Eye on Extremism
January 7, 2020
Deutsche
Welle: Al-Shabab Attack On US Air Base In Kenya Signals
Resurgence
“The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab militant group on Sunday attacked
Kenya's Manda Bay Airfield, a military base that houses US and Kenyan
troops. Al-Shabab claimed the attack destroyed US equipment, including
aircraft and vehicles. The attack killed three American Department of
Defense personnel, Kenya and US authorities said on Monday. Five
attackers were killed, according to Kenyan military spokesman Paul
Njuguna. It is the first time that al-Shabab has carried out an attack
against US forces in Kenya. “These attacks mean that al-Shabab
militants are still powerful not only in Lamu but in the whole region
bordering Somalia,” George Musamali, a Kenyan security analyst, told
DW. Although based in Somalia, al-Shabab frequently launches terror
attacks in other African countries, most notably in neighboring Kenya.
It has struck there more than 20 times in the past five years, killing
at least 300 people. “The group has stepped up its tactics, selecting
high-profile targets in the country over the last two months,” said
Mohamed Odowa, a DW correspondent based in the Somali capital,
Mogadishu. “Al-Shabab has increased its capabilities to even hit
beyond the borders of Somalia.”
CNN:
Iranian Foreign Minister Accuses US Of 'State Terrorism' As Country's
Parliament Votes To Designate US Forces As
'Terrorists'
“Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif called US President Donald
Trump's decision to order the drone strike that killed the country's
top military commander an act of “state terrorism” in an interview
with CNN Tuesday. Zarif said the Trump administration's decision to
abandon the nuclear deal Tehran negotiated with world powers and
embrace hardline policies against Iran “destroyed stability” in the
Middle East, and he warned of worse to come if the US did not reverse
course. “This is an act of aggression against Iran and amounts to an
armed attack against Iran, and we will respond. But we will respond
proportionally not disproportionally,” he said. “We will respond
lawfully, we are not lawless people like President Trump.” Zarif was
referring to a tweet Trump sent Saturday in which the President said
that if Iran strikes any Americans or American assets, the United
States has 52 Iranian sites targeted -- a reference to the number of
Americans taken hostage in the 1979 revolution -- “some at a very high
level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture,” he wrote.
Iran's top diplomat said those comments showed Trump “has no respect
for international law and is prepared to commit war crimes --
attacking cultural sites is a war crime.”
Asharq
Al-Awsat: Macron Says France Committed To ISIS Fight, Slams Iran’s
'Aggressive Intentions'
“French President Emmanuel Macron stressed on Monday that Paris is
committed to continue the fight against the ISIS group, including
through France's military presence in the Middle East. Speaking during
a cabinet meeting, he also condemns Iran’s “aggressive intentions” and
its decision to abandon the 2015 nuclear deal. Government spokeswoman
Sibeth Ndiaye said the French leader called for a deescalation of
tensions over recent events, including the US airstrike that killed
Iran's top military commander, Qassem Soleimani, last week in Baghdad.
Iran has vowed revenge against Washington and announced Sunday its
abandonment of the nuclear pact. The Iraqi parliament backed on Sunday
a recommendation by the prime minister that all foreign troops should
be ordered out. Around 5,000 US troops remain in Iraq, most in an
advisory capacity. France has over 1,000 troops involved in the
military operation against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. In a phone call
with President Donald Trump on Sunday, Macron expressed his “full
solidarity” with the US-led coalition in Iraq and France’s
determination to work with partners to ease
tensions.”
