Eye on Extremism
January 21, 2020
Bloomberg:
Taliban Offer To Reduce Violence Won’t Aid Peace, Official
Says
“The Taliban’s offer to reduce violence for several days ahead of
fresh talks with the U.S. would not bring the war-torn nation any
closer to peace when the majority of the country remained excluded
from the negotiations, a senior Afghan official said. “The plan for
violence reduction or anything of its kind is a vague proposal” that
can deceive citizens and the international community, second Vice
President of Afghanistan, Sarwar Danish said on Sunday in the capital
Kabul. “So far, the government and the people -- including civil
society, political parties, and ethnic groups -- have been sidelined
in the peace negotiations,” between the Taliban and the U.S. “and, in
such a situation, peace cannot be achieved,” Danish said. The Taliban
offered a 7 to 10 day halt in its military operations ahead of
renegotiations with the U.S. The proposal was given to Zalmay
Khalilzad, the U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan reconciliation in
Doha, Qatar, where the group has a political office. The U.S. had
asked for a complete long-term cease-fire before a peace deal. The
deal will allow some 13,000 troops to return home and bring an end to
the 18-year war in Afghanistan. The protracted and bloody conflict has
killed tens of thousands of Afghans, more than 2,400 U.S. forces and
cost the U.S. about $900 billion.”
BBC
News: Terrorism Laws To Get Tougher Within Weeks, Government
Vows
“Terror offenders will face more time in jail and be monitored more
closely as part of new laws being introduced within weeks, the
government has said. Automatic early release from prison will be
scrapped for terror offenders while a minimum jail term of 14 years
for serious crimes will be introduced. The Home Office said a bill
would be brought before Parliament by mid-March. Home Secretary Priti
Patel said the government had faced “hard truths” since an attack in
London in November. Convicted terror offender Usman Khan had been on
licence from prison when he stabbed Saskia Jones and Jack Merritt to
death at Fishmongers' Hall near London Bridge on 29 November last
year. Khan had been released from jail on licence in 2018, half-way
through a 16-year sentence for terrorism offences.Following the
November attack, the government launched an urgent review into the
licence conditions of 74 terror offenders who had been released early
from prison. On Tuesday it said it would also launch a review, led by
Jonathan Hall QC, into the way agencies such as police and the
probation service investigate, monitor and manage terror
offenders.”
Foreign
Policy: The Far-Right Is Going Global
“In October 2019, 23 members of the European Parliament (MEPs)
visited Kashmir, just two months after the Indian government removed
the region’s special autonomous status. The trip sparked controversy
when it was revealed that most of the MEPs belonged to far-right
political parties, including France’s National Rally (formerly
National Front) and Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). It
wasn’t just the affiliations of these visitors that drew attention:
The MEPs had been granted access to Kashmir even as foreign
journalists and domestic politicians were barred access to the region,
and the Indian-administered government had imposed an internet
shutdown since August. This visit was the latest example of the
growing ties between the far-right in India and Europe, a connection
that is rooted primarily in a shared hostility toward immigrants and
Muslims, and couched in similar overarching nationalistic visions.
Today, with the populist radical right ascendant in India and in
several European democracies, the far-right agenda has been
increasingly normalized and made a part of mainstream political
discourse. The link between far-right ideologies in these regions long
predates the relatively recent rise of right-wing populist
leaders.”
United States
Voice
Of America: 3 More Linked To Neo-Nazi Group Arrested In
Georgia
“Three men linked to a violent white supremacist group known as The
Base were charged with conspiring to kill members of a militant
anti-fascist group, police in Georgia announced Friday, a day after
three other members were arrested on federal charges in Maryland and
Delaware. A senior FBI national security official said police and
federal agents intentionally moved to arrest the men ahead of Monday's
rally because they believed some of them intended to commit violence
there. It was unknown if the men arrested in Georgia planned to attend
the rally in Richmond. The Base, a collective of hardcore neo-Nazis
that operate as a paramilitary organization, has proclaimed war
against minority communities within the United States and abroad, the
FBI has said. Unlike other extremist groups, it's not focused on
promulgating propaganda - instead the group aims to bring together
highly skilled members to train them for acts of violence. There's an
intensified focus on The Base after the three members were arrested
Thursday in Maryland and Delaware on federal felony charges. A
criminal complaint included details of how some of the men built an
assault rifle using parts, purchased thousands of rounds of ammunition
and traded vests that could carry body armor.”
Syria
Asharq
Al-Awsat: Russian Raids Kill 7 Civilians In Northwest
Syria
“At least seven civilians, including five children, were killed
Monday in air strikes on northwest Syria by regime ally Russia despite
a truce declared by Moscow, a war monitor said. The raids hit several
villages held by extremists and opposition factions in the western
countryside of Aleppo province, said the Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights. Three girls were killed in the village of Kfar Taal while four
civilians, including two other children, died in separate strikes that
hit other villages in the area, said the Britain-based monitor. Idlib
and parts of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia provinces, are dominated by the
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a group dominated by Syria's former Al-Qaeda
affiliate. The northwestern region has come under mounting bombardment
in recent weeks that displaced tens of thousands of people. A
ceasefire arranged by Russia and opposition factions backer Turkey
this month was supposed to protect the area from further attacks. But
the Damascus regime last week pressed a deadly offensive, reaching
within seven kilometers of a key town in southern Idlib it seeks to
capture from extremists.”
