Eye on Extremism
January 6, 2020
CNN:
US-Led Coalition Pauses Fight Against ISIS In Iraq
“The US-led military coalition fighting ISIS announced Sunday that
it's temporarily stopping its counter-ISIS missions in order to focus
on protecting Iraqi bases and coalition forces there from
Iranian-backed militias. Citing the recent attacks by the Kataib
Hezbollah militia, which have resulted in the deaths of a US civilian
contractor and Iraqi security forces, the coalition said: “We are now
fully committed to protecting the Iraqi bases that host Coalition
troops.” “This has limited our capacity to conduct training with
partners and to support their operations against Daesh and we have
therefore paused these activities, subject to continuous review,” the
coalition said in a statement, using the alternative name Daesh for
ISIS. The change in priorities adds to a growing list of maneuvers by
the US in response to increasing tensions in the region. The US is
currently bracing for potential retaliatory actions by Iran and
militias backed by the country in response to a US attack in Iraq last
week that killed Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani and
several others. On Sunday, the military adviser to Iran's Supreme
Leader said his country's response to the killing of Soleimani will
certainly be a military response “against military
sites.”
The
Wall Street Journal: Iraqi Parliament Decision To Expel U.S. Forces Is
Hampering American-Led Operations Against Islamic
State
“An Iraqi parliament decision to expel U.S. forces, driven partly
by the killing of an Iranian general, is hampering American-led
operations against Islamic State, potentially giving the beleaguered
group time to revive. Sunday’s Iraqi vote, while nonbinding and not
supported by Kurdish and Sunni legislators, puts pressure on the
Baghdad government to take more decisive steps to constrain or
eliminate the U.S. military presence. If carried out, an expulsion of
the approximately 5,300 American troops would deprive the U.S. of
bases to conduct operations against Islamic State in Iraq and make it
much harder to provide logistical support to the more than 600 U.S.
troops still in Syria. It would also put an end to the American
training of Iraqi forces that still have difficulty controlling
territory in contested areas north of Baghdad and along Iraq’s border
with Syria, former U.S. military commanders and experts said. Rocket
attacks in recent weeks by Iranian-backed militias against U.S. bases
and concerns of retaliation for last week’s drone strike that killed
Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani and an Iraqi paramilitary leader near
Baghdad’s airport had already impelled the U.S. to place priority on
protecting troops rather than conducting operations.”
Reuters:
U.S. To Designate Iran-Backed Iraqi Militia As Foreign Terrorist
Organization
“The United States plans to designate an Iranian-backed Iraqi
militia as a foreign terrorist organization, the State Department said
on Friday, accusing the Asaib Ahl al-Haq group of being a violent
proxy of Tehran. The announcement in a statement from the agency
followed a U.S. air strike early on Friday in Baghdad that killed
Iran’s most prominent military commander, Qassem Soleimani. The attack
was a dramatic escalation of tensions between Washington and Tehran,
for which Iran has promised vengeance. The State Department also said
on Friday that it had designated Qais al-Khazali, leader of Asaib Ahl
al-Haq, and his brother Laith al-Khazali, another leader of the group,
as specially designated global terrorists. U.S. Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo said in the statement that the militia group and its
leaders “use violence and terror to further the Iranian regime’s
efforts to undermine Iraqi sovereignty.” The designations freeze any
U.S.-related assets of the group and the two leaders, generally
prohibit Americans from doing business with them and makes it a crime
to provide support or resources to Asaib Ahl
al-Haq.”
United States
USA
Today: Department Of Homeland Security Sends Out New Terrorism Threat
Bulletin In Wake Of Soleimani Killing
“The Department of Homeland Security issued a National Terrorism
Advisory System Bulletin in the wake of top Iranian Gen. Qasem
Soleimani's killing in an airstrike ordered by President Donald Trump.
Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf wrote in a tweet that the new bulletin
was intended to “inform & reassure the American public,
state/local governments & private partners that DHS is actively
monitoring & preparing for any specific, credible threat, should
one arise.” The bulletin cites the killing of Soleimani as the
catalyst for increased threats of retaliation from Iran, though “at
this time, we have no information indicating a specific, credible
threat to the Homeland. Iran and its partners, such as Hizballah, have
demonstrated the intent and capability to conduct operations in the
United States.” The bulletin cites Iran's cyberwarfare capabilities
and other previous homeland-based plots as potential threats. The
bulletins are the replacement for the Department of Homeland
Security's previous color-coded terrorism threat system, which drew
criticism for its lack of clarity. A bulletin indicates “current
developments or general trends regarding threats of terrorism,” as
opposed to an “elevated threat” or “imminent threat.”
