“A Pakistani court convicted and sentenced to death two Islamic militants for
killing 13 people in a suicide attack last year in the country’s northwest,
police said Monday. Senior police officer Zeeshan Asghar told reporters in the
garrison city of Abbottabad that Judge Sajjad Ahmed Jan announced the verdict
in the high security prison on Friday, after months of trial. He said the court
awarded 13 death sentences to Mohammad Hussain and Mohammad Ayaz for killing
nine Chinese engineers, two paramilitary troops and two other locala, plus a
10- year prison term for each of the 32 people wounded in the attack. The judge
also imposed heavy fines. Hussain and Ayaz were found guilty of orchestrating
the July 14, 2021 suicide attack on a bus on a mountainous road in the Kohistan
region. The bus was carrying Chinese engineers working on the Dasu dam project
in the region. Nine Chinese were killed and 27 wounded in the attack as the
blast toppled the bus a deep ravine. Two Pakistani troops escorting the Chinese
and two others were also killed. Pakistani officials initially said a gas leak
caused the explosion. But the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad said the bus had
been attacked, and Pakistan later found traces of explosives at the site. The
court acquitted four other suspects for a lack of sufficient evidence against
them. Six suspects were still at large. Asghar, the police officer, said a
search was ongoing for the missing suspects and an appeal would be filed
against the acquitted four suspects.”











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Eye on Extremism


November 15, 2022



Associated Press: Pakistani Judge Sentences Two Islamic Militants To Death
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“A Pakistani court convicted and sentenced to death two Islamic militants for
killing 13 people in a suicide attack last year in the country’s northwest,
police said Monday. Senior police officer Zeeshan Asghar told reporters in the
garrison city of Abbottabad that Judge Sajjad Ahmed Jan announced the verdict
in the high security prison on Friday, after months of trial. He said the court
awarded 13 death sentences to Mohammad Hussain and Mohammad Ayaz for killing
nine Chinese engineers, two paramilitary troops and two other locala, plus a
10- year prison term for each of the 32 people wounded in the attack. The judge
also imposed heavy fines. Hussain and Ayaz were found guilty of orchestrating
the July 14, 2021 suicide attack on a bus on a mountainous road in the Kohistan
region. The bus was carrying Chinese engineers working on the Dasu dam project
in the region. Nine Chinese were killed and 27 wounded in the attack as the
blast toppled the bus a deep ravine. Two Pakistani troops escorting the Chinese
and two others were also killed. Pakistani officials initially said a gas leak
caused the explosion. But the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad said the bus had
been attacked, and Pakistan later found traces of explosives at the site. The
court acquitted four other suspects for a lack of sufficient evidence against
them. Six suspects were still at large. Asghar, the police officer, said a
search was ongoing for the missing suspects and an appeal would be filed
against the acquitted four suspects.”




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AFP: US Offers $10 Mn Rewards For Somalia's Al-Shabaab
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“The United States said Monday it was increasing its reward for information
about key leaders of Somalia's Al-Shabaab to $10 million apiece, a move that
follows a spate of deadly attacks by the jihadist group. The US State
Department also said it was for the first time offering a reward of up to $10
million for information “leading to the disruption of the financial mechanisms”
of the Al-Qaeda affiliate. Al-Shabaab fighters have stepped up attacks in the
Somali capital Mogadishu and other parts of the country in the face of a
widescale offensive against the group by the new government of President Hassan
Sheikh Mohamud. The US said it was offering up to $10 million each for
information leading to the identification of Al-Shabaab “emir” Ahmed Diriye,
second-in-command Mahad Karate and Jehad Mostafa, a US citizen who it said had
various roles in the group. “These key leaders of Al-Shabaab are responsible
for numerous terrorist attacks in Somalia, Kenya and neighbouring countries
that have killed thousands of people,” said a poster issued by the US with
pictures of the three men. UN human rights chief Volker Turk said earlier
Monday that more than 600 civilians had been killed this year in attacks
largely attributed to the group. At least 613 civilians have been killed and
948 injured so far in 2022, according to the latest United Nations figures --
the highest since 2017 and a more-than 30-percent rise from last year.”



