Eye on Extremism - February 17, 2021

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Eye on Extremism 0 02-17-21
By: CEP's Eye on Extremism
Re: info@counterextremism.com

As of February 17, 2021:

Reuters: Suspected Islamists Kill 10 People With Knives, Machetes In Congo

“Men armed with knives, machetes and pick-axes killed 10 people in an overnight attack on a village in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a witness and a local rights group said on Tuesday, blaming a Islamist militia. Killings by armed groups more than doubled last year, according to the United Nations. In late 2019 the Congo army began a campaign to eliminate the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan militia that has been operating in the vast country since the 1990s. The ADF has responded with a rash of retaliatory massacres of civilians. “We are now preparing for the burial of our fallen compatriots. They were executed,” said Jean Manzekele, the head of Kalembo village in North Kivu, 45 km southeast of Beni. “We realized that it was the ADF because of the way they attacked. They were shouting loudly in a foreign language which was difficult to understand.” The army said it had secured the village and was pursuing the attackers, who also injured two people. Violence in the three eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu has “become part of a systematic pattern to disrupt civilians' lives, instil fear and create havoc,” UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch said in Geneva on Tuesday.”

Reuters: Bangladesh Sentences Five Militants To Death For Killing U.S. Blogger

“Five members of an Islamist militant group were sentenced to death on Tuesday by a court in Bangladesh for killing a U.S. blogger critical of religious extremism six years ago. Avijit Roy, an engineer of Bangladeshi origin, was hacked to death by machete-wielding assailants in February 2015 while returning home with his wife from a Dhaka book fair. His wife, blogger Rafida Bonya Ahmed, suffered head injuries and lost a thumb in the attack. In all, six men were convicted of belong to the al Qaeda-inspired domestic militant group Ansar Ullah Bangla Team. Police say the group was behind the murders of more than a dozen secular activists and bloggers. Syed Ziaul Haq, a sacked army major believed to be the group leader and accused of masterminding Roy’s killing, was one of two men tried in absentia, with both receiving death sentences, public prosecutor Golam Sarwar Khan said. The Special Anti-Terrorism Tribunal jailed one for life. Nazrul Islam, defence lawyer for the six men, said they would appeal against their sentences. Roy’s widow said the verdict would not bring peace to her family, especially as Haq remained at large. “Simply prosecuting a few foot-soldiers -- and ignoring the rise and roots of extremism -- does not mean justice for Avi’s death,” she said in a statement.”

Syria

The Jerusalem Post: Countries Continue To Abdicate Responsibility On Foreign ISIS Members

“When ISIS was largely defeated by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in March 2019, thousands of its fighters surrendered or were detained. Among them were tens of thousands of women and children, including many thousands who were foreigners who had come to support ISIS. This was only the tip of an ISIS iceberg that once numbered some 50,000 foreign volunteers and tens of thousands of local fighters. The remnants of ISIS were taken to detention facilities. Some of these murderers were well known, while others were sympathizers or just children of ISIS members. However, the SDF and its civilian counterparts in eastern Syria, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria don’t have the finances or the facilities to do war crimes trials for ISIS or sort all the worst from the average ISIS members. In addition, countries don’t recognize the AANES as a government, so they don’t want to do business with it regarding detainees. This has created a collective lack of responsibility by the international community. Many countries do not want ISIS members back because they know that justice systems in places like Europe have no real laws to keep them in prison. This creates an uninviting possibility for wealthy countries, from Australia to France, of having to take back their ISIS citizens and then letting them go.”

