|
Eye on Extremism
April 21, 2022
The Wall Street Journal: Israel Airstrikes Target Gaza After Rocket Fire Amid Jerusalem Tensions
“Israel carried out a wave of airstrikes in Gaza and militants fired a volley of rockets from the Palestinian territory, the second exchange of fire this week, raising fears of a widening conflict amid heightened tensions over access to holy sites in the contested city of Jerusalem. Israel’s military said its warplanes targeted a military post and an underground site where chemical materials are stored for making rocket engines. It added that the strikes would significantly impair rocket-production capabilities for militants in Gaza. The airstrikes came soon after Israeli police said at least part of a rocket fired by militants late Wednesday landed near a home in the Israeli town of Sderot located close to the Gaza border. At least four more rockets were fired from Gaza later on, which were intercepted by its Iron Dome aerial-defense system, according to the Israeli military. There weren’t any immediate reports of injuries on either side. No militant group has claimed responsibility for the two attacks yet. Wednesday’s rocket fire comes after threats from Islamist group Hamas earlier in the day against a Jewish nationalist march to potential flashpoints in Jerusalem in a show of sovereignty over the contested city, following days of clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinians.”
The New York Times: Man Charged With Hate Crimes After Violent Attacks On Four Jews
“Federal law enforcement charged a New Jersey man with hate crimes on Wednesday for a violent attack on four Jewish men, in which two were hit by a vehicle that had been carjacked from the first victim. The incident took place in and around Lakewood, N.J., which is home to one of the largest Orthodox Jewish communities in the United States. According to prosecutors, Dion Marsh, 27, forced a Jewish man out of his car in Lakewood on April 8, then assaulted the man and stole his car. Later that day, Mr. Marsh used a different car to intentionally hit another Jewish man, breaking several of his bones. Shortly after that, he went back to the first car and used it to intentionally hit two more Jewish men in Lakewood and nearby Jackson Township, one of whom he also stabbed in the chest with a knife. Mr. Marsh was arrested hours after the attacks and has been in detention since then on a range of state charges that include attempted murder, carjacking and terrorism, according to the Ocean County prosecutor, Bradley D. Billhimer. Mr. Marsh is being defended by the Ocean County Public Defender’s Office, which declined to comment on his case on Wednesday. “We are prepared to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Marsh intended to terrorize the Jewish community in Lakewood and Jackson on April 8,” Mr. Billhimer said in a statement.”
Syria
Al Monitor: Islamic State Escalates Attacks In Syrian Desert
“The Islamic State (IS) organization has since early April escalated its attacks against Syrian government forces and allied militias in the Syrian desert area known as the Badiya. In parallel, Russian air raids targeting IS hideouts and outposts in the Badiya area have also increased, with government forces and their militias sending military reinforcements in preparation for a military operation against IS. IS’ recent attacks are unprecedented. It targeted military barracks, oil fields and huge Syrian military convoys. It used various weapons, including medium- and short-range missiles, which means that it now possesses a diverse arsenal of weapons and follows new tactics that have confused government forces and inflicted heavy losses among its ranks. Aahed Muhammad, a journalist based in Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria, told Al-Monitor that the most recent attack on April 13 by IS targeted military positions of government forces and allied Iranian militias in the desert in Homs. Earlier, the organization launched attacks against government forces in the Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa and Homs provinces. The oil fields that IS targeted in April include al-Kharata oil field in the southwest of the Deir ez-Zor province, Muhammad added. “IS’ intensive attacks during the past two weeks targeted different areas in the Syrian Badiya.”
Iran
The Jerusalem Post: Iran Concerned About Extremism Spillover From Afghan War - Analysis
“A recent stabbing attack in eastern Iran has led authorities to express concern over whether worse is yet to come. According to Tasnim News, there was an attack two weeks ago that targeted clerics at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad. Iran blamed extremists and later claimed a member of an Uzbek ethnic minority was behind the attack, allegedly a man who had fled Afghanistan. Others were arrested in the wake of the attack and Iranian media spread conspiracies about “takfiri” militants who are linked to the former US role in Afghanistan. Takfiri refers to a Muslim who excommunicates another Muslim or accuses them of apostasy. The attack on the shrine is just one example listed in an article from the Tasnim News Agency this week that weaves a complex conspiracy alleging that the US and Western countries want to continue to work with former Afghan militia leaders and warlords to keep a foothold in the region. Iran was one of the countries that wanted the US to leave Afghanistan. Qatar backed the Taliban, and Pakistan also backed extremists in Afghanistan. China and Russia also wanted the US to leave. This helped the Taliban return to power. However, yesterday there was a deadly attack on schools in Afghanistan targeting members of the Shi’ite minority.”
