Eye on Extremism
December 2, 2022
Associated Press: US Hits Hezbollah Accountants With Terrorism Sanctions
“The Biden administration on Thursday slapped terrorism sanctions on two accountants and two companies in Lebanon for providing the militant group Hezbollah with financial services. The Treasury Department announced it would also impose sanctions on a third person for assisting Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated “foreign terrorist organization,” with weapons acquisitions. The penalties target Adel Mohamad Mansour, executive director of Hezbollah’s al-Qard Al-Hassan group, which has been previously sanctioned by the U.S., as well as another company he is involved with, al-Khobara for Accounting, Auditing, and Studies. The sanctions also apply to the firm Auditors for Accounting and Auditing and one of its representatives, Naser Hasan Neser, as well as Hassan Khalil, who Treasury said has been active in helping Hezbollah acquire arms. “The individuals and companies being designated today have enabled Hezbollah’s financial apparatus operating throughout Lebanon,” Treasury said in a statement. “Their public personae as financial professionals and institutions is just another way Hezbollah hides its abuse of the financial system to support its destabilizing agenda.’”
Reuters: Islamic State Names New Leader After Quraishi Blew Himself Up When Surrounded -Sources
“The Islamic State (IS) militant group has appointed a previously unknown figure as its head after its leader blew himself up in October while being besieged by former anti-government rebels in southern Syria, those involved in the clash told Reuters. IS selected Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Quraishi as its new leader, a spokesman for the group said in a recording. He did not offer further details on the new leader. It was both the first time IS's top leader was killed in an operation that did not involve the U.S.-led coalition, and the first time an IS leader was killed in southern Syria, rather than the north. Abu al-Hassan al-Hashemi al-Quraishi was killed in an operation carried out in Deraa, the southern province where Syria's uprising first kicked off in 2011, according to those involved in the fighting as well as the U.S. military. Deraa returned to Syrian army control in 2018 following Russian-brokered reconciliation deals that saw rebels hand over heavy weapons and be incorporated into pro-government units.”
United States
U.S. Department Of State: Terrorist Designation Of AQIS And TTP Leaders
“The United States is committed to using its full set of counterterrorism tools to counter the threat posed by terrorist groups operating in Afghanistan, including al-Qa’ida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), as part of our relentless efforts to ensure that terrorists do not use Afghanistan as a platform for international terrorism. Yesterday, the Department of State designated four AQIS and TTP leaders as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) under Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended, for their leadership roles in their respective groups: Osama Mehmood is the emir of AQIS. Atif Yahya Ghouri is the deputy emir of AQIS. Muhammad Maruf is responsible for AQIS’ recruiting branch. Qari Amjad is the deputy emir of TTP. He oversees operations and militants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. As a result of these actions, all property and interests in property of those designated yesterday that are subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and all U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with them.”
Reuters: U.S. And Asian Allies Impose New Sanctions On North Korea After ICBM Test
“The United States, South Korea, and Japan have imposed sanctions on North Korean officials connected to the country's weapons programs after Pyongyang's latest and largest intercontinental ballistic missile test last month. The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday named the individuals as Jon Il Ho, Yu Jin, and Kim Su Gil, all of whom the European Union designated for sanctions in April. South Korea's foreign ministry announced sanctions on seven other individuals, including a Singaporean and a Taiwanese, and eight entities. All are already under sanctions by the United States imposed between January 2018 and October 2022, the ministry said. Japan also designated three entities and an individual for new sanctions, Japan's foreign ministry said, including the Lazarus Group suspected of carrying out cyberattacks. China and Russia have blocked recent efforts to impose more United Nations sanctions, saying they should instead be eased to jumpstart talks and avoid humanitarian harm. That has left Washington to focus on trilateral efforts with South Korea and Japan, as well as European partners.”
Syria
The Jerusalem Post: Israel Confronted ‘Hezbollah 2’ In Syria, But What’s Its End Goal? – Analysis
“IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi said this week that Israel prevented the formation of a “Hezbollah 2” in Syria. For many years, Israel has been seeking to prevent Iranian entrenchment in Syria, dating back to when the Syrian civil war began in earnest in 2012. This has led to tensions with Israel, especially when Hezbollah sent forces to Syria and when those forces ended up closer to the Golan in 2018. Now, several years later, Israel is continuing to face Iranian threats in Syria as well as in the wider region. How did this come about and what might the prevention of Hezbollah 2 mean for Israel? Iran has been an ally of the Syrian regime already before the civil war broke out. Iran also backed Hezbollah for many decades before. Since the 2006 Lebanon War, tensions between Hezbollah and Israel were kept to a relative minimum. This is not because Hezbollah is less threatening. In fact, Hezbollah has grown quite a bit since 2006, increasing its missile arsenal and its drones and precision-guided missile stocks. It has also flown drones into Israeli airspace and threatened gas platforms located off the Lebanese coast. After the recently signed maritime deal, Hezbollah claimed it got what it wanted from it.”
