Eye on Extremism
October 25, 2022
Reuters: Ten Soldiers Killed, 50 Wounded In Attack On Burkina Faso Army Base
“At least ten soldiers were killed and about 50 wounded in a militant attack early Monday on an army base in Djibo, in northern Burkina Faso, the army said in a statement. Islamist militants, some with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State, have been waging an insurgency in northern Burkina Faso since 2015. The worsening violence spurred soldiers last month to overthrow the government in the second coup this year. “Members of the regiment responded valiantly to direct and indirect fire from the enemy, who came in large numbers,” said the army statement, adding that the death toll was provisional. It said that at least 18 of the attackers were also killed. Air reinforcements have been deployed in the area to carry out relief and response operations, the army said.”
NPR: Calls Grow To Boycott Adidas As The Company Stays Silent On Ye's Antisemitism
“People are calling for Adidas to end its working relationship with Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, in response to the numerous offensive and antisemitic remarks the rapper has made in recent weeks. Ye has faced some consequences for his comments: Both Twitter and Instagram have restricted his accounts (now he says he plans to purchase far-right-friendly social media site Parler), and Balenciaga fashion house is reportedly cutting ties with him. Prominent Hollywood agency CAA, which has represented Ye since 2016, ended its relationship with him this month, the Los Angeles Times reported midday Monday. And George Floyd's family plans to sue him over comments he made on a podcast. The German footwear giant said at the start of this month that its partnership was under review — but since then has not issued any updates and continues to release new Yeezy merchandise, even as the rapper doubles down on antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories.”
United States
Associated Press: Family Details Horrific Abuse At Hands Of Female ISIS Leader
“A Kansas native convicted of leading an all-female battalion of the Islamic State group had a long history of monstrous behavior that included sexual and physical abuse of her own children, family members said in court filings. Prosecutors cited the abuse allegations in seeking a maximum 20-year sentence for Allison Fluke-Ekren, 42, when she is sentenced Nov. 1 for providing material support to the Islamic State group. “Allison Fluke-Ekren brainwashed young girls and trained them to kill. She carved a path of terror, plunging her own children into unfathomable depths of cruelty by physically, psychologically, emotionally, and sexually abusing them,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh wrote in a sentencing memo spelling out the allegations Fluke-Ekren’s own children and parents have made against her. Fluke-Ekren pleaded guilty to terrorism charges after she admitted that she led the Khatiba Nusaybah, an all-female battalion of the Islamic State, in which roughly 100 women and girls — some as young as 10 years old — learned how to use automatic weapons and detonate grenades and suicide belts. Parekh’s sentencing memo spells out how Fluke-Ekren went from a childhood on an 81-acre farm in Overbrook, Kansas, to an Islamic State leader, traveling from Kansas to Egypt to Libya and then to Islamic State-controlled territory in Syria. Along the way she had 12 children and five different husbands, several of whom were killed in fighting.”
Associated Press: Michigan Teen Who Killed 4 In School Shooting Pleads Guilty To Terrorism And Murder
“A teenager pleaded guilty Monday to terrorism and first-degree murder in a Michigan school shooting that killed four students and put an extraordinary focus on the boy’s home life and the alleged role of his parents in the tragedy. Ethan Crumbley, 16, pleaded guilty to all 24 charges, nearly a year after the attack at Oxford High School in southeastern Michigan. In the gallery, some relatives of the victims wept as assistant prosecutor Marc Keast described the crimes. “Yes,” Crumbley replied, looking down and nodding in affirmation, when asked if he “knowingly, willfully and deliberately” chose to shoot other students. The prosecutor’s office said no deals were made ahead of Monday’s plea. A first-degree murder conviction typically brings an automatic life prison sentence in Michigan, but teenagers are entitled to a hearing where their lawyer can argue for a shorter term and an opportunity for parole. The teenager withdrew his intent to pursue an insanity defense and repeatedly acknowledged under questioning by Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Kwame Rowe that he understands the potential penalties. His parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, also are jailed on separate charges. Prosecutors accuse the couple of making the gun accessible to Ethan and ignoring his need for mental health treatment. Crumbley’s lawyer, Paulette Michel Loftin, said it’s possible he could be called upon to testify against them.”
Vice: White Supremacists Embrace Ye: ‘Kanye Is Right About The Jews’
“A group of racist extremists identified as the Goyim Defense League (GDL) protested on a highway overpass in the Los Angeles area on Saturday, holding up hateful signs, flashing Nazi salutes, and most conspicuously, praising billionaire fashion designer and rapper Ye for his antisemitic views. “Kanye is right about the Jews” read one of the signs on the overpass over the 405 Highway, according to images shared on social media. The stunt follows weeks of racist statements made by the musician formerly known as Kanye West in various forums, including social media posts, television interviews, and other media appearances. The vice president of the Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism, Oren Segal, identified the group as the Goyim Defense League: “This action is the latest example of how extremists across the ideological spectrum have embraced Ye’s (formerly Kanye West) recent comments,” Segal tweeted Sunday. “The group responsible for the antisemitic banners over the highway in Los Angeles espouses its vitriolic antisemitism and white supremacist themes via the internet, through propaganda distributions, and in street actions.” The GDL is led by Jon Minadeo II, whom the Anti-Defamation League calls a “virulently antisemitic provocateur.” Minadeo, with his local network of racists, aims to spread myths and conspiracy theories about the Jewish people.”
