“Security forces acting on intelligence raided a hideout of Pakistani Taliban
insurgents along the border with Afghanistan, triggering an intense shootout
that left 12 militants dead, the country's military said Wednesday. The
pre-dawn raid came amid soaring tensions in Pakistan and in the aftermath of a
mosque bombing last week that killed 101 people in Peshawar. Pakistani
officials blamed the blast on the the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or
TTP, which denied involvement. Pakistani Taliban have a strong presence in
Lakki Marwat, where they have launched multiple attacks in recent months.
Overnight in the district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, security forces
launched the operation after monitoring the insurgents for a week, according to
a military statement. ‘Terrorists were lured in by providing a vehicle for
escape that was intercepted and neutralized,’ it said.”











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Eye on Extremism


February 8, 2023



Associated Press: Military: Forces Raid Hideout, Kill 12 Pakistani Taliban
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“Security forces acting on intelligence raided a hideout of Pakistani Taliban
insurgents along the border with Afghanistan, triggering an intense shootout
that left 12 militants dead, the country's military said Wednesday. The
pre-dawn raid came amid soaring tensions in Pakistan and in the aftermath of a
mosque bombing last week that killed 101 people in Peshawar. Pakistani
officials blamed the blast on the the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or
TTP, which denied involvement. Pakistani Taliban have a strong presence in
Lakki Marwat, where they have launched multiple attacks in recent months.
Overnight in the district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, security forces
launched the operation after monitoring the insurgents for a week, according to
a military statement. ‘Terrorists were lured in by providing a vehicle for
escape that was intercepted and neutralized,’ it said.”



Reuters: At Least 25 Killed In Burkina Faso Attack In Seno Province
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“Armed assailants killed at least 22 civilians and three police officers
during an attack in northern Burkina Faso on Saturday, the interim government
said on Monday. The attack took place on Saturday afternoon in the northern
province of Seno, in a section of the West African country that has become a
hotbed of jihadist activity since 2015. The regional governor provided a
provisional death toll of 25, including 22 civilians and three police officers,
the government said in a statement. Others were wounded and material damage was
caused, the government said, but did not elaborate. Burkina Faso is one of
several West African nations battling a violent insurgency with links to al
Qaeda and Islamic State that took root in neighbouring Mali in 2012.”



United States



ABC News: New York Man Who Became ISIS Sniper Found Guilty Of Providing
Support For Terrorism
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“A former Brooklyn man, who became a sniper and weapons instructor for ISIS,
was convicted Tuesday of providing material support to terrorism and other
charges. Ruslan Maratovich Asainov, a U.S. citizen and former resident of Bay
Ridge, was found guilty on all five counts, including charges that his material
support for ISIS resulted in death. He faces up to life in prison. ‘As proven
at trial, Asainov was a member of ISIS, a violent foreign terrorist
organization, which has committed numerous acts resulting in the deaths of many
U.S. citizens and others,’ said United States Attorney Breon Peace. ‘The
defendant committed to the terrorist organization’s evil cause and made an
extraordinary journey to the battlefield in Syria, where he became a lethal
sniper for ISIS and trained many other ISIS members to kill. Even after being
captured, he still pledged his allegiance to ISIS.’ Asainov is a naturalized
U.S. citizen who converted to Islam in 2009 and became increasingly interested
in Islamic extremism.”



WMTW ABC: Maine Man Charged In Times Square Attack Arraigned On Federal
Terrorism Charges
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“A man from Wells accused of attacking police with a machete near New York’s
Times Square on New Year’s Eve was released from the hospital, transferred to
U.S. federal custody and made his initial federal court appearance on Monday to
face terrorism charges. Trevor Bickford, handcuffed and shackled at the ankles,
slowly shuffled into a Manhattan federal courtroom for his initial appearance.
Charges in a federal complaint allege he tried to murder officers and employees
of the U.S. government. A.U.S. magistrate judge gave prosecutors two weeks to
seek an indictment. Bickford answered routine questions from the judge before
he was returned to a federal jail after the brief appearance. His
court-appointed lawyer did not seek bail. Bickford was 19 when authorities said
he attacked three police officers with a machete about two hours before the new
year began. He also faces charges in state court, where prosecutors said he
shouted ‘Allahu akbar’ in the New Year’s Eve attack before striking one officer
in the head and trying to grab another officer’s gun.”



