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Eye on Extremism
March 18, 2022
“The UK government’s £400m debt repayment to Iran has been “ring-fenced” for humanitarian aid and will not fund terrorism, Foreign Office minister James Cleverly has said. The release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori from Iranian detention follows months of intensive diplomatic negotiations between London and Tehran – including the eventual payment of an outstanding debt owed by Britain to the regime. Mr Cleverly said British negotiators had made sure that the money would be spent on “significant and meaningful” humanitarian work – saying it had been the only way to comply with international sanctions. “We owed this debt, we accepted that debt. Obviously, the sanctions position made it incredibly difficult – you cannot just write a cheque,” the minister told Sky News. Mr Cleverly added: “The details of how we have done it have to remain confidential – but it has taken a huge amount of work to come up with a method of ensuring that money is for humanitarian purposes and that it conforms to the sanctions regime.” He also told Times Radio: “This has been ring-fenced for humanitarian purposes. Because of international money laundering laws, because of UK money laundering laws, we had to make sure that wouldn’t be money that would be used for terrorism.”
Associated Press: Suspected Jihadists Kill At Least 19 In Bus Attack In Niger
“Armed men attacked a bus killing at least 19 passengers in western Niger near the border with Burkina Faso, the Association of Passenger Transport Companies said Thursday. A dozen suspected jihadists on motorcycles intercepted the bus on Wednesday near the village of Fono, shooting the passengers before setting the bus on fire, the association said. Several passengers were injured and others are missing, it said. The bus was heading from Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, to Niger’s capital, Niamey. Trucks were found still on fire at the site of the accident. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but similar attacks have been carried out in the Tillaberi region near the border with Burkina Faso by jihadist groups linked to both al-Qaida and the Islamic State Group.”
United States
Associated Press: NYC Man Gets 8 Years In Prison After Trying To Join Taliban
“A New York City man convicted of trying to help the Taliban fight American forces was sentenced Thursday to eight years in prison. Delowar Mohammed Hossain was sentenced in Manhattan federal court by Judge Sidney H. Stein. Hossain was convicted during a one-week trial in October of trying to provide material support for terrorism by contributing funds, goods and services to the Taliban. Authorities apprehended Hossain in 2019 at Kennedy Airport, interrupting his plan to travel to Afghanistan. Prior to the trial, the judge allowed the government to take steps to protect the identities of witnesses, including a New York City police officer who corresponded with Hossain in an undercover capacity prior to his arrest. According to court papers, Hossain in 2018 started expressing interest in joining the Taliban and sought to recruit someone to do the same, but the person turned out to be a government informant. The court papers said he told the informant, “I want to kill some kufars (non-believers) before I die.” Prosecutors said his preparations included buying equipment like walkie-talkies and trekking gear. He instructed the informant to save enough money “to buy some weapons” once they reached Afghanistan, they added. Prosecutors had sought a 35-year prison sentence, calling Hossain in court papers a “dangerous, radicalized extremist who devoted himself to killing Americans.”
ABC News: Congress Addresses Bomb Threats At Historically Black Colleges
“Congress is addressing campus security at historically Black colleges and universities in the wake of dozens of high-profile bomb threats. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform and the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties will hold a hearing Thursday featuring HBCU students alongside FBI and Department of Education officials. The hearing aims to explore how the government can help to improve institution security and prevent domestic terrorism. “In one threatening call targeting Spelman College, an HBCU for women in Atlanta, a caller claimed they had singled out that school for one reason: 'there are too many Black students in it,'” said Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney in her opening statement. A signboard welcomes people to the Howard University campus in Washington, July 6, 2021. The campuses of at least 36 HBCUs, as well as other universities, have been targeted and at least 18 of these colleges and universities were targeted on Feb. 1 -- the first day of Black History Month. More than one-third of the nation's 101 historically Black academic institutions have been threatened. The FBI announced that the threats were being investigated as “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism and hate crimes” and stated that the investigation was of the “highest priority.”
Syria
Kurdistan 24: 2 Women With Links To ISIS Escape Camp In Northeast Syria: Report
“Two female detainees with ties to ISIS have escaped from the notorious al-Hol camp in northeast Syria, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) war monitor reported on Wednesday. Following the incident, the Internal Security Forces, also known as Asayish in Kurdish, started a search campaign in the nearby town to look for the two women. Security forces have also arrested a number of people in the al-Hol camp, the SOHR noted. SOHR also claimed that security forces have issued a decision to temporarily stop the work of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operating in the camp from March 17 to March 23. On March 12, SDF forces, supported by the anti-ISIS coalition, raided several tents in al-Hol in search of ISIS cells and weapons. On March 7, the Asayish foiled an attempt to free ISIS-affiliated women from the Al-Hol camp and arrested the smugglers in the vicinity of the camp. According to data from the UN, al-Hol is the largest camp for refugees and internally displaced people in Syria, hosting about 56,000 people. Most of al-Hol's residents are Iraqis and Syrians, but the camp also includes many foreign families thought to have links to the Islamic State. Earlier this month, the Iraqi National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji warned that the continued presence of the children in the camp is a “ticking bomb” that could pose a “real threat” if they remain in the overcrowded camp.”
