“Iraqi officials are grappling with how to contain Iran-backed militias after a
drone attack on the Iraqi premier’s residence highlighted the enduring

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


November 10, 2021  

 

**NOTE: CEP’s Eye On Extremism will be suspended on Thursday, November 11
in observance of Veterans Day. It will resume Friday, November 12.**

 

The Wall Street Journal: Iraq Struggles To Control Iran-Allied Militias
Believed Responsible For Attack On Prime Minister
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“Iraqi officials are grappling with how to contain Iran-backed militias after
a drone attack on the Iraqi premier’s residence highlighted the enduring threat
the paramilitary groups pose. In the first sign that mediation efforts were
making progress, several militia groups agreed to condemn Sunday’s strike and
cooperate with government investigators after meeting with Iraq’s president and
other officials, senior Iraqi officials said early Tuesday. The militias have
denied responsibility for the attack on the residence of Prime Minister Mustafa
al-Kadhimi, who wasn’t hurt. U.S. officials have said an unspecified
Iran-backed Iraqi militia was likely behind it. Iran has disavowed the attack
and sent a top general to Baghdad to ease tensions. No other group has claimed
responsibility for the assault. The strike put a spotlight on how militia
groups pose a threat to Iraqi institutions and underscore how difficult they
are for their Iranian sponsors to control, said observers of the militias in
and outside of Iraq. The paramilitary forces, part of a broader movement called
the Popular Mobilization Units, have wielded enormous influence over Iraqi
security and institutions since they helped vanquish Islamic State. But their
political parties were dealt a defeat in Iraq’s parliamentary election last
month, casting uncertainty over their continued role in the country.”

 

The New York Times: Afghan Pilots Who Escaped Taliban Are Flown Out Of
Tajikistan
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“More than 140 Afghan Air Force pilots and crew members detained in Tajikistan
since mid-August after fleeing Afghanistan were flown out of the country
Tuesday with the help of the American authorities, according to a retired U.S.
Air Force officer who leads a volunteer group that has assisted the Afghans.
The flight, bound for the United Arab Emirates, ended a three-month ordeal for
the U.S.-trained military personnel, who had flown American-supplied aircraft
to Tajikistan to escape the Taliban only to end up in custody. The Afghans said
they were counting on the U.S. government to secure their freedom after they
were detained by the Tajik authorities after the Taliban seized power in their
home country and they fled, fearing reprisals. In WhatsApp audio recordings
made on smuggled cellphones, the English-speaking pilots described poor
conditions, insufficient food rations and limited medical care at the site
where they were being held outside the capital, Dushanbe. Brig. Gen. David
Hicks, a retired Air Force officer who is chief executive of Operation Sacred
Promise, said a plane carrying the Afghans had departed Dushanbe on Tuesday
night, U.S. Eastern time, after a long delay.”

 

Syria

 

Voice Of America: 3 Killed In Suspected Turkish Drone Attack In NE Syria
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“Turkey is being accused by Kurdish security forces of carrying out a drone
attack Tuesday in northeastern Syria that killed three civilians in a car. The
strike took place in Qamishli, a city on the Syria-Turkey border that is
controlled by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The three victims
were from the same family, according to a statement by SDF's internal security
forces, which also said the attack was “carried out by a Turkish drone.” Turkey
has not commented on the incident, but Kurdish forces say the Turkish military
has increased targeted drone operations in northeastern Syria in recent months.
Turkey views the SDF and its main component, the People’s Protection Units
(YPG), as an extension of the Turkey-based Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a
militant group labeled as terrorist by Washington and Ankara. The United
States, on the other hand, distinguishes between the two Kurdish groups. In the
war against Islamic State, the SDF has been a key U.S. ally. The reason for the
strike on the civilian vehicle in Qamishli is unknown, although local sources
claim the victims were tied to a high-ranking YPG commander. Following a
massive military assault against SDF members, Turkish military and allied
Syrian militias have been in control of sections of northeastern Syria since
October 2019.”

 

Iraq

 

Reuters: Pope Condemns Attack On Iraqi PM As Vile Act Of Terrorism
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“Pope Francis on Tuesday condemned the drone attack on Iraqi Prime Minister
Mustafa al-Kadhimi's residence as a “vile act of terrorism”. Al-Kadhimi escaped
unhurt when three drones carrying explosives were launched at his home in
Baghdad on Sunday. Several of his bodyguards were injured. The Vatican said its
Secretary of State sent a message to the prime minister in the name of the
pope, who visited Iraq in March. “In condemning this vile act of terrorism, His
Holiness once more expresses his confidence that with the blessing of the most
high God the people of Iraq will be confirmed in wisdom and strength in
pursuing the path of peace through dialogue and fraternal solidarity,” the
message said. Iraqi security officials and militia sources in Baghdad said the
drone attack was carried out by at least one Iran-backed militia, weeks after
pro-Iran groups were routed in elections they say were rigged.”

