“Three suicide drones attacked a U.S. base in eastern Syria on Friday, wounding
two Syrian opposition fighters, the U.S. military said. No Americans were hurt
in the attack. It was not clear who was behind the drone attack, but
Iran-backed fighters in the region have carried out such operations in the
past. Sleeper cells of the Islamic State group are also active in the area. Two
of the drones were shot down and the third struck the compound at al-Tanf base
where the borders of Syria, Iraq and Jordan meet, the U.S. military said. The
military said the drone that struck the building wounded two members of the
Syrian Free Army, who received medical treatment. The Britain-based Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said the attack was
likely carried out by Iran-backed fighters who are deployed in different parts
of war-torn Syria. “Attacks of this kind are unacceptable — they place our
troops and our partners at risk and jeopardize the fight against ISIS,” U.S.
military spokesman Joe Buccino said, using an acronym for the Islamic State
group.”











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Eye on Extremism


January 20, 2023



Associated Press: Trio Of Suicide Drones Strike US Base In Syria, Wounding 2
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“Three suicide drones attacked a U.S. base in eastern Syria on Friday,
wounding two Syrian opposition fighters, the U.S. military said. No Americans
were hurt in the attack. It was not clear who was behind the drone attack, but
Iran-backed fighters in the region have carried out such operations in the
past. Sleeper cells of the Islamic State group are also active in the area. Two
of the drones were shot down and the third struck the compound at al-Tanf base
where the borders of Syria, Iraq and Jordan meet, the U.S. military said. The
military said the drone that struck the building wounded two members of the
Syrian Free Army, who received medical treatment. The Britain-based Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said the attack was
likely carried out by Iran-backed fighters who are deployed in different parts
of war-torn Syria. “Attacks of this kind are unacceptable — they place our
troops and our partners at risk and jeopardize the fight against ISIS,” U.S.
military spokesman Joe Buccino said, using an acronym for the Islamic State
group.”



Fox News: US Forces Capture Global ISIS Recruiter In Syria Helicopter Assault
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“U.S. and coalition forces carried out a helicopter assault on an ISIS
stronghold in Syria on Thursday, capturing a one extremist involved in global
recruiting for the terrorist organization. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)
carried out the operation on Wednesday in partnership with the Syrian
Democratif Forces (SDF). The ISIS operative, who the military did not name, was
involved in planning multiple ISIS operations and also served as a global
recruiter. "The capture of this ISIS operative will disrupt the terrorist
organization’s threatening U.S. citizens, our partners and innocent civilians,"
said Col. Joe Buccino, CENTCOM spokesperson. "ISIS continues to represent a
threat to the U.S. and partners in the region. CENTCOM maintains a sufficient
and sustainable presence in the region and will continue to counter threats
against regional security," he added.”



Syria



CBC: Canada Has Agreed To Repatriate 19 Women And Children Held In Syria,
Lawyer Says
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“The federal government is moving forward on repatriating 19 Canadian women
and children held in northeastern Syria, says their lawyer. Family members of
23 detained Canadians — six women, four men and 13 children — have asked a
Federal Court to order the government to arrange for their return. They've
argued that refusing to do so would violate their charter rights. The Canadians
are among many foreign nationals in Syrian detention camps for suspected ISIS
members and their families. The camps are run by the Kurdish forces that
reclaimed the war-torn region from the extremist group. Lawrence Greenspon, the
lawyer for the applicants, told CBC that an agreement has been reached to
secure the release and return of the women and children. The case of the four
men is still before the court, he said.”



Iran



Asharq Al-Awsat: US Says Iran Is The World's Leading Sponsor Of Terrorism
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“US State Department spokesman Ned Price described Iran as "the world's
leading sponsor of terrorism." During a press briefing in Washington, Price
commented on the European Parliament's resolution to declare the Iranian
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a foreign terrorist organization. He confirmed
that this is a recognition by European partners that "Iran is the world's
leading sponsor of terrorism. There is no more nefarious exporter of
international terrorism than Iran." He pointed out that "there is no
disagreement between the United States and our European allies on this. We're
also clear-eyed about the need to cooperate to counter the threats posed by the
IRGC over the past – well, certainly in recent years. Referring to the
suppression of widespread protests in Iran during the past months, Price noted
that Europe, the United States, countries around the world, and regions around
the world "have seen all too vivid demonstrations of the lethality of the IRGC,
of its repugnant willingness to take innocent lives in its operations."



