“France and military allies said on Thursday they would leave Mali after almost
a decade based there fighting Islamist insurgents around West Africa,

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


February 18, 2022

 

**NOTE: CEP’s Eye On Extremism will be suspended on Monday, February 21 in
observance of Presidents Day. It will resume Tuesday, February 22.**

 

Reuters: French Military To Quit Mali In Possible Boost To Jihadists
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“France and military allies said on Thursday they would leave Mali after
almost a decade based there fighting Islamist insurgents around West Africa,
moving instead to Niger despite public disenchantment with Paris' role in the
region. Coups in Mali, Chad and Burkina Faso have weakened France's alliances
in its former colonies, emboldened jihadists who control large swathes of
desert and scrubland, and opened the door to greater Russian influence.
Diplomats fear the exit of 2,400 French troops from Mali - the epicentre of
violence in the Sahel region and strongholds of both al Qaeda and Islamic State
affiliates - could worsen violence, destabilise neighbours and spur migration.
A French-led mission of 14 mainly European nations with 600-900 soldiers in
Mali is also winding up. President Emmanuel Macron said the withdrawal would
take four to six months, during which time there would be fewer operations
against jihadists.”

 

Associated Press: Indian Court Sentences 38 To Death For Fatal 2008 Bombings
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“A court in India on Friday sentenced to death 38 people for a series of bomb
blasts in 2008 that left more than 50 dead in Gujarat state, which has a
history of violent clashes between Hindus and Muslims. It was the first time
that so many accused have received death sentences in a single case in India.
The sentences must be confirmed by a higher court. The attacks in Ahmedabad 13
years ago underscored communal tensions that are still reverberating in India.
A militant Islamic group called Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami claimed
responsibility for the bombings. It was considered to be Pakistani-based but
apparently is no longer active. The Indian Mujahideen, a radicalized faction of
the banned Students Islamic Movement of India, also was involved, said Sudhir
Brahmbhatt, a government prosecutor in the case, citing police documents. The
group planned the explosions as revenge for the 2002 Hindu-Muslim violence in
Gujarat in which more than 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, were killed, the
Press Trust of India news agency said. It was some of the worst religious
violence India has seen since its independence from Britain in 1947.”

 

Syria

 

The Washington Post: The Islamic State’s Leader Died This Month. What Type Of
Leader Might Come Next?
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“This month, a U.S. Special Forces mission targeted Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi
al-Qurayshi, the leader of the Islamic State. Al-Qurayshi reportedly detonated
explosives during the raid, killing himself and members of his family. His
death follows previous U.S. raids that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden,
al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and Islamic State leader Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi. But what type of leader was al-Qurayshi — and what type of leader
might succeed him? Our research explains why these questions are critical when
trying to gauge the impact on a terrorist group after its leader has died. Our
forthcoming book studying terrorist leadership types, “Terror in Transition:
Leadership and Succession in Terrorist Organizations,” suggests that
al-Qurayshi meets the criteria of a “figurehead,” a silent type of leader who
did not actively lead the Islamic State. Al-Qurayshi became leader of the
Islamic State in 2019 as a relative unknown. He operated in hiding, apparently
out of fear of the kind of counterterrorism action that killed al-Baghdadi, his
predecessor. The open-source information to date suggests al-Qurayshi did not
drive his organization’s tactics, its ways of gathering resources or its
mission. He was largely an absentee leader who relied on others to steer the
group.”

 

Al Monitor: Violence On Rise In Syria’s Suwayda
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“The violence rate in Suwayda in southern Syria has been increasing on a daily
basis in the absence of the rule of law. On Feb. 1, the local Suwayda24 website
published a report revealing that 29 people had been killed in January, as a
result of separate violent incidents in the governorate. Meanwhile, the local
community has been calling on activating laws or allowing the local police to
assume its role, or else, they would have to resort to community protection to
confront the deteriorating security situation — in reference to tribal
reconciliation that many Syrians resort to in order to resolve their
differences based on traditions and customs. Notables of respected social
standing supervise the implementation of the tribal reconciliations that
produce sustainable solutions, which enhances their role in light of the weak
rule of law and the many de facto authorities. Suwayda resident Mohanad Barakah
told Al-Monitor, “The Syrian regime — like any de facto authority that is
currently ruling — is not in control of the law and cannot implement it. We are
thus calling on activating the role of the tribal judiciary and community
protection. People are trying to protect their properties from theft and
assault, in light of the chaos and the crimes committed by gangs backed by the
regime’s security services.”

