“A Pakistani court on Tuesday granted former Prime Minister Imran Khan a
weeklong bail in two new cases in which he faces terrorism charges, officials
said. The ruling gave the embattled ousted premier and now popular opposition
leader another brief reprieve from arrest. Since his ouster in a no-confidence
vote in Parliament last April, the 70-year-old former cricket player turned
Islamist politician has become embroiled in a series of legal cases against
him, including on terrorism charges and graft while in office. Khan’s standoff
with the government of his successor, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, has turned
increasingly violent in recent days. In the latest terrorism cases, Khan is
accused of inciting people to violence when he traveled to Islamabad last
Saturday to face indictment in a graft case. His followers clashed with police
outside the court and Khan never appeared before the judge.”











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



Eye on Extremism



March 22, 2023



Associated Press: Pakistan Court Grants Imran Khan Bail In Terrorism Cases
<[link removed]>



“A Pakistani court on Tuesday granted former Prime Minister Imran Khan a
weeklong bail in two new cases in which he faces terrorism charges, officials
said. The ruling gave the embattled ousted premier and now popular opposition
leader another brief reprieve from arrest. Since his ouster in a no-confidence
vote in Parliament last April, the 70-year-old former cricket player turned
Islamist politician has become embroiled in a series of legal cases against
him, including on terrorism charges and graft while in office. Khan’s standoff
with the government of his successor, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, has turned
increasingly violent in recent days. In the latest terrorism cases, Khan is
accused of inciting people to violence when he traveled to Islamabad last
Saturday to face indictment in a graft case. His followers clashed with police
outside the court and Khan never appeared before the judge.”



The National News: Iraqi Civilian Deaths Linked To British Attacks Against ISIS

<[link removed]>



“A campaign of air strikes against ISIS in Iraq that killed several civilians
are probably linked to UK forces, despite long-standing claims from the
government that British weapons did not harm a single non-combatant there, a
report has shown. The UK government and military have for years stood by the
assertion that they fought a ‘perfect’ war against ISIS in Iraq that protected
civilians. Allies in the US-led coalition have, however, admitted to killing
hundreds of civilians in Iraq while supporting Iraqi ground troops in the
period after 2014. The Ministry of Defence said British troops had not killed
or harmed civilians in Iraq and declined to confirm or deny whether the
specific strikes were conducted by its forces. ‘There is no evidence or
indication that civilian casualties were caused by strikes in Syria and Iraq,’
a representative said. ‘The UK always minimises the risk of civilian casualties
through our rigorous processes and carefully examines a range of evidence to do
this, including comprehensive analysis of the mission data for every strike.’”



Syria



Daily Sabah: US-Backed PKK/YPG Abducts Teenage Girl In Syria’s Aleppo
<[link removed]>



“In another incident of child abuse, the PKK terrorist organization's Syrian
offshoot, the YPG, kidnapped a 13-year-old girl in Aleppo to recruit her into
their ranks, according to local sources. A girl identified only by her
initials, H.S., was abducted on March 11 from the Sheik Maqsood district of
downtown Aleppo, a written statement from the Syrian Network for Human Rights
(SNHR) said Monday, noting that the YPG continues detaining children to be used
as militants. H.S., originally from Afrin, was taken to a bunker belonging to
the terrorist group in the city, which is currently controlled by PKK/YPG
terrorists, and not allowed to speak with her family, SNHR said. The PKK/YPG
usually takes the children it kidnapped or detained to terrorist camps for
armed training. The use of children as armed combatants is expressly forbidden
under international humanitarian law and is defined as a war crime by the
International Criminal Court (ICC).”



Iraq



Mirror: Former Soldier Killed In Iraq When ISIS Bomb He Was Trying To Defuse
Exploded
<[link removed]>



“An ex-soldier died when a bomb left by ISIS in Iraq exploded as he tried to
defuse it, an inquest heard today. Stuart Coburn, 43, was working as a
contractor for an international mine clearance company in Ramadi when he died
in August 2016. The former Army sergeant major was attempting to neutralise the
improvised explosive device (IED) inside a large skip when it detonated,
Somerset Coroner’s Court was told. The device was made from five gas canisters
and was accompanied by a radio control trigger. It was set off by a mobile
phone and a dead man’s switch which could activate via movement. ISIS had left
the IED behind when it was driven from the area by Iraqi security forces in
early 2016.”



Turkey



Anadolu Agency: 7 Daesh/ISIS Suspects Arrested Across Türkiye
<[link removed]>



“Turkish security forces have arrested a total of seven people suspected of
having links to the Daesh/ISIS terror group, security sources said on Tuesday.
Prosecutors in the central Konya province issued arrest warrants for Ercan T.
and Sibel U., said the sources on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on
speaking to the media. Ercan, 41, was a senior member of the organization.
Sibel was sentenced to 6 years and three months in prison. Provincial
anti-terror police detained the suspects and they were transferred to the
courthouse after their procedures at the police station.”



Afghanistan



Tolo News: Afghanistan Should Not Again Serve As A "Base For Terrorism": EU
<[link removed]>



“The EU Council said in a statement that it is concerned about the ‘presence
and operations of terrorist groups in Afghanistan,’ saying that the country
should not once again serve as a ‘base for terrorism.’ However, the statement
said that the EU approved the conclusions that reaffirm the EU’s ‘principled
commitment to peace and stability in Afghanistan and to supporting the people
of the country.’ ‘Afghanistan should not once again serve as a base for
terrorism and violent extremism to other countries, and the EU demands that the
Taliban cease all direct and indirect ties with terrorism and reiterates the
Taliban’s responsibility in combatting terrorism,’ the statement reads. The
Islamic Emirate denied the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan.”



