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Eye on Extremism
October 22, 2021
“A global watchdog on Thursday added Turkey to its list of countries requiring special regulatory oversight for failing to stop money laundering and terrorist financing, a designation analysts say will rattle Ankara’s already shaky economy. The action means Turkey joins a group of 23 countries—including Zimbabwe, Haiti and Syria—that the Financial Action Task Force determined “have strategic deficiencies in their regimes to counter money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing.” The designation by FATF, an intergovernmental body that audits the ability of nations to detect and disrupt illicit finance, is a political blow to longtime Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, both domestically and diplomatically, analysts say. Turkey’s finance ministry called the action undeserved in a statement, saying that it had made progress in meeting FATF standards since its last review in 2019. The ministry said it would take all the necessary steps to remove the country from FATF’s list as soon as possible. The Turkish embassy in Washington didn’t respond to a request for comment. Marcus Pleyer, the German finance ministry deputy director general who serves as FATF’s head in a rotating presidency, said that despite Ankara’s progress, serious issues remain, including supervision of high-risk sectors such as banks, gold and precious-stone dealers and real estate.”
The New York Times: Syria Executes 24 People For Setting Wildfires, Calling It ‘Terrorism’
“The Syrian government has executed 24 people and sentenced 11 others to life in prison with hard labor for lighting wildfires that burned across the country’s northwest last year, the Syrian justice ministry announced in a statement on Facebook on Thursday. The people convicted were accused not of arson but of terrorism, the government said, because their actions caused death, as well as extensive damage to infrastructure, private and public property, farmland and forests. The harshness of the sentences, which were imposed on Wednesday, shocked even human rights campaigners who have tracked the brutality of the country’s 10-year civil war. During that time, the government of President Bashar al-Assad has bombed Syria’s own cities, imposed suffocating sieges on rebellious communities and disappeared an unknown number of people into its prisons. “The idea that 24 people were executed in relation to wildfires just smacks of the farce that Bashar al-Assad has made of the justice system over the last decade,” said Sara Kayyali, a Syria researcher with Human Rights Watch. She noted that the fires were centered in parts of the country’s northwest that are generally loyal to Mr. al-Assad, and where residents have some leeway to criticize the state.”
Syria
Associated Press: Attack Hits Syria Base That Houses US Troops; No U.S. Injuries
“A military outpost in southern Syria was hit by a coordinated attack on Wednesday, but U.S. officials said no American troops stationed there were injured or killed. Initial reports said the attack appeared to include two drone strikes and a small number of rockets. One official said one of the drone strikes hit the U.S. side of the al-Tanf garrison, while one may have hit the side where Syrian opposition forces are based. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. In a statement, Central Command spokesman Capt. Bill Urban confirmed “a deliberate and coordinated attack. Based on initial reports, the attack utilized both unmanned aerial systems and indirect fire.” “All U.S. personnel have been accounted for, and we are not aware of any injuries to U.S. personnel at this time. We continue to work with our partners to confirm whether they suffered any casualties as a result of this deliberate attack.” “We maintain the inherent right of self-defense and will respond at a time and place of our choosing.” U.S. and coalition troops are based at al-Tanf to train Syrian forces on patrols to counter Islamic State group militants. It is the only position with a significant U.S. military presence in Syria outside the Kurdish-controlled north.”
Afghanistan
The Washington Post: Taliban Tells Kabul’s Female City Government Employees Not To Come To Work
“The Taliban imposed further restrictions on female city government employees in Afghanistan’s capital on Thursday, barring many from returning to work next week in a sign that the group will continue to restrict women’s rights despite two decades of freedoms under the previous government. Neamatullah Barakzai, the Taliban’s head of public awareness for the Kabul municipality, said many female city employees were told not to come to their jobs while officials prepare a new plan to allow women to work in government offices. The order does not include women in the health and education sectors. The salaries of all female government employees will continue to be paid, Barakzai added. The Taliban has long enforced an extreme interpretation of Islamic law, or sharia, in territory the militant group controls, forcing women to wear head-to-toe coverings in public, restricting girls’ access to education and requiring women to be accompanied by a male relative when outside the home. When the group controlled Kabul and the rest of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, such restrictions were imposed nationwide. Since retaking all of Afghanistan, the Taliban has suggested the group could allow women more freedom within the framework of Islamic law.”
