“The U.S. intelligence community has assessed that Islamic State in Afghanistan
could have the capability to attack the United States in as little as

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


October 27, 2021 

 

Reuters: Islamic State In Afghanistan Could Be Able To Attack U.S. In 6
Months-Pentagon Official
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“The U.S. intelligence community has assessed that Islamic State in
Afghanistan could have the capability to attack the United States in as little
as six months, and has the intention to do so, a senior Pentagon official told
Congress on Tuesday. The remarks by Colin Kahl, under secretary of defense for
policy, are the latest reminder that Afghanistan could still pose serious
national security concerns for the United States even after it ended its
two-decade-old war in defeat in August. The Taliban, which won the war, are
enemies of Islamic State and have seen its attempts to impose law and order
after the U.S. pullout thwarted by suicide bombings and other attacks claimed
by Islamic State. They include bombings targeting the minority Shi'ite sect and
even an Islamic State beheading of a member of a Taliban militia force in the
eastern city of Jalalabad. In testimony before the Senate Armed Services
Committee, Kahl said it was still unclear whether the Taliban has the ability
to fight Islamic State effectively following the U.S. withdrawal in August. The
United States fought the Taliban as well as striking groups like Islamic State
and al Qaeda. “It is our assessment that the Taliban and ISIS-K are mortal
enemies. So the Taliban is highly motivated to go after ISIS-K. Their ability
to do so, I think, is to be determined,” Kahl said, using an acronym for
Islamic State in Afghanistan.”

 

Associated Press: Iraqi Officials: 11 Killed In IS Attack Northeast Of Baghdad
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“Gunmen from the Islamic State extremist group attacked a village northeast of
Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least 11 civilians and wounding six others,
Iraqi security officials said. The officials said the attack occurred in the
predominantly Shiite village of al-Rashad northeast of Baqouba in Diyala
province. The circumstances of the attack were not immediately clear, but two
officials who spoke to The Associated Press said Islamic State group militants
had kidnapped two villagers earlier and then raided the village when their
demands for ransom were not met. Machine guns were used in the attack, they
added, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. They said
all the dead and wounded were civilians. Attacks targeting civilians have
become rare in Iraq since the Islamic State group was largely defeated in the
country in 2017, although it remains active through sleeper cells in many
areas. Militants from the Sunni Muslim extremist group still conduct
operations, often targeting security forces, power stations and other
infrastructure. A roadside bomb attack targeted a Baghdad suburb in July,
killing at least 30 people and wounding dozens of others at a crowded market.”

 

United States

 

NBC Washington: Virginia Judge To Sentence Neo-Nazi Group Members Under
Terrorism Law
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“Two neo-Nazi group members intended to engage in terrorist activity before
FBI agents arrested them ahead of a pro-gun rally in Virginia, a federal judge
concluded Monday. U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang’s decision to apply a
“terrorism enhancement” in sentencing the men favors prosecutors’
recommendation that both of them get 25 years in prison. Chuang heard starkly
different portraits of the two defendants as he prepares to sentence them at
separate hearings on Thursday at the federal courthouse in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Prosecutors said Canadian Armed Forces reservist Patrik Jordan Mathews and U.S.
Army veteran Brian Mark Lemley Jr. planned to carry out a massacre inspired by
their white supremacist ideology. Defense lawyers say an undercover FBI agent
tried in vain to bait the two “damaged military veterans” into developing a
plan for violence at a January 2020 gun rights rally at Virginia's state
Capitol in Richmond, Virginia. FBI agents arrested Lemley and Mathews and a
third member of a white supremacist group called The Base. The group has been a
leading proponent of “accelerationism,” a fringe philosophy that advocates
using mass violence to hasten society’s collapse.”

