Eye on Extremism
March 23, 2023
AFP News: UN Mission In Mali Reports Rising Number Of Deaths
“The number of people killed in Mali continued to increase in 2022, a UN report said Wednesday, also linking more than a third of human rights violations to security forces. The UN mission in Mali, MINUSMA, was created in 2013 to help stabilise the country as it battled jihadist insurgency. On Wednesday, the mission published its quarterly note for human rights violations between October and December 2022, showing the security situation had only worsened. Compared to the previous year, the number of people killed (1,277 in 2022) increased by 54 percent (584 people killed in 2021),’ the UN body said in its report. It recorded that 2,001 people were affected by acts of violence in the period, including those who were killed, and more than 370 people who were kidnapped or disappeared. Jihadist groups are the main perpetrators of violence in the country and are responsible for 56 percent of recorded violations, the report said.”
Associated Press: Officer Shot In German Police Raids On Suspected Extremists
“German investigators carried out raids on Wednesday related to an alleged coup plot involving supporters of a far-right movement, authorities said. A police officer was shot in the arm during one of the searches. Justice Minister Marco Buschmann tweeted that federal prosecutors ordered searches of 20 properties and that the move was related to the Reich Citizens movement, a loose grouping whose supporters deny the legitimacy of the present-day German Constitution and government. They claim instead that the German empire, or Reich, of 1871 still exists. The incident in which a police offer was shot at ‘shows how dangerous the deployments are,’ Buschmann said. He added that weapons authorities ‘are obliged to disarm ‘Reich Citizens.’” In December, German authorities said they had uncovered an alleged coup plot that resulted in the detention of more than 20 people linked to the Reich Citizens movement.”
United States
Daily News: Neo-Nazi Leader Charged With Sending Death Threats To Brooklyn Journalist: Feds
“A white supremacist who went by the screen name “King ov Wrath” is charged with sending death threats to a Brooklyn journalist who reported on his extremist group, the feds allege. Nicholas Welker, 31, who used to head the Feuerkrieg Division, or FKD, was Tuesday busted in San Jose, Calif., where he lives, according to prosecutors in Brooklyn. The Anti-Defamation League describes the group as a ‘small international neo-Nazi group that advocates for a race war,’ and it has ties to the Atomwaffen Division, a white supremacist group that has been linked to five murders in the U.S. Wellker is charged with spearheading a 2021 death threat campaign against the journalist, who interviewed members of his group for a national news outlet. Court documents do not name the reporter or the news organization.”
Syria
Daily Mail: Revealed: 'Original ISIS Teen Bride' Who Inspired Shamima Begum And Friends To Join Terror Cell Is ALIVE And Living In Secret In Syria Where She Fundraises For Suicide Belts For Jihadis A Decade After Leaving Bethnal Green
“Shamima Begum's former best friend has been found alive in Syria after escaping a refugee camp and is now actively fundraising for ISIS. Sharmeena Begum – no relation – was the first schoolgirl from Bethnal Green Academy in east London to flee the UK to join ISIS in 2014, followed by Shamima and her friends Amira Abase and Kadiza Sultana two months later. Shamima has previously blamed her older schoolmate for inspiring her to travel to Syria by presenting ISIS as a 'paradise' and claiming videos of the group's atrocities were fake. Until today, Sharmeena's whereabouts since she left for the country have been unknown. Described by one ex-member of the militant group as 'radical even by ISIS standards', she was tracked down by a journalist working for BBC podcast The Shamima Begum story.”
Iraq
Daily Sabah: US Denies Involvement With Helicopters Carrying PKK Terrorists In Iraq
“The United States has nothing to do with the two helicopters that crashed in northern Iraq with PKK/YPG terrorists onboard; the Pentagon said Tuesday as debates continue over the mystery incident. When asked by an Anadolu Agency (AA) reporter whether the U.S. had a military role in the alleged training of the helicopter pilots and if funds used in the mission were provided by the U.S., Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said the SDF conducts its operations, referring to the YPG/PKK by its label in Syria. ‘The U.S. had no participation whatsoever in the SDF helicopter flights. The SDF is its force; they conduct their operations; we do partner with the SDF on Defeat ISIS operations regularly,’ Ryder told reporters, using an alternate acronym for Daesh. ‘But again, there was no U.S. or coalition involvement in the helicopter incident, nor do we have any knowledge before that mission took place,’ he added.”
Afghanistan
Associated Press: Afghan Taliban Raid In Kabul Kills 3 Islamic State Members
“An overnight raid by Taliban forces in Afghanistan’s capital killed three members of the extremist Islamic State group, a Taliban spokesman said on Wednesday. The regional affiliate of the Islamic State group — known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province — has been the key rival of the Taliban since their takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021. The militant group has increased its attacks, targeting both Taliban patrols and members of Afghanistan’s Shiite minority. According to Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban government spokesman, the operation on Tuesday targeted an IS hideout in Kabul and killed three prominent members of the militant group who were plotting attacks during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which starts Thursday. ‘The IS members used the hideout to carry out attacks in Kabul city and planned to target religious places and civilians during the upcoming month of Ramadan,’ Mujahid said. The Taliban swept across Afghanistan in mid-August 2021, seizing power as U.S. and NATO forces were withdrawing from Afghanistan after 20 years of war.”
