“A top leader of the Pakistani Taliban militia was reported killed Sunday in
southeastern Afghanistan, potentially dealing a serious blow to peace tal











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Eye on Extremism


August 9, 2022



The Washington Post: Top Pakistani Taliban Leader Killed In Afghanistan;
Shiites Targeted In Kabul
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“A top leader of the Pakistani Taliban militia was reported killed Sunday in
southeastern Afghanistan, potentially dealing a serious blow to peace talks
being negotiated between the extremist group and Pakistani officials with
assistance from senior Taliban leaders in Afghanistan. An aide to the Pakistani
militia leader, known as Omar Khalid Khorasani, said in a tweet Monday morning
that he died in a bomb blast in southeastern Afghanistan. “He is no more with
us,” said the aide, Ehsanullah Ehsan. “May Allah … give him the highest place
in Jannah,” or heaven. The reported death of Khorasani followed months of talks
that began shortly after Afghan Taliban forces took power in Kabul one year
ago. Numerous delegations have met in Afghanistan since then to help end the
years-long conflict between Pakistani forces and hard-line Pakistani militants.
There were conflicting reports Monday on the circumstances of Khorasani’s death
and the precise location in southeastern Afghanistan where it occurred. Ehsan
told The Washington Post that two other Pakistani Taliban leaders who were
traveling with Khorasani, Mufti Hassan Swati and Hafiz Dawlat Khan, were killed
in the same incident. In a brief online conversation via Telegram, he said all
three were killed by an “IED blast,” referring to an improvised explosive
device or roadside bomb, but he did not specify where it happened or who was
responsible.”



Bloomberg: Thousands Arrested As Ethiopia Acts Against Suspected Militants
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“Ethiopia has arrested thousands of people suspected of being members of
militias or terrorist organizations as it seeks to end instability. In an
almost two-month crackdown in various regions including the capital, Addis
Ababa, authorities detained more than 4,000 people for allegedly being linked
to the Oromo Liberation Army, al-Shabaab and other armed groups operating in
the country, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Office said in a statement on Monday.
In the eastern Somali region, security forces killed 813 al-Shabaab militants
and arrested 79 since the al-Qaeda-linked group attacked four towns near the
border with Somalia on July 21, it said. In Oromia, 3,180 OLA members were
taken into custody. Abiy has struggled to restore peace in the Horn of Africa
nation even as fighting has ebbed in the civil war with the northern Tigray
region that started in November 2020. That’s hampered efforts to lure investors
despite a planned privatization drive. Authorities have also relocated about
250,000 internally displaced people back to their homes across the regions, the
government said.”



Afghanistan



The New York Times Magazine: The Taliban’s Dangerous Collision Course With The
West <[link removed]>



“Afghanistan’s ministry of education sits on a chaotic thoroughfare in
downtown Kabul, not far from the presidential palace. When I visited this May,
I was able to walk straight into the main building without having to state my
business or undergo more than a light frisk. The country’s four-decade civil
war is at its lowest ebb in years, and many of the capital’s draconian security
measures have been scaled back by the new Taliban government. The crowds of
petitioners inside the ministries have changed, as well: Women are seldom seen,
and the traditional garb of robe and trousers has become nearly ubiquitous
among men. It was my first trip back since I covered the collapse of the
republic the last summer. Regular flights had resumed from Dubai and Islamabad.
At the Kabul airport, site of last year’s chaotic and bloody evacuation, there
was a new sign on the side of the terminal, near the white flag of the Taliban:
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan seeks peaceful and positive relations with
the world.” It had been 20 years since the United States and its allies
overthrew the first Taliban government, which refused to allow Afghan girls to
be educated, one of many repressive measures against women that cemented the
regime’s pariah status. During the 1990s, only Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E. and
Pakistan ever recognized the group as the nation’s legitimate government.”



