Eye on Extremism
February 8, 2023
Associated Press: Military: Forces Raid Hideout, Kill 12 Pakistani Taliban
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“…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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“…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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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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