Kurdistan
24: SDF Forces Kill ISIS Oil Official In Deir
Al-Zor
“The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced on Sunday
that they killed a senior Iraqi Islamic State official in Deir al-Zor
responsible for sleeper cell attacks against the SDF. The SDF said the
military operation took place on Jan. 14 against an Iraqi national
called Abu al-Ward, “who was in charge of oil and funding ISIS sleeper
cells and supervising ISIS attacks in the area.” Clashes erupted
between Islamic State fighters and the Kurdish-led forces during the
operation, which resulted in Ward’s death, the SDF said. “Our units
were also able, during the operation, to seize a quantity of
ammunition and documents.” Col. Myles B. Caggins III, the Coalition’s
military spokesperson, said the operation disrupts and degrades the
so-called Islamic State’s ability to generate revenue to finance its
terrorist activity in the Middle Euphrates River Valley in Deir
al-Zor. “ISIS would love to get their terrorists’ hands on the oil in
eastern Syria, it’s a historical revenue source for them; with our
Syrian commando partners, we will not allow this to happen again,” he
told Kurdistan 24. “Our Syrian commando partners continue to prove
their mettle in the fight against ISIS remnants.”
Iran
The
Washington Times: Iran Expands Support For Taliban, Targets U.S.
Troops In Afghanistan
“Escalating U.S.-Iran tensions mean Afghanistan, which shares a
border with Iran, could be the next proxy battleground between
Washington and Tehran, a clash that threatens to undermine the Trump
administration’s pursuit of a peace deal with the Taliban and eventual
drawdown of American troops. Administration officials have recently
warned of the potential for expanding Iranian activity in Afghanistan,
and sources say Tehran’s support for the Taliban is well known in
intelligence circles, where analysts are examining the extent to which
the insurgent group already outsources some of its attack planning
operations to Iran. Communications intercepted between Taliban
operatives based in Mashhad, Iran, and their counterparts working in
Quetta, Pakistan, have exposed at least some level of such operational
connectivity, one source told The Washington Times. While Iran and the
U.S. had parallel interests in Afghanistan in the post-9/11 era —
opposing the Taliban and backing anti-Taliban governments in Kabul —
regional experts say the situation has changed in more recent years.
Many warn that Tehran’s response to the recent U.S. drone strike that
killed Iranian Maj.”
Iraq
The
Jerusalem Post: ISIS 'Mufti' Weighing Over 300 Lbs Captured By Iraqi
SWAT
“A massively obese ISIS “mufti” was pulled from his hiding place by
elite Iraqi SWAT team members in a raid on Thursday. He is considered
to be one of the “biggest” captures in recent months. Photos show that
the tremendously large man – one report saying he weighed 560lbs – was
too large to fit into a police car and had to be put in the back of a
police vehicle, wedged between a mounted machine gun and the back of
the lorry. He was carted off to prison. Shifa al-Nima was nabbed by
the SWAT regiment of the Nineveh police command in northern Iraq's
Mosul district, according to Iraq’s security media cell. The country
has continued to fight ISIS even amid months of protests and recent
US-Iran tensions there. The US-led coalition suspended anti-ISIS
operations earlier this month but has recently tried to restart them.
According Iraqi police, this “mufti” was a well-known preacher who
spread extremism in mosques against security forces and incited on
behalf of ISIS. “He is considered one of the foremost leaders of ISIS
and was responsible for issuing fatwas that led to the murder of
scholars and clerics,” the police said. Nima also issued the fatwa to
bomb the tomb of the Prophet Yunus in Mosul, an ancient cultural
site.”
New
York Post: ‘Jabba The Jihadi’ Played Major Role In Enslaving Yazidi
Women
“The morbidly obese ISIS militant who was captured by Iraqi forces
last week is one of the main architects of the enslavement and sexual
exploitation of Yazidi minority women, according to a French military
journal. The 560-pound Abu Abdul Bari — nicknamed “Jabba the Jihadi”
by Iraqi forces after Jabba the Hutt, the slug-like gang leader in
“Star Wars” — was known as the Mufti of Mosul, one of the main leaders
of ISIS, known for his incendiary religious decrees or fatwas, Iraqi
security officials said. Bari, also known as Shifa al-Nima, provided
the religious justification for the enslavement of hundreds of Yazidi
girls and women after ISIS forced thousands of the religious minority
group to flee their home in August 2014. “Above all, this ‘mufti’ gave
religious justifications for slavery and for the torture and ethnic
cleansing of certain ethnic minorities in Iraq, including the Yazidi,”
said a report in Zone Militaire. Months after the 2014 attack on the
Yazidis, “Dabiq,” a digital magazine published by ISIS on the dark
web, ran an article saying that female members of the Yazidi, an
ethnically Kurdish minority, could be enslaved and treated as spoils
of war.”
