“The Taliban on Tuesday announced an all-male interim government for
Afghanistan stacked with veterans of their hard-line rule from the 1990s and the

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


September 8, 2021 

 

Associated Press: Taliban Form All-Male Afghan Government Of Old Guard Members
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“The Taliban on Tuesday announced an all-male interim government for
Afghanistan stacked with veterans of their hard-line rule from the 1990s and
the 20-year battle against the U.S.-led coalition, a move that seems unlikely
to win the international support the new leaders desperately need to avoid an
economic meltdown. Appointed to the key post of interior minister was
Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is on the FBI’s most-wanted list with a $5 million
bounty on his head and is believed to still be holding at least one American
hostage. He headed the feared Haqqani network that is blamed for many deadly
attacks and kidnappings. The announcement came hours after Taliban fired their
guns into the air to disperse protesters in the capital of Kabul and arrested
several journalists, the second time in less than a week that heavy-handed
tactics were used to break up a demonstration. Drawn mostly from Afghanistan’s
dominant Pashtun ethnic group, the Cabinet’s lack of representation from other
ethnic groups also seems certain to hobble its support from abroad. As much as
80% of Afghanistan’s budget comes from the international community, and a
long-running economic crisis has worsened in recent months.”

 

The Libya Observer: Joint Operations Force Arrests Top ISIS Leader In Libya
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“The Joint Operations Force of the Government of National Unity in Libya said
Tuesday it had arrested a notorious ISIS leader named, Embarak Al-Akhazmi, in
Bani Walid; some 180 km east of Tripoli. The force said in a statement that
Al-Khazmi was responsible for accommodation of ISIS terrorists in Bani Walid
when ISIS controlled some areas in Libya, adding that the apprehension was in
coordination with the Attorney General's Office. The Attorney General,
Al-Siddiq Al-Sour named Al-Khazmi as a wanted ISIS leader in Libya in a 2017
press conference. The Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah hailed the
arrest and said on Twitter that it was a huge success for the Joint Operations
Force and security apparatuses that are continuing to fight terrorism across
Libya.”

 

United States

 

The Independent: Americans Worried About Domestic Terror Exceeds Those Who Are
Worried About Foreign Threats, Poll Finds
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“More Americans are concerned about homegrown terrorism than they are about
the threat of extremism from overseas, a new study has found. According to the
poll for the Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research,
about two-thirds of Americans say they are extremely or very concerned about
the threat from extremist groups inside the US. By contrast, only about 50 per
cent of respondents say they are extremely or very concerned about the threat
from foreign-based terrorists. As the 20th anniversary of the September 11
terrorist attacks approaches, the survey also found deep dissatisfaction with
the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Just 34 per cent percent of Americans said they
believe the Iraq War was worth fighting, with 63 per cent saying it was not.
The poll results were similar for the Afghanistan war, with 35 per cent of
respondents saying the conflict was worth fighting, while 62 per cent said it
was not. The survey was conducted from August 12 to August 16, in the days
before the US completed the withdrawal from its 20-year occupation of
Afghanistan. The growing concern about local extremism comes as supporters of
former President Donald Trump prepare to gather for a Justice for January 6
rally in the grounds of the US Capitol in Washington DC on September 18.”

 

The National: War Of Ideas: US Middle East Envoy Recalls The Day Terrorism
Came To America
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“Ambassador Dennis Ross began his White House tenure with Jimmy Carter and
ended it with Barack Obama, and has remained a consistent shaper of America's
Middle East peace process under Democratic and Republican administrations. Mr
Ross's reputation as a skilled negotiator allowed him to transition from the
administration of George HW Bush to that of Bill Clinton, where he was
appointed special Middle East envoy reporting directly to the Oval Office. The
signing of the 1993 Israeli-Palestinian Declaration of Principles, known as the
the Oslo agreement, solidified his standing among world leaders. As the Clinton
years were winding down, Mr Ross says that no other president was more
dedicated to Middle East peace, a bold statement given his past with the Carter
administration. After the election of George W Bush, Mr Ross returned to
academia and the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, which he
established with Martin Indyk, who was twice ambassador to Israel. Mr Ross
would later return to the White House as Barack Obama’s “Middle East
quarterback”. On September 11, 2001, he was giving a lecture at Johns Hopkins
University's School of Advanced International Studies in Washington DC on the
lessons of peacemaking in the Middle East, which was abruptly ended. “There was
almost a kind of cognitive dissonance,” Mr Ross told The National. “It was hard
to absorb how this was happening here.”