Turkey
Euronews: 'Hand-Made Bomb' Explodes On Prison Vehicle In Turkey, Killing One
“Assailants detonated a remote-controlled explosive device near a bus carrying prison guards in Turkey, an official has said. One guard was killed and four others were wounded in the blast on Wednesday. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred in the Osmangazi district, in Turkey’s northwestern Bursa province. “Our evaluation is that a hand-made bomb that was left beneath an electricity pole was detonated by remote control as the prison vehicle was passing by,” Bursa Governor Yakup Canbolat told reporters, after inspecting the scene. Around 30 people were on the bus when it was hit by the remote-controlled explosive device, Canbolat added. All of them were taken to hospitals as a precautionary measure, with one of the injured in a serious condition, he added. “Operations to arrest those responsible are underway,” Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Twitter. Kurdish militants, leftist extremist groups and so-called Islamic State (IS) militants have carried out numerous attacks around the country in the past. The attack comes after Turkey launched an air and ground offensive against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).”
Afghanistan
Foreign Policy: Afghanistan Regains Its Crown As Terror Central
“Violence is intensifying in Afghanistan eight months after the United States’ retreat allowed the Taliban to return to power, fueling concerns that the country may again become a hub of instability and terrorism across South and Central Asia and beyond. Afghanistan has long been a base for militants with ambitions for global jihad. Dozens of groups that have been present since the Taliban’s last turn in power from 1996 to 2001 are again operational, looking for opportunities to expand their reach, said security, diplomatic, and military sources. Al Qaeda, the Islamic State, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and Lashkar-e-Taiba are the most prominent of about 20 militant groups identified by the United States and the United Nations as having an armed presence in Afghanistan throughout the 20 years of its republic.”
Middle East
The Week: The Threat Posed By Islamic State’s New ‘Global Offensive’
“Islamic State (IS) followers are being urged to avenge the recent death of their leader by waging a new “global offensive” against Europe and Israel. In an announcement timed to coincide with Ramadan, the group’s new spokesperson told would-be jihadists to stage terror attacks while “the crusaders are fighting each other” over the Ukraine invasion. In an audio message shared online and heard by The Times, Abu-Omar al-Muhajir said that non-Muslim nations are “preoccupied” with Russia’s incursion into the neighbouring eastern European nation – providing an “opportunity” for IS to strike. Calling for revenge for IS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Qurayshi, who was killed during a US operation in Syria in February, the group’s spokesperson Muhajir urged jihadists to “fight them all”. Qurayshi died alongside members of his family and an IS deputy leader after detonating a suicide bomb as “special forces rounded on his hideout” in northern Syria, the BBC reported. Joe Biden said that Qurayshi’s death “removed a major terrorist threat to the world”. In a message to IS followers that was circulated on the Telegram messaging app, Muhajir said: “We announce, relying on God, a blessed campaign to take revenge.”
WTOP News: The Hunt: Terrorism Could Enflame Israeli Unrest
“Tensions in Israel have soared recently, following several days of intense clashes between Palestinian rioters and Israeli police. On this week’s edition of “The Hunt with WTOP national security correspondent J.J. Green,” Hans Jakob Schindler, the senior director of the Counter Extremism Project, says terrorism could complicate the situation.”
Nigeria
Associated Press: Explosion Hits Marketplace In Northeast Nigeria; 6 Killed
“An explosion has rocked a marketplace in Nigeria’s northeast killing six people, police and emergency response services told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The attack occurred on Tuesday evening at a busy cattle market in the Ardo-Kola local government area of Taraba state where villages have been largely unaffected in the last year by the decade-long Islamic extremist violence in the northeast. Three people died immediately and by Wednesday morning the death toll rose to six, said Abdullahi Usman, police spokesperson in Taraba. One attacker was also killed, he said. More than 100 were hit by the explosion including 19 who are “seriously wounded” and undergoing treatment in hospital, Usman said. Many traders saw their goods destroyed in the attack, said Ladan Ayuba with Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency. Northern Nigeria has been plagued with violent attacks in recent months and this is the second explosion in Taraba this year. The first was in January which targeted a Catholic school though no lives were lost in that incident. No group has claimed responsibility for the violence in Taraba which is next to Adamawa State, one of the areas worst hit by the Islamic extremist insurgency in northeast Nigeria.”
Mali
Reuters: U.N. Says Investigators Prevented Access To Site Of Mali Killings
“The United Nations is “extremely concerned” that Mali has prevented its investigators from visiting a town where local troops and suspected Russian fighters allegedly killed hundreds of civilians, the world body said on Wednesday. At least 300 men are believed to have been summarily executed during a March 27-31 raid on Moura, a town of about 10,000 inhabitants infiltrated by Islamist militants, according to a Human Rights Watch report. Survivors said white mercenaries suspected to be Russians took part in the massacre that sparked international uproar and prompted the U.N. to open an investigation. Mali has denied the allegations, saying it had conducted a professional operation to attack insurgents in Moura, and that it would carry out its own assessment. “We are extremely concerned that Malian authorities have still not granted UN human rights investigators access,” U.N. spokesperson Seif Magango said in a statement. “Time is of essence to ensure accountability and prompt, effective justice for victims,” he added. Magango said unconfirmed sources suggest the death toll could be as high as 500, mostly civilians. Soldiers also reportedly raped, looted and arbitrarily detained a number of Moura's inhabitants, the statement said.”