Syria
The
Jerusalem Post: Syrian Shepherds Killed In Massacre Blamed On Iranian
Militias And ISIS
“Twenty-one shepherds were killed in a massacre on Sunday in the
Ma'adan area of eastern Syria in an attack that Syrian activists blame
on Iranian militias, according to the pan-Arab Al-Quds Al-Arabi news
site. However, Syrian regime sources blamed the attack on ISIS. The
event took place two days after IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem
Soleimani was killed in a US airstrike. Syrian Facebook pages and news
sites quoted locals as saying that that the shepherds were killed in
revenge for the assassination of Soleimani. Navvar Saban, a researcher
from the Syrian Omran Centre for Strategic Studies, told Al-Arabi that
Iranian militias were likely responsible for the attack. Syrian Civil
Defense worker and former journalist Asaad Hanna also blamed Iranian
militias for the massacre. Syrian regime media blamed the massacre on
ISIS, as ISIS cells operate in the surrounding desert, according to
Al-Arabi. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that
19 civilians were killed and five others were missing in the attack in
the Al-Sabkhah Desert in Raqqa by unknown assailants on Sunday.”
Iran
The
Brookings Institute: 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.”
Iraq
Voice
Of America: Iraqi Forces Trying To Keep Pressure On Islamic
State
“Iraqi forces are pushing ahead with their crackdown on Islamic
State's ongoing insurgency, despite the pause in assistance from the
United States and coalition partners. The Iraqi military's Security
Media Cell published photos Monday of a raid in Salahuddin province
claiming to have destroyed three IS hideouts while recovering
explosives, bomb-making materials and key documents. “The Iraqis are
actively conducting D-ISIS operations,” coalition spokesman Col. Myles
Caggins confirmed to VOA, using an acronym for the terror group. The
Iraqi operation is one of the first since the U.S.-led coalition
announced Sunday it was putting efforts to assist and train Iraqi
forces in the fight against IS on hold in order to focus on protecting
forces from attacks by Iranian-backed groups. “This has limited our
capacity to conduct training with partners and to support their
operations,” the coalition said. “We have therefore paused these
activities, subject to continuous review.” The pause, sparked by what
U.S. officials describe as a monthslong, intensifying campaign by
Iranian-backed militias to target U.S. personnel, and concerns about
Iranian threats to retaliate for the U.S. airstrike that killed
Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani near Baghdad, comes at a
precarious time.”
Yahoo
News: Amid Mideast War Drums, Europeans Fear A Fizzling Of The
Counter-ISIS Fight In Iraq
“European governments fear there will be a disruption in
international efforts to combat the Islamic State group in Iraq, as
the United States and Iran continue to trade threats following the
killing of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. drone strike. The
governments of Germany, France and the United Kingdom issued a joint
statement late Sunday calling for restraint amid fiery rhetoric by
Tehran to avenge the death of its paramilitary Quds Force commander.
Killed near Baghdad airport on Friday along with a high-ranking Iraqi
militia leader, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Soleimani was the public face
of Iran-backed groups across the region, including in Iraq, mobilized
to strengthen Iran’s hand by any means necessary. “We reiterate our
support for the sovereignty and security of Iraq,” read the
trinational statement, as issued by the German government. “Another
crisis would put at risk the years-long efforts to stabilize Iraq.”
The statement comes after the Iraqi parliament voted to expel foreign
troops from its soil in reaction to the Soleimani and Muhandis
killings. Such a move would severely hamper efforts to curtail ISIS at
a time when officials from the international coalition leading the
fight had touted sizable gains against the militant group.”
Turkey
Kurdistan
24: Police In Turkey Arrest 7 ISIS Suspects, Including 5 Syrian
Nationals
“Police in Turkey arrested seven people, including five Syrian
nationals, for ties to the so-called Islamic State, local media
reported on Tuesday. Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency said
authorities conducted an operation in the western Izmir province,
where they detained seven people “who had entered Turkey from conflict
zones.” “The suspects were in contact with people in conflict zones
and were plotting terrorist attacks,” Anadolu Agency quoted police
sources as saying. Late last year, authorities in Turkey said they had
apprehended 31 foreign suspects with alleged ties to the Islamic State
in central and eastern parts of the country. Among those arrested were
nine Iraqi nationals in central Kayseri province for “their terror
activities in Iraq and Syria,” Anadolu Agency said. Police also seized
weapons, ammunition, digital materials, and other documents during the
sweeps. On Christmas day, Turkish police arrested three other people
with alleged ties to the Islamic State who were reportedly trying to
cross into the country’s eastern border. A week prior, authorities in
Turkey arrested 13 individuals suspected to be members of the Islamic
State who were allegedly planning a New Year’s
attack.”