 

Syria

 

Al Monitor: SDF Transfers Extremist IS Women To Roj Camp In Hasakah
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“The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) began transferring 300 families of
extremist women and wives of Islamic State (IS) members, Syria 24 reported.
These women would carry out assassinations against anyone who opposes IS or
cooperates with the SDF inside al-Hol camp. They are being transferred to Roj
camp in Hasakah countryside to relieve pressure on al-Hol, which houses more
than 64,000 people, most of whom are women and children. These women tried to
seize their only opportunity to escape by bribing the guards during their
transfer since surveillance cameras have been placed along the camp’s fence and
heavily armed men in guard towers are constantly on the lookout. A report by
Asharq al-Awsat website revealed that Roj camp includes about 800 IS families,
most of whom hold European or American citizenship, in addition to a large
number of Eastern European nationals, estimated at about 2,500 people. The
camp, which was opened in 2015, is divided into two main sections. The first
section includes a number of nonmilitant IS families who surrendered to the SDF
after the latter took control of several villages and towns in northeastern
Syria during its battles with the group. The second section of the camp
includes the extremist women.”

 

Iraq

 

The Jerusalem Post: Iraq Security Forces Arrest ISIS Leader - Report
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“Security forces in Iraq announced Tuesday that they have arrested one of the
leaders of ISIS that was responsible for a terror attack in the north of the
country.”

 

Afghanistan

 

CNN: Taliban Crack Down Hard On Kabul's Largest Protest Yet
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“The Taliban used gunfire, detentions and beatings to crush dissent over their
rule on Tuesday, as scores of Afghan protesters marched through Kabul in the
largest demonstration the capital has seen since the militant group seized
power last month. According to photos and videos shared on social media,
activists shouted in support of resistance fighters in the holdout province of
Panjshir and chanted against Pakistan, which they view as meddling in Afghan
affairs. Videos from central Kabul showed dozens of men and women marching
through the streets shouting “Death to Pakistan” as the demonstrators made
their way towards the presidential palace. Amid chaotic scenes on the streets,
Taliban fighters intervened and shot into the air to disperse the protesters.
The videos showed people scattering or crouching down amid sustained bursts of
gunfire. There were no initial reports of casualties. Some protesters
complained about the role that the head of Pakistan's military intelligence has
played as negotiations concluded on the formation of a government. The
intelligence chief, Lt Gen Faiz Hamid, arrived in Kabul at the weekend and has
been meeting senior Taliban officials, including Mullah Baradar, the head of
the Taliban's Political Bureau.”

 

Politico: Al-Qaeda Is Thrilled That The Taliban Control Afghanistan — But Not
For The Reason You Think
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“Last week, al Qaeda’s central media apparatus finally weighed in on the
Taliban retaking Afghanistan with a triumphant proclamation: “This victory has
demonstrated what the Islamic nation is capable of when it unites, takes up
arms, and fights in the Way of Allah to defend its Religion. These events prove
that the Way of Jihad is the only way that leads to victory and empowerment.”
With this statement, al Qaeda let the world know that this is the moment it’s
been waiting for. The group has been waiting in the wings for a long time,
building its local strength in the Middle East, South Asia and Africa while
leaving the more high-profile attacks on Western targets to its newer jihadist
rival, ISIS. Now, al Qaeda feels vindicated for its strategy of “quietly and
patiently” rebuilding. The group is using the Taliban victory to spread
propaganda aimed at galvanizing affiliates and supporters around the world.
With the Taliban in control of Afghanistan and al Qaeda reinvigorated and
emboldened, it’s understandable if Americans feel an eerie sense of having seen
this movie before. Indeed, there are already signs that the alliance between al
Qaeda and the Taliban — which never really went away after 9/11, even though
both groups faded somewhat from international headlines — is strengthening. But
this doesn’t mean a return to the 2001 status quo, when the Taliban provided
safe haven to al Qaeda and declined to hand Osama bin Laden over per President
George W. Bush’s request.”

