“Undercover Taliban agents—often clean-shaven, dressed in jeans and sporting
sunglasses—spent years infiltrating Afghan government ministries, univers

 

 


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


November 29, 2021  

 

 

The Wall Street Journal: Taliban Covert Operatives Seized Kabul, Other Afghan
Cities From Within
<[link removed]>

 

“Undercover Taliban agents—often clean-shaven, dressed in jeans and sporting
sunglasses—spent years infiltrating Afghan government ministries, universities,
businesses and aid organizations. Then, as U.S. forces were completing their
withdrawal in August, these operatives stepped out of the shadows in Kabul and
other big cities across Afghanistan, surprising their neighbors and colleagues.
Pulling their weapons from hiding, they helped the Taliban rapidly seize
control from the inside. The pivotal role played by these clandestine cells is
becoming apparent only now, three months after the U.S. pullout. At the time,
Afghan cities fell one after another like dominoes with little resistance from
the American-backed government’s troops. Kabul collapsed in a matter of hours,
with hardly a shot fired. “We had agents in every organization and department,”
boasted Mawlawi Mohammad Salim Saad, a senior Taliban leader who directed
suicide-bombing operations and assassinations inside the Afghan capital before
its fall. “The units we had already present in Kabul took control of the
strategic locations.” Mr. Saad’s men belong to the so-called Badri force of the
Haqqani network, a part of the Taliban that is designated as a terrorist
organization by the U.S. because of its links to al Qaeda.”

 

Bloomberg: Abuse Widespread Among People At Risk Of Extremism: U.K. Police
<[link removed]>

 

“There is a “striking prevalence” of domestic abuse among individuals referred
to a government program that aims to prevent terrorist attacks, U.K. police
said.  A new analysis of referrals to the counter-radicalization “Prevent”
program in 2019 found that out of 3,045 people, just over a third, or 1,076,
had a link to a domestic abuse incident -- either as an offender, victim,
witness or a combination of all three. National Co-ordinator for Prevent,
Detective Chief Superintendent Vicky Washington said in a statement that the
findings “indicated a clear over-representation of domestic abuse experiences
in the lives of those who are referred to us for safeguarding and support.”
Where a link to a domestic abuse-related incident was identified, an Islamist
ideology was recorded in 28% of referrals, while extreme right-wing ideologies
accounted for 18%. The U.K. is reviewing currently reviewing the Prevent
program. The suspect in the deadly stabbing of Conservative MP David Amess last
month had reportedly been referred to Prevent several years ago -- as had at
least two others in the past few years who went on to commit violent or deadly
acts.”

 

United States

 

New York Post: US To Drop Colombian Rebel Group FARC From Terror List
<[link removed]>

 

“The Biden administration is taking steps to remove far-left Colombian rebel
group FARC from its list of foreign terrorist organizations to show support for
a five-year-old peace agreement between the guerilla outfit and the South
American country’s government.  Nov. 30 will mark the fifth anniversary of the
deal between FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) and the government
of then-Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, which ended more than 50 years
of fighting. The State Department confirmed on Tuesday that it had notified
Congress of its intention to drop FARC from the list. The effort was first
reported by the Wall Street Journal. “The peace process and the signing of the
peace accord five years ago is something that was a seminal turning point in
some ways in the long-running Colombia conflict,” State Department spokesman
Ned Price told reporters. “It’s something we’ve commended, it is something that
we have sought at every step of the way to preserve.” “The peace accord ended
five decades of conflict with the FARC, and it set Colombia on a path to a just
and lasting peace,” Price added. “And so we remain fully committed to working
with our Colombian partners on the implementation of the peace accord.”

