“The Taliban have promised plots of land to relatives of suicide bombers who
attacked U.S. and Afghan soldiers, in a provocative gesture that seems to

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


October 20, 2021 

 

Associated Press: Taliban Promise Cash, Land, To Families Of Suicide Bombers
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“The Taliban have promised plots of land to relatives of suicide bombers who
attacked U.S. and Afghan soldiers, in a provocative gesture that seems to run
counter to their efforts to court international support. The Taliban’s acting
interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, offered the reward to dozens of family
members of bombers gathered at a Kabul hotel, Interior Ministry spokesman Saeed
Khosty tweeted on Tuesday. Addressing the gathering Monday evening, Haqqani
praised the sacrifices of “martyrs and fedayeen,” referring to fighters killed
in suicide attacks, Khosty tweeted. Haqqani called them “heroes of Islam and
the country,” according to the spokesman. At the end of the meeting, he
distributed 10,000 afghanis ($112) per family and promised each a plot of land.
Khosty posted photos of Haqqani, his face blurred, embracing the relatives in a
packed auditorium. The event comes as the Taliban attempt to open diplomatic
channels with an international community largely reluctant to formally
recognize their rule in Afghanistan. High-profile Taliban meetings with foreign
officials have focused on obtaining aid to impoverished Afghans as the U.N.
predicts virtually the entire population will slide into poverty because of a
severe economic crisis.”

 

The National: Terrorist Plotters To Face 14 Years In Jail Under New UK Rules
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“Terrorists who plot to carry out attacks that could lead to at least two
deaths may face at least 14 years in prison under new sentencing guidelines.
The Sentencing Council will on Wednesday set out its proposed guidance to
judges on how they should apply the new mandatory minimum jail term, which
became law this year. The Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Act 2021 created a
new category of “serious terrorist offences” amid concerns offenders convicted
of planning attacks were receiving relatively light sentences. It stipulated
that those found guilty under the new category should face a minimum of 14
years in custody – with an extension period to be served on licence of between
seven and 25 years – unless there are “exceptional circumstances”. In its
guidance, the council will say it should apply when a court finds there is “a
significant risk” to the public of “serious harm occasioned by the commission
by the offender of further serious terrorism offences”. It should also cover
cases where the offence “was very likely to result in or contribute to [whether
directly or indirectly] the deaths of at least two people”. The proposed
guidance, which will be subject to a consultation that runs until January 11,
was welcomed by Dominic Raab, the Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister.”

 

Iraq

 

The National: Iraqis Recall Trauma Of Baghdad's Worst Terrorist Attack After
Mastermind's Arrest
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“Iraqis in the popular Baghdad district of Karradah expressed relief and
happiness following the arrest of the mastermind behind the deadly bombing of
its shopping centre in July 2016. The blast killed at least 300 people and
wounded hundreds of others. The suicide lorry bombing was the deadliest attack
by a single bomber in the Iraqi capital after the 2003 US-led invasion that
toppled Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. “Despite the deep sorrow that I have
been living with, I was happy when I heard the news,” 70-year-old Muhsin Skheir
Gzar’s, who lost his son, told The National. Mr Gzar’s son, 25-year-old Hameed,
was inside his clothing shop in Karradah market when the truck exploded. “It
was a criminal and heinous act,” Mr Gzar said, his voice quivering. “The
incident has made me look older than my real age by at least 25 years,” he
said, sitting in a small cafe near the site of the bombing.  “Pain and sorrow
have not abandoned us and everything is bleak around us since then,” he said,
wearing a black dishdasha, a sign of mourning. “I have not forgotten my son in
a single day all these years,” he added.”

 

Afghanistan

 

The Washington Post: Afghanistan’s War Is Over, But The Taliban Faces A New
Hurdle: Enforcing The Law — And Protecting Afghans From ISIS
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“Inside the 25-foot-high, barbed-wire-topped walls of Pul-e-Charkhi prison, a
thin line divides the Taliban of the past and what the militants claim they
have become. To Afghanistan’s new rulers, the inmates are evidence of their
ability to effectively police the capital in a law-abiding manner. But on a
recent day, when scores of prisoners gathered outside their cells to soak in
the sun, some said they were arrested on flimsy accusations. Others described
being treated violently, reminiscent of the harsh justice doled out by the
militants when they ruled in mid-1990s. None of the inmates had lawyers. “They
beat me up badly,” said Haji Hussein, a taxi driver who said he was arrested at
a Taliban checkpoint because two of his passengers were drunk. “My son killed a
person and escaped, but they put me in jail instead,” said Timur Shah, speaking
from behind a chain-link fence. In the vacuum left by the sudden fall of the
U.S.-backed Afghan government, the Taliban has stepped in to provide
much-needed security to Kabul and other cities. Long-haired, bearded militants
oversee checkpoints to net criminals. District police chiefs, mostly commanders
from the al-Qaeda-linked Haqqani network, solve local disagreements.”

