Eye on Extremism

March 1, 2022

 

Associated Press: UN Slaps Expanded Arms Embargo On Yemen’s Houthi Rebels

 

“The U.N. Security Council voted Monday to impose an expanded arms embargo on Yemen’s Houthi rebels, saying they have threatened the peace, security and stability of the war-torn country. Council members said the rebels are responsible for attacking civilians, commercial shipping in the Red Sea, and Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The Security Council had already imposed an asset freeze, travel ban and arms embargo against Houthi leaders and top officials, but this resolution dramatically expands the arms embargo to include all Houthis. The British-drafted resolution said the Iran-backed Houthis “implemented a policy of sexual violence and repression against politically active and professional women, engaged in the recruitment and use of children,” indiscriminately used land mines and improvised explosive devices and obstructed humanitarian aid to Yemenis.”

 

Reuters: Suspected Islamist Militants Kill 20 Civilians In Eastern Congo

 

“Suspected Islamist militants killed at least 20 civilians in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo overnight, according to a local resident and an activist who criticised the failure of Congolese and Ugandan forces to stop the repeated massacres. The attack late on Sunday evening in the village of Kikura was blamed by the resident and the activist on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan militia that has killed thousands of civilians in eastern Congo since 2013. Congolese and Ugandan troops launched joint operations against the ADF in late November but attacks by the group, which has pledged allegiance to Islamic State, have continued to kill dozens of civilians each month. The assailants struck at around 9 p.m. with machetes and also burned down houses, said Odette Zawadi, the president of a local activist organisation. She said 20 bodies had been recovered and that the death toll could rise further. “We already didn't seem to have confidence in these so-called joint operations. How can you explain that 20 people are killed in the presence of these two forces?,” she told Reuters. Claude Kalinde, a local resident, confirmed that 20 bodies had been recovered. “We thought that the coalition of the Congolese and Ugandan armies would help us, but look at how sad this is,” he said.”

 

United States

 

The New York Times: G.O.P. Leaders Condemn Lawmakers’ Appearance At White Nationalist Conference

 

“Republican congressional leaders on Monday broke their silence about the participation of two House Republicans at a far-right conference with ties to white supremacy, denouncing the actions of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Representative Paul Gosar of Arizona. Three days after Ms. Greene appeared in person and Mr. Gosar by video at the America First Political Action Conference, organized by a prominent white supremacist, Nick Fuentes, the responses reflected mounting pressure on top Republicans to denounce extremists in their ranks. They followed a sharp condemnation by the Republican Jewish Coalition and a more oblique one by the Republican National Committee, and marked a rare public rebuke by G.O.P. congressional leaders, who have more often stayed mum in response to outrageous language and conduct by their hard-right members. By Monday afternoon, Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the minority leader who aspires to be speaker, told reporters at the Capitol that he found the pair’s behavior “appalling and wrong.” After taking Republicans to Israel and the hallowed museum of the Holocaust, Yad Vashem, Mr. McCarthy said, he had returned to Washington to find that two colleagues “went and participated with a group that has a leader that many times gives antisemitic views, and led a chant for Putin.”

 

Afghanistan

 

Newsweek: Taliban Tightens Its Grip On Afghanistan With Arrests, Targeted Killings

 

“Despite the Taliban's assurances upon taking control of Afghanistan that it would not target its perceived enemies in retaliation, evidence reveals that the de facto authority is actively advancing its bloody record of atrocity crimes with arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture and targeted killings. In the months leading up to the Taliban takeover in August 2021, fighting between the Afghan military and the Taliban led to a dramatic increase in civilian casualties. The U.N. found that Taliban forces were responsible for nearly 40% of civilian deaths and injuries in the first six months of 2021, according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report. Women and children comprised nearly half of all civilian casualties. Among those casualties for which the Taliban was responsible, targeted killings were the third leading cause, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported. “Listen to the international news media, and it would seem that Afghanistan fell overnight,” an Amnesty International report read. “The civilians caught in the fighting knew differently.” “The Taliban is an actor that was involved in the conflict of Afghanistan for the past 27 years,” Ibraheem Bahiss, a consultant with Crisis Group's Asia Program, told Newsweek.”

