Eye on Extremism - July 30, 2021

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Eye on Extremism - July 30, 2021
By: Counter Extremism Project 07-30-21
Re: info@counterextremism.com

As of July 30, 2021:

Sky News: Anjem Choudary: Islamist Hate Preacher Banned From Twitter

“Islamist hate preacher Anjem Choudary has been banned from Twitter, less than a week after he set up a profile on the social media platform. The 54-year-old confirmed to Sky News that his account had been suspended. Twitter has not yet commented on the move. Choudary had been the subject of significant legal restrictions, preventing him from speaking publicly, since his release from prison in October 2018. He was convicted on terrorism charges in 2016, which included inviting support for the terrorist group Islamic State. Most of the legal conditions preventing him from speaking publicly expired 10 days ago and Choudary, also known as Abu Luqman, set up a Twitter profile just days later. Reacting to the news of his ban, he told Sky News: “That was quick, a record, just five days after I set up my account.” He said Twitter had not given him a reason for the suspension and that he believed he had been “quite moderate” in his posts. The hate preacher served his sentence at the high-security Frankland prison in Durham, which houses a number of terrorist prisoners. Counter terrorism police have previously described Choudary as one of the most influential Islamist extremists in Europe.”

ABC Chicago: Al Qaeda Launches 1st Public Campaign In 4 Years To Encourage Lone Wolf Terrorist Attacks

“More than 10 years ago the I-Team uncovered Al Qaeda's plans for “Open Source” Jihad against the Chicago skyline. Now they're back with a new high-gloss publication for radical followers and a new video, encouraging violent attacks on America by one-person jihadists and lone wolf terrorist. Hundreds of people were killed and injured by truck-ramming attacks from terrorist groups in the past decade. The one-man rampages were encouraged by Al Qaeda and ISIS leaders targeting cities worldwide. The playbook for those attacks date to a more than 10-year-old edition of al Qaeda's “Inspire Magazine,” set with Chicago as a backdrop and a pick-up truck as “the ultimate mowing machine.” But there have not been any public marching orders for lone-wolf jihadists since 2017. Until now. The new edition of Inspire is once again calling for attacks on Americans in the U.S., and praising recent mass murderers who claimed to have been fighting for the jihadist cause. That includes Ahmad Al-Issa, an American from Syria who is accused of killing 10 people last March in a Colorado grocery store.”

Syria

Reuters: Syrian Rebels Attack Army Outposts In Southern Syria

“Syrian rebels waged a spate of mortar attacks on Syrian army checkpoints in the southern province of Deraa in the biggest flare-up of violence since government forces retook the restive region three years ago, rebels, residents and the army said on Thursday. The widespread attacks at army outposts near the Damascus-Deraa highway leading to the border crossing of Nassib with Jordan also disrupted passenger and commercial traffic at the main gateway for goods from Lebanon and Syria to the Gulf. Multiple army checkpoints around key towns and villages from the town of Nawa north of the province to Muzarib near the border with Jordan were also seized, they said. The army has sent reinforcements from its elite Fourth Division, run by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's brother Maher, senior military defectors said, confirming army leaks. The attacks came after the army launched a dawn operation against the rebel-held old quarter of the city of Deraa, where peaceful protests against decades of autocratic Assad family rule began in 2011 and were met by deadly force before spreading across the country. The army has sought to reassert its control after the collapse of talks earlier this week to get local elders and former rebels to allow the army to extend its control inside the old quarter, known as Deraa al Balad.”