Syria
Voice Of America: Islamic State Group Still Active In Southern Syria, Observers Say
“Despite the heavy presence of Syrian and Russian forces in southern Syria, militants affiliated with the Islamic State group appear to be active in the region. Last week, local fighters, some of whom were affiliated with the Syrian government, carried out an operation targeting several hideouts belonging to IS operatives in a town in the southern province of Daraa. During the raid, at least six IS members were killed, and three houses used as IS operations centers were destroyed, according to local news reports. The multi-day operation, which ended Sunday, seemed to be in response to an October 13 bombing of a military bus in the Syrian capital of Damascus that killed at least 18 Syrian soldiers. Russia, a strong backer of the Syrian government, has accused IS cells in Daraa of carrying out the attack. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told VOA it couldn't confirm whether the individuals targeted in Daraa were responsible for orchestrating the Damascus bombing. “But what is certain is that those killed in the town of Jasim [in Daraa] were Syrian and Iraqi nationals that were indeed members of Daesh,” said Rami Abdulrahman, director of the U.K.-based observatory, using an Arabic acronym for the terror group. A media activist in Daraa who requested anonymity for safety reasons told VOA that one of the IS operatives killed during the clashes last week was a high-profile leader responsible for assassinating several former opposition figures in southern Syria.”
Iran
Reuters: Iran Says More Arrests Made In French 'Spies' Case
“Iranian authorities have made more arrests in "the case of French spies", the judiciary spokesperson said on Tuesday, saying those newly detained had been accused of "conspiracy and collusion" with the aim of harming national security. France lashed out at Iran for "dictatorial practices" and taking two of its citizens hostage earlier this month after a video aired in which they appeared to confess to spying. France has condemned their arrest and demanded the pair's immediate release. Iran’s judiciary spokesperson Masoud Setayeshi, during a weekly news conference, did not say how many more arrests had been made in what he called the "case of the French spies", nor give their nationalities or any other details. "In this case, other arrests have been made and the chain of information is about to be completed and will be announced as soon as it is finalized," he said, adding that the investigation was moving swiftly.”
Middle East
Reuters: Four Palestinians Killed In Clashes With Israeli Forces, Palestinians Say
“Three Palestinians were killed during clashes with Israeli security forces who had entered a flashpoint city in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials said. The violence erupted overnight when Israeli security officers who had entered the town of Nablus were spotted by Palestinian security officers and militants, according to witnesses. A fourth man was killed in a separate clash when Palestinians began throwing stones at Israeli forces to protest the Israeli operation, medical workers said. The Israeli military said security forces had raided a hideout used as a headquarters and explosives manufacturing site by a local group called the Den of Lions, which has been fighting with Israeli forces in recent weeks. The explosives manufacturing site was detonated, it said. Several gunmen were also wounded in the Nablus shootout, Palestinian officials said, some belonging to the Den of Lions. Nablus has been a flashpoint for violence since Israel began a crackdown in the West Bank in March in response to a series of attacks by Palestinians in Israel. Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said Abbas's office had reached out to the United States to ask for its help in ending the Israeli campaign. “All of this will have dangerous and destructive consequences,” Abu Rudeineh said on Palestine TV.”
Nigeria
Sahara Reporters: ISWAP Terrorists Storm Rival Boko Haram’s Enclave, Kill Six, Seize Weapons
“In what appeared to be a continuation of their sustained inter-rivalry clash, the fighters of the Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) at the weekend attacked the enclave of Boko Haram, during which six of them were killed. A counter-insurgency expert, Zagazola Makama, disclosed this in a series of tweets on Sunday. The rival groups have been attacking communities in the Northeast region since both camps fell apart over leadership issues. The groups have also since been having clashes, and Abubakar Shekau, leader of Boko Haram, was reportedly killed during one of such clashes in 2021. According to Makama, ISWAP in a silent operation stormed the home of Boko Haram insurgents in Gajibo, a town 95km Northeast of Maiduguri, Borno State capital and slaughtered six fighters whom they declared as “infidels”. The attackers also recovered five AK47 rifles from the Boko Haram terrorists. ISWAP has carried out many successful attacks against Boko Haram terrorists since the start of the fight between the terror groups, causing the group huge casualties.”
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