 

Foreign Policy: Taliban Struggle To Maintain Unity Six Months Into Their Reign

 

“For years, Musa, a 28-year-old fighter who only goes by one name, built bombs for the Taliban in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province, regularly blowing up cars and sometimes humvees, fighting both Afghan forces and “foreign invaders.” He has worked hard and “killed many,” Musa said, the push for victory keeping him motivated. When the Taliban took control of the country in August 2021, Musa was thrilled. But his euphoria has since worn off, the adrenaline rush ceasing. He had hoped to be recognized by his commanders for his efforts; instead, he’s now unemployed and living in the former front-line town of Sangin, Afghanistan, where barely a house is standing. “There’s no job for me to do, and I’m bored. I’d like to keep fighting,” the 28-year-old said. The reality of the Taliban’s rule isn’t quite what he had imagined. Six months into their rule, the Taliban face numerous obstacles both internally and externally.”

 

Middle East

 

Associated Press: Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Militant In West Bank Clash

 

“A Palestinian militant was killed in clashes with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank early Tuesday, a few hours after Israeli police dispersed Palestinian stone-throwers at a gate to Jerusalem’s Old City that has been a frequent flashpoint for rapidly escalating tensions. The Islamic Jihad group said Abdullah al-Hossari was shot dead in a confrontation that erupted when Israeli special forces entered Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank. The Health Ministry said another man was seriously wounded. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which often carries out nighttime incursions into areas administered by the Palestinian Authority to arrested wanted Palestinians or demolish homes of militants involved in attacks against Israel. Local Palestinian media said the dead man was a member of the “Jenin Brigade,” a newly formed group affiliated with Islamic Jihad. In August, Israel released al-Hossari from detention after 26 months. Islamic Jihad is a pro-Iran Palestinian group. Its top political leaders are based in Syria and Lebanon, with some prominent officials in Gaza, where it is the second largest armed group after Gaza’s ruling Hamas. In Jerusalem on Monday, Israeli police fired stun grenades, rubber bullets and wastewater cannons to disperse stone-throwers.”

 

The Jerusalem Post: Israel Seizes Cryptocurrency Destined For Hamas Terrorism Funding

 

“A seizure order for Hamas-destined cryptocurrency worth tens of thousands of shekels was signed by Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Monday morning This marks the third time within a year that Israel has seized cryptocurrency accounts funding terrorism. The 12 digital accounts and 30 digital wallets belonged to businesses associated with the Al'matchadun currency exchange company, the Defense Ministry said. The company, owned by the Shamlach family, is alleged to be affiliated with terrorism networks. The Shamlach family has been accused by the Defense Ministry of assisting Hamas with the transfer of tens of millions of dollars per year. Some of the cryptocurrencies announced today as confiscated by the ministry were owned by the Shamlach family. “We are taking all the possible measures to cut off the economic ‘oxygen supply’ to terror organizations,” said Gantz. “We continue to expand the tools to cope with terror and the companies that support it. I commend the organizations involved for their intelligence, operational, and legal cooperation. We will continue to take all the measures necessary to fight terror.” The operation was jointly conducted by the National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing in Israel (NBCTF), the national cyber unit of Lahav 433, and the IDF’s Intelligence Division.”

 

Nigeria

 

AFP: Nigeria Jihadists Kill 27 People In Four Attacks

 

“Jihadists in northeast Nigeria have since Friday killed 27 people in four separate attacks, security sources and residents told AFP on Sunday. The Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), who split from rival Boko Haram jihadists in 2016, has escalated attacks in recent weeks, despite ongoing military operations. Late on Saturday, ISWAP killed 24 civilians in three villages in Borno state, an anti-jihadist militia leader and a resident told AFP. They said the civilians were targeted for helping troops fighting the militants. Military spokespeople and local officials have not yet confirmed the attacks and did not respond to AFP's requests for comment. The villages are on the fringes of Sambisa forest, a major jihadist hideout. Fighters drove into Sabongarin Kimba, Mandara-Girau and Ngama villages in Biu district, targeting residents, the sources said. “The terrorists killed 24 people in the three villages last night,” an anti-jihadist militia leader Mustapha Karimbe said. “They moved from village to village, selecting their targets and slaughtering them,” said Karimbe, adding that nine residents were killed in Sabongarin Kimba, seven in Mandara-Girau and eight in Ngama. He said soldiers had enlisted the help of villagers to clear shrubs along the highway linking the villages, which the militants use as cover for ambushes.”

