Eye on Extremism - 10-20-20

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Eye on Extremism - October 20, 2020
By: Counter Extremism Project - 10-20-20
Re: info@counterextremism.com

As of: October 20, 2020

The Wall Street Journal: Trump To Remove Sudan From List Of Countries That Sponsor Terrorism

“President Trump said on Monday that he would remove Sudan from a list of countries that sponsor terrorism once it completes payment of a settlement to victims of terrorist attacks. The move, which Mr. Trump announced on Twitter, would end more than 25 years of U.S. efforts to isolate Sudan and came as a possible precursor to the normalization of relations between the African nation and Israel, a move sought by the White House. “GREAT news! New government of Sudan, which is making great progress, agreed to pay $335 MILLION to U.S. terror victims and families,” the president said. “Once deposited, I will lift Sudan from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list. At long last, JUSTICE for the American people and BIG step for Sudan!” For Sudan, the agreement may help end decades of international isolation after the U.S. sanctioned it in the 1990s for harboring al Qaeda’s then-leader, Osama bin Laden, and assisting terror groups. Since the ouster last year of its longtime dictator, Omar al-Bashir, Sudan’s transitional government has pressed to improve its standing with the West, as it seeks billions of dollars in aid and funding to save its collapsing economy. Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok thanked Mr. Trump on Twitter for his announcement.”

The New York Times: U.S. Imposes Sanctions On Qaeda Financier Who Trades In Gems

“The Trump administration on Monday imposed sanctions on an Australian-based businessman and his gemstone company for helping Al Qaeda move money across the globe to sustain its operations. Treasury officials said Ahmed Luqman Talib traded in precious stones, allowing him to “move funds internationally” for Al Qaeda. Mr. Talib’s business is based in Melbourne, but he works around the world, including in Brazil, Colombia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Turkey and the Persian Gulf region, the Treasury Department said in a statement. Terrorist groups continue to use financial facilitators to help carry out their activities, Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said in a statement. The department remained committed to disrupting those financial activities and networks, he added, expressing appreciation for “the collaboration with our Australian partners.” The effects of the sanctions on Mr. Talib are unclear. The measure freezes assets he holds in the United States and prohibits American companies or individuals from doing business with him. Treasury officials did not disclose whether Mr. Talib held assets or property in the United States. In 2010, he was a student activist in Australia who was shot when Israeli naval commandos killed nine activists on a ship that was carrying aid to Gaza.”
United States

Associated Press: Baltimore County Man Linked To Extremist Movement Arraigned On Gun Charge

“A Maryland man described by the FBI as a member of the anti-government “boogaloo” movement pleaded not guilty to a gun charge on Monday, court records show. Frank William Robertson Perry, 39, remained jailed after his arraignment on a charge that he illegally possessed a rifle. He is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition due to a 2002 burglary conviction, the FBI said. A grand jury indicted Perry on the charge after his Oct. 7 arrest. The FBI identified Perry as a member of the boogaloo movement in September, an agent wrote in seeking a warrant to search the Dundalk home he shares with his girlfriend. Boogaloo adherents are part of a loose, anti-government, pro-gun extremist movement. The name is a reference to a slang term for a sequel — in this case, a second U.S. civil war. Court records don’t specify why the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force opened its investigation of Perry, who posted images associated with the boogaloo on a Facebook account that the FBI says belongs to him. The content on Perry’s Pinterest account “reflects a substantial interest in firearms and militia extremist activities,” the agent wrote.”

Iran

The Jerusalem Post: How The End Of The Arms Embargo Disastrously Splits Iranian Terror, Nukes

“October 18 may turn out to be a day that will live in infamy. The collapse of the conventional arms embargo against Iran is not just dangerous because of the SU-30 attack aircraft and defensive S-400 antiaircraft missile system, which Iran may now purchase from Russia. It is not just dangerous because it legalizes and could streamline weapons deals between the Islamic Republic and its proxies in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza. What may be most dangerous about the lifting of the arms embargo is that it could permanently disconnect the issue of Iranian terrorism from the issue of the ayatollahs obtaining nuclear weapons. A major premise of the Obama administration’s 2015 nuclear deal with Iran was that separating the issues in the short and medium term was a good thing. The rationale was that if Tehran getting nuclear weapons could be pushed off for a decade or more with a deal, maybe during that time the regime would moderate, see the benefits of dealing with the West and start to lower its terrorist footprint. This never happened. One can debate whether it was strategically wise to pull out of the nuclear deal in 2018 while Iran was complying with its nuclear limits, as opposed to waiting until the last year or two of the deal to pick a fight, as recommended by former IDF Intelligence chief Amos Yadlin and former CIA director Michael Hayden.”