The
Guardian: Isis Founding Member Confirmed By Spies As
Group's New Leader
“The new leader of Islamic State has been confirmed as Amir
Mohammed Abdul Rahman al-Mawli al-Salbi, according to officials from
two intelligence services. He is one of the terror group’s founding
members and has led the enslavement of Iraq’s Yazidi minority and has
overseen operations around the globe. The Guardian has learned that
Salbi was named leader hours after the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
in October. The name that the group gave for Baghdadi’s replacement at
the time, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi, was a nom de guerre not
recognised by other senior leaders or intelligence agencies. In the
three months since the raid that killed Baghdadi, a fuller picture of
Salbi has been pieced together by regional and western spies, placing
him at the centre of Isis decision-making – and that of its
forerunners – and portraying him as a hardened veteran in the same
vein as Baghdadi, unflinching in his loyalty to the extremist group.
Salbi is considered to be one of the most influential ideologues among
the now depleted ranks of Isis. Born into an Iraqi Turkmen family in
the town of Tal Afar, he is one of the few non-Arabs among the
leadership. He is also known by the nom de guerre Haji Abdullah, and
in some circles as Abdullah Qardash – although Iraqi officials suggest
the latter was a separate Isis figure who died two years ago.”
Fox
News: US Will Stay In Iraq To Fight ISIS – Trump’s Order To Kill
Soleimani Benefits Both Countries
“America’s military involvement in Iraq and our fight against the
ISIS terrorist group there is not over – despite initial concerns
about U.S. troops being expelled from the country after President
Trump ordered a drone strike that killed Iranian terrorist Gen. Qassem
Soleimani in Iraq Jan. 3. Soleimani’s fellow terrorist leader – Kataib
Hezbollah militia head Abu Mahdi al Muhandis – was also killed in the
U.S. strike, along with eight other terrorists. Iraqi critics of the
killings denounced the U.S. strikes as a violation of their nation’s
sovereignty. And in the heat of the moment, Iraqi nationalist Muqtada
al Sadr – who holds the most seats in Iraq’s Parliament – demanded
that the remaining 5,000 U.S. troops in the country withdraw. The
second-largest faction in the Parliament – Hadi al Amiri’s Iranian
proxy Badr Corps – joined with Sadr’s faction to pass a nonbinding
resolution expelling U.S. troops. But significantly, lawmakers from
Kurdish and Sunni parties abstained from the vote against the U.S.
presence in Iraq. While the U.S. media have shifted their focus to the
impeachment trial of President Trump, you may have missed the fact
that cooler heads now seem to be prevailing in Iraq. That’s very good
news.”
Kurdistan
24: Iraqi Forces Make More Arrests In Anti-ISIS Crackdown As Attack
Kills Soldier
“The Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service announced on Sunday that it
had arrested of a senior member of the Islamic State in the western
city of Fallujah after a terrorist attack by the group killed a
soldier and wounded two others at an Iraqi army post in a town south
of Kirkuk. The Counter-Terrorism Service posted on its Twitter account
that its forces were able to “arrest the security official of the
Fallujah region, in continuation of the pursuit of terrorist
networks.” The service did not indicate the identity of the detainee,
nor did it publish his photo, an often questionable practice that
Iraqi security forces. In a similar operation in Anbar province, where
Fallujah is located, the anti-terror agency announced that it had
arrested a “wanted terrorist” and had found two weapons and ammunition
caches in the Khalidiya area, found by relying on confessions of
previous detainees to locate him. Over the past few days, Iraqi
security forces have launched a number of security campaigns to track
down Islamic State sleeper cells in areas that were previously under
their control. On Thursday in Mosul, Iraqi police arrested what was
they said was a chief figure in the extremist organization, its
so-called Mufti in Mosul.”
Afghanistan
Al
Jazeera: Afghan Government Demands Complete Ceasefire With
Taliban
“The Afghanistan government has demanded a complete ceasefire as a
way forward for peace talks in response to a reported 10-day truce
offer by the Taliban. On Friday, Reuters News Agency reported that the
Taliban will implement the short ceasefire with United States troops,
a reduction in violence with Afghan forces, and hold discussions with
Afghan government officials if it reaches a deal with US negotiators
in peace talks in Doha, according to two sources close to the matter.
But on Saturday, Presidential spokesman Sediq Sediqqi told a news
conference in Kabul that the Afghan people and the government reject
the proposed “reduction in violence” by the Taliban as an “ambiguous
term with no legal or military parameters”. “Any suggestion the
Taliban have shared with the US must include ceasefire as it is the
demand of our people,” Sediqqi said as reported by local media outlet
TOLO news. Sediqqi said the peace process “would not achieve any
results without the role of the Afghan government”. “Peace is ours, we
should remain involved,” he added. Taliban and US negotiation teams
met on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss the signing of a peace deal,
according to a spokesman for the Taliban's office in the Qatari
capital.”