Afghanistan



Bloomberg: Taliban Tighten Currency Controls After Dollar Smuggling Report
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“The Taliban imposed fresh restrictions on people carrying foreign currency
out of Afghanistan via a rare directive from the prime minister’s office after
a report that millions of dollars were being smuggled in each day from
Pakistan, shoring up its battered economy. Tuesday’s order from Mullah Mohammad
Hassan’s office spelled out new currency limits clearly for the first time and
laid out new punishments — up to a year in prison. While a $5,000 limit was
already in place, the new edict added that the amount people could take via
road border crossings was only $500 and barred the transport of gold or
precious stones out of the nation. “If someone transfers a million dollars, he
will be imprisoned for a year, and for hundred thousand dollars, he will be
jailed for a month and for less than the amount, he will receive ten days in
jail,” the order said.”



Daily Mail: Taliban Militants Use A Rocket Launcher To Blow Up A Swedish Flag
After Scandinavian Country Infuriated The Islamic World By Allowing Koran
Burning
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“A video that shows a group of men, purportedly Taliban militants in
Kandahar, south Afghanistan, shooting at a Swedish flag and then blowing it up
has been circulating on social media. At the end of January, the Scandinavian
country infuriated the Islamic world when far-right activist Rasmus Paludan
burned a copy of the Koran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm after being
granted permission by authorities. The video shows a group in Afghanistan
standing with a flag as one of them shoots into the distance with a rifle. The
group members then walk over, with one of them holding up the damaged flag and
pointing a gun towards it. They walk off carrying the flag and saluting with
their rifles. On January 27, thousands of Afghans held protests to express
anger over the Koran burning in Sweden.”



The News International: ISIS Attack Threat: Saudi Embassy In Kabul Closed
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“Saudi Arabia has closed its embassy in Kabul over threats of possible attack
and its 14 diplomats, including charge d’affaires Abdullah Fahd al-Kahlani,
have moved to Islamabad. The shifting of the diplomats to Pakistan was
confirmed by the highly-placed sources at the Foreign Office and Saudi mission
on Tuesday. The Saudi embassy was closed on Friday last after threats of an
ISIS attack surfaced. The Afghan foreign ministry also confirmed that diplomats
and employees of the embassy had shifted to Pakistan and there was no word
about their possible return to Kabul. The sources indicated that the ISIS was
planning a car bombing at the Saudi diplomatic mission in Kabul. The threats
prompted the Saudi authorities to close the embassy and evacuate its employees
to Islamabad.”



Pakistan



Outlook India: Pakistan: Peshawar Bombing Planned In Afghanistan, Foreign
Intelligence Agency Funded It, Say Investigators
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“…The think tank Counter Extremism Project (CEP) notes that the TTP has links
with the Afghan Taliban and terrorist group Al Qaeda. "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," says CEP about the TTP. The TTP was until recently in
talks with the Pakistani government but it walked out of the talks and
announced an offensive against the state.”



24 News: CTD Arrests One Terrorist Of Banned Outfit In Multan
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“The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel Tuesday claimed to have
arrested one terrorist from a banned outfit in Multan, reported 24NewsHD TV
channel. As per details, the arrested terrorist was identified as Muhammad
Hamad alias Commando Musa and is a resident of Palosi Talarzai of Peshawar,
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The arrested terrorist belonged to Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Taliban and had planned to target the city’s busy areas. The law
enforcement personnel also recovered explosives and cash from the possession of
terrorists. A suicide jacket and a 30-bore pistol were got from his possession.
Moreover, banned literature and pamphlets of the banned organization were also
recovered from the terrorist’s possession.”



Middle East



The Jerusalem Post: IDF, Islamic Jihad Clash In Nablus As MK Visits Joseph's
Tomb <[link removed]>



“Israeli forces clashed with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group in
Nablus on Wednesday morning as incoming MK Zvi Sukkot visited Joseph's Tomb in
the city. According to Palestinian reports, a 13-year-old Palestinian was
seriously injured after being shot in the head, while a 16-year-old suffered a
hand injury, during the clashes. The local branch of the Palestinian Islamic
Jihad's al-Quds Brigades announced that it had fired at Israeli forces as part
of the clashes. The IDF stated that it identified hits after returning fire.
The clashes come a day after a 17-year-old Palestinian was killed while
shooting at Israeli forces in Nablus as the forces conducted arrests in the
city. Sukkot joined a group of settlers, including Samaria Regional Council
head Yossi Dagan, who visit Joseph's Tomb regularly to conduct maintenance at
the site.”



