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Eye on Extremism
February 23, 2022
Associated Press: Lebanese Authorities Say They Have Foiled 3 Militant Attacks
“Lebanese authorities have thwarted attempts by members of the Islamic State group to carry out three attacks near the capital Beirut that would have inflicted a large number of civilian casualties, the interior minister said Wednesday. Bassam Mawlawi said the would-be attackers, two of whom were detained earlier this month, are all Palestinians who had been recruiting young men to carry out suicide attacks with explosive belts in the predominantly Shiite southern suburbs of Beirut — a stronghold of the militant Hezbollah group. IS has in the past claimed responsibility for deadly attacks that killed and wounded scores of people in Lebanon. Such violence has dropped in recent years since the extremist group lost territories it controlled along the Lebanon-Syria border. There has been concern recently that Lebanon’s severe economic crisis was driving young men, particularly in the impoverished north, to join IS. Dozens of young Lebanese men have disappeared in northern Lebanon recently and later turned up in Iraq, where they joined IS. Several Lebanese were among suspected militants killed by Iraqi security forces over the past weeks.”
Reuters: Eighteen Civilians Killed In West Niger Attack, Government Says
“Eighteen civilians were killed when their transport vehicle came under attack in a part of western Niger frequently targeted by Islamist militants, the government said on Tuesday. Interior Minister Alkassoum Indatou attributed Sunday's attack in the Tillaberi region, near the border with Mali, to “armed bandits, aboard several motorcycles, who have not yet been identified.” He said in a statement that 13 of the victims were from the village of Foney Ganda and five from the village of Tizegorou. Local officials have blamed a series of massacres of civilians since last year on Islamic State's affiliate in West Africa, which along with al Qaeda-linked militants has been responsible for spiraling violence across the Sahelian countries of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.”
United States
Associated Press: Sentence Upheld For Coast Guard Officer Tied To Terror Plot
“A federal appeals court Tuesday upheld a prison sentence of more than 13 years for a former Coast Guard officer accused of stockpiling weapons and plotting politically motivated killings inspired by a far-right mass murderer. Christopher Hasson argued the district court judge who sentenced him in January 2020 improperly applied a “terrorism enhancement” that more than tripled the recommended range of a prison term under federal sentencing guidelines. Hasson was not charged or convicted of a terrorism-related offense. A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Hasson’s argument, saying he failed to demonstrate that the sentencing judge legally or factually erred in applying the enhancement. In a separate but similar case, the 4th Circuit ruled that a defendant does not need to be convicted of a federal crime of terrorism for the enhancement to be applied. It applies “whenever a defendant’s offense of conviction or relevant conduct was ‘intended to promote’ a federal crime of terrorism,” the panel noted in its ruling for Hasson’s case. U.S. District Judge George Hazel sentenced Hasson to 13 years and four months in prison after he pleaded guilty to possessing unregistered and unserialized silencers, being a drug addict in possession of firearms and illegal possession of tramadol, an opioid painkiller. Justice Department prosecutors called Hasson a domestic terrorist who appeared to be planning attacks inspired by the manifesto of Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian far-right terrorist who killed 77 people in a 2011 bomb-and-shooting rampage.”
Syria
Associated Press: Syria Reports Israeli Missile Attack Near Golan Heights
“Israel fired several surface-to-surface missiles toward Syrian military positions in the country’s south early Wednesday causing material damage, state media reported. State TV quoted an unnamed Syrian military official as saying that the missiles were fired from Syria’s Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and struck areas around the nearby town of Quneitra. It added that the attack that occurred shortly after midnight caused material damage but no casualties. The attack came nearly a week after Syrian state media reported a similar Israeli missile attack on an area south of the capital Damascus that also caused no casualties. Israel did not comment on the attack. It has made hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria over the past decade of its civil war, but rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations. Israel has acknowledged, however, that it targets bases of Iran-allied militias, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah that fights on the side of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces.”