Arab News: Anti-Daesh Coalition To Set Up Military Base Along Turkish-Syrian Border

“The US-led anti-Daesh coalition is to establish a new military base along the Turkish-Syrian border to weed out any remnants of the terror organization — a key Middle East policy priority of American President Joe Biden’s administration. The base will be located in the Ain Dewar area of Syria’s northeastern province of Hasakah. Last month, Russian military police were deployed near a highway used by the US in Ain Dewar village, north of the city of Derik, to send logistic and military enhancements to its bases in Iraq. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the arrival of the new convoy of the coalition, with more than 50 vehicles and trucks, to the Syrian territory last week. The military convoy, carrying armored vehicles, logistical equipment, and weapons was reportedly seen crossing into northeastern Syria from the Kurdistan Regional Government-ruled area of northern Iraq. The potential local cooperation with the Syrian People’s Protection Units (YPG) in the fight against Daesh is expected to draw anger from Ankara as it considers the group a terror organization due to its links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The US announced the formation of a broad international coalition to defeat Daesh in September 2014, and Turkey began taking part in the coalition the following year by opening its southern Incirlik airbase to coalition forces.”

Iran

The Wall Street Journal: Shadow Network Of Militias Backs Iran

“For decades, Iran has built and operated a network of loyal armed groups around the Middle East that seek to expand Tehran’s military footprint and gain political influence in the region. These groups often operate under the direction of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Founded after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the Revolutionary Guard seeks to defend the Iranian state and advance the model of Shiite Islam that underpinned the revolution. This network of militias was long overseen by Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian commander of the Guards’ foreign wing, the Quds Force, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in January 2020. In recent years, Washington has accused several Iran-backed militias of killing American service members and has designated some as terrorist organizations. In the wake of Gen. Soleimani’s death, new groups have emerged in Iraq, claiming responsibility for attacks targeting American interests. Not much is known about these groups, but many are believed to be splinters of bigger, long-established factions using new names in an attempt to shield their identity.”

Iraq

Reuters: NATO To Agree Larger Iraq Training Force As Violence Rises

“NATO defence ministers are set to expand the military alliance’s training mission in Iraq once the coronavirus pandemic eases, senior officials and diplomats said, potentially cementing a broader role for the Atlantic alliance in the Middle East. Ministers are set to agree plans on Thursday during a video conference, potentially taking the mission from its current maximum of some 500 troops to around 4,000 or 5,000, four diplomats said. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday he expected defence ministers to agree to an expanded mission, with more allied personnel working in more security institutions across Iraq. “The mission will expand gradually, in response to the situation,” he said. NATO has had a non-combat, “train-and-advise” mission in Baghdad since October 2018 but plans to expand it were delayed, in part, by COVID-19 and also due to concerns about regional stability after a U.S. drone killed a top Iranian commander in Baghdad on Jan. 3. 2020. Earlier expansion plans were mainly in response to a demand by then-U.S. President Donald Trump for NATO to do more in the Middle East. This time, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, a former intelligence chief and U.S. ally who took office in May, is eager to have a greater NATO presence in the country at a time of rising insecurity, diplomats said.”

Voice Of America: Biden Administration Seeks Stable Iraq, Free Of Islamic State

“The Biden administration laid out its priorities in Iraq on Tuesday, saying it wants a strategic partnership with a stable and democratic country, while preventing a resurgence of the Islamic State terror group there. “The United States will remain a steady, reliable partner for Iraq, and for the Iraqi people – today and in the future,” Deputy U.S. Ambassador Richard Mills told a virtual meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Iraq. “The United States will seek to help Iraq assert its sovereignty in the face of enemies, at home and abroad, by preventing an ISIS resurgence and working toward Iraq’s stability,” he added, using an acronym for the terror group. Mills said the new administration will support Iraq’s anti-corruption and economic reform efforts and continue providing humanitarian assistance. Washington will also back efforts to control militias and Iran’s destabilizing activities, while advising and assisting the Iraqi government’s counterterrorism forces. The envoy said stability requires credible national elections, which are planned for October. “These scheduled elections will be critical in establishing a responsive and representative government,” Mills said. Iraq’s parliament has adopted legislation to finance the elections and registration of candidates and voters has begun.”

