“A bomb tore through a Shiite mosque in Peshawar, in northwestern Pakistan, on
Friday, killing at least 57 people and wounding more than 100 in one of

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


March 7, 2022

 

The New York Times: ISIS Claims Bombing Of Pakistani Mosque, Killing Dozens
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“A bomb tore through a Shiite mosque in Peshawar, in northwestern Pakistan, on
Friday, killing at least 57 people and wounding more than 100 in one of the
worst terrorist attacks in Pakistan in several years. The Islamic State’s
regional affiliate, Islamic State Khorasan, or ISIS-K, claimed responsibility,
according to a translation of an ISIS statement by the SITE Intelligence Group.
The statement said the bombing was carried out by an Afghan suicide bomber. The
Islamic State, a Sunni Muslim terrorist group that considers Shiites heretics,
has claimed several previous attacks in Pakistan but the mosque bombing was the
biggest and deadliest yet. Police officials said that at least one gunman on a
motorcycle had killed two police guards before entering the mosque and
detonating what appeared to be a suicide vest, while another official said
there were two attackers. The attack was one of the deadliest in years to hit
Peshawar, a city of roughly two million people near Pakistan’s border with
Afghanistan. In 2014, nine Taliban gunmen killed more than 140 people at the
Army Public School and Degree College there. “We are trying to figure out and
determine what happened,” Moazzam Jah, the provincial police chief, said
Friday.”

 

United States

 

Reuters: Ericsson, CEO Sued In U.S. Court Over Conduct In Iraq
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“Swedish telecoms company Ericsson (ERICb.ST), its chief executive and chief
financial officer have been named as defendants in a U.S. class action lawsuit
for misleading investors about the company's dealings in Iraq, a filing to a
New York court said on Friday. Ericsson is at the centre of a scandal over
potential payments to the Islamic State in Iraq. On Wednesday the U.S.
Department of Justice said it was in breach of a 2019 deferred prosecution
agreement (DPA) for failing to fully disclose details of its operations in
Iraq. The filing, by law firm Pomerantz to the District Court of Eastern
District of New York, said that Ericsson among other things had misled
investors by overstating the extent to which it had eliminated the use of
bribes. An Ericsson spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment
but Ericsson said in a brief statement that the company and “certain (company)
officers” had been named as defendants in connection with “allegedly false and
misleading statements” concerning Iraq. Under the conditions of the 2019 DPA,
Ericsson paid more than $1 billion to resolve a series of corruption probes,
involving bribery in China, Vietnam and Djibouti, and agreed to cooperate with
the department for ongoing investigations.”

 

CNBC: Supreme Court Reinstates Death Sentence For Boston Marathon Bomber
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev
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“The Supreme Court on Friday reinstated the death penalty sentence imposed on
Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, reversing a lower federal appeals
court ruling that had voided that punishment. In its 6-3 ruling, the high court
rejected arguments by Tsarnaev’s lawyers that his trial judge erred in barring
certain questions to prospective jurors, and in blocking evidence of his
brother Tamerlan’s role in a prior triple murder. “Dzhokhar Tsarnaev committed
heinous crimes,” Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in the majority
opinion. “The Sixth Amendment nonetheless guaranteed him a fair trial before an
impartial jury. He received one. The judgment of the United States Court of
Appeals for the First Circuit is reversed,” Thomas wrote. All six of the
court’s conservatives voted to reinstate the death penalty, while the three
liberal justices all dissented. “Legal rulings don’t erase trauma and pain. Our
focus today, and always, is on the hundreds of families that were deeply
impacted and traumatized by this horrific act of domestic terrorism,” the U.S.
Attorney for Massachussetts, Rachael Rollins, said in a statement later Friday.
It is unclear when, or even if, Tsarnev will be executed for committing the
April 15, 2013, bombings.”

