“France will withdraw its troops from Burkina Faso in the next month after the
military junta asked it to leave, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday, in a
move that will further reduce its presence in a region facing a growing
Islamist insurgency. Protests by opponents of the French military presence have
surged in Burkina, partly linked to perceptions that France has not done enough
to tackle the Islamist militancy that has spread in recent years from
neighbouring Mali. France retains some 200-400 special forces in Burkina. It
withdrew forces from Mali last year after the military junta there deployed
Russian military contractors in the country. On Monday, Burkina said it had
decided to end a military accord that allowed French troops to fight insurgents
on its territory because the government wants the country to defend itself.”











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Eye on Extremism


January 26, 2023



Reuters: France To Withdraw Troops From Burkina Faso Within A Month
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“France will withdraw its troops from Burkina Faso in the next month after the
military junta asked it to leave, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday, in a
move that will further reduce its presence in a region facing a growing
Islamist insurgency. Protests by opponents of the French military presence have
surged in Burkina, partly linked to perceptions that France has not done enough
to tackle the Islamist militancy that has spread in recent years from
neighbouring Mali. France retains some 200-400 special forces in Burkina. It
withdrew forces from Mali last year after the military junta there deployed
Russian military contractors in the country. On Monday, Burkina said it had
decided to end a military accord that allowed French troops to fight insurgents
on its territory because the government wants the country to defend itself.”



Associated Press: A Bomb Injures At Least A 12 People Near A Market In Congo
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“A bomb exploded at a market in eastern Congo on Wednesday, injuring at least
a dozen people, authorities said. An unknown person detonated a bomb inside a
bag in North Kivu’s Beni town, said Tharcisse Katembo, a local official.
“Damage was documented (and) at least 12 people were injured. They were injured
in the lower limbs, others in their upper limbs and others were hit in the
head,” he told reporters in Beni. The victims were taken to the hospital and an
investigation was underway, Katembo said. No one claimed responsibility for the
bomb. However, attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces, which is believed to be
linked with the Islamic State extremist movement, have been increasing in North
Kivu, according to the United Nations. Earlier this month, at least 14 people
were killed and dozens injured in an attack on a church in Kasindi town, which
was claimed by Islamic State. It said in its Aamaq news outlet that it planted
an explosive device inside the church and detonated it while people were
praying.”



United States



WTOP: The Hunt: Mass Shootings In California Compared To Terrorist Incidents
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“On this week’s episode of “The Hunt with WTOP national security
correspondent J.J. Green,” Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director at the
Counter Extremism Project, says that while recent mass shootings in California
are different in theory, hatred is the common denominator.”



Iraq



Iraqi News: Iraqi Security Thwarts Suicide Attack Targeting Court In Nineveh
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“The Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced on Wednesday it thwarted a
terrorist plan prepared by three suicide bombers to target Nineveh Court of
Appeal, according to a statement issued by the Interior Ministry. The statement
mentioned that the Iraqi Federal Intelligence and Investigation Agency (FIIA)
followed up the activities of terrorist elements throughout Iraq, and monitored
indicators, after analyzed, revealed that a terrorist operation will be carried
out to target Nineveh Court of Appeal by three suicide bombers belonging to
ISIS group. Based on this information, the FIIA monitored the three terrorists
until they were arrested, and their weapons and equipment were seized, before
entering the court, the statement added. The statement also confirmed that the
FIIA is able to reach and arrest terrorists trying to target the country and
the people through its tireless work and sincerity towards Iraq, the Iraqi News
Agency (INA) reported. The Iraqi authorities announced in late 2017 it
liberated all the Iraqi lands from the control of ISIS group, but the Iraqi
security is constantly launching security operations to pursue the remnants of
ISIS that try to carry out attacks from time to time in the country.”