Yahoo
News: Taliban Aim To Sign Deal With US By End Of Month:
Report
“The Taliban are aiming to reach a withdrawal agreement with the US
by the end of January and are prepared to “scale down” military
operations ahead of signing the deal, according to their chief
spokesman. The statement by Suhail Shaheen to Pakistani daily Dawn
comes as the group and the US held discussions in Doha this week,
after insurgent sources told AFP they had offered to initiate a brief
ceasefire. “We have agreed to scale down military operations in days
leading up to the signing of the peace agreement with the United
States,” Shaheen told Dawn in a report published Saturday. He added
that the Taliban were “optimistic” a deal with Washington could be
signed before the end of the month and that the reduction in fighting
across the country would also include the targeting of Afghan forces.
“It's now a matter of days,” said the spokesman. Washington has for
weeks been calling on the militants to reduce violence, posing it as a
condition for resuming formal negotiations on an agreement that would
see US troops begin to leave the country in return for security
guarantees, after a near two-decade fight.”
Radio
Free Europe: Afghan Officials: Taliban Kills Six Members Of Same
Family
“The Taliban has killed six members of the same family, including
an infant girl, in a remote village in the country's north, Afghan
officials say. The Taliban denied involvement, saying the attack on
January 18 was triggered by a personal dispute. However, local Afghan
officials said January 19 the family was sentenced to death by the
Taliban for immoral acts before being shot dead, said Jawed Bedar, a
spokesman for Faryab Province's governor. The infant girl's mother and
twin sister survived, but both of the child's legs had to be
amputated, Bedar said. Afghan security forces deployed to the village
early January 19 and helped evacuate the two survivors to the
hospital. Bedar said the Taliban attacked the government troops when
they arrived. Three Taliban members were killed in the ensuing gun
battle. The Taliban now controls or holds sway over approximately half
of Afghanistan.”
Arab
News: Taliban Kill 6 Members Of Same Afghan Family
“Afghan officials said Sunday that the Taliban executed six members
of the same family, including an infant girl, in a remote village in
the country’s north. The Taliban denied any involvement, saying the
attack Saturday was triggered by a personal dispute. However, local
Afghan officials said the family was accused by the Taliban of working
in prostitution. The insurgents sentenced them to death for immoral
acts, then stormed the house and opened fire, according to Jawed
Bedar, a spokesman for Faryab province’s governor. The infant girl’s
mother and twin sister survived, but both of the child’s legs had to
be amputated, the spokesman said. He said Afghan security forces
deployed to the village early Sunday and helped evacuate the two
survivors to the hospital.He said the Taliban attacked the government
troops when they arrived. The ensuing gunbattle killed three Taliban
members, who Bedar said were involved in the family’s killing. The
Taliban control the village in Andkhoy district where the killings
took place, making it difficult to accurately determine what happened,
he added. The Taliban now control or hold sway over roughly half of
Afghanistan. Locals in the area also disputed the accounts of
prostitution.”
Pakistan
Voice
Of America: Pakistan: US 'Applauded' Steps Against Terror
Financing
“Pakistan hosted high-level talks with the United States on Monday
to review steps Islamabad has taken to choke funding sources to
terrorist groups. The two sides, officials say, also discussed ways to
increase bilateral trade. U.S. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary
Alice Wells led her delegation in meetings with senior Pakistani
officials at the ministries of interior and commerce to formally begin
her four-day visit amid warming relations. Meanwhile, the Pakistani
Foreign Ministry has announced that Prime Minister Imran Khan will
hold a bilateral meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on the
sidelines of the three-day World Economic Forum in Davos starting
Tuesday. This would be the third interaction between the two leaders
since their White House meeting in July 2019. Wells' discussions in
Islamabad come ahead of next month's meeting of the Paris-based
Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which monitors global money
laundering and terror financing, where Pakistan's efforts will be
assessed. The FATF meeting, hosted by China, will decide whether
Islamabad remains on a so-called “gray list” of countries lacking
adequate mechanisms to counter terrorism
funding.”
Yemen
CNN:
80 Soldiers Killed By Iran-Backed Houthi Rebels In
Yemen
“At least 80 Yemeni soldiers attending prayers at a mosque were
killed and 130 others injured in ballistic missile and drone attacks
by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen reported
Sunday. “I have said before that the hard-earned progress that Yemen
has made on de-escalation is very fragile. Such actions can derail
this progress,” Martin Griffiths warned, urging all parties to “stop
the escalation” and focus energies into policy instead. The attack
happened in the province of Marib on Saturday at a mosque at a
military camp, in what Yemen's President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi
condemned as a “heinous” and “cowardly terrorist operation committed
by the Houthis.” Yemen has been embroiled in a yearslong civil war
that has pitted a coalition backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
Emirates against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Yemen's Ministry of
Defense said the attack was “to avenge the killing of the Iranian
terrorist Qasem Soleimani,” who died in a US drone strike in Iraq on
January 3. The ministry offered no evidence to show how it might know
the rebels' motive. The attack does come, however, as several nations
in the Middle East ready themselves for retaliatory attacks by
Iranian-backed militias.”
