“The Taliban on Monday warned that it would reconsider its policy towards the
United States if President Joe Biden did not reverse his “unjustified” d

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


February 15, 2022

 

Reuters: Taliban Call On Biden To Reverse Move To Halve Frozen Afghan Funds
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“The Taliban on Monday warned that it would reconsider its policy towards the
United States if President Joe Biden did not reverse his “unjustified” decision
to return only half of Afghanistan's $7 billion deposited on U.S. soil. The
United States will free up half of the $7 billion in frozen Afghan central bank
assets on U.S. soil to help Afghans struggling with a humanitarian crisis and
hold the rest to possibly satisfy terrorism-related lawsuits against the
Taliban. “If the United States does not deviate from its position and continues
its provocative actions, the Islamic Emirate will also be forced to reconsider
its policy towards the country,” said a statement from the Taliban released by
its spokesman on Monday. “The Islamic Emirate strongly rejects Biden's
unjustified actions as a violation of the rights of all Afghans,” it added.
Biden's plan calls for half of the funds to remain in the United States subject
to ongoing litigation by U.S. victims of terrorism, including relatives of
those who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, hijacking attacks. “The 9/11 attacks had
nothing to do with Afghans,” the Taliban statement said. While none of the
Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers were Afghan, the mastermind of the attacks, al Qaeda
chief Osama bin Laden, was given refuge by the then Taliban government.”

 

Bloomberg: African Union Seeks Funding Overhaul To Tackle Terrorism, Coups
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“The African Union is urging its international partners to overhaul the way
they finance peace and security operations to help the continent counter the
growing scourges of terrorism, extremism and coups more effectively. The AU
needs “adequate, predictable and sustainable funding” to play a more proactive
role in maintaining security, and wants access to the obligatory payments
countries make to finance the United Nations budget and peacekeeping
operations, said Bankole Adeoye, the continental body’s peace and security
commissioner. “Peacekeeping is not what we need, it is peace enforcement,”
Adeoye said in an interview ahead of a summit between European and African
leaders in Brussels this week. Without a shift in how security operations are
conducted, the world is signing up to “a lifetime of just protecting civilians
and not addressing the solution,” he said. Islamist insurgencies have been
gaining momentum in several African nations, with West Africa’s Sahel region
particularly hard hit. The continent has also seen five coups and one failed
putsch over the past 18 months, highlighting the extent of insecurity it
confronts. African leaders plan to discuss the power grabs, as well as counter
terrorism and violent extremism at a special summit that will likely be held in
Accra, Ghana’s capital, in mid-March.”

 

United States

 

Reuters: U.S. Judges Faced Over 4,500 Threats In 2021 Amid Rising Extremism
-Official
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“U.S. federal judges were the target of more than 4,500 threats and other
inappropriate communications last year, the head of the U.S. Marshals Service
said on Monday, adding that his office is concerned about the rise of domestic
extremism in America. “The increase in our judicial ... threat investigations
and inappropriate comments have been going up quite frankly for a couple of
years,” Ronald Davis, director of the U.S. Marshals Service, told journalists
in a conference call. He said the threat risk is “growing exponentially.”
Federal law enforcement officials have sounded alarm bells about a growing tide
of threats posed by white supremacists and anti-government activists, many of
whom have touted former Republican President Donald Trump's false claims that
the 2020 election was stolen. Earlier this year, Attorney General Merrick
Garland launched a task force aimed at combating threats targeting state
election workers and volunteers, an effort that so far has led to two criminal
cases. Garland has also instructed the FBI to work with local officials to
monitor an increase in threats to school boards, which have faced an onslaught
of criticism over issues ranging from mask mandates to the teaching of critical
race theory. The threats to judges were varied and in some cases came from
disgruntled defendants, Davis said.”

 

Syria

 

The Intercept: “It’s Not Sustainable”: Isis Prison Battle Shows Dangers Of
Indefinite Detention
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“When dozens of Islamic State fighters attacked a prison in northeast Syria
last month, setting off a 10-day battle that drew in U.S. forces and left
hundreds of people dead, they reminded the world that, three years after U.S.
officials declared victory over the group, it is in fact still active — and
eager for a comeback. The attack also confirmed unheeded warnings by human
rights and humanitarian groups operating in the region, as well as by the
U.S.-allied, Kurdish-led autonomous authority in charge of governing former
ISIS territory: that the indefinite detention in both prisons and makeshift
camps of tens of thousands of people believed to have been affiliated with the
Islamic State was a dangerous tinderbox. By the time the Syrian Democratic
Forces, the armed wing of the Autonomous Administration of North and East
Syria, regained control of al-Sina’a prison, more than 500 people were dead,
including more than 100 members of the SDF and prison staff. The fighting had
spilled into nearby neighborhoods, sending thousands of residents fleeing and
causing at least seven civilian casualties. Dozens of bodies had been dumped
from a front-end loader onto the street, and then shoveled into a gravel truck
and driven off, according to a report by journalists on the ground. Some of the
suspected militants who had been held at the prison remained unaccounted for,
with estimates ranging from 30 to more than 300.”