 

Syria

 

The National: At Least 13 Syrian Soldiers Killed In Former ISIS Stronghold
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“Thirteen soldiers were killed in an ambush on a desert road near Palmyra in
eastern Syria on Sunday, government media service Sana reported. The news
agency said 18 soldiers were also wounded in the attack that involved a variety
of weapons. British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights blamed ISIS for
the attack and reported the death toll as 15. Despite the fall of the
self-proclaimed ISIS “caliphate” in 2019, the group continues to launch deadly
attacks from hideouts in the Syrian desert, which extends from the outskirts of
the capital Damascus to the Iraqi border. The Observatory, which relies on a
network of sources across the country, said the death toll could rise as most
of the wounded soldiers were in a serious condition. ISIS did not immediately
claim responsibility for the attack. Syrian soldiers are occasionally moved
across country by bus, a high-risk mode of transport given the large
concentration of men within a single unarmoured vehicle. In January, ISIS
militants fired rockets and an anti-aircraft gun at a bus travelling in the
same area, killing five soldiers. In October, 27 Syrian soldiers were killed
when a bus in Damascus was blown up by two bombs. Two similar attacks in
central Syria and in Damascus in January killed eight soldiers.”

 

Afghanistan

 

France 24: Taliban's Secretive Haqqani Network Leader Finally Shows His Face
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“One of the Taliban's most secretive leaders, whose only picture on US “most
wanted” lists is a grainy semi-covered profile, was photographed openly for the
first time Saturday at a passing-out parade for new Afghan police recruits.
Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, who also heads the feared Haqqani
Network, has previously only been photographed clearly from behind -- even
since the hardline Islamists seized power last August. “For your satisfaction
and for building your trust... I am appearing in the media in a public meeting
with you,” he said in a speech at the parade. Before the Taliban's return,
Haqqani was the most senior of three deputies to leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.
Akhundzada himself hasn't been seen in public for years, and many Afghan
analysts believe he may not even be alive. Haqqani heads a powerful subset of
the Taliban blamed for some of the worst violence of the past 20 years. The
United States has offered a reward of up to $10 million for information leading
to his arrest, saying he was responsible for a string of terror attacks.
Pictures of Haqqani were being widely shared on social media Saturday by
Taliban officials who had previously only posted photographs that didn't show
his face, or if it had been digitally blurred.”

 

Yemen

 

Asharq Al-Awsat: US Delegation Visits Yemen For Talks On Economy, Terrorism
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“A US delegation discussed in Yemen the country’s security, economic and
development needs, as well as efforts to combat terrorism and illegal
smuggling. US Envoy to Yemen Tim Lenderking and Chargé d’Affaires for the US
Embassy in the country Cathy Westley conducted a visit to the governorates of
Shabwa, Hadramaut and Mahra. On a rare visit to the southeastern Shabwa
governorate on Thursday, Lenderking and Westley discussed with the governor,
Awad Al-Awlaki, developments on the economic and security levels, in the
presence of officials from the Arab Coalition for the Support of Legitimacy in
Yemen. Local sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the US delegation “focused on
the security aspect, achieving security and stability, and combating
terrorism.” Speaking on condition of anonymity, the sources said: “The visit
represented support for the governor’s efforts and followed a previous meeting
with the chargé d’affaires of the embassy, which took place via video call.”
Earlier this year, the Southern Giants Brigades liberated three districts
northwest of Shabwa from the grip of the Houthi militia, and advanced towards
southern Marib, liberating the Harib district, before stopping at that point.”