Reuters: Syria's Army Takes Credit For Killing IS Leader In October -State Media
“Syria's army has taken credit for killing the head of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group in an operation in the country's south in October, state media reported on Friday. Abu al-Hassan al-Hashemi al-Quraishi was killed in an operation carried out in Deraa, the southern province where Syria's uprising first kicked off in 2011, according to those involved in the fighting as well as the U.S. military. It was both the first time the U.S.-led coalition was not involved in killing the top IS leader and the first time an IS leader was killed in Syria's south rather than the north, where a range of factions, some of them U.S.-backed, hold sway. Deraa returned to Syrian army control in 2018 following Russian-brokered reconciliation deals that saw rebels hand over heavy weapons and be incorporated into pro-government units. In October, some of those fighters surrounded the house Quraishi was using as a hideout in the town of Jasem, according to former rebels involved in the clash, relatives of others who died in the fighting, and residents.”
Reuters: Syria Kurds Halt Joint Ops With US-Led Coalition After Turkish Raids -Spokesman
“The Syrian Democratic Forces, a U.S.-backed group that helped defeat Islamic State jihadists in Syria, said on Friday it had stopped all joint counter-terrorism operations with the United States and other allies as a result of Turkish bombardment on its area of control. Turkey has ramped up its shelling and air strikes on northern Syria in recent weeks and is preparing a ground invasion against Syrian Kurdish fighters that it dubs terrorists but which make up the bulk of the U.S.-supported SDF. The SDF has long warned that fighting off a new Turkish incursion would divert resources away from protecting a prison holding IS fighters or fighting IS sleeper cells still waging hit-and-run attacks in Syria. Aram Henna told Reuters that "all coordination and joint counter-terrorism operations" with the U.S.-led coalition battling remnants of the Islamic State in Syria as well as "all the joint special operations we were carrying out regularly" had been halted. The Turkish bombardment - using both long-range weapons and air strikes - has frustrated its NATO ally Washington.”
AFP: Outside Of Syria, IS 'Brand' Survives Leader's Death
“…The new self-proclaimed caliph seeks to draw legitimacy by claiming heritage from the prophet's Quraysh tribe -- as did all IS leaders before him. "The Qurashi name is used as a branding for the leader," Hans-Jakob Schindler, director of the Counter-Extremism Project think-tank, told AFP. "Even if it is just a made up name... it is sufficient for the network to function." After a meteoric rise in Iraq and Syria in 2014, IS saw its so-called caliphate collapse, reduced to a network of sleeper cells. In 2019 it was defeated in Syria -- where Hashimi was said to have been killed in October by local fighters. "Syria is simply not a safe haven for ISIS anymore," said Schindler. "They can maintain a cell structure, but it is apparently not safe for high-ranking personnel there. "If you are killing everyone, in the end no one is your ally anymore," the expert said. Left without a sanctuary or charismatic leader, IS has lost the capacity it had under founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to recruit foreigners.”
Turkey
The Hill: Pentagon Warns Turkey Against Syria Ground Invasion After Strikes Threaten US Troops
“The Pentagon is warning NATO member Turkey against a new military operation in Syria, after strikes in the country late last month endangered U.S. troops. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday spoke by phone with his Turkish counterpart, conveying his “strong opposition” to a new Turkish military operation in Syria, according to a Pentagon readout on the call. Austin “expressed concern over escalating action in northern Syria and Turkey, including recent airstrikes, some of which directly threatened the safety of U.S. personnel who are working with local partners in Syria to defeat ISIS,” the readout said. “Secretary Austin called for de-escalation, and shared the Department’s strong opposition to a new Turkish military operation in Syria.” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last month launched airstrikes on northern Syria and Iraq targeting Kurdish groups in the two neighboring countries. Ankara claims the strikes are in retaliation for a Nov. 13 bombing in Istanbul that killed six people and injured 80 more, though the Kurdish groups have denied any involvement.”
Afghanistan
Voice Of America: Taliban Defend Ban On VOA, RFE/RL Broadcasts In Afghanistan
“The Islamist Taliban government has defended banning FM radio broadcasts from two U.S.-funded news media, including the Voice of America, in Afghanistan, alleging they were offending local laws. The ban on VOA and Azadi Radio, an Afghan extension of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, or RFE/RL, went into effect Thursday, a day after the Taliban’s ministry of information and culture said it had received complaints about programing content but shared no specifics. It is unclear whether the ban will apply to other international broadcasters that have used the same system for FM broadcasts in Afghanistan. "Afghanistan has press laws, and any network found repeatedly contravening these laws will have their privilege of reporting from and broadcasting within Afghanistan taken away," Abdul Qahar Balkhi, the Taliban foreign ministry spokesman, said in written comments to VOA. "VOA and Azadi Radio failed to adhere to these laws, were found as repeat offenders, failed to show professionalism and were therefore shut down," Balkhi said. RFE/RL and VOA used the same FM frequencies for round the clock broadcasts in Dari and Pashto languages. VOA’s mediumwave and shortwave transmissions broadcast on transmitters based outside the country will continue to reach Afghan listeners. In March, the Taliban stopped VOA’s Ashna TV news shows, which had been broadcast on Afghan National Television, Tolo, Tolo News and Lamar for a decade, VOA Pashto reported.”
