“Pakistan has been removed from an international grey list that warrants
increased surveillance for terrorism financing, the head of the international
money laundering watchdog which makes the list said on Friday. The decision,
which provides a boost to the reputation of the crisis-ridden South Asian
nation, was taken at the end of a two-day meeting in Paris, Financial Action
Task Force (FATF) president T Raja Kumar told a news conference. “After a lot
of work by the Pakistani authorities, they have worked through two separate
action plans and completed a combined 34 action items to address deficiencies
in their anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing systems,” FATF
president T Raja Kumar told a news conference in Paris. In a meeting in June,
the FATF had said it was keeping Pakistan on the so-called “grey list”, but
said it might be removed after an on-site visit to verify progress. Kumar said
a FATF team had visited Pakistan and was satisfied with the implementation of
the programme. “Pakistan exiting the FATF grey list is a vindication of our
determined and sustained efforts over the years,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
said on Twitter. Pakistan was listed in 2018 because of “strategic
counter-terrorist financing-related deficiencies”. Even though the country had
been removed from list, “there is work to be done,” Raja said, adding that the
FATF encouraged Pakistan to strengthen its monitoring mechanisms.”











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Eye on Extremism


October 24, 2022



Reuters: Pakistan Taken Off Global Watchdog's 'Grey' List For Terrorism
Financing
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“Pakistan has been removed from an international grey list that warrants
increased surveillance for terrorism financing, the head of the international
money laundering watchdog which makes the list said on Friday. The decision,
which provides a boost to the reputation of the crisis-ridden South Asian
nation, was taken at the end of a two-day meeting in Paris, Financial Action
Task Force (FATF) president T Raja Kumar told a news conference. “After a lot
of work by the Pakistani authorities, they have worked through two separate
action plans and completed a combined 34 action items to address deficiencies
in their anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing systems,” FATF
president T Raja Kumar told a news conference in Paris. In a meeting in June,
the FATF had said it was keeping Pakistan on the so-called “grey list”, but
said it might be removed after an on-site visit to verify progress. Kumar said
a FATF team had visited Pakistan and was satisfied with the implementation of
the programme. “Pakistan exiting the FATF grey list is a vindication of our
determined and sustained efforts over the years,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
said on Twitter. Pakistan was listed in 2018 because of “strategic
counter-terrorist financing-related deficiencies”. Even though the country had
been removed from list, “there is work to be done,” Raja said, adding that the
FATF encouraged Pakistan to strengthen its monitoring mechanisms.”



Associated Press: Report: Salman Rushdie Lives, But Loses Use Of Eye And Hand
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“Salman Rushdie’s agent says the author has lost sight in one eye and the use
of a hand as he recovers from an attack from a man who rushed the stage at an
August literary event in western New York, according to a published report.
Literary agent Andrew Wylie told the Spanish language newspaper El Pais in an
article published Saturday that Rushdie suffered three serious wounds to his
neck and 15 more wounds to his chest and torso in the attack that took away
sight in an eye and left a hand incapacitated. Rushdie, 75, spent years in
hiding after Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a 1989 edict, a fatwa,
calling for his death after publication of his novel “The Satanic Verses,”
which some Muslims consider blasphemous. Over the past two decades, Rushdie has
traveled freely. Hadi Matar, 24, of Fairview, New Jersey, has been incarcerated
after pleading not guilty to attempted murder and assault in the Aug. 12 attack
on Rushdie as he was being introduced at the Chautauqua Institution, a rurally
located center 55 miles (89 kilometers) southwest of Buffalo that is known for
its summertime lecture series.”



