Eye on Extremism
February 22, 2023
AFP News: Nearly 70 Troops Killed In Two Jihadist Attacks In Troubled Burkina
“Suspected jihadists killed at least 15 soldiers in troubled northern Burkina Faso, just three days after an ambush that claimed the lives of 51 troops, security sources said Tuesday. A unit in Tin-Akoff in Oudalan province near the border with Mali ‘came under violent attack’ on Monday evening, a source said, giving a toll of "about 15 dead" with others still missing. The army mounted a counter-attack with air support, ‘neutralising... dozens of terrorists,’ the source added. A second source in the security forces confirmed the assault and put the toll at 19 soldiers dead and ‘dozens of missing.’”
Iraqi News: Iraqi Security Arrests 3 ISIS Leaders
“The Iraqi security announced on Tuesday the arrest of three ISIS leaders in an operation in the northern part of the country. The Iraqi Directorate of General Military Intelligence (DGMI) mentioned in a statement that three terrorists were arrested, according to the provisions of Article 4 of the Terrorism Law, in a security operation in Al-Zab district of Hawija town in the northern Iraqi governorate of Kirkuk. The statement elaborated that each of the three terrorists were responsible for preparing and transporting explosive devices, distributing money to families of ISIS terrorists, and recruiting young men and girls to join the terrorist group. On February 17, one Iraqi officer and three security personnel were killed while storming a hideout in Tarmia district, north of the capital, Baghdad, where ISIS terrorists were hiding.”
United States
Associated Press: Judge Bars Public From Court In NYC Bike Path Terror Trial
“A federal judge barred the general public and media from a courtroom Tuesday where defense lawyers claim emotional testimony from victims has spoiled the death penalty phase of the trial of a man who admits that he killed eight people on a bike path on behalf of a terrorist group. Judge Vernon S. Broderick issued the edict Friday at the trial of Sayfullo Saipov through a court spokesperson, who wrote that courtroom seats would only be available to witnesses or parties considered essential to the trial. The judge announced late Tuesday that a few reporters might be allowed at the trial Wednesday on a ‘bench all the way in the back’ of the courtroom. The public and the media were excluded from the courtroom in part to make room for Saipov’s family members and numerous victims and family members of those who were killed. Victims have attended the trial for weeks, providing tearful testimony about how their lives have changed.”
Iran
Reuters: Iranian-German National Jamshid Sharmahd Sentenced To Death - Mizan
“Iran's judiciary sentenced Iranian-German national Jamshid Sharmahd to death on charges of ‘corruption on earth’, the judiciary's Mizan news agency reported on Tuesday. Sharmahd, who also has U.S. residency, is accused by Iran of heading a pro-monarchist group accused of a deadly 2008 bombing and planning other attacks in the country. ‘His verdict can still be appealed in the supreme court,’ the agency added. Sharmahd's arrest was announced in 2020 through an intelligence ministry statement that described him as ‘the ringleader of the terrorist Tondar group, who directed armed and terrorist acts in Iran from America.’”
Iraq
Prensa Latina: Iraq Launches Offensive On Daesh In 3 Syrian Provinces
“A statement by the government´s security media cell stated the second phase of Operation Swords of Truth was launched, noting that this is part of a major offensive that has been going on for a week. According to the statement, all security forces are participating in the operation, with the support of the Air Force, noting that ‘the results of the operations will be announced later’. The Joint Operations Command said in a statement, that the Deputy Commander of Joint Operations, Lieutenant General Qais Khalaf Rahima, and the Commander of the Ground Forces, Lieutenant General Qassem Muhammad Saleh have inspected the mobile headquarters of each of the Operations Commands to supervise the joint military operations. The Parliamentary Security and Defense Committee, on the other hand, indicated that there is a weakness in the intelligence work in monitoring Daesh fighter movements.”