Voice Of America: What Is Known About Group Claiming Attack On US Base In Irbil

“A Shi'ite militant group calling itself Saraya Awlia al-Dam claimed responsibility on Tuesday for a rocket attack against a U.S. base in Iraqi Kurdistan’s capital city of Irbil that killed a U.S.-led coalition contractor and injured at least nine other people. “We approached the base of the occupation, al-Harir, in Erbil at a distance of 7 km, and we were able to direct a devastating strike of 24 rockets, which hit their targets accurately, after the CRAM system and the occupiers' shells failed to intercept them,” the group said in a social media statement obtained by SITE Intelligence Group. Little is known about the Shi'ite militant group calling itself Saraya Awlia al-Dam, or Guardians of Blood Brigade. The group first appeared in Iraqi local news in late August 2020 after it allegedly carried out two separate attacks against U.S. forces pulling out of Camp Taji north of Baghdad. The group, via the Telegram messaging app, in late January also claimed responsibility for an operation against U.S. forces in Dhiqar province, followed by another attack on U.S. logistics in western Basra. According to Phillip Smyth, an analyst on Shi'ite militants at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, the little-known group has demonstrated it has access to the weaponry that Iran has access to and gives to its Shi'ite proxies in the region.”

Al Jazeera: Iraqi Armed Group Vows More Attacks On ‘American Occupation’

“A volley of rockets targeting an US airbase in Iraq’s Kurdistan region killed a foreign civilian contractor and wounded nine others including Americans in the worst attack in a year on the US-led military coalition. The rockets were launched late on Monday from an area south of the main city Erbil near the border with Kirkuk province and also fell on some residential areas close to the airport, officials said on condition of anonymity. The barrage was the first time in nearly two months that Western military or diplomatic installations were targeted in Iraq after a string of similar incidents last year. The rare attack on Erbil was claimed by a little known Shia group calling itself Awliyaa al-Dam, or Guardians of Blood. About a dozen such groups have cropped up in the past year claiming rocket attacks, but US and Iraqi security officials say they are front groups for prominent pro-Iran factions including Kataib Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl al-Haq. “The American occupation will not be safe from our strikes in any inch of the homeland, even in Kurdistan, where we promise we will carry out other qualitative operations,” the Awliyaa al-Dam said, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, an NGO that tracks online activity of armed organisations.”

Turkey

Reuters: Erdogan Says Turkey Will Expand Operations Against Kurdish Militants

“President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday Turkey will expand its cross-border operations against Kurdish militants after 13 captured Turks were killed in northern Iraq. Turkey said on Sunday militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) killed the captives, including police and military personnel, as it was carrying out a military operation against the group. Erdogan also repeated Ankara’s complaint that it had not received enough international solidarity. “Whether you speak up or not, we know our duty. We will not give the terrorists a chance,” Erdogan told supporters from his AK Party in the Black Sea province of Trabzon. “We will expand our operations into areas where threats are still dense,” he added. “We will stay in the areas we secure as long as necessary to prevent similar attacks again.” The PKK, designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and European Union, has waged a decades-old insurgency in Turkey’s mainly Kurdish southeast. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict. In the past two years, Turkey has launched several cross-border operations to fight the PKK in northern Iraq, where the group has its stronghold in the Qandil mountains.”

Afghanistan

NBC News: Taliban Keep Close Ties With Al Qaeda Despite Promise To U.S.

“The Afghan Taliban have kept up a close relationship with Al Qaeda despite having pledged to stop cooperating with terrorist groups, permitting the militants to conduct training in Afghanistan and deploy fighters alongside its forces, according to the head of a U.N. panel monitoring the insurgency. The Taliban's association with Al Qaeda has continued even though the insurgency signed an agreement with the U.S. a year ago that bans cooperation with or hosting of terrorist groups — and despite a public statement by Trump administration Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that the Taliban had “made the break” with terrorist groups. “There is still clearly a close relationship between Al Qaeda and the Taliban,” said Edmund Fitton-Brown, the coordinator of the U.N. panel responsible for tracking the Taliban and terrorist groups in Afghanistan. The reports of the U.N. Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team are based in part on information shared by foreign governments' intelligence services. “We believe that the top leadership of Al Qaeda is still under Taliban protection,” he said.”

