“A leading Lebanese politician who is sanctioned by the United States said on
Thursday he played a behind-the-scenes role in U.S.-brokered talks to delineate
Lebanon's maritime boundary with Israel by liaising with Hezbollah. Gebran
Bassil, a Christian member of parliament and former minister, was sanctioned in
2020 for alleged corruption and material support to Hezbollah but denies the
accusations. He told Reuters in an exclusive interview on Thursday that despite
the sanctions, he was personally involved in U.S.-mediated negotiations to draw
the sea border between Lebanon and Israel. "It's only normal that I have a
role. Everybody knows this - it's my obligation and it's my duty," he said in
his office on the outskirts of Beirut. "I can link politically with the parties
inside and outside... and clearly, we succeeded."











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Eye on Extremism


October 14, 2022



Reuters: Lebanon MP Sanctioned By US Says He Played Behind-The-Scenes Role In
Border Talks
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“A leading Lebanese politician who is sanctioned by the United States said on
Thursday he played a behind-the-scenes role in U.S.-brokered talks to delineate
Lebanon's maritime boundary with Israel by liaising with Hezbollah. Gebran
Bassil, a Christian member of parliament and former minister, was sanctioned in
2020 for alleged corruption and material support to Hezbollah but denies the
accusations. He told Reuters in an exclusive interview on Thursday that despite
the sanctions, he was personally involved in U.S.-mediated negotiations to draw
the sea border between Lebanon and Israel. "It's only normal that I have a
role. Everybody knows this - it's my obligation and it's my duty," he said in
his office on the outskirts of Beirut. "I can link politically with the parties
inside and outside... and clearly, we succeeded."



The Washington Post: Bus Bombing Kills 18 Syrian Troops, Wounds Dozens
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“A bus bombing on Thursday killed 18 Syrian soldiers in a Damascus suburb and
wounded at least 27 others, Syria’s state media reported citing a military
source, as fighting in the country’s north picked up. Similar attacks over the
past years have killed and wounded dozens of soldiers in government-held parts
of the war-torn country. Last March, militants attacked a military bus near
Palmyra in central Syria, killing 13 troops and wounding 18 others. In northern
Syria, members of an al-Qaida-linked group captured a town that had been held
by Turkey-backed opposition fighters since 2018. The capture of the town of
Afrin by members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Arabic for the Levant Liberation
Committee, which is the strongest militant group in the rebel-held northwest,
came after days of fighting between rival insurgent groups in the area. The
Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor,
said HTS captured some 30 military posts in the area from Turkey-backed groups.
The fighting was triggered by last week’s killing of a citizen journalist and
his wife who were shot dead while on a motorcycle in the northern town of
al-Bab. A Turkey-backed group was blamed for the killing and since then it has
come under attack by several insurgent groups, including HTS.”



United States



Forbes: Most Republicans And Democrats Think Misinformation Is Fueling Hate
Crimes And Extremism, Poll Finds
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“The vast majority of Republicans and Democrats think misinformation is
fueling hate crimes and political extremism, according to a new Associated
Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, which found nearly
three-fourths of voters view false information as a “major problem.” Some 72%
of Republicans and 85% of Democrats believe misinformation is leading to a
spike in hate crimes, including violence motivated by race, religion or gender,
while 80% of Democrats and 70% of GOP voters believe false information is
causing more extreme political views as well. Almost all Americans—91%—think
misinformation is a problem, while 70% of voters are worried they’re exposed to
it, according to the survey, which was conducted among 1,003 votes from
September 9 to 12. About three-fourths of voters said they had avoided sharing
a post on social media because they didn’t want to contribute to the spread of
misinformation, while 50% said they decline to share posts most of the time to
avoid perpetuating false information. Some 50% say the false information is
sparking distrust of the government. As many as 650,000. That’s how many
Facebook posts between Election Day and January 6 promoted false claims
suggesting the 2020 presidential election was illegitimate, or about 10,000
posts a day, according to one ProPublica and Washington Post investigation.”



Syria



AFP: New Details Found In Syria On Missing ISIS Hostages: Rights Group
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“New details on the ISIS extremist group’s former detention centers for
foreign hostages in Syria and on grave sites offer clues on where victims may
be buried, a rights group said Thursday. The US-based Syrian Justice and
Accountability Center (SJAC) said it had managed to pinpoint the exact
locations of seven detention facilities once run by the extremist group. It
said it had identified three potential burial grounds after monitoring US court
proceedings against a member of the notorious ISIS kidnap-and-murder cell
dubbed “the Beatles.” The four-member cell, named after the pop band by their
captives because of their British accents, was allegedly involved in the
abductions of at least 27 people in Syria from 2012 to 2015. The hostages, some
of whom were released after their governments paid ransoms, were from at least
15 countries, including the United States, Denmark, France, Japan, Norway and
Spain. The ISIS tortured and killed their victims, including by beheading, and
released videos of the murders for propaganda purposes. The rights group said
that, to corroborate information and trace hostage movements, it conducted
further interviews with former hostages, victims’ relatives and a second ISIS
“Beatles” member who pleaded guilty in the United States.”