 

Syria

Al Monitor: Islamic State Down But Not Out In Syria And Iraq: Pentagon Report
<[link removed]>

 

“The most recent report from the Pentagon’s Inspector General on Operation
Inherent Resolve, the US-led diplomatic and military operation against the
Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria, indicates that IS has weakened but
remains a priority for US national security interests in the region. These
quarterly reports provide the most comprehensive reporting and assessment of
the US-led mission against IS and therefore deserve attention. Among the latest
findings: The report makes clear that the United States and its coalition
partners remain essential to the continued success of the mission. The
Iraq-Syria border remains an area of concern for IS activity. Economic
hardship, the COVID-19 pandemic and a devastating drought, especially in Syria,
will continue to shape the environment. The Iraqi elections and the prospect
for continued political stability and progress there is good news for Iraq and
the anti-IS coalition effort. Iran-backed proxy forces and militias in both
countries remain a threat to coalition forces and operations. Both the Iraqi
Security Forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) will continue to depend
on US training and support in “conducting intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance (ISR), intelligence integration and airstrikes.”

 

Kurdistan 24: SDF Releases 853 ‘Non-Violent’ ISIS Detainees: RIC
<[link removed]-‘non-violent’-ISIS-detainees:-RIC>

 

“The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced that it has released 853
“non-violent ISIS” detainees from prisons across the Autonomous Administration
of North and East Syria (AANES) “in collaboration with local sheikhs, the
Syria-based Rojava Information Center reported on Saturday. According to the
center, approximately 80 percent of the released detainees were originally from
Syria’s Arab-majority Deir al-Zor province. They were released “after thorough
investigations proved they were not involved in violent acts as part of ISIS.”
“According to local sources, this batch is set to be the first of many, as the
AANES attempts to relieve its overcrowded camps & prisons of non-violent ISIS
detainees,” the Rojava Information Center tweeted. The SDF, with the support of
the United States-led coalition, continues to target ISIS sleeper cells across
the regions of Syria it controls. Most of these sleeper cells are in Deir
al-Zor province, which borders Iraq. The Kurdish-led SDF is the main US ally in
its campaign against ISIS in Syria. The SDF declared the complete destruction
of ISIS’s self-styled caliphate when it captured the town of Baghouz from the
militants, which is in Deir al-Zor, in March 2019.”

 

Iraq

 

Al Jazeera: Five Peshmerga Killed In ISIL Attack In Iraq’s Diyala
<[link removed]>

 

“Five Peshmerga fighters were killed in an attack by the ISIL (ISIS) armed
group in northern Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said on Sunday.
The attack – which also wounded four Peshmerga – took place in Diyala province
on Saturday night. A Peshmerga source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told
Al Jazeera the four fighters were wounded by ISIL sniper fire. The five
Peshmerga killed were in a convoy on their way to attend to the wounded when
they hit a roadside bomb planted by the armed group. Ambushing those who rush
to the scene to help injured fighters is a common tactic utilised by ISIL. “The
Peshmerga responded heavily and everything is under control now,” the Peshmerga
ministry wrote in a statement. After the attack, Nechirvan Barzani, president
of the KRG, offered his condolences and called for further regional cooperation
to defeat remnants of the armed group. “I am deeply saddened by the news of the
martyrdom of a group of Peshmerga heroes last night while they were providing
assistance to their colleagues in the Kolajo region,” said Barzani in a
statement. “The proliferation of ISIL’s atrocities is a new and terrifying
message, and brings a serious threat to the region.”

 

The National: ISIS Prisoner Shot Dead During Jailbreak Attempt In Iraq
<[link removed]>

 

“A prisoner has been shot dead while trying to escape from a jail in Iraq with
two other ISIS inmates, the country's security forces have said. The three men,
all members of the extremist group, were serving life sentences at a jail in
Taji, north of Baghdad. They were spotted as they climbed an external wall and
guards opened fire “when they refused to heed warnings”, the security forces
said, adding that one prisoner was killed. The remaining two surrendered.
Security sources did not identify the three men. An investigation commission
has been formed to interrogate the remaining two prisoners, a security official
said. ISIS swept across parts of Iraq and neighbouring Syria in 2014 where they
set up a so-called caliphate. Jail breaks were a key part of ISIS's strategy at
the time to rebuild their ranks, after losing many members during the US-led
occupation. About 100 inmates were taken from a prison in Tikrit in 2012, while
a much bigger jail break in two prisons —Taji and Abu Ghraib, in July 2013,
which involved car bombs used to destroy prison walls, freed as many as 500
fighters. Most of those freed at the time are likely dead or recaptured and
Iraq has since relocated high risk prisoners to desert complexes in the far
south of the country.”

