Eye on Extremism
September 29, 2022
Reuters: Thirteen Reported Killed As Iran Revolutionary Guards Target Dissident Sites In Iraq
“Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday they fired missiles and drones at militant targets in the Kurdish region of neighbouring northern Iraq, where authorities said 13 people were killed. The strikes were reported after Iranian authorities accused armed Iranian Kurdish dissidents of involvement in unrest now shaking Iran, especially in the northwest where most of the country's population of over 10 million Kurds live. Thirteen people were killed and 58 wounded in the attacks near Erbil and Sulaimaniya in Iraqi Kurdistan, Iraq's state news agency said citing its counter-terrorism service in Kurdistan. Iraqi Kurdish sources said drone strikes targeted at least 10 bases of Iranian Kurds near Sulaimaniya in Iraqi Kurdistan on Wednesday morning, without elaborating about possible casualties. The U.S. Army Central Command said it downed an Iranian drone on Wednesday while it was on its way to Erbil, adding that the drone posed a threat to U.S. personnel in the region. “No U.S. forces were wounded or killed as a result of the strikes and there is no damage to U.S. equipment,” it said in a statement. A senior member of Komala, an exiled Iranian Kurdish opposition party, told Reuters that several of their offices were struck as well.”
Voice Of America: Burkina Faso: 11 Dead, Dozens Missing After Militants Attack Convoy
“Burkina Faso says an Islamist militant attack on an aid convoy has left 11 troops dead and dozens of civilians missing. The Burkina Faso government said Tuesday that armed fighters ambushed a 150-vehicle military-escorted convoy carrying supplies to the northern town of Djibo. It said at least 11 soldiers were killed and more than 50 civilians are missing. The government said that the incident occurred Monday in the commune of Gaskinde in the northern province of Soum, where, since 2015, armed organizations affiliated with al-Qaida and Islamic State have taken over large swathes of territory. Government spokesman Lionel Bilgo described the incident as “cowardly and savage.” The death toll could reach 60, according to French news agency AFP, which cited a security source who said “practically the entire caravan was burned.” The attack will likely exacerbate shortages of basic supplies, such as food and fuel in Djibo, which has been under a de facto siege for months by militant groups. It may also increase concern about Burkina Faso, where some two million people are displaced amid increasing conflict and climate change.”
AFP: One Killed In Belgium Anti-Terror Raids On Far-Right
“Belgian police killed a man in a shootout on Wednesday during raids on a suspected extreme-right group thought to be planning a “terrorist attack”, prosecutors said. The 36-year-old died from a police bullet during a swoop on an address in the Merksem suburb of Antwerp, in the country's north, they said in a statement. As special federal police entered the house, “the team was fired upon. Shots were returned, hitting the occupant,” who died of his wounds, it said. The police operation, targeting a dozen addresses around Antwerp, was launched to counter “the preparation of a terrorist attack”. Prosecutors said “many weapons and ammunition” were seized in the raids. Some of the weapons were legally registered, they said. Later, they said they believed the suspects wanted “to mount a form of armed resistance against the government”. But they added that their alleged plans had no definite target nor date for action. One Belgian media outlet, Het Laatste Nieuws, reported that the man killed, which it identified as Yannick V., was regarded as one of the leaders of the group. His social media profiles presented him as an arms collector, gold trader and history buff. Recent posts argued that the West was in decline and echoed the debunked conspiracy that Covid vaccines were a way to control the population.”
United States
Bloomberg: Fighter Jets Scrambled After Bomb Threat On Singapore Airlines Flight From San Francisco
“A Singapore Airlines Ltd. flight en-route from San Francisco was escorted by fighter jets after a passenger allegedly claimed there was a bomb in his carry-on bag and assaulted the crew, according to the police. Singapore Airlines Flight 33 landed safely at Changi airport at 5:50am, the city-state’s Police Force said in a statement. The plane was taxied to a remote bay for security checks and was later towed to the terminal, Singapore Airlines said in a separate statement. All passengers and crew disembarked normally. Fake bomb threats are fairly common in aviation while fighter jets are generally used when crew don’t respond to commands from ground handlers or an aircraft veers off its approved route. In July, an EasyJet Plc flight to Spain was escorted by a fighter jet after a British teenager made a bomb threat on social media, according to Reuters. On Wednesday, residents living nearby reported hearing two loud fighter planes passing overhead just before 6am local time, one first, followed by another a few seconds later.”