Africa
Vice: How A Coup In Burkina Faso Could Damage The US War On Terror
“The soldiers stood at attention in the cool of the morning, wearing mismatched uniforms and rifles slung across their chests. A dingy smog hung in the air—a mix of exhaust from the bullet-pockmarked Land Cruisers idling behind them and orange dust of the earth. These were young men, yet their eyes belied their youth. They looked tired. For nearly a decade, the Army of Burkina Faso has waged a violent war against extremists linked with al Qaeda and ISIS. The country’s military leaders recently gave VICE World News rare access to embed with their troops on the front lines of their fight. It was one of the first times in years that Western journalists had been allowed to see Burkinabè forces in action, an invitation made even more rare by the fact that, less than two months before, they’d overthrown the government in a coup d'etat. In January, a group of mutinous soldiers led by Burkinabè commander Lt-Col Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who was originally trained by United States soldiers, arrested President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré and claimed control of the country on national television. The takeover is only the latest in a string of at least 11 successful and failed coup attempts that have swept across West Africa since 2008.”
United Kingdom
“Counter-terrorism measures in the government’s Online Safety Bill could be “muzzled and confused”, a watchdog has said. Jonathan Hall QC, the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, recommended that parts of the delayed law are rewritten to provide “greater clarity”. The bill aims to force online platforms and media companies to find and remove terrorist content, and gives Ofcom powers to fine those who do not. But Mr Hall said there were problems with its definition of the “terrorism content” that will be regulated. “Duties in the bill - aimed at minimising ‘the risks of [terrorist] harm to individuals arising from illegal content and activity’ - are unclear,” said an assessment published on Wednesday. “It risks creating legislation that is muzzled and confused.” The bill defines it as anything where the image, words or video, or the publishing, viewing or accessing of it, “amount to” a terror offence. Mr Hall said that under the terror laws listed, content itself can never amount to an offence and that crimes must be committed by people. “Conduct is rarely sufficient on its own to ‘amount to’ or ‘constitute’ a terrorism offence,” he added. “It must ordinarily be accompanied by a mental element and/or take place in the absence of a defence.”
“The alleged co-founder of a neo-Nazi terror group intent on 'all-out race war' and which 'celebrated' the murder of MP Jo Cox has gone on trial accused of being a member of the organisation after it was banned. Alex Davies, 27, is accused of being a member of the proscribed organisation, National Action, by setting up an off-shoot following its ban in December 2016. Barnaby Jameson QC, prosecuting, told Winchester Crown Court that the organisation aimed to complete the work of Adolf Hitler, and co-founder Ben Raymond had coined the phrase 'white jihad' - meaning 'white terror' - for the group in a 'throwback to Nazi Germany'. Mr Jameson said the group's symbol, was 'a direct nod' to the symbol of the 'Sturmabteilung' meaning storm detachment - the paramilitary wing of the Nazi party. Mr Jameson said the group 'advocated the same Nazi aims and ideals - the ethnic cleansing of anyone who did not fit the Aryan Nazi mould: Jews (primarily), Muslims, people of colour, people of Asian descent, people of gay orientation and anyone remotely liberal.' Mr Jameson added: 'The group specifically targeted female Members of Parliament perceived to be pro-migrant. 'When Jo Cox MP was murdered in June 2016 the North East chapter of National Action openly celebrated her killing and expressed support for her killer, Thomas Mair, on social media.”
Europe
Al Jazeera: Sweden Suspects ‘Foreign Actors’ Behind Riots Over Quran Burning
“Sweden suspects foreign countries had a hand in inciting violent riots in several cities recently when crowds threw rocks and burned cars after a far-right Islamophobe announced plans to hold an anti-Muslim rally. Rasmus Paludan, leader of the Danish far-right Stram Kurs (Hard Line) party, has burned copies of the Quran at events in Denmark where he also bashes Islam, and news spread he wanted to do the same in Sweden, sparking anger. Paludan, who holds both Danish and Swedish nationality, “seems for some reason to hate Sweden and try to harm Sweden. I do not understand why”, said the country’s Justice Minister Morgan Johansson. In an interview with Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet published on Wednesday, Johansson referred to online claims that surfaced earlier this year about Swedish social service agencies allegedly kidnapping Muslim children. The foreign ministry posted a Twitter thread in February devoted to what it termed “a disinformation campaign”. A Swedish agency established to counter misinformation said the kidnapping allegations could be traced to an Arabic-language site whose creator expressed support for the armed group ISIL (ISIS). “We see how the image of Sweden is set by some of these actors in the Middle East,” Aftonbladet quoted Johansson as saying. “It is also addressed by a couple of governments in Iraq and in Iran.”
The Counter Extremism Project depends on the generosity of its supporters. If you value what we do, please consider making a donation.
| |
Click here to unsubscribe.