“After six days of deadly battles, the Kurdish-led militia that had been
battling Islamic State fighters for control of a prison in northeastern Syri

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


January 27, 2022

  

The New York Times: Kurdish-Led Forces End Prison Siege, Defeating ISIS
Fighters <[link removed]>

 

“After six days of deadly battles, the Kurdish-led militia that had been
battling Islamic State fighters for control of a prison in northeastern Syria
retook the facility on Wednesday, ending one of the most audacious attacks by
the jihadist group since the collapse of its so-called caliphate nearly three
years ago. Dozens of militiamen and hundreds of ISIS fighters have been killed
since the jihadists blasted their way into the prison in the city of Hasaka
last week and joined rioting prisoners inside to seize control, taking the
prison staff and about 700 boys detained in the facility hostage, militia
officials said. The militia, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, or S.D.F.,
battled ISIS sleeper cells in surrounding neighborhoods and then laid siege to
the remaining militants, who gave up on Wednesday after running low on food and
water. “The future was clear to them if they didn’t surrender,” said Aram
Hanna, an S.D.F. spokesman. “The area was completely besieged and completely
under the control of our forces. They had no other option.” The officials said
they were still trying to determine how many of their fighters and how many
ISIS attackers and prisoners had been killed. An S.D.F. spokesman said that at
least 30 militia fighters and more than a hundred militants had been killed.”

 

Reuters: France, 14 Countries Ask Mali To Let Danish Forces Stay -Statement
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“France and 14 other countries urged Mali late on Wednesday to allow Danish
special forces to remain in the African country, but its transitional
government insisted on an immediate withdrawal. In response to Danish Foreign
Minister Jeppe Kofod saying on Tuesday that the troops were there by a "clear
invitation," the Malian government said it was surprised because a decision on
the Danish request in June to deploy troops was still pending. "No accord
authorizes the deployment of Danish special forces to the Takuba Task Force,"
the Malian government said in a statement. Norway, Portugal and Hungary are
still waiting for approval and have not deployed troops, it added. Mali's
government on Monday asked Denmark to immediately withdraw the troops. The
European task force was set up to help Mali and West African Sahel neighbours
Burkina Faso and Niger tackle militants linked to the Islamic State and al
Qaeda who have occupied swathes of territory in the area where their borders
meet.”

 

United States

 

Reuters: U.S. Charges Man With Selling Gun Used In Synagogue Hostage Crisis
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“The U.S. Justice Department has filed criminal charges against a man for
allegedly selling the gun that another man later used to take hostages at a
synagogue in Colleyville, Texas. Henry “Michael” Williams, 32, is charged in a
complaint with being a felon in possession of a firearm. He made his initial
appearance before a federal judge on Wednesday, and the government is seeking
to have him detained pending trial at a hearing on Jan. 31. On Jan. 15,
British-born gunman Malik Faisal Akram took four people hostage at Congregation
Beth Israel, including its rabbi, Charlie Cytron-Walker, after they had invited
him inside for tea during a worship service. He brandished a gun and held them
hostage for 10 hours. The standoff ended in gunfire, with all four hostages
released unharmed and the suspect dead. During the standoff, Akram demanded to
speak with a Jewish leader in New York, and also asked FBI negotiators to
release Aafia Siddiqui, who is serving an 86-year sentence for terrorism
offenses at a federal facility in nearby Fort Worth, Texas.”

 

NPR: Biden Team Promises New Approach To Extremism, But Critics See Old
Patterns
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“There is widespread agreement that domestic extremism poses a grave threat.
But the Biden administration's response has some observers wondering if the
president's team is recycling past mistakes or failing to grasp the scope of
the challenge. As President Biden begins his second year in office, his
administration continues to roll out efforts aimed at the threat of violent
domestic terrorism. It has identified violent white supremacy and extremist
militias as the greatest current threats. Its arsenal includes a program at the
Department of Homeland Security called the Center for Prevention Programs and
Partnerships (CP3). Billed as an entirely new approach to prevention, top
officials say it puts local communities at the center in the fight against the
spread of ideologies that inspire targeted violence and terrorism. But some
outside observers worry that it closely resembles earlier problematic
anti-terrorism efforts at DHS, and that it falls short of meeting a post-Jan. 6
reality in the U.S.”