Afghanistan
Firstpost: WATCH: Massive Blast Hits Kabul Mosque, Sparks Tension In Afghanistan
“Afghanistan’s capital Kabul was shaken by yet another explosion on Tuesday. A blast took place near the Ziyarat Mazjid Abul Fazl Shrine in central Kabul. According to media reports, there has been no information about casualties or possible damages from the explosion yet. The blast took place on the second street of Kart-e- Naw, PD 8, Kabul. Kabul's police spokesperson Khalid Zadran told the media that a bomb blast struck a vehicle in the capital Afghanistan's capital, adding that there were no casualties.”
Pakistan
Associated Press: Gunmen Kill 2 Policemen In Attack In Southwestern Pakistan
“Gunmen attacked a police post in Pakistan’s insurgency-hit southwestern Baluchistan province on Tuesday, triggering a shootout that killed two officers, police said, the latest sign of increasing violence in the country. Barkat Baloch, a government administrator, said a search was underway for the assailants who fled after the attack in Mastung, a district in Baluchistan. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the shooting, but previous such attacks have been blamed on Baluch separatists and Islamic militants who have a strong presence in the province and elsewhere in Pakistan. Baluchistan has witnessed a low-level insurgency by small groups demanding independence from the central government in Islamabad. Although authorities say they have quelled the insurgency, violence persists in the province.”
The Nation: Islamabad Police To Revamp CTD, Set Up Violent Extremism Prevention Unit
“The Islamabad capital police have decided to revamp the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and set up a Violent Extremism Prevention Unit to curb menace of terrorism, a police public relations officer said on Monday. He said that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad Dr. Akbar Nasir Khan has decided to revamp the CTD as per the vision of Prime Minister of Islamic Republic of Pakistan Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and following the directions of Minister for Interior Rana Sana Ullah Khan. SP Kamran Aamir Khan has been appointed as incharge of this department and it would have a new ‘Violent Extremism Prevention Unit’ which will be the first of its kind in Pakistan. It will prepare its action plan by reviewing the political, linguistic and religious extremism content on social media or other websites.”
The Print: Militants Kill 2 Policemen In Pakistan’s Troubled Balochistan Province
“Heavily-armed militants attacked a police checkpost and killed two security personnel in Pakistan’s troubled southwestern Balochistan province, an official said on Tuesday. Assistant Commissioner Mastung Barkat Baloch said militants attacked the checkpost of Levies personnel on Monday night in the Babri area of Mastung district. He said a search was underway for the assailants who fled after the attack on the checkpost, which is located near the Quetta-Taftan highway – a notorious route used by smugglers between Pakistan and Iran. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but previous such attacks have been blamed on Baloch insurgents and Islamic militants.”
Middle East
Reuters: Netanyahu Deputy Urges Israel To Help Defend Ukraine Against Russian 'Terrorism'
“A senior lawmaker from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's party called on Tuesday for the country to stop ‘fence-sitting’ on Ukraine and provide it with military defences against Russia, which he accused of ‘terrorism’. The remarks by Yuli Edelstein, head of the Israeli parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, were welcomed by Kyiv but met no immediate response from Netanyahu. While it has condemned the Russian invasion and provided Ukraine with humanitarian relief and protective gear, Israel has stopped short of widening the assistance to include defence technologies like missile interceptors. It has also been measured in its rhetoric on Russia, mindful of the need to coordinate Israeli air strikes against Iranian targets in Syria with Moscow's garrison in the Arab state.”
AFP: Israel Sentences West Bank Militant To 22 Months In Prison
“An Israeli military court on Tuesday sentenced Bassam al-Saadi, a senior member of Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad in the occupied West Bank, to 22 months in prison, the army said. Leader of Islamic Jihad in the north West Bank city of Jenin, Saadi was arrested on August 1 and charged by Israel with supporting and transferring funds to a ‘terrorist’ organisation. ‘Bassam al-Saadi was sentenced as part of a plea agreement’ and ‘was convicted of activity in an illegal association, incitement and impersonation’, the army said in a statement. Saadi worked ‘alongside additional suspects to advance the Islamic Jihad terrorist organisation's activities,’ it added. ‘The military prosecution accepted Saadi's plea agreement and sentenced him to 22 months in prison, along with a suspended sentence and financial compensation,’ the army said.”