Iraq



The National: Saddam Hussein’s Grandnephew Handed To Iraq Over Alleged ISIS
Links
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“Lebanon has handed over a grandnephew of former dictator Saddam Hussein to
Iraq after he was accused of involvement in the Camp Speicher massacre by ISIS
militants in 2014, security sources said. Abdullah Yasser Sabawi, the grandson
of Saddam's half-brother Sabawi Ibrahim Al Tikriti, was detained in the
Lebanese city of Jbeil in August and was extradited on November 9, a security
official told AFP on condition of anonymity. “He is accused of having been a
member of ISIS and having participated in the Speicher massacre”, in which as
many as 1,700 air force cadets were executed by the terrorist group, said the
security official. Mr Sabawi has reportedly lived in Lebanon for years. The
massacre at Camp Speicher, near Saddam's home town of Tikrit, became a symbol
of ISIS brutality as the terrorist group expanded its presence in Iraq. Mr
Sabawi, born in 1994, was detained after an Interpol notice called for his
arrest over his alleged involvement in the killing, according to a Lebanese
judicial source. “Iraq requested his extradition,” the source said. Mr Sabawi's
family has denied the accusations, telling AFP he was in Yemen at the time of
the massacre. The fall of Tikrit in 2014 was part of the ISIS onslaught that
stunned Iraqi security forces and the military, which melted away as the
militants advanced and captured key cities and towns in the country’s north and
west. Nearly 3,000 cadets from all over Iraq were ordered by their superiors to
change into civilian clothes and leave Camp Speicher after the fall of Mosul in
June 2014.”



Turkey



Reuters: Turkey To Pursue Targets In Syria, Official Says After Istanbul Blast
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“Turkey plans to pursue targets in northern Syria after it completes a
cross-border operation against outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants
in Iraq, a senior official said on Tuesday, after a deadly weekend bomb in
Istanbul. The government has blamed Kurdish militants for the blast on
Istanbul's Istiklal Avenue on Sunday that killed six people and injured more
than 80. Threats posed by Kurdish militants or Islamic State on Turkey are
unacceptable, the official told Reuters, adding that Ankara will clear threats
along its southern border "one way or another." "Syria is a national security
problem for Turkey. There is work being done on this already," the official
said, declining to be named as they were not authorised to speak to the media.
"There is an ongoing operation against the PKK in Iraq. There are certain
targets in Syria after that is completed." There was no immediate comment from
Turkey's foreign ministry. No group has claimed responsibility for the blast on
the busy pedestrian avenue, and the PKK and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic
Forces (SDF) have denied involvement.”



Afghanistan



Reuters: Pakistan-Afghan Border Crossing Closed After Clashes
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“A major border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan has closed for
trade and transit after a clash between security force personnel from both
sides, a local Pakistani official said on Monday. Abdul Hameed Zehri, the
Deputy Commissioner of the town of Chahman, which borders the Afghan district
of Spin Boldak, said the closure came after prolonged firing between security
forces from both sides the day before. “Firing continued until late night from
both sides,” said Zehri, adding that trade and border crossings between
Pakistan and Afghanistan had been suspended at Chahman. A spokesperson for the
Taliban administration's interior ministry said a clash had occurred between
border forces from both sides. He said it was due to a “misunderstanding” and
the incident was being investigated. A spokesperson for the media wing of
Pakistan's military said they were looking into the situation to determine what
had happened. Zehri said the clashes had started when a man coming from the
Afghan side of the border crossing had shot a Pakistani security force member,
killing him and wounding others. The total number of casualties on both sides
was not immediately clear. Hundreds of trucks containing goods were stuck
waiting on both sides, locals and officials said. Since the Taliban took over
Afghanistan in 2021, clashes have taken place between its security forcea and
those of Pakistan, while militants have attacked Pakistani forces.”



Yemen



Asharq Al-Awsat: Yemenis Condemn 'Feeble' Int’l Stances Regarding Houthi
Terrorism
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“UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg is scheduled to brief the UN
Security Council on the developments of his efforts to renew the truce in the
coming week. The briefing comes amid growing official and widespread anger
among Yemenis over the repeated Houthi attacks on oil export ports and the lean
international positions towards its terrorism. The Houthi militia rejected the
envoy's proposal to extend and expand the collapsed truce, as it sought to
blackmail the legitimate government to obtain economic and political gains and
threatened to continue launching terrorist attacks on oil export ports. In
response, the Yemeni parliament issued a statement calling for the resumption
of military operations, an option that observers consider possible if
international efforts fail to reach a breakthrough that convinces the militias
to choose peace. The parliamentary statement called on the Presidential
Leadership Council (PLC) to do what is necessary to “teach these militias the
lessons” and destroy their military capabilities as a “just” response to their
“aggressive options.” The statement also called for speedy decision-making to
deter the Houthis, restore the state by various means, and save the Yemeni
people from the crimes that they practice daily. The parliament described the
international and Western efforts as a “waste of time.”