 

Syria

 

The Wall Street Journal: U.S.-Backed Forces Retake Syrian Prison From Islamic
State
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“…The attack came after a lull in Islamic State violence in Syria. In the
desert expanse in the center of the country, which has been the focus of the
group’s insurgency in recent years, the group carried out only 11 attacks and
killed fewer government soldiers than it had at any time since 2019, according
to Gregory Waters, an analyst with the Counter Extremism Project who tracks
Islamic State activity in the area. Immediately following the prison break,
Islamic State launched a series of other attacks within areas held by the SDF
in northeastern Syria, suggesting a coordinated campaign, analysts said. The
Jan. 20 prison break coincided with another attack in which Islamic State
gunmen killed 11 Iraqi soldiers as they slept in their camp. “ISIS has shifted
its operational focus from quantity to quality,” said Mr. Winter, the conflict
analyst.”

 

Iraq

 

Al-Monitor: Iraqi Parliament Speaker’s Home Targeted Amid Power Plays
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“Iraqi parliament speaker Mohammed al-Halbusi’s residence, as well as other
areas in his native district of Karma, were targeted by at least three rockets
late Tuesday night in what appears to be the latest in a long string of attacks
by Iran-linked armed factions. Karma, sometimes spelled Garma or al-Karmah, is
in the eastern part of Anbar province and is less than 50 kilometers (31 miles)
west of Baghdad. The attack happened hours after the Federal Court approved
Halbusi’s re-election at the head of the country’s legislative body, as
wrangling continued over the makeup of the next government coalition. Halbusi’s
party got the largest number of votes among Sunni factions in the October
elections. Though a video was circulated in which men with their faces covered
and going by the name of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah were seen threatening
Halbusi for allegedly backing “normalization of ties with Israel,” many scoffed
at the unusual way the young men spoke and claimed it was a badly executed
attempt to foist the blame for the attack on Sunni Islamist factions. The
government-linked Iraqi Security Media Cell called the attack a “cowardly
terrorist act.”

 

Yemen

 

Arab News: UK Hosts Quint Meeting On Yemen, Condemns Houthi Attacks
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“Senior representatives of the governments of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, the
UK, and the US, along with UN special envoy, Hans Grundberg, met in London on
Wednesday to discuss the situation in Yemen. “The Quint strongly condemned the
Houthis’ repeated attacks against civilians within Yemen, including US local
staff in Sanaa, and their continued heinous terrorist attacks against Saudi
Arabia and more recently the UAE,” they said in a joint statement. The
Iran-backed Houthi militia have stepped up cross-border attacks against
populated areas in Saudi Arabia and have attempted to strike the UAE capital
twice in the last two weeks. The Houthis have also continued their brutal
offensive on the Yemeni province of Marib, which has served as a safe haven for
millions of internally displaced persons who have been fleeing the fighting
since the conflict began in 2014. The Quint said “such actions are obstructing
peace efforts and exacerbating suffering,” and stressed that “terrorism in all
its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to
international peace and security,” and the need to hold perpetrators
accountable and brought to justice.”

 

Lebanon

 

Reuters: Analysis: Lebanon Slips Further Into Iran's Orbit As Hariri Bows Out
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“A decision by Sunni Muslim leader Saad al-Hariri to step away from Lebanese
politics opens the way for Shi'ite Hezbollah to extend its already deep sway
over the country, rendering it ever more a bastion of Iranian influence on the
Mediterranean. Three times prime minister, Hariri declared on Monday he would
suspend his role in public life and boycott a general election in May, citing
Iranian influence as one of the reasons he saw little hope of positive change.
It opens a new phase in Lebanon's sectarian politics, governed by a system of
power-sharing among its many sects, and adds to the uncertainties facing a
country suffering a financial meltdown that marks the biggest threat to
stability since a 1975-90 civil war. Hariri's move will accelerate the
fragmentation of the Sunni community which his family dominated for 30 years
with Saudi support, before Riyadh cut him off, abandoning a Lebanon policy that
had cost billions but failed to curb Hezbollah.”

