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Eye on Extremism
December 1, 2021
Bloomberg: Uganda, Congo Launch Strikes On Islamic State-Linked Group
“Uganda launched a military campaign against militants linked to Islamic State operating from a base in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. The East African nation’s government blamed the Allied Democratic Forces for terror attacks over the past five months, including two bombings in the capital, Kampala, on Nov. 16. that left at least seven people dead. “We have launched joint air and artillery strikes against ADF camps with our Congolese allies,” Ugandan army spokeswoman Flavia Byekwaso said on Twitter. Islamic State, through its self-proclaimed Central Africa Province, has claimed responsibility for attacks in Uganda. The group’s leader, Musa Muhsin Baluku, said in September 2020 the ADF was disbanded and is now a province of IS, according to a study published this month by the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation at King’s College in London. Congolese government spokesman, Patrick Muyaya, confirmed Tuesday’s strikes. “Targeted and concerted actions with the Ugandan army were launched today with airstrikes and artillery fire from Uganda on ADF terrorist positions in the DRC,” Muyaya said on Twitter.”
The New York Times: ISIS Fighter Convicted In Death Of Enslaved 5-Year-Old Girl
“A German court on Tuesday convicted an Islamic State fighter for crimes against humanity and war crimes for tying up a 5-year-old Yazidi girl he had bought as a slave in Iraq, and leaving her in scorching heat to die of thirst. The 29-year-old man, identified only as Taha Al-J. under German privacy laws, was sentenced to life in prison and ordered to pay 50,000 euros, or about $57,000, in compensation to the girl’s mother, who was a co-plaintiff in the case and was present when the verdict was read. It was the first genocide conviction of a fighter for the Islamic State, which systematically persecuted the Yazidi ethnic group in Iraq, according to Christoph Koller, the judge overseeing the trial in Frankfurt. During its reign, the Islamic State killed thousands of Yazidi men, and kidnapped and forced into slavery thousands of Yazidi women and girls. “This is the moment Yazidis have been waiting for,” Amal Clooney, a human rights lawyer and a member of the mother’s legal team, said in a statement. “To finally hear a judge, after seven years, declare that what they suffered was genocide.” Even though neither the victim nor the killer were German, and the crime occurred in Falluja, Iraq, the trial was held in Germany on the principle of universal jurisdiction, which German courts have been using to try people accused of war crimes in countries like Iraq and Syria.”
United States
The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Targets Colombian Guerrilla Splinter Groups With Terrorist Listing
“The Biden administration added two new Colombian drug-trafficking gangs to its list of foreign terrorist organizations, reflecting the U.S.’s determination to support a peace agreement in Colombia threatened by the groups’ mayhem. The U.S. on Tuesday declared that the New Marquetalia group and the FARC-EP would join a blacklist of groups that include al Qaeda, Hamas and Boko Haram. At the same time, the Biden administration said it is removing the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, because the decades-old guerrilla group “formally dissolved and disarmed” upon signing a peace agreement with Colombia’s government in 2016. The Wall Street Journal reported on the removal last week. FARC “no longer exists as a unified organization that engages in terrorism or terrorist activity or has the capability or intent to do so,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. However, Mr. Blinken noted that revoking the designation for the FARC does nothing to shield those ex-rebels from U.S. charges for crimes such as drug trafficking. The two groups added to the list are made up of hundreds of former FARC fighters who didn’t take part in the peace agreement, which demobilized some 13,000 guerrillas and ended a 52-year-old conflict between Colombia’s government and the country’s largest insurgency.”
Iraq
The National: ISIS Attack Kills Kurdish Fighter In Eastern Iraq
“ISIS killed a member of the Kurdish security forces and injured three others on Monday in an attack in eastern Iraq's Diyala province. The terrorist group has stepped up its operations against Kurdish forces, known as the Peshmerga, in recent days. The Kurdistan Regional Government's Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs said its ninth Infantry Brigade was the target of Monday's attack in Diyala's Kifri district. “As a result of our defence by our forces, the ISIS attack was destroyed but unfortunately one Peshmerga was [killed] and three others wounded,” it said. It added that its forces foiled another attack by the militants in Diyala on Sunday night. No deaths or injuries were announced. ISIS seized large areas of Iraq in a lightning offensive in 2014, before being beaten back by a counter-insurgency campaign supported by a US-led military coalition. Since 2014, the US has led an international coalition in Iraq to fight the terrorist group. On Saturday night, ISIS attacked the southern Kurdish city of Sulaymaniyah, killing five Peshmerga fighters and wounding four others. Two days later, the militants claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack. The move prompted Kurdish officials to talk about the “serious threat” ISIS still poses to the region.”