Lebanon
Washington
Examiner: Hezbollah's Threat To Israel Rises Amid Lebanon
Chaos
“Lebanon's political crisis escalated this weekend, with hundreds
of civilians wounded in running street battles against security
forces. The chaos will increase the Lebanese Hezbollah's temptation to
lash out at Israel to unify the nation against a common enemy. At the
source of tensions here is a months-long political and economic
crisis. Infuriated by decades of corruption and mismanagement, and an
Iranian-engineered political system that prioritizes sectarian
cronyism over efficient public services, the Lebanese people are
demanding wholesale reform. But the political class won't give it to
them. Prime Minister Saad Hariri's pro-Western Future Movement is
sympathetic to reform, but Hariri is a weak and uncertain leader. He
lacks the tenacity to challenge Hezbollah. And that's the key here.
Built around a mixture of patronage and thuggery, Hezbollah and its
Amal ally have reinforced the rot at the heart of Beirut politics.
With the support of its March 8 alliance partner, President Michel
Aoun and his Free Patriotic Movement party, Hezbollah has been able to
veto or water down any reform plans. Instead, Hezbollah has thrown its
support behind new Prime Minister-designate Hassan Diab.”
Al
Jazeera: Honduras Declares Hezbollah A 'Terrorist
Organisation'
“The Honduran government has formally declared Hezbollah a
terrorist organisation, a top security official said on Monday. “We
declare Hezbollah a terrorist organisation and will include it in the
registry of persons and institutions linked to acts of terrorism and
its financing,” said Luis Suazo, Honduras' deputy security minister.
Hezbollah has also been designated a terrorist organisation by the
United States government. Last week, Guatemala's new president,
Alejandro Giammattei, also signalled he would label Hezbollah a
terrorist group, in addition to keeping the Guatemalan embassy in
Israel in the city of Jerusalem. Both moves were seen as aligning
Guatemala's foreign policy more closely with that of US President
Donald Trump. Israel's foreign minister, Israel Katz, called the
Honduran government's move “an important step in the global war on
terror” and said it built on similar actions taken in recent months by
the United Kingdom, Argentina and others “I applaud the Honduran
government for its important decision to declare Hezbollah a terrorist
organisation and to impose sanctions against it,” Katz said. The UK's
Treasury, or finance ministry, said on January 17 it had expanded an
asset freeze to include the whole of Hezbollah, in addition to its
military wing.”
Libya
South
China Morning Post: Europe Will Face Islamic State
Threat If Libya Regime Falls, Erdogan Warns
“The UN's special envoy for Libya has called for foreign fighters
to be withdrawn from the war-torn country, one day before a peace
conference in Berlin aimed at solving the conflict. “We have presented
a security plan that foresees the withdrawal of all foreign fighters,
regardless of nationality,” said Ghassan Salame in an interview with
Al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper published on Saturday. Salame said that
ending the illegal smuggling of arms into Libya will also be on the
agenda on Sunday. According to an internal UN document, the conference
is to work towards a permanent ceasefire and the implementation of an
existing weapons embargo. The Berlin summit was organised in
coordination with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who is
leading consultations to find a peaceful solution to the Libya
conflict together with Salame. Representatives from more than 10
countries, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, US
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Russian President Vladimir Putin,
are expected in the German capital for the peace talks hosted by
German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Libya's internationally recognised
Prime Minister, Fayez al-Serraj of the GNA, and rebel leader Khalifa
Hifter of the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) have been invited
to attend, a German government statement said. It's unclear whether
they will attend.”
Nigeria
Reuters:
U.N. Says Militants Targeted Aid Worker Hub In Northern
Nigeria
“Islamist militants attacked a facility housing several aid groups
in northeast Nigeria at the weekend in what the United Nations warned
on Monday is an escalation in violence specifically targeting aid
workers. It was not immediately clear which militant group was
responsible for Saturday’s attack in Ngala, near the border with
Cameroon. A more than decade-long insurgency by Islamist groups in
northeastern Nigeria has killed 36,000 people and left more than 7
million in need of humanitarian assistance. Three witnesses told
Reuters that at least 20 displaced people awaiting assistance were
killed in the attack on the facility where aid workers live and
provide assistance to displaced people. A statement by the United
Nations on Monday said that its five staff members who were there at
the time were not harmed. “I am shocked by the violence and intensity
of this attack, which is the latest of too many incidents directly
targeting humanitarian actors and the assistance we provide,” U.N.
Humanitarian Coordinator Edward Kallon said. The insurgents struck on
Saturday evening, firing on people from their convoy of vehicles
carrying explosives and pick-up trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns
as it entered the town, according to witnesses.”
