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Eye on Extremism
December 15, 2021
CNN: UN Sounds Alarm Over Extrajudicial Killings In The Taliban's Afghanistan
“The United Nations (UN) said Tuesday that it was alarmed by continuing reports of extrajudicial killings across Afghanistan, including hangings, beheadings and public displays of corpses. “Between August and November, we received credible allegations of more than 100 killings of former Afghan national security forces and others associated with the former Government, with at least 72 of these killings attributed to the Taliban,” Nada Al-Nashif, UN deputy high commissioner for human rights, told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The Taliban have rejected the UN's findings, saying there was “no proof” of the allegations. The group announced a general amnesty from August 15 and insisted that no one had been harmed after that. The Taliban's deputy spokesman, Bilal Karimi, told CNN that they did not punish anyone who had worked with the former government nor with ISIS without a court judgment. “All personnel of [the] former government are living normally in Afghanistan, no one hurts them,” he said, adding that people only “get killed when they are in direct fights with the Islamic Emirate.” CNN cannot independently verify the UN's findings. In her speech in Geneva, Al-Nashif also warned that a profound humanitarian crisis threatens the most basic human rights in Afghanistan.”
Reuters: Politician Says Germany Should Ban Telegram Unless It Tackles Extremist Content
“Germany should order the messaging programme Telegram removed from Apple's and Google's app stores if it continues to ignore requests to help track down extremist content, a senior German official said on Tuesday. Telegram has been blamed in Germany for fueling an increasingly virulent subculture of anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists who exchange news about supposed dangers and arrange protests that have spilled over into violence. The app, which says it does not bow to “government censorship”, has become increasingly popular with activists and protesters, especially as platforms like Facebook become more responsive to government pressure to crack down on those spreading lies, threats or conspiracy theories. Telegram did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last month, a group of protesters held a torch-lit gathering outside the home of the regional interior minister of Saxony, in what was widely seen as an implicit threat of violence against her. “What's happening in Telegram groups and channels violates the compliance rules of Apple and Google who offer it in their stores,” Boris Pistorius, regional interior minister of Lower Saxony, told Der Spiegel.”
United States
NPR: D.C.'s Attorney General Is Suing The Proud Boys And Oath Keepers Over Capitol Attack
“The District of Columbia is suing two far-right groups, the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, for allegedly conspiring to terrorize the city with the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. The civil lawsuit was filed by the district's attorney general, Karl Racine, in federal court in Washington, D.C. It accuses the two groups, their leaders and more than two dozen suspected members of coordinating and plotting violence on Jan. 6 to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power. “In the complaint, we specifically allege that these vigilantes, insurrectionists and masters of a lawless mob conspired against the District of Columbia, its law enforcement officers and residents by planning, promoting and participating in the violent attack on the United States Capitol,” Racine told reporters on Tuesday. “Our own citizens were hellbent on destroying the freedoms and ideals on which our country was founded and continues to aspire to achieve,” he added. Racine called Jan. 6 a “brazen, violent and deadly attack that traumatized this city, this community, and our country.” The Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers already are facing civil lawsuits stemming from the events of Jan. 6 — one filed by members of Congress, another by police officers. Like in those cases, the groups are accused in the district's civil suit of violating the 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act, a law that was passed after the Civil War to try to protect Black citizens from violence and intimidation.”
Iraq
AFP: Iraq Hangs Three On ‘Terrorism’ Charges: Security Sources
“Iraq on Tuesday hanged three men convicted of “terrorism” offenses in a prison in the city of Nasiriyah in the mainly Shiite Muslim south, two security sources told AFP. One of those executed was found guilty of involvement in a summer 2013 car bombing in Nasiriyah, one of the sources said. A second was convicted for his part in a similar attack in Karbala province further north, the source added. Iraq executed more than 50 people in 2020, the fourth highest number in the world, according to human rights group Amnesty International. Many were convicted members of the Islamic State jihadist group. The group overran large swathes of northern and western Iraq in a lighting offensive in 2014 before eventually succumbing to counter-attacks by government forces in 2017. Murder as well as terrorism offenses is punishable by death in Iraq. Tuesday’s executions bring the number put to death this year to 17, according to an AFP tally. All were executed in Nasiryah prison.”
