“U.N. experts say the predominant view among member nations is that the
leadership of al-Qaida has passed to Sayf al-’Adl, who was responsible for
Osama bin Laden’s security and trained some of the hijackers involved in the
9/11 attack on the U.S. The panel of experts said in a report to the U.N.
Security Council circulated Monday that no announcement has been made of Sayf
al-’Adl replacing Ayman al-Zawahri, who was killed by a U.S. drone strike in
Kabul last August. “But in discussions in November and December many U.N.
member states took the view that Sayf al-’Adl is already operating as the de
facto and uncontested leader of the group,” the report says. Assessments vary
as to why al-’Adl’s leadership hasn’t been declared, it said.”











<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>



Eye on Extremism


February 14, 2023



Associated Press: UN Report: Sayf Al-’Adl Widely Seen As New Al-Qaida Leader
<[link removed]>



“U.N. experts say the predominant view among member nations is that the
leadership of al-Qaida has passed to Sayf al-’Adl, who was responsible for
Osama bin Laden’s security and trained some of the hijackers involved in the
9/11 attack on the U.S. The panel of experts said in a report to the U.N.
Security Council circulated Monday that no announcement has been made of Sayf
al-’Adl replacing Ayman al-Zawahri, who was killed by a U.S. drone strike in
Kabul last August. “But in discussions in November and December many U.N.
member states took the view that Sayf al-’Adl is already operating as the de
facto and uncontested leader of the group,” the report says. Assessments vary
as to why al-’Adl’s leadership hasn’t been declared, it said.”



Reuters: Militia Attacks Kill 22 In East DR Congo - Official, Human Rights
Group
<[link removed]>



“Militiamen killed 22 people in two separate attacks in the Democratic
Republic of Congo's (DRC) Ituri province on Sunday and Monday, a local official
and a human rights group said, in ongoing violence in the region. The DRC's
government declared martial law in Ituri and neighbouring North Kivu province
in 2021 to quell the bloodshed, but deadly raids have continued. The first
attack on Sunday took place in the town of Mongbwalu, in Djugu territory, where
10 people were killed. Mongbwalu Mayor Jean-Pierre Bikilisende blamed the
attack on CODECO, one of many militias operating in the DRC's conflict-ridden
east. The group could not be reached for comment.”



United States



Reuters: Lafarge's Terrorist Financing Guilty Plea Offers Warnings To Those
Operating In High-Risk Zones
<[link removed]>



“Last year's guilty plea by cement-making company Lafarge to terrorist
financing charges is a warning that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is
focused on corporate misconduct that threatens national security. Lafarge's
Syrian business paid almost $6 million to terrorists to continue operating a
cement plant in a territory they occupied. It paid the United States $777.78
million in criminal fines and forfeiture as part of its October settlement. The
plea agreement offers hard-learned compliance lessons to companies operating in
high-risk zones. Paying terrorists to continue operating in areas they control
was rarely prosecuted until the Lafarge case. At the same time, the temptation
to engage with terrorists is increasing, as more companies, particularly those
extracting natural resources, seek to do business in high-risk and
terrorist-controlled zones.”



Syria



Republic World: Syrian Rebel Leader With Links To Al Qaeda Seeks Help For
Earthquake-Ravaged Idlib
<[link removed]>



“A Syrian rebel leader with links to Al Qaeda is calling on the international
community to help the last remaining rebel-controlled areas in Syria recover
from the earthquake. The rebel leader, identified as Ahmed Hussein al-Shara
(known by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani), appealed for
international aid to help people in the quake-hit northwestern province of
Idlib, Syria, The Guardian reported. The plea from the leader came a week after
a series of massive earthquakes jolted Syria and Turkey, leading to the death
of over 36,000 people in the region. While the government-held areas of Syria
did manage to get aid from both the international community and the Syrian
government, the plight of the people of the northwestern region remained mostly
neglected, The Guardian report said. The rebel leader, who has a whopping $10
million US government bounty on his head, urged the United Nations to
understand the gravity of the situation in the northwestern region. ‘The United
Nations needs to understand that it’s required to help in a crisis,’ al-Jolani
told The Guardian.”