 

Afghanistan

 

Bloomberg: What The Return Of The Taliban Means For Afghanistan
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“Twenty years after being dislodged from power by a U.S. invasion, the Taliban
again took charge of Afghanistan in August, prompting the U.S. and its allies
to expedite their planned exit from the country. The strict Islamic
fundamentalists — whose previous five-year rule was characterized by the
oppression of women and minorities, and the harboring of international
terrorists — pledged to do things somewhat differently this time. Those vows
met with skepticism among the world’s governments and multilateral
institutions, which withheld recognition of the Taliban as the legitimate
authority in Afghanistan, blocked access to billions of dollars in Afghan
assets held overseas and severed the development assistance that had long
propped up the economy. 1. Did the world cut off aid to Afghanistan entirely?
No. Humanitarian assistance continued to flow. In fact, commitments to provide
it — by the U.S., wealthy European countries and China — increased after the
Taliban takeover, motivated in part by the desire to avert a mass exodus of
Afghan refugees. However, the need was great. Before the suspension of
non-humanitarian aid, foreign donors had financed about 75% of public spending.”

 

AFP: Taliban Regime Won't 'Interfere' In Other Countries' Affairs: PM
<[link removed]>

 

“The Taliban co-founder and now prime minister of Afghanistan Mullah Mohammad
Hassan Akhund pledged Saturday that his government will “not interfere” in
other countries' internal affairs, and urged international charities to
continue offering aid to the war-ravaged country. Hassan's audio speech
broadcast on state television -- his first address to the nation since the
Taliban seized power in August -- came ahead of next week's meeting between the
United States and the Taliban in Doha. “We assure all the countries that we
will not interfere in their internal affairs and we want to have good economic
relations with them,” said Hassan in a nearly 30-minute speech that came amid
criticism on social media for remaining silent since the Islamists took power,
even as the nation faced severe challenges. “We are drowned in our problems and
we are trying to get the strength to bring our people out of miseries and
hardships with God's help.” The Taliban seized power on August 15 after ousting
the previous US-backed government, as Washington hurriedly withdrew its troops
from the country after a 20-year war. The Taliban's previous regime was toppled
in a US-led invasion after the 9/11 attacks in the United States that were
carried out by Al-Qaeda, whose now-killed founder Osama bin Laden lived in
Afghanistan at that time.”

 

Pakistan

 

The Washington Post: Pakistan Says Militants Kill 2 Soldiers Near Afghan Border

<[link removed]>

 

“Militants targeted a Pakistani military post in the northwestern tribal belt
near the Afghan border, killing two soldiers in a firefight, the army said in a
statement. The Pakistani army’s media wing said late Saturday that militants
attacked a post in the Datta Khel area of the district of North Waziristan in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The area is a former militant stronghold. No group
immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. During an intense exchange
of gunfire two soldiers were killed, the military said, adding that a search of
the area was being carried out to find the militants. It gave no indication of
the identity of the attackers. North Waziristan for years served as a safe
haven for militants until the military carried out massive operations to try to
clear the area. That forced the militants either to escape across the border
into Afghanistan or hide in other mountainous areas near the border. Still,
militants often strike against security forces. Pakistan is holding talks with
Islamic militants known as the Pakistani Taliban with the help of the Taliban
government in Afghanistan. There is a temporary cease-fire in place.”