All
Africa: Nigeria: 17 Soldiers Killed, Several Abducted In Battle With
Boko Haram
“Not less than 17 soldiers were killed in confrontations between
the military and Boko Haram insurgents along Bama-Gwoza road weekend.
Many soldiers were also said to have been abducted by the insurgents
in the confrontations, even as the number of casualties, though also
large from the Boko Haram side, could not be ascertained as at the
time of filing this report. The insurgents were said to have attacked
Firgi, 20 kilometres north of Pulka along the road from Gwoza to Bama
on Friday night. They were said to have killed 13 soldiers in the
crossfire that took over two hours. The insurgents, whose number of
casualties could not be ascertained, were said to have gotten some
military retreating. They were equally said to have carted away some
arms, ammunition and vehicles belonging to Nigerian Army. An
impeccable source told our reporter that during the crossfire around
10pm of 17 January, 2020 on Firgi, 20km north of Pulka along the road
to Bama, “13 government forces members were killed with four of their
vehicles taken away.” The insurgents were back on the same axis the
second day, Saturday to continue from where they left. They were said
to have attacked a military company at Banki junction on Bama-Gwoza
road at 10 pm.”
Premium
Times: UN Confirms Boko Haram Attack On Key Humanitarian Facility In
Borno
“The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward
Kallon, on Monday condemned an attack by Boko Haram on one of its
buildings in Ngala, a border town in Borno State. On Saturday, Boko
Haram attacked Ngala, the headquarters of the Gamboru-Ngala local
government, hitting a building housing UN humanitarian workers. Due to
a lack of communication facilities in Ngala, journalists could not
immediately confirm the attack when the rumour filtered to town. A
statement issued by the United Nations Office for Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said Mr Kallon was outraged and
“strongly condemns the attack”. The statement said the building was
the UN’s “main humanitarian accommodation in Ngala. “I am outraged by
the extremely violent attack on this key humanitarian facility where
five United Nations staff were staying at the time of the incident,”
the UN Humanitarian Coordinator said. The statement explained that the
attack, which occurred on the evening of Saturday, was “a direct
target of a complex assault by heavily armed non-state armed groups
operatives. “An entire section of the facility was burned down as well
as one of the few vehicles UN agencies rely on for movement and aid
delivery.”
Somalia
Reuters:
Car Bomb Attack Wounds Turkish Contractors, Police Near Somali
Capital
“Somali insurgents linked to al Qaeda claimed responsibility for a
car bombing on Saturday that wounded at least 15 people in Afgoye,
northwest of the capital Mogadishu. Police said the injured included
Turkish contractors as well as Somali nationals. Turkey’s state-owned
Anadolu news agency said at least four Turkish employees of a
construction firm were wounded and are being treated in hospital,
citing information from the Turkish embassy in Mogadishu. “A speeding
suicide car bomb rammed into a place where the Turkish engineers and
Somali police were having lunch,” police officer Nur Ali told Reuters
from Afgoye. “So far, we know three Turkish engineers and their
translator were injured,” he said. “Two other policemen were injured
in the blast.” Al Shabaab, which frequently carries out bombings to
try to undermine Somalia’s central government, which is backed by the
United Nations and African Union peacekeeping troops, said it carried
out the attack. “We are behind the martyrdom of the suicide car bomb
in Afgoye,” Abdiasis Abu Musab, a spokesman for the group, said. “We
targeted the Turkish men and the Somali forces with them. There are
casualties of death and injuries.” The group and government often
differ in casualty figures.”
Long
War Journal: Al-Qaeda’s Senior Leadership Praises Jihadists In Mali
And Somalia
“Al-Qaeda’s senior management, or general command, has released a
two-page statement praising the jihadists in Mali and Somalia.
Al-Qaeda has strong branches in both East and West Africa, and the
international organization’s leaders signal their approval for the
jihadists’ ongoing wars in the new missive. “Salutations for the
Defenders of Islam in Mali” was released online on Jan. 18, with
al-Qaeda’s propagandists making both Arabic and English versions
available on various websites and social media channels. Much of the
statement is focused on the battles in Mali, though it ends with
praise for the jihadists’ efforts in Somalia as well. Though
al-Qaeda’s senior men don’t name the parties they have in mind, they
are clearly lauding Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM, or the
“Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims”) and Shabaab, among other
al-Qaeda groups. Both JNIM and Shabaab remain openly loyal to Ayman
al-Zawahiri and have claimed attacks as part of al-Qaeda’s “Al-Quds
(Jerusalem) Will Never Be Judaized” campaign. The statement reflects
al-Qaeda’s ongoing role in guiding the insurgencies. “We consider it
our duty to encourage them, guide them to the correct course, offer
them sound advice and praise their valuable efforts,” the statement
reads.”