Voice Of America: Jihadist Group Takes Over Strategic Town In Northwest Syria
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“A powerful jihadist group has taken over a strategic town in northwest Syria
following days of clashes with several militia groups who were controlling the
area, local sources said. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), formerly known as
al-Nusra Front, entered the town of Afrin on Thursday after its former rulers
withdrew their forces, according to residents and a monitor group. Afrin, a
Kurdish-majority city, had been under the control of Turkish-backed armed
groups since 2018 after a Turkish military offensive that ousted Syrian Kurdish
forces that Ankara considers terrorists. A resident in the town told VOA that
he witnessed “tanks and military vehicles belonging to [HTS] rolling into Afrin
after the other militias who were previously in our city abandoned their
positions and left with their vehicles and equipment.” The resident, who
declined to reveal his identity because it could endanger him, added that “he
heard about very small skirmishes between the two sides in a few parts of the
city, but the militiamen didn't really resist the oncoming militants.” HTS is
an Islamist group that has been in control of most of Idlib province in
northwest Syria, one of the few areas that are outside the control of Syrian
government forces.”



Daily Sabah: Turkish Forces Eliminate PKK's So-Called Brigade Chief In Syria
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“The National Intelligence Organization (MIT) on Friday eliminated a member
of the PKK terrorist organization who served as a so-called brigade chief in
Syria. Nejdet Dağlarer, code-named “Geli Serhat,” was added to MIT's target
list due to his activities for the PKK in Türkiye and actions against the
Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) in Syria, according to security sources. The
terrorist joined the rural cadres of the terrorist organization PKK in 2009,
and continued his armed activities in the Şemzinan region of Hakkari in 2012,
on the Iranian border. After carrying out terrorist activities in Türkiye, he
moved to Iraq and then to Syria in 2016 where he served in the Aleppo region
for a long time. While in Syria, he played an active role as a guide for the
terrorist group in the areas where the TSK was conducting its Olive Branch and
Peace Spring counterterrorism operations. Dağlarer was also in charge in 2020
of overseeing the PKK's tunnel network in Ain al-Arab, also known as Kobani.
The terrorist was in charge of the "Çavreş" brigade, which is made up of the
PKK's rural cadres, at the time he was eliminated by Turkish forces.”



Middle East



Associated Press: Israeli Settlers Rampage In Palestinian Town In West Bank
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“A group of Jewish settlers rampaged through a Palestinian town in the
northern West Bank on Thursday, attacking shops and residents with stones and
iron bars, according to Palestinian reports and amateur video from the scene.
Over 40 Palestinians were reported wounded. It was the latest violence in the
northern West Bank, where the Israeli military has been conducting nightly
arrest raids against suspected Palestinian militants. Unrest also erupted in
the contested city of Jerusalem. Israeli police unleashed live rounds, tear gas
and stun grenades on Palestinians throwing stones, firecrackers and firebombs,
marking the biggest spasm of violence in the city in months. Clashes in the
Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of east Jerusalem wounded 18 Palestinians late
Thursday, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported, saying Israeli settlers
attacked Palestinians with stones and clubs. The confrontations followed
similar unrest across several neighborhoods in east Jerusalem the night before.
It was not immediately clear what sparked Thursday’s rampage in the northern
West Bank, but Palestinian militants in the area have carried out several
roadside shootings in recent weeks. The area is home to a number of hardline
settlements, whose residents often intimidate Palestinians and vandalize their
property. Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian official who monitors settlement
activities in the area, said some 70 settlers from the hardline settlement of
Yitzhar appeared in Hawara, on the outskirts of the city of Nablus, without
warning.”



Nigeria



Associated Press: Nigerian Separatist Leader Acquitted Of Terrorism Charges
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“A Nigerian separatist leader accused of terrorism and instigating violence
in the country’s southeast was acquitted Thursday by a local court, his lawyer
told The Associated Press. The Nigerian Court of Appeal dismissed the
government-filed charges against Nnamdi Kanu in Abuja, the nation's capital,
after a jury faulted the legality of the case against him, according to Ifeanyi
Ejiofor, his lawyer. Kanu is yet to be released from custody. The Indigenous
People of Biafra separatist group that Kanu leads has been pressing for the
southeast region to break away from the West African nation and become
independent. But the Nigerian government said he uses the group known as IPOB
to instigate violence, leading to the deaths of many in the country’s
southeast. Kanu had been facing trial for alleged treason and terrorism but
escaped Nigeria in 2017 while on bail. He was rearrested in June last year and
brought back to Nigeria from an undisclosed country. The separatist leader, who
also holds British citizenship, pleaded not guilty at the resumption of his
trial which his group has said is being used to stifle his secessionist
campaign. The campaign reminds many of the short-lived Republic of Biafra that
fought and lost a civil war from 1967 to 1970 to become independent from
Nigeria. An estimated 1 million people died in the war, many of starvation.”



