“Islamic State took responsibility for an attack in which gunmen killed two
Israeli border police officers and injured at least six others during a sh

 

 


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Eye on Extremism


March 29, 2022

 

The Wall Street Journal: Islamic State Claims Deadly Shooting In Israel
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“Islamic State took responsibility for an attack in which gunmen killed two
Israeli border police officers and injured at least six others during a
shooting spree Sunday night in the streets of central Israel, the second deadly
incident linked to the militant group in the country in under a week. Monday’s
announcement is the first time Islamic State has claimed responsibility for an
attack in Israel since 2017. Israeli security officials said the two gunmen who
carried out the shooting were Arab-Israeli citizens who had become Islamic
State operatives. It comes less than a week after and Arab-Israeli man who had
tried to join Islamic State in Syria killed four people in southern Israel. The
quick succession of deadly Islamic State-linked attacks has rattled Israel and
put its security services on high alert. “A second attack by Islamic State
supporters in Israel demands the security forces adapt quickly to a new threat.
And so we will do it,” said Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Monday.
The shooters on Sunday were carrying more than 1,100 bullets, three handguns
and knives, as well as protective armor, police said. A video shared widely on
social media of the shooting showed the gunmen picking up an assault rifle from
what appeared to be prone security officers, and continuing their attack with
those weapons before being fatally shot by undercover police who happened to be
nearby.”

 

Associated Pres: Denmark Adds COVID-19 Extremism In Terror Assessment
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“Denmark’s domestic security on Tuesday designated pandemic-linked
“antigovernmental extremism” as a menace for the first time ever. The agency,
known by its Danish acronym PET, said in its annual assessment that although
this type of extremism is not “a significant driving force for the terrorist
threat” in the country, it does make the situation “more complex.” PET said the
menace which expresses the need to use violence against elected
representatives, had appeared in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. Michael
Hamann, head of PET’s Center for Terror Analysis that analyzes the threat of
terrorism against Denmark and Danish interests abroad, said the vast majority
of instances where authorities were heavily criticized for their handling of
the pandemic unfolded peacefully. Hamann cited examples where such criticism
has been expressed by “threats and intimidation” in Denmark, while there have
been examples abroad “of planning or carrying out actual violent acts.’”

 

Syria

 

Kurdistan 24: SDF Kills ISIS Member In Deir Al-Zor: Coalition
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“The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) killed a suspected ISIS fighter in the
Euphrates River Valley in Deir al-Zor, the US-led Special Operations Joint Task
Force-Levant (SOJTF LEVANT) announced on Monday morning. “Today security forces
conducted operations near the Euphrates River Valley region (in Deir al-Zor) in
Syria against Daesh, resulting in 1 enemy KIA (killed in action),” tweeted the
official SOJTF LEVANT account using the Arabic acronym for ISIS. The UK-based
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) also reported that SDF forces backed
by the US-led coalition forces carried out a raid on the suspected ISIS
militant in the Al-Litwah neighborhood of Dhiban city in the eastern
countryside of Deir al-Zor province on Monday morning. The man was killed after
he refused to surrender. The SDF and US-led coalition regularly carry out
operations against the militant group to prevent it from making a resurgence in
the region.”

 

Iran

 

CNN: Why A Terror Designation Is The Last Sticking Point In Iran-US Talks
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“After weeks of signals from Iranian and Western officials that a deal to
revive the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement was imminent, an escalation in rhetoric
between Tehran and the United States over the weekend dampened hopes for a
breakthrough. US special envoy for Iran Robert Malley told CNN's Becky Anderson
in Doha on Sunday that a nuclear deal “is not around the corner and is not
inevitable” due to outstanding issues that “matter deeply” to parties involved
in the talks, one of which is Tehran's demands regarding the elite Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Iran's insistence on reversing the
designation of the IRGC as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) appeared to
be the last major sticking point in talks, with neither side showing new signs
of compromise. Beyond nuclear compliance, what Iran is offering in return for
the delisting remains unclear. US State Department spokesman Ned Price refused
to answer a question last week on an Axios report claiming that Tehran would
publicly commit to a de-escalation in the Middle East if the IRGC are removed
as an FTO. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have both been struck by
Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and most recently, drones hit an oil depot
in the kingdom's second largest city Jeddah, 20 miles away from a Formula 1
track during a practice session.”

 

Fox News: Iran Nuclear Talks: Biden Shouldn't Turn A Blind Eye To Terrorism To
Secure Deal
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“Troubling reports are emerging from the nuclear talks in Vienna that the
Biden administration is on the verge of removing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps (IRGC) from the list of designated foreign terrorist organizations
(FTOs).  Such a move would severely hamper the United States’ efforts to
counter Iranian terrorism around the world – even if the White House keeps
other terrorism sanctions in place. I would know. I led the Trump
administration’s efforts to designate the IRGC as an FTO. The Iranian regime is
the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, and the IRGC is its favorite
tool for promoting terrorism across the globe. The IRGC doesn’t just support
terrorism. It actively engages in terrorism as a basic tool of Iranian
statecraft."