Syria
France
24: Syria Death Toll Tops 380,000 In Almost Nine-Year War:
Monitor
“Almost nine years of civil war in Syria has left more than 380,000
people dead including over 115,000 civilians, a war monitor said in a
new toll Saturday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has
a network of sources across the country, said they included around
22,000 children and more than 13,000 women. The conflict flared after
unprecedented anti-government protests in the southern city of Daraa
on March 15, 2011. Demonstrations spread across Syria and were
brutally suppressed by the regime, triggering a multi-front armed
conflict that has drawn in jihadists and foreign powers. The conflict
has displaced or sent into exile around 13 million Syrians, causing
billions of dollars-worth of destruction. The Britain-based
Observatory's last casualty toll on the Syrian conflict, issued in
March last year, stood at more than 370,000 dead. The latest toll
included more than 128,000 Syrian and non-Syrian pro-regime fighters.
More than half of those were Syrian soldiers, while 1,682 were from
the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah whose members have been fighting
in Syria since 2013. The war has also taken the lives of more than
69,000 opposition, Islamist, and Kurdish-led fighters.”
Xinhua:
IS Attacks Syrian Troops With Explosive Devices In Eastern
Desert
“The Islamic State (IS) militant group on Saturday attacked the
Syrian troops with explosive devices in the desert in eastern Syria, a
war monitor reported. Several explosions were heard on the road
connecting the eastern province of Deir al-Zour with the ancient city
of Palmyra in the remote eastern desert of the central province of
Homs, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The explosive
devices targeted vehicles of the Syrian troops and Iran-backed forces,
wounding many and damaging at least one vehicle, the Britain-based
watchdog said. The IS militants have been actively carrying out
attacks against Syrian soldiers and pro-government troops in the
desert in the remote eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour and the
desert of Homs. A total of 309 Syrian and pro-government soldiers were
killed by similar attacks in the desert between March and December of
2019, according to the Observatory. It is worth noting that the IS
militants have largely been defeated in their key bastions in northern
and northeastern Syria. However, thousands of the IS militants are now
hiding in the sprawling desert region in the east of Homs and Deir
al-Zour.”
Xinhua:
14 Civilians Killed By Unknown Gunmen In Syria's Raqqa:
Watchdog
“A total of 14 civilians were killed by unknown gunmen in Syria's
northern province of al-Raqqa, a war monitor reported Sunday. The
bodies of the civilians were found on Sunday in the Sabkha desert area
which is under the government control in the southeastern countryside
of Raqqa, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The
Britain-based watchdog said it is still not clear about the identity
of the killers, speculating that it could be sleeper cells of the
Islamic State (IS) or other militants. Raqqa was the de facto capital
of the IS before the Kurdish forces dislodged them in 2017.”
Iran
The
New York Times: Conflict With Iran Threatens Fight Against
Isis
“For the militants of the Islamic State, the American drone strike
that killed the Iranian commander Qassim Suleimani was a two-for-one
victory. First, the killing of General Suleimani removed the leader of
one of the Islamic State’s most effective opponents, responsible for
building up the alliance of Iran-backed militias that did much of the
ground fighting to drive the militants out of their strongholds in
Syria and Iraq. The assassination has also redirected the wrath of
those militias and their many political allies inside Iraq squarely
against the American presence there, raising doubts about the
continued viability of the American-led campaign to eradicate what is
left of the Islamic State and to prevent its revival in both Iraq and
neighboring Syria. “This is precisely the sort of deus ex machina the
organization needed, to give it room to operate and to allow it to
break out of its current marginality,” said Sam Heller, an analyst at
the International Crisis Group who studies the fight against the
Islamic State, also known as ISIS. “Even if the American forces are
not withdrawn immediately, it is very difficult for me to imagine that
they can meaningfully continue the counter ISIS fight.”
