“California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Tuesday he had signed a bill into law
requiring transparency of social media companies, a move that could draw
criticism from tech firms and industry groups. The law, AB-587, will require
social media companies to publicly post their policies regarding hate speech,
disinformation, harassment and extremism on their platforms, and report data on
their enforcement of the policies. Last year, the governor of Texas signed a
bill prohibiting social media firms from restricting users or their posts based
on their viewpoint. The Supreme Court in May blocked the law, after technology
industry groups sued. "California will not stand by as social media is
weaponized to spread hate and disinformation that threaten our communities and
foundational values as a country," Newsom said in a statement.”











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Eye on Extremism


September 14, 2022



Reuters: California's Newsom Signs Bill Requiring Social Media Firms'
Transparency
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“California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Tuesday he had signed a bill into
law requiring transparency of social media companies, a move that could draw
criticism from tech firms and industry groups. The law, AB-587, will require
social media companies to publicly post their policies regarding hate speech,
disinformation, harassment and extremism on their platforms, and report data on
their enforcement of the policies. Last year, the governor of Texas signed a
bill prohibiting social media firms from restricting users or their posts based
on their viewpoint. The Supreme Court in May blocked the law, after technology
industry groups sued. "California will not stand by as social media is
weaponized to spread hate and disinformation that threaten our communities and
foundational values as a country," Newsom said in a statement.”



CNN: US Sets Up Fund That Could Transfer Frozen Billions To Afghanistan If
Conditions Are Met
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“The Biden administration has worked with Switzerland and Afghan economists
to set up a new fund that could eventually serve as a mechanism to put billions
of dollars in frozen Afghan money to use to promote economic stability in the
country, according to two senior US officials. The US is moving $3.5 billion to
the new “Afghan Fund,” but officials said they won’t release the money
imminently because there is no trusted institution in Afghanistan to guarantee
the funds will benefit the Afghan people, the officials said. Transferring
these funds to the Afghan central bank will depend on two key factors:
responsible management of the bank and assurances that the funds will not be
diverted to terrorists or criminals, the officials added. “We do not have that
confidence today,” said a senior US official. At minimum the Afghan central
bank will need to “demonstrate its independence from political influence and
interference.” It will also need to demonstrate it has “instituted adequate
anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism controls” and
“complete a third party needs assessment and onboard a reputable third party
monitoring,” the official explained.”



United States



Washington Examiner: Republicans Slam Biden Over Plea Deal Negotiations With
Al Qaeda 9/11 Plotters
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“Republicans are condemning the Biden administration’s decision to enter into
plea deal negotiations with the al Qaeda mastermind and facilitators of the
9/11 terrorist attacks — which could take the death penalty off the table.
Negotiations between prosecutors and defense attorneys at Guantanamo Bay could
reportedly result in guilty plea deals in which capital punishment would not be
a possible punishment for 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his four
co-defendants. Top Republicans have criticized any such possibility. “Joe
Biden’s allies are negotiating lesser sentences for 9/11 attackers,” Rep. Jim
Jordan (R-OH), the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, tweeted.
“If they won’t punish terrorists, how can we trust them to lock up criminals in
your neighborhood?” The House Armed Services Committee’s Republicans said: “The
Biden admin is doing the unthinkable – they are considering offering the
terrorists, who organized those attacks, plea deals to escape the death
penalty” and that “these terrorists killed thousands of innocent people – they
deserve the death penalty.” After 21 years, justice has yet to be attained in
the case against the plotters of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and a year of plea
negotiations and canceled hearings at Guantanamo Bay has pushed any potential
trial back even further.”



Afghanistan



Reuters: Taliban Says 40 Rebel Force Members Killed In Northern Panjshir
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“The Taliban said on Tuesday they had killed 40 rebel force members,
including four commanders, in the northern Afghan province of Panjshir. The
Taliban proclaimed victory over the province in September 2021, weeks after
they took over the capital Kabul as foreign forces withdrew. Resistance groups
have since said they have been carrying out operations in the area and clashing
with Taliban fighters. The Taliban has in the past denied widespread fighting,
saying they have established control of the entire country. "Due to a clearance
operation against rebels in Rekha, Dara and Afshar (areas) of Panjshir
province, 40 have been killed including four commanders and 100 more have been
arrested," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a Tweet on Tuesday. The
National Resistance Front, a group opposing the Taliban which has in the past
claimed activity in the area, did not immediately respond to a request for
comment. Located just north of the capital Kabul, Panjshir is one of the
smallest of Afghanistan's 34 provinces. It played a critical role in the
resistance against Soviet occupation in the 1980s and was the centre of
resistance against the Taliban when it ruled Afghanistan from to 1996 to 2001.”



