Eye on Extremism
January 17, 2020
**NOTE: CEP's Eye on Extremism media monitoring will
be suspended on Monday, January 20 in observance of Martin Luther King
Jr. Day. It will resume Tuesday, January 21.**
The
Washington Post: FBI Arrests 3 Alleged Members Of White-Supremacist
Group ‘The Base’ Ahead Of Virginia Gun Rally
“The FBI has arrested three alleged members of a white-supremacist
group on federal gun and alien-harboring charges amid growing concerns
about safety surrounding planned gun rights protests in Virginia’s
capital next week. The charges announced Thursday grew from an
investigation of a collection of online extremists who refer to
themselves as “the Base,” which is the English translation of
“al-Qaeda.” According to experts who track hate groups, its members
promote racist views and seek to unite different hate groups in
preparation for a race war. Officials said Brian Mark Lemley Jr., 33,
and William Bilbrough IV, 19, both of Maryland, were charged with
transporting an alien and conspiring to harbor an alien. Lemley is
also charged with transporting a machine gun. Also charged is Patrik
Mathews, 27, who has been living in Newark, Del. He is accused of
transporting a firearm and ammunition with the intent to commit a
felony. Federal officials moved on the trio partly out of concerns
they might engage in violence at a gun rights rally planned for Monday
in Richmond, according to people familiar with the investigation. The
Virginia General Assembly’s new Democratic majority is advancing four
bills that seek to restrict some people’s access to firearms.”
Foreign
Affairs: China’s Rights Abuses In Xinjiang Could Provoke A Global
Terrorist Backlash
“In mid-November 2019, The New York Times published more than 400
pages of leaked internal documents from the authorities in the
Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, a province in northwestern China.
At least one million people, but perhaps twice that number—mostly
ethnic Uighurs, Kazakhs, and other Muslim minorities—have been
incarcerated in the province’s so-called reeducation camps, where
detainees are held against their will and forced to perform manual
labor, forbidden from contacting relatives, and in some cases
psychologically and physically tortured. The leaked documents included
painstaking instructions for the silencing of those whose parents had
been locked away, as well as internal speeches in which Chinese
President Xi Jinping called on the Chinese people to show “no mercy”
and use all the “weapons of people’s dictatorship” to combat a
perceived extremist threat. The leak confirmed what human rights
organizations, practitioners, and China watchers have long feared:
that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is engaged in the systematic
persecution of the country’s domestic religious and ethnic minorities.
So far, Chinese authorities have carried out this campaign with
impunity.”
Reuters:
Taliban Open To 10-Day Ceasefire With U.S., Talks With Afghan
Government: Sources
“The Taliban will implement a 10-day ceasefire with U.S. troops, a
reduction in violence with Afghan forces and discussions with Afghan
government officials if it reaches an agreement with U.S. negotiators
in talks in Doha, two sources have said. If an agreement is reached,
the move could revive hopes for a long-term solution to the conflict
in Afghanistan. Taliban and U.S. negotiation teams met on Wednesday
and Thursday to discuss the signing of a peace deal, according to a
spokesman for the Taliban office in Doha, Qatar. The talks between the
two sides were “useful” and would continue for a few days, the
spokesman, Suhail Shaheen, said in a tweet early on Friday. The
stop-start talks between Taliban militants and the United States to
end the 18-year war in Afghanistan were called off in September by
U.S. President Donald Trump after an American soldier was killed in an
attack by the Taliban. Talks that had resumed after Trump visited U.S.
troops in Afghanistan in November were put on “pause” again the
following month after the Taliban launched a suicide attack on a U.S.
base outside Kabul killing two civilians.”
United States
The
New York Times: F.B.I. Arrests Suspected Members Of Neo-Nazi Group
Before Virginia Gun Rally
“The F.B.I. has arrested three men suspected of being members of a
neo-Nazi hate group, including a former reservist in the Canadian
Army, who had weapons and discussed traveling to a pro-gun rally next
week in Richmond, Va., in anticipation of a possible race war. The men
were taken into custody on Thursday morning as part of a long-running
investigation into the group, known as The Base. The men were charged
with various federal crimes in Maryland, according to the Justice
Department. They were scheduled to appear in federal court before a
judge on Thursday afternoon. One of the men, Patrik Jordan Mathews,
27, a main recruiter for the group, entered the United States
illegally from Canada, according to the officials. He was arrested
along with Brian M. Lemley Jr., 33, and William G. Bilbrough IV, 19.
