“The Australian government intends to list the entirety of Palestinian militant
group Hamas as a terrorist organisation under the country's criminal c

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


February 17, 2022

 

Reuters: Australia Intends To List Hamas As Terrorist Organisation
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“The Australian government intends to list the entirety of Palestinian
militant group Hamas as a terrorist organisation under the country's criminal
code, Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said on Thursday. A listing by
Australia of the whole group, rather than just its military arm as at present,
would bring its stance in line with the United States, the European Union and
Britain. "The views of Hamas and the violent extremist groups listed today are
deeply disturbing, and there is no place in Australia for their hateful
ideologies," Andrews said in a statement. Andrews said she had written to
Australia's state and territory leaders to consult with them on listing the
whole of Hamas, "and will finalise the listing as soon as possible." Hamas has
political and military wings. Founded in 1987, it opposes the existence of
Israel and peace talks, instead advocating "armed resistance" against Israel's
occupation of the Palestinian territories. "I welcome the news that Australia
will list Hamas as a terrorist organization in its entirety," Israeli Prime
Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement, thanking Australian Prime
Minister Scott Morrison for the move.”

 

Foreign Policy: U.N. Pressures Biden Against Adding Yemen’s Houthi Rebels To
Terrorist Blacklist
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“The White House is facing resistance to a plan to again designate
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen as a foreign terrorist organization,
following fierce pushback from opponents who warned that the move could
precipitate a collapse of Yemen’s economy and accelerate the region’s poorest
country’s descent into famine. The Trump administration first slapped the
designation on the Houthis in its final days in office last year; the Biden
administration subsequently lifted it on humanitarian grounds. Since then,
President Joe Biden’s foreign-policy team has grown fed up with the Houthis as
peace talks to end Yemen’s nearly eight-year-long civil war stall and the
rebels ramp up drone and missile attacks against U.S. partners in the region.
The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Israel have all pushed the Biden
administration to reverse the president’s decision a year ago and add the
Houthis back to the U.S. terrorist blacklist. The White House’s top Middle East
official, Brett McGurk, led the drive for imposing the foreign terrorist
organization (FTO) designation, but the plan encountered pushback from other
U.S. officials, including in a White House meeting of national security
deputies on Feb. 4—one of a number of interagency meetings on the matter.
Officials who oppose the plan fear it would inflict excessive hardship on
Yemeni civilians, according to U.S. and humanitarian officials familiar with
internal deliberations.”

 

Syria

 

Al Monitor: Controversy Among Jihadis In Idlib Over Killing Of Islamic State
Leader
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“The Feb. 3 US Special Forces operation that led to the death of Islamic State
(IS) leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi has angered many jihadis
opposing Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib.
The jihadis raised questions on the role HTS played in Qurayshi’s killing and
the possible coordination between the United States and HTS, which controls
Idlib. Another group of jihadis accused HTS of treason because it did not
interfere to prevent this operation that lasted for more than two hours at the
heart of its area of influence, where its security and military staff are
heavily deployed. Others have even accused HTS of providing a safe haven for IS
leaders and members in Idlib. The controversy escalated among jihadis in light
of HTS’ comments on the raid, since it took place at the heart of its area of
control and security stronghold, and under the radar of its fighters who were
closely watching what happened. In response to the accusations, HTS said in a
Feb. 6 statement that it did not know that Qurayshi lived in the safe house in
the town of Atmeh before his death, and stressed its rejection of the US raid.
“We were not aware of the raid ahead of time,” it read, stating that HTS did
not know who resided in the house. At the same time, HTS stressed that it will
continue to ward off IS’ crimes.”

 

Iran

 

The Hill: Pelosi Vows US Will Fight With Israel 'Against Terrorism Posed By
Iran'
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“Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) landed in Israel on Wednesday as part of a
congressional delegation and reiterated the United States' steadfast support
for the nation's security. “We're together in the fight against terrorism posed
by Iran, both in the region and also its nuclear development,” Pelosi said in a
speech at the Knesset. “Israel's proximity to Iran is a concern to all of us.”
Pelosi traveled to Israel with around a dozen other congressional lawmakers
including Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff (Calif.), Ted Deutch (Fla.) and Barbara
Lee (Calif.). Some members will also be traveling to Germany and the United
Kingdom. “Our delegation brings the representation of the Congress's
bipartisan, bicameral commitment to an unbreakable bond between Israel and the
United States built on mutual security, our economic interest and our common
values, our commitment to democracy,” said Pelosi. As Reuters noted, the
congressional delegation's visit takes place amid heightened tension between
Palestinians and Israeli settlers in the Sheik Jarrah neighborhood. While she
did not address the recent tensions, Pelosi stressed the Washington's continued
commitment to a two-state solution that “enhances stability and security for
Israel, Palestinians and their neighbors.”