Africa
The
New York Times: Suicide Bombing In Western Chad Kills At Least
9
“A suicide bombing has killed at least nine people in western Chad,
a local official and a resident said Monday. A woman set off
explosives in a crowd in Kaiga-Kindjiria, a town that has been
attacked by Boko Haram insurgents in the past, according to Dimoya
Souapelbe, the prefect of the local department of Fouli in the Lake
Chad province. He put the toll from Sunday night’s attack at 10 dead
and several wounded. A local humanitarian worker said at least 9
people were dead and two injured. The worker spoke on condition of
anonymity because he was not permitted to speak to the press. Chad has
suffered attacks for years by Nigeria’s Boko Haram fighters, who have
crossed borders and killed tens of thousands during its 10-year
insurgency. Boko Haram extremists killed at least five people in
August in Kaiga-Kindjiria. Many fighters are in the Lake Chad region,
launching attacks in Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger.”
News
24: Kenya Arrests Five For Suspected Terrorism
“Kenyan authorities have arrested five people suspected of
preparing a terror attack in Nairobi, according to a police report
seen by AFP on Sunday. The group comprises three men - a US citizen, a
Somali and their Kenyan driver - and two Somali women who were
believed to be on a reconnaissance mission for an attack in the north
of the capital, the report dated Saturday said. Police received
information on Friday saying that “suspected terrorists” were carrying
out a surveillance operation at a pub on Kiambu Road, a spot popular
for its many bars and nightclubs. Kenyan security forces have been on
high alert since the Somali al-Shabaab group, close to al-Qaeda,
stepped up attacks in the east of the country this month, threatening
to target more Kenyan and US interests. On January 5, the Somali
al-Shabaab group attacked Camp Simba, killing three Americans and
destroying several aircraft and warning Kenya to withdraw its forces
from Somalia while they still “have the chance.”
United Kingdom
The
Arab Weekly: UK Adds Entire Hezbollah Movement To Terror
Blacklist
“Britain’s Finance Ministry added Lebanon’s entire Hezbollah
movement to its list of terrorist groups subject to asset freezing.
The ministry previously only targeted the Shia organisation’s military
wing but, as of January 17, included the entire group on its terror
list. The designation requires any individual or institution in
Britain with accounts or financial services connected to Hezbollah to
suspend them or face prosecution. “Hezbollah itself has publicly
denied a distinction between its military and political wings,” the
Treasury said in a notice posted on its website. “The group in its
entirety is assessed to be concerned in terrorism and was proscribed
as a terrorist organisation in the UK in March 2019,” it added. “This
listing includes the military wing, the jihad council and all units
reporting to it, including the external security organisation.”
Britain’s move comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East after
the United States killed Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani in an
air strike January 3. Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah
threatened Iran’s enemies with retaliation. Britain proscribes 75
international terrorist organisations under terrorism legislation
passed in 2000.”
France
RFI:
Trial Of Suspected Jihadist Recruiter Opens In Paris
“The trial opened in Paris on Monday of Mourad Farès, who is
accused of running a group of jihadists as well as recruiting people
to fight in Syria and financing terrorism. It’s thought the
35-year-old from Thonon-les-bains in eastern France was involved in
several recruitment networks and he is linked to the departure for
Syria of ten young people from Strasbourg in 2013. Mourad Farès, is
suspected of organizing meetings in Paris, Strasbourg and Lyon, and
using social networks to actively encourage people to head for Syria.
In July 2013, after receiving several bank transfers, he himself set
off for Syria with 3 others. Once in Syria, he joined Islamic State in
Iraq and the Levant, the group which later changed its name to Islamic
State. He was allegedly given training in the use of arms but claims
he never engaged in combat and was instead involved in surveillance.
Farès left Syria of his own accord and was arrested in Turkey in
August 2014. He was handed over to France in September 2014 and has
been in prison since. France has been Europe's biggest exporter of
jihadists to Syria and Iraq... some 2,000 went between 2012 and
2018.”
The
Japan Times: French Police Arrest Seven For Islamist Extremist-Linked
Terror Plot
“Security forces on Monday arrested seven men believed to be
planning a terror attack in France and preparing to travel to conflict
zones in Iraq and Syria, according to sources close to the case. They
were detained by France’s DGSI domestic intelligence agency in the
western coastal city of Brest and the surrounding Finistere region.
Some of the men were on the country’s “Fiche S” list of potential
security risks because of their links with Islamic extremists, one of
the sources said. Investigations will continue to determine how far
the suspects had advanced in their plans for the attack and flight to
the Middle East. France has been on high alert since a wave of jihadi
attacks that began in 2015 that have killed more than 250 people.
Dozens of French citizens left to join the Islamic State group in
Syria and Iraq before U.S.-led coalition forces dislodged the
insurgents from their “caliphate” last year. IS leaders also urged
followers in France to stage attacks on their own, often targeting
security forces, and officials have said the threat of further
IS-inspired attacks remains high. French officials say they have
foiled several terror plots in recent months."