 

Middle East

 

Reuters: UAE Tackles Banned Weapons Financing, Awaits Dirty Money List Decision

<[link removed]>

 

“The United Arab Emirates said it was assessing the risk that funds for banned
weapons could pass through its trading hub and would take measures to prevent
this, as it awaits a March decision on whether it will be added to a dirty
money watchlist. The UAE and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global
financial crime monitoring group, will hold meetings in Paris at the end of
February to assess a progress report submitted by the UAE late last year. The
watchdog in March will update its list of high-risk and other monitored
jurisdictions. A 2020 FATF report said the UAE needed "fundamental and major
improvements" to avoid landing on its 'grey list' of countries under increased
monitoring. Countries on the list risk reputational damage, trouble accessing
global finance and increased transaction costs. The UAE's Executive Office for
Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorism Financing, established last
February, said the financing risks assessment initiated in recent weeks would
help the public and private sectors implement new requirements.”

 

Libya

 

Asharq Al-Awsat: Libya, Chad Agree On Securing Border To Fight Extremists
<[link removed]>

 

“Prime Minister of the Libyan Government of National Unity Abdelhamid Dbeibeh
and the head of Chad’s Transitional Military Council, Lieutenant-General
Mohamed Idriss Deby, agreed Tuesday on securing joint borders to stop the
infiltration of extremist groups and fighters. The Libyan Prime Minister
visited the capital of Chad, N'Djamena, on Tuesday, accompanied by Foreign
Minister Najla Al-Manqoush, Interior Minister Khaled Mazen, and GNU Chief of
Staff Mohamed Al-Haddad. The delegation was received at the airport by Chadian
Prime Minister Albert Pahimi Padacke and Foreign Minister Moussa Faki Mahamat.
The meeting between Dbeibeh and Deby discussed advancing relations,
strengthening cooperation, particularly on security, and supporting efforts in
fighting mercenaries and terrorism. The Libyan PM said his government wanted to
strengthen bilateral relations with Chad as part of continuous cooperation
between the two countries. The two officials discussed efforts to defeat
terrorism, secure borders and activate the quadripartite agreement aimed at
reducing the risk of transnational organized crime. In May 2018, a four-way
agreement was signed between Libya, Niger, Sudan and Chad, stipulating the
deployment of forces to secure the joint border and combat cross-border crimes
and undocumented migration.”

 

Africa

 

All Africa: Nigeria: Trial Of Boko Haram Suspects To Resume Soon – Malami
<[link removed]>

 

“An official had said since May 2021 that the federal government was preparing
800 suspects linked to the terrorist group for prosecution. The
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, on
Tuesday, assured that the trial of suspected perpetrators of terrorist
activities and members of the terrorist group, Boko Haram, will soon commence.
It was the umpteenth time a government official would give such an assurance.
Mr Malami gave the fresh assurance while recieving the Nigerian Ambassador to
the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Eniola Ajayi, in Abuja on Tuesday. “Machineries
are in motion to ensure the continuation of courts sitting in kainji, New Bussa
for prosecution of Boko Haram cases," the minister's spokesperson, Umar Gwandu,
said in a statement on Tuesday. The Federal Ministry of Justice has an
arrangement with the Federal High Court that enables judges to be deployed to
try terrorist suspects at the various military detention facilities holding the
suspects in different parts of the country.”

