“EU states may only gather the airline passenger data strictly necessary to
combat serious crime and terrorism, Europe's top court said on Tuesday, an











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Eye on Extremism


June 22, 2022



Reuters: Use Of Airline Passenger Data Must Be Limited, Top EU Court Says
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“EU states may only gather the airline passenger data strictly necessary to
combat serious crime and terrorism, Europe's top court said on Tuesday, and
banned the use of machine learning to harvest the data. The Passenger Name
Record Directive (PNR), adopted in 2016, allows police and justice officials to
access passenger data on flights to and from the EU to combat serious crimes
and maintain security in the 27-country bloc. Rights groups however said data
retention even by law enforcement and other authorities is an invasive and
unjustified encroachment on fundamental rights to privacy and data protection.
In 2017, Belgium's Human Rights League (LDH) and other rights groups challenged
the PNR at a Belgian court, saying it allows the collection of too much data
and could lead to mass surveillance, discrimination and profiling.”



Associated Press: Australian State Outlaws Public Displays Of Nazi Swastikas
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“An Australian state has become the first in the country to pass a law
banning the public display of Nazi swastikas, as concerns grow about the rate
at which local young people are being radicalized. The Parliament of Victoria,
Australia’s second-most populous state, passed laws late Tuesday that set
penalties of 22,000 Australian dollars ($15,213) and 12 months in prison for
displaying the Nazi swastika, or Hakenkreuz. Dvir Abramovich, chair of the
Anti-Defamation Commission, which fights antisemitism, said Wednesday he
expected Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales, and the states of
Queensland and Tasmania will soon pass similar laws. “The fact that we’ve got a
resurgent white supremacist and neo-Nazi movement is a cause for concern in
every state,” said Abramovich, who lives in the Victorian capital, Melbourne.
“What the bill does is to say to those forces of evil that are trying to break
our spirit and instill fear that the law’s no longer on their side,” he added.”



Syria



Associated Press: Islamic State Group Claims Syria Bus Attack That Killed 13
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“The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for Monday's attack on a
civilian bus in northern Syria that killed 13 people and wounded three. The
extremist group said in a statement late Monday that its gunmen attacked the
bus with automatic rifles. It also posted photos of the attack. The Syrian army
said 11 of those killed were soldiers. Three soldiers were also wounded, the
military said. The bus was attacked while on the road in the northern province
of Raqqa, heading to the central city of Homs. IS militants proclaimed their
so-called “caliphate” in a third of both Iraq and Syria in 2014 and the city of
Raqqa was their de-facto capital. They were defeated in 2019 but IS sleeper
cells still carry out deadly attacks. The cells have been active in eastern,
northern and central Syria.”



The New Arab: Syria Insight: Why Did Russia Allow Israel To Bomb Damascus
Airport?
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“...Gregory Waters, Analyst at the Counter Extremism Project and fellow at
the Middle East Institute, said there are no signs that reports of major
Russian troop withdrawals and Iranian fighters replacing them are correct,
despite the obvious ratcheting up of Israel's air campaign. “It's important to
remember that several years ago the Russians drew down a lot of their forces in
Syria, shifting from doing direct on-the-ground combat support to more
training, commanding, advising logistical, and air support,” he said. “So, when
we talk about if and why Russians would withdraw from Syria now, the first
question had to be: what would they actually withdraw? The only things that
could be useful in Ukraine that are still in Syria are airframes, and if some
of these were shifted over to Ukraine that's not a gap that Iran steps in to
fill.” Bente Scheller, Head of Middle East Division, Heinrich Boell Foundation,
agreed there are no signs of Russian troop movements from Syria to Ukraine, but
Iranian militias have taken over some checkpoints in southern Syria - a red
line for Israel. “Israel would prefer not to have any Iranian-linked fighters
close to its borders, so the partial Russian withdrawal that we are seeing is
not in its interest. That means there will be more Russian airstrikes in Syria
in the future,” Scheller said.”



Yemen



Associated Press: Officials: Militants Ambush Security Post In Yemen; 8 Killed
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“Suspected al-Qaida militants on Wednesday attacked a security post in a
southern Yemeni province, sparking clashes that left five troops and three
militants dead, officials said. The early morning attack took place in Ataq,
the capital of the mountainous province of Shabwa, the officials said. At least
four other troops were wounded in the attack, said the officials, who spoke on
condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the press. No
group claimed responsibly for the ambush, which targeted a post manned by
troops loyal to the secessionist Southern Transitional Council, they said. The
separatist council is backed by the United Arab Emirates and controls much of
Yemen’s south. It is at odds with the internationally recognized government.
The officials said reinforcements were sent to the strategic city, a gateway to
oil fields and desert approaches to the Saudi border, the officials said,
adding that al-Qaida militants operate in the area and are suspected to be
behind the attack.”