 

Afghanistan

 

Newsweek: Taliban Increases Brutality As World Focus Turns To Ukraine
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“More than six months after the Taliban seized Kabul, Afghanistan has largely
escaped the public eye, which is now watching intently as Vladimir Putin's
invasion of Ukraine unfolds. Out of the world's watch, the Taliban has
intensified its assault on the country it now controls, one that is battling a
deepening humanitarian crisis and is in dire need of international support.
“This war goes far beyond Ukraine,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said.
“It is also an assault on the world's most vulnerable people and countries.”
Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees said that while the war in
Ukraine and ensuing refugee crisis is rightly the focus of global attention,
the international community cannot afford to neglect Afghanistan. The Taliban's
return to power was initially viewed by the international community as a
monumental security challenge, with major world powers working together to
tackle the situation. But experts now fear the Taliban may see the shift in
global focus as an opportunity to implement their hardline policies, Deutsche
Welle (DW) reported, recognizing that the international community is “busy
elsewhere.” When the watchful eye of the world was on them, Human Rights Watch
(HRW) reported, Taliban leadership had cautioned their members to delay seeking
revenge, and instead to wait and “observe those who are acting against [us],
particularly those government officials and civil society activists who preach
against the [Taliban].”

 

Middle East

 

Haaretz: Bennett: Second Attack By ISIS Supporters Requires Israel To Adapt
Quickly To New Threat
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“Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Monday that Israeli security forces must
adapt to the “new threat” posed by Islamic State supporters, after two people
were killed in a shooting attack in Hadera, the second attack linked to the
militant group in Israel within a week. “A second attack by ISIS supporters
inside Israel requires the security forces to adapt quickly to the new threat,”
said Bennett. “And so we will do so. I urge citizens to continue to be
vigilant. Together, we will also be able to defeat this enemy.” One of the two
attackers who carried out the shooting Sunday had served a year and a half in
an Israeli prison following a 2016 conviction for attempting to enter Syria to
become an Islamic State fighter. Ibrahim Agbarieh, 29, from the Israeli town of
Umm al-Fahm was arrested by Turkish police ahead of boarding a bus headed for
the Syrian border. Apparently information provided to Turkey by Israeli
authorities led to the arrest. The second assailant, Ayman Agbarieh, also from
Umm al-Fahm, identified with the Islamic State. He was arrested by the Shin Bet
security service in 2017 on suspicion of weapons violations, but was released
three weeks later without charges. Bennett also extended his condolences to the
victims of the shooting attack, saying that their heroism would not be
forgotten.”

 

Somalia

 

Voice Of America: Somalia: Al-Shabaab Surge In Suicide Attacks 'Change Of
Tactics,' Experts Say
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“Al-Shabab extremists in Somalia are getting “bolder” in their attacks and
have increased using suicide bombers wearing homemade explosives in what
security experts call a “change in tactics.” The Islamist militant group
mounted one of its deadliest attacks Wednesday, targeting elections at the
regional presidential palace in Beledweyne town around 300 km north of
Mogadishu. Forty-eight people were killed, and more than 100 others wounded.
Among the dead was a member of parliament, Amina Mohamed, a vocal critic to the
government, who was on the campaign trail when she was targeted and killed by a
suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest. Hours earlier, two Shabab militants
breached the heavily fortified compound at Mogadishu's airport, where
presidential elections are scheduled to take place. Offices for the U.N.,
Western embassies and the African Union peacekeeping mission are in the same
area. For more than a decade, al-Shabab has been fighting the U.N.-backed
Somali government in Mogadishu, and during its violent campaign it has used a
range of tactics that include intimidation and use of violence. But in recent
months, al-Shabab increased attacks in which individual suicide bombers deliver
explosives and detonate them on selected targets with precision to inflict the
greatest possible damage, security experts told VOA Somali service.”

 

All Africa: Somalia: Al-Shabaab Attacks Army Base In Puntland
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“Security forces in Somalia on Sunday repulsed an attack on a military base in
northeast Puntland State and killed 12 militants of al-Shabab terror group,
local officials said. Three soldiers of the Puntland Security Forces (PSF) died
in the attack on the army base near Af-Urur village early Sunday morning, local
security officials told Radio Mogadishu. Witnesses said Shabab militants fired
mortar shells in the attack, which prompted heavy gunfight with security
forces. In June 2017, more than 50 Puntland security forces were killed in
Af-Urur in an ambush by militants who also seized control of the military camp
in the village. Al-Shabab has recently launched brazen attacks on government
officials, electoral delegates and civilians across the country to hamper the
ongoing electoral process. Last Wednesday, the terror group mounted one of its
deadliest attacks in the capital, Mogadishu, and in the regional presidential
palace in the central town of Beledweyne, where more than 50 people were killed
and over 100 others wounded.”