Mr. Mathews was trained as a combat engineer and considered an expert
in explosives. He was dismissed from the Canadian Army after his ties
to white supremacists surfaced. Mr. Lemley previously served as a
cavalry soldier in the United States Army. The Base has become a
growing concern for the F.B.I. as it has worked to recruit more people
to its violent cause. The Base is an “accelerationist group that
encourages the onset of anarchy,” according to the Counter Extremism
Project, a group that tracks far-right extremists. Experts following
the group say its founder, an American, appears to be living in
Russia.”
CNBC:
Terrorism Is Costing The Global Economy $34 Billion A Year, Research
Says
“Global terrorism claimed less lives in 2018, but its economic and
social impact remains widespread, according to the latest Global
Terrorism Index (GTI) from the Institute for Economics and Peace
(IEP). “Although the intensity of terrorism has diminished, its
breadth has not,” the Australian-based think tank warned. The total
number of deaths from terrorism declined for the fourth consecutive
year in 2018, falling by 15.2% on the year to 15,952 — a 53% reduction
since its peak in 2014. The primary driver of the reduction in deaths
has been a fall in the intensity of conflict in the Middle East, and
military successes against terrorist groups like ISIS and Boko Haram.
However, the report adds that terrorism remains a widespread problem
and a major global threat — costing the global economy a conservative
estimate of more than $34 billion in 2018. “This is the second worst
year on record for the number of countries suffering at least one
death, and highlights the need for continued assertive international
action to combat terrorism,” the report said. “The international
community has been very good at taking away the capabilities of
terrorist groups to harm and commit their attacks, but the ideology,
root cause and the grievances for international terrorism are still
there,” Serge Stroobants, director for MENA and Europe at IEP told
CNBC’s “Capital Connection.”
New
York Post: Suspect Al-Qaeda Militant Charged In 2016 Terror Attack
Murder Of US Missionary
“Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have charged a purported Al-Qaeda
militant in Africa with coordinating a 2016 terror attack in Burkina
Faso that killed an American missionary and 29 others. The US
Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn announced Thursday that it is pinning
murder and terrorism conspiracy charges on Mali man Mimi Ould Baba,
32, for orchestrating the attack that killed Michael James Riddering,
a Florida native living in the West African nation at the time.
Riddering, 45, was the sole American killed in the Jan. 15, 2016
attack, where Al-Qaeda gunmen stormed a restaurant and hotel in the
capital city of Ouagadougou and opened fire. Baba is currently being
held in Mali and is awaiting extradition to the US, US Attorney
Richard Donoghue’s office said — but declined to comment on the
process of getting him to the states. According to the US State
Department website, the US does not have an extradition treaty with
Mali. The feds allege he played a “central role” in the 2016 attack in
Burkina Faso, even though he didn’t pull a trigger himself. In the
attack, three men toting AK-47s and hand grenades opened fire on a
restaurant called the Cappuccino Cafe and the Splendid Hotel and then
took more than 170 people hostage.”
Fox
News: DOJ Charges Mali Man With Murdering American, Supporting 2
Terror Groups
“A Malian man was charged in U.S. federal court this week with
playing a role in two 2016 terror attacks in West Africa that killed
an American missionary and 29 other people. Mimi Ould Baba, 32,
scouted attack locations for Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and
arranged the transport of assault rifles and hand grenades used in the
attack on a hotel and cafe in Burkina Faso's capital of Ouagadougou,
authorities alleged in a criminal complaint. The shooting killed
45-year-old Michael J. Riddering, an American missionary who had been
eating dinner with a local pastor at Café Cappuccino when the
attackers opened fire with AK-47s. The attack lasted for nearly 12
hours and killed people from 18 different countries, including the
wife and young daughter of the Italian cafe owner, two French
citizens, two Swiss citizens and six Canadians. All three gunmen were
killed. Several weeks after the Burkina Faso shooting, prosecutors
said, Baba also helped plan a similar Al Qaeda attack on Westerners in
Ivory Coast. In that attack, three men armed with hand grenades and
AK-47s walked along a beach in Grand Bassam and opened fire. Nineteen
people were killed.”