Pakistan

Reuters: Pakistan's Multinational Naval Exercise To Combat Terrorism, Piracy Concludes

“The Pakistan navy’s seventh biennial multinational “Aman” (peace) exercise in Pakistani waters aimed at fostering international cooperation to fight piracy, terrorism and other crimes threatening maritime security concluded on Tuesday. Around 45 navies, including those of the United States, Britain and China, took part in the Arabian Sea exercise with ships and observers. “The purpose of this exercise to bring regional and extra-regional navies on one platform and conduct exercises to enhance intra-operability in addition to counter terrorist threat and the crime which are happening in maritime domain,” Commodore Khan Mehmood Asif told media. In the sea phase of the six-day exercise, navies conducted exercises together against terrorist and piracy threat in the maritime domain, he added.”

Yemen

Associated Press: US Urges Yemen’s Rebels To Halt Attack On Central Province

“The U.S. on Tuesday urged Yemen’s Houthi rebels to halt their attack on the central province of Marib, warning against exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the Arab world’s poorest country. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement the Houthis’ attack on Marib, which is held by the rival internationally recognized government, was “the action of a group not committed to peace or to ending the war afflicting the people of Yemen.” The State Department’s comments came the same day that the revocation of the Houthis’ status as a terrorist group took effect. The move by President Joe Biden’s administration was welcomed by the U.N. and aid groups who feared former president Donald Trump’s actions would impede aid deliveries to the country. Yemen’s war started in 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of the country’s north. A Saudi-led, U.S.-backed coalition intervened months later to dislodge the rebels and restore the internationally recognized government. The conflict has killed some 130,000 people and spawned the world’s worst humanitarian disaster. The rebels earlier this month renewed their attacks on the oil-rich province, an anti-Houthi stronghold.”

Lebanon

Reuters: Lebanon Hezbollah Chief Denies Accusations Linking Group To Activist Killing

“Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday dismissed accusations of any links between the group and the killing of researcher and activist Lokman Slim. “Any incident that happens in your area then you are accused until the opposite is proven? Is this something that is practiced in the whole wide world? Where else is this logic present?” Nasrallah said in a televised speech. Activist Lokman Slim was shot and found dead in his car in south Lebanon earlier in February, marking the first killing of a high-profile activist in years. He was a critic of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. His sister has suggested he was murdered because of those views. Hezbollah has previously condemned the killing. A filmmaker and publisher, Slim had spoken out against what he called Hezbollah’s intimidation tactics and attempts to monopolise Lebanese politics. Nasrallah was also critical on Tuesday about blame pointed at the group for involvement in the Aug. 4 Beirut blast that killed 200 people. “Hezbollah is guilty until proven otherwise - what kind of a rule is that? ...Beirut port - you, Hezbollah, blew up Beirut port until the truth about the explosion is revealed,” he said.”

Foreign Policy: Hezbollah Is Vulnerable. Lokman Slim’s Assassination Proves It.

“The assassination of the Lebanese activist and writer Lokman Slim—who was openly critical of Hezbollah—was in the making for years. His killer pulled the trigger earlier this month because the timing at home and abroad was convenient for his assassins, who wanted to send a message. It has always been a matter of time. Hezbollah’s critics—including myself—always felt the shadows following. You have to go about your daily life constantly looking over your shoulder, checking under your car for a bomb every time you leave your house, and feeling your heart sink deeper each time your children’s school bus is late. We always knew we were being followed and monitored. Slim refused to live his life in these shadows, but he was not careless. When I decided to leave Lebanon for good in 2016, after receiving similar threats, Slim encouraged me to do so. He refused to leave but did not expect me to do the same because he also knew that not everyone could afford to make the same sacrifices. His motto—"Zero Fear”—which has taken over Lebanon’s social media scene recently, is not a requirement; it’s a choice and a very calculated one.”