 

Yemen

 

Arab News: Arab Coalition Targets Houthi Militants In Marib With 15 Operations
<[link removed]>

 

“At least 95 Houthis were killed and 11 army vehicles were destroyed in
operations by the Arab Coalition targeting the militia in Yemen’s Marib
governorate.  The coalition said Wednesday that the 15 operations were carried
over the past 24 hours in the fight against the Iranian-backed militia. Later
on Wednesday, the coalition said it had conducted airstrikes on camps and
legitimate military targets in Sanaa. The coalition said it used preventive
measures to spare civilians and civilian objects from collateral damage, adding
the operation in Sanaa was in compliance with international humanitarian law
and its customary rules.”

 

Middle East

 

The Jerusalem Post: Iranian Arrested In Kenya For Planning Terror Attacks
Against Israeli Targets - Report
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“An Iranian man, Mohammed Saeid Golabi, has been arrested in Kenya on
suspicion of planning terror attacks against local and Israeli interests,
according to an exclusive report in the daily Kenyan newspaper The Star. Kenyan
police had monitored the activities of Golabi and his local associates, and
were convinced of his links to terror activities, multiple Kenyan police
sources told The Star. “We have profiled him and his contacts over time,” said
a senior officer at Kenya’s anti-terrorism police unit. “We have enough reason
to believe that he has been working with those terror groups.” Golabi visited
the region frequently, and is suspected of working with a group of Kenyans to
gather intelligence against establishments both private and state-owned, with
the aim of attacking them, the report said. The Iranian government did not
respond to Kenya’s inquiries. The announcement came during a period of
heightened security in the east African country, after three terror convicts
escaped recently from a maximum-security prison, the report said. The three
were later captured as they tried to make their way to Somalia to join the
terror group al-Shabaab that has links to al-Qaeda.”

 

Nigeria

 

The Washington Post: Nigeria Designates Gunmen In Troubled North As Terrorists
<[link removed]>

 

“Nigeria has designated armed groups blamed for hundreds of abductions and
killings in northern areas as terrorist organizations, in a major swing in
response to a key security challenge facing Africa’s most populous country. The
office of Nigeria’s attorney-general, Abubakar Malami, said in a statement
Friday that the designation was made by a court following an application by the
federal government. The court made its decision Thursday. The decision will
allow authorities to charge suspected members of the groups with
terrorism-related offences, which some believe will lead to a more effective
crackdown on their activities. The Nigerian government argued in court
documents that the groups’ activities should be considered terrorist acts as
they “can lead to a breakdown of public order and safety and (pose) a threat to
national security.” The groups mostly consist of young men from the Fulani
ethnic group, who had traditionally worked as nomadic cattle herders and are
caught up in a decades-long conflict with Hausa farming communities over access
to water and grazing land. They often plunder villages in the northwest and
central parts of the West African country, where they have killed thousands,
and kidnapped hundreds of travelers and schoolchildren for ransom.”

 

Sahara Reporters: Boko Haram Insurgents, Others Planning To Attack Nigerian
Military Bases In Border Areas – Department Of State Services
<[link removed]-–>

 

“The Department of State Services has put the Nigeria Customs Service on red
alert over planned attacks by insurgents on Ogun State border communities and
other border communities across the country. According to Punch, the secret
police said it has intelligence that the marauders intend to hatch their
sinister plot on military bases in border towns. In a letter dated November 25,
2021, addressed to the Customs Area Controller, Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun
Area Command, Abeokuta, the DSS asked Customs and other security agencies in
the country to put counter-measures in place to frustrate the dark plot by the
insurgents. The letter was titled, “Plans by Insurgents To Launch Attacks On
Military Bases In Various Border Communities,” and signed by the State Director
of Security, Ogun State Command, M.B. Abdullahi. It read, “Available
intelligence indicates plans by insurgents and criminal elements to carry out
simultaneous attacks on military posts and bases in various border communities
across the nation anytime from now. “In view of the foregoing and the
likelihood such attacks not limited to the military personnel only, all law
enforcement and security agencies with operational bases at border communities
are advised to take note of the above threat and put in place countermeasures
with emphasis on personal security of operatives to frustrate the planned
attack, please.”