Afghanistan



Reuters: U.N. Aid Chief Asks Taliban Authorities For More Exemptions To Female
NGO Worker Ban
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“The U.N. aid chief said on Wednesday the humanitarian community was speaking
with Taliban officials to try and gain further exemptions and written
guidelines to allow some female aid workers to operate despite a ban on women
NGO staff. U.N. Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin
Griffiths told Reuters that during discussions with authorities in Kabul over
the last few days, his message had been: "If you can't help us rescind the ban,
give us the exemptions to allow women to operate." Taliban authorities ordered
NGOs, many of whom carry out operations for the United Nations, to stop most
female staff working last month. Griffiths said some exemptions to the ban had
been granted in health and education and they were hearing signs of a possible
exemption in agriculture. But he said much more was needed, with nutrition and
water and sanitation services a priority to prevent severe illnesses and
malnutrition during Afghanistan's severe humanitarian crisis.”



Saudi Arabia



Asharq Al-Awsat: Saudi Arabia, Morocco Sign Counter-Terrorism Agreement
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“Head of Morocco’s General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST)
Abdellatif Hammouchi received in Rabat on Tuesday Saudi deputy chief of the
Presidency of State Security Minister Abdullah bin Fahd bin Saleh al-Owais.
Hammouchi and al-Owais signed a cooperation counter-terrorism agreement between
the DGST and Presidency of State Security. The deal calls for organizing and
developing security cooperation and coordination in various fields related
countering terrorism and its financing. A statement from the DGST said both
agencies are keen on developing security and intelligence cooperation between
them and coordinating efforts in combating terrorism and extremism. Al-Owais is
on an official visit to Morocco at the head of a security delegation.”



Lebanon



Reuters: The Beirut Port Blast: Why Has There Been No Accountability?
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“Lebanon's top public prosecutor on Wednesday charged the judge investigating
the 2020 Beirut port explosion that killed at least 220 people, stymieing his
effort to hold members of the ruling elite accountable. Public prosecutor
Ghassan Oweidat, who rejected Judge Tarek Bitar's decision to resume the
inquiry, also ordered the release of people detained in connection with the
blast. Here is a recap of how the blast happened and the obstacles that have
stalled the investigation. The blast is thought to have originated from a blaze
that tore through a warehouse just after 6 p.m. (1600 GMT) on August 4, 2020,
detonating hundreds of tonnes of ammonium nitrate. Originally bound for
Mozambique aboard a Russian-leased ship, the chemicals had been at the port
since 2013, when they were unloaded during an unscheduled stop to take on extra
cargo.”



Middle East



Reuters: Israeli Troops Kill Nine In Jenin Clash With Palestinian Gunmen,
Medics Say
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“Israeli commandos killed nine Palestinians, including an elderly woman, and
wounded 12 others during clashes with gunmen on Thursday in a flashpoint town
in the occupied West Bank, witnesses and medics said. The Israeli military said
it sent special forces into Jenin to detain members of the Islamic Jihad armed
group suspected of having carried out and planning "multiple major terror
attacks", shooting several of them after they opened fire. Islamic Jihad
confirmed battling the Israeli forces as they carried out the unusually deep
raid into Jenin's refugee camp, a militant bastion. Another Islamist group,
Hamas, said its men also took part in the fighting. The death toll - the
highest in Jenin in years - drew a warning from Islamic Jihad that its truce
with Israel, called after a brief exchange of fire across the Gaza Strip border
last year, could be in danger.”



Reuters: Israeli Forces Kill Two Palestinians In Separate Incidents
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“Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in separate incidents across the
occupied territories on Wednesday, Palestinian officials said, the latest
deaths in a year-long surge in violence. In the West Bank, the Israeli army
said it shot a Palestinian man who tried to stab Israeli soldiers near the
settlement of Kedumim. In CCTV video the army said was of the attack, a man
emerges from a car at a bus stop, apparently brandishing something in his hand.
The footage shows the man running at the soldiers, before collapsing when they
appear to shoot him. The Islamist group Hamas identified the 20-year-old man,
Aref Lahlouh, as a member. Later on Wednesday, the Palestinian health ministry
said 17-year-old Mohammad Ali, who was shot by Israeli forces during clashes in
East Jerusalem's Shuafat refugee camp, succumbed to his wounds.”