United States



USA Today: Patriot Front Sued; New Mexico Civil Guard Shut Down: The Week In
Extremism
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“It was a bad week in court for extremist groups. The Texas-headquartered
white supremacist organization Patriot Front has been hit with a lawsuit from
the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Meanwhile, in New Mexico, a
militia group has been ordered to disband and slapped with a fine, and the Oath
Keepers Jan. 6 trial continues. It's the week in extremism. White supremacist
organization Patriot Front is the target of the latest lawsuit from the
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. The activist group and private
attorneys are suing the Texas-headquartered hate group on behalf of residents
of Richmond, Virginia, alleging Patriot Front members violated their civil
rights when the group vandalized a Richmond mural honoring Black tennis great
Arthur Ashe last year. Patriot Front has caused a stir elsewhere in the country
since then, particularly when members ended up being arrested in Idaho in June.
The Lawyers' Committee has a long history of suing extremist groups on behalf
of local residents or organizations affected by hateful activity. Last year,
the group sued the extremist group the Proud Boys and its then-chairman Henry
“Enrique” Tarrio for vandalism during protests in Washington, D.C., in late
2020. That lawsuit is ongoing. In June, 31 members of Patriot Front were
arrested while traveling in a U-Haul van allegedly to disrupt a Pride event in
Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. The group was also deeply exposed by a leak of its
private messages earlier this year.”



Syria



Associated Press: Report: Mass Grave Of IS Victims Found In Syria’s Palmyra
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“Syrian authorities found a mass grave in the historic town of Palmyra with
bodies of victims of the militant Islamic State group, which controlled the
area years ago, Syria’s state news agency said Friday. According to the report
on SANA, the mass grave was discovered near the second-century Roman
amphitheater. The agency said the remains of 12 people buried there have been
taken to hospital morgues for identification before they can be handed over to
their families. Palmyra is a UNESCO world heritage site and once linked Persia,
India, China with the Roman empire and the Mediterranean area. The Islamic
State militants controlled the area in two turns in 2015-2016, and killed
scores of people there — killings often captured in extremist propaganda videos
— before they were evicted. IS also damaged some of the town’s famed
archaeological treasures. The brutality and the actions by IS in Palmyra
triggered an international outcry. Palmyra was retaken in 2017 by Syrian
government forces who have held it since then. Palmyra, with its 2,000-year-old
towering Roman colonnades and priceless artifacts, was affectionately referred
to by Syrians as the “Bride of the Desert.” Before Syria’s civil war erupted in
2011 — a conflict that killed hundreds of thousands — Palmyra, was home to
65,000. To this day, a desert oasis surrounded by palm trees about 215
kilometers (155 miles) east of Damascus, it is also a strategic crossroads
linking the Syrian capital with the country’s east and neighboring Iraq.”



Iraq



Fox News: ISIS Resurfacing In Iraq As Country Looks To Hit Back At Terror
Organization
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“The Islamic State caliphate, which held large swaths of territory in Syria
and Iraq, was defeated in 2018, yet analysts are seeing signs, including a
growing number of attacks in northern and western Iraq, of a resurgence, a
cause for concern that needs to be watched closely. “The Islamic State has
begun to regain its activity in an attempt to gather what remains of its
members,” Fadil Abu Ragheef, an Iraq-based expert on terrorist groups, told Fox
News Digital. He said that while the organization had lost the main centers of
power it held under the first generation of its leadership, it continues to
pose a danger in the areas where it still has strength, the northern cities
between Salah al-Din, Kirkuk and the Mam Mountains. Ragheef also referred to
areas in western Anbar that constitute a fortification for the organization and
still pose a widespread danger. In recent months authorities have dismantled an
ISIS arms factory for booby-trapping armored and fortified vehicles, presumably
for suicide attacks in Kirkuk and elsewhere. Recent attacks include suicide
bombings close to Baghdad and other parts of the country, and Iraqi authorities
have also uncovered and stopped some ISIS operations. During an interview with
Fox News Digital on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in
September, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein urged western countries to keep
going after ISIS.”