CBS
Philly: New Jersey Expands Definition Of Terrorism Under State Law
Following Deadly Kosher Market
Attack
“New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation
Wednesday expanding the definition of terrorism under state law in
response to last month’s fatal attack on a kosher market in Jersey
City, Hudson County. Murphy said the new law will make it clear that
New Jersey is committed to the elimination of “hate in all its forms.”
The legislation passed unanimously in the Democrat-led Legislature on
Monday, about a month after the attack that left a Jersey City police
detective dead, along with three people inside the market. Authorities
have said that the attackers, David Anderson and Francine Graham, who
both died in a gunfight with police, had expressed hatred of Jews and
law enforcement. “This legislation is crucial to making it clear that
hatred will not be tolerated in our state,” Murphy said in a
statement. The new law says terrorism includes crimes aimed at
inciting terror against people based on their religion, race or
national origin, among other factors. Previous law said someone was
guilty of terrorism if the person committed crimes aimed at promoting
terror, terrorizing five or more people, influencing government policy
through terror or impairing public transportation, communication, or
other public services.”
Syria
Reuters:
Three Turkish Soldiers Killed In Car Bomb Attack In Syria -
Sources
“Three Turkish soldiers were killed in a car bomb attack while
carrying out roadside checks on vehicles in northeast Syria on
Thursday, security sources said. The sources said the attack was at
the town of Suluk, 10 km (6.2 miles) southeast of the Syrian town of
Tel Abyad, bordering Turkey. Both towns are in an area that Turkey and
allied Syrian rebels took control of in a cross-border incursion
launched last October against the Kurdish YPG militia. Ankara views
the YPG, the main component of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic
Forces (SDF) that helped the United States defeat Islamic State, as a
terrorist group with links to Kurdish militants on Turkish soil.
Turkey’s offensive was widely condemned by Ankara’s Western allies,
who said the assault could hinder the fight against Islamic State in
Syria. State-owned Anadolu news agency cited the Turkish Defence
Ministry as saying three soldiers were killed in the car bomb
attack.”
Fox
News: ISIS Panel In Syria Acts As 'Judge, Jury And Executioner,'
Report Finds
“A U.S.-based Syrian rights group said Thursday that it's assembled
a 24-page report titled “Judge, Jury and Executioner,” detailing the
atrocities committed by the Islamic State and the total control with
which they ruled over elements of daily life in the country. The
24-page report is based on dozens of documents collected by local
Syrian activists from abandoned offices in the Raqqa province, which
were then provided to The Syria Justice and Accountability Center
(SJAC), according to The Associated Press. The Washington-based group
claimed the evidence they've received can help identify militants
who've committed horrific crimes and assist in their international
prosecution. The Bureau of Justice and Grievances, which claimed to be
a watchdog that held Islamic militants to account, was actually doing
the bidding of the Islamic State and invading the lives of citizens at
every level. According to the documents, the bureau was taking part in
prison sentencing, issuing arrest warrants, providing death and
marriage certificates and regulating aspects of everyday life,
including the use of technology in Islamic State-controlled provinces.
SJAC executive director Mohammad Al-Abdallah said the report will help
provide prosecutors with a framework for how certain branches of the
Islamic State operated and how the chain of command functioned.”
Asharq
Al-Awsat: UN: Children Of Foreign ISIS Militants Must
Be Repatriated
“UN investigators on Thursday called for thousands of children of
militants who fought for ISIS to be repatriated from Syria. The UN
Commission of Inquiry on Syria said in a report that the children were
in a “particularly precarious” situation since they often lacked
official papers. “This, in turn, jeopardizes their rights to a
nationality, hinders family reunification processes and puts them at a
higher risk of exploitation and abuse,” the report said. The UN says
around 28,000 children of foreign militants are living in Syrian camps
-- 20,000 of them from Iraq. Thousands more are believed to be held in
prisons, where teenage children are being detained alongside adults.