Middle East



The Times Of Israel: Gantz Approves Upgrade To Stretch Of West Bank Barrier
After Spate Of Terror Attacks
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“Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Monday approved plans to upgrade a section
of the West Bank security barrier, months after a series of deadly terror
attacks were committed by Palestinians who illegally entered Israel. The
Defense Ministry said a tall steel fence, similar to the ones on the borders
with Egypt and the Gaza Strip, would replace a 50-kilometer (31-mile) stretch
of fencing from the Te’enim checkpoint, near the settlement of Avnei Hefetz, to
the settlement of Oranit. In the summer, construction began on a 9-meter
(30-foot) tall concrete wall to replace another 50-kilometer (31-mile) stretch
of fencing from the town of Salem, close to the northern West Bank barrier, to
the Te’enim checkpoint — one of the first sections of the barrier ever built,
some 20 years ago. Both upgraded sections will be equipped with surveillance
cameras, sensors, and other technological means, the Defense Ministry said. In
July, the Israel Defense Forces also began a major engineering operation to
strengthen defenses along the existing security fence in the Judean Desert area
of the southern West Bank, digging a deep trench over some 20 kilometers (12
miles) to prevent the passage of people and vehicles. Separately in April, work
to fix up holes over dozens of kilometers of the fence began, following a spate
of deadly terror attacks in Israel, including several in which terrorists from
the northern West Bank entered Israel via large holes in the barrier.”



Nigeria



AFP: Nigeria Jihadists Kill Women Over Witchcraft Charges: Families, Residents
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“Boko Haram jihadists killed a group of women in Nigeria after accusing them
of witchcraft following the death of a militant commander's children in
northeast Borno State, relatives, residents and a woman who escaped have told
AFP. Accusations of witchcraft are not uncommon in Nigeria, a religious
conservative country almost equally divided between the mostly Muslim north and
Christian south. Northeast Nigeria is at the heart of a conflict involving
security forces and Boko Haram and rival Islamic State West Africa Province
jihadists that has killed more than 40,000 people. Last week, around 40 women
were held in a village near Gwoza town on the orders of jihadist commander Ali
Guyile whose children suddenly died overnight, according to relatives and a
woman who escaped. In interviews conducted on Sunday and Monday, they said the
commander had accused the women of causing the children's deaths through
witchcraft. Guyile, a 35-year-old commander asked his men to arrest the women
from homes known to practise witchcraft, said Talkwe Linbe, one of the accused
women. Linbe said she managed to escape and fled to the regional capital
Maiduguri after the killing of 14 women on Thursday. “He (Guyile) said he would
investigate our involvement in the deaths of his children,” she said. “On
Thursday he ordered 14 among us to be slaughtered. I was lucky I was not among
them.”



Mali



Reuters: Britain To Withdraw Troops From Mali Peacekeeping Force
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“Britain will pull out its 300 troops from a U.N. peacekeeping force in Mali
following similar withdrawals this year by other Western nations, a government
minister said on Monday. The early withdrawal comes after France and its
military allies began withdrawing thousands of troops from Mali this year as
the country's military junta began collaborating with private contractors
belonging to Russia's Wagner Group. The Western withdrawals from Mali this year
have caused fears among diplomats that this could increase violence,
destabilise neighbours and embolden jihadists. British Armed Forces Minister
James Heappey told parliament recent coups in Mali had undermined international
efforts to help bring peace in the country, which has seen growing violence in
recent years by groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State. "This government
cannot deploy our nation's military to provide security when the host country's
government is not willing to work with us to deliver lasting stability and
security," Heappey said.”



