“The Pentagon is preparing to resume full ground operations alongside Kurdish
partners in northern Syria, officials said Tuesday, a move that risks further
inflaming relations with NATO ally Turkey, which blames the Kurds for a deadly
bombing in Istanbul last month and has threatened a ground assault in
retaliation. U.S. commanders restricted such movements after Turkey unleashed
air and artillery strikes on the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which in
tandem with American military personnel have kept a check on the Islamic
State’s lingering presence in the region. The two groups have carried out only
limited joint movements in recent days, to conduct security patrols and
transport supplies between bases, officials said. Three U.S. officials,
speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue, said it is
possible Turkey could follow through on its threat to send ground forces into
northern Syria this month, potentially jeopardizing the Americans there and
upending what has been a relatively stable situation for the past several
years. “We are concerned with any action that may jeopardize the hard-fought
gains made in security and stability in Syria,” Col. Joseph Buccino, a U.S.
military spokesman, said in a statement. “Further, we’re concerned for the
security of the SDF, our vetted, recognized and reliable partners in a place
where we’ve withdrawn most troops.” The Turkish Embassy in Washington did not
respond to requests for comment.”











<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>



Eye on Extremism


December 7, 2022



The Washington Post: U.S. Troops To Expand Patrols In Syria Despite Tension
With Turkey
<[link removed]>



“The Pentagon is preparing to resume full ground operations alongside Kurdish
partners in northern Syria, officials said Tuesday, a move that risks further
inflaming relations with NATO ally Turkey, which blames the Kurds for a deadly
bombing in Istanbul last month and has threatened a ground assault in
retaliation. U.S. commanders restricted such movements after Turkey unleashed
air and artillery strikes on the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which in
tandem with American military personnel have kept a check on the Islamic
State’s lingering presence in the region. The two groups have carried out only
limited joint movements in recent days, to conduct security patrols and
transport supplies between bases, officials said. Three U.S. officials,
speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue, said it is
possible Turkey could follow through on its threat to send ground forces into
northern Syria this month, potentially jeopardizing the Americans there and
upending what has been a relatively stable situation for the past several
years. “We are concerned with any action that may jeopardize the hard-fought
gains made in security and stability in Syria,” Col. Joseph Buccino, a U.S.
military spokesman, said in a statement. “Further, we’re concerned for the
security of the SDF, our vetted, recognized and reliable partners in a place
where we’ve withdrawn most troops.” The Turkish Embassy in Washington did not
respond to requests for comment.”



Reuters: Germany Arrests 25 Suspected Of Violent Far-Right Plot To Install
Prince
<[link removed]>



“Germany on Wednesday detained 25 members and supporters of a far-right group
that prosecutors said were preparing a violent overthrow of the state, with
some members suspected of plotting an armed attack on the parliament.
Prosecutors said the group was inspired by the deep state conspiracy theories
of QAnon and the Reichsbuerger, who do not recognise the legitimacy of modern
Germany, insisting the far larger "Deutsche Reich" still existed despite the
Nazis' defeat in World War Two. The plot envisaged a former member of a German
royal family, identified as Heinrich XIII P. R. under Germany's privacy law, as
the leader in a future state while another suspect, Ruediger v. P., was the
head of the military arm, the prosecutors' office said. It said Heinrich, who
uses the title prince and comes from the royal House of Reuss, which had ruled
over parts of eastern Germany, had reached out to representatives of Russia,
whom the group saw as its central contact for establishing its new order. It
said there was no evidence the representatives had reacted positively to the
request.”



United States



Military.com: The Military Still Has No Good Way To Spot Extremist Recruits
And Troops On Social Media
<[link removed]>



“The Pentagon still hasn't implemented a social media vetting process to
identify extremists trying to join the ranks despite a high-profile push to
root out the activity by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, according to a new
think tank report released Tuesday. Social media posts could provide the
military with important indicators of who is participating in violent domestic
extremism, the Center for a New American Security, based in Washington, D.C.,
said in the report. But the services do not have a uniform standard to apply to
such screening, and the virtual world is beset with challenges such as
confirming identities and sorting out pseudonyms. Extremist activity has surged
in the U.S., experts say, and groups such as the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys --
both had members charged with seditious conspiracy for the Jan. 6 attack on the
U.S. Capitol -- often seek out service members and veterans with military
experience. Extremist plots hatched by troops and veterans have included
attacks on law enforcement and the power grid. The military has struggled to
address the problem, saying the numbers of extremists in the ranks are
relatively small. Austin ordered an extremism working group in the months after
the Capitol attack that created some recommendations, as well as a
department-wide stand-down.”