 

Afghanistan

 

Long War Journal: U.S. Offers $10 Million Reward For Leader Of Islamic State
Khorasan Province
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“The U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice Program has offered a new $10
million bounty for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the
leader of the Islamic State Khorasan Province. Sanaullah Ghafar, the emir of
the Islamic State Khorasan Province who is also known as Shahab al-Muhajir, is
described by Rewards for Justice as “an experienced military leader and one of
ISIS-K’s [Islamic State Khorasan Province or ISKP] ‘urban lions’ in Kabul who
has been involved in guerrilla operations and the planning of suicide and
complex attacks.” Ghafar is an Afghan native who “is responsible for approving
all ISIS-K operations throughout Afghanistan and arranging funding to conduct
operations.” He was named the leader of ISKP in June 2020 after the group’s
previous emir, Aslam Farooqi, was captured by Afghan forces that April. Farooqi
was freed from prison after the Taliban took over Afghanistan on Aug. 15, 2021.
He was killed in a shootout in Jan. 2022. In a June 2021 report by the United
Nations Security Council Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team,
Ghafar was identified as “an ambitious new leader.” That report also noted that
ISKP and Ghafar maintain “Member States have varying assessments of the extent
of ISIL-K and al-Muhajir’s links with the Haqqani Network,” the Taliban
subgroup with close ties to Al Qaeda and the Pakistani military and
intelligence establishment.”

 

Yemen

 

Arab News: Houthi Attacks On Saudi Arabia And UAE Are ‘Terrorist Actions’:
Kosovo PM <[link removed]>

 

“Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti condemned the continuing series of Houthi
attacks on civilian targets in Saudi Arabia, and more recently the UAE,
agreeing that such assaults reveal the Houthis to be a terrorist group. “We
were appalled by these images and all these attacks. Absolute violence against
civilians, which has nothing to do with respect for human dignity, for human
rights, for society and community, is something that we can never tolerate and
it is our task to always condemn (them),” he said. Asked whether he agrees that
as a result of this deliberate targeting of civilian targets the Iran-backed
Houthi militia should be designated as a terrorist group, Kurti said: “Yes, I
think that all these attacks on civilians are terrorist actions.” Kurti spoke
to Arab News during an exclusive interview at his office in Pristina to mark
the 14th Independence Day of Kosovo. The prime minister lauded his country’s
cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the fields of countering terrorism,
intelligence sharing and the ideological battle against violent extremism. “I
think that we have good cooperation and we would like to continue it because
when we fight violent extremism and terrorism, and all these kinds of violent
fundamentalism, we are on the same page,” he said.”

 

Lebanon

 

Reuters: Hezbollah Can Turn Rockets Into Precision Missiles, Make Drones
-Nasrallah
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“The leader of Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group said for the first time
on Wednesday that it has the ability within Lebanon to convert thousands of
rockets into precision missiles and to produce drones. “We have been producing
drones in Lebanon for a long time, and whoever wants to buy them, submit an
order,” Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech to followers. He
said Hezbollah was able to transform standard rockets into precision missiles
with the cooperation of “experts from the Islamic Republic of Iran”. Such
production had been spurred by arch-foe Israel's increased use of drone
technology, he said. Hezbollah and Israel fought a month-long war in 2006 and
have at times in the years since traded fire across Lebanon's southern border.
There was no immediate Israeli response to Nasrallah's statements. While the
Israeli military outguns Hezbollah guerrillas, Israel worries that in a future
war they could use precision-guided missiles to knock out parts of its national
infrastructure like ports or power stations. Israel has said in the past that
it has brought down several Hezbollah drones that had crossed into Israeli air
space. Hezbollah says its increased anti-drone capabilities have led to a
decline in Israeli drone overflights.”

 

Nigeria

 

All Africa: Nigeria: France, Nigeria Collaborate To Contain Terrorism, Piracy
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“The France government, yesterday, pledged to collaborate with Nigeria in a
renewed bid by both countries to contain terrorism and piracy in the Gulf of
Guinea. France made the pledge as the Minister of Defence, Maj. Gen. Bashir
Magashi (rtd), sought more proactive intelligence gathering mechanism and
technological support to drive new information sharing regime in aid of the
military campaigns in the country. He sought the renewal of the existing
bilateral military agreements between Nigeria and France to reflect real-time
security related needs of the two countries. Speaking during a courtesy visit
to the Ministry of Defence in Abuja, the Ambassador of France to Nigeria,
Emmanuelle Blatmann, while requesting for technical interface between the two
parties to examine critical areas of mutual benefits in the proposed rebirth of
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the countries, gave assurances that
her country would reinforce efforts to end terrorism in Nigeria and piracy in
Gulf of Guinea. The French envoy, who was accompanied on the visit by the
Defence Attache, Embassy of France in Nigeria, Colonel Guillaume Dujon, thanked
the defence minister for the audience aimed at strengthening the existing
bilateral agreements between the two countries.”