The
Washington Post: How Terrorism Helps — And Hurts —
Iran
“The U.S. drone strike that killed Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the
head of the paramilitary Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps (IRGC), highlighted the centrality of support for terrorist,
insurgent and other substate groups in Iran’s foreign policy. The Quds
Force helps arm, train and otherwise support numerous insurgent and
rebel groups in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, the Palestinian
territories and other areas, and its activities are part of why the
United States has long labeled Iran the “world’s leading sponsor of
terrorism.” Support for such groups has been an important part of
Iran’s foreign policy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Such
relationships have advanced numerous Iranian interests, undermined its
enemies, helped Iran deter adversaries and made the country a global
player. At the same time, these ties are camouflage for Iran’s
weakness. Even more important, the U.S. and regional response to
Iran’s support for various militant groups has contributed to Tehran’s
outcast status, decreasing the country’s economic power and diplomatic
clout. Iran supports a wide variety of parastatal and nonstate groups,
and terms such as “terrorism,” “insurgent” and other labels often fall
short.”
CNBC:
There’s A Winner From The US-Iran Crisis, And It’s
ISIS
“Terrorist group ISIS will likely be the winner as tensions between
Washington and Tehran mount after the U.S. killing of Iran’s most
powerful military commander, experts say. Qasem Soleimani, head of the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force, was killed in Baghdad
last Friday in a U.S. airstrike directed by President Donald Trump.
The crisis sent tensions between the U.S and Iran rocketing and
triggered retaliation threats from Tehran. It also raised questions
about the future of American troops in Iraq. “There is a winner here,
and the winner is ISIS,” Dan Yergin, chairman of IHS Markit, told CNBC
on Monday. The assassination was such an extreme violation of Iraqi
sovereignty — done unilaterally, without Iraqi government consent —
that Iraqi officials will come under tremendous political pressure to
eject U.S. forces. A U.S.-led coalition has been operating in Iraq to
fight the notorious terrorist group, the self-declared Islamic State
of Iraq and Syria. After the death of Soleimani, the coalition
announced Sunday that it would be suspending most operations against
ISIS, which once controlled large swathes of Iraq and Syria before
allied intervention.”
The
Washington Times: Iran Proved Vital To Al Qaeda's Safe Passage,
According To Bin Laden Records, 9/11 Commission
“Iran “facilitated” the movement of al Qaeda terrorists through its
country, including September 11, 2001 attackers and for years was a
critical channel for money and arms, according to the 9-11 commission
report and internal Osama bin Laden documents. Experts say the late
Qassem Soleimani surely knew of and directed the terror partnership
since he has headed since 1998 Iran’s Quds Force. It is a
U.S.-designated terrorist organization and an arm of the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps which dominates Iranian society. On Jan. 3,
Maj. Gen. Soleimani was killed in Baghdad by a U.S. drone missile
attack on his car on orders of President Trump. “There is strong
evidence that Iran facilitated the transit of al Qaeda members into
and out of Afghanistan before 9/11, and that some of these were future
9/11 hijackers,” said the commission, known formally as The National
Commission on Terror Attacks Upon the United States. “Qassem Soleimani
was the second most powerful man in Iran after the Supreme Leader,”
Mr. Rubin told The Washington Times. “He didn’t just run overseas
operations and those involving Iranian relations with terror groups,
he formulated and developed them. There was not a single operation of
any significance which he did not approve if not oversee.”
Iraq
Reuters:
Coalition Must Continue Fight Against Islamic State In Iraq: France's
Le Drian
“French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Sunday that he
had spoken by phone with Iraq’s prime minister, and stressed the
importance of allowing the international coalition to fight against
Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria. Iraqi Prime Minister Adel
Abdul Mahdi’s office had said earlier on Sunday that Mahdi told Le
Drian in a phone call that officials were currently working on
implementing the Iraq parliament’s resolution on expelling foreign
troops.”
Radio
Farda: U.S. Designates Iraqi Shi’ite Militia As Foreign Terrorist
Organization
“The United States has designated Asaib Ahl Al-Haq as a Foreign
Terrorist Organization (FTO), saying the Iraqi militia is a proxy for
Iran. The U.S. State Department statement on January 3 said that it
was also sanctioning two of the group’s leaders. Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo called the militia and its leaders “violent proxies of the
Islamic Republic of Iran.” The State Department said Asaib Ahl Al-Haq,
also known as the League of the Righteous, is backed by Iran’s Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, which has been similarly
designated by the United States. The State Department said it also
designated Qais al-Khazali, leader of Asaib Ahl Al-Haq, and his
brother Laith al-Khazali, another leader of the group, as specially
designated global terrorists. Such designations will freeze the
U.S.-related assets of the group and the two leaders, generally ban
Americans from doing business with them, and make it a crime to
provide support or resources to the militia. The move comes hours
after a U.S. drone strike killed the powerful commander of the elite
Quds Force in an attack in Baghdad, igniting outrage in Iran.”