Afghanistan



Voice Of America: Taliban Claim To Have Killed 9 ISIS-K Fighters
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“The Taliban said Saturday their special forces had killed nine Islamic State
operatives and captured two others in overnight raids in the capital, Kabul,
and elsewhere in Afghanistan. Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman for the Taliban
government, said that intelligence information had led security forces to an
“important hideout of Daesh” in Kabul late Friday. He used a local name for the
self-proclaimed Islamic State’s Afghan affiliate, known as Islamic State
Khorasan, or ISIS-K. Mujahid said the ensuing gunbattles killed six militants
and one Taliban security force member. The raid came shortly after security
forces had captured two key ISIS-K members in a separate operation in another
part of Kabul, he noted without elaborating. Separately, the Taliban-led Afghan
Interior Ministry said Saturday that “on the basis of solid intelligence”
government forces late last night assaulted an ISIS-K hideout in northeastern
Takhar province, which borders Tajikistan. The raid in the Dasht Qala district
killed three Daesh members, including an “important” commander, the statement
said. Mujahid claimed that all the six Daesh men killed in Kabul were linked to
recent suicide bombings in the city, one on an educational center and the other
on a mosque. “They had plotted attacks on Kabul’s Wazir Akbar Khan Mosque, the
Kaaj tuition center and other civilian targets,” Mujahid said.”



Middle East



The Jerusalem Post: Top Lions' Den Palestinian Terrorist Killed In Nablus
Explosion, Israel Blamed <[link removed]>



“Palestinians accused Israel of assassinating a senior member of the Lions’
Den terrorist group in Nablus with an explosive device placed on a motorcycle
on early Sunday. Though initial reports said Tamer al-Kilani was killed while
preparing an explosive device, the Lions’ Den later said the explosion was
caused by a bomb placed on his motorcycle by a “collaborator.” The group
claimed it would reveal details about what it called an “assassination” and
warned that there would be a response. “We promise the occupation and [IDF
Chief of Staff Aviv] Kohavi a severe, agonizing and painful response. We call
on every resident who can enter Nablus to participate in his funeral today,”
the group said. “Today, we gave our land the best of our soldiers. The lions
will go one after the other, either to victory or to become a martyr.” “We
promise the occupation and [IDF Chief of Staff Aviv] Kohavi a severe, agonizing
and painful response. We call on every resident who can enter Nablus to
participate in his funeral today. Today we gave our land the best of our
soldiers. The lions will go one after the other, either to victory or to become
a martyr.” Shortly afterward, the Lions’ Den published surveillance footage it
claimed showed an individual placing an explosive on Kilani’s motorcycle and
the charge exploding as Kilani walked by.”



Nigeria



Reuters: US And UK Warn Of Possible Attack In Nigeria's Capital
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“The United States and Britain on Sunday warned of a possible terrorist
attack in Nigeria's federal capital Abuja, especially aimed at government
buildings, places of worship and schools, among other targets. Nigeria is
fighting an Islamist insurgency mainly in the northeast, but in July the
Islamic State claimed responsibility for a raid on a prison in Abuja, which
freed around 440 inmates, raising fears that insurgents were venturing from
their enclaves. The U.S. Embassy in Nigeria said “there is an elevated risk of
terror attacks in Nigeria, specifically Abuja” and added that shopping malls,
law enforcement facilities and international organisations were among places at
risk. “The U.S. Embassy will offer reduced services until further notice,” the
embassy said in an alert to citizens in Nigeria. The United Kingdom government
warned that its citizens in Nigeria should stay alert due to an “increased
threat of terrorist attack in Abuja.” “Attacks could be indiscriminate and
could affect western interests, as well as places visited by tourists,” it
said. Insecurity, which has spread across Nigeria, is a major issue for voters
when they go to the polls next February to elect a new president to succeed
President Muhammadu Buhari. Nigeria's foreign affairs ministry was not
immediately available to comment.”



Sahara Reporters: Nigerian Army Rescues Two Chibok Girls, 99 Others From Boko
Haram Camps In Borno
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“The Nigerian Army on Friday said its troops rescued two Chibok school girls
and 99 other abductees from Boko Haram camps in Borno State. This was revealed
by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division and Commander Sector 1 Joint
Task Force North East Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), Major General Waidi Shaibu
while briefing newsmen in Maiduguri. General Waidi said the troops rescued the
victims from different locations in Borno state between September 29 and
October 2. The rescued girls are Rejoice Sanki, 24, and mother of two children;
and Yagana Poly, 24, a mother of four. The 99 other rescued abductees include
47 women. Boko Haram insurgents kidnapped 276 female students from the
Government Girls Secondary School Chibok in April 2014. SaharaReporters had
also reported earlier this month that troops of Operation Hadin Kai rescued
another Chibok girl, Yana Pogu, who had a four-month-old set of twins in Borno
State. It was gathered that Pogu married one of the Amir (Commanders) who fled
the onslaught and left behind his wife and four children.”