Afghanistan



Bloomberg: Taliban Minister’s Rebuke Of Supreme Leader Shows Infighting
<[link removed]>



“Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s powerful interior minister, has lambasted
for the first time the group’s reclusive spiritual leader for monopolizing
power and damaging their government in Afghanistan. “Power monopolization and
defamation of the entire system have become common,” Haqqani said in an angry
speech at the packed graduation ceremony of an Islamic religious school in the
southeastern Khost province over the weekend. “The situation cannot be
tolerated any longer,” he added, without naming Supreme Leader Haibatullah
Akhundzada directly. Haqqani’s comments reflect the deep divisions emerging
within the Taliban factions that seized power in the country in the wake of the
US troop’s exit in 2021. The differences were inflamed after Akhundzada’s order
last year, banning women from all education and work, drawing widespread
international condemnation.”



The Khaama Press News Agency: Security Forces Destroyed Important ISIS Hideout
In Kabul: Mujahid
<[link removed]>



“According to Zabiullah Mujahid, Taliban security personnel stormed an
important Daesh (ISIS) hideout during a special operation in provincial
district 8th of Kabul late Monday night, which resulted in the death of some
key members of Daesh, which included some foreign nationals as well. ‘Daesh
fighters have been behind many brutal terror attacks in Kabul, which claimed
the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians and injured many others,’ Mujahid
said. Dr. Mahmut Cengiz has written on the ‘Home Security Today’ website that
prior to the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, ISIS presence was not tangible
in Kabul – they were mainly based in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces. With the
return of the Taliban to power, ISIS expanded its domain to Kabul and has been
behind many brutal attacks in 2022. The terror group’s dominance in Afghanistan
has been substantial in the past year. Although other militant groups including
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and Al-Qaida have also gotten momentum with
the return of the Taliban to power, they do not pose threats to the Taliban-run
administration, because they have deep ties with the Afghan Taliban.”



Voice Of America News: Top Taliban Official's Public Criticism Reignites
Internal Rift Speculations
<[link removed]>



“Senior leaders of Afghanistan’s ruling Islamist Taliban have recently
resorted to rare public criticism of each other, reigniting internal rift
speculations over whether girls should be allowed to receive an education. The
war of words began last Saturday when the influential Taliban interior
minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, lashed out at his leadership for ‘monopolizing’
power, though he did not name anyone. ‘Our views and thoughts have dominated us
to such an extent that power monopolization and defamation of the entire
[ruling] system have become common,’ Haqqani told a religious gathering in his
native southeastern Khost region. ‘This situation can no more be tolerated.’
The minister added that the Taliban administration should desist from adopting
policies that would drive a wedge between ‘the [ruling] system and the people,
allowing others to exploit it to defame Islam.’ Haqqani’s remarks seemingly
were directed at the Taliban supreme leader or emir, Hibatullah Akhundzada.”



Pakistan



The Khaama Press News Agency: Cop Injured In Terrorist Attack In Pakistan’s KP
<[link removed]>



“According to a police spokesman, a group of terrorists attacked the check
post on Dera Ismail Khan and fled from the scene. A cop was injured in the
incident. Police also added that due to the exchange of fire between police and
the attackers, the terrorists fled from the area. Meanwhile, after receiving
the information, a significant police presence arrived at the scene and began a
search operation in the area. For a couple of months, security has deteriorated
in Pakistan, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Baluchistan and other major
cities.”



Dunya News: Two Terrorists Rounded Up In DG Khan
<[link removed]>



“The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on Monday apprehended two terrorists
during an operation in Dera Ghazi Khan. According to the CTD spokesperson, the
arrested terrorists were identified as Subhanallah Illyas and Masood-ur-Rehman.
Hand grenades, 1970 grams explosive material, Safety fuse, detonator and
ball-bearings packets were recovered from the possession of the terrorists. The
spokesperson further said that the terrorists belonging to a proscribed outfit
were detained on a tip off. Investigation has been launched after lodging an
FIR against the terrorists.”



Tribune: CTD Claims Killing Four Terrorists In North Waziristan
<[link removed]>



“According to a spokesperson of the CTD, the operation team of North
Waziristan was transporting criminals from Miran Shah to Bannu when terrorists
suddenly opened indiscriminate fire on CTD officers and threw hand grenades
near the Mir Ali Bypass. Four terrorists were killed in the retaliatory
operation, the spokesperson maintained. During the joint search and clearance
operation of the security forces and the police, the accomplices of the
terrorists escaped by taking advantage of the darkness. The dead terrorists
were identified as Irshadullah alias Abu Bakrul Masoomullah Sukna Madip Khel
Noor who belonged to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Zarrar Banuchi Group,
Abdul Rehman from the Ghazi Force Zafiruddin Group, Meher Din from the TTP
Zargul faction. Meanwhile, one militant could not be identified. The slain
terrorists were wanted by the CTD in several terrorism cases, including attacks
on security forces and the police. They were involved in several terror
incidents, including the hand grenade attack on the Police Station Cantt and
the targeted killing of Constable Iftikhar.”