Iran
Defense One: To Stop Iran’s Proxy Terrorists, Stop Iran
“The United States sent F-22 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates on Feb. 12, following last month’s Houthi missile attack on an Emirati base hosting American troops. While the added firepower is a welcome development, such deployments will not deter the Houthis or other Iranian proxies unless the hardware is reinforced by coordinated action by the United States, Israel, and Arab partners. Recognizing that Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis have the same benefactor and share many of the same goals, methods, and weapons is an essential prerequisite for developing a more cooperative and effective regional response. That response should include the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and UAE sharing technical information on Iranian weapons, especially the rockets, missiles, and drones that all three proxies operate. This could include sharing intelligence about the smuggling routes Tehran uses to deliver weapons to proxies and the financial vehicles Iran uses to fund its proxies. Israel and Gulf Arab states, along with U.S. Central Command, should also build on recent progress related to combined military exercises. There are specific opportunities associated with the recurring Noble Dina, Blue Flag, and Iron Union exercises.”
Iraq
The National: Terrorist Drone Attacks: Could New Technology Stop The Threat?
“Easily available, difficult to detect and hard to intercept, small drones pose a challenge to even the world’s most advanced militaries. When Iraqi tanks had ISIS cornered during the battle of Mosul in 2017, the extremists disabled a US-made M1A1 – a 60-tonne behemoth and one of the world’s most formidable armoured vehicles – by using a makeshift drone to drop a small grenade next to the commander’s hatch. A drone costing less than $1,000 was able to defeat a tank worth $4 million in an incident that underscored how effective even civilian drones could be in the hands of terrorists who can easily turn them into weapons. Revolutionary Guard Corps to Hezbollah and Iraq’s militias, have come to regard drones – whether purpose-built or weaponised – as a vital tool in their attacks aimed at destabilising more powerful foes. But a host of new ideas and technology promises to turn the tide against the use of low-cost drones in conflicts and give state militaries new ways to provide security against unconventional attacks. From high-tech laser beams and microwave radiation attacks, to bespoke radar systems and electronic signal jamming, modern militaries will be able to call on a whole arsenal of ways to counter the drone threat. Older systems are also being re-purposed, from fighter jets with powerful “look down, shoot down” radar and helicopters are being given new weapons to hunt unmanned aircraft.”
Afghanistan
The New York Times: To Preserve Its Own Stability, Pakistan Must Stabilize Afghanistan First
“The euphoria felt by many in Pakistan over a Taliban victory in Kabul six months ago is subsiding. The government had hoped that a friendly — some would say proxy — regime in Kabul would ease its concerns about the Pakistani Taliban. But instead, there has been a spike in terror attacks in recent months, which Pakistani officials say were planned by militants hiding inside Afghan territories. Still, senior Pakistani civil and security officials remain sanguine about the future, or, at the very least, stress that a stable Afghanistan is essential for a stable Pakistan. It’s a position that puts Pakistan in a tight corner: The country must continue to help the new Taliban government, while also contending with the growing security and economic risks to Pakistan that have come with the new regime. “Is there a chance that if the Taliban government is squeezed, there could be a change for the better? No.” Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan said in an interview with CNN earlier this month. He stressed that the world will also eventually have to deal with the Taliban for the lack of a second or better alternate. “So the only alternative we have right now is to work with them and incentivize them for what the world wants: inclusive government, human rights and women’s rights in particular,” he added.”
Al Monitor: Border Crossings And Foreign Fighters Rise After Taliban Takeover
“The rented home where the now-defunct Iraqi Islamic State (IS) leader known as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi was either blown up or blew himself up during a Feb. 3 US Special Forces raid in Syria seemed one for a family of very modest means, judging by photos later released. IS, however, still has significant financial assets to draw on, as does its rival for international jihadist supremacy, al-Qaeda. According to a recent UN report, both groups seem to be operating and growing in Afghanistan. The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan six months ago has, as many experts predicted, already reportedly led to an increase there in both al-Qaeda and IS fighters. The 29th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team of the UN Security Council, compiled by UN experts between June and December of 2021 and released earlier this month, stated: “Although under the Doha agreement of February 2020, the Taliban has committed itself to preventing any international terrorist threat emanating from Afghanistan, Member States are concerned that the regime will offer a safe haven for al-Qaeda, provided that the latter does not jeopardize Taliban efforts to achieve international legitimacy.” It added that the number of IS fighters believed to be in the country had doubled in the months following the Taliban takeover to around 4,000.”