Iraq



Rudaw: German Parliament Recognizes ISIS Crimes Against Yazidis As ‘Genocide’
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“Germany’s parliament on Thursday voted to recognize the 2014 crimes against
the Yazidis in their hometown of Shingal by the Islamic State (ISIS) as
“genocide,” calling on the government to take measures to support the
ethnoreligious group. ISIS attacked the disputed town of Shingal in the summer
of 2014, killing and kidnapping thousands of Yazidis, with the fate of a large
number of them remaining unclear. The German parliament, Bundestag, convened on
Thursday and the majority of its members voted to recognize the ISIS crimes
against Yazidis as “genocide.” Germany’s lower house of parliament said in the
resolution that the move came “following the legal evaluations of investigators
from the United Nations,” reported DW. The resolution urges German courts to
take more action against suspects involved in the crimes and to increase
financial support for Yazidis.”



Afghanistan



Voice of America: Muzzled in Afghanistan, Activists Protest Abroad
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“From Lafayette Park in front of the White House to the streets of London,
Toronto and many other cities around the world, activists have been staging
small protests to condemn the Taliban’s repressive policies against women in
Afghanistan and call for a stronger international response. While they attract
a relatively small number of participants, the protests have increased in
frequency over the last year, largely in response to growing Taliban
restrictions on women inside Afghanistan. On January 14, fewer than 100
protesters showed up at Farragut Square Park in Washington to chant slogans
against the Taliban’s recent edict banning universities and work for Afghan
girls and women. On the same day, about three dozen protesters gathered in
heavy rain in Los Angeles, making similar demands. “In Los Angeles, we called
for an end to the gender apartheid instilled by the Taliban,” Arash Azizada, an
Afghan American community organizer, told VOA.”



CBC News: Inside A Secret School For Girls In Afghanistan
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“Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, there has been
a crackdown on the rights and freedoms of women in the country. Despite
initially promising that a woman's right to study and work would be preserved,
the Taliban has enacted policies that virtually ban women from public life.
Girls are not allowed to continue their education beyond Grade 6. Afghan women
have pushed back on the restrictions, and this week on Nothing is Foreign, we
hear one woman's story of resistance. Sahar, whose last name we are not
disclosing for her safety, teaches at a secret school for girls in Grades 7-12
in Kabul.”



Pakistan



Associated Press: Pakistani Listed By UN As Terrorist Denies Links To al-Qaida
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“A Pakistani man named by the United Nations as a global terrorist in
connection to the Mumbai attacks released a video Thursday, denying any
al-Qaida or Islamic State group links. He did not, however, make any mention of
the 2008 terrorist attacks in India that killed 166 people. The U.N. on Tuesday
designated Abdul Rehman Makki, 68, an anti-India militant being held in
Pakistan, as a terrorist, the world body’s second such designation in
connection to the Mumbai attacks. He is a senior figure in the outlawed
Lashkar-e-Taiba group, which is mainly active in the disputed Himalayan region
of Kashmir. He was arrested in 2019 and convicted a year later on charges of
terror financing, a sentence unrelated to the 2008 terrorist attacks. On
Thursday, Makki released a video statement saying the U.N. took action against
him without hearing his testimony. He insisted he never met al-Qaida leader
Osama Bin Laden, who was killed in a U.S. Navy SEALs raid in 2011 in his hiding
place in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Abbottabad, or bin Laden’s successor,
Ayman al-Zawahri, killed in a U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan’s capital,
Kabul, last July.”