Middle East



The Jerusalem Post: Palestinian Terror Groups May Increase Attacks Ahead Of
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“Buoyed by the collapse of the Israeli coalition, Hamas and other terror
groups have threatened to continue carrying out attacks against Israel. The
groups said that they see the collapse of the government of Prime Minister
Naftali Bennet as a direct result of its failure to confront the Palestinian
“resistance” factions, especially during and after last year’s war between
Hamas and Israel. The terror groups’ appetite is likely to increase after the
collapse of the coalition, paving the way for increased attacks against Israel,
especially in the West Bank, during the period leading up to the next general
elections in Israel. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad officials were quoted
as saying that the collapse of the coalition was a sign of Israel’s “fragility”
and “weakness.” They said that the Gaza-based groups will remain on high alert
to “thwart” a new Israeli “aggression against the Palestinian people.” Several
Palestinians said that they did not rule out the possibility that the terror
groups may exploit the period before the elections to step up their attacks
against Israelis because of their belief that an interim government would be
very weak and unwilling to engage in new hostilities. Even before the political
drama in Israel unfolded, Hamas and PIJ gunmen in the Jenin area threatened to
continue carrying out terror attacks, particularly after the killing of several
of their friends by the IDF during the past few weeks.”



Newsweek: Israel Boosts Southern Border Defense Facing Isis On One End, Iran
On Other
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“The Israeli military has devised a new southern border strategy to contend
with emerging and existing threats, including those posed by the Islamic State
militant group (ISIS) to the west and forces aligned with Iran to the east, as
well as smugglers seeking to bring drugs and weapons into the country. In the
first-ever revelation of the plan to the press, an Israeli security official
discussed the strategy with Newsweek on the condition of anonymity. “We've done
a very significant amount of work in the last two years to sharpen our soldiers
in the face of these threats,” the Israeli security official told Newsweek.
“The main tactic that we use is 'Defense by Colors,' which we use to defend
against these threats on the border and help our soldiers prepare for every
scenario.” The system ranges from green, the lowest threat level, to red, the
highest, in an effort to assess where enemy action is most likely to take place
and to appropriately allocate the necessary resources. “The system also affects
the level of threat that is likely to be carried out on the basis of the
indicative signs we have and the severity of a potential threat,” the Israeli
security official said. Another factor influencing the level is the assessed
proximity of the threat to Israeli civilians whom enemy groups have sought to
target.”



Nigeria



AFP: Two Kidnapped Chibok Girls Freed In Nigeria After Eight Years
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“Nigerian troops have found two former schoolgirls who were abducted by Boko
Haram jihadists eight years ago, the military said Tuesday, freeing some of the
last victims of the 2014 Chibok abduction. The two women each carried babies on
their laps as they were presented by the military, after captivity with
militants who stormed their school in April, 2014 in northeast Nigeria in a
mass kidnapping that sparked international outrage. Major-General Christopher
Musa, the military commander of troops in the region, told reporters the girls
were found on June 12 and 14 in two different locations by troops. “We are very
lucky to have been able to recover two of the Chibok girls,” Musa said. Dozens
of Boko Haram militants stormed the Chibok girls' boarding school in 2014 and
packed 276 pupils, aged 12-17, at the time into trucks in the jihadist group's
first mass school abduction. Fifty-seven of the girls managed to escape by
jumping from the trucks shortly after their abduction while 80 were released in
exchange for some detained Boko Haram commanders following negotiations with
the Nigerian government. In the recent releases, one of the women, Hauwa
Joseph, was found along with other civilians on June 12 around Bama after
troops dislodged a Boko Haram camp, while the other, Mary Dauda, was found
later outside Ngoshe village in Gwoza district, near the border with Cameroon.”



Africa



AFP: Burkina Army Says Killed Over 120 ‘Terrorists’
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“Burkina Faso’s army said Monday they had killed at least 128 “terrorists” in
several operations this month after the new government vowed to tackle surging
violence in the West African nation. The first operation took place in the
northwestern region of Boucle du Mouhoun bordering Mali, according to a
statement by the military headquarters. “Intelligence activities allowed us to
identify terrorist locations and conduct serious offensives,” the statement
said. It added that “at least 100 terrorists” were killed in the operation. Two
soldiers died during the operation and 18 more were injured, the army said. A
second operation, following an attack on a mining site in Namisiguima in the
north, left “more than 20 terrorists” dead. The third operation, aimed to bring
medical assistance to civilians near the Niger border in the northeast, was
“planned as part of G5 Sahel and realized by the units of Burkina Faso and
Niger.” Eight “terrorists” were killed in that operation, the Burkinabe army
said. Created in 2014, the G5 Sahel was made up of some 5,000 soldiers from
Mauritius, Chad, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Mali, until the Malian army
recently withdrew. Operations against armed jihadists groups — many linked to
Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State — have increased in recent months, the Burkinabe
army has said, sparking retaliatory attacks by the groups.”