The Jerusalem Post: Islamic Jihad Says Member Was Killed In Jericho Clashes
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“The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist movement announced Tuesday that one
of its members was killed in clashes with Israeli forces in the Aqabat Jaber
refugee camp near Jericho on Monday. The member was identified as Khaled Awadat
Moqiti, the founder of the local branch of the movement's al-Quds Brigade.
Moqiti was killed while fighting alongside members of Hamas's al-Qassam
Brigades. ‘We, in the al-Quds Brigades, affirm that the blood of the pure
martyrs who annihilated the occupation will remain fuel for more violence and
confrontation, and will turn into a curse that haunts the occupation and the
herds of settlers until it is defeated from our land, Palestine,’ said the
movement on Tuesday.”



Africa



Reuters: Burkina Faso Assailants Kill At Least 15 Nigerian Pilgrims Travelling
To Senegal
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“At least 15 Nigerian Muslim pilgrims on their way to Senegal were killed
when gunmen in Burkina Faso attacked the buses transporting them, Nigeria's
presidency said on Monday. "President Muhammadu Buhari has received the tragic
news of the murder," the State House said in a statement without providing a
number of casualties or further details on the attack. A Nigerian presidency
spokesperson told Reuters via a WhatsApp message that the death toll stood at
15 "so far". According to a Senegalese religious order, unidentified assailants
attacked the convoy of buses on Wednesday and killed 18 passengers.”



Associated Press: Mozambique's Extremist Rebels Kill Aid Worker In North
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“Extremist rebels in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province have killed
a worker for the international charity Doctors Without Borders, shortly after a
former vice president of the organization was asked to produce a report into
the humanitarian situation in the conflict-hit region. Mozambique’s Islamic
extremist insurgency, which started in October 2017, is blamed for the deaths
of more than 3,000 people and for displacing an estimated 900,000 people. In
March 2021 the rebel violence forced the France-based firm TotalEnergies to put
on hold its $20 billion liquified natural gas project in the north of the
province. TotalEnergies invoked force majeure after the insurgents attacked the
town of Palma, very near the gas project. Palma was later recaptured by
Mozambican and Rwandan forces and the government has urged TotalEnergies to
resume work on the gas project.”



Garowe Online: Kenya Steps Up Measures Against Al-Shabaab Militants In Somalia
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“Kenya has stepped up surveillance measures alomg the border to block
Al-Shabaab militants from crossing over amid ongoing crackdown against the
militants who control large swathes of rural central and southern Somalia, in a
strategy aimed at preventing escalation of attacks in the country. Kithure
Kindiki, who is the Interior Cabinet Secretary, said the ongoing crackdown
against Al-Shabaab could trigger them to cross over to the country and probably
cause mayhem. Somalia has been pursuing the militants in all fronts for the
last seven months, killing hundreds in the process. The Interior CS stated that
they have stepped up our border patrols to prevent the proliferation of illicit
arms, illicit drugs. ‘Our security agencies are alert to ensure that these
militants do not cross into our territory to keep them at bay now that this
terror group is its weakest,’ he said. The minister, who visited Mandera County
and other surrounding areas, noted that intelligence services are cooperating
well in the fight against the militants.”



United Kingdom



The Telegraph: Probation Officers Too ‘Optimistic’ About Freed Terrorists,
Prevent Report Finds
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“…The recommendation was welcomed by Professor Ian Acheson, a senior adviser
to the Counter-Extremism Project and a former prisoner governor. “It’s the idea
that everyone can be redeemed that is infecting the approach, which is always
looking for improvement and for reduction of risk,” he said. “It means
officials are particularly vulnerable to psychologically sophisticated,
ideologically-motivated terrorists. The terrorists don’t have to be
particularly intelligent, they just have to be cunning and adept at hiding
their true motivations.” The review is expected to confirm that taxpayers’
money has been handed to groups promoting Islamist extremism by Prevent, as
revealed by The Telegraph in December.”