Commission chair Paulo Pinheiro said the detention of children with
adults was “a terrible violation”, urging the relevant governments to
take action to stop this. “All this delay in not taking these children
from these prisons is outrageous. It's a scandal,” he said. Following
the collapse of the self-proclaimed “caliphate” of ISIS last year,
foreign militants from nearly 50 countries were detained in Syria and
Iraq. Many of their relatives are held in the overcrowded Al-Hol camp
in northeastern Syria, home to around 68,000 and where more than 500
people -- mostly children -- died in 2019.”
The
National: More Than 500 Died In Syria's Al Hol Camp For ISIS Families
In 2019
“At least 517 people, mostly children, died in 2019 in an
overstretched Syrian camp housing displaced people and relatives of
ISIS fighters, the Kurdish Red Crescent told AFP on Thursday. The
Kurdish-run Al Hol camp in northeastern Syria is home to around 68,000
people who are reliant on humanitarian assistance, especially during
the harsh winter months. A Kurdish Red Crescent spokesperson said 371
children were among the 517 people who died in the squalid tent city
last year. Malnutrition, poor healthcare for newborns, and hypothermia
were among the main causes of death among children, Dalal Ismail told
AFP at the camp. “The situation is tragic and the burden is huge,” she
said, adding that foreigners were among the children who died. Syrians
and Iraqis form the bulk of the camp's residents but Al Hol is also
home to thousands of foreigners, mainly relatives of ISIS fighters who
are kept in a guarded section of the camp under the watch of security
forces. Kurdish authorities say they are holding 12,000 non-Iraqi
foreigners, including 4,000 women and 8,000 children, in three
displacement camps in north-eastern Syria. The majority are being held
in Al Hol. Jaber Mustafa, an official in the camp, said that
assistance delivered by aid groups is “not enough” to address the
“great suffering” of residents.”
Yahoo
News: Bureaucracy To Brutality: New Evidence Reveals IS
Hierarchy
“Documents compiled by a U.S.-based Syrian rights group reveal how
Islamic State militants used one of their most powerful bureaucratic
bodies to regulate daily life and impose and execute penalties. The
new evidence could be used in international prosecutions. The
Washington-based Syria Justice and Accountability Center said Thursday
that the evidence — documents produced by IS itself — could help
identify individuals responsible for atrocities during the militants'
four-year reign of terror and lead to criminal prosecutions. The
24-page report, called “Judge, Jury and Executioner,” is based on
dozens of documents obtained by SJAC from inside Syria and collected
by a local activist from abandoned IS offices in Raqqa province, where
the militants also had their self-declared capital in a city that
carries the same name. Dozens of documents showed that the Bureau of
Justice and Grievances had a much more expansive role than the
militant group had publicly revealed. While IS portrayed it as a body
that investigated complaints against its own members and held them
accountable, the investigation showed that it had a more integral role
in sentencing and executing penalties, issuing arrest warrants and
death and marriage certificates, and regulating daily life, including
use of technology, in the territories controlled by IS.”
Iraq
NBC
News: U.S. Restarts Counter-ISIS Operations Paused After Soleimani
Killing
“The United States has restarted joint counter-ISIS operations with
Iraq that were suspended after a drone strike killed a senior Iranian
commander in Baghdad, two American military officials told NBC News
late Wednesday. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity
because they are not authorized to speak to the media on the subject,
said Iraq was now also interested in the resumption of the operations
that have been in place since 2015 as the Islamic State militant group
took control of swaths of Iraq and Syria. However, Gen. Abdulkarim
Khalaf, a spokesman for Iraq's armed forces, told the state run Iraq
News agency that, his country, did not give permission to “the US-Led
coalition to be active again.” Gen. Qassem Soleimani, a powerful
commander of Iran's secretive Quds Force, as well as the country’s
forces in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere throughout the Middle
East, died in the drone strike Jan. 3. After the strike, the U.S.
military in Iraq focused on force protection, or ensuring the safety
of Americans, rather than offensive operations. U.S.-Iraq relations
deteriorated after Soleimani’s death, with Iraq calling the U.S. move
an unacceptable breach of its sovereignty.”
