“Only one day after the Taliban named an acting cabinet to lead the nation they
spent two decades trying to conquer, the dizzying challenges that acco

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


September 9, 2021 

 

The New York Times: As Taliban Crush Dissent, New Leaders Face Cascading
Challenges
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“Only one day after the Taliban named an acting cabinet to lead the nation
they spent two decades trying to conquer, the dizzying challenges that
accompanied victory were coming into sharp relief Wednesday. Tensions flared
with neighboring Pakistan. Afghanistan’s longstanding humanitarian crisis
deepened. And the militants’ brutal crackdown on dissent threatened to further
erode public trust. The Taliban, who witnesses say crushed several small
protests around the country on Wednesday, have been rounding up scores of
demonstrators and subjecting them to abuse in overcrowded jails, according to
journalists who were present. The repression followed a Taliban announcement
Tuesday that protests would not be allowed without government approval. 
Wednesday in front of a police station in Kabul — one of the first accounts of
journalists being abused since the Taliban came into power. Nemat, a
videographer for Etilaat-e Roz, a local newspaper, said that he and his
colleagues had just arrived in the street where several dozen women were
gathered with placards and a loudspeaker when Taliban militants from the police
station seized his camera and arrested him.”

 

The Wall Street Journal: France Opens Trial Into Paris Terrorist Attacks
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“France opened a trial Wednesday that will examine the origins and fallout of
terrorist attacks that ripped through the French capital nearly six years ago,
killing 130 people and rattling the national psyche. The trial is part of
France’s struggle to confront one of the bloodier chapters in its modern
history. Last year, a French court convicted 14 people of helping carry out the
January 2015 terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo’s newsroom and a kosher grocery
store. That trial reopened historical wounds and marked the start of a new
cycle of violence, including the beheading of a middle-school teacher in
October last year. The trial will delve into the coordinated attacks that
unfolded on Nov. 13, 2015, targeting France’s national soccer stadium, the
Bataclan concert hall and cafes across Paris. Islamic State later claimed
responsibility for the attacks. “It’s important to me to stand up and to say
that this isn’t OK, and we’re never going to forget,” said Helen Wilson, a Los
Angeles native who was inside the Bataclan on the night of the attack with her
former boyfriend, who was killed in the gunfire. Ms. Wilson and other survivors
are expected to testify at the trial. Fourteen defendants will appear in person
at the trial, including the sole surviving militant of the attacks that night,
31-year-old Frenchman Salah Abdeslam.”

 

United States

 

Fox News: House Homeland GOP 'Urgently Concerned' With Terrorist Wanted By FBI
In Taliban Government
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“Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee are warning that the
safety of Americans who remain in Afghanistan is “in the hands” of the
Taliban’s new interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, the head of a designated
terror organization and one of the FBI's most-wanted terrorist operatives. The
top Republican on the committee, Rep. John Katko, and the top Republican on the
House Subcommittee on Intelligence & Counterterrorism, Rep. August Pfluger,
wrote a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, first
obtained by Fox News, laying out their concerns after the Taliban announced the
formation of its new government in Afghanistan – including Haqqani as interior
minister. “As you are aware, the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan continues to
pose increased terrorism risk to Americans both at home and abroad,” they wrote
to Mayorkas. “With American citizens and our Afghan allies awaiting permission
from the Taliban to leave the country on chartered flights – a previously
unthinkable scenario that is wholly unacceptable to the American people – we
are urgently concerned about the Taliban’s naming of one of the FBI’s
most-wanted terrorist operatives, Sirajuddin Haqqani, head of a terrorist group
known as the Haqqani network, as the country’s acting interior minister,” they
wrote.”