 

Middle East

 

Asharq Al-Awsat: Egyptian-EU Talks Discuss Fight Against Terrorism, Illegal
Immigration
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“Brussels on Saturday hosted Egyptian-European talks on boosting cooperation
in combating terrorism and illegal immigration, as well as coordination on
Middle East issues. The talks were held between Egypt’s Ambassador in Brussels
Badr Abdel Aty and Chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign
Affairs David McAllister. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement
that the meeting discussed means of developing Egyptian-European cooperation
ties in different domains. The officials discussed cooperation between Egypt
and the European Union in energy given Cairo's position as a hub for energy
production, trade and distribution. The meeting also tackled Cairo’s regional
role in achieving security and stability in crises in the Middle East, mainly
in Libya and Syria, in addition to the Palestinian cause and the situation in
the Sahel region. The Egyptian statement quoted McAllister as praising Egypt's
constructive role in achieving regional security and stability, in addition to
Cairo’s efforts in combating terrorism and illegal immigration. The officials
addressed the ongoing political, economic and social modernization process
taking place in Egypt, notably in wake of the launch of the national strategy
for human rights and efforts to bolster education and health services.”

 

The Wall Street Journal: U.A.E. Placed On Global Watch List For Money
Laundering, Terrorism Financing
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“A global watchdog censured the United Arab Emirates for not doing enough in
confronting money laundering and terrorism financing activities, adding it to a
list of countries requiring increased monitoring, in a blow to the Middle East
nation’s image as a safe business and investment hub. The Financial Action Task
Force, a Paris-based intergovernmental body that audits the ability of nations
to detect and disrupt illicit finance, on Friday clubbed the U.A.E. with 22
other countries, including Pakistan, Syria and Nicaragua, in a so-called gray
list of jurisdictions that are deemed deficient but working with the FATF to
improve. Zimbabwe was removed from the list. FATF said the U.A.E. has committed
to combating sanctions evasion, increasing resources to use financial
intelligence to pursue money laundering, demonstrating a sustained increase in
investigations and prosecutions of such activities. The U.A.E. has “made a
high-level political commitment” to strengthen the effectiveness of its regime,
and over the past two years “has made significant progress…to improve its
system,” the FATF said in a statement. Following the announcement, the U.A.E.
said it would work closely with the FATF to remedy the identified areas of
improvement.”

 

Nigeria

 

All Africa: Subdued In Nigeria, Boko Haram Shift Attacks To Its Neighbours
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“The 2022 Global Terrorism Index report has indicated that Nigeria's attacks
by the deadly terror group, Boko Haram, appear to have declined in the country,
as the group is now preoccupied with attacks on neighboring West African
countries. Nigeria has also gone down to the sixth position globally, among the
countries that have been hard hit by terrorism in 2021, according to the
report. It had occupied the third position for more than three years before
now. The GTI report said Boko Haram was responsible for only 69 deaths in
Nigeria in 2021, a decrease of 77% from the previous year - the lowest number
of deaths by the group for a decade. According to the report, the death of Boko
Haram's leader, Abubakar Shekau, significantly affected the group. The report
attributed Boko Haram's decline in attacks against it by a rival terror group,
Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP), and the counter-terrorism efforts of the
Nigerian government and foreign military forces. ISWAP split from the Boko
Haram group in 2016 but the groups remain united in an insurgency against the
Nigerian government that has expanded to neighboring Niger, Chad, and Cameroon.
Boko Haram, for more than a decade, has been waging an armed insurgency against
Nigeria, especially in the country's north-east region, leading to the loss of
thousands of lives.”

 

Mali

 

Reuters: At Least 27 Soldiers Killed In Central Mali Attack
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“A militant attack on an army base in central Mali on Friday killed at least
27 soldiers and wounded 33 more, the government said. Seven soldiers are still
missing following the complex attack in the rural commune of Mondoro, which
involved car bombs, according to a government statement. Seventy “terrorists”
were killed in the military's response, the statement said, without specifying
which militant group was responsible. Affiliates of both al Qaeda and Islamic
State are active in central Mali. Mali has been facing an Islamist insurgency
since al Qaeda-linked militants seized its desert north in 2012, forcing former
colonial power France to intervene to drive them back the following year. The
militants have since regrouped and seized vast swaths of the Malian
countryside, while also expanding into Niger, Burkina Faso and other
neighbouring countries. France has maintained thousands of troops across the
region since 2013, but announced last month that it would withdraw its forces
from Mali as relations with the ruling military junta soured.”

