|
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
“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
“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 It was considered to be Pakistani-based but apparently is no longer active.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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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.”
The Counter Extremism Project depends on the generosity of its supporters. If you value what we do, please consider making a donation.
| |
Click here to unsubscribe.