“A deadly bombing hit a high school in Kabul Tuesday, an attack that analysts
said was likely carried out by Islamic State, showing the militant group

 

 


<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>
Eye on Extremism


April 20, 2022

 

The Wall Street Journal: Kabul School Blasts Kill Six As Afghanistan Violence
Continues
<[link removed]>

 

“A deadly bombing hit a high school in Kabul Tuesday, an attack that analysts
said was likely carried out by Islamic State, showing the militant group’s
continued threat despite months of operations against it by the Taliban
authorities. Explosions at the gate of the school in a Shiite neighborhood
killed at least six and wounded more than 11 others, according to the Ministry
of Interior. A list of wounded compiled by the school had 34 names, many aged
between 16 and 18. Shiites in Afghanistan aren’t only a religious minority.
They also include an ethnic minority, the Hazaras, a prime target for Islamic
State, which regards them as infidels. Some are questioning whether the Taliban
are committed to ensuring their safety. “We Hazaras have a big question for the
Taliban: Why are the schools, wedding halls, hospitals and educational centers
only targeted in Hazara areas?” said Razia, a 35-year-old who gave one name and
is the sister of an injured student. “After this blast, I have decided not to
send any of my children or brothers to school anymore, as we do not have the
energy to hear more about the losses of our dearest ones.” The local branch of
Islamic State survived the August takeover of Afghanistan by its larger
jihadist rival, the Taliban. The two had been fierce rivals, fighting a war in
the years before the Taliban took Kabul.”

 

The Washington Post: Kidnapper’s U.S. Conviction A Rare Case Of Justice For
ISIS Victims
<[link removed]>

 

“For French journalist Nicholas Henin, confronting the Islamic State militant
who was among the men who held him hostage in a makeshift prison in Syria for
nearly 10 months was a long time coming. Sitting in the witness box in a
federal courtroom in Virginia, Henin detailed the torture and pain he endured
at the hands of a terrorist cell nicknamed “the Beatles,” all while staring at
El Shafee Elsheikh. Their eye contact was fleeting but important for Henin —
occurring during a trial that was years in the making. When Elsheikh and
co-conspirator Alexanda Kotey were captured by Kurdish forces in early 2018 and
identified as part of a group of militants that kidnapped, tortured and killed
hostages for the Islamic State, it was unclear whether an American trial would
happen at all. A federal prosecution was met with opposition at the highest
levels of government on two continents. Britain did not want to prosecute
Elsheikh or Kotey, both from London, and had stripped them of citizenship. But
evidence in British hands that could be used against them in an American court
was held up over disagreement on whether they should face the death penalty.
And leaders at the Justice Department feared that a loss at trial could leave
U.S. officials with the thorny legal and political question of what to do with
noncitizens whose home country wanted them banished.”

 

Iran

 

AFP: Biden Reluctant To Remove Iran's Revolutionary Guards From Terror List
<[link removed]>

 

“US President Joe Biden seems increasingly determined to keep the “terrorist”
designation on Iran's Revolutionary Guards, which Tehran is demanding be
removed before it returns to a deal on curbing its nuclear program. “Each side
is just hoping that the other would blink first,” Ali Vaez, an Iran expert from
the International Crisis Group, a conflict-prevention think tank, told AFP.
Negotiations opened a year ago in Vienna to revive the landmark 2015 agreement
that was supposed to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Under the
presidency of Donald Trump, the United States walked out of the agreement in
2018 and reinstated economic sanctions against Tehran, which in response,
shrugged off restrictions imposed on its nuclear activities. Biden wants Iran
to return to the agreement, provided that Iran resumes those commitments.
Despite early hopes, the talks are deadlocked and the emissaries have not been
in the Austrian capital since March 11. However, a draft compromise is still on
the table, after resolution of most of the thorniest issues. The fate of the
Guards is the final obstacle blocking the talks: the Islamic Republic is
demanding the removal of its elite ideological force from the US blacklist of
“foreign terrorist organizations.”

