“The U.S. military announced on Thursday that it had conducted two raids in
Syria within a day of each other, killing two key ISIS targets and their
associates. According to U.S. Central Command, American forces conducted an
airstrike in northern Syria on Thursday that targeted and killed Abu-Hashum
al-Umawi, a deputy wali, or governor, in Syria, as well as “another senior ISIS
official associated with him,” whom the military did not name. “This strike
will degrade ISIS’s ability to destabilize the region and strike at our forces
and partners,” Army Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, who leads U.S. Central Command,
said in a statement announcing the raid and al-Umawi’s death. “Our forces
remain in the region to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS.” The operation
against al-Umawi followed a Wednesday night helicopter raid in northeastern
Syria, near the village of Qamishli, that targeted and killed Rakkan Wahid
al-Shammri, as well as one other associate. Al-Shammri was an ISIS smuggler
known to bring in weapons, fighters and money to support the terrorist
organization, who had also beheaded two members of the Syrian Defense Forces,
according to a person familiar with the operation who spoke on the condition of
anonymity to discuss the particulars of the raid and its target. The raids are
the latest in recent operations aimed at killing influential ISIS figures.”











<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>



**NOTE: CEP’s Eye On Extremism will be suspended on Monday, October 10. It
will resume on Tuesday, October 11.**



Eye on Extremism


October 7, 2022



The Washington Post: U.S. Conducts Back-To-Back Raids In Syria, Killing Key
ISIS Operatives
<[link removed]>



“The U.S. military announced on Thursday that it had conducted two raids in
Syria within a day of each other, killing two key ISIS targets and their
associates. According to U.S. Central Command, American forces conducted an
airstrike in northern Syria on Thursday that targeted and killed Abu-Hashum
al-Umawi, a deputy wali, or governor, in Syria, as well as “another senior ISIS
official associated with him,” whom the military did not name. “This strike
will degrade ISIS’s ability to destabilize the region and strike at our forces
and partners,” Army Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, who leads U.S. Central Command,
said in a statement announcing the raid and al-Umawi’s death. “Our forces
remain in the region to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS.” The operation
against al-Umawi followed a Wednesday night helicopter raid in northeastern
Syria, near the village of Qamishli, that targeted and killed Rakkan Wahid
al-Shammri, as well as one other associate. Al-Shammri was an ISIS smuggler
known to bring in weapons, fighters and money to support the terrorist
organization, who had also beheaded two members of the Syrian Defense Forces,
according to a person familiar with the operation who spoke on the condition of
anonymity to discuss the particulars of the raid and its target. The raids are
the latest in recent operations aimed at killing influential ISIS figures.”



Reuters: Hamas Delegation To Visit Syria This Month Aiming To Revive Ties
-Sources
<[link removed]>



“A Hamas delegation will visit Syria later this month, two sources told
Reuters on Thursday, in a move by the Palestinian Islamist group to rebuild
ties after shunning President Bashar al-Assad for years over his violent
crackdown on protests. A senior Hamas official said the visit would take place
after a Hamas delegation concludes an Oct. 10 trip to Algeria to discuss
reconciliation with the rival Palestinian Fatah movement of Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas. A second source, a Palestinian official familiar with
the issue, confirmed details of the Syria trip. A Palestinian source in Syria
denied that a visit would take place, while Hamas officials in Gaza, the
coastal enclave where the group has ruled since 2007, declined to comment.
There was no immediate comment from the Syrian government.”



Syria



NBC News: ISIS Infiltrated A Refugee Camp To Recruit Fighters. Inside The
Biden Admin’s Plan To Stop It.
<[link removed]>



“The Biden administration has enacted a new plan to reduce the population of
a sprawling refugee camp near the Iraq-Syria border that has become a haven for
the Islamic State terrorist group to recruit members, plot a comeback and carry
out some of its most brutal tactics — including the torture and sexual abuse of
women and girls — according to five senior administration officials. The core
of the administration’s effort is to work with other countries to repatriate
refugees from the al-Hol camp in rural Syria. The administration’s main focus
is on Iraq, according to a U.S. military official and a Biden administration
official. Six European countries and Australia have so far agreed to transport
dozens of their citizens being held at the camp back to their homelands in the
coming weeks, those officials said. The Australian government, for instance, is
already working to repatriate dozens of Australian citizens, mainly women and
children related to ISIS fighters who are dead or in jail in Syria, the
officials said. Jason Koutsoukis, the senior media adviser for Australian Home
Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil, did not confirm the plans. “The government’s
overriding priority is the protection of Australians and Australia’s national
interests, informed by national security advice,” he said by email.”