Reuters: Attack Injures Two Near Office Of Ex-Afghan PM Hekmatyar, His Party Says
“An attack on Friday injured two people in Kabul near the office of the Hezb-e-Islami party associated with former Afghan prime minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, but all senior leaders were safe, the party said in a statement. Three Hezb-e-Islami sources and one source with the ruling Taliban said multiple attackers were killed and several guards injured in the incident. Kabul police and the interior ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The attack occurred near a mosque where senior party leaders were present, but all - including Hekmatyar - were unscathed, according to the party statement and his grandson, Obaidullah Baheer. It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack. Several bombing and shooting attacks have taken place in Afghanistan in recent months, some of which have been claimed by Islamic State militants. A blast at a madrassa on Wednesday in northern Afghanistan killed at least 15 people.”
Pakistan
Voice Of America: Pakistan Questions Anti-Terror Pledges By Afghanistan's Taliban
“Pakistan warned Thursday that cross-border terrorism emanating from Afghanistan “is both alarming and dangerous” for regional peace, calling on the neighboring country’s ruling Taliban to honor their anti-terror pledges. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah issued the warning amid a new wave of deadly terrorist attacks in Pakistan that has claimed the lives of hundreds of people, mostly security forces. Outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), known as the Pakistani Taliban, has claimed credit for plotting much of the violence. Leaders and commanders of the group, an offshoot and ally of the Afghan Taliban, have largely taken refuge in Afghanistan. “If the TTP is claiming responsibility for terrorist activities in Pakistan, it should be a matter of serious concern for the government of Afghanistan because their soil is being used for terrorism,” Sanaullah told reporters in Islamabad. “[The Taliban] have given assurances to the world that they would not allow the use of Afghanistan’s soil by terrorist outfits, and they should deliver on their pledges.” The Afghan Taliban deny they allow TTP or any other group to use Afghan territory for plotting cross-border terrorist attacks, promising they will try for treason anyone found guilty of such crimes.”
Bloomberg: Pakistan Tops List Of Nations At Risk Of Violence, Report Says
“Pakistan tops the list of countries at the highest risk of experiencing new mass killings, according to a new report that cites violence by a local offshoot of the Taliban as one of the main challenges for the nation already facing political and economic crises. “Pakistan faces multiple security and human rights challenges, including increasing violence” by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, according to a report by Early Warning Project, a research organization that identifies countries at risk of mass violence. Threats of attacks by the Islamic State and the country’s blasphemy laws, which have resulted in episodes of mob violence against religious minorities, were other factors for Pakistan’s high-risk ranking. Political volatility, following the ouster of former premier Imran Khan, was also expected to lead to “highly contentious” elections next year, according to the report. The study comes days after an announcement by the TTP militant group ending a monthslong agreement with the government to pause violence and ordering its fighters to resume attacks.”
Somalia
Reuters: Somalia Says Around 40 Al Shabaab Fighters Killed In Clashes
“Somali forces killed about 40 al Shabaab fighters in the Middle Shabelle region, the government said on Thursday, the latest clashes in a months-long offensive that aims to weaken the grip of the Islamist militant group. Al Shabaab, an al Qaeda franchise that is seeking impose its interpretation of Islamic law across the country, frequently stages deadly attacks in the capital Mogadishu and elsewhere. On Sunday al Shabaab stormed a heavily guarded hotel near the president's residence in Mogadishu, killing nine people. The government, supported by clan militias and African Union troops, says it has killed more than 600 members of al Shabaab and recaptured 68 settlements over the last three months, as part of concerted efforts to end the militants' control over large portions of the Horn of Africa country. Al Shabaab's restrictions on deliveries of international aid have compounded the impact of the worst drought in four decades, officials say, leaving Somalia on the brink of famine.”
Technology
NBC: Elon Musk’s Twitter Risks Opening Floodgates Of Hate Speech And Extremism In India
“For five years, Alt News has fought India’s rise in disinformation tied to Hindu nationalism, with Twitter as one of the main battlefields. The fact-checking website’s work debunking fake news and calling out hate speech by powerful people against India’s ethnic and religious minorities has made it one of the country’s leading independent news outlets, earning its founders a mention on an unofficial shortlist for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. “We are able to make certain topics the center of conversation” on Twitter, said Pratik Sinha, who founded Alt News with a fellow software engineer, Mohammed Zubair. In addition to using Twitter to defuse tensions both online and offline, the nonprofit Alt News relies on the platform as an important source of crowdfunding. All that is now in jeopardy amid the chaos at Twitter since its takeover last month by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. With 24 million users, India is Twitter’s third-largest market after the U.S. and Japan, as well as one of its greatest challenges. But more than 90% of Twitter’s 200-odd employees in India were reportedly among the thousands worldwide who have lost their jobs under Musk’s ownership.”
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