militia In Deir Ezzor
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“A Russian-backed Fifth Corps militia was attacked by unknown assailants in
the desert of the western countryside of Deir Ezzor, coinciding with intense
Russian air raids on ISIS positions. Ein al-Euphrates network reported that the
Fifth Corps established a checkpoint near its military point in al-Masrib, west
of Deir Ezzor, but unknown elements targeted the point with two RPGs, injuring
three members. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported a
comprehensive attack of ISIS cells on posts and positions of regime forces in
the al-Masrab desert in western Deir Ezzor. Five Russian fighters have taken
part in the combat, but no casualties have been reported. SOHR documented the
death of three fighters from the National Defense Forces (NDF) due to the
explosion of an old landmine planted earlier by ISIS in al-Duwayr village in
the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor. Meanwhile, according to the Euphrates
Post, Deir Ezzor witnessed increased displacement movement over the past few
days, whether from areas under the control of the Assad regime or the Syrian
Democratic Forces (SDF). The website said it was the most significant
displacement in the region in years due to forced conscription, unemployment,
and the deterioration of living and economic conditions.”

 

Iraq

 

Al Monitor: Macron Visits Erbil And Mosul, Vows To Stay The Course Against IS
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“French President Emmanuel Macron on Aug. 30 visited the former “capital” of
the Islamic State (IS), Mosul, a day after taking part in the Baghdad
Conference, involving several high-level leaders from the region, in the Iraqi
capital. He had flown to Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, on
the night of Aug. 29, where he met with Yazidi Nobel Peace Prize laureate and
IS torture survivor Nadia Murad as well as senior Kurdish officials. During the
visit Aug. 30, Macron met with President of Iraqi Kurdistan Nechirvan Barzani,
the latter stressed the significance of the French president's trip to Iraq in
supporting the democratic process. Iraq is holding early elections Oct. 10. The
two leaders discussed the bilateral relationship between Iraq and France and
the latter's role in fighting terrorism in Iraq. On his visit to Mosul, Macron
made a speech at the Church of Our Lady of the Hour, which is currently under
restoration. He also visited the Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul, where Abu
Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a 'caliphate' in June 2014. Iraq is a Muslim-majority
country with a population of around 40 million. Non-Muslims account for about
5% of the population.”

 

Afghanistan

 

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Investigates Kabul Airstrike; 10 Afghan
Civilians Died, Relatives Say
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“The Pentagon pledged a transparent investigation of an airstrike in Kabul on
Sunday that it said was aimed at foiling an attack by Islamic State militants
on the Afghan capital’s airport. A missile that day killed 10 civilians—all
relatives of a former interpreter who had been seeking a U.S. special immigrant
visa because he feared retribution from the Taliban, family members and a
neighbor said. Emal Ahmady, who said he worked as a translator for an American
company from 2011 to 2014, said in a telephone interview that five children in
his extended family were killed, along with five adults. He wasn’t home at the
time, he said. A neighbor reached by telephone said that Mr. Ahmady’s brother
had just pulled his car into the yard of the family home when children crowded
around the vehicle to greet him. Some adults were also standing nearby, Mr.
Ahmady said. Then there was a deafening explosion, the neighbor said. “All
children are in love with riding in a car or being around them,” Mr. Ahmady
said. Then he began to cry before saying “I no longer care” about the visa and
hanging up the phone. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, asked if there were
civilian casualties in Sunday’s strike, said, “We are not in a position to
dispute it.”