Afghanistan

The Washington Post: Dozens Of Afghan Troops Killed In Insider Attacks During U.S. Military Withdrawal, Watchdog Says

“The Taliban’s offensive this spring included more than two dozen insider attacks during the 90-day period ending June 30, a wave of violence that left at least 81 Afghan troops dead, a new U.S. government report revealed Thursday, highlighting the rapid deterioration of security throughout much of Afghanistan as the United States completes its military withdrawal. At least 37 Afghan troops were wounded in those attacks, according to the report released by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, and American military officials told the watchdog’s investigators that the numbers could be incomplete, citing gaps in knowledge during the pullout, which is now effectively over. The data underscores the enormous challenges and immense pressure facing Afghan forces, who have been left to fight the militants with little U.S. support. Thousands of Afghan troops are killed annually, and those numbers are on the rise. Others, meanwhile, have abandoned the security forces, cutting deals with the Taliban, surrendering their weapons and allowing a growing number of districts to fall under insurgent control. Afghan military fatalities “have shown an upward trend, especially during the month of June,” U.S. Forces-Afghanistan told the inspector general, according to the new report, which notes, too, that the Taliban’s aggressive push to retake lost territory continues.”

NPR: Waiting For U.S. Visas, Afghan Interpreters Fear The Taliban

“Fida started working with U.S. Special Forces in 2006. In the following decade, the Afghan interpreter worked for USAID, U.S. Marines and finally the U.S. State Department. When he spoke to NPR back in 2018, Fida asked to only be identified by his first name for security reasons. “I am proud to have worked with such wonderful people,” he said of the Americans he met over the years, “And they stand by me.” But that did not seem to translate into Fida receiving the U.S. visa he'd been promised in exchange for risking his life alongside American forces. His application for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) was rejected several times. He was getting death threats from the Taliban, and he was worried. Fida wouldn't criticize the U.S. himself, but he said he was hearing more and more Afghans critical of American promises. “In the future, people will think that, no, they broke the promises to a lot of interpreters who were shoulder-to-shoulder with them and who saved American lives,” he said. Finally, a U.S.-based group, the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), took on his case. Last December, after several appeals, Fida and his family were cleared to immigrate to the US. Weeks later, he was murdered by Taliban gunmen, in front of his 10-year-old son.”

Saudi Arabia

Asharq Al-Awsat: Saudi Arabia Executes ISIS Member In Jazan

“The Saudi Interior Ministry announced on Thursday that it had carried out the death penalty against a member of the ISIS terror group in Jazan city. In a statement, it identified the individual as Saudi national Mohammed bin Ibrahim bin Ali al-Rifai. It said he had adopted takfiri ideology, which violates Islamic values. He had consequently declared his allegiance to ISIS and its terrorist practices and sought to fulfill the group’s agenda. He had at one point attacked a bank in Jazan city, opening fire at the people inside, leaving two dead and two wounded. Others were held hostage at the scene. The perpetrator resisted arrest and opened fire at the security forces. He was eventually arrested and charged. He was referred to the specialized court where he was convicted and sentenced to death. The Interior Ministry underscored the government’s keenness on consolidating security and pursuing justice against everyone who violates the country’s security and stability and commits terrorist acts.”

Lebanon

The Jerusalem Post: Constrain Hezbollah Before It Drags Region Into War, Erdan Tells UNSC

“Hezbollah could spark a regional war unless the United Nations Security Council empowers its peacekeeper mission to fully monitor the terror group's movements so its activity can be constrained, Israel Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan said on Wednesday. “If not, Hezbollah may drag the entire region into a war that would only bring great destruction on Lebanon,” Erdan told the UNSC at its monthly meeting on the Middle East. He urged the Security Council to increase the powers granted to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, tasked with monitoring violations to the ceasefire – codified under UNSC Resolution 1701 – which ended the 2006 second Lebanese war. UNIFIL has operated along the Lebanese-Israeli border since 1978 and has a mandate that is renewed on an annual basis. The UNSC is expected to vote on that mandate next month. “This council must take the opportunity of the renewal of UNIFIL’s mandate next month to rein in Hezbollah’s terror activity in southern Lebanon by assuring that UNIFIL has the tools, authority and resolve to fulfill its mandate,” Erdan told the UNSC.”