 

Iraq

 

The National: Yazidis Want Big Tech Held To Account Over ISIS Atrocities
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“Yazidi activists are demanding social media companies are held accountable
for their alleged role in the genocide of the mid-2010s. ISIS, as it was
sweeping through Iraq and Syria, persecuted the Yazidi population and
trafficked its women and girls as part of a campaign against the religious
group. WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube were all used to help sell girls
and women into slavery and death, the Yazidi campaigners say. A 120-page
document alleges the tech giants did not act robustly enough to stop ISIS
members using their platforms to trade women and girls kidnapped when it
controlled the Yazidi heartland of Sinjar, Iraq, eight years ago. “This will
bring justice for Yazidi victims,” said Wahhab Hassoo, 26, a student who
resettled in the Netherlands in 2012. He says his family paid $80,000 for the
release of his niece from ISIS after she was abducted in 2014 and offered her
“for sale” in a WhatsApp group. “We are asking governments to do an
investigation because we believe these platforms have contributed to the
genocide,” Mr Hassoo said. The report, produced with the help of lawyers in the
US, accuses social media companies of failing to stamp out hate speech against
the Yazidis on their platforms, pointing to weaknesses in content moderation
and demanding tougher government regulations.”

 

Human Rights Watch: Iraq Detains More Than 1,000 Children As ISIS Suspects
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“Iraqi authorities detained over 1,000 children, some as young as nine years
old, last year on national security charges, primarily for suspected links with
the Islamic State (ISIS), according to a new United Nations report. Although
ISIS attacks have dropped considerably since the group lost most of its
territory four years ago, the report finds that the detention of children has
significantly increased. Many of these children were arrested on dubious
evidence and tortured into confessions of ISIS involvement. In late 2018, I
interviewed boys detained as ISIS suspects in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Some said they had been recruited to fight with ISIS, while others said that
they worked as cooks, drivers, or simply participated in a few days of
training. One 17-year-old said he believed he was arrested for working at a
restaurant in Mosul that served ISIS members. A few said that they had no links
to ISIS, other family members had. Regardless of the extent of their
involvement, they were all charged with terrorism. The majority of the boys
said their interrogators tortured them to secure confessions. They described
beatings with plastic pipes, electric cables, or rods, sometimes for hours.
Nearly all said they eventually confessed to ISIS association, believing they
had no other choice.”

 

Egypt

 

Asharq Al-Awsat: Sisi Says Seeks To Boost Egyptian-European Cooperation In War
On Terrorism
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“Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi affirmed that Egypt looks forward to
boosting cooperation with the European Union in the fight against terrorism and
extremism based on a comprehensive approach. Sisi headed to Brussels to
participate in the sixth European Union-African Union Summit, held on Feb 17
and 18, under the theme “Africa and Europe: Two Continents with a Shared Vision
until 2030.” On the summit's sidelines, Sisi met with President of the European
Council Charles Michel at the Council's headquarters in Brussels. Presidential
spokesman Ambassador Bassam Rady said that Michel welcomed the first historic
visit of the President. He lauded the outstanding relations between the EU and
Egypt, stressing the EU's interest to further enhance these relations across
various levels, particularly in light of Cairo's status as the link between the
Arab and European worlds and its political leverage internationally and
regionally. The President of the European Council lauded Egypt's commitment to
combating illegal migration, reiterating EU's appreciation for these efforts,
mainly as Cairo is seen as a successful model in the region under the Sis's
decisive and wise leadership.”

 

Somalia

 

Stars And Stripes: US Withdrawal In Somalia Has Strengthened Hand Of Al-Shabab
Terrorists, Top Officials Say
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“U.S.-backed forces in Somalia are now outgunned by Africa’s largest terrorist
group, raising concerns that a 2021 decision to pull out American troops and
curtail airstrikes has helped the militants’ insurgency expand, two senior
officials said Thursday. “It probably is not an effective long-term strategy,”
said one of the defense officials, who was authorized to speak on background
about security conditions in Africa. Special operations forces had been
assisting local units for several years in battling al-Shabab, which is linked
to al-Qaida. But shortly before leaving office, President Donald Trump ordered
some 700 U.S. troops out of Somalia. Since then, U.S. Africa Command also has
halted most airstrikes in the country. The new administration of President Joe
Biden has sought to limit drone strikes in Somalia and elsewhere. By
comparison, the U.S. conducted 63 strikes against Islamic militants in Somalia
in 2020. AFRICOM, however, has come under criticism in the past by advocacy
groups that say the attacks on al-Shabab threaten civilians. But with fewer
airstrikes and less U.S. military involvement on the ground, al-Shabab is
showing signs of resurgence in Somalia, the defense officials said. “We are
placing less pressure on them,” one of the defense officials said. With a force
estimated at between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters, the terrorist group now has more
freedom of movement and therefore the ability attack more often, the officials
said.”

