“The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on three leaders of Islamic
State's Afghanistan branch and another man it accused of acting as a financ

 

 


<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>
Eye on Extremism


November 23, 2021  

 

**NOTE: CEP’s Eye On Extremism will be suspended November 24-26 in observance
of the Thanksgiving holiday. It will resume Monday, November 29.**

 

Reuters: U.S. Blacklists 3 Leaders, Financial Facilitator For Afghan Affiliate
Of Islamic State <[link removed]>

 

“The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on three leaders of Islamic
State's Afghanistan branch and another man it accused of acting as a financial
facilitator for the group, in a move that follows a series of attacks in Kabul
claimed by the militant group. The State Department on Monday named the group's
emir, Sanaullah Ghafari, spokesperson Sultan Aziz Azam and Kabul province
leader Maulaw Rajab as Specially Designated Global Terrorists, Secretary of
State Antony Blinken said in a statement. The U.S. Treasury Department also
blacklisted Ismatullah Khalozai, accusing him of operating a Turkey-based
informal money-moving network, known as a hawala, to transfer funds to finance
the Islamic State-Khorasan Province. “Today's designation underscores the
United States' determination to prevent ISIS-K and its members from exploiting
the international financial system to support terrorist acts in Afghanistan and
beyond,” said Andrea Gacki, director of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets
Control, using a common name for Islamic State-Khorasan Province. The U.N.
envoy to Afghanistan last week delivered a bleak assessment of the situation
following the Taliban takeover, saying that the affiliate of the Islamic State
group has grown and now appears present in nearly all 34 provinces.”

 

The National: Yemen Joint Forces Take Control Of Key Area As Houthis Suffer
Big Losses
<[link removed]>

 

“The joint forces battling the Iran-backed Houthis in western Yemen have taken
full control of key areas between the provinces of Hodeidah and Taez. A
large-scale operation that began last Friday has led to big losses in the rebel
ranks, said Aseel Assakladi, media centre director of the pro-government Al
Amalika Forces. “The joint forces seized control over new strategic areas in
southern Hodeidah and Taez amid big collapses in the ranks of the Houthi
militants,” Mr Assakladi told The National. “Our troops backed [with] air cover
from the Arab Coalition airplanes scored a new progress and took full control
over the strategic mountain of Al Maghreb in Jabal Ras in south-eastern
Hodeidah and controlled the mountainous chain of Al Rewiana and Attour in
Macbana in western Taez province as well as Wadi Nakhlah in eastern Hays in
southern Hodeidah.” Mr Assakladi said the progress was made after “fierce
clashes with the Houthi militants, who suffered big losses in the ranks of
their fighters and equipment as well”. He said 45 Houthi fighters were killed
and more than 25 were captured during the fighting, which began last Friday. Al
Amalika forces launched a wide-ranging offensive and successfully controlled
the Sakam intersection in southern Hays, cutting the Houthi supply route that
feeds their fighters in Taez.”

 

United States

 

The Washington Post: SUV Crash Into Wisconsin Christmas Parade Is Latest Among
Deadly Car-Ramming Incidents
<[link removed]>

 

“…In a June 2021 report, the Counter Extremism Project, a nonpartisan research
and advocacy group based in New York, said attacks against protesters using
cars are most often the domain of the far-right, although “some were also
perpetrated by those on the left against right-wing protesters.” “Authorities
recorded at least 50 vehicular rammings against protesters between May and June
2020,” it said, including at least 18 “deliberate attacks.” There are other
reasons, too, that led to deadly crashes into packed areas — a man was
convicted of capital murder in 2015 after he ran his car through crowds in
Austin, killing four people while intoxicated and attempting to evade a police
checkpoint the year before. CEP tallied “at least 57 vehicular terrorist
attacks since 2006, collectively resulting in the deaths of at least 207 people
and the injury of at least 1,133 others.” It said these types of attacks are
not new but have become more common “in large part” due to “ISIS’s explicit
calls to employ cars as weapons.” Some high-profile examples include a man who
was alleged to have killed eight people and injured at least a dozen when he
reportedly drove a truck into pedestrians and cyclists on a Lower Manhattan
bike path in 2017. Federal officials charged him with providing support to a
terrorist organization, alleging that he was inspired by the Islamic State.”