 

The Washington Post: Russia To Host International Talks With Taliban As Putin
Looks For Gains In U.S. Absence
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“Since the return of Taliban rule in Afghanistan, the calculus for Moscow has
been tricky: how to reassert its regional influence after the U.S. military
exit while also keeping some distance from internal Afghan struggles.
“Afghanistan itself is not of interest to Russia,” said Andrei Serenko, the
head of the Moscow-based Center of Contemporary Afghan Studies. “Russia wants
to use Afghanistan without getting involved in Afghanistan.” Russia’s gambit
will be tested Wednesday as it hosts Taliban envoys for multinational talks on
the security and political situation in Afghanistan. Russian President Vladimir
Putin has cautioned that “there should be no hurry” to officially recognize the
Taliban’s governance of Afghanistan. But the meeting offers another stage for
the Taliban to open international channels. Taliban leadership will attend the
meeting to present its “point of view,” spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a
statement Tuesday. Since the takeover of Afghanistan two months go, Taliban
leaders have visited a handful of countries in an effort to secure
international recognition, in part to avert an economic catastrophe. Earlier
this month, U.S. officials held talks with a Taliban delegation in Doha, Qatar,
to discuss security issues and safe passage for those seeking to leave the
country.”

 

Nigeria

 

Reuters: Nigerian Army Says 24 Islamist Insurgents Killed
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“Nigerian troops killed 24 suspected Islamist insurgents in two attacks in the
northeast and recovered some weapons, the army said on Tuesday. Boko Haram and
its offshoot Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have been fighting the
Nigerian armed forces for more than a decade in a conflict that has killed
hundreds of thousands and displaced millions. Major General Christopher Musa,
commander of the anti-insurgency task force, told Reuters that soldiers killed
16 Boko Haram insurgents a few kilometres from Maiduguri city, the capital of
Borno state. Musa said that during the encounter with the insurgents two gun
trucks were seized and one was destroyed. President Muhammadu Buhari has said
security forces are making gains against insurgents in the northeast and also
against armed bandits who have carried out kidnappings for ransom and killed
hundreds in the northwest. Last week, Nigeria's top general said ISWAP leader
Abu Musab al-Barnawi was dead, without giving details. Army spokesman Brigadier
General Onyema Nwachukwu said late on Monday troops from a joint Nigerian and
Cameroonian operation also killed four ISWAP members who attacked a forward
army base in Borno.”

 

Mali

 

Reuters: Mali Asks Muslim Leaders To Negotiate With Al Qaeda Affiliate
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“Mali's government said on Tuesday that it asked the country's main Islamic
body to open peace talks with leaders of al Qaeda's local affiliate in an
effort to end a decade of conflict. Malian authorities have previously endorsed
the idea of talks and have quietly backed local peace initiatives with the
militants as security deteriorates and Islamist groups expand beyond their
traditional strongholds. But the latest announcement by the religious affairs
ministry marks by far the most concrete step toward negotiations with militant
leaders. Such an approach is vigorously opposed by Mali's chief military ally
France, whose president, Emmanuel Macron, said in June that French troops would
not conduct joint operations with countries that negotiate with Islamist
militants. The minister of religious affairs asked the High Islamic Council
(HCI) to open negotiations with the leaders of the al Qaeda-linked Jama’a
Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), ministry spokesperson Khalil Camara told
Reuters. “The minister met the High Islamic Council last week to inform them of
the government's desire to negotiate with all the radical Malian groups,
(including) Iyad Ag Ghali and Amadou Koufa,” Camara said.”

 

United Kingdom

 

Associated Press: UK Terror-Prevention Program Questioned After Lawmaker Slain
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“The killing of British lawmaker David Amess is once again fueling concern
about a government program aimed at preventing at-risk young people from
becoming radicalized, with critics saying change is urgently needed to ensure
it works. Questions surfaced soon after Amess was stabbed to death Friday
afternoon amid reports in the British media that the man arrested had been
referred to the Prevent program several years ago but was not currently on the
security service’s counter-terrorism watchlist. The suspect is being held under
the Terrorism Act on suspicion of murder, and police say he may have had a
“motivation linked to Islamist extremism.” Under Prevent, Britons are asked to
report anyone they suspect may be on the road to becoming radicalized — so the
person can get help. The hope is that early intervention will help thwart
terrorist attacks. Teachers, prison officers and local government agencies are
legally required to make such referrals, but anyone is able to. But the
program, conceived in the years following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the
U.S., has been repeatedly criticized since it was expanded in the aftermath of
the deadly bombings of London’s transport network in 2005.”