Afghanistan
The
Washington Post: U.S. Ambassador To Afghanistan Departs As Taliban
Peace Efforts Remain Stalled
“U.S. Ambassador John R. Bass is ending his two-year tenure in
Afghanistan Monday as peace talks with the Taliban remain stalled. The
State Department said in a statement Monday that “Ambassador Bass’s
departure is long-planned and part of the normal rotation cycle.” The
departure of the top American diplomat in Afghanistan comes as
American and Taliban negotiators are once again trying to revive
efforts to reach a peace deal. During a surprise visit to Afghanistan
in November, President Trump announced peace efforts had “made
tremendous progress.” A peace agreement would pave the way for the
withdrawal of thousands of American troops, a key Trump campaign
promise. American and Afghan government officials are asking the
Taliban to commit to a reduction in violence before talks are formally
restarted. Over the course of Bass’s tenure, peace efforts with the
Taliban gained steam and at several points a deal appeared imminent.
In September, Taliban and American negotiators agreed on a framework
that would have seen the withdrawal of American troops in exchange for
a Taliban pledge not to harbor terrorist groups with ambitions to
attack the United States. That draft deal was called off by Trump
after a Taliban attack killed an American service member.”
Xinhua:
69 Taliban Militants Surrender In Western Afghan Province:
Official
“Sixty-nine Taliban militants have surrendered to the Afghan army
in western Ghor province amid military pressure in the mountainous
region, provincial governor said on Tuesday. “A cleanup operation,
launched by Afghan National Army (ANA), is ongoing in Shahrak district
during the past one week. About 300 militants are surrounded by the
army personnel and on Monday evening, 69 Taliban militants surrendered
to army in the district,” Governor Ghulam Nasir Khaze told Xinhua. The
surrendered militants also handed over 60 rounds of guns to army
officials and the army personnel also found an ammunition cache, based
on a tip provided by former militants, according to Khaze. With the
former insurgents' surrender, peace and stability would be further
strengthened in several parts of the province, some 360 km west of the
country's capital, Kabul, the governor said. The governor also called
on Taliban members to surrender to the security forces in Ghor. “The
security forces will have no pause in their military pressure, during
the winter, and the militants will have to surrender or leave the
region,” the governor said.”
Nigeria
Voice
Of America: 30 Killed In Northeast Nigeria Bomb Blast On Crowded
Bridge
“At least 30 people were killed in the northeastern Nigerian state
of Borno after an improvised explosive device detonated on a bridge,
sources told Reuters on Monday. The bomb detonated at roughly 5 p.m.
local time (1600 GMT) on a crowded bridge in the market town of
Gamboru that leads into neighboring Cameroon. Witnesses in the market
town said more than 35 injured people were taken to the local hospital
following the attack. “It is an unfortunate day for us to witness this
frustrating and devastating incident in our community,” eyewitness
Modu Ali Said told Reuters. “I just heard a loud sound of explosions,
before I realized I saw many of our friends and colleagues were
killed,” Said added. Two sources with the Civilian Joint Task Force, a
group of citizens formed to fight Boko Haram, confirmed the attack and
the early death toll estimates. No group immediately took
responsibility. Both Boko Haram and the regional offshoot of Islamic
State, known as ISWAP, are active in the area.”
All
Africa: Nigeria: Boko Haram Attacks Chibok Village, Kills
3
“Boko Haram terrorists have killed three men and looted dozens of
bicycles from a village in Chibok area of Borno State. Residents told
our reporter that armed men walked into Bila-Amboldar village at
around 10 pm on Friday when residents were asleep and set houses on
fire. The attackers reportedly shot at fleeing men in the pandemonium,
killing two brothers, James Kwakwi and Mutah Kwakwi as well as a third
man, Yusuf Yakubu, who just returned from Lagos to be with his wife. A
resident, who identified herself as Mana Bila, said the attackers
walked to the village after keeping their motorcycles at a nearby
village, Makalama which had been deserted following multiple attacks.