 

Middle East

 

AFP: Gaza Militants Prepare Tunnels As Next Conflict Looms
<[link removed]>

 

“In a “tunnel city” under the sandy soils of southern Gaza, Palestinian
militants are preparing for the next conflict with Israel, as tensions in
Jerusalem threaten to escalate. The underground passageways leave no trace on
the surface. But in a wooded area near Khan Yunis, seven masked men in military
fatigues carried a collection of machine guns and grenade launchers into a
tunnel entrance discretely tucked into the foot of a small hill. The fighters
wear headbands of the Al-Quds Brigade, the armed branch of Islamic Jihad which
is the second-largest armed faction in Gaza, after the Hamas Islamist movement
that rules the territory. The tree branches covering the hole reveal a narrow
passageway walled and topped with concrete blocks. Complete with electric
lights, a ventilation system and telecoms cables, the tunnels also have small
rooms for storing weapons and ammunition. An Islamic Jihad official told AFP
during a media tour that the movement has both defensive and offensive tunnel
systems. The latter “is used for taking Israeli soldiers captive, repelling
Israeli ground offensives and carrying out various field operations”, said the
commander. As he was talking, he received a radio alert of a “security
incident” east of Gaza City -- a false alarm.”

 

Daily Mail: ISIS Declare New 'Global Offensive' While 'The Crusaders Are
Fighting Each Other' And Distracted By War In Ukraine
<[link removed]>

 

“ISIS has declared a new 'global offensive' that aims to take advantage of the
'opportunity' of the west being distracted by the on-going war in Ukraine. The
terrorist group also told its supporters to avenge the death of its leader, who
was killed earlier this year in a raid by US special forces in Syria, and to
launch attacks against Europe and Israel while 'the crusaders are fighting each
other'. Islamic State's new spokesman Abu-Omar al-Muhajir said Russia's
invasion of Ukraine has 'preoccupied' non-Muslim nations, and presents a chance
to strike. In a speech released online, delivered during the holy month of
Ramadan, al-Muhajir urged ISIS jihadis to take revenge for the killing of Abu
Ibrahim al Hashimi al Qurayshi - also known as Hajji Abdullah - in February.
Al-Qurayshi, who led ISIS from 2019, himself replaced ISIS supremo Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi, who was killed in an earlier US raid in October that year. 'We
announce, relying on God, a blessed campaign to take revenge,' the spokesman
said in an audio message heard by The Times. 'Fight them all and Allah will
answer and punish them at your hands.' He told his followers the 'opportunity
is ripe' for them to strike, and called on them to arm themselves and to carry
out attacks against western countries.”

 

Libya

 

The Libya Observer: Haftar’s Forces Blames ISIS For Car Bomb Attack At
Military Camp In Libya’s Um Al-Aranib Town
<[link removed]>

 

“The Head of Moral Guidance Authority of Khalifa Haftar’s forces, Khalid
Al-Mahjoub, said a car bomb exploded near a military camp of Tariq bin Ziyad
brigade in Um Al-Aranib in southwest Libya, accusing ISIS terrorists of being
behind the blast and saying there were no casualties. Al-Mahjoub added on
Facebook that the car bomb was a desperate attempt by the terrorist group of
ISIS to prove they still can carry out terrorist attacks in Libya. Social media
activists circulated footage for the location of the attack, where a number of
men were checking the parts of exploded car near the military camp.”

 

Nigeria

 

Al Jazeera: Are Nigeria’s Bandits A New Boko Haram Cell Or Rival ‘Terrorists’?
<[link removed]>

 