Pakistan



Reuters: Anti-Taliban Tribal Leader Among 5 Killed In Northwest Pakistan
Bombing
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“Five people were killed in a blast in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday,
including an influential anti-Taliban tribal leader, police said, in the fist
major bombing in over a decade in an area that was once a battleground between
security forces and militants. The attack comes as fears rise about the return
of Pakistani Taliban, also known as the TTP, to the Swat area of Pakistan, and
peace talks between security forces and militants, that started last year, have
failed. Peace committee leader Idrees Khan's vehicle drove over an improvised
explosive device, killing him and two bodyguards, Swat police officer Zahid
Marwat told Reuters. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. Khan was
a local elder and previously the head of a tribal force fighting against the
TTP in Swat. Pakistani forces, along with local fighters, were able to drive
the militants from the area in an intense military operation.”



Yemen



Al-Monitor: Terror Attacks Persist In South Yemen
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“Terror groups are still finding room to operate in in Yemen. On Sept. 6, an
attack attributed to the al-Qaeda terrorist group killed 21 separatist soldiers
in Ahwar district of Abyan province in southern Yemen. With machine guns and
hand grenades, the radical militants hit a checkpoint manned by the Security
Belt Forces, a military unit affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council
(STC). The clash also left six of the attackers dead. Reacting to the attack,
the authorities in southern Yemen vowed to continue their war on terror. The
internationally recognized government's Defense Minister Mohsen Al-Daeri said
the incident will not deter the armed forces from countering terrorist
organizations and that there is a need for greater coordination among security
forces. Though the government and the separatists have been at loggerheads in
southern Yemen, both sides condemned the killing of 21 soldiers. STC head
Aidrous Al-Zubaidi also pledged to continue the fight against terrorist
organizations in the south. He said in a Sept. 6 statement,"The battle against
terrorism in all its forms continues, and it will not cease until every inch of
the southern territory is purged of terrorism."”



Lebanon



The Times Of Israel: IDF Intel Chief: Were It Not For Hezbollah, Lebanon Would
Normalize Ties With Israel
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“The head of Military Intelligence on Tuesday said that if not for the
Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group holding Lebanon “hostage,” Beirut would have
normalized ties with Jerusalem. “I look at the Abraham Accords and ask if
Lebanon could be there,” Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva said at a conference at
Herzliya’s Reichman University, referring to a series of diplomatic agreements
in 2020 between Israel and several Arab nations. “And I say to myself, if
Hezbollah would not have taken Lebanon hostage — I’m convinced it would have
been,” he said. Haliva warned Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who has
ramped up threats and military provocations amid recent tensions between Israel
and Lebanon over a maritime dispute. “I hope for Nasrallah’s sake that he does
not underestimate the Israeli response to [potential] actions. I remind
Nasrallah that Israel’s power is very great and I’m not sure he wants to test
it,” he said. “Nasrallah knows how to assess Israeli intelligence and Israel’s
firepower. Nasrallah is a serious man. He knows what I’m talking about,” Haliva
added.”



Middle East



Axios: Israeli Officials In D.C. Try To Justify Terrorist Designation For 6
Palestinian NGOs
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“An Israeli delegation held talks in Washington last week to try to convince
the State Department and U.S. intelligence agencies to back Israel's
designation of six Palestinian civil society groups as terrorist organizations,
three Israeli officials told Axios. Why it matters: The designation and other
moves by Israel against the Palestinian NGOs over the last year led to harsh
criticism from progressives in Washington, including members of Congress and
liberal Jewish organizations. Israeli officials admitted to Axios the
designation has harmed Israel’s image in the U.S., especially inside the
Democratic party. Catch up quick: Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz
designated six Palestinian civil society and human rights organizations as
"terrorist organizations" last October in a move widely condemned
internationally. The Israeli military raided the offices of the organizations
last month, claiming they are affiliated with the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine, which is designated by Israel and the U.S. as a
terrorist organization. The groups deny they are involved in terrorism. The
United Nations human rights office criticized the raids as "totally arbitrary"
and said in a statement at the time that "despite offers to do so, Israeli
authorities have not presented to the United Nations any credible evidence to
justify these declarations.”