 

U.S. News & World Report: EXPLAINER: What Is ISIS-K?
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“…The New York-based Counter Extremism Project found ISIS-K has effectively
employed propaganda sites on the internet and dark web as a recruiting tool
promoting what it considers a victory against the U.S. and the Taliban. The
project in an analysis note also suggests that tech companies are not doing
enough yet to contain the spread of the group's disinformation. Al-Qaida has
already encouraged its followers to move from places like Syria into
Afghanistan, now considered a power vacuum where terrorist groups can thrive.
Analysts who spoke to U.S. News say the same threats also apply to ISIS-K and
its backers in other affiliates. “With ISIS, you also have an untold number of
foreign fighters that survived Baghouz,” says Colin Clarke, senior research
fellow at private intelligence firm The Soufan Center, referring the battle for
the Islamic State group's final stronghold in Syria, “laying low and
potentially waiting for an opportunity like this.” It's not yet clear the
extent to which ISIS-K poses a threat to targets overseas, either directly or
by inspiring “lone wolf” cells to plan attacks on their own. Two months before
the U.S. completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan, Army Gen. Mark Milley, the
military's top officer, told Congress he believed “it would take possibly two
years” for terrorist groups operating in Afghanistan, including ISIS-K, to
develop the capability to attack the U.S. homeland or an ally country.”

 

Saudi Arabia

 

Gulf News: Attacks On Saudi Arabia A Threat To The Entire Region
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“Another blatant attack by Iran- backed Al Houthi militias on Saudi Arabia has
been foiled by the Kingdom’s air defences. Three ballistic missiles targeting
the Eastern Province is the latest in a series of attacks by missiles and
explosive — laden drones that test the patience and the resolve of the Saudi-
led Arab Coalition. The coalition condemned in a statement “brutal,
irresponsible behaviour” by the Houthi terror group, which launched its attack
on the eastern city of Dammam hours before the new United Nations Special Envoy
for Yemen Hans Grundberg assumes his duties that will focus on ending the war/
Saudi Arabia last year presented an initiative, supported by the GCC, the Arab
League, the UN and the European Union, to end the war and form a new inclusive
government in Yemen. The plan was rejected by Al Houthis, most probably under
orders by their sponsor, Iran. Tehran is believed to be using the ongoing
conflict of Yemen as another bargaining chip in the current negotiations with
the US and the West that are aimed at reviving the nuclear deal. The Dammam
attacks also comes few days after a drone hit Abha international airport in the
south of the kingdom, wounding eight people.”

 

Middle East

 

The Times Of Israel: Islamic Jihad Threatens Israel Over Escaped Prisoners,
Braces For IDF Raids
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“The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group sent gunmen to the Jenin refugee
camp in the West Bank on Tuesday ahead of expected Israeli raids hunting six
security prisoners who escaped from an Israeli prison, as the fugitives
remained at large over a day after their disappearance. Israel has launched a
massive manhunt to capture the six prisoners, who are considered highly
dangerous, after they broke out of the high-security Gilboa prison early Monday
in what is considered to be among the most serious jailbreaks in the country’s
history. Five of the six fugitives are members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The terror group has issued several threats to Israel since the escape, warning
against raids in Jenin and against taking action against the group’s members in
Israeli prisons. “If the IDF enters [Jenin] it will be met with significant
firepower from many weapons and explosive devices,” the group said at a Tuesday
press conference in Jenin. Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Fatah both dispatched
members to Jenin to bolster their forces there ahead of the expected incursions
by the Israel Defense Forces, Channel 12 news reported.”