Jerusalem Post: Hamas: Prisoner Swap Deal With Israel, Netanyahu Possible -
Report <[link removed]>



“Hamas officials told the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, which is affiliated
with Hezbollah, that the video of Avera Mengistu was published to assess if
there was a chance of reaching a new prisoner swap deal with Israel. "Despite
the extreme right-wing government in Israel, it might be possible to reach a
deal because it's considered more stable," Hamas officials stated. The Lebanese
newspaper report claims Hamas further said that "The fascist extremists in the
government won't stop Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from signing a prisoner
swap deal.” According to the terrorist group, "most [prisoner swap] deals,
historically, were signed with right-wing governments." Earlier this month,
Hamas shared new information regarding Avera Mengistu, an Ethiopian Israeli
national who crossed into the Gaza Strip in 2014.”



Egypt



Outlook India: Republic Day: Who Is Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi,
India's Republic Day Chief Guest?
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“…Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has governed as a strongman and has clamped down hard
on Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group also designated as a terrorist
organisation. "The Brotherhood was formed in Egypt in 1928, four years after
the abolition of the Ottoman Caliphate.* Since then, the Brotherhood has
advocated for the re-establishment of a caliphate, a state ruled by sharia
(Islamic law)...Its members carried out numerous bombing operations and
assassinations, including the 1948 murder of then-Prime Minister of Egypt
Mahmoud El Nokrashy Pasha, who had recently banned the Brotherhood," notes the
think tank Counter Extremism Project (CEP) about Muslim Brotherhood. The CEP
adds that the Muslim Brotherhood also inspired terrorist group Al Qaeda and
Palestinian terrorist group Hamas is also its offshoot.”



Mali



Reuters: Mali Court Sentences Man To Death Over U.N. Peacekeeper Deaths
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“A court in Mali has sentenced a man to death over a 2019 attack that killed
three United Nations peacekeepers, the peacekeeping mission MINUSMA said on
Wednesday without naming the defendant.

Mali, an arid West African country run by a military junta, has been
struggling for a decade with an Islamist insurgency that has spread across the
wider Sahel region despite costly international efforts to quash it. U.N.
peacekeepers have been deployed in Mali since 2013 but their presence has not
stopped militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State from attacking villages
and towns, army bases and police stations. The trial centred on an attack on
five peacekeepers travelling through the rural commune of Siby in southern
Mali, around 50 kilometres from the capital Bamako, on February 22, 2019. Three
were killed.”



Africa



Associated Press: Witnesses Say Latest Ethnic Clashes In Ethiopia Kill Dozens
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“Witnesses allege that several dozen civilians and fighters have been killed
in the latest clashes between Oromo and Amhara ethnic groups in central
Ethiopia. The fighting erupted Saturday in Jewuha town in the Amhara region.
One witness, like others speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of
retaliation, told The Associated Press that fighters thought to be with the
rebel Oromo Liberation Army attacked a camp used by Amhara special forces and
killed more than 20 of them. The witness said they helped to bury three
civilians as well. Fighting has spread to other towns, the witness said.
Another witness in Jewuha involved in burials said “several dozen” bodies had
been collected. A witness in Ataye town in the Amhara region alleged that
clashes between OLA and Amhara special forces were ongoing and thousands of
civilians were fleeing. A doctor at Shewa Robit hospital told the AP it had
received the bodies of “several people” since Monday as well as some victims
with serious injuries.”