Reuters: Burkina Faso Tells Civilians To Evacuate Vast Zones Ahead Of Military
Operations
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“Burkina Faso's army has ordered civilians to evacuate two large “military
interest zones” in its northern and southeastern regions ahead of anticipated
operations against Islamist insurgents, it said. The announcement was made late
on Monday, with few details about how long people have to evacuate or where
they should go. “All human activities that risk exposure to the effects of the
military operations which will be conducted shortly are prohibited,” said
commander of national operations, Lieutenant-colonel Yves-Didier Bamouni, on
state TV. “A period of time will be granted to the resident populations to
reach more secure areas.” The West Africa country has been battling an
insurgency by Islamist militants, some linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State,
since 2015. More than 1.85 million people are already displaced within Burkina
Faso because of the fighting. The announcement followed an attack in the north
on June 11 that killed over 100 people and displaced thousands more. A group of
military officers overthrew the democratic government in January with pledges
to improve security, but attacks have only multiplied. One of the military
zones is a rural area of about 2,000 square kilometres (772 square miles)
bordering Mali in the northern province of Soum.”



Canada



National Post: Government Should Take Fight Against Ideological Extremism
Online, House Committee Report Says
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“Canada should put in place a strategy to fight ideologically-motivated
violent extremism that includes tackling the spread of such movements on the
internet, a House of Commons committee says. MPs on the public safety and
national security committee issued dozens of recommendations for how Canada can
combat the spread of ideologically-motivated violent extremism (IMVE) on
Monday, following a study on the topic. That includes targeting digital
platforms, online bots, algorithms, crowdfunding and cryptocurrency, in
addition to offline measures like increased funding for security of communities
at risk and for front-line community organizations. The Canadian Security
Intelligence Service (CSIS) considers IMVE to have four
sub-categories—”xenophobic, gender-driven, anti-authority and other personal
grievance-driven violence,” the report outlines. IMVE is a separate category
from religiously-motivated and politically-motivated violent extremism, and
according to a witness from Public Safety Canada was meant to eliminate terms
like “far right.” The term is “agnostic to race, religion and ideology,” the
report outlined. It said the narratives that are used to draw individuals in
and radicalize them include “anti-authority; Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and
other forms of religious intolerance; racism; misogyny; and anti-LGBTQ2SI.”



Europe



Al Jazeera: Belgium Repatriates ISIL-Linked Children, Mothers From Syria
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“Belgium has flown back six Belgian women and their 16 children born to ISIL
fighter fathers from a camp in northeastern Syria, according to officials. The
airlift is the largest of its kind by Belgium to bring back the families of
ISIL fighters from Syria since the fall of the ISIL (ISIS) armed group in 2019.
All the children are under 12 years old. The women and children were taken from
the Kurdish-run al-Hol camp in Hassakeh across the border to Iraq by road
before boarding the plane, a judicial source told the AFP news agency. “Last
night was the final phase of an operation to repatriate 16 Belgian children
from Syria accompanied by mothers of Belgian nationality,” Belgium’s federal
prosecutor said on Tuesday. “The military flight landed last night at 1:30am
[23:30 GMT],” it said. Belgium’s RTBF broadcaster reported that the mothers had
already been convicted in Belgium of participating in the activities of an
armed group. They were handed over to the jurisdiction of the Belgian court
services on arrival in the country overnight. The children were to undergo
medical examinations before being handed over to youth protection services.
From 2012 onwards, more than 400 Belgians headed to Syria to fight for the ISIL
group, the largest group of European nationals to go.”



The Week: The Limits Of The Geneva Convention
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“…Alexander Drueke, 39, and Andy Huynh, 27, both from Alabama, are "among a
number of U.S. veterans who have traveled to Ukraine to join or assist the
Ukrainian military as it attempts to hold back the Russian invasion," Dan
Lamothe reports for The Washington Post. They were part of a wave of volunteers
from a number of countries who flocked to Ukraine after the war broke out:
While early reports probably overstated the number of foreign fighters at
around 17,000 — and while estimates are tricky — the current number is believed
to be somewhere from "several hundreds to a few thousands," the Counter
Extremism Project reported in May. Drueke was a former U.S Army staff sergeant
who previously served in Iraq; Huynh served four years in the Marines but had
no combat experience before he went to Ukraine. The two were taken "after
running into a much larger Russian force during a battle last Thursday in the
village of Izbytske, 30 miles northeast of Kharkiv," Colin Freeman writes for
The Telegraph. Now they "are believed to be the first U.S. servicemen to end up
as Russian prisoners of war." (Former Marine Grady Kurpasi went missing in
Ukraine in April; at least four Americans have died in the fighting.)”



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