 

Pakistan

 

Gulf News: Pakistan PM Imran Khan: US War On Terror Bred More Terrorists
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“Prime Minister Imran Khan said in an interview that the war on terror by the
United States “actually bred terrorists” in different regions of the world,
including Pakistan. The prime minister made the comments on Sunday during a CNN
interview responding to a question on the surge in terrorism in the Middle East
and Pakistan-Afghanistan region despite the withdrawal of US forces. The
Pakistani prime minister cited the example of his own country, where he said
80,000 people lost their lives after Pakistan joined the US in the war on
terror. “Well, the US war on terror actually bred terrorists and by joining the
US war on terror, Pakistan lost 80,000 people. “And we saw the war, as it went
along, it produced more terrorists. And I am convinced it is exactly the same
what happened in Afghanistan because of these night raids in Afghanistan, the
drone attacks,” PM Khan said, urging that the United States “must review” its
policy of drone strikes. “We watched what happened here. They were telling
people in the US that drones were very accurate and they actually got the
terrorists,” he regretted. “Bombs exploding in villages, you know how, how
would they only get terrorists?” Khan said he was afraid that the American
people do not know about these drone strikes that caused a “lot of collateral
damage.”

 

Yemen

 

Arab News: Al-Qaeda Terrorists Seek To Swap Abducted UN Workers For Prisoners
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“The suspected Al-Qaeda terrorists holding five kidnapped UN workers are
seeking to swap them for prisoners detained by the Yemeni government in Aden,
according to a local security official. The abductions happened on Friday when
the workers — four Yemenis and a foreigner — traveling in two armored vehicles
and with a military escort were confronted by a group of armed men in the
Moudia district of Abyan as they were heading back to Aden from a field visit.
On Monday, a senior security official told Arab News that the militants had
issued their demands for the release of the workers and that the governor of
Abyan, Abu Baker Hussein Salem, had asked local tribal figures to talk to them.
“These are mercenaries known to be affiliated with Al-Qaeda. Security services
(in Abyan) killed one of their leaders six months ago,” the official said on
condition of anonymity. “There are negotiations with the terrorists. We do not
want to use force in order not to harm the hostages,” he said, but added that a
military operation would be initiated if the captors refused to release the
workers. Al-Sharae newspaper reported on Sunday that two people representing
the militants said the UN workers would be freed in return for the release of
the prisoners in Aden and payment of a SR1 million ($266,000) ransom.”

 

Nigeria

 

The Punch Nigeria: Boko Haram, Others Recruited Over 8,000 Child Soldiers In
13 Years – UNICEF
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“The United Nations Children’s Fund has said that more than 8,000 girls and
boys have been recruited and used as child soldiers in different roles by armed
groups across Nigeria. This was contained in a statement by UNICEF on Monday
titled, ‘UNICEF calls for end to recruitment and use of child soldiers’, to
commemorate the International Day Against the Use of Child Soldiers, known
better as “Red Hand Day”. UNICEF Chief of Maiduguri Field Office, Phuong T.
Nguyen, said for 13 years, armed conflict in North-East Nigeria has claimed
thousands of lives, disrupted livelihoods and access to essential services for
children and their families. According to her, nearly one million homes and
5,000 classrooms have been razed in the protracted armed conflict. “We call for
an immediate end to the recruitment and use of innocent children as soldiers or
for any other conflict-related role. “It is unacceptable and unconscionable
that girls and boys continue to serve on the frontlines of a conflict they did
not start,” she said. Nguyen, however, called for an end to the recruitment and
use of children by armed groups in Nigeria, and the release of those in the
custody of such groups. “We must do more to ensure that Nigeria’s children do
not suffer the worst impacts of conflict.”

