“Islamic State said Wednesday that its top leader died recently in fighting,
less than a year after the terrorist group’s previous commander was killed
during a U.S. military raid in Syria. The group’s spokesman said that leader
Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi is dead but gave no other details,
according to an audio statement transcribed by SITE Intelligence Group, which
monitors extremist organizations. The successor to the leadership role is Abu
al-Husayn al-Husayni al-Qurayshi. Both names are noms de guerre. The U.S.
military’s Central Command said the operation that killed the former Islamic
State leader was carried out in mid-October by the rebel Free Syrian Army in
Daraa province in southern Syria. CENTCOM spokesman Joe Buccino said the
killing was “another blow to ISIS,” using an acronym for Islamic State. The
White House said the U.S. wasn’t involved in the operation. “It was not the
result of any U.S. action,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told
reporters on Wednesday in Washington.”











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Eye on Extremism


December 1, 2022



The Wall Street Journal: Islamic State Leader Is Killed in Fighting, Terrorist
Group Says
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“Islamic State said Wednesday that its top leader died recently in fighting,
less than a year after the terrorist group’s previous commander was killed
during a U.S. military raid in Syria. The group’s spokesman said that leader
Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi is dead but gave no other details,
according to an audio statement transcribed by SITE Intelligence Group, which
monitors extremist organizations. The successor to the leadership role is Abu
al-Husayn al-Husayni al-Qurayshi. Both names are noms de guerre. The U.S.
military’s Central Command said the operation that killed the former Islamic
State leader was carried out in mid-October by the rebel Free Syrian Army in
Daraa province in southern Syria. CENTCOM spokesman Joe Buccino said the
killing was “another blow to ISIS,” using an acronym for Islamic State. The
White House said the U.S. wasn’t involved in the operation. “It was not the
result of any U.S. action,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told
reporters on Wednesday in Washington.”



Reuters: Over 30 Militants, Two Soldiers Killed In Insurgent Clash In
Mozambique
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“Over 30 militants and two soldiers were killed during a clash in
Mozambique's northern province of Cabo Delgado, the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) mission to Mozambique (SAMIM) said on Wednesday.
The soldiers belonging to the SAMIM forces were killed by Islamic State-linked
insurgents on Tuesday and were from Tanzania and Botswana, the mission said.
The insurgency in Mozambique has claimed thousands of lives and disrupted
multibillion-dollar natural gas projects since it broke out in 2017. "SAMIM
Force can confirm... terrorists in excess of thirty (30) were killed and a
sizeable number of weapons, ammunition and equipment confiscated," it said in a
statement.”



United States



NBC: DHS Warns Of Domestic Terror Threats To LGBTQ, Jewish And Migrant
Communities
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“In a terrorism advisory bulletin, the Department of Homeland Security on
Wednesday raised concerns about potential threats to the LGBTQ, Jewish and
migrant communities from violent extremists inside the United States. Americans
motivated by violent ideologies pose a “persistent and lethal threat,” a senior
DHS official told reporters in a briefing on the bulletin. Intelligence
officials across the federal government have consistently highlighted the
growing threat of American extremists in recent years, while explaining that
foreign threats such as the Islamic State terrorist group and Al Qaeda are no
longer as persistent as they once were. The bulletin was the latest summary of
national terrorism threats, a document that has been updated about every six
months since the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Some
extremists have been inspired by recent attacks, including the shooting at the
LGBTQ bar in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the bulletin said. The report also
highlighted an “enduring threat” to the Jewish community.”



Turkey



Reuters: Embassies In Turkey Warned Against Security Threats, Sources Say
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“At least two Western embassies have been warned against fresh security
threats in the Turkish capital Ankara and Serbia warned its citizens against
travelling to the country, two weeks after a bomb exploded in the heart of
Istanbul. Six people were killed in the attack on a busy pedestrian avenue,
which Turkish authorities blamed on Kurdish militants. The PKK and YPG-led
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) denied involvement. Three Western European
embassies and one major international organisation told Reuters they were
warned by Turkish authorities against potential threats, asking not to be named
due to sensitivity of the issue. The major organisation, in an email to staff
seen by Reuters, highlighted risks at shopping malls, bus stations, airports
due to the potential for retaliatory attacks by militants. The Turkish defence
and interior ministries declined to comment on the warnings.”