 

Turkey

 

Daily Sabah: Turkey Detains 9 Daesh Terrorists, Deports 10 Others To Iraq
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“Turkish security forces detained at least nine Daesh-linked suspects in
counterterrorism operations, while the country deported 10 foreign nationals
over links to the terrorists. Police in Eskişehir province nabbed the suspects
in an operation on Tuesday, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported. Meanwhile, Turkey
deported eight Iraqi nationals Monday after their arrest in an operation
against the Daesh terrorist group, security sources said. Security forces in
the northern Samsun province held 10 Iraqi suspects who prosecutors then
ordered to be deported. The suspects were handed over to anti-human trafficking
and border gates teams for their deportation procedures. The proceedings of two
other suspects are continuing. In 2013, Turkey became one of the first
countries to declare Daesh a terrorist group. The country has since been
attacked by the terrorist group multiple times, with over 300 people killed and
hundreds more injured in at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks and
four armed assaults. In response, Turkey launched counterterrorism operations
at home and abroad to prevent further attacks. In May, Ankara arrested a Daesh
terrorist identified as the right-hand man of former terrorist leader Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi.”

 

Saudi Arabia

 

Arab News: Kuwait Condemns Terrorists’ Attempt To Threaten Saudi Arabia
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“Kuwait has condemned in the strongest terms the continued attempts of the
Iranian-backed terrorist Houthi militia to threaten the security of Saudi
Arabia by targeting Khamis Mushayt with a bomb-laden drone and to threaten
maritime navigation and international trade in the Bab Al-Mandab strait and the
southern Red Sea with a booby-trapped boat. The Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign
Affairs said that the continuation of these aggressive practices constitutes a
flagrant violation of the rules of international and humanitarian law and
requires the international community to move quickly and decisively to deter
these threats and hold the perpetrators accountable. The ministry reaffirmed
Kuwait’s its support for all the measures the Kingdom takes to preserve its
security, stability and sovereignty. On Saturday, the Arab coalition said it
intercepted and destroyed a drone targeting Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport on
Saturday. The coalition said it is dealing with the source of the threat “to
protect civilians from hostile attacks.” Earlier on Saturday, the coalition
said that 157 Houthis had been killed in strikes on different Yemeni areas.”

 

Egypt

 

Asharq Al-Awsat: Egypt’s Al-Azhar, Coptic Church Call For Confronting Extremism

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“Participants at a conference organized by Egypt’s Al-Azhar and the Coptic
Church underscored on Monday the pivotal role played by the Egyptian Family
House in countering terrorism and maintaining a unified national fabric. At the
event marking the 10th anniversary of the founding the Egyptian Family House,
they stressed “the need to confront terrorism and extremism and raise awareness
of the values of citizenship.” The conference was attended by Grand Imam of
Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, Coptic Orthodox Church Pope Tawadros II, former
president Adly Mansour and Justice Minister Omar Marwan on behalf of Prime
Minister Mostafa Madbouly, as well as several other ministers, ambassadors,
diplomats, Islamic scholars and heads of Egyptian churches. Al-Azhar and
churches across Egypt established the Egyptian Family House to allow religious
institutions to contribute to the state’s national, security and political
efforts in protecting the nation, said al-Tayeb. “Al-Azhar’s recognition of
religious institutions inside and outside Egypt aims at bringing together
humane values between divine religions,” he added. Pope Tawadros, for his part,
said that “the term ‘family house’ reflects good morals.”

 

Africa

 

AFP: Burkina Soldier, 15 Jihadists Killed in Weekend Battle
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“One Burkina Faso soldier and around 15 jihadists died in fighting over the
weekend, the army of the west African nation said on Monday. The soldier died
on Saturday in eastern Komadjari province in a battle that saw about 15
“terrorists neutralized,” it said. “One soldier from the detachment
unfortunately fell during the fighting,” the statement said, adding that three
others were wounded. The army’s response “enabled the neutralisation of around
15 terrorists and the recovery of their weapons. A large quantity of ammunition
and motorbikes were also seized,” it said. Burkina Faso has been facing regular
and deadly jihadist attacks since 2015, particularly in the northern and
eastern regions, close to Mali and Niger. These attacks, often coupled with
ambushes and attributed to jihadist movements affiliated to the Islamic State
group and Al-Qaeda, have killed more than 2,000 people and forced more than 1.4
million to flee their homes.”