 

Africa

 

The Washington Post: Tanzania Drops Terrorism Charges Against Opposition
Leader, Releases Him
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“A Tanzanian court dropped terrorism-related charges on Friday against
opposition leader Freeman Mbowe and three co-accused and ordered their release,
their lawyer said. Mbowe, who is chairman of the Party for Democracy and
Progress, commonly known as Chadema, was arrested on July 21, 2021, while
campaigning for constitutional reforms. He was accused of paying three men to
blow up gas stations and of being involved in “terrorism-related” activities.
His lawyer, Peter Kibatala, said Mbowe’s release was unexpected, coming on the
morning that he was scheduled to testify in court. “We did not know it would
happen; we had spent the whole day in prison yesterday preparing Mr. Mbowe and
his co-accused for defense,” Kibatala said in a phone interview. “This has come
as a pleasant surprise. We are sad that they did not get [to tell] their side
of the story but elated that this very sad journey has come to an end,” he
added. Mbowe’s party has been pushing for democratic reforms in Tanzania that
would reduce the central government's power and give parliament greater
oversight. His arrest came just months after the death of the East African
country’s former leader, John Magufuli, in March 2021.”

 

AFP: Tunisia Sentences 16 To Death Over 2016 Terror Attacks In Ben Guerdane
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“A Tunisian court sentenced 16 people to death in the first judgements against
terrorists involved in 2016 attacks near the Libyan border that left scores
dead, media reported on Saturday. A total of 96 people stand accused in the
trial relating to the March 2016 events that saw the town of Ben Guerdane
become the stage of a bloody battle as members of the Daesh terror (Islamic
State) group’s Libya branch staged a series of deadly attacks. The court
specialised in terrorism offences handed 16 of the defendants Tunisia’s
toughest sentence, though the country has imposed a moratorium on capital
punishment since 1991. The remaining defendants were handed sentences ranging
from four years to life in prison, though a small but unspecified number of
defendants were acquitted, the reports said. The prosecution said it would
appeal. Following the attacks in Ben Guerdane, the Tunisian authorities said
they had thwarted an attempt by the Daesh terror group to establish a foothold
within the country. The attacks killed 13 members of the security forces and
seven civilians. In addition, 55 attackers were also killed.”

 

The Times: Isis Raising Cash In South Africa To Spread Its Message Of Terror
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“Sanctions imposed by the United States on four obscure figures in South
Africa may have gone almost unnoticed this week, but they point to an
unsettling new trend in the spread of global jihadism. They indicate how South
Africa, a key western ally in Africa that has been relatively unscathed by the
blight of Islamist terror, has emerged as a base for Islamic State as it seeks
to extend its influence on the continent. The US Treasury announced on
Wednesday that it had designated two South Africans, an Ethiopian and a
Tanzanian, all based in South Africa, as organisers or facilitators of Isis
activity…”

 

France

 

RFI: France Opens Terror Investigation Into Jail Attack Amid New Protests In
Corsica
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“France's National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office on Thursday opened an
inquiry into the violent attack in a southern jail which left Corsican militant
Yvan Colonna in a coma. Meanwhile, tension has mounted after his supporters
blocked a ferry in the port of Ajaccio on Friday in a bid to prevent police
reinforcements arriving on the island. The National agency in charge of
anti-terrorism cases (Pnat) said they would investigate the actions of the
attacker, Franck Elong Abé, a 36-year old Cameroonian national currently
serving a 9 year term for “association with groups planning a terrorist act”.
According to sources close to the case, the suspect told investigators his act
was in response to “blasphemy” attributed to the victim, who “spoke ill of the
prophet”. Yvan Colonna, incarcerated at the Arles prison was attacked on
Wednesday while he was working out alone, the victim of “strangulation with
bare hands and then choking,” according to Tarascon prosecutor Laurent Gumbau.
“The circumstances of this attack and the initial elements leads us to believe
it was not motivated on personal grounds. We are pursuing Elong Abé for
attempted murder in relation to a terrorist group” the Pnat said, adding the
suspect would be transferred to Marseille.”