 

Africa

 

Reuters: Niger Accepts Foreign Forces From Mali To Combat Jihadist Threat
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“Niger has accepted that French and European special forces will cross into
its territory from neighbouring Mali to combat jihadists and try to secure the
border with the West African state, Niger's president said on Twitter on
Friday. In his first comments since France said on Thursday that it would leave
Mali along with its military allies, President Mohamed Bazoum said the forces
would be able to respond to threats from jihadist militants groups in the area.
Some 2,400 French troops that were part of the forces deployed in Mali to
combat groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State, and around 900 special
forces in the French-led Takuba task force, are expected to leave Mali in
coming months. Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have struggled to contain the
marauding armed groups that have killed hundreds, displaced millions and made
swathes of territory in the tri-border West African Sahel area ungovernable.”

 

Reuters: We Need To Get Ahead Of Islamist Militant Threat, Says Ghana's
President
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“Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo on Thursday said West Africa’s coastal
states had an opportunity to steal a march on the growing threat from Islamist
militants and work more closely with European allies. Akufo-Addo was speaking
in Paris after President Emmanuel Macron announced the withdrawal of French
forces from Mali and said more assistance would be provided to Gulf of Guinea
countries that were being increasingly targeted by militants.”

 

AFP: Sahel Is ‘Priority’ Area For Al-Qaeda, IS Expansion: Macron
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“Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group have made the Sahel region of West
Africa and the Gulf of Guinea nations “a priority for their strategy of
expansion,” French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday. “They are investing
there and exploiting local causes in order to better pursue their global and
regional agenda,” said Macron, after announcing a pull-out of French and allied
troops from Mali but justifying an ongoing French and EU military presence in
the region.”

 

Voice Of America: Land Mine Kills Five Soldiers In Niger
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“An improvised explosive device has killed five Nigerien soldiers in the
southwest of the Sahel country, the defense ministry said Thursday. An army
patrol unit on Wednesday hit the device, killing the five soldiers and wounding
two others, the ministry said in a statement read on public radio. The blast
occurred in the Gotheye district of the Tillaberi region, which lies in a
flashpoint zone where the frontiers of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali converge.
Western Niger has for years faced jihadi attacks, despite the efforts of
international forces deployed to the wider Sahel region to fight the Islamist
insurgents. Niger, the world's poorest country, according to the U.N.'s Human
Development Index, has to contend with two insurgencies. It has faced groups
such as the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) in the west, as well as
Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the southeast,
near the border with Nigeria.”

 

United Kingdom

 

BBC News: Nelson Far-Right Fanatic Who Had Terror Handbook Jailed
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“A man who possessed a “terrorist handbook” and had an “obsession” with
far-right ideologies has been jailed. Conrad Howarth, from Nelson in
Lancashire, pleaded guilty to gathering terrorist material and also possessing
extreme pornography. The 41-year-old was jailed at Manchester Crown Court for
four-and-a-half years.

Counter-terror officer Det Ch Insp Clare Devlin said right-wing terrorism
“will not be tolerated”. “The evidence seized in this investigation was
concerning and demonstrated Howarth's obsession with far right wing
ideologies,” he said. Howarth, of Pinfold Place, admitted a charge of
collecting, recording, possessing or viewing information likely to be useful to
a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism. Police said they found
the extreme pornography on a laptop when searching his home.”

 

Germany

 

Associated Press: German Woman Charged With Membership In Islamic State Group
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“Federal prosecutors in Germany said Friday they have formally charged a
German woman with membership in a foreign terrorist organization for traveling
to Syria with her young son to join the Islamic State group. Prosecutors said
Verena M., whose surname wasn’t released for privacy reasons, has also been
indicted on charges of child endangerment, breaching her duty of care as a
parent and breaking arms control laws. In a statement, federal prosecutors
accused her of leaving Germany for Turkey with her son in 2015, against the
father’s wishes. She then traveled to the Iraqi city of Mosul, where she joined
the Islamic State, later moving to Raqqa in Syria. During her time with the
Islamic State, M. is alleged to have benefited from financial and housing
support the group provided. In return she allegedly ran the household for her
new husband, a fighter with the group, and educated her son according to the
group’s radical ideas. Prosecutors also accuse her of possessing two assault
rifles. M. was captured by Kurdish forces in 2019 and brought back to Germany
two years later.”

 

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