Pakistan
Dawn: ‘Militants Using Women, Children As Human Shields’
“Banned militant organisations have been using women and children as human shields for their violent activities and they later dissociate themselves from these people, Balochistan government officials said on Wednesday. Speaking at a joint press conference on Wednesday, Balochistan CTD DIG Aitzaz Goraya and CM’s spokesman Babar Khan Yousafzai said that Mahal Baloch, who was arrested on Feb 19 along with a suicide jacket from Quetta’s Satellite Town, admitted her association with the outlawed BLF. They presented a video message of Mahal Baloch in which she confessed her link with the BLF and said her husband was also working for the banned organisation. ‘My husband was killed along with his brother in 2016 and I shifted to Karachi with my in-laws where people belonging to the banned organisation contacted and brainwashed [me], and after that, I joined the organisation and later shifted to Quetta,’ she said.”
Middle East
The Jerusalem Post: Israeli Forces Capture Hamas Terrorist In Nablus Operation
“IDF soldiers from the Duvdevan unit arrested a Hamas operative in Nablus on Wednesday morning. The operative was identified as Muhammad Saleh Hamdan. Hamdan has been arrested in the past by both Israeli and Palestinian authorities. The Hamas operative was shot and wounded during the arrest after attempting to run away. Hamdan was transferred for questioning by security forces.”
Jewish News Syndicate: Israeli Forces Map Home Of Terrorist Who Killed Yaniv Brothers In Huwara
“Israeli forces on Tuesday night mapped for possible demolition the Nablus home of the terrorist who shot and killed brothers Hallel Menachem and Yagel Yaakov Yaniv in nearby Huwara on Feb. 26. The mapping operation involved the Israel Defense Forces, Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and Border Police. The security forces also arrested 26 wanted terrorism suspects in raids across Judea and Samaria overnight as part of the ‘Break the Wave’ campaign. During the operation, the troops were shot at and explosives were thrown at them, with the soldiers returning fire.”
Nigeria
The East African: Nigeria Launches Counter-Terrorism Centre To Tackle Insecurity
“Having lost more than 65,000 people to insurgency and terrorism in 14 years, Nigeria has launched a national counter-terrorism centre to optimise efforts in addressing security challenges. Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the modern facilities and infrastructure which will be used to effectively coordinate national security and counter-terrorism efforts. Terrorism had swooped on northeast Nigeria and particularly in the country’s states sharing borders with Chad, Niger and Cameroon which have also had to contend with the brunt of the deadly insurgency. The emergence of Boko Haram in 2009 and its terrorist ally, the Islamic State West African Province (Iswap) has led to destruction of lives, properties, national infrastructure and agriculture as well as the displacement of more than 2.1 million people, mostly women and children.”
Africa
Anadolu Agency: Terrorism Deaths In Africa's Sahel Spiked 2,000% In 15 Years: Report
“Fatalities in terrorist attacks in Africa’s Sahel region have surged by over 2,000% over the past 15 years, according to a recent report. ‘The Sahel region in sub-Saharan Africa is now the epicenter of terrorism … accounting for more terrorism deaths in 2022 than both South Asia and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) combined,’ said the 2023 Global Terrorism Index published by the Australia-based Institute for Economics and Peace. ‘Across the Sahel, 22,074 people were killed in 6,408 terror attacks between 2007 and 2022,’ the report said. The region was the most impacted area of the world, representing 43% of global terrorism deaths, a staggering spike from just 1% in 2007, it added. Four of the 10 countries most affected by terrorism last year were in the Sahel region, according to the report, which analyzed terror attacks in 163 countries worldwide. One of them was Burkina Faso, where terrorism deaths climbed from 759 to 1,135, the largest global increase.”
Daily Post: Boko Haram Establishes Recruitment Base In Niger Republic
“The Boko Haram terrorist group has reportedly established a recruitment base in Dinallahi village located about 10 kilometres south of Diagorou in the Tillaberi Region of the Republic of Niger. The terrorists had already erected two hangars in the village with the intention of teaching young boys and girls extremist views. There has been a massive migration of Boko Haram terrorists fleeing ISWAP onslaught in the North East Nigeria’s Sambisa forest in the past few weeks. The influx of the terrorists into Niger has led to a rise in kidnapping and attacks. The region served as a transit point for terrorists or migrants from West Africa trying to reach Libya, Somalia, Algeria and Europe across the Mediterranean.”
Business Ghana: Militants Killed In Burkina Faso Air Raid - Report
“Burkina Faso's army has killed ‘several militants’ in the country's north, along the border with Niger and Mali, the state-owned news agency Agence d'Information du Burkina (AIB) has reported. ‘Several terrorists were neutralised, and important logistics destroyed overnight, between Monday and Tuesday by the air force in on the three-border area [Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso],’ the agency said, quoting security sources. AIB added that an intelligence mission enabled the location of a ‘terrorist base’ in the tri-border area, which led to the killing of ‘several terrorists and the destruction of important logistics’. Burkina Faso, which is currently under interim military rule, has made the crackdown on militants across the country a top priority. Between 16 and 17 March, the army killed several militants and destroyed their bases in the north-eastern part of the country.”
Germany
Associated Press: Germany Arrests Syrian Accused Of Joining Islamic State Unit
“German authorities have arrested a Syrian man accused of belonging to a unit of the Islamic State group in his homeland that kidnapped and killed opponents, prosecutors said Wednesday. The man, identified only as Asmael K. in line with German privacy rules, was arrested in the western city of Essen on Monday. He is accused of membership in a foreign terrorist group. The suspect is accused of joining IS in Syria in late 2013, swearing a public oath of loyalty to the extremist group and belonging to an IS unit that ‘kidnapped and executed opposing fighters and otherwise unwanted people,’ federal prosecutors said in a statement. They didn’t give further details on his alleged role in that group, or say when he came to Germany. A judge on Tuesday ordered him kept in custody pending a possible indictment.”
The Counter Extremism Project depends on the generosity of its supporters. If you value what we do, please consider making a donation.