Afghanistan
France 24: UN Votes To Establish Formal Presence In Taliban-Run Afghanistan
“The UN Security Council adopted a resolution Thursday to secure a formal presence in Afghanistan, whose Taliban government remains unrecognized by the international community. The resolution—which avoids using the word Taliban—will allow the UN to continue its “crucial” work in Afghanistan, still reeling after decades of war and whose economy was devastated when the international community cut off aid as the Taliban took power last year. The vote was 14 in favor, with one abstention, by Russia. The United Nations has not yet recognized the Taliban’s pick of envoy to the body, and the resolution does not give the new government international recognition. It includes several strands of cooperation, on the humanitarian, political and human rights fronts, including those of women, children and journalists. “This new mandate for UNAMA (the UN mission to Afghanistan) is crucial not only to respond to the immediate humanitarian and economic crisis, but also to reach our overarching goal of peace and stability in Afghanistan,” Norwegian UN ambassador Mona Juul, whose country drafted the resolution, told AFP after the vote. First established in Afghanistan in 2002, UNAMA’s mandate has in the past included humanitarian support, human rights advocacy, and political and regional cooperation.”
Washington Examiner: US Hasn’t Conducted Strikes Against ISIS-K Since Leaving Afghanistan
“The Pentagon confirmed that it has not conducted any strikes against the Islamic State’s Afghan affiliate since the United States exited the country seven months ago, despite a suicide attack that killed Americans at Kabul's airport. The Taliban rapidly took over following a chaotic U.S. military withdrawal last year, and an August suicide bombing by ISIS-K killed 13 U.S. service members during evacuation efforts at the airport, with the Taliban providing security outside. Gen. Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, where he said there had been no strikes conducted in Afghanistan since the drawdown. He agreed terrorist groups are more able to plan terrorist attacks when there is no sustained counterterrorism pressure against them. Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, asked what the U.S. is doing to overcome the reduction in its counterterrorism efforts in Afghanistan since leaving and how ISIS-K and al Qaeda were rebuilding in the country. “We have not undertaken any strikes in Afghanistan since the 1st of September,” McKenzie said. “We continue to watch carefully as ISIS grows.”
Somalia
All Africa: Somalia: Pentagon May Boost Troop Presence In Somalia
“The Pentagon may add troops in Somalia to control the growing al-Shabaab terrorist organization, the head of U.S. Africa Command told senators Tuesday. In the final weeks of his presidency, President Donald Trump ordered “the majority” of American troops to leave Somalia, sending some members of the U.S. military to neighboring countries, including Kenya and Djibouti, and continue their counterterrorism mission from outside the country. Gen. Stephen Townsend said that al-Shabaab, an Al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group in eastern Africa, is “among the world's fastest-growing, wealthiest, and deadliest terrorist groups” that poses a threat to Americans, and that a U.S military presence relegated to neighboring countries is insufficient to combat it. “My view is that our periodic engagement, also referred to as commuting to work, has caused new challenges and risks for our troops,” Townsend said at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. “My assessment is that it is not effective, it's not efficient, and it puts our troops at greater risk.” Townsend said he's provided advice to his chain of command that is still being considered. He declined to go into more detail in the open portion of the hearing, saying that he'd “like to give them space to make that decision.”
Africa
Yahoo News: DR Congo Rebels Moving Inland After Joint Border Crackdown
“DR Congo's most notorious armed group is moving inland from the border with Uganda after Ugandan and Congolese troops attacked its strongholds there, experts say. Billed by the so-called Islamic State as its local affiliate, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) have been accused of killing thousands of civilians in DR Congo's troubled east. After the ADF carried out a wave of bombings in the Ugandan capital Kampala last year, Ugandan forces last November crossed the border in a joint crackdown with the hard-pressed Congolese army. The operation has combined with a “state of siege” imposed last May in the eastern provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, giving special powers to army and police officers. But the big effort has so far failed to stem ADF attacks -- and some observers say the group has merely been displaced. At least seventy-nine civilians were killed in attacks from last Friday to Monday in the Beni and Irumu areas alone, local sources say. Analysts following the security crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo say the ADF has pulled out of strongholds near the border and headed farther inland. Over the past three months, “there has been a movement of ADF rebels from east to the west,” crossing a line roughly marked by National Highway 4 linking Beni and Kisangani, said Reagan Miviri of the Kivu Security Tracker (KST), a respected monitor.”