Turkey
Egypt
Today: Turkey’s Interference In Region Encourages Terrorism: Dar
Al-Ifta
“Turkey’s interference in the region creates a fertile environment
for extremists and terrorist groups,” said the Observatory for
Monitoring Takfiri Fatwas and Extremist Ideologies at Dar al-Ifta in a
statement on Sunday. “The Turkish ambitions in the Arab states and
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s attempts to control Syria and
Libya create a fertile environment for the terrorist trends and
organizations,” the statement read. The observatory added that such
ambitions increase chaos and incite violence in war-stricken
countries, noting that Turkey’s intervention in Libya, which
represents a blatant violation against the international laws and
resolutions, will turn the country into another Syria. “The unlawful
and controversial Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) between Turkey and
Head of the Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj result
in dire consequences in the whole region,” said the Observatory,
calling upon the international community to fully support the Libyan
Parliament, which stands against the signed
deals.”
Afghanistan
Xinhua:
5 Killed In Clash In N. Afghan Province
“Four militants and a police officer were killed in a clash outside
Kunduz city, capital of the northern Kunduz province on Sunday
morning, provincial government spokesman Esmatullah Muradi said. The
clash broke out after a group of Taliban insurgents stormed a security
checkpoint in Angor Bagh area and police returned fire, leaving four
attackers dead and forcing others to flee, Muradi said. A police
officer who served as commander of the checkpoint was also killed and
another wounded in the firefight, the official said. Police had
launched cleanup operation to stabilize security in the area, Muradi
added. Taliban militants haven't commented.”
Xinhua:
Afghan Forces Capture Taliban Key Commander In Northern Faryab
Province
“Afghan security forces have captured a Taliban key commander in
the northern Faryab province, provincial police spokesman Mohammad
Karim Yurash said Sunday. “Taliban notorious commander Qari Nizamudin
was attempting to enter the provincial capital Maimana city on
Saturday evening to organize terrorist attacks but fortunately was
captured by police,” Yurash told Xinhua. The arrested militant was
commanding Taliban fighters in Gurziwan district of Faryab over the
past couple of years, the official said, adding his arrest could prove
a major setback to the militants in Faryab and the neighboring Jawzjan
and Balkh provinces. Taliban militants are yet to make a comment on
the report.”
Lebanon
Reuters:
Hezbollah Official Says Response Of 'Axis Of Resistance' To Soleimani
Killing Will Be Decisive: Al Mayadeen
“A Lebanese Hezbollah official said the response of the Iran-backed
“axis of resistance” to the killing of Iran’s military commander
Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. air strike will be decisive, al-Mayadeen TV
said on Saturday. The leader of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc in
Lebanon, Mohamed Raad, was referring to a swathe of Iran-backed groups
from Lebanon to Yemen which have increased Tehran’s military influence
in the region. Raad said the United States “made an error” in
targeting Soleimani and that they will recognize that in the coming
days, the channel reported.”
Libya
France
24: Death Toll From Strike On Libya Military School Updated To
30
“At least 30 people were killed in an air strike on a military
school in Libya's capital, a spokesman for the health ministry said
Sunday citing a new toll. Thirty three others were wounded in
Saturday's air raid on the military school of Tripoli, Amin
al-Hashemi, spokesman for the health ministry of the UN-recognised
Government of National Accord (GNA) said. The military school is in
al-Hadba al-Khadra, a residential area in south Tripoli. Surveillance
camera footage shared online showed the cadets gathered on a parade
ground as the strike occurred. At the time of the strike the cadets
were gathered on a parade ground before going to their dormitories,
Hashemi said. Southern Tripoli has seen fierce fighting since last
April, when eastern-based military strongman Khalifa Haftar began an
offensive against the GNA. GNA forces shared photos of the victims and
wounded on Facebook, accusing pro-Haftar forces of conducting the
strike. But a spokesman for Haftar's forces, Ahmad al-Mismari,
“categorically” denied that the strongman's Libyan National Army (LNA)
was behind the attack.”