Pakistan
BBC News: Srinagar: Three Dead, 11 Injured In Militant Attack On Police Bus
“Three policemen were killed and 11 injured after militants attacked a bus carrying security forces in Indian-administered Kashmir, police officials said. They said three militants fired indiscriminately on the bus near a police camp in Srinagar city on Monday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences, and has sought more details on the attack. The area has been cordoned off, and a search operation is underway. Officials say the attack happened when the policemen were returning to their campus after work, and that the militants escaped under cover of darkness while security forces retaliated. Two of the policemen - assistant sub-inspector Ghulam Hassan and constable Safique Ali - died on Monday night, according to an official statement. A third, constable Rameez Ahmad Baba, succumbed to injuries on Tuesday morning. Kashmir's inspector general Vijay Kumar said in a statement that “credible sources revealed that the attack was carried by Kashmir Tigers, an offshoot of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM)”. JeM, a Pakistan-based group, has been designated a terror organisation by India and the United Nations, as well as the UK and US. It previously claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing on 14 February 2019 in Kashmir in which at least 46 soldiers died.”
Lebanon
Associated Press: Hamas Accuses Rival Fatah Of Deadly Shooting In Lebanon Camp
“Hamas officials buried three of their members Tuesday who were killed by gunfire in a tense Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon days earlier. The militant group accused members of a rival faction of the deadly shooting. Ayman Shanaa, an official with the militant group, told mourners that Fatah militia members were behind the shootings, which he called a “heinous and cowardly crime.” There are tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees and their descendants in Lebanon, most living in refugee camps. Fatah is the political faction of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas rules the Gaza Strip. The deadly violence took place at a Hamas-organized funeral Sunday in the Burj Shamali camp. Shanaa called it “a premeditated crime” that aims to undermine security and stability in the refugee camps in Lebanon. The funeral was held in the southern city of Sidon and attended by several thousand people, many of whom raised the green Hamas flag. Shanaa called for handing the perpetrators “known to all” to the Lebanese security agencies. Lebanese security forces don’t operate inside about 12 Palestinian refugee camps scattered around the Mediterranean country, where security is in the hands of Palestinian factions who often compete for clout.”
Reuters: GCC Calls On Lebanon To Prevent Hezbollah From Conducting 'Terrorist Operations'
“The Gulf Cooperation Council called on Lebanon to prevent Hezbollah from conducting “terrorist operations”, strengthen its military and ensure that arms are limited to “legitimate state institutions”, the six-member group's Secretary General Nayef Falah Mubarak al-Hajraf said on Tuesday. He also called on Lebanon to tighten border controls and take measures to deter drug smuggling via exports into Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.”
Middle East
The Jerusalem Post: Terrorist Cell Uncovered By IDF, Shin Bet At Largest PA University
“Terrorist infrastructure at the largest Palestinian university, An-Najah National University was uncovered by a joint IDF and Shin Bet operation, IDF Spokesperson for Arab Media Avichay Adraee announced on Tuesday. 11 Islamic Bloc student activists involved in Hamas operations in Judea and Samaria were arrested on campus in Nablus. According to Adraee's tweets, the suspects were involved in the “transfer of funds and organizing rallies in support of Hamas, in addition to incitement campaigns under the supervision and direction of senior Hamas officials.” Adraee warned of students being recruited to Hamas through the Islamic Bloc, which indoctrinated students into adopting Hamas's ideology. The Islamic Bloc demonstrated a “readiness to work” with the terrorist group, which covered students' university tuition fees. Adraee added that in recent years, a number of terrorist cells that had planned operations had members that belonged to the Islamic Bloc at An-Najah University. With 23,000 students and 11 faculties, An-Najah National University is the largest Palestinian higher learning institution in the West Bank. An-Najah University ranked 1st among Palestinian institutions, 11th in Arab World, and among the top 100 in the Times Higher Education Emerging Economies Ranking for 2022.”