Somalia



Associated Press: 8 Killed In Somalia As Militants Attack Port City Hotel
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“Eight people were killed after militants stormed a hotel in Somalia’s port
city of Kismayo, an attack that started with a suicide bombing Sunday before
gunmen forcibly entered and exchanged fire with security forces. The Islamic
extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack, saying its
fighters had penetrated the Tawakal Hotel. Security forces from the southern
Somali state of Jubaland later ended the siege, killing the gunmen and rescuing
scores of people, state media reported. There was no official word on
casualties, but a doctor at Kismayo Hospital told The Associated Press of eight
dead people, four of whom were security personnel. At least 41 people were
wounded in the attack, the doctor said, speaking on the condition of anonymity
because he was not authorized to divulge such information. Journalists were
prevented from getting close to the scene of the attack. Footage shared on
social media showed ambulances collecting the wounded from outside the hotel in
central Kismayo. The city is located about 500 kilometers (310 miles) from the
Somali capital, Mogadishu. The attack began when a car driven by a suicide
bomber rammed the entrance gate of the hotel and then exploded, police officer
Abshir Omar said by phone. A number of small businesses along the street were
destroyed.”



Africa



AFP: Suspected Jihadist Attack Kills 11 In Niger: Local Sources
<[link removed]>



“A suspected jihadist attack on three lorries and a motorcycle in western
Niger near the border with Mali killed 11 people, local sources told AFP on
Sunday. The attack took place on a remote road in the so-called “three borders”
region between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso plagued by jihadist insurgents
linked with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group. A local government official
in the Banibangou area where the attack occurred said armed men intercepted
three trucks on a remote road on Saturday morning and killed their nine
occupants. Two people riding a motorcycle also died, he added. A local lawmaker
also confirmed the toll of 11 dead, saying two of the trucks were burned and
the other taken away. Attacks by militants had been less frequent in recent
months in Banibangou, located in the vast and unstable Tillaberi region in
western Niger. Civilians have often been caught in the fighting between the
rebels and security forces. In November 2021, authorities said at least 69
local self-defence militiamen were massacred.”



Human Rights Watch: Hundreds Flee Attacks In Mozambique’s Ruby Mining Region
<[link removed]>



“This week, suspected Al-Shabab fighters attacked precious gem-rich areas of
Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province, closing at least two mining operations and
causing hundreds of people to flee villages in Ancuabe and Montepuez districts.
On Thursday, the ruby mining group Gemfields announced it was stopping
operations at its Montepuez site after an early morning attack on the nearby
mine, Gemrock. Various sources reported that vehicles in the facility were set
ablaze and some employees were missing. The same day, hundreds of people
arrived in Montepuez and Pemba cities. Several told Human Rights Watch they
fled their villages because the mashababos (a local term for Islamist fighters)
had destroyed their homes. They also reported heavy fighting between the armed
group and government soldiers who were deployed to the ruby mine after the
attack. “These heartless mashababos are everywhere,” said a resident of
Namanhumbire village, in Montepuez district. “They came to our villages and
burned everything, even water jerricans.”Media reports attributed the recent
attacks to Al-Shabab or Mashabab, an armed group linked to the Islamic State
(ISIS) that for several years, has killed, kidnapped, and raped civilians and
pillaged villages across northern Mozambique. Earlier this month, suspected
Al-Shabab members set houses on fire in the villages of Chiute, Nguida, Mesa,
and Nonia, in Ancuabe district.”