 

Germany

 

The National: German Mother On Terror Charges After 'Joining Women-Only ISIS
Unit' In Syria
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“A German-Iranian mother has been charged with terrorism offences for
allegedly joining a women-only ISIS combat unit after taking her two children
to Syria. The woman — identified only as Solale M — was one of three German
women arrested in October after they were brought back to the country from a
detention camp in north-east Syria. German prosecutors say Solale M travelled
to Syria, via Turkey, in June 2014 with her husband and two children whom she
brought up in accordance with ISIS ideology in Tabqa and Raqqa. While her
husband plotted attacks in Europe by ISIS fighters disguised as refugees, she
joined Khatiba Nusaybah, a military battalion comprising only of the wives of
ISIS fighters who were taught to use weapons and prepare booby traps, according
to the German Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office. The family fled at the end of
2017 as ISIS lost most of its territory but were captured by Kurdish forces.
She has now been accused of membership of a terrorist organisation abroad and
offences against children. The two other German woman arrested at the same time
as Solale M were also charged earlier this year with child protection and
terrorism offences. Prosecutors say one of the women took her six-year-old
daughter to the stoning of a woman and showed her execution videos.”

 

Europe

 

Al Jazeera: Sweden Convicts Mother Of War Crimes Over Minor Fighting For ISIL
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“A Swedish court has found a Swedish woman guilty of war crimes for failing to
prevent her 12-year-old son from becoming a child soldier in Syria, where he
was killed in the civil war. Lina Ishaq, 49, who denied the charges, was
sentenced to six years in prison, the Stockholm district court said in a
statement on Friday. Ishaq, a Swede who returned from Syria in 2020, was
convicted of “grave violation of international law and grave war crime,” the
court said. “She, in her capacity as protection guarantor, omitted to prevent
her son Joan, 12-15 years, from being recruited by unknown accomplices and used
as child soldier on behalf of IS in the armed conflict in Syria,” it said,
referring to the ISIL (ISIS) armed group. The boy, born in 2001, died in 2017,
the Swedish prosecution authority said, without providing the cause of death.
The woman and her husband had been part of a “cult-like” environment and in
April 2013 she brought her son to join his father and an older son in Syria.
The court found that she must have understood that her son was used as a child
soldier. “She has not taken adequate steps to stop this, neither has she wanted
to stop it, but his role as a child soldier had been in accordance with her
convictions,” the court said.”

 

The Times Of Israel: White Supremacists Condemn Ukraine Conflict As A ‘Brother
War’; Some Blame Jews
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“White supremacists around the world have largely condemned the violence in
Ukraine as a “brother war” between two white European countries, researchers of
extremism have said. Opinions about the war are varied, and it’s not clear if
the majority of far-right extremists side with Russia or Ukraine, but most
sympathize with Ukrainian civilians. Some have blamed Jews for the conflict,
calling it a conspiracy. “The overarching narrative or agreement, if there was
one, is the idea of this being a ‘brother war,’ so basically a white Christian
nation versus another white Christian nation, and that is something a lot of
these groups have spoken out against,” said Callum Farley, an investigative
researcher with the Anti-Defamation League. The ADL released a report on
Thursday detailing the extremist response to the war, mostly based on public
and private chats and statements by the far-right, white supremacists, and
others. There is no clear blame for the war’s outbreak among the far-right.
Many white extremists are upset by the Russian army’s killing of white,
Ukrainian civilians. Graphic footage of attacks on Ukrainian cities has
circulated in far-right chat groups on the Telegram messaging application.”

 

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