Kurdistan
24: Iraqi Police Arrest ISIS Religious Official In Eastern
Mosul
“Iraqi security forces on Thursday announced the arrest of a senior
religious Islamic State official in eastern Mosul. Iraq’s Security
Media Cell said in a statement that the Nineveh Police Command’s SWAT
team arrested “a so-called sharia official and mufti of ISIS called
Abu Abd al-Bari” in the Mansour neighborhood after continuous
investigations and “accurate information.” Shifa Al-Neama, nicknamed
Abu Abd Al-Bari, was allegedly working as a preacher at several
mosques in the city of Mosul. “He is known for his provocative
speeches against the [Iraqi] security forces, and he was inciting
affiliation and allegiance to ISIS and educating extremist ideology
during ISIS’ control over Mosul,” the Security Media Cell said. “He is
considered one of the leaders in the first row of ISIS gangs, and he
is responsible for issuing fatwas regarding the execution of a number
of scholars and clerics who refrained from pledging allegiance to
ISIS.” The Security Media Cell also charged the suspect for being
responsible for encouraging the bombing of the Prophet Yunus mosque in
July 2014. Mosul was previously the so-called Islamic State’s
stronghold when they emerged in Iraqi in mid-2014 before Iraqi forces,
with support from the Kurdistan Region Peshmerga and US-led Coalition,
recaptured it in July 2017.”
Afghanistan
The
New York Times: Taliban Offer To Reduce Violence In Afghanistan Ahead
Of Deal With U.S.
“The Taliban have offered a brief period of reducing violence in
Afghanistan during ongoing negotiations with United States diplomats,
three officials familiar with the talks said on Thursday, a concession
seen as important to finalizing a preliminary peace deal between the
insurgents and the United States to end their 18-year war. If the
American side accepts the offer, it could amount to the most
significant development in the yearlong negotiations since talks
resumed after President Trump had scuttled the peace process on the
eve of a deal in September. Though the pledge to reduce violence falls
short of the overarching long-term cease-fire sought by the Afghan
government, Western diplomats had said getting the Taliban to agree to
more than a modest reduction in attacks would be difficult before the
withdrawal of foreign forces gets underway. Details of the offer,
confirmed by Western and Taliban officials familiar with the
negotiations, were unclear, though the Taliban have said in the past
that a reduction in violence would mean scaling back attacks on major
cities and highways.”
Lebanon
The
Independent: Hezbollah Supporters Say Revenge For Soleimani’s Death
Has Only Just Begun
“Qassem Soleimani was often described as a “shadowy” figure; an
elusive commander who criss-crossed the Middle East in secret on his
mission to sustain a regional military alliance loyal to Iran. But in
the days after his killing by a US drone strike this month, his face
was suddenly everywhere. Posters and billboards mourning his death
appeared in Baghdad, Damascus, Sanaa and Beirut — places where
Soleimani had spent years cultivating proxies and militias. In the
southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital, known for its strong support
for Hezbollah — one of Iran’s strongest allies — giant images of the
Iranian general’s face now loom large. Some two weeks after his death,
anger over Soleimani’s killing is still palpable among Hezbollah
supporters here. And despite Washington’s hope that the conflagration
has been contained, many believe that it has only just begun. “He was
putting limits on American influence in the region and it was working
for him,” says Umm Kassem Tarheene, 58, who owns a mini-market in
Dahiya, south Beirut. “That’s why they killed him.” “Americans pretend
to be peaceful and democratic, but they make wars and kill our lives
that it is nothing. I think they treat animals better than us. It was
for people like Soleimani to stand up against that,” she says.”
Libya
Asharq
Al-Awsat: Threat Of Terrorists, Migrants, Drugs Worries Libya’s
Neighbors
“As efforts to reach a long-term agreement for Libya’s crisis
continue to stumble, its neighboring countries are worried that the
ongoing instability will spill over across their borders. Experts from
Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria have expressed their concern over the
threat of terrorists, migrants and drugs spreading into their
countries from Libya. Security expert and member of Egypt’s higher
counter-terrorism council, Khaled Akasha said Cairo was working
tirelessly to confront ongoing Turkish attempts to “replicate the
Syrian tragedy in Libya.” “This threatens neighboring countries,
starting with Egypt that shares a 1,250 kilometer border with Libya,”
he told Asharq Al-Awsat, citing local authorities’ busting of numerous
attempts by terrorists to infiltrate Egypt. The chaos in Libya has
driven Cairo to seek a political solution that would see the
unification of military and security institutions that will allow them
secure the country’s borders and combat terrorist groups on its
territories, he added. Commenting on pro-Turkey mercenaries that had
arrived in Libya from Syria, he said that the majority of them are
members of terrorist groups. They join the militias in Libya that
support the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, Akasha
said.”