The Times Of Israel: ‘Concrete Warnings’ Terror Groups Mean To Incite Violence
On Temple Mount — Report
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“Israeli officials have “concrete warnings” that terror groups plan to incite
violence in and around the Temple Mount ahead of the upcoming Jewish High
Holidays, Kan news reported Tuesday, citing an unnamed security official. The
official said the danger was presented during a security assessment that
included Prime Minister Yair Lapid, Public Security Minister Omer Barlev and
Israel Police chief Kobi Shabtai. The source also said police had issued
restraining orders to known Jewish and Arab agitators to keep away from the
site during the upcoming holiday season. East Jerusalem social media accounts
have encouraged Muslims to visit the Temple Mount throughout the upcoming
Jewish holidays, particularly during the morning and afternoon, when Jews are
allowed to visit. Palestinian news outlet WAFA reported that the call went out
due to an increase in Jewish prayer activity at the flashpoint holy site and
other activities Palestinians consider to be a threat to the status quo. WAFA
also reported that some Jewish activists hope to bring the four species,
specific plants used to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, onto the Temple
Mount later next month.”



The Times Of Israel: Senior Officer Killed In West Bank Firefight Identified
As Maj. Bar Falah, 30
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“A senior Israel Defense Forces officer killed while leading his troops to
arrest two suspected terrorists early Wednesday was identified as Maj. Bar
Falah, 30, the deputy commander of the elite Nahal reconnaissance unit, the
military said. The two gunmen, one of whom was an officer in the Palestinian
Authority security services, were killed in the subsequent firefight. Falah,
from the coastal city of Netanya, was hailed for his bravery. “A warrior in all
his being, he fought terrorism and led his fighters until his final hour. The
operational activity in which he was killed thwarted a major terrorist attack
and saved many lives,” said Prime Minister Yair Lapid. “There are no words to
console his family, partner, and friends over this great loss,” Lapid said.
“Bar lost his life fulfilling the mission of protecting and maintaining the
safety of the citizens of Israel. My condolences to his family, his partner,
and his loved ones,” said President Isaac Herzog.”



Nigeria



Reuters: Nigerian Separatist Leader Challenges Terrorism Charges, Court
Reserves Ruling
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“Nigeria's Court of Appeal on Tuesday reserved judgment after separatist
leader Nnamdi Kanu sought to have charges of terrorism and broadcasting
falsehoods against him dropped, his lawyers said. Kanu, a British citizen, is
in jail awaiting trial and denies the charges against him. His lawyers told the
court that the charges lacked merit and Kanu should be acquitted. State
prosecutors opposed the application and want Kanu to stand trial. A three-judge
panel of the court said a ruling would be made at a later date. Kanu leads the
outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which has been pressing for the
secession of a part of southeast Nigeria, home to the mainly Igbo ethnic group.
Nigeria's government views IPOB as a terrorist group and blames it on a spate
of killings and attacks on government buildings in the southeast, which the
group denies. An attempt by Igbo separatists to secede as the Republic of
Biafra in 1967 - the year Kanu was born - triggered a three-year civil war that
killed more than 1 million people.”



Somalia



AFP: Somalia President Urges Citizens To Avoid Al-Shabaab Territory
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“Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud urged citizens to stay away from
areas controlled by Al-Shabaab jihadists as he vowed to ratchet up offensives
against the militants. The Al-Qaeda-linked insurgents have been waging a war
against the government of the troubled Horn of Africa nation for 15 years and
control large swathes of territory in the country. Mohamud, who had earlier
pledged "all-out war" against the group after it staged a deadly 30-hour hotel
siege in the capital Mogadishu last month, called on "the Somali people to stay
away from locations where Al-Shabaab is present." "Al-Shabaab will be
confronted using every method that war allows -- they will be bombed, raided
and subjected to airborne attacks, so... stay away from them," he said in a
speech on Monday after wrapping up a high-level political conference in
Mogadishu. "Every Shabaab member is a target, every Shabaab army is target --
just the same way they are targeting and killing the Somali people." The
recently elected president urged people to stop taking their disputes to
so-called shadow courts run by the jihadists -- with Somalis complaining of
weak enforcement by the country's legal system. "Don't die in Al-Shabaab's war
when you are not one of them," he said.”



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