Nigeria
All
Africa: Nigerian Army Kills Eight Boko Haram Terrorists, Rescues 455
Captives
“The Nigerian Army said on Sunday that following the misadventure
of Boko Haram terrorists attempt to infiltrate the serene town of
Michika in Adamawa State on 2 January 2020, in order to wreak havoc on
its innocent and law-abiding residents, gallant troops inflicted a
heavy defeat on the terrorists. According to the Army, “The combined
troops of 217 Tank Battalion and elements of 144 Battalion swiftly
rose in defence of the town as they gallantly repelled the said attack
with devastating consequences on the marauding criminal insurgents. A
statement by Col Aminu Iliyasu, Deputy Director, Army Public Relations
said, “The criminals went to the town in Gun Trucks and motorcycles
late afternoon and began sporadic shootings that caused an uproar in
the peaceful community thus compelling law-abiding residents to
scamper for safety. “Nevertheless, the courageous troops immediately
mobilized, blocked and engaged the criminals with overwhelmingly
superior firepower, forcing them to abandon their heinous intentions
and retreat in disarray, albeit with a high casualty in men and
equipment.”
The
Defense Post: Chad Troops Leave Nigeria With Boko Haram Mission
‘Finished’
“Chad has ended a months-long mission fighting Boko Haram in
neighboring Nigeria and withdrawn its 1,200-strong force across the
border, an army spokesperson told AFP on Saturday. “It’s our troops
who went to aid Nigerian soldiers months ago returning home. They have
finished their mission,” Colonel Azem Bermandoa told AFP. “None of our
soldiers remains in Nigeria,” he added, without specifying whether
they might be replaced following Friday’s pullout. “Those who have
come back will return to their sector at Lake Chad,” Bermandoa said.
They will be “deployed in the Lake Chad region to strengthen security
along the border,” a senior local official told AFP. However, Chad’s
chief of general staff General Tahir Erda Tahiro said that if
countries in the region which have contributed to a multinational
force were in agreement, more troops will likely be sent in. “If the
states around Lake Chad agree on a new mission there will surely be
another contingent redeployed on the ground,” Tahiro told AFP. The
Chad troops crossed the bridge back towards their capital N’djamena
via the Cameroon border town of Kousseri, an AFP reporter said.”
Xinhua:
Scores Of Boko Haram Fighters Killed In NE Nigeria:
Military
“Scores of Boko Haram terrorists have been killed in an airstrike
in the Sambisa forest in Nigeria's northeastern state of Borno, said
an Air Force spokesman Saturday. The strike happened on Wednesday when
an aircraft of Nigerian Air Force (NAF) spotted a Boko Haram gun truck
with scores of fighters in the forest, NAF spokesman Ibikunle Daramola
said in a statement. He said the forest was a hideout for the
terrorists who prepared to attack nearby troops positions and some
terrorists were also seen pushing another vehicle to a location in the
area. Several NAF jets attacked targeted spots in turn, killing scores
of the Boko Haram fighters and destroying their many structures, he
said, without revealing the exact number of deaths. Daramola said the
air force, in concert with surface forces, would continue to attack
the rest of the terrorists in northeastern Nigeria. The northeast
region has been destabilized for over a decade by Boko Haram, which
most notoriously kidnapped hundreds of schoolgirls in 2014. Boko Haram
is known for its agenda to maintain a virtual caliphate in the most
populous African country.”
Africa
The
New York Times: 14 Killed In Bomb Attack On Bus Convoy In Burkina
Faso
“Fourteen people were killed and 19 wounded when a bus carrying
students ran over a roadside bomb on Saturday in northern Burkina
Faso, the government said. It was not immediately clear who was
responsible for the blast, which hit one bus in a convoy of three that
was carrying 160 passengers in all, the government said in a
statement. The incident occurred in Sourou province, near the border
with Burkina’s chaotic neighbor Mali, where Islamist groups with links
to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State have increased attacks over the past
two years despite international efforts to stamp them out. Three
sources said earlier that the convoy had been ferrying pupils back
from an end-of-year school break. The government statement said seven
students were among the dead, without providing their ages. “The
government strongly condemns this cowardly and barbaric act which aims
to damage people’s morale,” the statement said. Burkina has lost its
reputation as a pocket of relative calm in the Sahel region as a
homegrown insurgency has been amplified by a spillover of jihadist
violence and crime from Mali, rendering much of the north
ungovernable.”