Pakistan



Reuters: Suicide Attack Kills Four Pakistani Soldiers – Army
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“A suicide bomber attacked a military convoy in a Pakistani tribal region
along the Afghan border, killing four soldiers, the army said on Tuesday. The
incident took place in Mir Ali, North Waziristan district, according to an army
statement, which didn't say when the attack too place. Police and intelligence
officials told Reuters the bomber rammed a three-wheeler into the convoy late
on Monday in the remote district, which has seen a rise in militant violence in
recent weeks. The region was once a hotbed of local and foreign Islamist
militants but they have mostly been driven out by various Pakistani military
operations. No one has claimed the responsibility for the bombing, which came a
day after a senior Pakistani militant, Abdul Wali also known as Omar Khalid
Khurasani, with a $3 million U.S. bounty on his head, was killed in an
explosion in Afghanistan.”



Lebanon



Reuters: Hezbollah Warns Israel Against Targeting Palestinian Militants In
Lebanon
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“The head of Lebanon's powerful armed movement Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah, warned on Tuesday against any Israeli attempts to expand their
targeting of Palestinian militants to Lebanon. "Any attack on any human being
will not go unpunished or unanswered," Nasrallah said in a televised address
marking Ashura, a melancholic commemoration for Shi'ite Muslims of the killing
the Prophet Mohammad's grandson Hussein. The comments came after a flare-up in
violence between Israel and the Islamic Jihad movement in the Gaza strip,
prompted by Israel's arrest of a senior Islamic Jihad leader earlier this
month. On Saturday, Israeli defence minister Benny Gantz hinted at the possible
targeting of Islamic Jihad officials abroad, who he said could be seen in
"restaurants and hotels in Tehran, Syria and Lebanon".”



Middle East



AFP: 'Fragile' Gaza Truce Between Israel And Islamic Jihad Holds
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“A “fragile” Egypt-brokered truce between Israel and Islamic Jihad militants
in Gaza appeared to be holding early Monday, raising hopes that the recent
intense conflict that has left at least 44 Palestinians dead, including 15
children, has ended. The truce, which officially started at 11:30 pm (2030 GMT)
Sunday night, aims to stem the worst fighting in Gaza since an 11-day war last
year devastated the Palestinian coastal territory. Though a flurry of strikes
and rocket attacks took place in the run-up to the truce, with sirens sounding
in southern Israel moments before and after the deadline, neither side had
reported any major violations of the agreement after four hours. In a statement
sent three minutes after the ceasefire began, Israel's army said that “in
response to rockets fired toward Israeli territory, the (military) is currently
striking a wide range of targets” belonging to Islamic Jihad in Gaza. In a
subsequent statement, the army clarified that its “last” strikes took place at
11:25 p.m. While both sides had agreed to the truce, each had warned the other
that it would respond with force to any violence. U.S. President Joe Biden
welcomed the ceasefire, thanking Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for
his country's role in brokering it. Biden also called for investigations into
civilian casualties, which he called a “tragedy.”



Fox News: After Israel Hits Terror Group, UN Security Council Meets As Some
Members Rebuke The Jewish State
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“A group of largely anti-Israel countries on Monday pushed the United Nations
Security Council to yet again turn Israel into its punching bag for merely
defending itself against the Iranian regime-backed terrorist movement
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ.) In his remarks ahead of the session, Israel’s
U.N. ambassador Gilad Erdan singled out Norway and Ireland, who frequently bash
the Jewish state, for their role in securing an emergency meeting. “How would
Norway react to Islamists plotting to fire missiles at civilians in Oslo? How
would Ireland react if Jihadi rocketeers were raining down on Dublin in an
effort to wipe out the ‘infidel?” he asked. Israel waged a three-day conflict
with the U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization PIJ. Erdan said, “The
Palestinian (Islamic) Jihad deliberately fired eleven-hundred rockets at
Israelis civilians, with roughly two-hundred landing inside the Gaza Strip,
killing innocent Palestinians and among them young children.” The Islamic
Republic of Iran — the world’s worst international-sponsor of terrorism — has
played a key role in stoking violence against Israel, Middle East experts say.
Erdan noted, “The Palestinian Islamic Jihad is a radical terror organization,
armed, funded and trained by Iran.” China holds this month's presidency of the
Security Council and threw its support behind the emergency meeting.”