Azer News: Azerbaijani State Security Service Detains ISIS Member
“On 21 February, the State Security Service of Azerbaijan detained the accountant of the terrorist organization ISIS, Azernews reports per service. For a very long time, the ISIS accountant has been hiding out in various countries. The State Security Service did not disseminate official information on this matter. The name of the detainee, his citizenship, and details of the operation were not disclosed. Major operational and investigative efforts are currently being made on the matter.”
Nigeria
Reuters: Ahead Of Nigeria Elections, Gunmen Kill Seven Police Officers In Southeast
“Gunmen have killed seven Nigerian police officers since the weekend in the southeast, a police spokesperson said on Tuesday, in the latest violence to rock the volatile region ahead of elections on Saturday. Widespread insecurity is among the top concerns for Nigerians as they head to the polls to elect new members of parliament and a successor to President Muhammadu Buhari. In the southeast, violence by armed gangs and suspected separatist groups has killed dozens of people this year while electoral commission offices, police stations and government buildings have also been attacked. Ikenga Tochukwu, police spokesperson for Anambra, said three officers were killed after gunmen used improvised explosive devices and opened fire at a police station in Idemili local government area.”
Sahara Reporters: Breaking: Gunmen Blow Off Kogi State Local Government Offices With Explosives
“Some yet-to-be-identified gunmen on Monday evening reportedly blew off the administrative offices of the Okehi local government area of Kogi State. SaharaReporters learnt that the administrative offices are close to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in the local government area. The Nigerian police, Kogi State command, has yet to react to the incident, although it was learnt that detectives had been deployed to the scene. Kogi State in January experienced a much fatal explosion. SaharaReporters had reported that the Islamic State-backed faction of Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), formerly known as Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād, claimed responsibility for a car bomb explosion that killed about four people and injured several others in the Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State in January.”
Somalia
Reuters: Al Shabaab Attack Kills 10 At Officials' House In Somalia - Ministry
“Ten people were killed in an attack in Somalia's capital claimed by the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group, which said it was targeting military officials and militia fighters involved in an offensive against it. The Tuesday attack began with a car bomb blast followed by a gun fight that went on for hours at a house in Mogadishu where several lawmakers were believed to be staying, a witness told Reuters. Somalia's information ministry said late on Tuesday that 10 civilians were killed, but did not say who was targeted. Security forces killed the four militant gunmen involved in the assault, it said. Al Shabaab has stepped up attacks in a show of resurgence since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's government launched an offensive against the group in August. A suicide bomber first detonated a car outside the house and then al Shabaab militants stormed in while firing guns, said witness Farah Aden.”
Mali
Reuters: Three U.N. Peacekeepers From Senegal Killed In Central Mali
“Three peacekeepers from Senegal were killed and five seriously injured after their convoy hit an improvised explosive device in central Mali, the U.N. peacekeeping mission in the country and Senegal's army said on Tuesday. Mali is struggling to stem an Islamist insurgency that took root after a 2012 coup and has since spread from the West African country's arid north. Thousands have died and millions have been displaced across the Sahel region. Some of the groups have links to al Qaeda and Islamic State.”