Yahoo! UK: Probation Officers Too ‘Optimistic’ About Freed Terrorists, Prevent
Report Finds
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“Probation officers are too ‘optimistic’ about freed terrorists, putting the
public at risk, an official review of the Prevent deradicalisation programme
has found. William Shawcross, the author of the review, which will be published
on Wednesday, is expected to warn that probation officers are putting too much
trust in convicted terrorists when they claim they have given up their
murderous ideology. He will say officials should take a more precautionary
approach to their rehabilitation to avoid ‘optimism bias’, which can have
‘tragic consequences’. Mr Shawcross, a former chairman of the Charity
Commission, is expected to cite the Fishmongers Hall attack of 2019, when Usman
Khan pulled the wool over the eyes of his probation and police handlers before
stabbing two Cambridge graduates to death at a rehabilitation conference he had
been allowed to attend. It is among recommendations by Mr Shawcross to overhaul
the Prevent programme so it returns to its ‘core mission’ of protecting the
public rather than treating extremists as victims.”



BBC News: British Army Serviceman Appears In Court Charged With Terror Offences
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“A member of the British Army accused of planting fake bombs at an RAF base
has appeared in court. Daniel Abed Khalife, 21, is alleged to have left three
cannisters with wires at MOD Stafford on 2 January. He appeared at Westminster
Magistrates' Court earlier, which heard he allegedly left the device ‘with the
intention of inducing in another the belief the item was likely to explode or
ignite’. Mr Khalife did not enter a plea during the court appearance. The full
terror charges also say he ‘elicited’ personal information about soldiers from
the Ministry of Defence Joint Personnel Administration System which was ‘likely
to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism’ in 2021.
Both offences are alleged to have taken place at MOD Stafford in Staffordshire.”



Daily Mail: Another British ISIS Jihadi Wants To Come Back To UK: Leicester
Medical Student Joins Shamima Begum In Saying He Has Right To Return After
Going To Syria To Join The Islamist Terror Group
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“A British former medical student who went to fight for Isis has revealed
that just like Shamima Begum he hopes to return to the UK. Jihadi fighter
Ibrahim Ageed, 29, from Leicester, is incarcerated in Al-Sina Prison in
Al-Hasakah, northeastern Syria. He claimed Isis could make a comeback and said
it was his right to return to the UK. In a interview with The News Movement he
said: 'I believe I'll be subjected to the justice system but I'm ready to face
the music and I believe it's my right basically to go back home.' The Isis
fighter joined the terror group in 2015 with his brother Mohamed when he was
just 21. For the last four years he has been in prison where he said he was
'completely isolated'. He said although the terror group had been been
'significantly weakened' he thought 'whether you can completely rid the world
of these groups is a very difficult task'.”



Southeast Asia



The Business Standard: RAB Arrests 5 Militants In Bandarban
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“The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested five militants after a reported
gunfight with members of Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya in Bandarban. Nine
RAB personnel were also injured during the gunfight, RAB Director General M
Khurshid Hossain said in a press conference on Tuesday (7 February). ‘RAB
officials were tipped off that militants were gathering in the Thanchi area. A
group of the new militant outfit had a shootout with six petrol teams of RAB in
the Remakri Bridge area on Tuesday morning,’ he said. He said that the gunfight
was going on and more extremists and terrorists might get arrested. Names and
details of the arrested, however, were not disclosed.”



India Today: NIA Takes Over Investigation After Kolkata Police Arrests 3 For
ISIS Links
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“The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will take over the charge of
investigation of suspected ISIS terrorists arrested by Kolkata’s special task
force. The three suspected terrorists were arrested by STF in January for their
alleged connection with ISIS. NIA produced an FIR before a special court in
Kolkata on Tuesday. After hearing the plea, NIA special judge directed Kolkata
Police STF to handover the case diary and all relevant documents to NIA
officials for further investigation. The court also directed them to produce
three arrested accused soon. Following this court order, NIA has taken over the
charge of investigation from now. After taking them into custody, the central
probe agency will interrogate three suspected ISIS terrorists.”



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