The Times Of Israel: IDF Demolishes Homes Of Palestinians Charged With Killing
3 In Elad Terror Attack
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“Israeli forces early Monday morning demolished the homes of two Palestinians
charged with carrying out a deadly axe terror attack in the central city of
Elad in May. On May 5, As’ad Yousef As’ad al-Rifa’i, 19, and Subhi Emad
Sbeihat, 20, hacked three people to death with an axe and severely wounded
several others in the central Israeli city of Elad. A knife was also believed
to have been used in the attack. The pair was arrested in a forested area about
a kilometer from the scene of the attack, after a 60-hour manhunt. Late Sunday
night, the Israel Defense Forces said it was operating in the West Bank town of
Rummanah, near Jenin to raze the pair’s homes. Footage published by the IDF
showed the homes being destroyed by military bulldozers. The IDF said that
during the operation, “riots developed in the area” during which hundreds of
Palestinians hurled stones, set fire to tires, and launched fireworks at
troops, who responded with “riot control means.” No soldiers were hurt,
according to the IDF. In separate overnight raids across the West Bank, troops
detained four wanted Palestinians, the IDF said Monday morning. Al-Rifa’i and
Sbeihat were indicted in June, and were charged with three counts of murder
under aggravated circumstances in an act of terror, five counts of attempted
murder in an act of terror, and entering Israel illegally, among other charges.”



Libya



Africanews: Libya: Trial Opens For Dozens Accused Of Islamic State Membership
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“Libya on Monday began trying men accused of being members of the Islamic
State group. More than 50 men dressed in blue jumpsuits sat behind a cage in a
Misrata courtroom as armed security personnel kept an eye on them. They are
accused of being members of a terrorist organization and of carrying out
killings. “The objective of these hearings and representing the families of the
martyrs and the wounded is to provide evidence against each accused so that the
trial is fair and not subject to appeal,” Lotfi Muhaishem, a lawyer
representing the victims and their families said. In 2014, Islamic State took
advantage of the disorder that followed the killing of Muammar Gaddafi to
establish itself in Libya. In 2015, the organization seized the coastal city of
Sirte, but lost it in 2016 after heavy fighting between the jihadists and
Misrata forces. “We, the families of the martyrs and wounded, the people of
Misrata and the residents of Libya, demand the death penalty for these members
of the IS group” said Fatima al-Tlisi, mother of a victim of the IS group.
Although the group was defeated in Libya, some experts have expressed concern
that it could reappear in the country's south where its members have staged
deadly ambushes against security forces.”



Nigeria



Daily Post Nigeria: Nigerian Military Kills Scores Of Boko Haram/ISWAP
Terrorists In Borno
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“The Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation Hadin Kai has obliterated scores of
Boko Haram/Islamic State of West African (ISWAP) terrorists in an air raid in
the North East of Bama, Borno. It was gathered that the terrorists from the two
factions were neutralized in the middle of their infighting in Gazuwa, a
notorious headquarters of Boko Haram, located 8 kilometers from Bama Local
Government Area on August 5, 2022. Top Intelligence sources told Zagazola
Makama, a counter-terrorism expert and security analyst in Lake Chad, that the
damaging air interdiction mission was launched after series of surveillance
missions which indicated heavy presence of the terrorists in the area. “They
were in a middle of a fight when the Super Tukano attacked them, scoring a
devastating hit on them, killing scores of the Boko Haram and ISWAP
terrorists,in the process,” the sources said. The source explained also that in
continuation of its employment of the air-power to decimate the capability of
the insurgents, the air strikes successfully took off another group of the
terrorists around the axis of Gargash. According to the sources, unspecified
numbers of the Mujahedeens were neutralised in the process. Life has been
turned upside-down in the camps of the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah
wa’l-Jihād, Boko Haram, within the past weeks following massive air and ground
attacks coordinated by the troops of Operations Hadin Kai.”