Iraq



Kurdistan 24: Iraqi Air Force Kills Suspected ISIS Leader In Kirkuk
<[link removed]>



“The Iraqi military announced on Friday that it had killed a suspected ISIS
military leader in Kirkuk along with two of his comrades in an airstrike.
Nicknamed Abu Mustafa, the slain militant was the deputy military leader in
charge of the terror group’s Kirkuk province, the Security Media Cell added.
Two more militants were killed in the Iraqi airstrike targeting a hideout in
Zghitoun Valley in Kirkuk province, the statement added. Iraqi forces usually
conduct their airstrikes via F-16s in the remote areas of the country that had
become a hotbed for ISIS militants following the 2017 territorial defeat.
Sweeping military operations are similarly conducted in those areas to thwart
the resurgence of the extremists that once ruled a large swathe of lands in
Iraq for three years.”



Afghanistan



The Jerusalem Post: Ongoing Terrorist Attacks Disprove Taliban’s Claim Of
Peace, Security In Afghanistan
<[link removed]>



“The Hazara Shiite Muslim community in Kabul has once again become a victim
of terrorism, as a suicide bomber killed dozens of students, mostly young
girls, in a private academy on Friday. For more stories from The Media Line go
to themedialine.org The death toll from the Kabul explosion has reached 53,
including at least 46 young girls and women, and 106 wounded, the United
Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in a tweet on Monday. The was
carried out in the Dasht-e-Barchi area in western Kabul, where the majority of
the Hazara community resides. The powerful bomb attack was one of the deadliest
incidents in Afghanistan in recent months. No one immediately claimed
responsibility for the attack. However, since assuming power in August 2021,
the Taliban government has faced numerous attacks from Islamic State – Khorasan
Province (IS-KP), an affiliate of the Islamic State terrorist group active in
South Asia and Central Asia, which has targeted the Hazara community in the
past as well. Meanwhile, the influential Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr
released a statement holding the Taliban government responsible for the Kabul
bombing. The statement also expressed concern for Afghan Shias and “moderate
Sunnis” who disagree with Taliban ideology. Al-Sadr demanded the intervention
of the Saudi government in Afghanistan.”



Middle East



The Times Of Israel: Mossad Head Said To Warn Of Face-Saving Hezbollah Strike
On Gas Field As Deal Wavers
<[link removed]>



“The head of the Mossad spy service reportedly told government officials that
the Hezbollah terror group would likely attempt a limited attack on
Israeli-controlled installations in a disputed offshore gas field, as Jerusalem
put troops in northern Israel on alert after a maritime border deal appeared to
falter Thursday, sending tensions spiraling. The warning from Mossad chief
David Barnea, reported by Channel 12 news, came as other officials signaled
that hope remained alive for a milestone deal between Israel and Lebanon to
resolve a maritime border dispute that will allow both countries to begin
pulling gas riches out of the sea. Ministers meeting in the high-level security
cabinet Thursday night agreed to give Prime Minister Yair Lapid, Defense
Minister Benny Gantz and alternate Prime Minister Naftali Bennett power to deal
with a possible escalation of tension or violence in the north of the country,
after Israel said it would not accept Lebanon’s proposed amendments to a
US-brokered deal, the channel reported.”



Somalia



Deutsche Welle: Somalia Pushes On With Offensive Against Al-Shabab Despite
Attack
<[link removed]>



“Security experts say Somalia's government must focus on strengthening its
security system to defeat the terrorist group al-Shabab. The latest intensified
military offensive against the Islamist militants sparked counter attacks in
the south and central regions of the country. On Monday, al-Shabab used at
least two trucks and a small vehicle with three suicide bombers to target
people in the central Somali city of Beledwayne, in Hiran province. At least 40
people were killed and almost 100 more injured. Those in critical conditions
were flown to the capital Mogadishu. Residents have told DW that the explosions
were the worst the city has seen in years. The simultaneous blasts ripped
through a military camp that hosts local government offices, destroying several
homes and and businesses in the neighbouhood. Residents in central Somalia
spent hours digging through the rubble of collapsed buildings with their bare
hands in search of dead bodies. “I'm standing now at the third blast site. The
catastrophe here is beyond imaginable. They [al-Shabab] claim to be true
believers, but this is not a work for Islam,” 23-year-old shopkeeper Hassan Ali
told DW. “I have lost my friend. We found his body under the rubble today.
Other families are still searching for their loved ones.” Another resident,
Abdisalan Mohamed, who owns a wholesale clothing business, said he had lost
goods worth $20,000 (€20,314).”