Middle East



The Jerusalem Post: Border Police Officer Killed In Terror Attack Outside
Shuafat <[link removed]>



“Israel Border Police officer Asil Suaed was killed in a stabbing attack at
the checkpoint to the Shuafat refugee camp just hours after a man in his 20's
was lightly injured after being stabbed by a terrorist near the Chain Gate of
the Temple Mount on Monday afternoon. On Monday evening, a 13-year-old
Palestinian terrorist pulled out a knife and assaulted Border Police officers
who were conducting a security check on a bus at the checkpoint to the Shuafat
refugee camp. The officers fired at the terrorist and arrested him. One of the
officers was critically wounded after being stabbed and hit by shots fired by a
civilian security guard who shot at the terrorist after the terrorist assaulted
them. Despite resuscitation efforts at the scene and at the hospital, the
officer succumbed to his wounds later in the evening.”



Jewish News Syndicate: Al-Qaeda Video Shows Former Leader Urging Muslims ‘To
Target Interests Of Israel’
<[link removed]>



“Al-Sahab, the media arm of Al-Qaeda Central Command, published an
eight-minute video on Sunday showing a speech by the organization’s
assassinated leader, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, who was killed in a U.S. drone hit in
Kabul on July 31, 2022. According to a report by MEMRI’s Jihad and Terrorism
Threat Monitor, shared first with JNS, the video titled ‘How to Support the
Palestinian Cause’ is subtitled in English, and Al-Sahab published transcripts
of Al-Zawahiri’s speech in Arabic and English. Zawahiri urged Muslims to rise
up and help Palestinian Muslims ‘by targeting the interests of Israel and [of]
the powers that support Israel everywhere.’ Addressing Palestinian Muslims,
Al-Zawahiri urges them to defend their homeland ‘until your last breath.’ The
video was posted during a Palestinian terror wave against Israelis.”



Nigeria



The Sun News Nigeria: Boko Haram Kills Over 2,295 Teachers, Displaces 19,000
Others – NSCDC
<[link removed]>



“With increasing attacks on schools by Boko Haram terrorists, the Federal
Government has disclosed that over 2,295 teachers have been killed and 19,000
others displaced in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States between 2009 and 2018 alone,
with an estimated 1,500 schools destroyed since 2014, with over 1,280
casualties among teachers and students. Speaking during the flag-off of the
National School Security and Emergency Response Centre, in Abuja, the
Commandant General of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Dr
Ahmed Abubakar Audi added that these violent attacks have negative effects on
teaching and learning thereby reversing our sustainable national development
efforts. To this effect, Audi said that it has become expedient for the Federal
Government to deploy extraordinary measures to tackle the spate of attacks on
school facilities in Nigeria ‘In view of the importance of education and human
capital development towards overall national development, it has become
expedient for the Federal Government to deploy extraordinary measures to tackle
the spate of attacks on school facilities in Nigeria…’”



Africa



Reuters: Gemfields Evacuates Mozambique Exploration Camp After Attack
<[link removed]>



“Precious stones miner Gemfields Group (GEMGE.L), on Tuesday said it has
halted operations and was evacuating personnel from its Nairoto exploration
camp in Mozambique's insurgent-hit Cabo Delgado province after an attack on a
nearby village. The northern Mozambican province has seen an Islamic
State-linked insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives since it broke out
in 2017, disrupting multibillion-dollar natural gas and mining projects.
"Shortly before midnight on Sunday, 12 February 2023, an attack attributed to
insurgents took place in the village of Nairoto in the Cabo Delgado province of
Mozambique. The village of Nairoto lies approximately 15 kilometres (9.32
miles) south west of the exploration camp in which Gemfields owns 75%," the
company said in a statement.”



United Kingdom



Unherd: Andrew Tate Is Not A Terrorist
<[link removed]>



“In 2020, I attended a meeting with various professionals and volunteers in
Nairobi to discuss the recruitment of Kenyans by al-Shabaab, the formidable
al-Qaeda affiliate across the border in Somalia. Midway through the
presentations by assorted Europeans, the room began to grow restless. The
Kenyan contingent made up of community workers and volunteers asked where, in
all the models of radicalisation being discussed, was the individual agency of
the terrorist? Many of them had travelled to the capital from the coastal towns
where al-Shabaab was most active, and where all the structural “push” factors
one could imagine are present: poverty, boredom, marginalisation, corruption —
and extrajudicial killings. Perhaps that’s what enabled them to diagnose one of
the central shortcomings of the policies generally known as Countering Violent
Extremism (CVE), of which Britain’s Prevent Strategy is a part. In his
independent review of Prevent, published last week, William Shawcross came to
the same conclusion: the overemphasis on vulnerability in the process of
radicalisation strips individuals of their agency, obscures reality and sucks
the politics out of political violence.”