Reuters: Pakistani Taliban Attacks Police Outpost, Killing Three Officers
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“The Pakistani Taliban on Thursday claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb
attack on a police post in northern Pakistan that killed three police officers.
Attackers threw grenades at a police outpost near the Afghan border in northern
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and entered the premises where a suicide bomber
detonated explosives, according to police. They said the number of wounded was
not yet known. In November, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a militant group
also known as the Pakistani Taliban, said it would no longer abide by a
months-long ceasefire with the Pakistani government. TTP militants have been
waging a campaign of bombings and suicide attacks for over a decade in a bid to
run Pakistan under a harsh brand of Islamic law. They have ramped up attacks
after calling off the ceasefire brokered by the Afghan Taliban in May.”



Lebanon



Al Arabiya: US ‘Clear-Eyed’ About Threat Hezbollah Poses To Lebanon: State
Department
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“The Biden administration is “clear-eyed” about the threat Hezbollah poses to
Lebanon and will continue to work to counter and combat the Iran-backed group’s
influence in the crisis-struck country, a senior State Department official said
Thursday. Hezbollah, designated a terrorist organization by the US and several
Gulf countries, continues to impose its will upon Lebanese politicians as they
struggle to elect a new president and is the only group possessing weapons
outside the state’s control. Decades of corruption and clientelism have also
played a key role in plunging Lebanon into what the World Bank has said is one
of the worst economic crises globally since the mid-nineteenth century. “As
these crises compound, we are also clear-eyed about the threat Hezbollah
continues to pose to Lebanon, the United States, and to the broader region,”
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Ethan Goldrich
said on Thursday. Goldrich vowed that the US would continue to use a range of
tools “at our disposal” to undercut the threat of Hezbollah. He pointed to US
sanctions as recently as last Fall on individuals and entities for providing
financial services to Hezbollah. Another batch of sanctions targeted a
smuggling network that helped divert money from illicit Iranian oil to
Hezbollah.”



Middle East



Middle East Monitor: Hamas Has Stepped Up Efforts To Kidnap Soldiers, Claims
Israeli Media
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“The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, has stepped up its
efforts to kidnap Israeli soldiers to use as additional leverage in any future
prisoner swap with the occupation state, it has been claimed. "Hamas is trying
to step up kidnapping attempts as it is growing desperate after the
negotiations have been halted over the group's demand to release Palestinian
terrorists [sic] from Israeli prisons," claimed Israel's public broadcaster
Kan. "The movement is ready to face a possible devastating response from Israel
to the kidnappings in the hope of gaining extra bargaining chips to force
Israel to meet its conditions and regain its fading support among [Palestinians
in Gaza]." The reports emerged following the release of a short video showing
an Israeli captive in Gaza asking where the state of Israel is for him and
three other captives. Avera Mengistu called for the Israeli occupation
government to help release him and the others from captivity.”



Nigeria



Vanguard: Troops Decimate Terrorists, Recover Weapons In Boko Haram’s Failed
Attack
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“The gallant troops of Sector 3 Joint Task Force North East Operation HADIN
KAI (OPHK) in Monguno local government area of Northern Borno senatorial
district has last Sunday, 15th January 2023 decimated scores of suspected Boko
Haram terrorists in a failed attempt to infiltrate their base. This is coming
barely one week after Governor Babagana Zulum stormed the council area in
continuation of his campaign train for the second term. Troops continued to
display acts of bravery, doggedness and resilience in denying the members of
the Boko Haram Terrorists (BHT) and their Islamic State of West African
Province (ISWAP) counterpart freedom of movement and actions, but due to lack
of telecommunication network, delayed information on the attack, not until
Captain Babatunde Zubairu, Acting Deputy Director Army Public Relations Sector
3 Operation HADIN KAI AND MULTINATIONAL JOINT TASK FORCE in a press statement
issued to our Correspondent on Thursday night revealed the encounter.”