Africa



Voice Of America: Cameroon Military Asks Civilians Displaced By Boko Haram To
Return
<[link removed]>



“Cameroon’s defense minister said it is safe for 40,000 villagers displaced
by the militant group Boko Haram near the borders with Chad and Nigeria to
return home. But villagers say they first need food aid as the fighting forced
them to abandon their farms and livestock. Cameroon military officials, led by
Defense Minister Joseph Beti Assomo, told workers at Maroua’s military hospital
that the government will foot the bills of all troops injured in battles
against the Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram. Among the injured soldiers is
31-year-old Damien Ekelle, who lost his left leg in a September 13 battle with
Boko Haram fighters in Mayo Tsanaga, an administrative unit on Cameroon’s
northern border with Nigeria and Chad. Ekelle said he is grateful that
Cameroon’s defense minister and his delegation visited injured soldiers to have
an appraisal of the challenges government troops encounter while fighting Boko
Haram terrorists. He also said he is thankful to God for saving his life. The
government said there are less than 30 injured government troops in the
hospital, down from 60 in June. In June, Cameroon said it deployed hundreds of
troops along its border with Nigeria, especially in Mayo Tsanaga, after attacks
by Boko Haram militants forced more than 40,000 villagers to flee the area.
Government officials said the troops were deployed after villagers organized
daily protests in front of government offices demanding protection from the
military.”



Germany



European Eye On Radicalization: The Muslim Brotherhood In Germany: An
Interview With Hans-Jakob Schindler
<[link removed]>



“European Eye on Radicalization is very pleased to have been able to
interview Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, currently a senior director at the
Counter-Extremism Project (CEP) and previously the coordinator of the United
Nations’ sanctions monitoring team for jihadist terrorists like the Islamic
State, Al-Qaeda, and the Taliban. EER’s interview focused on the Muslim
Brotherhood. Question 1: Are the Brotherhood networks in Germany still
demographically similar to those of decades past, or has the composition
changed? HJS: I have not conducted demographic research into Muslim Brotherhood
(MB) networks in Germany and therefore, will not be able to elaborate much on
this point. However, in 2020, my organization, the Counter Extremism Project
(CEP), conducted research into MB networks in a range of countries in Central
and Eastern Europe (see here, here, and here). This research demonstrated that
while these networks have been growing since the end of the Cold War, their
size, political influence in the respective countries, as well as their
influence within the wider community, has been reduced in the past few years,
and that other, less structured extremist Islamist networks have been taking
their place. As far as Germany is concerned, the influence of MB networks
continues to be a factor.”



Europe



The Brussels Times: Family Of Brussels Terror Attack Victim In Shock Over
Media Report
<[link removed]>



“The family of one of the victims of the 2016 Brussels Airport attacks has
reacted with shock to a report on “forgotten” victims, broadcast on Wednesday
evening on RTBF. The reaction came from relatives of a 23-year-old woman from
Kontich who is said to have received euthanasia recently because of unbearable
psychological suffering following the attacks. The woman's family said, through
its lawyer, that the RTBF report was done without the knowledge and cooperation
of her next of kin. “It seriously raises eyebrows from a deontological and
ethical standpoint,” the family said in a statement. “Moreover, this reporting
contains several fundamental inaccuracies,” it charged. The family added that
it was shocked and asked that her peace and privacy be respected. At the time
of the explosions, the woman in question - then a student of Saint Rita College
in Kontich - was about to go on a school trip to Rome. She was reportedly
within metres of one of the blasts and was traumatised as a result, although
physically unharmed. Despite psychiatric treatment, the woman, who is said to
have been admitted to a psychiatric institution several times before the
attacks, received euthanasia in May this year, according to the RTBF. A
neurologist from the Brugman University Hospital who intervened in the case,
believes euthanasia should not yet have taken place since there was still a
treatment option.”



The Counter Extremism Project depends on the generosity of its supporters. If
you value what we do, please consider making a donation.

DONATE NOW
<[link removed]>




Click here to unsubscribe.
<[link removed]>