Vice: High-Ranking Prison Officer Aided A Neo-Nazi Gang Attack On Black
Prisoners <[link removed]>



“A former high-ranking correctional officer at an Oklahoma prison just
received a multi-year prison sentence for facilitating a white supremacist
attack on Black inmates. Matthew Ware, 53, a former lieutenant at the Kay
County Detention Center, was sentenced to 46 months after being found guilty of
violating the civil rights of three pretrial detainees, the Department of
Justice announced on Monday. In 2017, Ware, who was responsible for the
day-to-day oversight of the prison, ordered correctional officers to move
several Black pretrial detainees to a row of jail cells that contained white
supremacists who belonged to the United Aryan Brotherhood, a neo-Nazi prison
gang. It was known that this particular cell row housed neo-Nazis and Black
prisoners weren’t to be assigned there. After the Black detainees were moved to
the new cell row, Ware then ordered his underlings to unlock the doors to the
cells containing the white supremacists at the same time as the cells
containing the Black detainees. “Several of the (correctional officers) who
were present protested this order, telling Mr. Ware that, if he maintained this
order, it would likely lead to violence,” reads the court documents. “Mr. Ware
responded to his staff’s concerns of violence by saying that the inmates were
adults and that ‘if they want to act like animals, they would be treated like
animals.’”



Iraq



AFP: The Long Road To Bring Iraq's IS Jihadists To Justice
<[link removed]>



“The horrors of the Islamic State group's rule over northern Iraq may be in
the past, but efforts to bring the jihadists to justice are still gathering
pace. “A lot of work remains to be done,” said the UN's chief investigator
Christian Ritscher, who is looking into a slew of IS atrocities, from murder,
torture and mass rape to slavery and genocide. Five years after the group's
defeat in Iraq, with many thousands of their members in Iraqi jails, work is
ongoing to probe their crimes, said Ritscher, who heads the dedicated UN
investigative team (UNITAD) seeking to promote accountability. In a Baghdad
interview, the German former prosecutor described the grim task -- undertaken
with the cooperation of Iraqi authorities -- as “challenging” and diverse in
scope. “We have just opened an investigation into the destruction of the
cultural heritage of Iraq by IS -- the destruction of mausoleums, churches,
cultural sites, museums,” Ritscher told AFP. A future investigation will focus
on crimes committed in Mosul, a major city in Iraq's north which IS occupied
from 2014 until 2017, he added. Iraq declared victory over IS on December 9,
2017, but the group kept its grip on territory in neighbouring Syria until
March 2019, when it was defeated by US-backed, Kurdish-led forces. The rise of
IS and its self-proclaimed “caliphate” appeared meteoric. Its seizure of Mosul
helped it to briefly hold roughly one-third of Iraqi territory, and for a time
there were real fears of a major attack on the capital Baghdad.”



The National: Iraq 'Neutralises' Suicide Bombers In Karbala
<[link removed]>



“Iraq has said it has killed two would-be suicide bombers in the southern
city of Karbala. Security forces “neutralised” a person wearing an explosive
belt, said army spokesman Yehia Rasool. A second suspect fled the scene and was
later killed by security forces. Karbala, south-west of Baghdad, is home to the
shrines of Imam Hussein and Imam Abbas. Millions of Shiite pilgrims visit the
city each year, with at least five million visiting the shrines during the
Arbaeen commemoration each September. After years of violence, bombings are
relatively rare in Iraq, but Karbala was once the site of frequent attacks,
with a series of Al Qaeda-linked bombings killing over 100 people there in
March 2004. More than 30 people were killed in a rare bombing at a Baghdad
market in July last year, months after twin blasts killed dozens in the
capital. ISIS, which succeeded Al Qaeda in Iraq, mainly operates in remote
areas and has focused attacks on both Iraqi security forces and Kurdish troops
in the north. According to Joel Wing, an analyst who has tracked violence in
Iraq since 2008 and compiled a database of militant violence, ISIS in Iraq is
losing “relevance” to the country's security situation. “The insurgency in Iraq
has been in a tailspin downwards for the last several years. At its current
state it is having little to no impact upon Iraq overall because the militants
are isolated in rural areas where there are few people and little government
presence.”



Afghanistan



Associated Press: Taliban: Roadside Bomb Kills 6 People In North Afghanistan
<[link removed]>



“A roadside bomb went off near a bus with government employees during rush
hour on Tuesday morning in northern Afghanistan, killing six people, a Taliban
official said. Mohammad Asif Waziri, the Taliban-appointed spokesman for the
police chief in Balkh province, said the bombing in Mazar-e Sharif, the
provincial capital, also wounded seven people. The bomb was placed inside a
cart by the side of the road and detonated when a bus belonging to the Hiarata
gas and petroleum department was taking employees to work. Separately, at least
six people were wounded when a bomb exploded at the money exchange market in
the city of Jalalabad, the capital of eastern Nangarhar province, according to
Abdul Basir Zabuli, a Taliban-appointed spokesman for the provincial police
chief. Zabuli said the bomb was planted near the market and that the wounded
were in stable condition, according to a hospital report. An investigation was
underway, he added. No one claimed responsibility for the bombings in Balkh or
Jalalabad, but the regional affiliate of the Islamic State group — known as the
Islamic State in Khorasan Province and a rival of Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban
— has increased its attacks since Taliban takeover in 2021. Images posted on
social media from the scene in Balkh show a damaged bus and another vehicle,
along with several carts and fruit stalls lying scattered by the roadside
following the explosion. The bus was later towed away.”



