Eye on Extremism
March 22, 2023
Associated Press: Pakistan Court Grants Imran Khan Bail In Terrorism Cases
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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.”
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