Mali



France 24: At Least 17 Killed In Clashes With ISIS Militants In Mali
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“At least 17 soldiers and four civilians were killed Sunday in an attack in a
strategic border zone between Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, Mali’s army said.
Some 22 troops were injured while nine other soldiers are missing, the army
said late Monday, adding that the toll could still rise. The army had blamed
the attack on “terrorists” in an earlier announcement late Sunday, using the
term it typically uses for jihadists. It had said its troops had been repelling
an attack by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) group, affiliated
with the Islamic State organisation. The previous death toll was four soldiers
and two civilians. The two civilians killed were local elected officials, their
relatives told AFP. The army said Monday it killed seven from the attacking
side, “likely” from the ISGS group, adding that there was “an unknown number of
dead and injured carried away by the attackers”. It also said the attack caused
damage to vehicles and residents’ homes. Tessit is located on the Malian side
of the so-called three-border area in a vast gold-rich region beyond state
control. Like the whole of the zone, Tessit is even more isolated during the
rainy season when heavy rainfall blocks access. Armed groups under the umbrella
of Al-Qaeda aligned jihadists Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin, or JNIM, are
fighting ISGS there.”



Africa



The Hill: Jihadists Are On The Rise Across Africa — The US And Its Allies Must
Remain Vigilant
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“A deadly assault on Mali’s largest military base. Suicide bombings in
Somalia. A massive armed prison break in Nigeria. Though these events happened
hundreds of miles apart from each other, they’re all related –– because they’re
all part of the rising wave of Islamic extremism in Africa. The American
public’s attention may have shifted away from radical Islamic terrorists, but
that doesn’t mean jihadists have stopped sowing death and destruction. Nor did
the recent death of Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri end the terrorist threat.
On the contrary, extremists continue to spread instability and chaos across the
globe. Al-Qaeda affiliates in Africa’s Sahel region pose some of the greatest
dangers. In the past 15 years, groups like Al-Shabaab and Al-Qaeda in the
Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) have increased their attacks tenfold. Today they stand
toe-to-toe with African military forces and are drawing ever closer to
realizing their dreams of creating Islamic states rooted in Sharia law.
Al-Qaeda affiliates are particularly gaining ground in Mali, especially as
France withdraws its forces in response to the military coup in Bamako. The
jihadists are already turning the country into a launching pad for attacks
throughout the region, and Al-Qaeda’s leadership is thrilled at the prospect of
additional victories.”



United Kingdom



The Independent: Terrorist Kept In Prison Because Home Office Plan To Deport
Him Causes ‘Risk To Public’
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“The Parole Board has refused to release a terrorist from prison after
finding that government plans to deport him could put public safety at risk
abroad. Jawad Akbar, now 39, was jailed for his part in an al-Qaeda-inspired
plot to bomb potential targets including London’s Ministry of Sound nightclub
and the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent. The plot was foiled in 2004, weeks
after the Madrid bombings, and Akbar was handed a life sentence with a minimum
term of 17-and-a-half years for conspiring to cause an explosion. The Home
Office imposed a deportation order on Akbar in 2017 following its own risk
assessment, meaning that on release he would be sent to Italy - despite his
alleged history of terrorist activity abroad. He had previously travelled with
other jihadis to the Malakand terrorist training camp in Pakistan, which was
said to be run by al-Qaeda, and had bomb-making manuals on his laptop. At
trial, Akbar’s defence team claimed he “intended to leave for Pakistan rather
than carrying out any acts of terrorism here”. He was born in Pakistan but
moved to the UK with his family at the age of nine, and holds Italian
citizenship through his father. Akbar’s minimum prison term expired in
September last year, causing the Parole Board to formally decide whether it was
safe for him to be freed from prison.”



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