Somalia
Military.com:
US Kills Two Al-Shabaab Terrorists In Airstrike Following Deadly Kenya
Attack
“Less than a week after an attack by the militant group al-Shabaab
on a Kenyan airfield killed a U.S. soldier and two American
contractors, the Defense Department has conducted a deadly airstrike
on militants in neighboring Somalia. According to initial assessments,
two terrorists were killed in the attack, according to officials with
U.S. Africa Command. The airstrike was executed in coordination with
the Federal Government of Somalia and conducted in the vicinity of
Qunyo Barrow, officials said. Early assessments indicated no civilians
were injured or killed in the strike, according to a release.
“Al-Shabaab presents a threat to America, the African people, and our
international partners,” Army Maj. Gen. William Gayler, AFRICOM's
director of operations, said in a release. “They are a known terrorist
affiliate of al-Qaeda, who continue to radicalize and actively
recruit. Persistent pressure on the network helps prevent its broader
spread.” On Dec. 5, al-Shabaab militants attacked Manda Bay Airfield
in Kenya, roughly 100 miles from the Somalian border.”
Military
Times: Shabab Militants From Somalia May Have Received Help From
Kenyans For Deadly Manda Bay Attack
“U.S. Africa Command officials believe that al-Shabab militants
from Somalia crossed the border into Kenya to conduct an attack on
U.S. and Kenyan forces earlier this month in Manda Bay — with the
assistance of facilitators within Kenya. “We assess that these are
al-Shabab coming out of Somalia, but with the support of Kenyan
facilitators and potential Kenyan aspirants of al-Shabab,” U.S. Army
Brig. Gen. Gregory Hadfield, AFRICOM deputy director of intelligence,
told reporters Thursday. “We also assess that after the attack,
they’re continuing to make their way back into Somalia as well,” he
added. Army Spc. Henry Mayfield Jr. and two U.S. Department of Defense
contractors were killed in the attack on Manda Bay, which is currently
under investigation. Although the incident coincided with tensions
between the U.S. and Iran, the command previously said they believe
al-Shabab’s actions were not related. “I can’t say with fact what
their motivation was, but I can speculate that it’s tied to a false
media campaign and tied to recruiting, and tied to anytime they can
attack a U.S. anything, anywhere, they will,” U.S. Army Maj. Gen.
William Gayler, AFRICOM director of operations, told reporters.”
Africa
France
24: Attack On Fulani Village In Mali Kills Over A Dozen In Latest
Spate Of Ethnic Violence
“Fourteen people were killed and two wounded on Thursday in an
attack on a Fulani village in central Mali, according to the UN, in an
apparent bout of ethnic violence. The figure, from a UN report on the
incident, revises down an earlier death toll of 15 people given by a
security official, and reported by AFP. According to the report, armed
men on motorbikes, wearing the garb of traditional hunters known as
the Dozo, attacked Siba village in the early hours of Thursday
morning. They fired at villagers with hunting rifles and set fire to
houses. Thirteen men and one girl died in the attack, while two people
were wounded and livestock was also stolen. The security official, who
requested anonymity, said that some victims had their throats slit in
their sleep. Terrified villagers buried the dead on Thursday, a local
teacher told AFP. Tensions between the mostly Fulani villagers of
Siba, and neighbouring village of Synda, which is mostly inhabited by
traditional Dogon hunters, have existed for some time, the report
said. Some Synda villagers were robbed of cattle on Wedneday, the
report added, quoting local sources, in an incident blamed on
Fulani.”