Iraq

Al Monitor: Iraqi Militias Defy Government, Expand Networks And Pressure

“A group of pro-militias in Iraq attacked the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) on Oct. 17, setting the building on fire and raising the flag of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU). This comes in reaction to an Oct. 2 statement by Hoshyar Zebari, a former finance minister and foreign minister, who said that Baghdad's Green Zone where most government buildings and foreign ministries are located “should be cleansed from the militias and the PMU presence.” The social pressure on the outlawed militias within the PMU has been extensive since the eruption of the protests in Iraq in October 2019. The militias have since formed pressure groups to silence any critical voices against them. Following the protests, the militias have started several groups on social networks such as Telegram and WhatsApp, recruiting supporters and promoting their agendas against the United States and its allies in Iraq, and also against the current government headed by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, as the militias view him as an American and his government as a pro-US agent. Supporters of the militias have organized themselves in various groups, including Rab Allah (God’s Fellows), Ahbab Allah (God’s Beloveds), Al-Zelm Al-Khashnah (Tough Guys) and Abu Jeddaha (The People of Lighters) in reference to their actions of burning their opponents' buildings.”

Kurdistan 24: Suspected ISIS Gunmen Kill Three Kurds In Disputed Kirkuk, Burn Their Bodies

“Unidentified gunmen shot dead three Kurdish youths on Sunday in rural parts of Iraq’s disputed Kirkuk province. Two of the victims were brothers, and the third was their cousin. Local sources told Kurdistan 24 that the incident occurred in an open field in Kirkuk’s Shwan district, an area separating the Kurdish Peshmerga forces and the Iraq army. The shooters opened fire on the three men—Hariz and Aram Mustafa, and their cousin Peshawa—while inside their vehicle. The assailants later set the car on fire with the dead victims still inside. Haji Mustafa, Hariz and Aram’s grieving father, told Kurdistan 24 that the family suspects “ISIS and extremist groups” were behind the killings, and noted that the young men “did not have any [personal] issues with anyone.” He also explained that the victims were searching for cattle of theirs that had gone missing. Colonel Luqman Sartki, an officer in the 11th Brigade of the Peshmerga forces told Kurdistan 24 that “it seems that ISIS terrorists are the perpetrators” of the “brutal crime.” Losing all of its territorial claims in Iraq in late 2017, the Islamic State has seen various periods of resurgence since. Its fighters have been particularly active in vulnerable tracts of inhospitable land located land in or around territories contested between the federal Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).”

Afghanistan

Al Jazeera: As Violence Flares In South Afghanistan, Key Questions Answered

“Afghanistan has seen an uptick in violence over the past week, with the Taliban launching attacks in several provinces even as negotiators from the armed group and the Afghan government are still in Qatar’s capital for talks aimed at bringing peace to the country. A major Taliban assault last week on Lashkar Gah, capital of the southern Helmand province, sparked days of intense fighting and prompted the United States to launch air attacks in support of its allied government forces. Tens of thousands of people are estimated to have since fled their homes to escape the violence, which has stretched hospitals in Lashkar Gah to capacity. Fighting continued on Monday in some areas of Helmand’s Nad Ali and Nawa districts. Besides Helmand, the Taliban in recent days has also carried out attacks in Badakhshan, Kunduz, Farah and Kandahar provinces. Faced with a surge in violence and delays in the start of the historic negotiations in Doha, many Afghans say peace is far from guaranteed. Here is what we know so far: On October 11, the Taliban launched a major offensive from different directions in a bid to capture Lashkar Gah, Omer Zwak, spokesman for the provincial governor in Helmand, told Al Jazeera.”

