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Eye on Extremism
October 20, 2021
Associated Press: Taliban Promise Cash, Land, To Families Of Suicide Bombers
“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
“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
“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
“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.”
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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.”
“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.”
“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
“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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