 

Africa

 

Al Jazeera: M23 Rebels Attack Military Positions In Eastern DR Congo
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“Fighters from a rebel group attacked an army position in the Democratic
Republic of Congo’s (DRC’s) conflict-torn east overnight, triggering heavy
fighting, a local official and a witness have said. “I confirm the attack since
last night on our positions,” Muhindo Luanzo, assistant to the military
administrator of the eastern town of Rutshuru, near the border with Uganda and
Rwanda, said on Monday. The village of “Runyoni is also besieged by the enemy
but our troops are already deployed to respond and chase the enemy,” he added.
The clashes began at about 1am local time (23:00 GMT) near the villages of
Tshanzu and Runyoni, about 50 km (31 miles) northeast of the provincial capital
Goma, a witness in the latter village said. “We don’t know who controls the
area, but it looks like it’s a serious attack,” the witness told Reuters. “This
time it was more intense than all the previous times.” The Kivu Security
Tracker (KST), a US-based monitor of violence in the region, said on Twitter
that the fighters belonged to the M23 armed group and that fighting continued
until 11am. A spokesman for the M23 could not immediately be reached for
comment. In November, the M23 had briefly seized those two strategic villages
in a similar overnight attack.”

 

Australia

 

The Daily Telegraph: ‘Fish Brain’ Terror Plotter Hamza Abbas Appeal Over
‘Unsafe’ Jury Verdict Dismissed
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“One of the men who helped plot a Christmas Day terror attack to behead and
bomb people at Melbourne’s Federation Square has had his appeal dismissed after
trying to argue the jury verdict was “unsafe and unsatisfactory”. Hamza Abbas
was found guilty of committing an act in preparation for a terrorist attack
where he, together with three others, plotted to behead people and set off
bombs in 2016. He was jailed for 22 years with a non-parole period of 16 years
and six months following a trial in 2019. Abbas appeared in the Court of Appeal
on Tuesday, where court of appeal justices refused his appeal. “Leave to appeal
out of time is refused,” CoA justices said in their reasons. The terror plot
was foiled days before Christmas because police were listening and watching
Abbas, along with his co-conspirators Ibrahim Abbas, Abdullah Chaarani and
Ahmed Mohamed, as they scouted the location. During the trial, the now
26-year-old Abbas was labelled a “fish brain” because of his memory problems
and told he was kept in the dark about his brother Ibrahim’s plans to bomb and
stab people. His lawyers had argued his conviction should be overturned because
the jury verdict was “unsafe and unsatisfactory.”

 

Europe

 

CNN: A Far-Right Battalion Has A Key Role In Ukraine's Resistance. Its
Neo-Nazi Links Have Given Putin Ammunition
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“…Despite the Azov movement's international notoriety, Ukraine "is not a
cesspit for Nazi sympathizers," according to Alexander Ritzmann, a senior
adviser at the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), based in Berlin. He noted that
in the last elections in Ukraine in 2019, Azov's political wing only won 2.15%
of the vote, and Biletsky lost his seat in parliament. Plus -- Ritzmann says --
there are far-right actors prominent in Russia, too. "There is a far-right
extremist problem on both sides in the conflict, but there seems to be a bias
in only reporting on Ukraine's far-right problem," he said.”

 

The Irish Times: Islamic State Provided Simple Answers To Life’s Questions,
Witness Tells Lisa Smith Trial
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“A medieval historian has told the trial of Lisa Smith, a former soldier who
denies membership of Isis, that for many the Islamic State created by terrorist
leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi provided simple answers to life’s questions and was
considered legitimate by respected religious scholars. Professor Hugh Kennedy
also said it is possible for a person to believe in the caliphate - an Islamic
state that has existed in different places since the seventh century - but not
believe in the ideology of Isis, the terrorist organisation. The professor said
the Isis message was persuasive for some and it used a selective representation
of the religion’s history to justify barbarism. While he accepted there were
many Islamic scholars who denounced al-Baghdadi, he said there were other
“respected voices” who saw his caliphate as legitimate and who could find
justifications for what it did in Islamic texts. For many Muslims, he said the
caliphate offered a “new beginning” and a return to values that seemed to have
been lost. Professor Kennedy was called by Ms Smith’s defence lawyers after the
prosecution completed its evidence last week. Ms Smith (40), from Dundalk, Co
Louth, an Islamic convert, travelled to Syria in 2015 after al-Baghdadi called
on all Muslims to travel to the Islamic State he had created.”

 

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