Europe
The
New York Times: ISIS Wife’s Return To Norway Divides
Government
“Before the woman left for Syria in 2013, she had grown up on the
eastern side of Oslo in a Norwegian-Pakistani family, playing soccer
and attending university, according to a recent profile. In Syria, she
ended up living in Islamic State territory, marrying twice in the
Caliphate and having two children, officials say. When she and her
children were plucked from a Kurdish-controlled detention camp in
Syria and arrived back on Norwegian soil on Saturday, she was taken
into custody for fear that she was a security risk. The family was
being kept under surveillance and medical observation in an Oslo
hospital, and Norwegian news outlets reported on Monday that the woman
would remain in custody for at least four more weeks. The Norwegian
government suggested that the decision to bring back the unidentified
woman, now 29, had been a humanitarian one: One of her two children —
a boy, 5, and a girl, 3 — was believed to be seriously ill. But the
move has prompted a national debate over what the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs said was “a difficult consular case,” and had threatened to
bring down the government.”
The
New York Times: Kosovo Woman Repatriated From Syria Accused Of
Terror
“Kosovo prosecutors on Monday filed terrorism charges against an
Albanian woman who allegedly joined a terror group in Syria. A
statement said the defendant woman identified as V.B. left Kosovo in
September 2014 together with her husband and two children. They went
to neighboring Skopje, North Macedonia, and then to Turkey where they
crossed the Syrian border to join the Islamic State group, authorities
said. Her husband, identified as E.H., was killed in April 2015 in
Syria. The defendant was there until April 2019 when they were part of
a group of 110 Kosovo citizens repatriated from Syria. She is charged
with organization and participation in a terror group. If convicted,
she faces up to 10 years in prison. About 30 ethnic Albanians from
Kosovo are still believed to be with terror groups in Syria and
Iraq.”
Southeast Asia
Reuters:
Philippine Military Says 5 Indonesians Kidnapped By Abu Sayyaf
Militants
“The Philippine military on Sunday said it has launched search and
rescue operations for five Indonesian fishermen kidnapped by militants
belonging to the Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf group in Malaysian
waters last week. Eight Indonesians were abducted in Sabah on
Thursday. Three were released, while the remaining five were probably
brought by their captors to the southern Philippine province of Sulu,
said Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana, chief of the military’s
Western Mindanao Command. Sulu is Abu Sayyaf’s stronghold. Sobejana
disclosed the abduction a day after soldiers clashed with Abu Sayyaf
members in Sulare island in Parang town, in Sulu, killing one militant
and destroying a speed boat believed to have been used in the
kidnapping. Sobejana said Malaysian authorities had immediately
coordinated with the Philippine military after the abduction.
Indonesia’s foreign ministry said it also has coordinated with the
Philippine government and was still waiting for official information
about the incident. The speed boat was positively identified by the
three Indonesian fishermen who have been freed as the one used in the
abduction staged by six militants, Sobejana said. “The likelihood they
are in Sulare island or Parang, Sulu is very high,” he said.”
France
24: Bangladesh Sentences 10 Islamists To Death For 2001
Bombing
“A Bangladeshi court sentenced 10 Islamic militants to death Monday
for the bombing at communist party rally two decades ago that killed
five people. In January 2001 several bombs were detonated in Dhaka at
a meeting of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, and police blamed the
country's branch of the banned Harkat-ul-Jihad al Islami (HUJI) after
an investigation lasting several years. The attack was one of several
carried out by militant groups whose members were returning to
Bangladesh from the Afghanistan conflict in the early 2000s. On
Monday, Dhaka city public prosecutor Abdullah Abu told AFP that 10
HUJI members had been convicted and sentenced to death. “They carried
out the bombing as part of their jihad to establish a militant
government. They wanted to smear the image of the secular government
and create anarchy,” he said. Two communist party members accused of
involvement were acquitted. Islamist groups have been targeting
secular activists, moderate Muslims and religious minorities in
Bangladesh since the 1990s. HUJI and Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh
(JMB) were the two most prominent outfits. Both were led by Afghan
conflict veterans and were blamed for scores of deaths in bomb and
grenade attacks.”
Eurasia
Review: Islamic State Resilience In Southeast Asia? –
Analysis
“Despite the death of IS’ “caliph” Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in October
2019, events in Southeast Asia have since shown that IS networks,
while weakened through the loss of key leaders and fighters, have
regrouped and continued attempts to launch attacks. Following the
five-month Marawi siege in the Philippines since May 2017 in which
leading Southeast Asian jihadists such as Isnilon Hapilon and Omar
Maute, from the Philippines, and Dr Mahmood Ahmad and Amin Baco, from
Malaysia, were killed, many analysts believed the terrorist threat in
the region has been largely neutralised. Yet in the last two years,
security forces in Southeast Asia continue to foil potential attacks
and arrest networks of mainly IS-linked operatives. In this period,
around 519 individuals in Malaysia and another 500 in Indonesia have
been remanded, while authorities in Singapore, Thailand and the
Philippines have also dismantled networks of suspected IS cells and
supporters. Recent reports of senior Malaysian militants Akel Zainal
and Rafi Udin being killed in counter-terrorist operations in Syria
have meant there are currently no known Southeast Asian fighters
holding leadership positions within IS in Syria and Iraq.”
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