 

Mali

 

Reuters: Conditions No Longer In Place To Continue Mali Fight, France Says
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“The conditions are no longer in place to continue the fight against Islamist
militants in Mali and President Emmanuel Macron has asked to re-organise French
troops in the region, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Monday. “If
the conditions are no longer in place so that we can act in Mali, which is
clearly the case, then we will continue to fight terrorism next door with the
Sahel countries, who “Le Drian told France 5. France is considering withdrawing
its troops from Mali, but adapting its strategy to prevent Islamist militancy
spreading south may prove complex and contribute to uncertainty in the region.
A French drawdown would mean the European special forces Takuba task force
would also leave with diplomats saying that the political, operational and
legal conditions to remain becoming increasingly difficult. Western foreign
ministers and senior diplomats held crunch talks on their countries' future
presence fighting Islamist militants in Mali on Monday after three weeks of
consultations amid deterioration in relations between Mali and France, the main
foreign military power in the Sahel region. Two European and one African
diplomatic source said regional and international leaders would meet Wednesday
for dinner in Paris to hold discussions with President Macron ahead of an
EU-Africa summit on Thursday.”

 

United Kingdom

 

The National: UK Nazi Pipe Bomb Terrorist Could Be Free From Prison Within
Months
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“A terrorist who made a pipe bomb in his Nazi memorabilia-filled bedroom could
walk free from jail within months despite his bid to be released early being
rejected. The Parole Board refused to let Jack Coulson leave prison before the
end of his sentence because it was not convinced there was any “real reduction
in risk” since he was first jailed. But because of the type of sentence he is
serving, Coulson is still expected to be freed this year when he has served his
full time behind bars. In 2018 he was sentenced to four years and eight months
in a young offenders’ institution for having the terrorism handbook The Big
Book of Mischief, after previously being convicted for making the explosive.
Leeds Crown Court heard how Coulson, then 19, downloaded the 60-page manual —
which describes how to make and detonate explosives — on his phone after
boasting about wanting to kill a female politician. References to banned
right-wing group National Action and internet searches for Timothy McVeigh, the
American terrorist who carried out the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that led to
the deaths of 168 people, were also found on his phone. In a police interview
Coulson had described Adolf Hitler as his “leader”, the court heard.”

 

BBC News: Manchester Arena Inquiry: Ex-Officer Accepts Intelligence Oversight
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“A former senior detective has accepted intelligence about the Manchester
Arena bomber should have been investigated years before the attack. Frank
Morris investigated convicted terrorist Abdalraouf Abdallah between 2014 and
2016. The Manchester Arena Inquiry heard multiple messages found on his phone
were from the bomber Salman Abedi. However, that fact only became known to
detectives after the May 2017 arena attack, which killed 22 people. Abedi, 22,
also killed himself and injured hundreds more when he detonated a homemade
device as people left the venue following a concert. The inquiry heard there
were about 1,300 messages between Abdallah and someone called “Salman” across a
number of weeks in November 2014, but no effort was made to identify the latter
person. The messages included references to martyrdom and slurs about
non-Muslims. The hearing was told “Salman” also sent two “selfies” of himself
to Abdallah and mentioned his surname, Abedi, from a mobile phone number which
was later found to be registered in his real name. Evidence from their
communications was used in the trial of Abdallah in 2016 in order to
demonstrate the defendant's extremist mindset, but detectives made no attempts
to identify “Salman.”

 

France

 

Reuters: Four Go On Trial Over Militant Murder Of French Priest
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“Four men went on trial on Monday over the murder of an elderly priest who was
knifed to death at his altar in a militant attack that rocked France. Father
Jacques Hamel was leading morning mass in the Normandy town of
Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray in July 2016 when two attackers stormed in, forced the
85-year-old to his knees and slit his throat. They were both shot dead by
police. The four defendants have been charged with complicity in the attack and
“criminal terrorist association”. Prosecutors have said the men, who were all
born in France, were in contact with the attackers. Three of the men appeared
in the dock in the historic Palais de Justice courthouse in Paris. Before the
hearing, their lawyers said they were innocent, Radio Franceinfo reported. The
fourth defendant, Rachid Kassim, who prosecutors say contacted the attackers
from Syria and encouraged them to kill the priest, is being tried in absentia.
The U.S. military said they targeted Kassim, who they described as a senior
Islamic State militant, in a strike near the city of Mosul, Iraq, in February
2017, though they did not say whether he was killed. Hamel’s murder was the
first Islamist militant attack on a church in western Europe and came just 12
days after a Tunisian who had pledged allegiance to Islamic State drove his
truck through a crowd of Bastille Day revellers in Nice, killing 84.”