Associated
Press: Extremists Attack Kenya Military Base, 3 Americans
Killed
“Al-Shabab extremists overran a key military base used by U.S.
counterterror forces in Kenya before dawn Sunday, killing three
American Department of Defense personnel and destroying several U.S.
aircraft and vehicles before they were repelled, U.S. and Kenyan
authorities said. The attack on the Manda Bay Airfield was the
al-Qaida-linked group’s first attack against U.S. forces in the East
African country, and the military called the security situation
“fluid” several hours after the assault. Five attackers were killed,
Kenyan military spokesman Paul Njuguna said. Al-Shabab, based in
neighboring Somalia, claimed responsibility for the assault. One U.S.
serviceman and two contractors with the U.S. Department of Defense
were killed in the fighting, according to a statement issued late
Sunday by the U.S. Africa Command, or Africom. The attack on the
compound “involved indirect and small arms fire. After an initial
penetration of the perimeter, Kenya Defense Forces and U.S. Africa
Command repelled the al-Shabaab attack,” said the AFRICOM statement.
“Reports indicate that six contractor-operated civilian aircraft were
damaged to some degree. Manda Bay Airfield is utilized by U.S. forces
whose missions include providing training to our African partners,
responding to crises, and protecting U.S. interests in this
strategically important area.”
United Kingdom
The
Telegraph: Foreign Terror Suspect Thought To Have Been Planning An
IS-Style Attack Granted Legal Aid To Fight
Extradition
“A foreign terror suspect who the security services believe was
planning to carry out an Islamic State terror attack in London has
been granted legal aid to claim asylum in the UK. The man, who can
only be named as 03, was detained in London two years ago in a
counter-terrorism operation involving MI5 and Scottland Yard. At his
flat police found an Islamic State 'passport', manuals on fighting
with the terror group, terrorism propaganda vowing to kill Westerners
and a chilling mocked-up photograph of a terrorist holding a rifle and
picture of a London Routemaster bus with the words 'Sometimes you just
got to get up and go.' Officers also found a picture of the
decapitated body of American journalist James Foley who was murdered
by Islamic State executioner Jihadi John as well as a video featuring
the now-dead leader of Islamic State Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. He also had
pictures on his computer of the nine terrorists responsible for the
Paris attack in 2015 which killed more than 100 people.”
The
Independent: ‘Neo-Nazi’ Politics Student Appears In Court Accused Of
Encouraging Terror Attacks
“An alleged neo-Nazi accused of encouraging people to rape police
officers and commit terror attacks has appeared in court. Andrew
Dymock, 22, is facing charges for promoting a neo-Nazi group online,
and is said to possess far-right literature, clothes and flags. He was
studying politics at Aberystwyth University at the time of the 12
alleged terror offences. Mr Dymock, the son of academics, was first
arrested at Gatwick Airport by counterterror police on his way to the
US in June. A hearing at the Old Bailey on Friday heard that he
promoted the neo-Nazi System Resistance Network (SRN) group through
Twitter and a website. One of the documents allegedly found in his
possession was a poster entitled: “Rape the Cops. System whores get
the f***ing rope.” Other charges relate to Twitter posts said to
include the words: “Join your local Nazis.” Prosecutors alleged that
he possessed literature, clothes and flags linked to the extreme
Misanthropic Division, Atomwaffen Division and Sonnenkrieg Division
groups. Mr Dymock stands accused of five counts of encouraging
terrorism, four counts of disseminating terrorist publications, two
counts of terrorist fundraising, one count of possessing material
useful to a terrorist, as well as three of publishing material to stir
up hatred based on race and sexual orientation.”
France
ABC
News: Knife Attack Near Paris Treated As
Terror-Related
“French prosecutors said a knife attack on Friday that left one man
dead and two women injured in a park in the Paris area is being
treated as terror-related. In a statement Saturday, they said
investigations over the past few hours revealed that the assailant,
who was shot dead by police, had been radicalized and had prepared the
attack in Villejuif, in the southern suburbs of Paris. They said their
investigations now justify a probe into “murder and attempted murder
in relation to a terrorist undertaking.” Earlier Saturday, Creteil
prosecutor Laure Beccuau described the assailant as a 22-year-old man
with a long and serious psychiatric history. Speaking at a news
conference, she said he had converted to Islam between May and July
2019 and that he shouted “Allahu akbar” — “God is great” in Arabic —
several times during the attack. She added that investigators are also
looking into the assailant's phone calls and computer equipment. No
accomplice has been identified. Philippe Bugeaud, deputy director of
the judicial police, said a letter — details of which were not
revealed — and several books about Islam were found in the assailant's
bag, including some about Salafism, widely considered to be a strict
interpretation of Sunni Islam. Two women injured in the attack have
left the hospital.”