Syria
Kurdistan 24: SDF Confiscate Large ISIS Weapons Cache Near Tal Hamis
“Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Wednesday said they confiscated one of the largest weapon caches near the town of Tal Hamis in the Hasakah province. “This cache is considered one of the largest caches to be seized by our forces after the battle of al-Baghouz and the second strong blow to be dealt to the ISIS cells since the battle of Al-Sina’a prison in al-Hasaka,” the SDF said in a statement. “Based on the initial investigations and intelligence information, the terrorist cell was planning to use these weapons in a potential attack on the al-Hol camp, the eastern countryside of the al-Hasaka, in parallel with the last attack on the al-Sina’a prison,” the SDF said. “After their failed attack on the al-Sina’a prison (in Jan this year), ISIS switched to plan B which is attacking the al-Hol camp. However, the dangerous terrorist scheme has been thwarted, thanks to the security measures taken by our forces, the rapid intervention operations, and arresting many members of the terrorist cells.” The US-led anti-ISIS coalition in a tweet said that their SDF “partners continue to demonstrate their will & ability to build a safe and secure Northeast Syria.” “Well done to SDF for deterring the ISIS threat and countering their desperate attempts to execute attacks & threaten the region.”
Afghanistan
Voice Of America: US Voices Terrorism Concerns In Afghanistan, Opts For Taliban Engagement
“Al-Qaida’s former leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, had freedom in the Taliban-controlled Afghan capital before he was assassinated in a U.S. drone strike, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday. “He was unquestionably a threat to the United States and he had greater freedom to operate in Kabul than from wherever he came from,” Thomas West, U.S. special representative for Afghanistan, said at an event at the Center for International and Strategic Studies. Al-Zawahiri was targeted on July 31 at a house in downtown Kabul. Taliban authorities have not confirmed his death. In the aftermath of the drone strike in Kabul, both the U.S. and Taliban have accused each other of violating the February 2020 U.S.-Taliban agreement, widely known as the Doha Agreement, that commits the Taliban to prevent terror threats to the U.S. and its allies from territories under Taliban control. West said the U.S. is deeply concerned about a number of other terrorist groups active in Afghanistan. “We have concerns about al-Qaida in the Indian subcontinent, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Laskhar-e-Toiba, Ansarullah and a range of terrorist groups that still have an active presence in Afghanistan that we are exceedingly concerned about,” he said.”
Pakistan
The Wall Street Journal: Police In Pakistan Probe Whether Attack On Dental Clinic Was Anti-Chinese
“Police in the southern city of Karachi are investigating if the attacker who opened fire at a well-known dental clinic, killing one person and injuring two others, was targeting members of the city’s Chinese community. Pakistan has seen a series of attacks on Chinese nationals in recent years as their presence grew alongside Beijing’s investment program in its close ally. Both ethnic separatists and jihadists have hit Chinese personnel and interests. Pakistan has been a showcase for China’s global Belt and Road Initiative, which builds infrastructure abroad in a bid to spread Chinese influence. The police described the three victims as dual Pakistani and Chinese citizens. The two injured were the founders of the clinic, an ethnically Chinese couple in their 70s, Richard Hu and Phen Teyin, who were long-time residents of Pakistan. The dead man was a cashier at the clinic called Ronald Raymond Chou, aged 32, police said. China doesn’t allow dual citizenship; Pakistan permits dual citizenship. A police official said authorities will verify their citizenship status with the Chinese authorities. A gunman posing as a patient entered the clinic and shot the three of them, escaping the scene on the back of a waiting motorbike outside, police said.”
Bloomberg Law: Largest Bank In Pakistan Faces Liability For Terrorist Attacks
“Habib Bank Ltd. failed to shake off claims of aiding and abetting al-Qaeda terrorism and joining in a conspiracy to launch attacks that killed or injured 370 plaintiffs or their family members. Habib, the largest commercial bank in Pakistan, faces secondary liability under the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act as a party that “aids and abets, by knowingly providing substantial assistance, or who conspires with the person who committed such an act of international terrorism,” Judge Lorna G. Schofield said Wednesday. The plaintiffs in the three consolidated cases sufficiently allege that the attacks were planned or authorized by an…”
Middle East
The Times Of Israel: Shaked Moves To Expel Family Of Terrorist Who Committed Deadly 2017 Ramming Attack
“Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked on Wednesday ordered the expulsion of several relatives of a terrorist who killed four Israeli soldiers in a 2017 truck-ramming attack in Jerusalem, giving the family members seven days to leave the country or be forcibly removed. Citing a Jerusalem appeals court ruling from last week authorizing her to deport 17 of Fadi al-Qanbar’s relatives, Shaked announced she was revoking the residency permits of seven of them and that they were therefore now illegally in Israel. It was unclear why those seven had been singled out. Arguing the move had an important deterrent effect for potential assailants and citing recent security tensions, Shaked sent a letter to Public Security Minister Omer Barlev urging him to carry out the expulsions under his authority as overseer of the the police. “The State of Israel needs to fight terror with all means available to it and the time has come to this use this tool for deterrence,” Shaked said in a statement. Though they had permanent Jerusalem residency permits, al-Qanbar’s relatives are not Israeli citizens, and Shaked already moved to revoke their Jerusalem residency permits. Shaked did not say what country she believes will accept the seven deported individuals — who are not known to hold any other citizenship.”