 

Germany

 

Deutsche Welle: Germany: Right-Wing Extremist Soldier Back In Custody
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“A spokesperson for Frankfurt's Higher Regional Court on Monday said a German
military officer who made headlines in 2017 was back in police custody.  Franco
A. has been on trial since May last year over preparing a “serious act of
violent subversion.” He allegedly plotted to attack prominent politicians while
posing as a Syrian refugee. The court announced that, during an identity check,
new objects were found in his possession that could serve as evidence. A
special police task force arrested Franco A. on Sunday morning, and he was due
to appear before the court on Monday, the spokesperson said. First arrested in
February 2017, Franco A. was in pretrial detention for seven months, until a
court ordered his release in late November 2017. At the time, the court said
there was “no urgent suspicion” he was preparing to commit a criminal act
against the state.  Before his arrest Sunday, he was required to check in with
the authorities regularly, and half his salary was being withheld. Prosecutors
accused Franco A. of living a double life as a Bundeswehr soldier with
far-right extremist sentiments and a refugee receiving government benefits. He
allegedly planned to commit terrorist attacks targeting public figures while in
disguise as a Syrian refugee and blame the incidents on asylum-seekers.”

 

Canada

 

The Guardian: Foreign Money Funding ‘Extremism’ In Canada, Says Hacker
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“A hacker who leaked the names and locations of more than 90,000 people who
donated money to the Canadian trucker convoy protest has said it exposed how
money from abroad had funded “extremism” in the country. In an exclusive
interview, the hacker told the Guardian that Canada was “not safe from foreign
political manipulation”. “You see a huge amount of money that isn’t even coming
from Canada – that’s plain as day,” said the hacker, who belongs to the
hacktivist group Anonymous. The leaked data showed that more than 90,000
donations were made via GiveSendGo, with most funds appearing to come from
Canada and the US. According to the data, individuals in countries including
the UK, the Netherlands, Ireland and Denmark also donated. Amarnath
Amarasingam, a professor at Canada’s Queens University and an expert in
extremism and social movements, tweeted that of the 92,844 donations, “51,666
(56%) came from the US, 36,202 (29%) came from Canada, and 1,831 (2%) came from
the UK.” US-based donations totalled US$3.62m, while Canadians donated
US$4.31m, he added. The hacker said the sizeable number of donations coming
from Canada showed that some people in the country had fallen into step with
what they saw as American-style extremism.”

 

Europe

 

The National: Five ISIS Arrests In Spain On Grooming And Funding Charges
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“Five people have been arrested in Spain on charges of grooming potential ISIS
recruits and funding the organisation in Libya. In two separate anti-terrorist
operations, Spanish national police swept on suspects in Barcelona, Girona,
Valencia and Melilla, one of two Spanish cities in North Africa that has a
border with Morocco. Two people were arrested in Melilla for allegedly
recruiting young fighters for ISIS. Police began the grooming investigation,
Operation Farcol, two years ago after discovering ISIS indoctrination videos
that are believed to have been created and distributed by the two suspects.
Three people were arrested, one each in Barcelona, Girona and Valencia, and
charged with helping to fund ISIS in Libya. The main suspect, arrested as part
of Operation Kital, allegedly used a complex network of companies with an
international presence to divert funds to a group in Libya with links to ISIS.
He is believed to be related to the leadership of that group. Five suspected
ISIS members were arrested in October last year by Spanish police investigating
an alleged attack plot. Last month, the authorities in Sweden and France
launched a joint team to investigate atrocities committed by ISIS against the
Yazidi community.”

 

Southeast Asia

 

The Diplomat: Rohingya Militancy: Myth Or Reality?
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“…Even before the ARSA attacks in 2016 and 2017, organizations such as the
International Crisis Group, RAND Corporation, Counter Extremism Project, and
individual scholars have expressed concerns about a forthcoming wave of
Rohingya radicalization. Some scholars identify internal and external factors
for the rise of Rohingya militancy. Internal factors include the trauma caused
by torture in Myanmar, the denial of basic and fundamental rights, the dream of
an independent Rakhine State, and the social structures of the refugee camps.
External causes include ideas of Muslim brotherhood, jihadism provoked by
transnational groups, prejudice against non-Muslims, and the convenient
environment for the development of such organizations. As a result of these
factors, the sentiment of ummah (Muslim community) could well grow among
Rohingyas, given that they have “long suffered suppression and persecution by
both the Myanmar government and extremist Buddhists.” Rohingyas’ contested
identity has also been identified as a catalyst for radicalization.”

 

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