Eye on Extremism
February 1, 2023
Reuters: Eight Rockets Fired At Turkish Base In Iraq - Kurdish Security Group
“Unidentified attackers fired eight rockets at a Turkish military base in northern Iraq on Wednesday, two of which landed inside, the Counter-Terrorism Group, a security organisation in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, said. Turkey confirmed that the attack took place and vowed to retaliate. ‘From time to time, there are some attacks (on Turkish bases), and we are retaliating against these attacks and necessary measures are taken,’ Defence Minister Hulusi Akar told reporters in Ankara. A Turkish security source said earlier the attack had caused no damage and there were no casualties. An Iraqi security source who declined to be identified said an Iraqi contractor in the base had been wounded.”
Associated Press: Pakistan Bombing Raises Fears Over Security Breach, 100 Dead
“Pakistani authorities scrambled on Tuesday to determine how a suicide bomber was able to carry out one of the country’s deadliest militant attacks in years, unleashing an explosion in a crowded mosque inside a highly secured police compound in the city of Peshawar. The death toll from the blast climbed to 100. Monday morning’s bombing, which left at least 225 wounded, raised alarm among officials over a major security breach at a time when the Pakistani Taliban, the main anti-government militant group, has stepped up attacks, particularly targeting the police and the military. In a televised speech to parliament Tuesday, Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif accused the Pakistani Taliban, known by the acronym TTP, of carrying out the attack, saying they were operating from neighboring Afghan territory and demanding the Afghan Taliban take action against them. A TTP commander earlier claimed responsibility, but a spokesman for the group later distanced the TTP from the carnage, saying it was not its policy to attack mosques. More than 300 worshippers were praying in the Sunni mosque, with more approaching, when the bomber set off his explosives vest, officials said. The blast blew off part of the roof, and what was left caved in, injuring many more, according to Zafar Khan, a police officer.”
United States
Associated Press: Detroit-Area Man Convicted Of Aiding Islamic State In Syria
“A Detroit-area man who was captured on a Syrian battlefield in 2018 has been convicted on charges of providing support to the Islamic State group and attending one of the group’s training camps, prosecutors said. A federal jury convicted Ibraheem Izzy Musaibli, 32, on Monday of charges of providing and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State group, conspiring to provide material support to the group, and attending an Islamic State training camp. The Dearborn, Michigan, man faces a maximum 50-year prison sentence at his sentencing, which is set for May 11, federal prosecutors said. Musaibli’s lawyer, John Shea, declined to comment on Monday’s verdict, The Detroit News reported.”
Syria
AFP: Syrians Fear IS Resurgence As Kurdish-Led Forces Sweep Raqa
“From his rooftop in the Syrian city of Raqa, Youssef Nasser watches nervously as hundreds of heavily armed Kurdish-led fighters sweep the streets of what was once the de facto capital of the Islamic State group. The fighters are on guard against another guerrilla-style ambush after six of their comrades were killed in an IS attack in December on a local security complex that aimed to free hundreds of fellow jihadists from a prison there. As the fighters go house to house, their blaring loudspeakers warning Raqa's people to stay put, 67-year-old Nasser said he hopes for "stability and security" in his home city which is still recovering from the horrors of IS rule. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, with support from the United States, in 2017 routed IS from Raqa, which the group had used to spread their reign of terror, perpetrating mass executions, including decapitations, and other crimes.”
Pakistan
Outlook: Pakistan: 100 Killed, Over 200 Injured In Suicide Bombing At Mosque In Pakistan's Peshawar
“…"As an ally of the Afghan Taliban, the TTP also fought the US-backed Afghan government prior to the latter’s defeat in August 2021. The TTP was founded in late 2007 by a group of Pakistani militants who had previously fought in Afghanistan alongside both the Taliban and al-Qaeda, and the group has maintained close ties to both organizations since," notes the think tank Counter Extremism Project (CEP). The US NCTC notes, "TTP historically maintained close ties to senior al-Qa‘ida leaders, including al-Qa‘ida’s former head of operations for Pakistan."”
Yemen
AFP: Three Al-Qaida Suspects Killed In Yemen Drone Strike: Officials
“Three alleged al-Qaida militants were killed in a suspected U.S. drone strike in Yemen on Monday, local government officials said. The attack was carried out on a car in Marib province, the scene of heavy fighting in 2021 in Yemen's long-running civil war, the officials said. "Three al-Qaida members were killed in a strike by a drone that is believed to be American," a government official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "The three were in a car in Wadi Obeida when they were targeted by the suspected U.S. strike that killed them immediately." A second Marib government official confirmed the strike on al-Qaida militants and the death toll. There was no immediate comment from Washington. The United States considers al-Qaida's Yemen branch — al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) — among the most dangerous branches of the global jihadist network.”