Asharq
Al-Awsat: France Warns Middle East Tensions May Encourage ISIS To
Regroup
“France warned on Monday that tensions in the Middle East could
encourage the ISIS terrorist organization to regroup. Finance Minister
Bruno Le Maire said on France-Inter radio that “you must always ask
who is served by and who profits from this instability. The
instability in the Mideast today benefits only one organization: the
ISIS group.” Le Maire added that the instability “will increase the
terrorist threat over France and Europe.” And he said that “all
tensions always affect global economic growth.” Tensions flared in the
Middle East after the United States killed top Iranian general Qassem
Soleimani and deputy chief of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces Abu
Mahdi al-Muhandis in an air strike near Baghdad on Friday. Iran has
vowed revenge against Washington and the Iraqi parliament backed on
Sunday a recommendation by the prime minister that all foreign troops
should be ordered out. Despite decades of enmity between Tehran and
Washington, Iranian-backed militias and US troops fought on the same
side during Iraq’s 2014-2017 war against ISIS. Around 5,000 US troops
remain in Iraq, most in an advisory capacity.”
Germany
The
Washington Post: Germany Charges Syrian Accused Of Commanding IS
Unit
“German prosecutors have filed terror charges against a Syrian man
accused of commanding a unit of Islamic State group fighters in his
homeland. Prosecutors in Frankfurt said Monday that the 33-year-old,
whose name they didn’t release, was charged with membership in a
foreign terrorist group and violating weapons laws. They said that the
suspect entered Germany in June 2015 and was initially granted refugee
status, which was revoked in June last year. He was arrested in the
central city of Kassel in November 2018 and has been in custody since
then. The man was a member of IS from 2013 to 2015 and allegedly
commanded a unit of at least 20 men, prosecutors said in a statement.
He also is alleged to have been the commander of one or two city
districts in Raqqa for at least part of the time. Prosecutors said the
man is also accused of capturing two men, who were either Shiites or
members of the Alawite minority, and holding them as hostages before
handing them over to a high-ranking IS commander. It is not known what
happened to the men.”
Latin America
Bloomberg:
Brazil Is Ready To Back Fight Against Terrorism, Ministry
Says
“Brazil is ready to join global efforts to fight terrorism and
avoid an escalation in conflict, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in
a statement on actions by the U.S. in Iraq that killed a key Iranian
military leader. “Terrorism can’t be considered a problem limited to
the Middle East and to developed countries, and Brazil can’t remain
indifferent to this threat, which affects even South America,”
according to the statement. President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday said
the U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani will
have an impact on Brazil fuel prices, and if they increase too much,
things will “get complicated.” That concern was reiterated in the
ministry’s statement, which said the country will track developments
in Iraq, “including its impact in oil prices.”
Technology
The
Independent: Terrorists Who ‘Self-Radicalise’ Online Are Bigger Threat
Than Attackers Sent By Isis, Counterterror Chief Says
“Terrorists who “self-radicalise” using online material are a now a
greater threat to the UK than those directed by Isis, a senior police
officer has said. The national coordinator for the Prevent
counterextremism programme warned that young and vulnerable people,
including those with mental health issues, were being exploited. Chief
Superintendent Nik Adams told The Independent: “Our biggest concern is
those individuals who are self-radicalising and may go on to become
lone actors in the terrorism space. “That is now a far greater risk
for us, in terms of the volume, than individuals who are directed and
mobilised by a terrorist organisation overseas to come and attack
people in the UK.” The officer said an “international explosion of
propaganda” had made material inciting violence accessible from
anywhere in the world. He spoke as the government continued moves to
prevent Isis members from returning to the UK, including by removing
their British citizenship and refusing repatriations from Syrian
detention camps. Terrorists who are thought to have “self-radicalised”
include the Finsbury Park attacker Darren Osborne and an autistic
teenager who planned an Isis-inspired rampage in Cardiff.”
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