Middle East

The Times Of Israel: Hamas Warns Terror Groups May Resume Rocket Fire Unless Qatari Funds Enter Gaza

“Hamas will escalate the situation on the border if Israel does not allow the passage of Qatari funds into the Gaza Strip by the end of this week, sources in the terror group told a Lebanese newspaper on Thursday. The sources from Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, told the Al Akhbar newspaper that if there are no changes to the current situation regarding the entry of money and goods to the enclave, it may push some Gaza terror factions to launch rockets at southern Israel. In June, a similar threat was conveyed via the Lebanese paper, which apparently resulted in the resumption of incendiary balloon attacks. With Israel’s approval, Qatar has in recent years distributed hundreds of millions of dollars in cash to enable Gaza’s Hamas rulers to pay for fuel for the Strip’s power plant, pay civil servants’ salaries, and provide aid to tens of thousands of impoverished families. An official familiar with the negotiations told The Times of Israel this month that Israel had notified Egyptian mediators that it will no longer allow the entrance of unmonitored Qatari cash into the Strip, as had previously been done.”

Libya

The New York Times: Qaddafi’s Son Is Alive. And He Wants To Take Libya Back.

“Ten years ago, near the remote Libyan desert town of Awbari, a band of armed rebels ambushed a small convoy that was fleeing south toward Niger. The gunmen stopped the cars and found a youngish bald man with bandages covering his right hand. They saw a face that had been ubiquitous on Libyan state television: Seif al-Islam el-Qaddafi, the second son of the country’s notorious dictator and one of the rebels’ chief targets. Until the Libyan uprising began, in February 2011, Seif was widely seen in the West as the country’s best hope for incremental reform. With his clean-cut good looks, rimless glasses and impeccable English, he seemed utterly different from his flamboyant, erratic father. Seif had studied at the London School of Economics and spoke the language of democracy and human rights. He cultivated respected political scientists and lectured young Libyans on civics. Some of his Western friends even spoke of him as Libya’s potential savior. But when the revolution came, Seif enthusiastically joined the Qaddafi regime’s brutal crackdown. The rebels who triumphed nine months later might easily have rewarded him with a summary execution, as they did his father and other high-ranking officials.”

Nigeria

Reuters: Proposed U.S. Arms Sale To Nigeria On 'Hold' Over Human Rights Concerns -Sources

“U.S. lawmakers have put on hold a proposal to sell almost $1 billion of weapons to Nigeria over concerns about possible human rights abuses by the government, three sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The proposed sale of 12 AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters made by Bell (TXT.N) and related equipment worth $875 million is being delayed in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and in the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, the sources told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. Foreign Policy reported this week that the State Department had informally notified Congress of the proposed sale but that it was frozen in the Senate committee. The package includes the helicopters, spare engines, navigation systems and 2,000 precision-guided munitions, it said. The hold could have an impact on Nigeria's efforts to seek support to fight Islamic State-allied group Boko Haram in the northeast and armed bandits in the northwest of the country. However, the hold may not hinder Nigerian military capabilities on some missions. A U.S. government official said Nigeria recently took delivery of Embraer-made (EMBR3.SA) A-29 Super Tucanos, a slow-flying plane that can provide close air support to infantry much like a helicopter.”

Daily Post Nigeria: Boko Haram: Nigerian Troops Kill 42 Terrorists, Bandits – DHQ

“Nigerian troops have eliminated 42 terrorists and bandits, arrested 41 and rescued 93 kidnapped victims in the Northeast, Northwest and North Central theatres of operation in the last two weeks, Defence Headquarters says. The Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Brig.-Gen. Bernard Onyeuko, announced this while giving updates on the military operations across the country on Thursday in Abuja. Onyeuko said troops of Operation Hadin Kai, had eliminated 16 Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists and arrested 29 as well as rescued 40 civilians in the Northeast within the period. He said the successes were achieved through several land and air operations which include robust clearance, ambush and road piquet operations as well as comprehensive air patrol within the theatre. “Cumulatively, the operations led to the neutralisation of 16 BHT/ISWAPs as well as the arrest of 29 of them, while 40 civilians were rescued. “BHT and their families, five female adults and 12 children were arrested at FOB Mayanti and Darajamel on July 15. “Troops also recovered one General Purpose Machine Gun, four AK-47 rifles, 50 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition and one belt containing 296 rounds of 7.62 mm NATO ammunition, accessories for making IED among other items,’’ he said.”