She added that the insurgents carted away more than 20 motorcycles and
other valuables from houses during the night attack. The leader of
Chibok Girls' Parents Association, Yakubu Nkenki, told Daily Trust
that the town was in mourning mood when he visited to commiserate with
the community, calling on federal government to do more to protect
soft targets. “The situation is pathetic, the village has been thrown
into mourning after losing three able bodied men. They told me that
the gunmen looted 24 motorcycles from the village and abducted two
women who were later released.”
Somalia
The
New York Times: Mogadishu Bombing Took The Lives Of The ‘Best And The
Brightest’
“They were the kind of bright, young people Somalia hoped to build
its future around: hard-working university students in health
sciences, in a battered country with a critical shortage of health
workers. Amran Kasim Ahmed, 22, was at the top of her class and
nurtured dreams of revamping Somalia’s threadbare health care system.
Abshir Mohamed Abukar, 23, was the only one of seven siblings to
finish high school and attend university. But their aspirations ended
abruptly on Dec. 28, when an explosive-laden truck detonated at a busy
intersection here in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital. The terrorist group
Al Shabab claimed responsibility for the bombing, which killed 82
people, including Ms. Ahmed and Mr. Abukar, and injured nearly 150
others, according to the government. Even in the face of increasing
American airstrikes and defections, the Shabab, a militant Islamist
group linked to Al Qaeda, has grown powerful in recent years,
expanding its bomb-making operations and carrying out a string of
daring attacks across East Africa. On Sunday, it killed a United
States service member and two American military contractors in an
attack on a Kenyan military base in Manda Bay, on the Indian Ocean
coast.”
Africa
Reuters:
Four Kenyan Civilians Killed In Al Shabaab Attack On Telecom
Mast
“Four Kenyan civilians were killed in a gunfight on Tuesday between
police and al Shabaab militants from Somalia who attacked a
telecommunications mast in the third such deadly incident in Kenya
this week, police said. Officers killed two attackers and recovered
two assault rifles and bomb-making materials, police spokesman Charles
Owino said. The United States has sent more troops to Kenya to
reinforce security after al Shabaab killed three Americans on Sunday
in an attack a military base in Kenya used by U.S. forces. In the
latest incident, police said militants fired at a mast belonging to
Kenya’s leading operator Safaricom and at police guarding the
facility. “Officers manning the mast and the base together with
special forces were able to repulse them,” police said. The raid took
place in northern Garissa county, which neighbors Somalia. The
attackers did not damage the telecom network, police said. A teacher
and a child were among the dead, Owino said. Al Shabaab frequently
carries out attacks in Kenya in retaliation for Kenya sending troops
into Somalia in 2011 after a series of cross-border attacks and
kidnappings.”
The
Wall Street Journal: The Terrorist Horn Of Africa
“Militants from the al Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab terrorist group
killed a U.S. service member and two Pentagon contractors Sunday
during a raid on the Manda Bay Airfield in Kenya. The attack raises
questions about America’s alertness in the region and is a reminder of
the importance of the African counterterrorism mission. Two other
Americans were wounded and six aircraft damaged during the predawn
attack near the Kenya-Somalia border, according to a statement from
U.S. Africa Command: “After an initial penetration of the perimeter,
Kenya Defense Forces and U.S. Africa Command repelled the al-Shabaab
attack.” The base is in a tough neighborhood, and the mystery is why
U.S. forces were surprised. The group has terrorized bases in the
past, killing scores of Africans. Addressing how al-Shabaab made it
inside the outpost, a serious security lapse, will be the first order
of business. Al-Shabaab once controlled some 40% of Somalia, and
Africans have shed the most blood beating the group back. The African
Union Mission in Somalia, with support from U.S. airstrikes and
special forces, has limited the group’s territory and movements.”
The
Washington Post: Kenyan Officials Said They Foiled An Al-Shabab Attack
And No Kenyans Died. Locals Tell A Different
Story.