“On December 11, 2020, more than 300 boys were abducted from a boarding school
in Kankara, a small community in the northwestern Nigerian state of Katsina by
gunmen on motorcycles. The incident fit Boko Haram’s modus operandi, and the
group’s leader Abubakar Shekau claimed responsibility for the attack in an
audio message, before releasing a video of the kidnapped children. This further
lent credence to the assumption by Nigerian politicians and pundits that the
group which has waged war in the northeast for more than a decade, was the
orchestrator of the brazen attack. Within a month, the victims were released.
But in March 2021, Auwalun Daudawa, a notorious kingpin of one of the gangs
responsible for abduction sprees in the northwest, claimed responsibility for
Kankara. “I did that in Katsina because the governor [Aminu Masari] came out to
say he will not dialogue again with our people,” he told the local Daily Trust
newspaper. According to local media reports, the abduction had been a joint
operation by seven different gangs who had sent a video to Shekau asking him to
claim responsibility. They knew that the government “feared Boko Haram more
than them” and would be willing to meet the demands quickly. The plan worked.
According to the schoolboys, an unspecified amount was paid as ransom within
days, even though the government repeatedly denied this.”

 

Daily Post Nigeria: Top ISIS Commander, Ammar Bin-Umar Killed In Lake Chad
Airstrike
<[link removed]>

 

“Troops of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) have eliminated a top
leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Ammar Bin-Umar, in
massive airstrikes in Lake Chad. The top ISIS Commander was reportedly sent by
the terror group to coordinate attacks for the Islamic State West Africa
(ISWAP) operating from the Tumbuns in Lake Chad against targets in Nigeria,
Niger, Chad and Cameroon. According to the report, the elimination of the top
ISIS Commander was confirmed by a military intelligence officer who disclosed
that the coordinated airstrikes by the Nigerian Air Force Super Tucano jets
were in conjunction with the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), Niger Air
Task Force’s Mi35 and Mi171 helicopter Gunship on April 14, 2022, at Arinna in
Marte Local Government Area of Borno State. He was reportedly killed while
trying to flee Lake Chad as a result of the week-long sustained onslaught on
the terrorists by a combined team of Operation Desert Sanity and the MNJTF Lake
Sanity on some Boko Haram/ ISWAP strongholds in which over a 100 terrorists, as
well as ten of their commanders, have so far been neutralized.”

 

Sahara Reporters: Update: Boko Haram Fighters Kill Soldier, Policeman During
Attack On Nigerian Army Base
<[link removed]>

 

“A soldier and one policeman were killed and an unspecified number of security
operatives injured when militants of the Islamic State-backed faction of Boko
Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province formerly known as Jamā'at Ahl
as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād, attacked the Forward Operational Base (FOB) in
Molai, Borno State. SaharaReporters learnt that the gunmen also carted away an
ambulance and a military vehicle which was later abandoned near the community
after it was razed down. Molai is located at the outskirt of Maiduguri, about 7
km away. The insurgents were said to have invaded the town after iftar, the
meal eaten by Muslims after sunset during Ramadan. “They stated shooting
sporadically as residents of the community flee into the forest for safety.
“Though a military base, it was manned by joint task force Operation Hadin Kai
comprising of soldiers and mobile policemen. “They shot and fired RPGs when
they came, even some of the soldiers fled,” a military source said. Boko Haram
and its offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province, have killed thousands and
displaced millions in North-Eastern Nigeria. The Nigerian military has
repeatedly claimed that the insurgency had been largely defeated and frequently
underplays any losses.”

 

United Kingdom

 

Arab News: UK’s Counter-Terror Strategy In Need Of An Overhaul, Says Official
<[link removed]>

 

“The UK’s Prevent strategy, which aims to foil terrorism, should have
violence-prevention as a primary focus, according to Independent Reviewer of
Terrorism Legislation Jonathan Hall. Hall said that he agreed with concerns
that Prevent was failing in its goal of finding and deradicalizing potential
terrorist attackers because it was referring a disproportionate number of
non-Islamist extremists. He said that the majority of terrorist attacks were
carried out by Islamists “so I can completely understand that when people see
the number of people who have been referred from the right-wing side or what
they call a mixed unclear or uncertain ideology side, they say, ‘Hang on,
there’s some sort of imbalance.’” Counter-terrorism experts have previously
warned that Prevent was being undermined by too many far-right referrals,
distracting from those most likely to turn to terrorism. Hall said it was vital
to continue to monitor everyone who expressed forms of extremism because there
was a “new trend in terrorism towards mainly Internet-driven terrorism, often
involving very young people.” He recommended switching Prevent’s main objective
from preventing terrorism to preventing violence so it could encompass Islamic
extremists, incels and far-right extremists.”