Associated Press: Report: Much Of Africa Less Safe, Democratic Than In 2012
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“A new report on African governance released Wednesday finds much of the
continent is “less safe, secure and democratic” than it was 10 years ago,
citing a surge in military coups and armed conflicts. The democratic
backsliding now threatens to reverse decades of progress made in Africa,
according to an index of governance compiled by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation that
notes 23 successful and attempted coups since 2012. “This phenomenon of coup
d’etats that was common in the ’80s seems to have become fashionable again in
certain parts of Africa,” said Ibrahim, a British billionaire born in Sudan who
is using his fortune to promote democracy and political accountability in
Africa. His foundation’s report cited eight successful coups just since 2019.
Mali and neighboring Burkina Faso have seen two each during that time, further
destabilizing a part of the world already under siege by Islamic militants.”



Germany



The National: The Prince, The 'Terror Granny' And The Rise Of Germany's
Well-To-Do Far Right
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“…The so-called Reichsbuerger (Reich Citizens) refuse to recognise Germany’s
post-war democracy and believe the 1871 to 1945 German Reich is still in
existence. Some carry bogus passports or refuse to pay taxes. “All of this, for
a quite a few years, was fairly harmless,” said Hans-Jakob Schindler, a former
German diplomat and a director at the Counter Extremism Project. "They got
fines and they harassed local authorities, but they weren’t planning
large-scale violence. “It turned around the 2016-17 mark, when for the first
time a Bavarian policeman was killed doing a raid at a Reichsbuerger’s home,
who had of course not paid any taxes. From then onwards the scene became more
violent. “With Covid, this exploded. The right-wing extremists immediately
realised that any type of severe societal crisis is something they can take
advantage of.” Far-right violence in Germany is, sadly, nothing new, and a
string of racist attacks in recent years has rattled a country highly sensitive
to the subject because of its traumatic 20th-century history.”



Europe



Reuters: At Least One Dead, Several Injured In Machete Attack At Southern
Spain Churches
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“Spanish authorities said they were investigating what they called a possible
"terrorist" incident after a machete-wielding man attacked several people at
two churches in the southern port city of Algeciras, killing at least one
person. The man attacked clergymen at two different churches - San Isidro and
Nuestra Senora de La Palma, around 300 metres (1,000 feet) apart - just after
8pm on Wednesday evening in downtown Algeciras, a spokesperson for the city
said. A source at Madrid's High Court said the incident was being investigated
as terrorism. Police said the attacker had been arrested, and a police source
shared footage showing two officers escorting a man in a hooded sports top in
handcuffs through a police station. Police have not released details of his
name or nationality. Local media, including El Pais newspaper, said he was a
25-year-old Moroccan. The man who was killed was Diego Valencia, a sacristan at
the Nuestra Senora de La Palma church, while the titular priest of the parish
church of San Isidro, Antonio Rodriguez, was among the injured and is in
serious condition, the Algeciras city spokesperson said.”



Technology



Middle East Eye: Supreme Court To Hear Lawsuit Accusing Youtube Of Complicity
In 2015 Paris Attacks
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“A US lawsuit blaming YouTube, in part, for the 2015 Paris attacks is heading
to the Supreme Court next month, paving the way for the nation's highest court
to discuss whether or not social media companies play a role in aiding
large-scale attacks against civilians. The family of Nohemi Gonzalez, the only
American killed in the 2015 attacks, has filed a lawsuit against Google,
YouTube's parent company, accusing it of complicity in the attacks. It states
the platform's algorithm "recommended that users view inflammatory videos
created by ISIS, videos which played a key role in recruiting fighters to join
ISIS in its subjugation of a large area of the Middle East, and to commit
terrorist acts in their home countries". The central issue in the case is the
scope of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, a US law that
states that internet companies cannot be sued over third-party content uploaded
by users or for decisions site operators make to moderate or filter what
appears online. The lower courts previously ruled in favour of Google, leading
Gonzalez's lawyers to appeal all the way up to the Supreme Court, which said in
October it would hear the case. Oral arguments are set for 21 February.”



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