 

New York Post: Bin Laden’s Al Qaeda Security Chief Back In Afghanistan, Videos
Show
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“A senior al Qaeda commander who was Osama bin Laden’s security chief has
apparently returned to Afghanistan after two decades living in Pakistan,
according to videos posted to social media. Amin ul-Haq arrived back in his
hometown in Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, video purports to show, a day
before the US withdrawal from the war-torn country was set to end and less than
two weeks after the Taliban seized control. Videos circulating on Twitter
appear to show ul-Haq being driven through a Taliban checkpoint in a convoy of
SUVs as a small crowd gathered nearby. At one point in the video, ul-Haq can be
seen rolling down the window of the vehicle to shake hands and pose for selfies
with some men. His SUV was followed by a number of other vehicles, including
some bearing the Taliban flag. Ul-Haq was the leader of bin Laden’s so-called
Black Guard when the terror leader was holed up in his Tora Bora hideout 20
years ago. He reportedly helped bin Laden and others flee to Pakistan in
December 2001 when US forces were hunting him in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
Ul-Haq fled to Pakistan several years later when US forces targeted Tora Bora
again in 2007.”

 

Pakistan

 

Gulf News: Two Pakistani Soldiers Killed In Cross Border Terrorist Attack From
Afghanistan
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“Two Pakistani soldiers lost their lives in the country’s northwest district
by terrorist fire from across the Afghan border, Pakistan’s military said. The
incident occurred in Pakistan’s district of Bajaur bordering Afghanistan.
“Terrorists from inside Afghanistan across the international border, opened
fire on a military post in Bajaur district” in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the
official statement said. The army said it retaliated and killed at least two
terrorists and injured three or four. Sepoy Jamal, 28, a resident of Mardan,
and Sepoy Ayaz, 21, a resident of Chitral, were martyred in the attack, the
military said. This is the second such reported attack since the Taliban took
over Afghanistan following the collapse of the Kabul government on August 15.
On August 26, a paramilitary soldier Havaldar Gul Ameer lost his life in the
terror attack from Afghanistan on a military post in Lower Dir along the
Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Pakistan security forces killed one terrorist in
response to cross border attack from inside Afghanistan. The official statement
did not say which group was responsible for the attacks but the banned
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) whose leaders and fighters are reported to be
in Afghanistan have been frequently using Afghan soil to plot cross-border
terrorist attacks.”

 

Middle East

 

Asharq Al-Awsat: Israel Provides Intel To Western Countries On Extremism
Financing 
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“Former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu scaled back Israel's intelligence
cooperation with the United States when President Joe Biden took office earlier
this year. Sources in Tel Aviv said that Naftali Bennett's government decided
to cancel Netanyahu's instructions and release its information on sensitive
issues, including extremism financing. The sources noted that the Israeli
National Security Council held numerous meetings with their US counterpart last
week and other secret meetings with US and European officials. They explained
that the intel provided by the Israelis relates to Iran and its affiliates and
all terrorist activities in the region. The meetings also discussed the
extremist organizations in Europe and the Americas. Israel provided information
about the funding of these organizations. It asserted that the “follow the
money” proven has proven its effectiveness in combating these organizations, so
Israel is pursuing it through high-tech means and cyber-attacks. That changed
after the election of Biden, who promised to restore the nuclear agreement with
Iran, which Israel so vigorously opposed. Netanyahu even curtailed intelligence
sharing with the United States in the spring because he did not trust the Biden
administration.”

 

Nigeria

 

Sahara Reporters: US Eager To Help Nigeria Identify Sponsors Of Terrorism –
American Ambassador
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“The United States has expressed its readiness to assist Nigeria identify
sponsors of terrorism in the country. This was disclosed on Monday by the US
Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Leonard, during a meeting with journalists in
Abuja. US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Leonard. When the envoy was asked if the
US was ready to help Nigeria identify sponsors of terrorism in Nigeria, she
said talks were ongoing on the matter, The Punch reports. Leonard said, “That
is something we are very eager to partner Nigeria on. I have had at least three
conversations in the last two months on this subject. “I won’t like to go into
details.” She also allayed fear that the US partnership with Nigeria might end
up like that of Afghanistan. According to her, Nigeria has had a strong
bilateral relationship with the US, saying that the situations are not the
same. She added, “I hear people making the analogy with Afghanistan a lot, it
does not match up. “When you listen to what President Biden said on how troops
went to Afghanistan in the first place, it was because they were in a horrible
tragedy, over 3,000 Americans were killed. “That is a different construct. The
sovereign nations who have had strong bilateral relations. I don’t actually
think the two match up.”