Pakistan
Gulf News: Pakistan 6 Pakistani Security Personnel Die In 3 Terror Attacks
“Six Pakistani security personnel were killed in three attacks in different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan in two days. Four personnel including two FC soldiers Lance Naik Mudassir and Sepoy Jamshed and two police constables Abdul Samad and Noor Rehman lost their lives in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack, the military media wing ISPR said on Thursday. The attack took place in Mamund area of Bajaur district which borders Afghanistan. After the incident, security forces and police cordoned off the blast site and launched a search operation to trace those involved in the blast. KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan strongly condemned the attack and vowed to bring culprits to justice. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the bombing. In another attack on October 20 in Thall, Hangu district of KP, terrorists fired at a military post. Sepoy Waqas, the resident of Mansehra, lost his life, during the exchange of fire that lasted several hours. Troops initiated a prompt response and effectively engaged the terrorists, the ISPR said. Meanwhile, terrorists also fired at a security forces post in Kech district of Balochistan in which Sepoy Muhammad Qaiser sustained serious injuries and lost his life.”
Asharq Al-Awsat: Pakistani Police Says 3 Afghans From ISIS Group Killed Near Border
“Pakistani counter-terrorism forces say they have killed three Afghan militants who belonged to the ISIS group during a raid on a hideout near the country's border with Afghanistan. The gun battle was the latest episode of violence in Pakistan involving extremist groups that appear to have been emboldened by the return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan, The Associated Press said. The dawn raid was carried out in Peshawar, capital of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said Javed Khan, an officer with the provincial Counter-Terrorism Department. The branch is a special police unit that fights local and foreign militant groups. Khan said the slain militants were Afghans, and that the raid foiled a possible terrorist attack. Two other fighters managed to flee, he said, giving no further details. Pakistan has witnessed scores of terrorist attacks in recent years, most of which were claimed by the Pakistani Taliban and the ISIS group. Both organizations have been emboldened by Taliban resurgence in Afghanistan, where Pakistani militants are still believed to be hiding.”
Nigeria
BBC News: Why Separatists In Cameroon And Nigeria Have United
“Cameroon's five-year conflict could be taking a significant new turn with reports that its English-speaking separatist groups are getting help from an armed group in neighbouring Nigeria. After two attacks by Anglophone militants which cost the lives of 15 Cameroonian soldiers last month, the army issued a statement declaring that "the separatists have used heavy weapons for the first time, in violation of international humanitarian law". It went on to add that "the rise in power of these terrorist groups... is largely due to their co-operation with other terrorist entities operating outside the country". Contacted by the BBC, Cameroonian defence forces spokesperson Col Cyrille Atonfack Nguemo did not specify which foreign groups were allegedly working with the Anglophone separatists, who say they face discrimination in the country dominated by French-speakers. It is therefore unclear whether the military believes it is one or several armed groups, and also where they are located. But the separatist Ambazonia Defense Forces (ADF) has confirmed an alliance with the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob), an ethnic Igbo group waging a sometimes violent campaign for autonomy in south-eastern Nigeria, some of which lies just 150km (90 miles) from the border with Cameroon's English-speaking regions.”
Al Jazeera: Nigerian Separatist Leader Kanu Denies Terrorism Charges In Court
“Nigerian separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu has pleaded not guilty to seven charges including “terrorism” and treason in an Abuja court, three months after his trial was delayed when authorities failed to produce him in court. The charges against Kanu, a British citizen, also included calling for secession, knowingly broadcasting falsehoods about President Muhammadu Buhari, and membership in an outlawed group. Leaving the courtroom on Thursday, Kanu’s lawyer Ifeanyi Ejiofor told AFP news agency that he urged the court “to dismiss the seven-count charges … acquit our client and discharge him” before the case was adjourned to November 10. The military considers Kanu’s Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) a “terrorist” organisation. IPOB wants a swathe of the southeast, the homeland of the Igbo ethnic group, to split from Nigeria. An attempt to secede in 1967 as the Republic of Biafra triggered a three-year civil war that killed more than one million people. Security services barred journalists from entering the court and forcibly dispersed crowds of supporters who gathered nearby. In selfies with his lawyer circulating in local media, Kanu looked healthy and in good spirits.”
Mali
Reuters: Mali Has Not Asked Any Group To Negotiate With Islamist Militants
“The Malian government on Thursday said it had not officially asked any organisation to negotiate with Islamist insurgents on its behalf. This week, a spokesperson for the ministry of religious affairs said it had asked the High Islamic Council (HCI) to open peace talks with leaders of al Qaeda's local affiliate in an effort to end a decade of conflict. "The Government informs the national and international public that to date, no national or international organisation has been officially mandated to carry out such an activity," the government said in a statement. Malian authorities have 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 strategy is opposed by Mali's chief military ally, France. French President Emmanuel Macron said in June that his troops would not conduct joint operations with countries that negotiate with Islamist militants.”