Somalia



Reuters: Somalia's Al Shabaab Attacks Base In Town It Had Lost, Kills Seven
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“Islamist al Shabaab militants on Friday killed at least seven soldiers at a
Somali military base in a town re-captured by the government, the information
ministry and militant group said. The attack was eventually repelled, an
officer at the base in the central Somali town of Galcad told Reuters. He said
the dead included the base's deputy commander, who was part of a U.S.-trained
unit stationed there. The attack underscores the formidable threat al Shabaab
poses for Somalia's military, even after a government offensive launched last
year scored significant success against the al Qaeda-allied militants. Al
Shabaab fighters stormed the Galcad base early on Friday, exploding car bombs
and firing their weapons, Captain Issa Abdullahi said. The base is run by
Danab, a unit of U.S.-trained commandos who have participated in the offensive
against the militants. Somalia's information ministry said in a statement that
in addition to al Shabaab killing seven soldiers, their soldiers had killed 100
of the group's fighters and destroyed five gun-mounted pick-up vehicles known
as technicals.”



Africa



Reuters: Kenyan Security Forces Kill 10 Suspected Al Shabaab Fighters
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“Kenyan security forces have killed 10 fighters from Somalia's al Shabaab
Islamist group in eastern Kenya, a government official said on Thursday. They
also recovered rocket propelled grenades and improvised explosive devices after
fighting the militants on Wednesday in the village of Galmagalla in Garissa
county, said Thomas Bett, deputy county commissioner of the Bura East
sub-county. "The operation to flush out the Somalia militants' group in the
region was carried out by our multi-agency team ... and (they) managed to
neutralise 10 Islamist group militants and recovered assault weapons," he told
Reuters. Spokespersons for al Shabaab, who frequently have their phones
switched off, could not immediately be reached for comment. Al Shabaab have
attacked targets within Kenya for years to pressure the country into
withdrawing its troops from the African Union-mandated peacekeeping force
helping Somalia's central government fight the group.”



AFP: Two Attacks Kill 18 In Burkina Faso: Security Sources
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“Two suspected jihadist attacks killed at least 18 people, including 16
auxiliaries supporting the army, in Burkina Faso, security sources said on
Friday. Thursday's attacks in the north and northwest of the country were the
latest to hit a civilian auxiliary force that supports the military in a
seven-year fight against jihadists. Landlocked Burkina Faso in West Africa is
one of the poorest and most volatile nations in the world. Since 2015, it has
been grappling with an insurgency led by jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda and
the Islamic State group that has killed tens of thousands and displaced around
two million people. Thursday's "first attack targeted an advance party of
Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDP) in Rakoegtenga," a town in
the northern province of Bam, a VDP official said. Six auxiliaries and a woman
died in the attack, the same official said. Around 10 people were wounded,
including some seriously, who were "evacuated to Ouagadougou for appropriate
care," the VDP official said.”



Associated Press: UN: New Congo Attack By Local Militia Kills 7, Many Flee
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“The United Nations on Thursday reported a deadly new attack in volatile
northeastern Congo by the same local militia blamed for killing nearly 50
people recently discovered in mass graves. U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq
said the latest attack took place overnight Wednesday at a camp for displaced
people and reportedly killed seven people and sent many others fleeing from the
site. U.N. peacekeepers deployed immediately after the overnight attack to
secure the camp, 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) east of Djugu in Ituri province, and
deter further violence, he said. The attack followed the discovery of mass
graves containing the bodies of 49 civilians in two other villages about (19
miles) 30 kilometers east of the town of Bunia in Ituri. The same local militia
CODECO — Cooperative for the Development of Congo — has been blamed for the
killings. A total of 42 victims, including six children, were found in a mass
grave in the village of Nyamamba, while the bodies of seven other men were
found in another village, Mbogi, Haq said Tuesday.”



Technology



Yahoo News: Meta: Azov Regiment No Longer Meets Criteria For Dangerous
Organization On Facebook, Instagram
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“…Azov Movement “has strong ties to far-right extremists in many EU countries
and the U.S.,” said Alexander Ritzmann, a senior advisor to the Counter
Extremism Project, in an interview with Euronews. The Azov Regiment that is
fighting against Russian invaders is something completely different, he added.
Azov Regiment “was fully integrated into the Ukrainian national guard and since
then operates under the command of the Ministry of the Interior,” Ritzmann
said.”



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