 

United Kingdom

 

Fox News: UK Anti-Terror Police Make 2 More Arrests In Texas Synagogue Hostage
Probe; 4 Total In Custody
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“U.K. anti-terrorism police arrested two more men in Manchester Wednesday in
connection with their investigation of a British man who took Jewish
worshippers hostage at a Texas synagogue. Four of the six arrested are still in
custody. British citizen Malik Faisal Akram, 44, took four people hostage at
Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, on Jan. 15. The nearly 11-hour
standoff ended with the remaining three hostages running out safely and the
alleged gunman shot and killed when FBI agents stormed the building. He was
heard on the synagogue’s Facebook livestream demanding the release of Aafia
Siddiqui, also known as "Lady Al Qaeda," a Pakistani national imprisoned in
Fort Worth for allegedly trying to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Two
teenagers were detained in South Manchester the day after the Texas incident,
but both were later released without charges after three nights in custody.
Reports said they were Akram’s sons. Two other men were arrested Jan. 20 in
Birmingham and Manchester. On Jan. 21, U.K. anti-terrorism officers "were
granted an extension of custody to continue to question them further," Greater
Manchester Police said at the time.”

 

The National: Protesters Lose Battle Over PKK Flag Conviction In UK
<[link removed]>

 

“Three men who showed their support for the proscribed Kurdistan Workers’
Party by waving their flags at a rally in London have lost their final appeal
against convictions at the UK’s highest court. Rahman Pwr, Ismail Akdogan and
Rotinda Demir were arrested after they were spotted by police waving the PKK
flags during a January 2018 protest against Turkey’s cross-border military
operation in the Syrian town of Afrin. The operation led to hundreds of Kurds
being killed and thousands more being forced to leave their homes because of
the fighting. The PKK, which launched its armed struggle against Turkey in 1984
in pursuit of an independent Kurdish state within Turkey, was proscribed by the
UK as a terrorist organisation 21 years ago. The group is also banned by the
US, EU, Australia, Turkey and others. British terrorism laws introduced in 2000
banned a person from displaying an article that “arouses reasonable suspicion”
that a person is a member or supporter of a proscribed organisation. It carries
a penalty of up to six months in jail. Police did not link them to chants of
“PKK, PKK” during the march, but Pwr took a selfie of himself carrying the
flag. He was also seen making a "V for victory" gesture while carrying it.”

 

Germany

 

Vice: Student Who Opened Fire During Lecture Linked to Neo-Nazi Party
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“The teen gunman who killed a fellow student and wounded three others in a
shooting spree at a German university had previous links to a neo-Nazi party,
German media reported on Wednesday. Shortly after midday on Monday, the
18-year-old gunman, named only as Nikolai G. in line with German privacy laws,
entered an organic chemistry lecture at Heidelberg University in southwest
Germany armed with a rifle and a shotgun and about 100 rounds of ammunition,
and began firing. The attack killed a 23-year-old woman, who died of her
injuries in hospital several hours later, and injured three other students –
two women and a man. The gunman, who had reportedly sent his father a WhatsApp
message shortly before the attack saying that “people have to be punished” and
asking to be buried at sea, then fled the lecture hall before turning the gun
on himself, police said. The members of the 32-strong team investigating the
incident – the first shooting at a German school or university since 2009 – are
still working to establish a motive of the attacker, who was previously unknown
to authorities, and who recently purchased the firearms in another country,
police said.”

 

Technology

 

Reuters: France Targets Groups, Websites With Expanded Powers Under
Anti-Terror Law
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“The French government said this week it was closing down an activist-run
media outlet and a Muslim website deemed at odds with "national values", the
latest in a series of steps that rights groups and lawyers say infringe on
democratic freedoms. Following a violent protest against the extreme right in
Nantes, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said he would shut down "Nantes
Révoltée", a local media platform, which had relayed information about the
protest. Days earlier, he had announced plans to close the website "La Voie
Droite", which publishes Islamic religious content. The government has been
making increasing use of powers to shut down organisations or groups. In the
last two years, there have been 12 such shutdowns, an uptick from seven between
2016 and 2019, according to French public records. Before dissolving an
association, the Ministry of Interior informs the concerned party, which has 15
days to reply with its counter-arguments. Then, once the decree is published,
the organisation can take the case to the Council of State, an administrative
court.”

 

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