 

Syria

 

The Guardian: Former IS Fighters Say They Paid Way Out Of Kurdish Jail In
‘Reconciliation’ Scheme
<[link removed]>

 

“Kurdish-led forces in charge of jails in north-east Syria housing about
10,000 men with alleged links to Islamic State are releasing prisoners in
exchange for money under a “reconciliation” scheme, according to interviews
with two freed men and official documents. Syrian men imprisoned without trial
can pay an $8,000 (£6,000) fine to be freed, a copy of the release form shows.
As part of the deal, the released prisoners sign a declaration promising not to
rejoin any armed organisations and to leave the parts of north and east Syria
under control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). On their
release, the two men the Guardian met – both of whom had fought with IS until
the group’s so-called caliphate collapsed in March 2019 – were reunited with
their wives and children, who were also freed from al-Hawl detention camp under
the deal. The families then travelled to Idlib province, which is run by rival
Islamists, and crossed the border to Turkey. Both men are now living, they
believe, under the radar of the authorities in the country they have made their
new home. One says that he never bought into the IS ideology, and the other
that he was initially attracted to the religious component but did not realise
the group would grow to be so violent.”

 

Iraq

 

Al Monitor: Iraqi Air Force Bombs Islamic State Hideouts In Mountains
<[link removed]>

 

“The Iraqi air force conducted airstrikes against the Islamic State (IS) in
the Hamrin mountains today, the military announced. Iraqi pilots in Czech-made
Aero L-159 Alca fighter jets bombed hideouts and equipment belonging to IS in
the mountains, which are located in the northern Diyala province. The targets
were successfully destroyed, the Security Media Cell said on Facebook. Iraqi
and Kurdistan Region forces have attributed several recent attacks to IS. In
early October, a man detonated himself in a vehicle in the western Anbar
province. Later that month, IS attacked a Shiite tribe in Diyala, which
prompted retaliatory attacks on Sunni civilians in the area. IS also killed two
of the Kurdistan Region’s peshmerga soldiers in an ambush in late October.  The
Iraqi air force regularly strikes purported Islamic State targets and areas
used by unspecified “terrorist” groups. They also bombed a tunnel used for
weapons smuggling in the northern Salah ad-Din province last week.  Iraqi
forces defeated IS in 2017, backed by the US-led military coalition. The group
has remained active since then, however, particularly in Sunni majority areas
and territories disputed between the federal and Kurdistan Region governments.
IS’s continued presence is one factor pushing Iraqis to emigrate abroad.”

 

Afghanistan

 

The Washington Post: Taliban Sends Hundreds Of Fighters To Eastern Afghanistan
To Wage War Against Islamic State
<[link removed]>

 

“The Taliban has expanded its shadowy war against the Islamic State branch in
Afghanistan, deploying hundreds more fighters to this eastern province in an
increasingly violent fight and critical test of the group’s counterterrorism
abilities after the U.S. troop withdrawal. More than 1,300 additional Taliban
fighters have been deployed to Nangahar province in the past month with orders
to increase the tempo of operations, according to Taliban security officials.
Taliban night raids against suspected Islamic State-Khorasan members are on the
rise, and many of the hundreds arrested have disappeared or turned up dead,
according to Jalalabad residents and Taliban fighters. “The fight is difficult,
and yes sometimes it is brutal, but we have to eradicate Daesh not just for
Afghanistan, but for the entire world,” said Qari Nurullah Fateh, a Taliban
fighter under the group’s intelligence wing in Jalalabad. Daesh is the Arabic
acronym for the Islamic State commonly used in Afghanistan. “If someone doesn’t
surrender to us, we kill them.” Fateh’s unit carries out multiple search
operations for Islamic State suspects in Jalalabad most nights from sunset
until early morning prayers. Previously, the fighters would only leave base
once or twice a week. Fateh estimated that seven to 10 Islamic State suspects
are arrested in Jalalabad every week and about six are killed.”