Pakistan



Reuters: High-Ranking Pakistani Spy Official Killed, 7 Injured In Clash With
Militants
<[link removed]>



“A Pakistani intelligence official was killed and seven of his team members
were injured in an encounter with militants in northwestern Pakistan on
Tuesday, the country's military said. The region has seen a resurgence of
Islamist militant attacks since late last year, including a deadly bombing of a
mosque in the city of Peshawar that killed over 100 people, mostly policemen.
Brigadier Mustafa Kamal Barki of the Inter Services Intelligence, the country's
main spy agency, was killed in an encounter in South Waziristan, a mountainous
region that borders Afghanistan and has long been a hotbed of Islamist
militants. The military's media wing, the Inter Services Public Relations
Pakistan, said in a statement that intense firing was exchanged with militants
and two of Barki's team members were in critical condition. No group has
claimed responsibility.”



Samaa: 3 Terrorists Killed, As Many Soldiers Martyred In DI Khan Gun Battle
<[link removed]>



“Three terrorists were also killed in the encounter with the security forces.
According to the Inter-Services public Relations, alleged terrorists attacked a
police checkpost in the Khutti area of Dera Ismail Khan. The security forces
immediately cordoned off the area, blocking all possible escape routes. The
fleeing terrorists were intercepted in the Saggu area of Dera Ismail Khan. In
the ensuing exchange of fire, three terrorists were shot dead.”



Lebanon



UN Watch: Hamas, UNRWA Staff Slam Suspension Of Teacher Who Promotes Terrorism
<[link removed]>



“The Hamas movement in Lebanon denounced UNRWA’s decision to punish Professor
Riyad Mustafa because of his stance on the martyr Ibrahim Nabulsi. The Mass
Action Council of the ‘Hamas’ movement in Lebanon said: ‘We condemn UNRWA’s
decision, and declare our rejection of it, and we consider that this behavior
of UNRWA is repressive behavior that contradicts the human right to freedom,
thinking and expression.’ The Hamas council rejected UNRWA’s reliance on UN
Watch, which it said implements Zionist policies and has hostile stances
towards the rights of the Palestinian people. Hamas called on UNRWA to quickly
reverse this unjust decision, to restore Professor Mustafa to his work
immediately, and to stop this policy, which is contrary to the most basic human
rights, as he put it. Hamas stressed the unity of the Palestinian political and
popular position in Lebanon, supporting the cause of Professor Mustafa and
opposing the behavior of ‘UNRWA.’ Hamas supporters in Lebanon saluted Professor
Riyad Mustafa for his patriotic stance, considering that this is not strange
for teachers and all the Palestinian people.”



United Kingdom



CNN: UK Counter Terrorism Police Investigating After Man Set On Fire Near
Mosque
<[link removed]>



“British counter terrorism police are investigating an attack on a man who
was set on fire while he was walking home from a mosque in Birmingham, central
England, on Monday. One man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder
and remains in custody, West Midlands police said in a statement Tuesday. The
victim was approached by a man who sprayed him ‘with an unknown substance’
before setting him ablaze, officers said. ‘It’s believed the man, who was
walking home from Dudley Road mosque, was approached by a man who spoke to him
briefly before spraying him with an unknown substance and then his jacket was
set alight, causing burns to his face,’ the statement reads. ‘He was taken to
hospital with serious injuries which are thankfully not believed to be
life-threatening,’ it added.”



Europe



Associated Press: Belarus Says It’s Discovered Weapons For ‘Terrorist’ Attacks
<[link removed]>



“Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Tuesday that his country’s
security forces have discovered an arsenal of weapons intended for ‘terrorist’
attacks, two days after they killed a terrorism suspect near the Polish border.
The reported discovery followed Belarus’ killing on Sunday in the city of
Grodno, just east of the Polish border, of a foreigner who allegedly was
planning a terrorist attack. The Belarusian KGB security agency said the
alleged terrorist was killed in a shootout. Belarusian television reported
Tuesday that a forged passport in the name of a Russian citizen was found on
the body. ‘The special services have worked brilliantly,’ Lukashenko said
Tuesday in the Belarusian capital, Minsk. ‘A whole arsenal of weapons and
explosives was confiscated, intended for high-profile terrorist attacks against
citizens and government officials.’”



India



Al Jazeera: India Arrests Kashmir Journalist Irfan Mehraj On ‘Terror’ Charges
<[link removed]>



“Kashmiri journalist Irfan Mehraj has been arrested by India’s National
Investigation Agency (NIA) under ‘terrorism’ charges as New Delhi continues its
crackdown on journalists in the Muslim-majority Himalayan region. NIA, India’s
top “anti-terror” agency, in a tweet on Tuesday said the arrest took place a
day earlier due to Mehraj’s collaboration with the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of
Civil Society (JKCCS), an organisation directed by jailed human rights activist
Khurram Parvez. Parvez was arrested on ‘terrorism’ and other charges in
November 2021. An ‘investigation revealed that the JKCCS was funding terror
activities in the [ Kashmir] valley and had also been in propagation of
secessionist agenda in the Valley under the garb of protection of human
rights,’ NIA said in a statement on Tuesday.”



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]>