 

Mali

 

Associated Press: France Hosts Talks On Mali, Intends To Withdraw Troops
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“French President Emmanuel Macron met with African and European leaders
Wednesday evening in Paris ahead of an expected announcement of the withdrawal
of French troops from Mali. Paris intends to maintain its military operations
to fight Islamic extremism in other countries in Africa's broader Sahel region.
Macron is set to unveil the details in a news conference Thursday. Tensions
have grown between Mali, its African neighbors and the European Union,
especially after the West African country's transitional government allowed
Russian mercenaries to deploy in its territory. Discussions at the presidential
palace in Paris were expected to address the potential consequences of a French
pullout that could shake the whole region. Talks were also to address the
involvement of a U.N. peacekeeping force and the status of an EU training
mission. An EU-Africa summit is scheduled for Thursday and Friday in Brussels.
The EU this month imposed sanctions on five senior members of Mali’s
transitional government, including Prime Minister Choguel Maiga, accusing them
of working to obstruct the country's transition from military to civilian rule.
The heads of states of Chad and Niger and Mauritania's foreign minister were
attending the Paris talks.”

 

Africa

 

Associated Press: Burkina Faso Junta Leader Inaugurated As Nation's President
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“Burkina Faso’s junta leader Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba has been
sworn in as president Wednesday, less than a month after mutinous soldiers
seized control of the West African country in a coup. The inauguration ceremony
at the Constitutional Court was broadcast nationally. Addressing the nation on
state television after taking the oath, Damiba paid tribute to the security
forces and the country’s population who he said have been facing threats from
extremism for more than six years. “I swear in front of the people of Burkina
Faso and on my honor, to preserve and respect, to uphold and defend the
constitution, fundamental acts and the law, to do everything to guarantee
justice for all the inhabitants of Burkina Faso,” he said. “Our country has
always been strong during storms. That’s why these tough times must be for us
an opportunity to get to better horizons.” Damiba seized power promising to
secure the war-torn country from growing jihadi violence linked to al-Qaida and
the Islamic State group that’s killed thousands and displaced more than 1.5
million people. Since taking control, Damiba has met with security forces,
civil society, diplomats and politicians, but hasn’t set a timeline for the
transition to elections, something the international community has said must be
done as soon as possible.”

 

Germany

 

Associated Press: Germany To Mark Victims Of Terrorism Annually On March 11
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“The German government said Wednesday that the country will formally
commemorate the victims of terrorism every March 11, starting next month. The
date marks the anniversary of 2004 bomb attacks in Madrid and is already
commemorated each year by the European Union. Germany's top security official
said the Cabinet approved adopting the date for a national remembrance day for
the victims of terrorist violence. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said acts
such as the Islamic extremist attack on a Berlin Christmas market in 2016 and
far-right killings in Hanau and Halle had shaken Germany, too. “Islamist,
far-right and far-left attacks have caused great suffering,” she said. “We want
to make the state and society more aware of the fate of the victims and their
relatives.” Federal buildings will mark the day by flying flags at half-staff.”

 

Canada

 

Global News: Canada’s First Convicted Terrorist Deemed Too Dangerous For Parole

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“The first Canadian convicted under anti-terrorism laws enacted after the 9/11
attacks has lost his bid for release after the Parole Board ruled he wasn’t
ready to leave prison. The decision followed a hearing at which Mohammad Momin
Khawaja struggled to explain how he had reformed since he was arrested when
police disrupted a 2004 bomb plot. He also appeared to downplay his actions,
claiming he thought at the time that he was supporting a “good cause,” and was
simply responding to “social injustice” and “suffering.” “It is the Board’s
opinion that you will present an undue risk to society if released, and that
your release will not contribute to the protection of society,” read the
decision released Wednesday. Khawaja, 42, is serving a life sentence for five
terrorism offences stemming from his involvement with Al Qaeda supporters who
were planning bomb attacks in the United Kingdom. He has been imprisoned for 18
years. At a hearing on Feb. 3, the Correctional Service of Canada said it
opposed his application for day parole, saying he “would present an undue risk
if released at this time.” But Khawaja argued he should be allowed to move into
an Ottawa halfway house, and said he wanted to study law and volunteer for
humanitarian organizations that help refugees.”

 

Europe

 

New York Post: Ericsson Shares Tank After CEO Says Telecom Giant ‘May Have
Paid ISIS’
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“Shares of Ericsson tanked on Wednesday after its CEO said the Swedish telecom
giant may have made payments to ISIS in an effort to gain access to the Iraqi
market. CEO Borje Ekholm said in an interview that the company identified
“unusual expenses dating back to 2018” when it purchased transport routes
“through areas that have been controlled by terrorist organizations, including
ISIS.” Ekholm’s comments to the Dagens Industri newspaper, which were cited by
Bloomberg, sent shares of Ericsson down by more than 14% during trading as of
Wednesday afternoon Swedish local time. The CEO said that the company hasn’t
made a determination as to who was the “final recipient” of the money. Ekholm’s
comments come just a day after his company released a statement indicating that
it would “continue to invest significantly” in an internal investigation that
began in 2019 of company transactions that took place between 2011 and 2019.
Ericcson said it “found serious breaches of compliance rules” and the firm’s
business ethics code that included “corruption-related misconduct.” Company
employees who were operating in Iraq broke rules by “making a monetary donation
without a clear beneficiary…funding inappropriate travel and expenses, and
improper use of sales agents and consultants.”

 

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