 

United Kingdom

 

The National: Terrorist Prisoners 'Study Psychology To Fool Rehab
Professionals'
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“Terrorist prisoners across Europe, such as London Bridge attacker Usman Khan,
are hiding in plain sight and deceiving deradicalisation professionals, a study
has found. The Counter Extremism Project think tank is calling for “significant
improvements” in rehabilitation schemes after it found some terrorists were
studying psychology to bluff professionals into believing they no longer pose a
threat. In its study released on Tuesday, the think tank makes 13
recommendations for dealing with extremist prisoners, including the use of lie
detectors, and is calling on European nations to follow the UK in ending
automatic early release for prisoners convicted of terrorism. It advises that
extremists should have limited contact with each other in prison to avoid them
exploiting the system. Report author, Ian Acheson, recommends creating a
unified team with permanent overall responsibility for offenders to prevent
dangerous extremists from “falling through the net”. “One unified,
multidisciplinary team with executive authority would better ensure coherence
and continuity in offender risk management, thereby reducing handovers and
rationalising the dangerous sprawl of the terrorist offender threat response,”
it says.”

 

Europe

 

The Independent: Shamima Begum’s Husband Decries Isis Attacks In Europe But
Still Hopes For A Caliphate
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“The husband of former Isis bride Shamima Begum has said he does not condone
the terror group’s attacks on the west but still hopes that a caliphate will be
established. Yago Riedijk, 29, who has admitted to being an Isis fighter, was
interviewed from the Kurdish-run al-Roj prison in northern Syria for a
documentary in which he shares his views on the jihadis as well as speaking
about his marriage to Ms Begum. The Dutch national wed Ms Begum days after she
arrived in Syria from the UK, aged 15, in 2015, and the couple had three
children, all of whom have died. Asked about Isis attacks in European countries
including Germany and France in recent years, Mr Riedijk said he did not agree
with the violence for “a number of reasons”. “The prohibition on killing
innocent people in Islam, on killing women and children. I see these attacks as
not being Islamically responsible,” he told Alan Duncan, a Scottish former
soldier who is producing a documentary on Isis. However, Mr Riedijk refused to
comment on attacks by Isis on other Muslims and Yazidis, as well as beheadings
by the terror group. He said Isis was not finished and that he wanted to see
the establishment of a caliphate that adheres to “Islamic traditions.”

 

Southeast Asia

 

Al Jazeera: Myanmar Charges US Journalist With ‘Terrorism’ And Sedition
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“A US journalist detained in Myanmar has been charged with “terrorism” and
sedition, and could face life in prison if convicted, according to his lawyer.
Danny Fenster, who was arrested as he was leaving the country in May, was hit
with the two new charges under the Counter-Terrorism Act and Myanmar’s Penal
Code, his lawyer Than Zaw Aung said on Wednesday. The counterterrorism law
criminalises contacts with officially designated “terrorist” groups and carries
a prison term of three and seven years. The other charge under Section 124(A)
of the Penal Code is usually referred to as treason and carries a penalty of
seven to 20 years of imprisonment. The new charges against Fenster, 37, come
days after former United States diplomat and hostage negotiator Bill Richardson
met Senior General Min Aung Hlaing in the capital Naypyidaw. Min Aung Hlaing
seized power in a coup on February 1, detaining Aung San Suu Kyi and senior
officials from her elected government. Fenster, the managing editor of Frontier
Myanmar, an online news magazine based in Yangon, is already on trial for
allegedly encouraging dissent against the military, unlawful association and
breaching immigration law.”

 

Technology

 

The National: Whistle-Blower Claims Facebook Amplified Extremism
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“A Facebook whistle-blower has said the social media giant's practices
amplified “extremism and polarisation”. Frances Haugen, a former Facebook
engineer, told a European Parliament committee that the EU could set the global
“gold standard” on clamping down on the power of large technology corporations.
Ms Haugen insisted that the social media platform put more priority on profit
than on curtailing toxic content. Facebook has said Ms Haugen's allegations
distort reality and called her a mid-level engineer with limited access to
important decisions. “I saw that Facebook repeatedly encountered conflicts
between its own profits and our safety,” she said. “Facebook consistently
resolved these conflicts in favour of its own profits. The result has been a
system that amplifies division, extremism and polarisation. “It undermines
societies around the world. In some cases, this dangerous online talk has led
to actual violence that harms and even kills people.” The EU is pushing through
new laws that could force the world's biggest tech firms to rethink the way
they do business. Ms Haugen endorsed the plans, especially the Digital Services
Act, which would create much stricter oversight of harmful and illegal content
on platforms such as Facebook, which also owns Instagram.”

 

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