Voice Of America: US Warns 'Distressingly High' Afghan Violence Could Derail Deal With Taliban

“The United States has warned that “distressingly” high levels of violence in Afghanistan threaten to derail Washington’s peace-building deal with Taliban insurgents and the ongoing intra-Afghan peace negotiations. Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special envoy to the turmoil-hit nation, issued the warning Monday as the Taliban intensified battlefield attacks against Afghan security forces, including large-scale offensives last week in the southern Helmand province.”Our expectation has been and remains that violence comes down and stays down,” Khalilzad said in a series of tweets. The violence was supposed to be “substantially’ reduced following the historic deal the U.S. signed with the Taliban in February to promote a negotiated end to the 19-year-old Afghan conflict, America’s longest. On Sunday, the insurgent group said the U.S. military was violating the terms of the agreement. A U.S military spokesman swiftly rejected the accusations and blamed the Taliban instead for taking steps that were detrimental to the peace process. Khalilzad also dismissed the insurgent accusations as unfounded and “inflammatory rhetoric,” saying they would not help advance the peace process.”

Libya

Libya Herald: Counter Terrorism Force Captures Terrorists Near Tripoli And Khoms

“Libya’s Counter Terrorism Force (CTF), aligned to the internationally recognized Libyan government in Tripoli, announced yesterday the arrest of a terrorist cell on the outskirts of the cities of Tripoli and Al-Khoms. The CTF reported that the terrorist cell consists of four people, including foreigners, stressing that the members of the cell were preparing to carry out terrorist acts inside the Libyan territories.”

Somalia

Daily Nation: Kenya: Police Repulse Shabaab Attack On Their Camp

“Police on Sunday thwarted an attack on a security camp by suspected al Shabaab terrorists in Mandera County. No one was injured during the 9pm incident, officials said. Border Patrol Unit (BPU) officers in Mandera County managed to repulse an attack on their camp last evening by suspected al Shabaab militants. Mandera County Commissioner Onesmus Kyatha said that the attackers used rocket-propelled grenades (RPG) to attack the camp. “At about 9pm last evening, there was an attempted attack on one of our security camps along the common border with Somalia but our officers managed to repulse the attackers,” he said by phone. According to Mr Kyatha, all the officers at the camp are accounted for with no injuries and no damage was caused in the incident. Border with Somalia remains volatile The BPU camp is at the Sheikh Barrow along the Mandera-Lafey-Elwak Road and was established in 2015 to respond to terror incidents within Fino location. Mr Kyatha, who chairs the county security committee, said the situation along the common border with Somalia remains volatile due to increased movement of militants. “Security situation in the area remains unpredictable as we continue receiving intelligence on the movements of the al Shabaab on the Somalia side,” he said.”

Africa

Voice Of America: Cameroon Chiefs Create Militias For Protection From Separatists

“Traditional village chiefs in Cameroon's restive western regions are for the first time creating armed militias for protection against separatists. Cameroon's government has been asking traditional rulers who fled the separatist conflict to return to their palaces and take part in December's regional elections. But a majority of the chiefs has been reluctant to return due to threats from the rebels. The Nso people of Cameroon’s Northwest region shout and applaud in the town of Kumbo. They came out to listen to a plea from their elders and palace notables to give a memorable welcome to their traditional leader, Sehm Mbinglo, whenever he returns. Mbinglo fled the area three years ago after separatists abducted him three times and killed two of his children for unknown reasons. Among the nearly 1,000 people who came to listen to the notables was Dorothy Yekong, who said she is longing to see her Fon, or traditional ruler. “When the peace makers said the Fon will be coming back, we just felt some peace in Kumbo because when we were there without the Fon it was just as if to say the child is there surrounded by lions. So, if he finally comes, we are sure that peace will return in Kumbo. He is the father of everybody in Kumbo,” she said.”