“After Sunday’s attack by al-Shabab fighters on a military airstrip
in which three Americans were killed, Kenya’s top security officials
issued a raft of fervent refutations. They claimed no Kenyans died, no
militants escaped, and the attack lasted no more than a few hours. At
9:30 a.m. Sunday, the spokesman for Kenya’s military, Lt. Col. Paul
Njuguna, said “the attempted breach was successfully repulsed” and
“the airstrip is safe.” But even as he made that proclamation, the
siege was ongoing. And later Sunday, Njuguna’s statement would be
discounted by a statement from U.S. Africa Command acknowledging that
one U.S. service member and two American private contractors had been
killed, and that six aircraft used by the U.S. military had been
damaged or destroyed. Interviews with local community members and
officials cast doubt on the other assertions by Kenyan officials about
the attack on the Kenyan coast, not far from the Somalia border.
Locals say one Kenyan civilian was killed by gunfire and that at least
10 militants escaped during the attack and moved through nearby
villages. Mwalimu Chengo Ponda, a farmer in his 30s, was struck and
killed by six gunshots in his village of Chomo, about a quarter-mile
from the airstrip, his neighbor Suluba Kenga Kazungu said in a phone
interview.”
CNN:
Pentagon Identifies Soldier Killed In Terror Attack In
Kenya
“The Department of Defense has identified the American soldier who
died Sunday in a terror attack in Kenya carried out by Al Qaeda
affiliate Al-Shabaab as Army Specialist Henry Mayfield Jr.Mayfield, 23
of Evergreen Park, Illinois, was killed in the attack, the Pentagon
announced in a press release on Monday. Mayfield was part of the
Army's 1st Battalion, 58th Aviation Regiment, 164th Theater Airfield
Operations Group in Fort Rucker, Alabama, according to the release.
The Pentagon added that “the incident is under investigation. The
attack occurred at a Kenya Defense Force airfield in Manda Bay, Kenya.
The attack killed Mayfield and two civilian contractors working for
the Defense Department, according to US Africa Command, which is
responsible for military relations with nations on the continent. It
also wounded two Department of Defense members, who were in stable
condition and evacuated. One of the military contractors was Dustin
Harrison from Gilbert, Arizona, his wife, Hope, confirmed to CNN. A
pilot for the contracting firm L3 Technologies, Harrison had been in a
two-month rotation at the Kenya Defense Force Military Base in Manda
Bay, and was scheduled to return in less than a week, she said.”
Voice
Of America: Kenyan Civilians Flee Manda Bay Area After Al-Shabab
Attack
“In Lamu county, the coastal region of Kenya, some civilians are
moving out of their homes into small towns for safety. The
development comes a day after the al-Shabab militant group stormed a
military base that hosts U.S. and Kenyan counter-terrorism forces,
killing three U.S. personnel. Witnesses say people are moving out of
villages near the Manda Bay airfield, for fear of further attacks or
getting caught in clashes between security forces and al-Shabab
fighters hiding in the nearby Boni forest. Anab Haji is a member of
the county assembly of Lamu. Her constituency falls under the area
that came under attack. “People are in fear, and people have been
moving out of the village to the nearby town, that’s Hindi and Mokowe.
We have villages like Mkondoni. We have Sinambio, Kausara. So people
are in fear, that’s why they are going to town. But the security is
very tight. Our military are doing a good job,” she said. On Sunday,
al-Shabab militants stormed the base, damaging several aircraft and
vehicles before they were driven out by the American and Kenyan
forces. The U.S. Africa Command in a statement said the three men
killed were an American serviceman and two contractors. Two more
contractors were wounded, and they were in a stable condition.”