 

United Kingdom

 

BBC News: Dunstable School Suspends Teacher Over Bin Laden Image

 

“A teacher has been suspended after using a picture of terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden in an attempt to portray the Prophet Muhammad in a Religious Studies lesson. All Saints Academy in Dunstable said it recognised the “deep hurt and distress” caused to Muslims by the use of a “totally inappropriate” image. The Church of England school issued an “unreserved and sincere apology”. It added there would be a “detailed and swift investigation”. For most Muslims, Muhammad, or any of the other prophets of Islam, should not be pictured in any way. The image of Bin Laden, the former al-Qaeda leader who was killed by US special forces in Pakistan in 2011, was used in a Year 10 class on Friday. A statement on the academy's website said: “Not only was it offensive to attempt to portray an image of the Prophet Muhammad, but the image that was used was that of Osama Bin Laden, a terrorist leader, which further added to the deep insult. “The Academy reiterates its unreserved and sincere apology for the distress this episode has caused.” The school said that after it was alerted by a “concerned student”, the member of staff was “immediately suspended by the principal pending a detailed and swift investigation which will follow the academy's disciplinary procedures.”

 

Germany

 

The New York Times: Threats Emerge In Germany As Far Right And Pandemic Protesters Merge

 

“First vaccine opponents attacked the police. Then a group of them chatted online about killing the governor. And one day an angry crowd beating drums and carrying torches showed up outside the house of the health minister of the eastern state of Saxony. The minister, Petra Köpping, had just gotten home when her phone rang. It was a neighbor and he sounded afraid. When Ms. Köpping peered out of her window into the dark, she saw several dozen faces across the street, flickering in the torchlight. “They came to intimidate and threaten me,” she recalled in an interview. “I had just come home and was alone. I’ve been in politics for 30 years, but I have never seen anything like this. There is a new quality to this.” The crowd was swiftly dispersed by the police, but the incident in December represented a turning point in a country where the SA, Hitler’s paramilitary organization, was notorious not just for showing up at the homes of political rivals with torches and drums, but for attacking and even murdering them. It was the clearest indication yet that a protest movement against Covid measures that has mobilized tens of thousands in cities and villages across the country was increasingly merging with the far right, each finding new purpose and energy and further radicalizing the other.”

 

Europe

 

The Print: Five Pakistanis Arrested In Spain On Terrorism Charges

 

“Giving body blow to the already settled radical Islam in the country, the National Police of Spain arrested five Pakistani citizens for encouraging their compatriots through social networks to assassinate those who raise their voice against them. Police arrested the Pakistani citizens on February 21 in Barcelona, Gerona, Ubeda (Jaen) and Granada, according to a media report. The detainees, all in their twenties, were sympathizers neither of the Islamic State (ISIS) nor of Al Qaeda, the groups to which practically all of those arrested in Spain are related, but of a radical Islamist group of Pakistan, the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), with parliamentary representation and which advocates the implementation of Islamic law and execution of those who are branded as blasphemers, said the report. The judge of the National High Court Manuel Garcia-Castellon has ordered the admission to preventive detention of all of the accused on charges of collaboration with a terrorist organization, glorification and incitement to commit murders. The investigation that has led to these arrests began after the attack in September 2020 on the former Paris headquarters of Charlie Hebdo. The satirical magazine had already suffered a jihadist attack in January 2015 in which eight persons had died.”

 

Southeast Asia

 

The Manila Times: Military Launches Land, Air Assault On IS Terror Groups In Lanao Del Sur

 

“The Armed Forces of the Philippines confirmed on Tuesday that they launched a land and air operation against the IS-inspired terrorist groups located in the Lanao del Sur Province. In a statement, AFP spokesman Colonel Ramon Zagala noted that troops from the 103rd Brigade, in coordination with the Philippine National Police, made their way through the hinterlands of Maguing. “Upon reaching near the target, close air support was given to protect troops from enemy anti-personnel mines,” Zagala said in a statement. As of Tuesday morning, Zagala said heavy fighting was ongoing. “Troops are still in the area still engaged with the terrorists,” he added. Zagala issued the statement after social media buzzed with “airstrikes” at Barangay Runggayan in Maguing. It occurred at 2 a.m., which alarmed many residents, who were monitoring events occurring in Ukraine with Russia conducting attacks and airstrikes. The Maguing Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council had appealed to residents to stay calm and not panic. This was echoed by Zagala as he noted the importance of the operation.”

 

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