Africa
Morocco World News: Moroccan Police Arrest Terrorist Suspect Near Ceuta
“Morocco’s counterterrorist authorities and police arrested on Monday a terrorist suspect in the region of Fnideq on the border of Ceuta. At the time of the arrest, the 34-year-old suspect was in possession of various weapons, including machetes and knives of varied sizes, Spanish news outlet Okdiario reported. Morocco’s General Directorate of National Security DGSN noted that they are treating the defendant as ‘an extremist’ due to his connection with jihadists, as well as his implication in a crime ‘glorifying terrorism,’ threatening and being violent towards people, causing damage to property and carrying weapons that could be a threat to the safety of citizens. In addition, the suspected terrorist had written documents that cited extremist ideologies. The suspect, who had also been accused of threatening his own family, was arrested in a derelict building in the neighborhood of Sidi Boughaba in Fnideq.”
United Kingdom
BBC: Neo-Nazi Threats Probed By Anti-Terrorism Police
“Threats sent to an activist and a TV presenter are being investigated by anti-terrorism detectives. The letters claimed to come from the ‘London cell’ of National Action, a neo-Nazi group banned by the home secretary in 2016. India Willoughby, who is transgender, and British-Nigerian activist Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu were both targeted. The latter said a death threat was posted through her front door on Monday, which intended to ‘silence me’.”
Daily Mail: Terror Suspect, 22, Amassed Material About Roadside Ieds, Molotov Cocktails, Nail Bombs And A File Titled 'How To Become An Assassin', Court Hears
“A terror suspect who allegedly amassed a wealth of material about bombs and a file entitled 'How to Become an Assassin', faced court today. Mohammed Adnan Saleem earlier denied eight counts of possessing recorded information likely to be useful to preparing or committing terrorism at the Old Bailey. The 22-year-old allegedly kept documents such as 'The Successful Pressure Cooker Bomb', 'Black Flags from Syria', 'Black Flags from Rome' and 'Black Flags from Persia' in the bedroom of his Luton home. Documents also included information about roadside IEDs, microwave oven bombs, Molotov cocktails, nail bombs, tactics used by ISIS as well as the history of extremist groups, it was said.”
CNN: British Woman Who Joined ISIS As A Teen Loses UK Citizenship Appeal
“Shamima Begum, who left the United Kingdom to join ISIS at the age of 15, has lost her appeal against the decision to revoke her British citizenship. Judge Robert Jay gave the decision on Wednesday following a five-day hearing in November. The ruling does not determine if Begum can return to the UK, but whether the removal of her citizenship was lawful. Begum, now aged 23, flew to Syria in 2015 with two school friends as a teenager join the ISIS terror group. In February 2019, she re-emerged and made international headlines as an ‘ISIS bride’ after pleading with the UK government to return to her home country to give birth to her son.”
Europe
Reuters: Fact Check-Finnish Government Letter Accusing Biafran Separatist Of International Terrorism Is Fabricated
“A letter accusing a Finnish-Nigerian lawyer of ‘an act of international terrorism’ which appears to be signed by Finland’s prime minister is a fake, according to a government spokesperson and the addressee himself. The fabricated letter, dated Feb. 15 and topped with the Finnish government emblem, is addressed to Simon Ekpa (yle.fi/a/74-20018695), a Biafran separatist based in Finland (here), (here), (here). Signed off by ‘Sanna Mirella Marin’, the name of Finland’s prime minister, the note says Ekpa has committed ‘an act of international terrorism’ for encouraging people to boycott the Feb. 25 presidential election in Nigeria (read more about the election (here), (here)). It says Ekpa has 48 hours to reverse course or be arrested and charged. But a Finnish government spokesperson told Reuters via email: ‘The image being circulated does NOT show an authentic letter from Finland’s prime minister.’”
Globe Echo: The Netherlands Tries For The First Time A Woman Repatriated From Syria For “Crimes Against Humanity”
“…In Germany, the Parliament recognizes that the Yazidis suffered a ‘genocide’ in Iraq and Syria ‘It is important that we plan to try ‘returned’ women [rapatriées]not only for belonging to ISIS but for crimes against Yazidis’, comments Sofia Koller, of the American NGO Counter Extremism Project. In Sinjar province in northern Iraq, at least 6,000 women and children have been captured by IS, according to the United Nations. And forcibly converted to Islam. Women were enslaved, young boys enlisted as soldiers. Between 2,000 and 5,500 men were reportedly killed.”