 

Syria

 

Kurdistan 24: SDF-Backed Force Arrest Four ISIS Suspects Near Al-Hol
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“The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced late Wednesday that the internal
security forces, also known as Asayish, arrested four suspects with alleged
links to the Islamic State (ISIS) near al-Hol camp. In a tweet, the SDF's
Coordination and Military Operations Center said that the ISIS cell was stopped
from “planning further attacks” and that “weapons and equipment were
confiscated.” Moreover, the SDF confirmed that the Coalition provided vital
support. Col. Wayne Marotto, Spokesman for the US-led Coalition, affirmed in a
tweet that the Coalition coordinates every day with “our SDF partners to
provide them with the ability to effectively prevent a Daesh (ISIS) resurgence
and promote regional stability.” Five ISIS suspects were arrested in two recent
Asayish operations, he said. Also, last Sunday, the SDF announced that the
Asayish arrested one ISIS suspect in Deir al-Zor. Although the SDF and the
coalition announced the territorial defeat of ISIS in Syria in March 2019,
sleeper cell attacks persist in what appears to be a deliberate campaign to
destabilize northeastern parts of the nation, primarily in cities, towns, and
rural tracts of land once under the extremist group’s control. The coalition
and the SDF have had success reducing ISIS sleeper cell activity in northeast
Syria.”

 

Iraq

 

Asharq Al-Awsat: German Prosecutor To Head UN Probe Into ISIS Crimes In Iraq
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“United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday appointed German
prosecutor Christian Ritscher as head of the UN team investigating crimes
committed by ISIS in Iraq. Ritscher succeeds Karim Asad Ahmad Khan of Britain,
who was sworn in as prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in June. The
UN team aims to support the government of Iraq in its indictment of ISIS
members by collecting, preserving and storing evidence that may amount to war
crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. In May, the team said it had
gathered clear and convincing evidence that ISIS had committed genocide against
members of Iraq's Yazidi minority. Ritscher previously served as a federal
public prosecutor in Germany and has more than 30 years' experience in
international and domestic criminal prosecutions, the UN said in a statement
announcing his appointment.”

 

Afghanistan

 

The Wall Street Journal: Taliban To Allow 200 Americans, Other Foreigners To
Fly Out Of Kabul
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“Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities are allowing some 200 Americans and other
foreign citizens to leave the country on a flight to Qatar scheduled for
Thursday, the first such departure by air since U.S. forces withdrew last
month, Qatari and American officials said. A Qatar Airways Boeing 777 landed in
Kabul on Thursday afternoon, marking the resumption of international passenger
operations at the Afghan capital’s Hamid Karzai International Airport. Guarded
by a squad of Qatari special forces, it was expected to depart later in the
day. The flight will be followed by daily air links to foreign countries, a
senior Qatari official said. The Qatari official said it wasn’t an evacuation
flight as all of the passengers hold foreign passports and, if required, visas
for their destinations, and have been ticketed by the airline. Qatar
facilitated the transportation of the passengers to the airport in a convoy of
minibuses parked Thursday morning in a Kabul hotel, one of them with a bullet
hole through the windshield. The buses entered the airport shortly after 2 pm
local time.”

 

Reuters: India, Russia Warn Against Terror Groups Operating From Afghanistan
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“India and Russia believe that foreign militant groups operating from
Afghanistan pose a threat to central Asia and to India and agreed to deepen
anti-terrorism cooperation at a meeting of their national security chiefs on
Wednesday, officials said. The Islamist Taliban swept to victory in Afghanistan
last month after two decades of fighting and announced a provisional government
that has met with a guarded reception from the international community. India
and Russia were both deeply concerned at the developments in Afghanistan, an
Indian government official said, following a meeting between Russian Security
Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev and Indian National Security Adviser Ajit
Doval in New Delhi. The two sides agreed the Taliban must be held to their
promises, which included respect for basic human rights, including for women,
and not to allow their territory to be used by militants groups. “There was
convergence of views on the presence of international terrorist groups in
Afghanistan and threat from terrorism to Central Asia and India,” the official
said. India fears that militant groups that operate from Pakistan may also use
Afghan territory to orchestrate attacks and says Pakistan should be held
responsible because of its close links to the Taliban.”

 

Yemen

 

CBS News: 20 Years After 9/11, Al Qaeda Is Still A Threat. Yemen's Largely
Forgotten Civil War Has Let The Terror Group Thrive.
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“It's been almost 20 years since the September 11 attacks that prompted the
U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and Washington's declaration of a “war on terror.”
But almost 2,000 miles away from Afghanistan, the group that launched the
attacks on America is still operating with impunity. Al Qaeda has taken
advantage of the chaotic civil war in Yemen not only to survive, but to plan
and carry out attacks on Americans and their allies. CBS News correspondent
Holly Williams got rare access to join Yemeni troops as they fight a bloody
conflict that gets so little attention, it's sometimes referred to as “the
forgotten war.” Yemeni government forces brought Williams and a CBS News
photographer to the front line, where they're fighting for control of a barren
expanse of desert. The troops are battling Houthi rebels who've seized the
capital city of Sanaa and huge swathes of land around it. The Saudi Arabian
government invited CBS News to witness the conflict first-hand. The Saudis back
Yemen's government and, along with the U.S., accuse Iran of arming the rebels.
Both sides have been accused of committing war crimes over the course of the
conflict, which is entering its eighth year.”