Nigeria

Leadership: Nigeria: Troops Kill 81 Terrorists In Borno

“No fewer than 81 Boko Haram terrorist fighters have been killed while a soldier paid the supreme price in a fresh onslaught against the insurgents by the Nigerian military in Sambisa general area. Leadership yesterday gathered that the soldier died from a landmine attack while four others sustained various degrees of injuries, even as fleeing terrorists have continued to wreak havoc and razing villages in their escape routes. According to report from military intelligence source, the troops of Sector 1 comprising troops of 21 and 26 Brigades supported by the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) cleared many villages of terrorists in the axis including Garin Bello, Kwoche, Lawanti, Alfa Bula Hassan, and Alfa Cross among others. “Nigerian troops inside Sambisa Forest encountered stiff resistance from the terrorists who laid improvised explosive devices along the troops' axis of advance. “The relentless troops destroyed the terrorists' camps and recovered gun trucks and weapons as NAF aircraft continue to provide close air and interdiction support to the ground forces. “Regrettably a soldier paid the supreme sacrifice with 4 other soldiers wounded in an improvised explosive devices incident,” the intelligence officer added in a message to the troops on behalf of the chief of army staff, Major General Ibrahim Attahiru.”

United Kingdom

BBC News: Manchester Arena Inquiry: Terror Offender 'Unfit To Give Evidence'

“A convicted terror offender who was the Manchester Arena bomber's friend “is unfit to give evidence” to the inquiry into the attack, his lawyer has said. Abdalraouf Abdallah was visited by the bomber Salman Abedi in prison in the months before the 2017 attack. He has refused to appear at the inquiry but families of the attack's victims want to know why he cannot be forced. A hearing was told a decision on whether the families could access his medical reports would be made later.Abdallah, who is in prison, is refusing to give evidence to the Manchester Arena Inquiry even though he has been described as having had a significant relationship with Abedi. Abedi detonated a homemade device in the foyer of Manchester Arena as people left a concert on 22 May 2017, killing 22 people and injuring hundreds more. The families of those who died have been told there are medical reasons why Abdallah cannot be forced to give evidence, but they want to see the reasons for themselves. After giving a “no comment” interview to lawyers before the inquiry began, forensic psychiatrist Dr John Kent was instructed to interview Abdallah in prison but he refused and instead was interviewed by a psychiatrist suggested by his legal team, Dr Richard Latham, whose report was then reviewed by Dr Kent.”

Sky News: Plan To Poison Prince George's Ice Cream Revealed By Accused Terrorist

“A man accused of terrorism offences spoke of a plan to target Prince George and the Royal Family by poisoning ice cream, a court has heard. Sahayb Abu, 27, is on trial at the Old Bailey accused of buying an 18in (46cm) sword and balaclavas as he planned a terror attack during the COVID-19 pandemic. The court heard how, when talking to an undercover police officer, Abu spoke of the plan to target Prince George and other members of the Royal Family, which ended in a person getting sentenced to 28 years in prison. In a recording of the conversation from last year played to the jury, Abu can be heard saying: “They're trynna make it out as if he [the person jailed] was targeting the baby, he was targeting the family, the Royal Family. “You know what his plan was? Say like the Royal Family house is there, go to the nearest Sainsbury's and… put poison in the ice creams so the Royal Family will go and buy the ice creams from there. Abu was arrested on 9 July last year. The court also heard how unemployed Abu tried to persuade the undercover officer to smuggle a firearm into the country from north Africa. This came after the accused spoke of targeting an imam in Buckinghamshire. He told the officer that his target was an imam from the shia sect, who are considered apostates by extremists such as Islamic State.”