France
The
Economist: France Weighs Up Its Thankless Mission Fighting Jihadists
In Africa
“After nightfall on a moonless evening last November, three French
combat helicopters, backed by fighter jets, took off from military
bases deep in the African Sahel. Their mission was to support a French
commando operation on the ground, tracking terrorists in pickup trucks
and motorbikes in the Liptako region of Mali. Flying in tight
formation and close to the ground in total darkness, two of the
helicopters collided. Thirteen French soldiers, the youngest aged 22,
were killed. The deaths shook France. They also revived questions
about what exactly the country is doing in this vast semi-arid belt
south of the Sahara desert. On January 13th, at a summit he hosted in
the French south-western town of Pau with the leaders of five Sahel
countries, President Emmanuel Macron tried to provide an answer.
France is there to bring “security and stability”, he declared, and
nothing else. “If at any time an African state asks the French army
not to be there any longer,” Mr Macron said irritably, “we’ll
leave.”
Kurdistan
24: France Promises Continued Support Against ISIS In Iraq And
Kurdistan
“On Thursday, the French Consul General in Erbil affirmed his
country’s ongoing support for the security of the Kurdistan Region and
Iraq during a meeting with the head of the leading Kurdistan
Democratic Party (KDP). Masoud Barzani received the Consul General
Olivier Decottignies in the KDP's mountaintop headquarters known as
Pirmam, located outside the federal region's capital. In the meeting,
both sides discussed the latest security developments and domestic
political tribulations Iraq is facing, as well as regional and
international tensions playing out on its soil. Decottignies affirmed
that Paris would continue its ongoing support as a member of the
US-led anti-Islamic State Coalition forces, which resumed operations
on Wednesday after their suspension as a result of escalating
hostilities between Washington and Tehran that began with attacks by
Iranian-backed militias on Iraqi military bases hosting US troops, as
well as on the US embassy in Baghdad. Since 2014, the French
government has provided humanitarian, logistical, and military support
to the Kurdish Peshmerga and Iraqi forces in the fight against the
extremist group.”
Europe
Fox
News: Norway’s Government Nears Crisis Over Return Of Former ISIS
Member: 'The Terrorist Won'
“Norway seems headed to a political crisis after one of the members
of the ruling coalition threatened to quit over the government's
decision to bring back a woman who joined Islamic State — a move that
could lead to the government falling. According to Norway’s VG, the
family – a 29-year-old woman and two children – was moved from
northern Syria to Iraq in preparation for them to be moved and
repatriated back into Norway. One of the children, 5 years old, is
believed to be seriously ill. According to The Local, the woman is
described as Pakistani and traveled to Syria in 2013 before marrying a
Norwegian jihadist who was killed during fighting. NRK reports that
the woman will be arrested and charged with participating in a
terrorist organization upon her arrival. “We sincerely ask that all
actors respect the absolute protection of the children,” the woman’s
lawyer said in a statement to VG. “It is the mother and family's urge
that the children's travel to, and meeting with Norway, take place as
gently and with dignity as possible. We will answer the questions the
public is entitled to know about, but for the sake of the safety and
need for the protection of the children, mother and other actors
involved, we maintain that such a statement will only be given at a
notified press conference after the mother and children are brought in
protected environments on Norwegian soil.”
Technology
The
National: Social Media Companies Continue Virtual Battle Against
Extremism
“A top Facebook official says extremists and white supremacists use
similar strategies to recruit people online. Dr Erin Marie Saltman,
the company’s policy manager for counterterrorism in Europe, the
Middle East and Africa, said the “empowerment structure” offered by
extremists was the key ingredient to lure new supporters to their
cause. Video platforms such as YouTube and social media websites are
frequently used by extremists to propagate their views, spread hate
and even live-stream attacks. In March last year, a white supremacist
streamed his shooting rampage at two mosques in New Zealand, killing
51 people. “White supremacy terrorism or extremist terrorism or other
forms of extremism, the process looks very similar,” Dr Saltman told
the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, a global conference organised by
India’s foreign ministry and the Observer Research Foundation think
tank in New Delhi. “White supremacy movements or extreme right-wing
movements across Europe and the US … are offering a lot of
comradeship, friendship on social networks, and job opportunities.”
Online radicalisation is one of the biggest challenges facing
governments across the world.”
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