 

Nigeria

 

Reuters: Gunmen Kidnap 18 Villagers In Latest Attack In Northern Nigeria
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“Gunmen invaded a village in the northern Nigerian state of Kaduna and
kidnapped 18 residents including seven children, a community leader said on
Tuesday, the latest in a wave of mass abductions disrupting every aspect of
life in the region. Gangs of ransom seekers have been kidnapping children from
their schools, villagers from their homes and travellers from their vehicles
across northwest Nigeria since last December. Mallam Suleiman Keke, a community
leader in the village of Keke B on the outskirts of the state capital Kaduna,
said gunmen on motorbikes arrived late on Monday night and went from house to
house seizing children and their parents. “It was a terrifying experience for
us,” he said, adding that the kidnappers had not yet sent a ransom demand. A
spokesman for the police in Kaduna State could not be reached for comment.
Kaduna is among several states that have adopted measures to try to curb the
attacks, such as banning the sale of fuel in jerry cans and the transport of
firewood in trucks to stop armed gangs who travel by motorbike and camp in
remote areas. In Zamfara State, farther to the northwest, authorities have
ordered a telecommunications blackout while the military tries to tackle the
gangs.”

 

United Kingdom

 

Evening Standard: Extremist Jailed For Sharing Material Encouraging Violent
Jihad And Glorifying Terrorism
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“A man who shared extremist material encouraging terror attacks has been
jailed. Fahd Ismail, from south east London, admitted six charges relating to
offences under the Terrorism Act dating back to 2017. The 33-year-old shared
information online encouraging “violent Jihad” and “glorifying acts of
terrorism”, police said. He was jailed for two years and nine months at
Woolwich Crown Court on Monday. Commander Richard Smith, head of the Met’s
Counter Terrorism Command, said: “This was a diligent and thorough
investigation by highly skilled Counter Terrorism officers, which prevented
further dissemination of extremist material.” The court heard that Ismail was
first arrested on suspicion of an offence under the Terrorism Act on June 17
2020. Six months later he was charged with four counts of possession of a
document or record “containing information likely to be useful to a person
committing or preparing an act of terrorism. On April 30 this year, Ismail had
a further two charges under the Terrorism Act 2006 added to his indictment,
police said. Mr Smith added: “I encourage anyone who has suspicions about
material someone is viewing online to report it to police without delay. Trust
your instincts and know that you are never wasting our time.”

 

Germany

 

The National: German Sentenced To Jail For Sharing ISIS Videos
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“A German man who discussed with his friend carrying out a lone wolf terrorist
attack has been jailed in the UK for 40 months for sharing violent ISIS videos
with a friend. Florian Flegel, 23, sent videos that included beheadings,
bombings using lorries, a tank crushing someone to death and mass executions.
He was arrested as he prepared to fly back to Germany from Stansted Airport in
Essex, east England, after falling out with his landlord and flatmates during a
seven-month stay in Britain. Officers found that he had shared 12,000 mostly
mundane messages in nine months with his friend Abdullah, who was living in
Germany, but they included more than 30 graphic and violent videos sent by
Flegel, a London court was told. Woolwich Crown Court in London was told that
the pair egged each other on and they spoke of joining ISIS and discussed
beheadings. Flegel started researching flights to Syria and they discussed how
best to cross the border from Turkey. Judge Andrew Lees said: “There is no
doubt following a consideration of the material that you hold an extremist
Islamist mindset and you are a supporter of the Islamic State ideology.”

 

Europe

 

Associated Press: Brutal Attack Prompts Spanish PM To Hold Hate Crime Meeting
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“Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is convening an urgent meeting of a
committee that oversees efforts to fight hate crime after hooded attackers beat
a 20-year-old man in Madrid and used a knife to carve a slur on one of his
buttocks. Sánchez wants to “take a personal lead” on the issue and will attend
the meeting, government spokeswoman Isabel Rodríguez said Tuesday after a
Cabinet meeting. She said that “an attack like this ... alarms us all as a
society.” In the attack last Sunday afternoon, the man was assaulted as he
entered the apartment building where he lived in a neighborhood of the Spanish
capital. The assailants first shouted anti-gay profanities at him, before
slashing his mouth with a knife and then using it to etch a slur on his rear,
according to police sources quoted by Spanish news agencies EFE and Europa
Press. Activist groups say attacks on LGBTQ people are increasing in Spain and
announced plans to hold street protests in coming days. The activists claim
that official statistics capture only a fraction of the problem because many
incidents aren't reported. Last July, in another high-profile case, a
24-year-old man died in an attack that sparked widespread condemnation after
friends of the victim claimed he was targeted and beaten to death for being
gay.”



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