 

Somalia

 

Voice Of America: Al-Shabab Militants Claim Somalia Suicide Bombing Aimed At
UN Convoy
<[link removed]>

 

“Al-Shabab terrorists in Somalia have claimed responsibility for a suicide
attack on a U.N. convoy in the capital, Mogadishu, Thursday during morning rush
hour that killed at least eight people and wounded 17. An Al-Shabab spokesman
told Reuters news agency the suicide car bombing Thursday was aimed at a U.N.
security convoy. It wasn’t immediately clear if any UN staff were among the
casualties. But Somali police spokesman Abdifatah Aden Hassan confirmed the
U.N. convoy was the target. Hassan told state media Radio Mogadishu that the
attack was near several schools. The Associated Press reported several students
among the victims. Hassan said they were limited as schools were already on
weekend break. He said most casualties were small business owners and passersby
in the area, since there were no lessons for students today. At least one
school appeared damaged by the blast, with social media images showing a
blown-out classroom and debris scattered across desks. The U.S. embassy in
Mogadishu strongly condemned the attack in a Tweet, saying the people of
Somalia deserve to live without fear of attack.”

 

Africa

 

The Defense Post: Ivory Coast Seeks Regional Response To Jihadist Threat
<[link removed]>

 

“Ivory Coast is beefing up military deployment on its northern border and
seeking stronger security ties with its neighbors as it casts a worried eye on
burgeoning jihadist violence in the region. The West African state lies to the
south of Mali and Burkina Faso, which are struggling with a years-long
insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives and driven hundreds of thousands
from their homes. Over the past two years, jihadists have carried out several
bloody cross-border attacks in Ivory Coast, including a raid in Kafolo in the
northeast in June 2020 that killed 14 troops. Kafolo lies close to the Comoe
National Park near the Burkina border — a vast forest of 11,000 square
kilometers (4,250 square miles) used as a bolthole by jihadists, many of whom
are linked to Al-Qaeda, security sources say. In Tengrela, a town farther west
near the border with Mali, the army has set up a special forces base, and
convoys of trucks are a daily sight. “We are glad to see the special forces
among us — we know that we are safe,” said Zie Coulibaly, a local driver. “We
are reassured that the troops are there, but if they could send more, we would
be happier,” said Kone Zoumana, head of a cooperative of gold miners.”

 

United Kingdom

 

BBC News: Manchester Arena Inquiry: Mosque Failed To Act On Extremism,
Families Say <[link removed]>

 

“The mosque which the Manchester Arena bomber attended failed to adequately
“challenge extremist ideology” in the years before the attack, the families of
his victims have said. A former Didsbury Mosque imam has told the Manchester
Arena Inquiry support for terror groups was preached there. In a statement,
some of the bereaved said they were “dismayed” by the mosque's “failure to
acknowledge this”. A trustee has previously told the inquiry the mosque was
“mainstream”. On Tuesday, the chairman of the mosque's trustees, Fawaz Haffar,
said encouraging any radicalisation would be “in contradiction of our
charitable objects”. “We are a mainstream mosque welcoming all Muslims, but we
are in the middle of the road,” he said. Twenty-two people were killed and
hundreds more injured when Abedi detonated his homemade device at Manchester
Arena on 22 May 2017. The inquiry has previously heard how his elder brother
Ismail was in possession of a “significant” amount of extremist material
supporting the Islamic State group when he was teaching at Didsbury Mosque. In
a statement read outside Wednesday's hearing, the families of some of those
killed said while there was “no evidence” that the mosque played “a direct role
in radicalising Salman Abedi, it is clear that they failed in the years before
the bombing to take adequate steps to challenge extremist ideology.”