Voice
Of America: Report: Islamic Extremists' Toll In Burkina Faso
Rising
“More than 250 civilians have been killed by Islamic extremists in
Burkina Faso in less than a year, Human Rights Watch said in a new
report Monday, as attacks increase and armed groups gain more
territory in the West African nation's north and east. Attackers are
justifying the killings by linking their victims to the government,
the West or Christian beliefs, witnesses told the rights group. “Armed
Islamist groups in Burkina Faso have attacked civilians with
unmitigated cruelty and utter disregard for human life,” said Corinne
Dufka, the group's West Africa director. “Deliberately targeting
farmers, worshippers, mine workers, displaced people and traders are
war crimes.” At least 20 attacks by groups linked to al-Qaida, such as
Ansarul Islam, or the Islamic State group have occurred since April
2019, killing at least 256 people, the report said. The groups often
have not claimed responsibility. Increasing insecurity displaced more
than half a million people in 2019, according to the United Nations.
In one major attack, extremists killed at least 35 civilians, mostly
women, and ensuing clashes with security forces left 80 extremists
dead, Burkina Faso's president announced Dec. 24.”
Gulf
Today: Six Dead After Extremist Raid In Kenya
“A Kenyan government official says four people are dead after a
raid by suspected Al Shabab extremists in eastern Garissa County.
Deputy county commissioner Kibet Bowen said on Tuesday the gunmen
targeted police officers at a roadblock near the village of Saretho.
Police killed two of the suspected extremists, he said. He said stray
bullets killed the residents during the fighting. The Al Qaeda-linked
Al Shabab has vowed retribution on Kenya for deploying its troops in
2011 to fight the extremist group in neighbouring Somalia. Since
December the group has increased attacks inside Kenya including
Sunday's attack on a military base that killed three US military
personnel.”
The
Telegraph: Islamic State Warning As Report Reveals Jihadists
Slaughtered 250 Civilians In Burkina Faso Terror
Campaign
“Islamic State-linked jihadists have slaughtered more than 250
civilians in a terror campaign aimed at carving the group a new
foothold in Africa's poorest region, human rights campaigners have
warned.Gunmen have carried out a series of massacres across the west
African nation of Burkina Faso, targeting mainly church congregations
and workers for Western-owned businesses. The carnage in what was
previously a largely peaceful nation are part of a new wave of
extremist violence now destabilising the Sahel, the vast and
impoverished semi-arid region south of the Sahara. The killings in
Burkina Faso are documented in a new report by Human Rights Watch,
whose researchers gathered evidence of 256 deaths during just eight
months between April and December of last year. Two armed groups have
been held responsible: Ansar ul-Islam, a home-grown jihadist movement
formed in 2016, and Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS). Ansar
ul-Islam operates mainly in Burkina Faso's gold-mining areas, where it
takes a cut of profits earned by locals operating unlicensed gold
mines.”
All
Africa: Kenya: Three Arrested In Nanyuki Over Suspected Terrorism
Links
“Police are holding three people who were arrested Sunday after
they attempted to break into a British Army base in Nanyuki. The
suspects are being held by over terrorism links. Rift Valley Regional
Commissioner George Natembeya Monday morning confirmed the Sunday
evening arrests, saying the suspects are being interrogated by
detectives. The motive of the attempted forced entry into the British
Army Training Unit in Kenya (BATUK) remains unclear but the three are
suspected to have been spying on it. “They tried to force their way
there but they could not. So they were tracked down. They just had
cameras I think but we are still interrogating them to find out the
truth,” Mr Natembeya said by phone. According to reports, the three
had tried to enter the army base and failed but were caught on
surveillance cameras. The army base is said to have circulated the
footage with local law enforcers who tracked down the suspects. They
were arrested at around 5pm near Nanyuki Police Station, a few metres
from the BATUK army base. Local police are yet to give further details
on the identities of the suspects or their origin but top security
officials are said to be holed up in a security meeting in Nanyuki
town.”
Al
Jazeera: Five Soldiers Killed In Mali Roadside Attack
“Five Malian soldiers have been killed in a roadside bomb attack, a
government spokesman said, in the latest attack to hit the West
African country's volatile central region. The troops were travelling
in the region of Alatona, near the border with Mauritania, when their
convoy hit a bomb on Monday morning, destroying four vehicles.