Pakistan
Foreign Policy: Pakistan Faces ‘Peace Of Wolves’ As Regional Tensions Rise
“Complex, simultaneous attacks on two regional Pakistan Army headquarters in remote Balochistan have focused attention on the capacity and audacity of homegrown militant groups emboldened and even enabled by the victory of the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan. The assault on the paramilitary headquarters in Panjgur lasted three days, and the one in Nushki a day, and coincided with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Beijing for the Olympics opening ceremony and talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. A senior Pakistani official, speaking anonymously, said 22 attackers and 13 soldiers were killed in the Feb. 2-5 attacks, which were claimed by Baloch separatists. Sources in Pakistan—including officials and diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity—were alarmed by the sophistication and capability on display in the attacks. The Baloch Liberation Army had also claimed an attack a few weeks earlier. The resurgence of domestic terrorism in Pakistan is a bitter, but not unexpected, harvest for Islamabad, which spent the last two decades supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan, only to see the latter’s eventual success boomerang and undermine Pakistan’s own security.”
Saudi Arabia
Arab News: Egypt And UK Slam Houthi Targeting Of Saudi Airport
“Egypt’s Foreign Ministry has condemned “in the strongest terms” the “terrorist targeting” by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia of King Abdullah Airport in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. The drone attack resulted in the injury of civilians and material losses. The ministry said the Houthis’ repeated targeting of vital Saudi civilian facilities, including airports, and of innocent civilians is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, as well as a blatant threat to the Kingdom’s security and stability, and the safety and freedom of civil aviation. It stressed Egypt’s “full solidarity” with Saudi Arabia in its measures to confront these “despicable terrorist attacks,” and emphasized that the security and stability of the two brotherly countries are linked. Britain also condemned the attack and called on the Houthi militia to stop targeting populated areas. “I was shocked and saddened to hear of last night’s attack targeting Jazan Airport,” said UK Minister for Asia and the Middle East Amanda Milling. “These continued acts of terror by the Houthis risk innocent lives and must stop now,” she added in a tweet. The Iran-backed Houthis have also in recent weeks began targeting the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi.”
Middle East
The Times Of Israel: Terror Funding Charge Dropped In Plea Deal With Palestinian Aid Worker
“After over a year in detention, a Palestinian aid worker was convicted last week under a plea bargain that saw her admit to membership of in terror group but dropped the main charge against her of financing its operations. Khitam Sa’afin was arrested in November 2020 after Defense Minister Benny Gantz outlawed the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees, along with five other Palestinian aid organizations on suspicion that they were funneling cash to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a leftist terror group blamed for previous attacks on Israelis. The Ofer military court in the West Bank eventually convicted Sa’afin on February 13 in a plea deal that saw her confess to membership in the PFLP and to being president of the UPWC. She was sentenced to 16 months in prison, minus the time she had already spent in custody. She was also given a five-month suspended sentence and a fine of NIS 1,500 ($464). The updated charges no longer accused her of being part of a committee of senior PFLP activists overseeing the transfer of funds from their organizations to the terror group from Europe. The original charges included a broad list of other alleged activities Sa’afin engaged in on behalf of the PFLP, as well as tying her to the other five organizations that were accused of fundraising for the group.”
Nigeria
Reuters: Four Nigerian Security Personnel Killed In Landmine Explosion, Government Says
“At least four Nigerian security personnel were killed when their patrol vehicle detonated a landmine in the western-central state of Niger, a security official said. Authorities in Niger said last year that Islamist militants had established a presence in the Shiroro local government area for the first time. Last month, President Muhammadu Buhari said the military had started a major offensive targeting militants there. The use of explosives against security personnel in Niger state is not common, but gunmen are known to attack villages and kidnap people for ransom. Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) spokesman Odumosu Olusola said the explosion occurred on a road in Galadiman Kogo town in Shiroro in the early hours of Monday. In a statement late on Monday Olusola said the security personnel were killed when their patrol vehicle “stepped on a buried land mine, which exploded immediately, killing all occupants except the driver, who is currently in a very critical condition.” A spokesman for the governor of Niger said separately gunmen stormed Galadiman Kogo, killed an unknown number of people and burned buildings. Nigeria's security forces are stretched as they fight insurgents in the northeast and armed gangs in the north and northwest of the country.”
“Several members of the Islamic State West Africa Province and Boko Haram have been reportedly neutralised in Borno State by Nigerian Army. The Nigerian Army, which made this known on Facebook on Tuesday, hinted that the terrorists withdrew in disarray due to troops’ superior firepower. A large cache of weapons, bombs, one Mowag APC, one TCV amongst others were recovered during the operation that was carried out by troops of 402 SF Brigade on Tuesday. The army also noted that several operational vehicles of the terrorists were recovered. The statement reads, “Similarly, troops 26 Task Force brigade conducted clearance operation and aggressive patrol to Fadagwe village and adjoining settlements in Borno State. “The terrorists withdrew in disarray due to troops’ superior firepower. Several operational vehicles of the terrorists were recovered.”