Nigeria
Sahara Reporters: Nigerian Soldiers, Boko Haram Terrorists Engage In Gun Battle In Borno
“Troops of the Nigerian Army on Wednesday engaged Boko Haram insurgents in a gun battle along Damboa-Maiduguri Road in Northeast Borno. It was learnt that the suspected members of the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād, Boko Haram terrorist group ambushed troops of Operation Hadin Kai escorting commercial vehicles at Yaleri village, along the road. According to Zagazola Makama, a publication focused on the Lake Chad region, the troops battled with the terrorists, while many of the passengers scampered to safety. “The jihadists rained heavy gunfire on the Military convoy moving in armoured and soft-skin vehicles, escorting commercial vehicles but the troops are currently responding to them. “There is no certain figure of casualties yet,” an intelligence officer told the newspaper. A major highway between Maiduguri and Damboa towns was closed on Saturday as troops of the Nigerian Army engaged Boko Haram terrorists in a shootout that reportedly lasted hours. Zagazola Makama noted that local sources, some of whom escaped the attack confirmed that the ambush triggered a heavy exchange of gunfire between the terrorists and the soldiers, forcing passengers in the convoy to scamper to safety with the help of the troops.”
Africa
The National: Simon Mann Warns Africa In Danger Of Becoming Ground Zero For Extremists
“Africa will become “ground zero” for extremist violence unless western powers use private military contractors, a controversial former British mercenary has said. Simon Mann has claimed that the world’s “negligence” towards the continent could lead to uncontainable wars breaking out, with Nigeria and South Africa particularly vulnerable. Terrorist groups such as ISIS could also take over key areas producing vital resources for green technology in countries such as Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mr Mann, who used to run his own private military company (PMC) in Sierra Leone and Angola, has called on countries afraid of deploying their own forces, such as the US and Britain, to utilise mercenaries. “With no help, Africa will be ground zero for Islamic violent extremist organisations and international organised crime,” he wrote in The National Interest magazine. “Intervention against Africa’s insurgencies and collapsing security is a must.” He said the West’s “negligence towards Africa has cost it dearly”, with extremists overrunning the Sahel, the “unfolding collapse of Nigeria”, ISIS resurgent in northern Mozambique and new dangers facing South Africa. The Eton-educated former officer claimed that with western powers nervous about using their own soldiers to stabilise countries, “successful intervention in Africa is possible” by hiring foreign troops.”
Germany
Associated Press: German Charged With Crimes Against Humanity, IS Membership
“German federal prosecutors said Wednesday they have charged a woman with crimes against humanity and aiding and abetting genocide for allegedly having joined the extremist Islamic State group in Syria where she had a Yazidi slave and committed other crimes. The suspect, only identified as German citizen Nadine K. in line with privacy rules, will soon have to stand trial before the Koblenz Higher Regional Court, the prosecutor’s office said. She is alleged to have traveled to Syria with her husband in December 2014 and joined IS there. In 2015, the couple moved to the Iraqi town of Mosul, where they raised their daughter in line with IS ideology. The couple stored hand grenades, assault rifles and explosives in their house and also set up a reception center for single female IS members at their home. They kept a Yazidi slave at their home who was regularly raped and beaten by K.’s husband with her knowledge. In addition, the Yazidi woman had to do housework, take care of children and was forced to observe Islamic rites. “All of this served IS’s stated goal of destroying the Yazidi faith,” the prosecutor’s statement said. K. was arrested in March together with three other women upon entering the country at Frankfurt Airport, and was subsequently taken into custody.”
Europe
Reuters: Man Killed In Shoot-Out During Belgian Raids Targeting Far Right
“A man was killed in a shoot-out with police in Belgium on Wednesday during raids into far-right sympathisers suspected of planning an attack and illegally possessing arms. Police carried out raids at around 10 addresses mostly in the northern port city of Antwerp, federal prosecutors said. At one, an exchange of fire resulted in the death of a man inside. Investigators discovered a large number of firearms and ammunition, a spokesperson for federal prosecutors said, adding that the raids were linked to an investigation into preparations for a terrorist attack and illegal arms possession. "Some of the people are suspected of being close to the extreme right," the spokesperson said, declining to say how many people had been detained or to give further details about the attack planning.”
Russia
Reuters: Kremlin Says Nord Stream Gas Leaks Look Like ‘Act Of Terrorism’
“Incidents on two major undersea gas pipelines from Russia to Germany look like "an act of terrorism" and require investigation in cooperation with a number of countries, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday. The European Union is investigating major leaks in the Gazprom-led (GAZP.MM) Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines under the Baltic Sea and has said it suspects sabotage. The U.S. news channel CNN, citing three sources, reported that European security officials had observed Russian navy support ships and submarines not far from the sites of the Nord Stream leaks. Asked for a comment on the CNN report, Peskov said there had been a much larger NATO presence in the area.”
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