United Kingdom



BBC News: Preston Man In Court Accused Of Sharing Islamic State Videos
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“A man accused of sharing Islamic State videos on social media has appeared
in court. Mohammed Afzal, 18, allegedly shared material showing an execution
and fighters in combat on Instagram between March and September. He is also
accused of collecting instructions on how to make explosives. Mr Afzal, of
Preston, Lancashire, appeared by videolink for the hearing at London's Old
Bailey where he was remanded in custody. He has been charged with four offences
of disseminating a terrorist publication and four offences of collecting
information useful to a terrorist. He is due to next appear at Liverpool Crown
Court on 10 February.”



The Independent: Hyde Park Terror Plot Accused Appears In Court
<[link removed]>



“A man accused of plotting a terror attack at London’s Hyde Park has appeared
at the Old Bailey. Edward Little, 21, allegedly planned to buy a firearm and
kill a Christian preacher and others gathered at Speakers’ Corner on or before
September 23. Little was arrested on September 23 after taking a taxi from
Brighton to London. He was charged with engaging in conduct in preparation of
terrorist acts. On Friday, the defendant, from Pelham Street in Brighton,
appeared at the Old Bailey for a preliminary hearing. Prosecutor Kathryn Selby
told the court the allegation in the case “concerns a plan to carry out an
attack on Hyde Park”. Mr Justice Sweeney set a plea hearing for February 10
next year and a provisional trial from June 26 next year. The case would be
heard either by the Recorder of London or a High Court judge, he said. Little,
who wore a grey tracksuit top in the dock, spoke only to confirm his identity
and was remanded into custody.”



The Telegraph: Youngest Girl Charged With Terrorism Offences Killed Herself
After Being Groomed By US Neo Nazis
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“The youngest girl charged with terrorism offences in the UK was found hanged
after being groomed and exploited by American neo-Nazis, a Sunday Telegraph
investigation can disclose. Rhianan Rudd killed herself while living in a
children’s home after being taken into care. She had gouged a swastika onto her
forehead at the time of her arrest and had subsequently tried to “scratch it
out”, care home staff said. At the age of just 14, the schoolgirl had been
charged with the possession of instructions to make both firearms and
explosives. She was accused of having written instructions and a video on how
to make a bomb and a guide for the 3-D printing of guns that had so alarmed
authorities she was charged with the “commission, preparation of instigation of
an act of terrorism”. It is alleged that a former boyfriend of her mother had
been involved in radicalising the child. A US Supreme Court ruling had
described Dax Mallaburn as a member of neo-Nazi group the Arizona Aryan
Brotherhood. Rhianan, who had grown up in Essex before moving to Derbyshire,
was also groomed and exploited sexually online by a second older American male,
sources have told The Sunday Telegraph. Her death raises disturbing questions
for British authorities on how to tackle the growing numbers of children being
lured into extreme Right-wing terrorism.”



Australia



The Guardian: Australian Government To Restore Powers To Strip Citizenship
From Terrorism Suspects
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“The Albanese government will restore powers to strip dual citizens who are
suspected of committing terrorist offences of their Australian citizenship
after Peter Dutton’s laws were struck down by the high court. The home affairs
minister, Clare O’Neil, has revealed the government will legislate to allow
courts to strip terrorist suspects’ citizenship after the high court ruled it
was unconstitutional to give the minister power to do so. The bill, to be
introduced this year, is likely to sail through parliament as the Coalition has
already given in-principle support to closing a “loophole” created by the
citizenship cancellation law being struck down. In June the high court ruled in
favour of Delil Alexander, a Turkish citizen whose Australian citizenship was
cancelled in July 2021 due to an assessment he had joined Islamic State and
engaged in foreign incursions and recruitment. The decision resulted in the
government restoring the citizenship of Alexander and one other person, but it
is now believed up to 20 others could apply to have their citizenship restored
as a result of the precedent. That was a major blow to citizenship cancellation
powers first passed by the Coalition in 2015, when then prime minister Tony
Abbott and current Liberal leader, Peter Dutton, unsuccessfully argued even
sole Australian nationals should be able to be targeted. O’Neil said the laws
which allowed ministerial discretion to cancel citizenship were “a monumental
mistake by Mr Dutton.”



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