Afghanistan



The Washington Post: At Least 10 Students Killed In School Bombing In Northern
Afghanistan
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“A midday bombing at a religious school for boys in the northern Samangan
province of Afghanistan on Wednesday left at least 10 students dead and scores
injured, government officials said. “The blast at noon caused 10 deaths and an
unknown number of injuries. Our security and intelligence forces are trying to
find authors of this attack,” a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, Abdul Nafi
Takor, said in an online message to news outlets. The provincial director of
the Ministry of Information and Culture, Imdadullah Mohajir, said in statement
that the blast took place during a gathering of all students for midday prayers
at the Al Jihad madrassa, in the provincial capital of Aybak. He did not say
how many had been wounded or killed but said the “number may increase.”
According to the website of the Etilaat Roz, a longtime Kabul newspaper now
based abroad, the seminary had recently been opened by local Taliban officials
in the building of a former training college for teachers.”



Reuters: U.N. Tell Taliban To Investigate Reports Of Extrajudicial Killings In
Daikundi
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“The United Nations' mission to Afghanistan said on Thursday they had asked
the Taliban to hold a 'credible investigation' into reports of extrajudicial
killings, including of children, in northern Daikundi province. The Taliban
have said that a gunfight in Daikundi between security force members and
suspected armed rebels had resulted in deaths but denied that children had been
killed. The U.N. mission (UNAMA) said it was working to establish what had
happened. "(There are) very serious reports of civilian casualties, with
extrajudicial killings, at least eight fatalities, including children," the
mission said in a tweet. "UNAMA has engaged Taliban on the need for credible
investigation and accountability." A Taliban ministry of information
spokesperson did not immediately respond a Reuters request for comment on the
U.N statement.”



Middle East



The Times Of Israel: Officials Said Bracing For Gaza Rocket Fire After Top
Islamic Jihad Terrorist Killed
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“Security officials were concerned Thursday that terror groups in the Gaza
Strip could launch rockets at Israel after two senior terrorists were killed in
overnight clashes in the West Bank, including a top Palestinian Islamic Jihad
(PIJ) field commander, Hebrew media reported. The two fighters were killed in
heavy clashes with Israeli troops that broke out during a predawn arrest raid
near the northern West Bank’s Jenin refugee camp. Palestinian media reported
that as many as 20 other people were wounded. Both PIJ and the Hamas terror
group that rules the Gaza Strip threatened to hit back over the deaths.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad spokesman Tariq Ezz El Din said in a statement that
the “massacre” of people and deaths of its fighters in Jenin “will not pass
without a response.” Hamas declared a general strike in the camp and also
threatened to take action."



Africa



France 24: Ivory Coast Trial Set To Begin Over 2016 Terrorist Attack On
Tourist Beach
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“Eighteen people go on trial in Ivory Coast on Wednesday accused of
involvement in one of West Africa's bloodiest jihadist attacks -- a machine-gun
assault on a beach resort in 2016 that left 19 dead. But only four of the 18
will be physically present for the long-awaited proceedings in Abidjan, Ivory
Coast's economic hub. The others are either on the run or being held in Mali,
said Aude Rimailho, a lawyer for civilian plaintiffs. On March 13, 2016, three
men wielding assault rifles attacked Grand-Bassam, a tourist complex 40
kilometres (25 miles) east of Abidjan popular with foreigners. In an operation
echoing a jihadist massacre the previous year in Tunisia, they stormed the
beach and then attacked several hotels and restaurants. The 45-minute bloodbath
ended when the three were shot dead by Ivorian security forces. Al-Qaeda's
North African affiliate, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), claimed
responsibility the same day.”



Europe



Reuters: Spain's PM Sent Letter Bomb Similar To Device That Injured Ukraine
Embassy Official
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“Spain has stepped up security at public and diplomatic buildings after a
spate of letter bombs, including one sent to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and
another to the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid, where an official suffered minor
injuries. The Interior Ministry revealed on Thursday that an "envelope with
pyrotechnic material" addressed to Sanchez had been received on Nov. 24 and
disarmed by his security team. The device was "similar" to packages
subsequently received by the Ukrainian embassy and a Spanish arms firm on
Wednesday, it said, and a device intercepted at Spain's Torrejon de Ardoz air
force base in the early hours of Thursday morning. A fifth device was received
at Spain's Defence Ministry on Thursday morning and defused by specialist
police officers, a defence ministry spokesperson told Reuters.”



Technology



AXIOS: Tech Firms Send Supreme Court A Warning
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“Tech firms are warning the Supreme Court that weakening liability
protections for online speech could put all types of service providers —
including those operating offline — at risk of costly, business-wrecking
litigation. The big picture: A key law governing online speech is facing its
first-ever fundamental tests before the high court. Driving the news: Companies
and parties to the suits made early filings and statements this week in two
cases that will test long-held practices in the tech industry based on Section
230 of the Communications Decency Act, which largely protects platforms from
liability for people's posts. Twitter, Inc. vs. Taamneh asks whether platforms
can be held to violate anti-terrorism laws if they have policies against
pro-terrorist content but fail to remove all such messages. Twitter, Meta and
Google filed briefs in the case this week.”



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