 

The Guardian: Met Police Charge Man, 19, With Six Counts Of Sharing Extremist
Material
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“A 19-year-old man will appear in court next week accused of sharing extremist
material. Elias Djelloul was arrested at an address in east London on Friday,
the Metropolitan police’s counter-terrorism command said. On Saturday, he was
charged with six counts of dissemination of terrorist material, contrary to
section 2 of the Terrorism Act 2006. He will appear at Westminster magistrates
court on Monday. In a statement on Friday, Met commander Richard Smith urged
the public to be the force’s “extra eyes and ears”. “Every day, teams within
the Met and across counter-terrorism policing nationally carry out proactive
investigations to identify and target those we suspect of being involved in
terrorism,” he said. “We require the public to be our extra eyes and ears and I
would encourage anyone who has information that could assist counter-terrorism
police to call us in confidence and share information. “Your call won’t ruin
lives, but could well save them.”

 

Australia

 

The Guardian: Far-Right Groups Like The Base Will Radicalise Australians Until
We Confront Their Beliefs
<[link removed]>

 

“As one of the reporters who worked to uncover the operations of white power
accelerationist group, The Base, I view the Australian federal government’s
listing of them as a proscribed terror group this week as a belated but
important recognition of the danger presented by white supremacist
organisations. But the national security state is a blunt instrument, and the
apparatus of anti-terrorism is no substitute for making anti-racism principles
central to a more inclusive democracy. At its height, The Base was a
transnational network of white nationalists who were seeking to collectively
plan and prepare for what they saw as the inevitable collapse of liberal
democracies they saw as decadent and corrupted by the values of feminism and
multiculturalism. In the Guardian US, I was the first reporter to identify
Rinaldo Nazzaro, an American former US intelligence contractor now based in
Russia, as the group’s founder and leader. Previously he had only been known by
the aliases Norman Spear and Roman Wolf. An infiltrator gave me unprecedented
access to the group’s internal communications.”

 

Southeast Asia

 

Reuters: Indonesia Arrests 24 People Over Links To Extremist Financing
<[link removed]>

 

“Indonesia's counterterrorism squad has arrested 24 people on suspicion of
fundraising for Jemaah Islamiah (JI), the Al-Qaeda linked extremist group
accused of carrying out some of the country's biggest militant attacks. The
suspects had been collecting funds for JI via two Islamic charitable
foundations and their arrests will help build a picture of militant funding in
Indonesia, Aswin Siregar of the Densus 88 counterterrorism force told media on
Thursday. JI is accused of orchestrating the 2002 Bali bombing of two
nightclubs, which killed more than 200 people, including many Australians, and
several other deadly attacks in the capital Jakarta. Based on financial
reports, police said the two foundations used as fronts for JI had raised about
$2 million, although the figure could be higher. Cash equivalent to $700,000
was discovered at the office of one of the foundations, police said. A senior
member of Indonesia's Islamic Council who was arrested earlier this month was
among the 24 detained.”

 

Technology

 

Business Insider: Facebook Made Niche Exceptions To Its Taliban Ban, Internal
Documents Show
<[link removed]>

 

“Facebook has made occasional exceptions to its ban on Taliban content since
the group seized power in Afghanistan in August, internal documents reviewed by
The Intercept reveal. The Taliban, which announced they had formed an interim
government in Afghanistan in early September, are on Facebook's list of
“Dangerous Individuals and Organizations,” and a company spokesperson told
Insider in August: “we remove accounts maintained by or on behalf of the
Taliban and prohibit praise, support, and representation of them.” The
Intercept viewed internal Facebook memos that mentioned times when the company
allowed branches of Afghanistan's government to post. One memo from the end of
September detailed an exception for the Ministry of the Interior so that it
could post about traffic regulations. “We assess the public value of this
content to outweigh the potential harm,” the memo said, per The Intercept. In
another memo from the same time period, Facebook allowed the Ministry of Health
to publish two posts containing information about COVID-19. Facebook also
appears to have created time-limited exceptions. One internal memo viewed by
The Intercept said that for 12 days in August, government figures could
acknowledge the Taliban as the “official gov of Afghanistan” without risking
suspension from Facebook.”

 

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