Southeast Asia



Hindustan Times: Jem Terrorist Arrested In Pulwama, 25 Hand Grenades
Recovered: Police
<[link removed]>



“A JeM (Jaish-e-Muhammad) terrorist from Pulwama district of Jammu and
Kashmir was on Monday arrested along with 25 hand grenades among other arms and
ammunition, police said. The arrested person was planning to target police and
security forces at the behest of a jailed terrorist. Acting on a tip off
regarding delivery of consignment in Pulwama, a team was of police and army
(55RR) was formed to nab the accused. ‘At Naina Bhatpora, one suspected person
riding a scooty tried to flee from the spot after spotting the team. The
suspect was caught and the consignment of arms and ammunition was recovered,’
the spokesman said. Oe Pistol, 25 Chinese grenades, two pistol magazines, 230
pistol cartridges, 10 AK magazines, 300 AK cartridges and other incriminating
materials were recovered from his possession.”



The Manila Times: Abu Sayyaf Subleader Captured In Zamboanga
<[link removed]>



“Police commandos captured a subleader of the Muslim extremist group Abu
Sayyaf following a raid in his hideout in the largely Catholic city of
Zamboanga in southern Philippines. Police said Isnirul Kirin, who has a P5
million bounty for his capture, was tracked down in the coastal village of
Sinunuc, about 11 kilometers from downtown Zamboanga. Kirin, 51, is facing over
two dozen charges of murder and frustrated murder and had escaped military
operations in the island-province of Basilan, about 44 nautical miles from
here. Police did not say how they tracked down the elusive terrorist over the
weekend, but the operation also involved the Criminal Investigation and
Detection Group and several other police units. It was unknown how long Kirin
had been hiding in Zamboanga City, home of the regional military and police
headquarters in the Peninsula, or whether his pro-ISIS group was planning an
attack.”



Odisha Bytes: Al-Qaeda Operative Abdur Rehman Arrested From Odisha Sentenced
To 7.5 Year Ri
<[link removed]>



“Al-Qaida in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) operative Mohd Abdur Rehman, who was
arrested from Odisha’s Cuttack for his alleged links with terror outfit
Al-Qaeda, was sentenced to 7 years and five months of rigorous imprisonment by
Patiala House Court in Delhi on Tuesday. Besides pronouncing the quantum of
punishment, the court has also slapped Rs 25,000 fine on the convict. Three
other Al-Qaeda operatives – Mohd Asif, Zafar Masood and Abdul Sami, whom the
court had convicted for plotting terrorism against India on Friday, were
awarded similar sentences. Rehman was arrested during a joint operation by the
special cell of Delhi and Odisha police on December 16, 2015, for allegedly
running an illegal Madrasa at Tangi near Cuttack and radicalising the youths
who enrolled there for terror activities. Police sources said that he had
visited Pakistan illegally and met top militants, including Zaki-ur-Rehman
Lakhvi and Sajid Mir, both wanted in the 26/11 Mumbai Terror Attacks, there.”



Technology



The Jerusalem Post: IDF Unit 8200 Commander Reveals Cyber Use To Target Hamas
Commander <[link removed]>



“IDF Unit 8200 Data Science and AI Commander Col. Yoav on Monday revealed
that his unit used its cyber tools during the May 2021 Gaza War to successfully
target at least two Hamas commanders. According to Yoav, who was speaking at
the AI Conference at Tel Aviv University, the IDF was able to target at least
one of the Hamas squad missile commanders and one of the Hamas anti-tank
missile units using data science and AI (artificial intelligence) capabilities.
In all, he said new digital methods ‘helped produce 200 new target assets’
during the 10-day operation. ‘Remember breaking the human barrier – there were
times when this took us almost a year,’ he said. ‘How do we do it? We take
original subgroups, calculate their close circle [of personal connections],
calculate relevant features, rank results and determine thresholds, use
intelligence officers’ feedback to improve the algorithm,’ and then use
classified digital platforms to locate the targets.”



The Counter Extremism Project depends on the generosity of its supporters. If
you value what we do, please consider making a donation.

DONATE NOW
<[link removed]>




Click here to unsubscribe.
<[link removed]>