Middle East



The Jerusalem Post: Break The Wave: 3 Terrorism Suspects Arrested In West Bank
<[link removed]>



“Three Palestinians suspected of terrorist activities were arrested by
Israeli forces on Monday night as part of Operation Break the Wave, according
to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit. Israeli forces operated in Yata and Burin
overnight. During the night, shots were fired towards the settlement of Karmei
Tzur. No injuries or damage were reported.”



Nigeria



AFP: Gunmen Kill Police, Civilians In Nigeria Market Attack
<[link removed]>



“Gunmen in northwest Nigeria have killed six people, including four
policemen, in the latest violence to hit the region, police said Tuesday.
Attackers arriving on motorcycles opened fire Monday on a police patrol van
outside the weekly market in Yar Bulutu, a village in Sokoto state near the
border with Niger, said state police spokesman Sanusi Abubakar. “We lost four
policemen in the attack by bandits who also shot dead two civilians,” he told
AFP. The two were traders who were shot as the assailants tried to flee. “We
have launched a manhunt for the attackers and we are sure they will be
apprehended,” he said. Abubakar said the assault could be a reprisal for last
week's killings of bandits by policemen in nearby Silame district during a
foiled attack on residents. Northwest and central Nigeria are a hub of criminal
gangs called bandits by locals who raid villages, kill and abduct residents
after looting and burning homes. The bandits, who have been officially declared
terrorists, maintain camps in Rugu forest, straddling Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna
and Niger states. Communities in Sokoto's Sabon Birni come under periodic
attacks by bandits who sneak in from their hideouts in neighbouring Zamfara
state. Analysts say the gangs who are driven by financial motives are
increasingly forging alliances with jihadists from the northeast waging a
13-year-old insurrection to establish an Islamic state.”



Sahara Reporters: Boko Haram Fighters Slaughter 33 Wives Of ISWAP Terrorists
In Deadly Clashes In Borno State
<[link removed]>



“In what appeared to be a continuation of their sustained inter-rivalry
clash, irate Boko Haram fighters have killed at least 33 wives of Islamic State
of West African Province (ISWAP) terrorists in Borno State. A
counter-insurgency expert, Zagazo Makama, disclosed this in a series of tweets
on Tuesday. The rival groups have been attacking communities in the Northeast
region since both camps fell apart over leadership issues. The groups have also
since been having clashes, and Abubakar Shekau, leader of Boko Haram, was
reportedly killed during one of such clashes in 2021. According to Makama, the
recent inter-rivalry clash occurred in Sambisa Forest. He said the action was
to avenge the killing of Boko Haram commander, Malam Aboubakar (Munzir) and 15
other fighters who were neutrialised in a deadly infighting. “In the aftermath
of the encounters, Boko Haram members seized four Hilux trucks mounted with
weapons belonging to their rivals and burnt another,” he tweeted. “A source
said that shortly after the victory, the Boko Haram fighters mobilised more
fighters from Abu Ikilima's camp at Gaizuwa, Gabchari, Mantari and Mallum
Masari to attack more ISWAP positions in Ukuba, Arra and Sabil Huda and Farisu,
killing about 23 more fighters. “Few hours later, a top ISWAP leader, Ba'ana
Chingori, called for a declaration of war and led a column of fighters to carry
out reprisal attacks on the Boko Haram in Farisu.”



Southeast Asia



Reuters: Indonesian Suicide Bomber Leaves Note Criticising New Criminal Code
<[link removed]>



“A suspected Islamist militant, angered by Indonesia's new criminal code,
killed one other person and wounded at least 10 in a suicide bomb attack at a
police station in the city of Bandung on Wednesday, authorities said. The
suicide bomber was believed to be affiliated with the Islamic State-inspired
group Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) and had previously been jailed on terrorism
charges, Indonesian police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo told a news conference.
The police chief said the attacker, identified as Agus Sujatno, was released in
late 2021 and investigators had found dozens of documents protesting the
country's controversial new criminal code at the crime scene. "We found dozens
of papers protesting the newly ratified criminal code," he said. Though there
are sharia-based provisions in the new criminal code ratified by parliament on
Tuesday, Islamist hardliners could have been angered by other articles that
could be used to crackdown on the propagation of extremist ideologies, analysts
say. West Java police chief Suntana earlier told Metro TV that authorities had
found a blue motorbike at the scene, which they believed was used by the
attacker.”



The Counter Extremism Project depends on the generosity of its supporters. If
you value what we do, please consider making a donation.

DONATE NOW
<[link removed]>




Click here to unsubscribe.
<[link removed]>