 

BBC News: Neo-Nazi Matthew Cronjager Jailed For Plotting Terrorist Acts
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“A teenage neo-Nazi who plotted to shoot an Asian friend has been jailed for
more than 11 years. Matthew Cronjager, 18, had previously been found guilty of
preparing for acts of terrorism. The Old Bailey heard he had tried to get hold
of a 3D-printed gun or a sawn-off shotgun to kill his target. Judge Mark
Lucraft said Cronjager, from Ingatestone, Essex, was “bright and intelligent”,
which made messages he sent “all the more troubling”. The court heard Cronjager
had set himself up as the “boss” of a right-wing terror cell. He had created an
online library to share right-wing propaganda and explosives-making manuals.
His plans unravelled when an undercover police officer infiltrated a group
called The British Hand on messaging platform Telegram. The court had
previously heard Cronjager wanted a “revolution” based on his fascist beliefs
and had offered to lead the UK division of an extreme right-wing group. In
messages to the undercover officer, he discussed arranging a drop-off location
for 3D-printed guns. He also formulated his plot to kill his former friend, who
he said had boasted of sleeping with three white women. When he was arrested on
29 December 2020, police had seized a large amount of material demonstrating
his commitment to an “extreme right-wing cause.”

 

Daily Mail: Grinning Hate Preacher Anjem Choudary Boasts That He May Film New
Extremist Videos As He Strolls Along The Street Free Of Any Conditions Days
After David Amess Terror Attack Despite Influencing More Than 100 UK Jihadis
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“Hate preacher Anjem Choudary broke cover today for the first time since being
blamed for radicalising the Sir David Amess murder suspect. Wearing a
traditional Muslim white robe, the 54-year-old radical smiled as he walked to
his local shops to buy some bread. Former friends of murder suspect Ali Harbi
Ali say that he went from being a quiet, intelligent teenager to a radical
after being brainwashed through Choudary's YouTube videos. But Choudary denied
being 25-year-old Ali's inspiration and revealed he had considered making even
more YouTube videos - but Sir David's murder in Southend on Friday had made him
think twice. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Choudary said: ‘The
restrictions were lifted earlier this year. I have not made any videos although
I was thinking about doing some. 'In light of what has happened I don’t think
it would be a good idea. I have not published any videos but do send out press
releases. I have not looked or watched any of those videos in years and do not
have them. I would not know where to find them. They are probably somewhere but
I have not looked.' Speaking from his council flat in Ilford, east London, he
went on: ‘Those videos are no longer available and I have not made any new
ones. There are others online that he could have watched.”

 

Daily Mail: 'The Body Count Doesn't Lie': How Islamist Terrorists Behind Four
Attacks – And Suspect In David Amess Murder – Were ALL Referred To Prevent...
Yet Six Lives Have Been Lost Since 2018 As Scheme 'Focuses On Right-Wing Threat'

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“Islamist terrorists behind four recent attacks and the suspect in Tory MP
David Amess' murder were all referred to Prevent, yet six lives have been lost
since 2018 as critics accuse the scheme of focusing on the far less deadly
threat of right-wing extremism. Ian Acheson, a former prison governor and
senior adviser at the Counter Extremism Project, said the official narrative
that the far-right is the fastest growing threat is a 'comfort blanket'
obscuring the 'patently more potent threat of Islamist extremism'. 'The body
count does not lie,' he said.  Ali Harbi Ali, 25, the suspected terrorist
accused of murdering Tory MP David Amess on Friday, was referred to the
programme seven years ago but his case was not deemed enough of a risk to be
passed on to MI5.  Khairi Saadallah, 27, fatally stabbed friends James Furlong,
36, Dr David Wails, 49, and Joseph Ritchie-Bennett, 39, in a Reading park in
June 2020.”

 

CAPX: Stopping Terrorists Starts With Prevent – But An Overhaul Is Badly Needed

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“Publication of the review of the Government’s ‘Prevent’ counter-terrorism
strategy can’t come soon enough. After the grotesque murder of Sir David Amess
last weekend, details have emerged that the suspect had been referred to
Prevent for screening after reported suspicions he was becoming radicalised.
His alleged killer, Ali Harbi Ali, 25, has been detained under terrorism
legislation with police saying they suspect an Islamist extremism motive. Ali
was reportedly referred to Prevent officers as a teenager. We don’t yet know
what happened to him in the intervening period to put him on a fatal trajectory
with his alleged victim. Hundreds of young people are referred to Prevent every
year and only a tiny proportion of them are judged as serious enough in intent
to warrant further intervention. The issue of whether he fell through the
cracks is relevant, despite what other commentators may say. The 2015 Parsons
Green tube bomber, Ahmed Hassan, was referred to the Surrey Prevent scheme on
several occasions in the months before his attack. No meaningful action was
taken. But there’s a bigger problem that the review led by William Shawcross
must respond to. Prevent is currently a national security strategy with a
parish hall mentality.”



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