“Reinforcements are already in place for the operation to neutralise
the enemies,” government spokesman Yaya Sangare said on Twitter. Mali
has been struggling to contain an armed uprising that erupted in the
north in 2012 and that has claimed thousands of military and civilian
lives in the years since. More than 140 Malian soldiers have
reportedly died in attacks between September and December. Despite
some 4,500 French troops in the Sahel region, plus a 13,000-strong
United Nations peacekeeping force in Mali, the conflict has engulfed
the centre of the country and spread to neighbouring Burkina Faso and
Niger. Hiding homemade bombs under well-travelled roads is a frequent
means of attack used by armed groups. Otherwise known as improvised
explosive devices, they kill and maim scores of victims in Mali each
year. The UN said in October that 110 civilians in Mali had died in
roadside bomb attacks during the first six months of 2019.”
Xinhua:
11 Killed In Suicide Attack In Cameroon's Far North
Region
“At least 11 people were killed and 26 others were injured Monday
afternoon in a suicide attack on El Beid bridge in Fotokol, a locality
in Cameroon's Far North region, according to several security sources.
Local officials interviewed by Xinhua confirmed the attack but gave no
further details. Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for the attack
according to local journalist Dairou Mohammed. “The suicide bomber
worked to the portion of the bridge that was crowded and then
detonated the bomb. Among those killed and injured are women and
children,” Mohammed told Xinhua. Last week, security reports indicated
that the Boko Haram group in December kidnapped and killed at least 50
people mostly fishermen on Lake Chad.”
France
RFI:
Trial Opens In Paris Over 'Jihadist Network' Linked To Charlie Hebdo
Attacks
“On the eve of the fifth anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo attacks,
the trial of 24 suspected jihadists linked to the massacre that killed
12 people at the satirical weekly has opened in Paris. Only five of
the suspects are expected to appear in the dock, with most presumed
dead in Iraq or Syria. Known as the “Sevran network”, the suspects
allegedly became radicalised at a clandestine mosque in the Paris
suburb of Sevran. The 20 men and four women, of French, Moroccan,
Mauritanian and Algerian nationality, converted to jihadist ideology
through mentors at the Sevran mosque, some swayed by the declaration
of the self-proclaimed “caliphate” by the Islamic State (IS) armed
group in June 2014. They are believed to have provided logistical
support to Said and Cherif Kouachi, the al Qaeda-linked brothers who
carried out the Charlie Hebdo attack. The trial is also linked to the
Jewish supermarket assault outside Paris, two days after Charlie
Hebdo, in which a jihadist gunman killed four people. Among the
absent defendants are the Belhoucine brothers. Mohamed, the elder, has
been identified as the mentor of Amedy Couilbaly, who carried out the
Hyper Cacher attack.”
Germany
ABC
News: 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.”
Daily
Mail: German Police Kill Extremist Knifeman Chanting ‘Allahu Akbar’
Who Tried To Attack Them Just Hours After French Police Shot Another
Attacker
“Police in Germany shot dead a knifeman who ran towards them
shouting 'Allahu Akbar' just hours after armed officers in France shot
another attacker and two days after a man was stabbed to death in
Paris. The 37-year-old man first hit a patrol car with an unidentified
object before rushing towards officers wielding a knife. He was shot
dead when he ignored warnings to stop the attack in Gelsenkirchen at
around 7.40pm last night. A police spokesman said the attacker was a
Turkish national who lived in the city and had previous convictions
for violent crimes. The spokesman said: 'Two police officers were in
front of the station in a patrol car. 'A man ran past the patrol car
and suddenly hit the car with an object. The officials asked him to
stop. The man attacked the officers with his arm raised and the
object.' The spokesman said the attacker had a knife in his other hand
that he tried to hide behind his back. One of the officers shot him
dead after he ignored orders to stop and continued to threaten the
officers and shouting 'Allahu akbar', he said. The attack came just
hours after a similar attack in Metz, France, when a knifeman was shot
and wounded by police after threatening passersby and shouting 'Allahu
Akbar' - meaning God is great in Arabic.”
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