 

Afghanistan

 

Bloomberg: Taliban Slash Import Duties On Food As More Afghans Go Hungry
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“The Taliban government has cut import duties on food staples as it grapples
with soaring prices and a cash crunch that have made it more difficult for
Afghans to feed their families just when a bitter winter looms. Afghanistan has
often struggled with soaring food prices due to shortages and supply-chain
issues, posing a major issue for the Taliban that swept into power in August as
U.S. troops were exiting. The country depends largely on imports and foreign
aid for its food supply. The Finance Ministry cut the import tariffs for a ton
of flour to 1,000 afghanis ($11) from 3,095 afghanis, while those for one ton
of cooking oil were more than halved to 2,012 afghanis from 5,885 afghanis,
spokesman Ahmad Wali Haqmal said by phone. Import duties for a ton of sugar
were reduced to 1,548 afghanis from 3,483 afghanis. Afghanistan brings in more
than half of its food needs from neighboring countries, in particular Pakistan,
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, Haqmal said. The country is also a significant rice
buyer, consuming about 600,000 tons of rice annually, he added.”

 

Pakistan

 

Al Jazeera: Kashmir Students Who Cheered For Pakistan Booked Under Terror Law
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“Police in Indian-administered Kashmir have filed criminal cases under a
stringent anti-terror law against the students of two medical colleges in the
region for celebrating Pakistan’s victory against India in the T20 World Cup.
Pakistan thrashed archrival India with a 10-wicket victory in the cricket match
held in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday night. India’s loss triggered
attacks against Kashmiri students in western Punjab state and a Muslim member
of the Indian team was abused online. Anti-India sentiment runs deep in
Kashmir, a Himalayan territory claimed in its entirety by both India and
Pakistan who rule over parts of it. A popular rebellion against the Indian rule
erupted in Indian-administered Kashmir the 1990s, with the rebels demanding
either a merger with Muslim-majority Pakistan or an independent state. In such
a scenario, an India-Pakistan cricket match evokes strong reactions mainly in
the valley, with residents publicly declaring their support for Pakistan to
make a political statement. Following Sunday’s match, there were similar
celebrations in the disputed region over Pakistan’s first-ever win against
India in a cricket World Cup.”

 

Yemen

 

Arab News: More Than 85 Houthis Killed Near Yemen’s Marib: Arab Coalition
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“The Arab coalition in Yemen said on Tuesday it carried out 21 attacks
targeting “mechanisms and elements” of the Houthi militia in two districts near
the strategic city of Marib in the last 24 hours. The coalition said more than
85 Houthi militants have been killed and nine military vehicles were destroyed
in the military operations in Al-Jawba and Al-Kassara. The coalition added in a
statement that it will continue to provide support to the Yemeni National Army
to protect civilians from Houthi violations. The coalition has reported heavy
strikes around Marib in recent weeks. Al-Jawba lies about 50 kilometers south
of the city and Al-Kassara is about 30 kilometers northwest. The Houthis began
a major push to seize Marib in February and have renewed their offensive since
September after a lull.”

 

Lebanon

 

BBC News: Lebanon: Beirut Violence Fuels Fears Of Return To Civil War
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“My friend and neighbour Richard was starting a series of online meetings at
his office on the south-east edge of Beirut when all hell suddenly broke loose.
He spent the next three hours sheltering on the ground floor as the sounds of
war raged around the building, triggering a rush of traumatic memories for
someone who had lived through 15 years of civil conflict from 1975 on. “All the
memories of the civil war flashed back into my mind,” he said. “It was very
intense, feelings of anger, of fear, of anxiety, especially about my children.
I felt that they will be living what I lived during the civil war.” When
Richard later arrived home safely, he suddenly burst into tears. “I don't know
why, and the next day I was not able to function at all. It seems the war
trauma came back to me again. I didn't want this to happen to me and my
children.” For Richard and many other Lebanese people, the sudden eruption of
sectarian clashes in the capital on 14 October rang strident alarm bells.
Political tensions were very high, the economy was collapsing, electricity and
fuel were almost non-existent, prices were soaring - and now gunmen were
battling it out in the streets again. Was the country teetering on the brink of
another civil war?”