Al Jazeera: 17 Dead After Armed Group Attack In Sudan’s Jabal Moon
“At least 17 people have been killed and four villages burned down this week in the gold-rich Jabal Moon mountain area of Sudan, after attacks by what is believed to be the government-linked militia known locally as the Janjaweed, witnesses told Al Jazeera. Among those killed on Monday were three workers with Darfur-based Human Rights Monitors who had been on a mission assessing the human rights situation in the area after similar incidents in the past. The area, near the western border with Chad, is inhabited mostly by agrarian non-Arab communities who have, for years, witnessed repeated attacks by predominantly Arab armed groups. All these groups are believed to be affiliated with the Janjaweed, a name that persists when people speak of the group that is now the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The group of fierce Arab fighters rose to prominence in 2003 during the Darfur War, mobilised by former strongman President Omar al-Bashir to fight non-Arab rebels. In 2013, al-Bashir renamed the group the RSF under the leadership of Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, or Hemeti, who is now deputy head of the country’s transitional military government. Some residents say authorities have been involved, cutting off communications across West Darfur capital el-Geinana during every attack on Jabal Moon. Other observers say they believe the armed groups might be operating without the knowledge of high-ranking government officials like Hemeti.”
United Kingdom
Reuters: UK Police Warn Younger Children Involved In Far-Right Terrorism
“Britain's head of counter-terrorism policing said on Thursday the police had serious concern about a rise in the number of young people and children becoming caught up in far-right extremism. Matt Jukes said youngsters, mainly boys in their early teens, were becoming self-radicalised online and then progressing to actually planning terrorist attacks. "We're talking about boys principally 14, 15 years old," Jukes told reporters. "This is a group which is substantially younger than we have seen in the past." British police have warned for some time about the rise in far-right extremism, but Jukes said those involved were getting younger. In 2021, out of 186 terrorism arrests, just over 40% related to suspected extreme right wing terrorism. Of the 20 children arrested, 19 were linked to far-right ideologies. Last February, a boy who headed a neo-Nazi group and carried out his first offence aged just 13 was convicted of terrorism offences, while last July, another 13-year-old was arrested and later admitted possessing information useful to a terrorist.”
Germany
The Jerusalem Post: German City Closes ‘Pro-Terrorism’ Hezbollah Mosque And Association
“Police in the western German city of Münster on Thursday stormed the Hezbollah-controlled Imam-Mahdi mosque and its affiliated center because intelligence determined that the mosque and its center are pursuing violations of the constitution. Sources told The Jerusalem Post in 2019 that pro-Hezbollah terrorism activities were unfolding in the controlled Imam-Mahdi mosque, leading to a Post expose that a Hezbollah member declared in the mosque: “We Have Pledged Allegiance to [Ali] Khamenei; We Are Accused of Terrorism and Are Proud of It.” Khamenei is the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Germany banned all Hezbollah activities in 2020. Critics argue that the Federal Republic has moved at a glacial-like pace in shutting down Hezbollah centers, mosques and arresting the Lebanese terrorist organization’s members in Germany. The intelligence agency for North Rhine-Westphalia was not aware of the pro-terrorism statements until the Post published its article. According to the mass-circulation Bild newspaper, the German authorities raided the apartments of two leaders of the association “Fatime Versammlung,” which is affiliated with the Imam-Mahdi mosque. A search also took place of a location in Delmenhorst, where Hezbollah also has activities.”
Technology
Politico: Digital Bridge: Russia’s Digital Geopolitics — Blue Jedi — Online Extremists
“…People’s attention (rightly) has been focused on the war in Ukraine. But March 15 marked the three-year anniversary of a white supremacist killing 51 people in New Zealand — an attack he livestreamed on Facebook. Since 2019, the so-called Christchurch Call (promoted by the French and New Zealand governments) has tried to combat violent and extremist speech online. That includes the creation of an (industry-funded) group called the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism whose mandate has increasingly shifted to homegrown terrorism. There’s a problem: it hasn’t worked. From Islamic State using a codebook of emojis to sidestep Facebook’s content rules to Western nationalists organizing offline events via Telegram to white supremacists building a replica of Auschwitz on TikTok, online extremism has gone from strength to strength since that fatal attack in Christchurch. Even now, a quick Google search for the so-called “Christchurch manifesto,” or rabbling doctrine left behind by the shooter, will take you to the text in a few clicks. COVID-19 has compounded this situation. The last two years have provided an online melting pot for all types of extremists to join forces, often in odd ways. So far, no policy response has been able to tackle this problem.”
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