Eye on Extremism
January 26, 2023
Reuters: France To Withdraw Troops From Burkina Faso Within A Month
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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?
“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
“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
“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
“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?
“…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
“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
“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
“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
“…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
“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
“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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