Nigeria
“The North-East Governors’ Forum has concluded its closed-door meeting in Damaturu, Yobe State capital and come out with a five-point communique. The meeting, which is the Forum’s sixth, was led by the Chairman of the North-East Governors’ Forum and Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum. It was hosted by Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State. Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya was present while the deputy governors of Adamawa, Bauchi, and Taraba represented by their governors. At the end of the meeting on Tuesday night, the Forum issued a five-point communique, mostly bordering on security and power supply. The communique was signed by the Forum’s Chairman and Borno State Governor, Zulum and read out by Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State. Ironically, the communique noted significant improvement in the security situation in the region, attributing it to the ‘mass surrender’ of Boko Haram terrorists, even though the residents of the region are being killed and kidnapped almost on a daily basis. The communique said, “The Forum noted the significant improvement in the security situation in the sub-region as evidenced by the mass surrender of Boko Haram fighters and commended the Federal Government for its various initiatives towards stabilising the sub-region.”
Somalia
All Africa: Somalia: Somali Army Kills Five Al-Shabaab Militants In Southern Region
“Somali National Army (SNA) killed five al-Shabab fighters in the past 24 hours in an operation in southern Somalia. Somali National Army said they also destroyed Al-Shabaab bases where they used to attack the government in Gambaley and Da'waalle villages in Lower Shabelle region. In a related development, Alshabaab militants have vacated mataban town in the Hiraan region for unknown reasons. Matabaan is located in some 100km south of the Galmudug capital, Dhusamareb. The militants recaptured the town Monday morning and took over the police station. Despite being ousted from major strongholds across Somalia, Al-Shabab, allied to al-Qaida, has been attacking military positions of Somali and African Union troops bolstering Somalia's government. They have also taken a number of towns in central Somalia, including Ba'adwayne over the past months.”
Africa
“Militants linked to the Islamic State terror group in the southern African country of Mozambique have enslaved more than 600 women and girls, many of which have been abused and sold as sex slaves for as low as $600, a report by Human Rights Watch reveals. The United Kingdom-based watchdog organization reports that the armed group Al Sunnah wa Jama’ah, also known as Al-Shabab, in the northern province of Cabo Delgado has forced younger, healthy-looking and lighter-skinned women and girls in their custody to “marry” their fighters. Others have been sold to foreign fighters for between $600 and $1,800, according to the report. And, abducted foreign women and girls have been released after their families paid ransom. The oil-rich Cabo Delgado province, a coastal region on the Indian Ocean, has suffered an emergence of a jihadi movement that has displaced thousands and killed hundreds since 2017. In 2018, the terror group pledged its allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. In 2019, the Islamic State confirmed the group as an affiliate and has claimed responsibility for some attacks. Militants abducted women and girls during attacks in various Cabo Delgado districts.”
United Kingdom
BBC News: Birmingham Woman Shared Extremist Material On Social Media
“A woman has been found guilty of terrorism charges after sharing extreme videos online. Aaminah Amatullah, 38, posted what police called “extremist mindset material” on a number of social media websites. She sent videos to an online contact who was in fact an undercover police officer in September 2020. At Birmingham Crown Court on Monday, she was found guilty of two terrorism offences which she had denied.
Amatullah, of Livingstone Road, Handsworth, Birmingham, will return for sentencing on 27 January. “We cannot underestimate the dangerous nature of extremist propaganda and the influence it can have,” Ch Supt Kenny Bell, from the West Midlands Counter-Terrorism unit, said. “Communities defeat terrorism, and it remains vitally important that the public reports any suspicious activity to police.”
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