Nigeria
Sahara Reporters: Four Nigerian Soldiers Injured After Patrol Vehicle Drives Over Bomb Planted By Boko Haram In Borno
“At least four officers of the 25 Task Force Brigade of Operation Hadin Kai have been reportedly wounded after running into an improvised explosive device (IED) in Borno. A counter-insurgency expert, Zagazola Makama, disclosed this in a series of tweets on Tuesday. The troops were said to be on a fighting patrol along Wajiroko-Sabon Road in the Damboa Local Government Area when their vehicle drove over the planted IED. The IED was allegedly planted by Boko Haram insurgents. ‘At least four soldiers were wounded after a roadside improvised explosive device (IED) struck a convoy of troops during a fighting patrol along Wajiroko-Sabon in Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State on January 30,’ Zagazola tweeted.”
Somalia
Garowe Online: Somalia Detains Elders Over Links to Al-Shabaab
“Somali authorities arrested six traditional elders who are accused of signing an agreement with Al Shabaab, a group that has been causing havoc in the country for almost 15 years. The government officials said the elders will be charged with violation of the directive that bans close association with Al-Shabaab, a measure that was taken to minimize interaction between members of the community and designated groups. The elders are accused of traveling to the areas which are directly under the control of the Al-Shabaab near Beledweyne, where the militants have bases. According to the military, the elders agreed with Al Shabaab to withdraw their clan forces from the ongoing offensive.”
Al Jazeera: Somalia Hosts Regional Summit To Discuss Fighting Al-Shabab
“Somalia is hosting a summit of leaders from several neighbouring countries in the Horn of Africa to discuss the fight against al-Shabab, as a wide-ranging offensive against the armed group gathers pace. The meeting in the capital, Mogadishu, drew leaders from three “brotherly neighbouring countries”, the Somali presidency said, posting pictures of the arrival of Kenya’s William Ruto, Djibouti’s Ismail Omar Guelleh and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Somali leader Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and his counterparts are due to discuss a coordinated military offensive against the al-Qaeda-linked group, which has been waging a fight in the Horn of Africa nation for more than 15 years. Security was beefed up in the city with movement restrictions and military patrols. Commercial flights have also been suspended.”
United Kingdom
Vice: Teen Gets 11 Years For Neo-Nazi Videos That Inspired Racist Buffalo Mass Shooting
“…Experts have long been sounding the alarm of an international network of propagandists attempting to radicalize and push people into action. “Harris’ arrest shows the international nature of the violent online extreme right, especially the subset of individuals who glorify attackers such as the Christchurch terrorist,” Joshua Fisher-Birch, an analyst on the far-right at the Counter-Extremism Project, told VICE News. “While many of these individuals are concerned with committing attacks in their area, they are also part of this online community that seeks to encourage violence in other locations in the name of white supremacism.” Fisher-Birch told VICE News there have been similar cases of online propagandists being arrested and charged for their work trying to inspire far-right extremists worldwide. For example, in November 2022, a Slovakian man was sentenced to six years for his involvement in terrorism and was, as Fisher-Birch puts it, “an important player within the international neo-Nazi accelerationist online community and spread information helpful in committing terrorist attacks.” Neo-Nazi terror groups like The Base and Atomwaffen have had members belonging to cells located in North America, Europe, Scandinavia, and Australia.”
Europe
Arab News: Italian Police Arrest 3 Tunisians Linked To Slain Berlin Terrorist
“Three Tunisians linked to a terrorist who killed a dozen people in Germany in 2016 have been arrested by Italian police for facilitating illegal immigration, Italian news agency ANSA reported. The trio were arrested during nationwide raids in Italy on more than 40 premises linked to a transnational gang enabling illegal immigration. Two of the men were subsequently placed in pre-trial detention, while the third was ordered into house arrest. Police tied the three to Anis Amri, a Tunisian who plowed into Christmas market crowds in Berlin using a truck seven years ago, killing 12 people and injuring dozens. After going on the run following the attack, Amri was killed in a shootout with Milan police four days later.”
Southeast Asia
Hindustan Times: NIA Charge Sheet On ISIS ‘Fundraiser’: Accused Was Delhi Student, Money Sent Via Cryptocurrency Channels
“The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a charge sheet against Mohammad Mohsin Ahmad, a second-year electrical engineering student at Jamia Millia Islamia University, for allegedly raising funds for the banned global terrorist organisation Islamic State (ISIS), people familiar with the development said. Ahmad, 22, a resident of Patna, was arrested by an NIA team from Delhi’s Batla House area in August 2022 after receiving information that he was actively engaged in raising funds -- from within India and abroad -- for ISIS. The people quoted above said he sent the funds to his handlers in Syria through cryptocurrency channels. The federal anti-terror probe agency has charged Ahmad with criminal conspiracy and under relevant sections of the stringent anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA, in a charge sheet filed at Delhi’s Patiala House court on Tuesday.”
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