Africa
Reuters: Suspected Islamists Kill 16 In Eastern Congo Village
“Suspected Islamist militants killed 16 people and burned down houses late on Wednesday in a village in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a witness and a civil society leader said. An army spokesman in the area said early on Thursday that a combat patrol unit had clashed with the rebels, but gave no further details. "We were having a drink with friends and all of a sudden we heard gunshots. Our first instinct was to flee. This morning we found 16 bodies, the victims including my eldest son," said Luc Kakule Messo, a resident of the village of Kalembo, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) east of the city of Beni. Mumbere Meleki Mulala, coordinator of a local human rights network, confirmed the death toll and blamed the attack on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan armed group active in the region. The ADF has operated in the dense forests near the Ugandan border for more than three decades and began killing civilians in large numbers in 2014. In late 2019 Congo's army launched a large-scale operation against them, sparking a violent backlash. "It is regrettable and it is frustrating because every day we are counting the dead," said Mulala.”
Reuters: French Army: Leading Member Of African-Based Al Quaeda Affiliate Killed
“Nasser Al Tergui, a leading member of the African-based Al Quaeda affiliate Katiba Serma, was killed last week in Mali after an air strike by Barkhane military forces, said the French army on Thursday. Katiba Serma is an armed group affiliated with al Qaeda. Operation Barkhane, under which France has about 5,100 soldiers deployed across five countries in the Sahel region, south of the Sahara desert, was launched in 2014 to combat the jihadi insurgency there.”
United Kingdom
The Wall Street Journal: U.K. Charges Ali Harbi Ali With Terrorist Murder Of Lawmaker David Amess
“British authorities charged a 25-year-old London man, Ali Harbi Ali, with murder and terrorism in the stabbing to death of lawmaker David Amess last week. Mr. Ali faces trial over the killing of the Conservative lawmaker while he was meeting constituents in the middle of the day on Friday. Mr. Ali appeared in court Thursday wearing a gray tracksuit and glasses. He spoke only to confirm his identity and was remanded in custody until a hearing this Friday. “Today’s charge is a significant milestone in the case, but the work from my colleagues in the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command will continue apace,” said Matt Jukes, assistant commissioner for specialist operations at London’s Metropolitan Police. He said police aren’t releasing further information about Mr. Ali’s exact motivations or background at this stage. Mr. Ali was apprehended at the scene of the attack and police said they weren’t seeking any other individuals in relation to the killing. “We will submit to the court that this murder has a terrorist connection, namely that it had both religious and ideological motivations,” the U.K. Crown Prosecution Service, which prosecutes cases on behalf of the police, said in a statement. The stabbing of Mr. Amess sent shock waves through Britain’s political class, coming just five years after another lawmaker was murdered in public.”
“Britain’s first mass shooting in more than a decade occurred in August. Just over two months later, London is requiring British police to check medical records and in some cases delve into applicants’ social media history before issuing gun licenses. Jake Davison killed five people including his mother and a 3-year-old girl in a shooting rampage in the southwestern seaside city of Plymouth in August, before taking his own life. The attack stunned a nation where gun violence is rare. The 22-year-old posted YouTube videos filled with despair and self-loathing ahead of the rampage, and reportedly showed interest in the involuntary celibate, or “incel,” male supremacist subculture that has been linked to a number of violent acts around the world. Britain has one of the lowest gun homicide rates in the world and some of the strictest gun laws, including comprehensive background checks. But the Aug. 12 attack raised questions about whether those checks are sufficient, after Davison had his previously confiscated gun and firearms license returned to him just weeks before the mass slayings. Davison, who had admitted to assaulting two people, participated in an initiative that aims to keep offenders out of the criminal justice system.”
Germany
Vice: Far-Right ‘Berserker Clan’ Accused Of Prepping For Armed Uprising In Germany
“German police have carried out raids across the country against a far-right group that was allegedly prepping for an armed uprising against the state, amassing guns, knives and ammunition. According to the authorities, the right-wing extremist group, known as the Berserker Clan, had been discussing preparations for a so-called “Day X” – a concept prevalent in German far-right circles which refers to an unspecified date when extremists will violently rise up against the establishment. Prosecutors have accused 15 people of belonging to the group, which they allege is a criminal organisation. About 130 police officers were involved in Wednesday’s searches at 14 properties linked to the group in the states of Berlin, Schleswig-Holstein, Baden-Württemberg and Hesse. A spokesperson for the Berlin Attorney General’s office told VICE World News that they could not provide any information on the number of weapons seized. Nobody had been arrested in the raids, which were part of a preliminary investigation into the group. The Berserker Clan’s Facebook page shows photos of members wearing T-shirts featuring the group’s logo: an axe-wielding warrior wearing a skull helmet. The page also features references to a “revenge full of horror and terror,” as well as the slogan: “Through bloodshed, the gods reveal their will to us.”
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