 

Africa

 

Voice Of America: Uganda Police Blame Rebel Group ADF For Bombings In Capital
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“Police in Uganda are investigating two explosions in Kampala. A blast
targeting a bus killed one person on Monday, and an explosion Saturday at a bar
in the capital that left one person dead and several others injured. Police
blamed both attacks on the rebel Allied Democratic Forces, an affiliate of
Islamic State, and said arrests have been made. At a news conference Tuesday,
Ugandan police spokesperson Fred Enanga said the commander of the Allied
Democratic Forces, or ADF, Muhammed Nkalubo, coordinated the bombings. Enanga
also said police have caught three men involved in setting up the attacks. “So
far, we've managed to arrest three collaborators who were receiving money from
the ADF sources and distributing it to their recipients, to their operatives
and agents in the country.” He said the suspects, identified as Abdulrahman
Waibi, Sanyu Nakitende and Aisha Katushabe, distributed $114,000 in connection
with the attacks. Great Lakes Region security analyst Dismas Nkunda said it
would not be surprising if the reports about the ADF are true, considering the
group is based in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The
group has been operating in the DRC for the past 20 years after being pushed
out of Uganda.”

 

United Kingdom

 

BBC News: Leicester Man Who Promoted Terrorism Online Jailed
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“A Leicester man who posted violent extremist beliefs online has been jailed.
Mohammed Mahboobshah admitted encouraging terrorism between 8 October and 5
November 2020. The 26-year-old, formerly of Evington Valley Road, was sentenced
to two years and eight months at Leicester Crown Court on Friday. Counter
terrorism police said his social media posts “went far beyond anti-Western
rhetoric”. The Leicestershire force said the posts were identified when
Mahboobshah was being investigated over non-related matters. They were deemed
to be encouragement or inducement to the commission, preparation or instigation
of acts of terrorism. Det Insp Neil Kendrick from Counter Terrorism Policing
East Midlands said: “Mahboobshah promoted his violent extremist beliefs online
using well known social media platforms. “His posts went far beyond
anti-Western rhetoric as he repeatedly threatened serious violence, praised
terrorists' activities and sought to encourage others to engage in terrorist
activity.” Mahboobshah was also given a deportation order upon release and
ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £190.”

 

Brinkwire: Expert Debunks The ‘Lone Wolf’ Concept, Saying, ‘These Guys Don’t
Function In A Vacuum.’
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“…Liam Duffy, advisor at the Counter Extremism Project, has warned the UK is
going in “the wrong direction” to understand how to manage the threat due to a
string of common misconceptions. Mr Duffy told This website: “One of the
biggest misconceptions is that these people are alone, this myth of the lone
wolf launching an attack. “Most of the time they are definitely lone actors,
but even in the rare instances that they are radicalised mostly online and
self-activated, they still do perceive themselves to be part of a much broader
movement.” He explained that a ‘lone actor’ may be at the centre, but wider
analysis reveals an intricate ecosystem that allows that individual to commit
acts of terror. The other members of this ecosystem range from logistical
supporters and funders, to apologists and sympathisers. He added: “These people
don’t operate in a vacuum.” The need to find an effective solution to the
problem of violent extremism was brought sharply into view in 2017 when three
horrific, separate attacks left dozens dead; Westminster Bridge and Palace (6
deaths), Manchester Arena (23 deaths) and London Bridge (11 deaths). Since
2017, a total of 31 late-stage terror plots have been foiled, according to the
head of MI5.”

 

Europe

 

Radio Free Europe: Belarus Carries Out Wave Of Detentions For Subscribing To
'Extremist' Telegram Channels
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“Belarusian police have detained dozens of people in the southeastern city of
Homel on charges of subscribing to “extremist” social-media channels in the
latest crackdown on freedoms in the country. Authorities have declared hundreds
of opposition Telegram channels and social-media sites “extremist” since
Belarus was engulfed by protests after a disputed presidential election in
August 2020, and anyone operating or using such sites can face jail time or
fines. The Viasna human rights center said on October 26 that around 30 people
were charged the day before for allegedly using banned Telegram channels. In
once case, a 22-year-old student was picked up off the street by security
agents in a car who threatened her with violence unless she provided the
password to her phone, Viasna said. After providing access to the phone, she
was detained for subscribing to “extremist” Telegram channels and sentenced in
a three-minute trial to 15 days in jail, Viasna said.”

 

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