 

Middle East

 

The Times Of Israel: Security Prisoners Riot In Jails As Terror Groups Protest
New Curbs On Inmates
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“Palestinian security prisoners set fire to a number of cells in the Ketziot
and Ramon prisons in southern Israel on Wednesday, amid escalating unrest over
new restrictions on inmates following the escape of six security prisoners from
a high-level prison earlier this week. Violence was reported in several other
facilities and the Prisons Service said it was on high alert, bracing for
further clashes. The fires in seven cells in Ketziot were started by
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) members who refused to be moved between
sections, Hebrew-language media reports said, after the Israel Prisons Service
began to move PIJ inmates between facilities following Monday’s jailbreak. Five
of the escapees were members of PIJ. The Metzada Unit, an elite force within
the prisons service that deals with disturbances, was headed to the prison
located in Israel’s Negev desert to assist with the ongoing unrest. Reports
indicated that the fires were brought under control after a short while. There
were no reports of injuries in the blazes. Shortly afterward, two cells were
set on fire in different wings of Ramon prison, also in the Negev, the Prisons
Service said. Both blazes were brought under control after a short while, it
added.”

 

Libya

 

Newsweek: Is ISIS Making A Comeback In Libya?
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“In July, a U.N. panel of experts released a new report on global terrorism,
with some alarming conclusions. In it, they noted that East and West Africa
have been the world regions hardest hit by terrorism over the past year, and
that terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria are fast becoming “an entrenched
insurgency.” One data point was conspicuously absent from their survey. Nowhere
in the report was the threat posed by the previously dormant Islamic State
(ISIS) in Libya mentioned. That's a glaring omission because the Libyan
franchise of the world's most dangerous terrorist group could now be poised for
a strategic comeback. A bit of history is in order. ISIS first emerged in Libya
in 2015, when the group launched its first attack on the Corinthia Hotel in the
country's capital, Tripoli. At its peak, the group was estimated to have around
5,000 fighters in Libya, and to control over 125 miles of the coastline. During
its rise and rule, ISIS' Libyan franchise maintained a close relationship with
the group's core leadership, including direct communications, funding,
specialized training and advising. Its largest stronghold was in Sirte, where
it was able to establish its own system of governance. However, it also
maintained bases in Derna and in Sabratha in the country's west.”

 

Mali

 

The Defense Post: Burkina Faso, Mali Agree Joint Force Against Jihadists
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“Burkina Faso and Mali agreed Tuesday to mount joint military operations
against jihadist groups who have ravaged Africa’s Sahel region, Malian Defense
Minister Sadio Camara said Tuesday. On a visit to the Burkinabe capital
Ouagadougou, Camara met with Burkinabe President Roch Marc Christian Kabore to
discuss the security situation in the region and bilateral cooperation, the
Malian minister said. Since emerging in northern Mali in 2012, jihadist groups
have expanded into Burkina Faso as well as Niger. Violence has ravaged the
countries notably in the “three borders” region, a huge territory straddling
the frontiers of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso that has long been troubled by
land feuds, trafficking, desertification, and a fragile state presence.
Thousands have died and millions have fled their homes. “The challenge we face
is shared, and the response needs to be comprehensive,” Camara said. “We must
face this challenge together.” He said Mali’s junta leader Assimi Goita and
Burkina’s Kabore “share the same vision in the framework of the fight against
terrorism (and) their goal is to find a solution to this problem that has made
our brave populations suffer so much.”