Associated Press: Dialogue Possible With Certain Sahel Jihadists: UN Chief

“Dialogue may be possible with certain jihadist groups active in Africa’s Sahel region, but not “radical” ones such as the Islamic State (IS) group, UN chief Antonio Guterres said Monday. “There will be groups with which we can talk, and which will have an interest in engaging in this dialogue to become political actors in the future,” Guterres said in an interview with French daily Le Monde. “But there are still those whose terrorist radicalism is such that there will be nothing to be done with them,” he added, citing IS. Much of the vast Sahel region is prey to insecurity and jihadist violence, which erupted after a rebellion in northern Mali in 2012. The conflict has since spread to the center of the country, as well as neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, claiming thousands of lives. Last week, African Union Peace and Security Commissioner Smail Chergui urged dialogue with extremists in the conflict-ridden region. He pointed to Afghanistan, where the United States and the Taliban agreed a truce in late February, as a possible template. Chergui’s appeal came after Mali’s government this month swapped some 200 prisoners for four hostages held by an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group. The last French citizen held hostage in the world, Sophie Petronin, was released alongside Mali opposition figure Soumaila Cisse, along with two Italians.”

International Christian Concern: Islamic Attacks Against Kenyan Christians

“…According to the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), “[Al-Shabaab] seeks to establish a fundamentalist Islamic state in the country that it hopes will ultimately expand to encompass the whole Horn of Africa. In doing so, persecution of Christians is not only a human rights issue, but also a demographic and security issue. Although Africa’s Christian population is the largest in the world, continued persecution will result in demographic shifts like those in the Middle East. A Christian-less Middle East and Africa will mean the death of indigenous, advanced, and humanitarian civilizations and their replacement with an extremely violent, hostile, and anti-humanitarian ideology.” One pastor who lived and worked in the area shared some insight into the situation in an interview, saying, “In that region in Kenya the tribes are 98% Muslim. They felt that their brothers in Somalia were being killed by the Kenyan government, and these people started revenge-killing people who are not Muslim.” He continued, “The militants are Somali in Kenya. They speak the same language as the people in Somalia. And now they can attack Christians easily.” The pastor went on to say that it seems there is an attempt to “cleanse” the region of non-Muslims.”

United Kingdom

The New York Times: Murderer Who Wielded Narwhal Tusk To Stop Terrorist Gets Royal Pardon

“Queen Elizabeth II has approved a rare royal pardon for an inmate convicted of murder who used a narwhal tusk to help stop a terrorist attack in which two people were killed before the assailant was killed by the police on London Bridge. The decision to pardon the murderer, Steven Gallant, was in recognition of “his exceptionally brave actions,” which “helped save people’s lives despite the tremendous risk to his own,” a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Justice said in a statement on Monday. If a parole board approves, Mr. Gallant’s minimum 17-year sentence would be reduced by 10 months. The attack in November 2019 began at a prisoner rehabilitation conference when a former inmate in attendance stabbed and killed two young rehabilitation advocates, Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones, and fled before eventually being subdued on London Bridge. Three others were also injured before the assailant, Usman Khan, 28, was fatally shot by police. Mr. Khan had served eight years for a terrorism-related offense but had been released in December 2018. Mr. Gallant, who was imprisoned in 2005, was among a crowd of people who banded together to take the assailant down with an unconventional weapon: the narwhal tusk, which had been a wall decoration at Fishmongers’ Hall, the historic building that hosted the conference.”

France

The Wall Street Journal: France Vows To Root Out Islamist Extremism After Beheading Of Teacher Samuel Paty

“French authorities vowed to crack down on civic groups they said were promoting radical Islam, days after an extremist beheaded a schoolteacher for showing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in class. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on Monday said that 51 associations, including religious schools and mosques, would be visited by security services this week, and a number of them dissolved. Authorities Monday conducted searches targeting 40 suspected extremist individuals and associations, and have opened more than 80 investigations into extremist sentiment expressed online since the attack, officials said. “We must stop being naive,” Mr. Darmanin said. “There is no reconciliation possible with radical Islam.” The actions reflect tensions between parts of France’s Muslim community and authorities in the aftermath of the slaying of the teacher, 47-year-old Samuel Paty, in an attack that shocked the nation. Officials suspect Mr. Paty’s attacker—identified as Abdoullakh Abouyezidvitch A., an 18-year-old Russia national of Chechen origin—acted after seeing videos made by a parent of a student at the school denouncing Mr. Paty.”