Somalia



Sky News: From Farmers To Fighters - How A New Somali Militia Has Risen
Against Al Shabaab
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“Deep in the Buloburde bush in the Hiiraan region of central Somalia, there's
a ragtag regiment gathering around a missile launcher. Huddled tightly with
their ears pressed against a small black phone, they receive intelligence and
feed it back to the troops positioning the launcher. The Ma'awisley militia is
made up of farmers turned fighters and is in the front line of the battle for
Somalia's stability. It is the new weapon of choice in the 16-year effort to
eradicate al Shabaab, the terrorist group linked to al Qaeda. This war is one
without a conventional front line. Instead, there are territories around the
country where al Shabaab entrench themselves in the community and frequently
launch attacks. Now, these communities are rising up against them. “We are
fighting for the right cause, for the people, for this nation and for the faith
until Somalia is peaceful,” says Ma'awisley commander Ali Shiri in Bal'ad -
another hotspot just an hour outside the capital Mogadishu. Primarily, they are
protecting their families and farms. The lands they have long harvested are now
parched by prolonged drought and stalked by al Shabaab fighters seeking money
and food. WFP Regional Director Michael Dunford visit to an IDP camp in Adadle
district in the Somali region where he met the communities and heard directly
from them on the impact of the drought.”



Mali



AFP: Mali Bus Blast Leaves At Least 11 Dead: Sources
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“At least 11 people were killed and 53 injured when a bus hit an explosive
device in central Mali on Thursday, according to a hospital source. The
explosion occurred on the road between Bandiagara and Goundaka in the Mopti
area in the early afternoon, a security source said. The region is known as a
hotbed for extremist violence. For all the latest headlines follow our Google
News channel online or via the app. Earlier, police and local sources gave a
provisional toll of 10 dead and many seriously injured. “We have just
transferred nine bodies to the clinic. And it's not over yet,” said Moussa
Housseyni of the local Bandiagara Youth Association, adding that they were all
civilians. Mali has long struggled with an extremist insurgency that has
claimed thousands of lives and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes.
Mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are among the extremists weapons
of choice. They can explode on impact or be detonated remotely. A report by
MINUSMA, the UN mission in Mali, found that mines and IEDs had caused 72 deaths
in 2022 as of August 31. Most of the victims were soldiers -- but more than a
quarter were civilians, it said. Last year, 103 people were killed and 297
injured by IEDs and mines.”



Africa



AFP: Benin Foils 'Terrorist' Attack, Kills 8 Gunmen, Army Says
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“Benin's army has said it foiled a “terrorist” attack in the country's
northwest, killing eight gunmen suspected of operating from neighboring Burkina
Faso and Niger. Security forces have faced more than a dozen militant
incursions since last year, as concerns mount over the spread southward of
violence from the Sahel linked to the Islamic State group and al-Qaida. In the
early hours of Wednesday, “terrorists attempted to infiltrate Materi [town] ...
where they were planning to launch a complex attack,” military spokesperson
Ebenezer Honfoga said. The gunmen were ambushed in a “security set up” and
detonated an improvised explosive device they had been about to install, he
added in a statement released on Wednesday. They then “tried to attack the
Beninese armed forces position that was in the area” but faced retaliation. “At
least eight terrorists were killed” and important equipment was retrieved, the
official added, without giving further details. Benin has suffered attacks on
troops defending against Islamist militants from Burkina Faso and Niger, but
criminal gangs and smugglers also operate in the area. Benin's government
admitted in May that the north of the country had been the target of around 20
attacks by armed groups, though it did not use the word “jihadists.”



United Kingdom



Daily Mail: Ex-Pub Landlord, 42, Denies Sending Islamic State In Syria
Thousands Of Pounds From Covid Bounce Back Loans
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“A former pub landlord denied sending thousands of pounds in coronavirus
bounce back loans to fund ISIS in Syria and possessing videos which would be
'useful to a person preparing an act of terrorism'. Tarek Namouz, of no fixed
address, appeared at Kingston Crown Court in south-west London on Thursday via
video-link from Wandsworth jail. The court heard that the 42-year-old is
accused of entering into an arrangement for money or other property to be made
available to another which may be used for terrorism. Namouz pleaded not guilty
to eight counts of entering into funding an arrangement between November 13
2020 and May 25 2021. He also pleaded not guilty to two counts of possessing
terrorist information in the form of two videos, which the court heard was
likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, on
May 25 2021. A trial, expected to last two weeks, has been set to begin at
Kingston Crown Court on November 21. Namouz, who spoke only to confirm his name
and to enter his pleas, was remanded in custody. In May 2020, six weeks into
the UK’s first coronavirus lockdown, the then chancellor Rishi Sunak launched
the bounce back loan scheme. In total £47bn was paid out in loans to help keep
small British businesses afloat during the unprecedented lockdown.”



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