 

Mali

 

AFP: Surge In Jihadist Violence Against Civilians In Mali: UN
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“The UN mission in Mali warned Monday that violence against civilians, notably
by jihadists but also by sectarian militias and the army, is on the rise in the
poor Sahel country. In a quarterly report covering April, May and June,
MINUSMA’s human rights division said the Islamists were pushing southward.
“Through local ‘non-aggression or reconciliation’ agreements signed under
duress by beleaguered communities, these groups have also been able to impose
draconian restrictions on the exercise of fundamental freedoms, particularly
against women,” the report said. “Between April and June, at least 527
civilians were killed, injured or abducted/disappeared, an overall increase of
more than 25 percent from the first quarter” of 2021, it said. The Group to
Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM) and other jihadist groups such as the Islamic
State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) were responsible for 54 percent of the
casualties and kidnappings, the report said.GISM, the largest jihadist alliance
in the Sahel, is linked to Al-Qaeda. The report said jihadists kidnapped 156
people, mainly those thought to be informants or close to Malian or
international forces. “JNIM and similar groups continued to strengthen their
territorial hold, particularly in the rural areas of central Mali, with a
notable expansion” in the south, the report said.”

 

Germany

 

Asharq Al-Awsat: Germany Arrests Woman Accused Of Helping ISIS Group
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“A German woman was arrested Monday on suspicion of helping the ISIS group by
backing efforts to transfer money to militants, prosecutors said. The suspect,
identified only as Denise S., was arrested in Geretsried, near Munich and faces
possible charges of supporting a foreign terrorist organization. She is accused
of supporting Aymen A.-J., an Iraqi man who was arrested in Germany earlier
this year. Federal prosecutors said that the woman's main job was to establish
contact with female ISIS members and keep them up-to-date on upcoming money
transfers. She is accused of calling for donations for an ISIS member who was
supposed to be freed from a Kurdish refugee camp, to enable her return to the
extremist group, and of setting up an account to receive donations. She also
allegedly had Aymen A.-J. transfer 200 euros ($235) to an ISIS member in Idlib,
Syria. Aymen A.-J. is accused of transferring at least $12,000 to Syria and
Lebanon between June and September 2020 to help ISIS fighters. Prosecutors say
he was arrested at the German-Swiss border in January as he left to leave the
country to fight for ISIS in Syria or Africa.”

 

Southeast Asia

 

Nikkei Asia: Southeast Asia On Alert For Al-Qaida And ISIS Links After Kabul
Attack
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“Law enforcement agencies in multiple Southeast Asian nations are on high
alert against terrorist groups potentially emboldened by the Taliban's takeover
of Afghanistan and a deadly Islamic State attack at the Kabul airport. In
Indonesia, the national police's counterterrorism detachment known as Densus 88
began monitoring social media and other sources for Taliban sympathizers.
Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population, has a constitutional
guarantee of religious freedom for minority faiths. But the country is no
stranger to terrorism, with extremist groups seeking to impose Islamic law.
Authorities fear a spillover effect from instability in Afghanistan. Hours
before extremist group ISIS-K launched the suicide attack against the airport
in Kabul, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi met Thursday with senior Taliban
official Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai in Doha to urge that Afghanistan “does
not become a breeding ground for terrorist organization and activities,” the
minister tweeted. Indonesia later denounced the attack, which killed 13 U.S.
military members and scores of Afghans. “There are groups in this country who
sympathize with the Taliban,” Boy Rafli Amar, the head of Indonesia's National
Counterterrorism Agency, warned on Aug. 19, pledging to bolster surveillance."



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