Associated Press: Facing Terror Charges, ETA’s Last Boss Apologizes For Deaths

“A Paris appeals court postponed Monday the first of two back-to-back terrorism trials this week against the last-known chief of ETA, the now-extinct Basque separatist militant group, charges that the defendant deems “absurd” because of his role in ending a conflict that claimed some 850 lives and terrorized Spain for half a century. Josu Urrutikoetxea led ETA during one of its bloodiest periods, when its victims included children bombed to death while sleeping in a Zaragoza police compound. In a rare interview after 17 years on the run, he offered an apology, advised other separatist movements against resorting to violence and painted himself as a changed man. That’s a preposterous claim to those who lost loved ones to ETA’s violence. Just because he oversaw ETA’s end in 2018, they stress, that doesn’t erase his past. Now 69, diminished by a battle with cancer and facing the prospect of life behind bars, the man widely known by his police alias Josu Ternera says he’s sorry for “irreparable damage” caused by ETA violence as it sought to build an independent state straddling the Pyrenees mountain range between Spain and France. Asked if he would apologize to ETA victims’ families, he told The Associated Press: “Of course, (I offer) apologies for something that we can’t repair.”

France 24: French Police Raid Dozens Of Targets Suspected Of Extremism After Teacher Beheaded

“Days after a suspected Islamist beheaded a French school teacher, police on Monday raided Islamic associations and individuals suspected of extremist religious beliefs, arresting dozens of people, said France’s interior minister, in a sweep expected to last a few more days. History teacher Samuel Paty, 47, was murdered on Friday in broad daylight outside his school in a middle-class Paris suburb by an 18-year-old of Chechen origin. Police shot and killed the attacker. Paty was attacked on his way home from the junior high school where he taught in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, 40 kilometres (25 miles) northwest of Paris. The teenage assassin allegedly sought to avenge his victim's use of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed in a class on freedom of expression to 13-year-olds. Muslims believe that any depiction of the Prophet is blasphemous. Public figures called the killing an attack on the Republic and on French values. Fifteen people, including four students, were arrested Monday for questioning, according to a judicial source. The detainees included a man who was in contact with the perpetrator before the attack, the source added. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said there were some 80 investigations being conducted into hate speech online and that he was looking into whether to disband some 51 associations within the Muslim community.”

Australia

The Canberra Times: Right-Wing Extremism On The Rise: Police

“Right-wing extremism has increased in Australia, with federal police seeing a rise in young people being aggressively radicalised online. Australian Federal Police deputy commissioner Ian McCartney confirmed there had been a higher number of investigations in the area. “We're dealing with people that are either radicalised in the real world or radicalised online,” he told a Senate estimates hearing in Canberra on Tuesday. “We're finding now that in terms of right-wing extremism, that the concern for us is younger persons being radicalised very aggressively.” Mr McCartney said Islamic-inspired terrorism continued to be the biggest threat, with Sydney and Melbourne the centres of that activity. He did not reveal exact numbers around the rise in AFP investigations of right-wing groups, arguing it could jeopardise active matters. “We see it as a real and ongoing threat,” he said. The domestic spy agency has reported far-right violent extremism now accounts for up to 40 per cent of its counter-terrorism workload, up from 10 to 15 per cent before 2016. Last week, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation director-general Mike Burgess noted right-wing extremists were more organised, sophisticated, ideological and active than in previous years.”

Technology

BuzzFeed News: Facebook Continues To Host Militant Groups And Ads Despite A Ban On Right-Wing Extremism

“Despite efforts by Facebook to ban right-wing militant organizations, a new report published Monday has found that some of those groups continue to organize and run pages on the social network. Facebook also continues to profit from ads placed by extremists despite an announcement earlier this year that said it would ban all ads that “praise, support or represent militarized social movements.” The report from the Transparency Tech Project (TTP), a nonprofit watchdog organization, discovered, for example, that the American Patriot Council, a right-wing group that advocated for the criminal prosecution of Michigan’s governor because of her implementation of stay-at-home orders during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, ran an ad earlier this month that encouraged militants to attend Oct. 24 rallies in Michigan and New York. “We The People gather across America in a show of solidarity and demand emancipation from the bondage of tyranny,” read the ad, which cost less than $100 and had the potential to reach between 500,000 and 1 million people, according to Facebook’s own metrics. “(Lawful carry & Militia strongly encouraged.)” Facebook announced in August that it was banning right-wing militant, anarchist, and QAnon groups from its platform.”