 

CNN: Women Banned From Afghan Television Dramas Under New Taliban Media Rules
<[link removed]>

 

“Women will be barred from appearing in television dramas in Afghanistan under
the Taliban's new media restrictions, in the latest rollback of women's
freedoms since the militant group seized power three months ago. All dramas,
soap operas and entertainment shows featuring women are prohibited, according
to the government guidelines issued to broadcasters on Sunday. The country's
Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice issued eight
directives concerning what is allowed to be broadcast, in the first
restrictions of their kind imposed on the country's media network. Among the
directives, women news presenters must now wear headscarves on screen.
Similarly, men on screen must wear “proper clothes,” although the guidelines do
not specify which types of clothes are considered “proper.” The ministry added
that films in opposition to Islamic law and Afghan values should not be
broadcast, nor should foreign and domestic films that “promote foreign culture
and values.” The rules also state that entertainment and comedy programs
“should not be based on insulting others,” nor “for the insult of human dignity
and Islamic values.” Finally, TV shows depicting the “prophets and companions”
should not be broadcast, it said. Under the previous Taliban government -- in
power from 1996 to 2001 -- television was prohibited as well as most other
forms of media.”

 

Middle East

 

The National: Bahrain Foils Planned Terror Attack And Seizes Iranian Weapons
<[link removed]>

 

“Bahrain's security forces have arrested suspected militants over a planned
attack and confiscated Iranian weapons and explosives in their possession, the
Interior Ministry said on Monday. The number of suspected terrorists arrested
was not released, nor were details of the attack that authorities said was
being planned. But the Directorate General of Criminal Investigation and
Forensic Science said the operations targeted “security and civil peace”.
“Weapons and explosives from Iran were seized” from the group who “are linked
with terrorist groups in Iran”, the Interior Ministry said on Twitter. Last
year, the country's High Criminal Court sentenced 51 people to prison terms
ranging from five years to life for forming and joining a terrorist group. The
court heard the group members were taking orders from Iran's Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps. The public prosecution said the group had been
planning attacks on Bahrain and were supplied with weapons and training by the
IRGC. Bahrain's Parliament Speaker Fawzia Zainal on Monday said the country
placed combatting terrorism among its top priorities and called for
international co-operation to enhance security and stability across the region
and the world.”

 

The Times Of Israel: After Jerusalem Killing And 50 Terror Arrests, Lapid
Urges Turkey To Shut Down Hamas
<[link removed]>

 

“Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Monday demanded Turkey shut down the offices
of the Hamas terror group operating in the country after Israel announced the
arrests of a sophisticated 50-member West Bank cell being directed from
Istanbul. “Hamas’ offices in Istanbul will be shut down. We must prevent these
heinous acts of terrorism against Israeli citizens everywhere and under any
conditions,” Lapid said, a day after another Hamas terrorist carried out a
deadly terror shooting in Jerusalem. He urged other nations to follow the
example of the United Kingdom, which announced last week that it intended to
ban Hamas in its entirety and stop differentiating between its political and
military wings. “The countries of the world must act like Britain and outlaw
Hamas,” he said. Lapid spoke out soon after Israel’s Shin Bet security agency
revealed that it busted a major Hamas cell, arresting 50 of its operatives.
According to the Shin Bet, the Hamas cell was led from Turkey by Saleh
al-Arouri, deputy head of the terror group’s politburo, and Zacharia Najib, a
member of the organization who was released from Israeli prison in the 2011
Gilad Shalit exchange, where they allegedly continue to operate on behalf of
Hamas.”

 

Nigeria

 

Sahara Reporters: Boko Haram Says It Killed Four Soldiers, Two Vigilantes,
Burnt Armoured Vehicles During Attack On Army Base In Borno
<[link removed]>

 

“The Islamic State-backed faction of Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa
Province (ISWAP), formerly known as Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah
wa'l-Jihād, has claimed that its fighters killed four Nigerian soldiers and two
vigilantes after dislodging a military base in Marte, located near the shores
of Lake Chad, Borno State. SaharaReporters gathered that the insurgents on
Saturday engaged the Nigerian troops at a military base in the community in a
gun battle. ISWAP in a statement sighted by SaharaReporters on Sunday said four
soldiers and two vigilantes were killed during the attack. The terror group
added that it razed down the army camp, two armoured tanks while a military
operational vehicle was captured. Since the death of JAS leader, Abubakar
Shekau, ISWAP has been consolidating its grip in locations around Lake Chad.
Just recently, it appointed Wali Sani Shuwaram, a 45-year-old as the new Leader
(Wali) of ISWAP in Lake Chad. The sect’s membership has swollen with the
defection of hundreds of Boko Haram fighters under Shekau. The Nigerian army
has repeatedly claimed that insurgency had been largely defeated and frequently
underplays any losses.”