Afghanistan
Voice Of America: Taliban Demand Unfreezing Afghan Assets In 'Positive' Talks With US
“Afghanistan's ruling Taliban and the United States wrapped up two days of meetings in Qatar on Tuesday, with the Islamist group saying its delegates urged U.S. officials to unfreeze Afghan state assets and remove sanctions. The discussions took place amid growing appeals by aid groups to international donors to scale up financial aid to Afghanistan, where the United Nations says more than half the population is suffering from acute hunger this winter. U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West and Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi led their respective delegations at the talks in Doha, the Qatari capital. Taliban Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said the two sides discussed and exchanged views on political, economic, health, education, security and humanitarian issues. “The Afghan side assured them about security, urged immediate unconditional unfreezing of Afghan reserves, ending of sanctions & blacklists, & disconnecting humanitarian issues from political considerations,” Balkhi tweeted. “Overall the sessions were positive and both sides agreed to continue such meetings moving forward.” U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement released Tuesday, “The United States remains committed to ensuring that U.S. sanctions do not limit the ability of Afghan civilians to receive humanitarian support from the U.S. government and international community while denying assets to sanctioned entities and individuals.”
Middle East
“The special-operations task force that led the way in the war against ISIS has been renamed as major combat operations against the terrorist group wind down. Since 2015, Special Operations Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, or SOJTF-OIR, has been the tip of the spear in the multinational coalition that came together to fight ISIS. After almost seven years, the Pentagon has renamed the unit. Special Operations Joint Task Force-Levant, or SOJTF-Levant, now has expanded authority in the region. US special operators have more or less focused their efforts against ISIS in Iraq and Syria while conducting operations against its offshoots in Afghanistan, the Philippines, and some African countries. SOJTF-OIR focused solely on the fight against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. SOJTF-Levant will continue to support Iraqi and coalition forces against the remnants of ISIS in Iraq and Syria and expand its operations against the terrorist group into Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan, according to US Special Operations Command Central. The expanded role is a milestone. “We operate in a region with numerous terrorist and violent extremist organizations and share a common interest with partner nations in prevailing against these regional security challenges,” Army Maj. Charles An, a spokesperson for US Special Operations Command Central, told Defense News.”
Nigeria
“Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum has said the state government will not prosecute 'repentant' Boko Haram insurgents. While presenting the 2022 budget at the State House Of Assembly on Tuesday, Zulum said terrorists will not be encouraged to eschew violence if they see 'repentant' ones being prosecuted. Addressing the House of Assembly, the governor said, “Mr. Speaker, honourable members, we need Allah’s guidance and the utmost wisdom to work for an end to the crisis facing our dear state. “Prosecuting all the criminals (insurgents) would have been most appropriate but if we insist on it, we would discourage others out there that are willing to lay down their arms. “The terrorists’ ranks could swell and our innocent fellow citizens, particularly those in local government areas, could become more vulnerable to attacks and abductions. Noting that the exercise to de-radicalise terrorists is being handled by security forces, Zulum said the initiative does not give terrorists the freedom to kill and immediately seek pardon. He said none of the 'repentant' terrorists had been reintegrated into society yet, adding that terrorists willing to surrender must immediately “stop further attacks on civilians, security agents and facilities.”
Africa
Reuters: Four West African States Mount Operation Against Islamist Insurgents
“Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Togo have carried out a joint military operation to counter increased attacks by Islamist insurgent groups in parts of West Africa, Burkinabe Security Minister Maxime Kone said on Tuesday. Over 5,700 troops were deployed in the borderlands between Burkina Faso and the other three countries under a security cooperation deal the countries agreed in 2017 to prevent jihadist violence spreading from the Sahel region. The five-day operation led to the arrest of over 300 suspects and the seizure of weapons, ammunition, vehicles, drugs and a large amount of material to make improvised bombs, Kone told a news conference. Groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State have expanded their reach in the Sahel region in recent years, destabilising Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. They have made occasional incursions south, including into Ivory Coast and Togo. The Burkina Faso government is facing a public outcry over its perceived inability to stop the militants, who in November carried out the most devastating attack on local security forces in recent years.”
The National: ISIS Tightens Grip On Mozambique By Training New Generation Of Suicide Attackers
“ISIS's global expansion into northern Mozambique includes training for a terror offensive involving suicide bomb tactics among a new generation of recruits, one of Africa’s leading intelligence analysts has said. The southern Africa-based groupings have withstood counter offensives to regain territory and with a bounce from developments in Afghanistan, are training in sophisticated bombing techniques by foreign fighters. With input from Middle East focused “ISIS central” the Mozambique commanders' strategic thinking has changed from the idea of establishing a defacto state to hijacking local insurgencies, indoctrinating the population and radicalising them, Jasmine Opperman told The National. The insurgency in Mozambique has already shown its resilience – just as the European Union training mission was launched this month ISIS hit back with a string of attacks. In seven significant assaults it has killed at least 14 Mozambique government forces and beheaded two alleged spies, all in the northern Cabo Delgado region. The insurgency came to international attention in March when a force of 200 fighters seized the town of Palma and killed Westerners working at Total’s $20 billion liquid natural gas development. In this image taken from militant video released by the Islamic State group on Monday March 29, 2021, purporting to show fighters near the strategic north eastern Mozambique town of Palma, as the militant group claimed it had taken control of the area after five days of conflict.”