 

France

 

France 24: Suspected 2015 Paris Attacks Accomplices Go On Trial In Belgium
<[link removed]>

 

“Fourteen people went on trial in Belgium on Tuesday accused of helping a
jihadist group that killed 130 people in the gun and bomb attacks across Paris
in 2015. The 13 men and one woman are accused of supporting the self-avowed
Islamic State combatants before their attacks on the evening of Nov. 13, 2015,
and afterwards for the one attacker who survived and returned to Brussels. Nine
accused were present on Tuesday, seven seated at the front of the court, two
led in by guards to closed glass boxes. Two accused are believed to have died
in Syria. The trial is taking place in the former headquarters of NATO in a
Brussels suburb with heightened security. Armed police patrolled the perimeter
and corridors and guarded the entrance of the vast impromptu courtroom. Twelve
of the accused face charges of leading a terrorist group or participating in
terrorist activities, with potential prison terms of up to 15 and five years
respectively. Prosecutors say they helped attackers travel to Syria or supplied
them with arms. Some are accused of secretly housing Salah Abdeslam, a
32-year-old French national of Moroccan origin who is now the main suspect in a
trial of more significant attacks participants in Paris. Abdeslam hid in
Brussels for four months until his capture, four days before a twin attack in
Brussels that killed 32 people.”

 

South Asia

 

Voice Of America: Uzbekistan Dismisses Islamic State’s Claim Of Cross-Border
Attack
<[link removed]>

 

“Authorities in Uzbekistan have dismissed as “untrue” reports that militants
linked to Islamic State had launched a rocket attack against the country from
neighboring Afghanistan. The denial comes a day after the terrorist group
claimed its Afghan affiliate, the Islamic State Khorasan Province, or ISKP,
fired 10 rockets Monday morning from the northern Afghan province of Balkh,
targeting a military unit in Termez on the Uzbek side of the border. The Uzbek
Defense Ministry on Tuesday released a statement on its website noting the
country’s border with Afghanistan “is fully controlled by the Uzbek military
and is stable.” Islamic State released a picture and video of Monday’s alleged
rocket assault, claiming it was launched from somewhere in the border town of
Hairatan in Balkh, according to Site Intelligence Group, which tracks terrorist
propaganda. The Uzbek Defense Ministry urged its citizens not to believe such
“false” reports and rely only on “official sources” of information.
Afghanistan's ruling Taliban on Tuesday also denied the reported attack, saying
the situation on the border between the two countries “is normal and there is
nothing to worry about.”

 

Technology

 

National Institute Of Justice: Domestic Extremists And Social Media: Study
Finds Similarities, Differences In Web Habits Of Those Engaged In Hate Crimes
Vs. Violent Extremism
<[link removed]>

 

“Isolating and comparing the social media habits of two distinct types of
extremists can better prepare justice system agencies to prevent and respond to
extremist violence in the United States. Research sponsored by the National
Institute of Justice has found that study samples of individuals in the United
States who have engaged in violent and non-violent hate crime and other forms
of extremist crime were influenced by social media. A key finding was that
extremists in the study group may mirror the general population in their use of
various social media platforms, particularly in terms of reliance on Facebook.
Although the sample size was relatively small, and less than 20% of the study
sample said they used Facebook, use of Facebook was found to be significantly
higher than that of any other social media platform. The National Consortium
for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, or START, conducted the
study of social media usage as a part of a broader investigation tapping two
major national databases of extremist events and individuals: ECDB - Extremist
Crime Database. ECDB is a database that keeps track of violent attacks,
homicides, and financial crimes carried out by extremists inside the United
States.”

 

The Counter Extremism Project depends on the generosity of its supporters. If
you value what we do, please consider making a donation.
DONATE NOW
<[link removed]>


Click here to unsubscribe.
<[link removed]>