 

Africa

 

Reuters: Militiamen Kill At Least 20 In Eastern Congo Attack
<[link removed]>

 

“Militiamen killed about 20 people during an attack on displaced civilians in
northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the government said on Monday.
Fighters from the CODECO militia raided the village of Drodro on Sunday night,
Jules Ngongo, a spokesperson for Ituri's military government, told Reuters. He
said they killed 12 civilians, six of them children. Patrick Muyaya, the
spokesperson for the national government, later said on Twitter that the death
toll stood at around 20. Repeated attacks by CODECO have killed hundreds of
civilians in Ituri province's Djugu territory since 2017 and forced thousands
to flee their homes, according to the United Nations. CODECO's fighters are
drawn mainly from the Lendu farming community, which has long been in conflict
with Hema herders. “Their objective was to attack the population that was
displaced in Drodro,” Ngongo said. Others said the death toll was higher. Ngabu
Lidja Chrysante, a priest and coordinator for the Catholic charity Caritas in
Ituri, said his colleagues on the ground had seen the bodies of 35 people
killed in the attack, which also targeted the local church. Kivu Security
Tracker, which maps violence in Congo, said it had confirmed 29 deaths. It had
earlier reported 107 deaths but said that information turned out to be
erroneous. Mathias Gilman, the spokesperson for the United Nations peacekeeping
mission in Congo, said at least 16,000 people fleeing the attacks had taken
shelter at a nearby site protected by peacekeepers.”

 

Al Jazeera: Several Suspects Killed In Uganda After Bombings: Police
<[link removed]>

 

“Police have said that seven suspects were killed and 106 people detained
during operations by the security services linked to three suicide bombings in
the Ugandan capital, Kampala, last week. ISIL (ISIS) claimed responsibility for
the November 16 attack, which killed seven people, including the three bombers,
and injured dozens more. One police officer was among the four others killed
and 27 of the 37 wounded were also police officers. “To disrupt and dismantle
acts of domestic terrorism, we have intensified operations. Since these
operations began, a total of 106 suspects have been arrested,” police
spokesperson Fred Enanga said in a statement posted on Facebook on Monday.
Police did not provide details on how the seven suspects were killed. In last
week’s attack, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance of a police
station in the centre of Kampala. Three minutes later two other suicide bombers
exploded along a road that leads to the parliament. The explosions set vehicles
alight, sent glass shards flying, and panicked officers and workers fleeing
multi-storeyed buildings. Enanga said those detained “included those who were
involved in terrorist financing and persons who were involved in mobilisation
and incitement of vulnerable Ugandans into the ranks of the ADF [Allied
Democratic Forces],” a rebel group.”

 

United Kingdom

 

Evening Standard: 21-Year-Old Man Charged With Eight Terrorism Offences
<[link removed]>

 

“21-year-old man is due in court on Tuesday charged with eight terrorism
offences. Mohammad Zubair Khan, of west London, was charged on Monday, November
22 with eight counts of dissemination of terrorist material (contrary to
Section 2 of the Terrorism Act 2006). He will appear at Westminster
Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday. Khan was arrested on November 16 by officers
from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command. A warrant of further detention was
granted at court a day later, and is due to expire on November 23. A second
man, aged 19, was arrested and detained under Section 41 of the Terrorism Act
2000 as part of the same investigation. In respect of him, a second warrant of
further detention was granted at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on November 22,
allowing police to keep him in custody until Wednesday November 30, 2021 when
the warrant expires. Enquiries continue.”

 

The Counter Extremism Project depends on the generosity of its supporters. If
you value what we do, please consider making a donation.
DONATE NOW
<[link removed]>


Click here to unsubscribe.
<[link removed]>