United Kingdom
The National: MI6 Recruiting From World's Most Dangerous Groups To Combat Al Qaeda
“MI6 is recruiting agents in the “most dangerous organisations in the world” to combat Al Qaeda’s ambition for mass-casualty terrorism, the service’s chief has said. Richard Moore said the terrorist group responsible for the 9/11 attacks is seeking to rebuild bases in Afghanistan to launch international strikes. In his first public speech, the Chief of the Security Intelligence Service, highlighted the threat to world stability from Russia, China and Iran as well as from artificial intelligence. Praising the bravery of his officers, many of whom operate in foreign countries running special agents at great risk to both, Mr Moore said he needed better technology and more people to tackle Al Qaeda, ISIS and other terrorist groups. “We retain an intense focus … to degrade existing terrorist groups, prevent their spread and identify unknown threats. To do this, MI6 continues to recruit agents in the most dangerous organisations in the world.” There was no doubt the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August had emboldened international terrorists and that in Afghanistan both Al Qaeda, he said, and ISIS were now seeking “to increase their foothold and to rebuild their ability to strike Western targets”. “Their affiliates and imitators retain an undiminished appetite for violence and the inflicting of mass casualties,” he told the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank in London.”
The Independent: Man Arrested In Essex Over Suspected Far-Right Terror Plot
“A man has been arrested in Essex on suspicion of mounting a far-right terror plot. Counter-terror police said the man was detained in the Harwich area in the early hours of Tuesday morning. He was arrested on suspicion of the preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism and remains in custody. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “The arrest is linked to suspected extreme right-wing terrorism, and there is not believed to be any imminent threat to the public in relation to this. “The arrest is not connected to the murder of Sir David Amess MP.” Officers were searching the suspect’s home as the investigation continued on Tuesday evening. It comes after the government raised the national terror threat level from substantial to severe, meaning further attacks are considered highly likely. The decision was made following the Liverpool bombing on Remembrance Sunday, which was the second terror attack to strike Britain in a month, following the murder of Sir David at a constituency surgery in Essex. Commander Richard Smith, head of Scotland Yard’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “I’d firstly like to reassure the local community in Essex and beyond that we are not aware of any imminent threat to the public in relation to this arrest today.”
BBC News: National Action: Ben Raymond Guilty Of Terror Charges
“The co-founder of a neo-Nazi group has been found guilty of being a member of a banned terrorist organisation. Ben Raymond, 32, from Swindon, was part of National Action, a group which wanted to wage a “white Jihad” and race war in Britain. Raymond was also convicted of possessing a manifesto by the Norwegian terrorist Andrews Breivik and a guide to homemade detonators. He was found not guilty of four counts of possessing other documents. The graduate is the 17th person to be convicted of membership of the white supremacist group after a jury convicted him on Tuesday. Raymond helped create the organisation in 2013 and coined the term “white jihad”, Bristol Crown Court previously heard. He produced much of its propaganda and was likened to the Third Reich's propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels. It was later proscribed after its social media channels glorified the murder of the MP Jo Cox by white supremacist terrorist Thomas Mair in 2016. After the ban he remained involved in the group - joining group chats, designing propaganda and continuing to associate with other leading figures. His trial at Bristol Crown Court heard how he told an associate he would “take it as a badge of honour” if National Action was declared illegal.”
Australia
The Sydney Morning Herald: Islamic State Flag Flown Over 300 Times In NSW In Last Six Years
“The black and white flag of terrorist group Islamic State has been displayed 305 times in NSW since 2015, according to internal police data on incidents and reports. The number of recorded displays of the flag peaked at 142 in 2015, dropping to 45 in 2017, 22 in 2019, and persisting in smaller numbers this year. Police recorded eight relevant reports or events in 2020 and the same again so far this year. The vast majority were reported across Sydney, especially the north-western and south-western metropolitan areas, although a handful of incidents was recorded in other parts of NSW. The data also indicated the flag of Hezbollah, the Shiite political and militant group based in Lebanon, was displayed 49 times since 2015. The federal government designated the entirety of Hezbollah, rather just its militant wing, as a terrorist group earlier this month, along with neo-Nazi group The Base. Islamic State, also known as ISIS, ISIL or Daesh, came to prominence in 2011 and established control of large swathes of Iraq and Syria. While the group was beaten back by US-led coalition forces and declared defeated by 2019, remnants of the group survive in the Middle East and other regions. The NSW Police data was provided to State Parliament in response to questions from Labor police and counter-terrorism spokesman Walt Secord.”
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