Mehr News Agency: Russia FSB Detains 5 Suspected Of Funding Militants In Syria
“‘As a result of coordinated investigative measures on the territory of Moscow as well as in the Kirov and Penza Regions, five people were detained on suspicion of providing assistance to terrorist formation Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham [formerly Jabhat al-Nusra], which operates in Syria,’ the FSB’s press office said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that the suspects were apprehended in three different regions of Russia. ‘It has been established that the detainees shared the ideology of the international terrorist organization and followed instructions from top organizers within the terrorist organization, regularly channeling money to the accounts of militants located in the terrorist-controlled de-escalation zone of the Syrian Arab Republic in Idlib,’ according to the FSB. During searches of their residences, communication equipment, payment-transfer devices as well as documents proving their illegal activities were confiscated, the statement added.”
Southeast Asia
New Age Bangladesh: Extremist Outfit Leader Arrested In Dhaka: CTTC
“Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police says it has arrested the Nayeb-e-Amir of the extremist group Jama’atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya in Sayedabad area of Dhaka. The arrested was identified as Mohibullah alias Bholar Shayekh. Acting on a tip-off, a team of CTTC unit conducted a drive at Sayedabad bus terminal and arrested Mohibullah along with two mobile phone sets and a laptop on Tuesday evening, CTTC unit chief Md Asaduzzaman said at a press briefing held at DMP media centre on Wednesday. When briefing, Asaduzzaman said Mohibullah used to deliver sermons and inspire members of the extremist group after taking them into the hill districts. His main target was to psychologically prepare the new recruits for jihad after misinterpreting religious scripture, the CTTC chief said.”
Republic World: SIA Raids 5 Places In J&K, Amid NIA's Multi-State Swoopdown Against Gangster-Terror Nexus
“Amid the comprehensive action undertaken by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on February 21 across India targeting the gangster-terror nexus, the State Investigation Agency (SIA) jointly with security forces raided five locations in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). The SIA with the assistance of the local police and the CRPF carried out raids at five locations. The searches are being carried out in the districts of Baramulla, Anantnag, Pulwama, Budgam & Sopore in the ‘Narco Terrorism’ case, ANI reported. On February 21, in order to break the nexus of the terror organisations and the gangster syndicates, the NIA carried out searches at various locations across the country.”
Canada
Yahoo News: Accused Extremist Recruiter Expected To Plead Guilty To Terrorism Charges
“An accused extremist recruiter is returning to the Ontario Superior Court on Thursday and is expected to plead guilty to terrorism offences, eight years after he was first charged. Awso Peshdary's criminal trial had been on hold pending a decision in Federal Court, where his lawyers were arguing that charges should be dropped because Canada's spy agency was authorized to surveil him based on misleading information. The Federal Court has not yet made a ruling, but Peshdary's lawyers have now filed a motion with the criminal court to have the matter dealt with They say their client is now prepared to plead guilty, and the defence is submitting a joint application with the Crown to proceed directly to sentencing. Peshdary was arrested on terrorism-related charges in February 2015, based on allegations that he recruited and financed homegrown terrorists and helped Islamic State militants travel to Syria.”
Technology
POLITICO: Google Tries To ‘Astroturf’ The Supreme Court
“As Google awaits a U.S. Supreme Court decision that could dramatically upend portions of its business model, a group of prominent online content creators and a nonprofit for authors have rushed to its defense. In January, a number of prominent internet influencers and the nonprofit Authors Alliance filed an amicus brief defending the tech giant in Gonzalez v. Google. The case, which is slated for oral arguments on Tuesday, could weaken — or even upend — the company’s treasured liability protections under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. And those same protections, the creators wrote, are vital to them too.”
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