The Defense Post: UK Ran Cyber Op To Cripple ISIS Communications: Services Chiefs

“UK intelligence and military chiefs recently revealed details of a classified cyber operation they ran to weaken ISIS in 2016-17. While the British government’s signals intelligence agency GCHQ acknowledged the cyber mission three years ago, details have remained under wraps until now. The multi-pronged operation involved weakening the terror organization by targeting it ideologically and operationally, the two services chiefs revealed in a Sky News podcast. The operation included disabling the organization’s drone capabilities, disrupting their communication by jamming their operatives’ phones, and targeting servers to block online propaganda, the report added, citing Jeremy Fleming, director of GCHQ, and General Sir Patrick Sanders, head of UK Strategic Command. The operation was launched after it became clear that the group was chiefly relying on cyber technology to release propaganda, for recruitment, command and control, and planning, the report said. “It was a very cheap and effective way of waging terrorist warfare,” Sanders explained. “What we wanted to do was to turn that strength, that dependence that they had on the cyber into a vulnerability, and also to undermine the credibility of their information campaign and of their ideology.”

France

The New York Times: French National Assembly Backs Law To Combat Islamist Extremism

“The French National Assembly, after 135 hours of sometimes heated debate, adopted legislation with the anodyne official purpose of reinforcing “Republican principles” but the tough real objective of shutting down the sources of Islamist terrorism across the country. Attacked by the left as an infringement of liberties and by the right as a weak compromise, the draft law reflects a decision by President Emmanuel Macron to defeat what he calls “Islamist separatism” and reinforce the unifying principles of French secularism, which affords no place in politics for religion. It will go to the Senate next month for final approval. More than 300 amendments to the draft law were adopted, but it retained its core elements and was approved with 347 votes in favor, 151 against, and 65 abstentions. Mr. Macron’s dominant centrist party, La République en Marche, backed the bill. With 15 months remaining before the presidential election, the left is in disarray, unable to identify a viable candidate. This has prompted Mr. Macron to embrace center-right territory for now. He hopes to lure voters who might otherwise vote for the right-wing Republicans or even for Marine Le Pen, the perennial rightist candidate whose weaknesses were again revealed in a televised debate last week.”

Germany

New Zealand Herald: Christchurch Terror Attacks: Police Release Evidence Report, New Details On March 15 Massacres Emerge

“A new report into the Christchurch terror attack has outlined for the first time what police and paramedics were faced with when they reached the scenes of the March 15 massacre. And chilling new images of the man responsible have emerged - with police tracking his trip from Dunedin to Christchurch, and the pursuit that ended his horrifying killing spree. Brenton Tarrant was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after a four-day hearing in the High Court at Christchurch in August. He had earlier pleaded guilty to murdering 51 people, attempting to murder 40 others and one count of terrorism. In December a report from a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the terrorist attacks was released, making 44 recommendations on a number of topics and focused on whether there was an ability to prevent the massacre. Then in January Chief Coroner Deborah Marshall said she was yet to decide whether an inquest would be held. She said that each victim's family would be supplied with a package of information relating to the event and the cause and circumstances of death. The families could then write to the Coroner to request any further details they wanted or to set out issues that come within the coronial jurisdiction and which they consider were not resolved by either the criminal prosecution process or the Royal Commission of Inquiry report.”

Technology

SPLC: How An Encrypted Messaging Platform Is Changing Extremist Movements

“Far-right extremists and white supremacist terrorists have embraced Telegram as their platform of choice, signaling a shift away from these groups’ traditional methods of organizing and toward a dangerous future defined by leaderless resistance and “lone actor” terrorism. Telegram, a messaging app, is a haven for neo-Nazis, white nationalists and antigovernment extremists locked out of traditional social media sites, as Hatewatch first reported in mid-2019. But 2020 presented a year full of new hurdles for in-person organizing for the movement, ranging from legal quagmires to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, extremists have come to rely less on in-person groups, such as those recorded in the Southern Poverty Law Center’s annual hate count, and more on diffuse, leaderless digital networks, such as those facilitated by Telegram. While this shift does indicate that extremists are using new strategies for organizing, it does not signal a decrease in the threat those extremists pose in the United States and around the world. “If [a group has] got a logo, a name, and an online presence, that’s three strikes, run for your life,” wrote one moderator of a prominent white supremacist accelerationist channel in a guide, distributed on Telegram, for organizing white supremacist terror cells.”