Africa
Voice Of America: South Africa Sending Fresh Troops To Mozambique To Fight Islamist Insurgents
“South Africa is sending fresh troops and armored vehicles to Mozambique's northern Cabo Delgado province as part of efforts to fight Islamic State-connected insurgents. The deployment is part of the Southern African Development Community's (SADC) military intervention, which started in July last year. More than 3,000 SADC and Rwandan troops have been sent to Mozambique to fight against Islamic State-connected insurgents. The conflict has claimed more than three thousand lives and displaced 800,000 people. The South African National Defense Force’s spokesperson Brigadier-General Andries Mahapa says the fresh troops will be deployed soon. “We are just confirming the mode of transport. It could be air, land or sea. Remember in terms of security we cannot come out straight to say we are coming through by land or so forth. So that will compromise us. But we are combat ready to deploy,” said Mahapa. The joint force is known as the Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique or SAMIM. Willem Els, security analyst and counter terrorism trainer from the Institute of Security Studies, says to this point South Africa has mainly sent special forces to Mozambique.”
The National: Drones Could Help Tackle Maritime Terrorists As UN Warns Of ‘Major' Threat In Africa
“Drones could help countries respond to maritime terrorists as the UN warns of a growing number of extremist groups gaining access to nations via sea routes in Africa. Rocco Messina, head of border security management at the UN Counter-terrorism Centre, has said that terrorist groups are now carrying out attacks in African ports and that security is “critical”. “There is capacity of such groups to take control of key maritime infrastructures, such as ports,” Mr Messina said. Mr Messina made his comments during a webinar hosted by the UN on Tuesday to discuss technology and maritime border security. He said it is “vital to find a solution” to the problem to prevent the travel and relocation of foreign terrorist fighters as they pose a “major” risk. “Maritime borders must be protected by ensuring the security of ports,” he said. “Surveillance technologies and high standards of security protocol are really critical. Relevant information about terrorist threats in maritime zones should be shared in real time.” Robert Kibor, legal and policy adviser for Kenya’s National Counter-terrorism Centre, said the threat from extremists is now more severe than that of pirates.”
United Kingdom
BBC News: Convicted Bombers Guilty Of Attacking Prison Officer
“Three convicted terrorists, including Hashem Abedi who is serving life for 22 murders in the Manchester Arena bombing, have been found guilty of a “vicious attack” on a prison officer. Paul Edwards, 57, was attacked in his office in the high security unit of Belmarsh Prison in May 2020. Abedi, with Ahmed Hassan and Muhammed Saeed, all denied assault causing actual bodily harm.All three have been found guilty after a trial at Woolwich Crown Court. Abedi was convicted of assaulting a second prison officer who rushed to help his colleague. He received a sentence of three years and 10 months imprisonment, which will be added to the record 55 year minimum term he is already serving. The court heard that Abedi, 24, started the assault on Mr Edwards, along with Muhammed Saeed, 23, who had talked about carrying out a knife attack at London's Speaker's Corner. They were quickly joined by Ahmed Hassan, 22, serving life for the Tube bombing at Parsons Green underground station.”
Germany
The National: Germany Home To 1,950 Potentially Violent Islamist Extremists
“The German government has revealed there are about 1,950 potentially violent Islamist extremists in the country. These people were assessed by the Interior Ministry as both extreme in their beliefs and either known to be violent or showing a willingness to commit violent acts.They were the most dangerous of the roughly 29,000 people believed to have Islamist extremist tendencies in Germany, who in turn are a minority of the approximately 5.5 million Muslims in the country. Ministers have described right-wing extremism as the main threat to Germany’s constitutional order, but sporadic Islamist extremist attacks, including an attack at a Berlin Christmas market in 2016, have rattled the country. In a written answer to a question from MPs, the ministry said those identified did not necessarily belong to Islamist extremist organisations but were tallied up when evidence of their violent tendencies emerged. German intelligence services say the Salafist scene is the main ideological underpinning for violent extremism, although it has stagnated in size in recent years. The foreign intelligence service separately raised the alarm this month about extremists in Germany travelling to Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover.”
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