Africa



The North Africa Post: US Urges Algeria To Halt Using Terrorism Charges To
Quell Peaceful Dissent
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“The US delegation to the UN Human Rights Council called on Algeria to
abrogate the amendments it brought to its penal code in 2021 and under which
many peaceful dissidents are in jail on bogus terrorism charges. In the wake of
the mass pro-democracy protests in 2019, the newly recycled military leadership
in Algeria has engaged in a power grab together with the introduction of bogus
terrorism charges to silence any peaceful opposition to the authoritarian
status quo. Thus, the peaceful activists of the Rachad movement and the Kabyle
independence activists have been thrown behind bars under charges of terrorism.
Meanwhile, the leadership of the two movements continue to operate freely in
Europe. At least 260 Hirak activists have also received jail terms due to
article 87 which considers peaceful calls for regime change as
unconstitutional, assimilating them to terrorist acts. The US delegation also
called on the Algerian regime to “set free journalists and human rights
defenders” arrested under article 87 of the penal code.”



United Kingdom



Sky News: Teenager Accused Of London Terror Attack Plot Was Obsessed With Call
Of Duty, Court Hears
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“A teenager accused of plotting a terrorist attack on central London with a
drill rapper he met online became obsessed with the violent video game, Call of
Duty, he has told a court. The 15-year-old, from Roundhay, Leeds, who cannot be
named, is accused of helping Al-Arfat Hassan, 19, from Enfield, North London,
prepare for a knife and bomb attack. Hassan, who used the stage name TS,
gathered hundreds of thousands of fans on YouTube, Spotify and the radio
station Kiss FM. He is accused of planning an attack in central London after
viewing an ISIS video tutorial, buying bomb-making chemicals and purchasing
knives. The pair met online after the teenager helped promote Hassan's Islamist
drill rap on TikTok, and they started talking about religion and playing
PlayStation computer games like Fortnite, Assassin's Creed and Call of Duty, he
said. “Sometime in 2021, I started to spend a lot more time in my room and
played a lot more PlayStation and Call of Duty and that is where a lot of the
combat gear came from,” he told the court, giving evidence in his defence. “The
more I played it, the more I thought, this looks cool.” Hinduja family feud
leaves patriarch Srichand Hinduja without right dementia care and needing
public nursing home, judge says Comedian Peter Kay (centre) as he launches the
Coulam Wheelyboat V17, a purpose-built fully wheelchair accessible powerboat at
the Anderton Centre located on the banks of the Lower Rivington Reservoir near
Bolton in Lancashire. Picture date: Saturday April 23, 2022.”



France



AFP: Former German Extremist Klein Dies In France
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“Hans-Joachim Klein, an ex-member of Germany's defunct extreme-left movement
Revolutionary Cells, has died in France where he was buried on Monday, funeral
services said. In 1975, Klein took part in an attack orchestrated by Ilich
Ramirez Sanchez, known as Carlos the Jackal, on the OPEC headquarters in
Vienna. An Iraqi bodyguard, an Austrian policeman and an OPEC member of staff
were killed, and 70 people taken hostage by six armed attackers. He went into
hiding, including in France where he spent much of the 1990s until his arrest
in 1998 by French anti-terror police. Klein was sent back to Germany where he
was sentenced to nine years in jail in 2001 for his role in the Vienna attack.
Klein had already admitted publicly in 1977 that he had taken part in the
attack, during which he was seriously injured, and said that he had renounced
political violence. He was released from prison in 2003 and returned to his
former hiding place, Sainte-Honorine-la-Guillaume in Normandy, where local
press reports said he resided until his death on November 9. Ramirez Sanchez is
currently serving three life sentences in a French prison for his attacks.”



RFI: Paris To Build Memorial Garden For Victims Of 2015 Terror Attacks
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“The Paris city hall has announced that a memorial garden for victims of the
2015 terror attacks will open in 2025 in the heart of the capital. Meanwhile,
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne led tributes on Sunday, observing a
minute's silence at the sites of the killings in Paris and Saint-Denis. The
Paris city hall has chosen Place Saint-Gervais as a location which, “due to its
neutrality and centrality, allows the memorial and commemorative vocation to
come to life”. The garden, to be opened in 2025, will represent the six places
of the attacks with the names of the deceased on steles, with a special focus
on vegetation. “The presence of plants will help support the development of
biodiversity in the garden, making the tribute perpetual and alive,” the Paris
city hall website says. “This beautiful project brings together all the places
of the attacks represented in a readable and original way in a garden where
everyone can gather and dream, both a place of memory and life,” Philippe
Duperron, president of the victims' group 13onze15 said. On Sunday, the seventh
anniversary of the attacks, several ceremonies took place throughout the
morning in tribute to the 130 dead and more than 350 wounded in the worst
terrorist attacks in the history of France.”



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