 

Africa

 

Reuters: Cameroon Sentences Four Men To Death For Shooting Attack On School
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“A court in Cameroon has sentenced four people to death for their roles in a
shooting attack on a school last year that killed seven children and wounded 12
others, according to a court document seen by Reuters on Wednesday. A military
court in Buea, the capital of Cameroon's South West region, found the men
guilty of terrorism, assassination, and attempted secession, according to its
judgment, which was issued on Tuesday. The men were sentenced to execution by
firing squad in the town square, but their sentences are likely to be converted
to life imprisonment. Cameroon has not executed any of the hundreds of
prisoners sentenced to death since 1997. South West is one of two regions where
English-speaking secessionists have been battling government forces since 2017
over perceived marginalization by the French-speaking majority in Cameroon.
Both sides have committed atrocities during the conflict, which has killed
thousands and forced hundreds of thousands to flee. The court document did not
say on what basis it had found the men guilty of secession. No group has
claimed responsibility for the attack, which drew condemnation in Cameroon and
abroad. Lawyers for the four men sentenced were not immediately available for
comment.”

 

United Kingdom

 

BBC News: Terror Threat To Swindon 'Likely To Be Right Wing'
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“Right-wing extremism is the most likely terrorist threat in Swindon, a new
report claims. The report, written by the Swindon Prevent Board, will be
presented to the town's borough council next week. It says while the Covid-19
lockdowns have slowed suspicious activity, they may have given an opportunity
to increase radicalisation. The report said 13 cases were referred to the
Prevent team in Swindon in 2020-21 as being of concern. Of those, 85% of the
people involved were men and 38% were under 18, according to the Local
Democracy Reporting Service. Although this is a reduction from previous years,
the Prevent Board said that is probably down to the lockdowns. The government's
Prevent programme placed a duty on local authorities, police, education and
health teams, to help curb radicalisation and stop people from engaging in
political violence and terrorism. The Swindon Prevent Board report said:
“Extreme Right-wing terrorism remains the highest risk in Swindon. “The
Covid-19 pandemic has presented additional opportunities for extreme right-wing
terrorists to spread hate and disinformation online. “Prevent referral data
across the region suggests that the young and vulnerable continue to be exposed
to concerning extreme right-wing terrorist material online.”

 

France

 

CNN: Main Suspect Tells Paris Attacks Trial He's 'An Islamic State Soldier'
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“The main suspect in a jihadist rampage that killed 130 people across Paris
described himself defiantly as “an Islamic State soldier” on Wednesday,
upsetting some survivors who took it as a threat at the start of the trial into
the 2015 attacks. Salah Abdeslam, 31, appeared in court dressed in black and
wearing a black face mask, one of 20 men accused of involvement in the
gun-and-bomb attacks on six restaurants and bars, the Bataclan concert hall and
a sports stadium on Nov. 13, 2015. Asked his profession, the French-Moroccan
removed his face mask and told a Paris court: “I gave up my job to become an
Islamic State soldier.” He is believed to be the only surviving member of the
group that carried out the attacks. The other suspects are accused of helping
to provide guns and cars or organize the attacks, which also injured hundreds
and scarred the nation's psyche. Responsibility for the attacks was claimed by
Islamic State, which had urged followers to attack France over its involvement
in the fight against the militant group in Iraq and Syria. Victor Edou, a
lawyer for eight Bataclan survivors, said Abdeslam's statement was “very
violent.” “Some of my clients are not doing too well...after hearing a
statement that they took as a new, direct threat,” he said. “It's going to be
like that for nine months.”

 

New Zealand

 

Voice Of America: New Zealand To Overhaul Terror Laws After Auckland
Supermarket Stabbings
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“New Zealand is reviewing its terror laws after a knife-wielding Sri Lankan
man attacked shoppers at an Auckland supermarket before being shot dead by the
police. Authorities said he was inspired by the Islamic State group. The
proposed New Zealand’s Counter Terror Legislation Bill would criminalize the
planning of a terror attack. It would close what critics have said is a
loophole that has allowed suspected extremists to continue posing a threat. The
attacker was under police surveillance but was recently released with a
year-long probation. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Saturday that there is
a plan to pass the new law by the end of this month. Andrew Little, the
minister responsible for the intelligence agencies, said in a statement to
Parliament Tuesday that New Zealand must learn from the September 3rd Auckland
supermarket attack and remain vigilant to keep the community safe. “New Zealand
was not immune to the threat of terrorist violence in March 2019,” he said,
“and we are not immune now, and we will not be in the future.” Andrew Geddis, a
law professor at Otago University, says defining what constitutes the planning
of a terrorist attack could be problematic.”



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