Africa

Voice Of America: 19 Civilians Die In New Attack In Niger

“A fresh attack in western Niger near the border with volatile Mali has left 19 civilians dead, the government said Thursday. The attack took place Wednesday in the village of Deye Koukou in the Banibangou area, where 14 civilians were killed Sunday, it said. Three others were wounded and one was missing. A local official earlier told AFP that 18 people had been killed in the raid. The latest attack takes to 33 the number of civilians killed in the region in less than a week. Banibangou falls inside what is known as the three-borders region between Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, which for years has been the scene of bloody attacks by jihadist groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. In mid-March, an attack by suspected jihadists in the same district targeting a village market left 66 people dead. And on June 24, attacks on villages in Tondikiwindi, in a neighboring district, killed 19 people. Despite repeated efforts by the authorities to secure the region, the deadly attacks have continued, often carried out by gunmen on motorbikes who flee across the border into Mali after their raids. A contingent of 1,200 Chadian soldiers is deployed in the three-borders region as part of a multinational force put together by the G-5 Sahel group, which included Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.”

Voice Of America: Zimbabwe To Deploy At Least 300 Soldiers In Mozambique To Train Battalion To Fight Islamic State Insurgents

“Zimbabwe is planning to send more than 300 soldiers to Mozambique to train a battalion, which will fight against an Islamic State-linked insurgency. According to the state-controlled Herald newspaper, Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri told reporters in Harare today that the soldiers will consist of 303 trainers and one specialist officer, who is expected to be based at the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Force Headquarters in the country’s capital city, Maputo. Kashiri is quoted by the newspapers as saying parliament would be informed about the planned deployment of the soldiers in accordance with some provisions of the Constitution of Zimbabwe. Section 214 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe stipulates that “when the Defence Forces are deployed in Zimbabwe to assist in the maintenance of public order or outside Zimbabwe; the President must cause Parliament to be informed, promptly and in appropriate detail, of the reasons for their deployment and where they are deployed in Zimbabwe, the place where they are deployed; where they are deployed outside Zimbabwe, the country in which they are deployed.” Reuters reports that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has authorized the use of 1,495 members of the military to help Mozambique fight the Islamic State-linked insurgency.”

United Kingdom

BBC News: Man Admits Sharing Islamic State Beheading Videos

“A British man who went to Syria to join the Islamic State (IS) group has admitted sharing beheading videos.

Stefan Aristidou, 27, entered guilty pleas to four terrorism offences at the Old Bailey and will be sentenced in September. BBC research reveals he is the 14th person convicted of terror charges out of hundreds who returned from Syria after joining jihadist groups. The research shows only 3% of returnees have been convicted of such offences. Aristidou, from Enfield in north London, travelled to Syria in April 2015 with Kolsoma Begum, whom he had married shortly before. The pair were reported missing by concerned family members. Aristidou, who is of Cypriot origin, is a convert to Islam. The couple spent time living in Raqqa - then the “capital” of Islamic State's self-declared caliphate - and had a baby while living in Syria. They were later arrested crossing into Turkey in April 2017. Both were convicted in a Turkish court in October 2018 of being part of IS. IS militants hold up black jihadist banners in Raqqa on 30 June 2014 They were each sentenced to more than six years in prison, although Kolsoma Begum was convicted in her absence having already been returned to the UK with their child.”

BBC News: Gloucestershire Teenager Sentenced For Far-Right Terrorism Offences

“A teenager who downloaded manuals on how to make bombs and poisons has been sentenced to a 12-month referral order. The 17-year-old from Gloucestershire, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was arrested by counter-terrorism police in December 2019. Far-right symbols such as swastikas were found scratched into a desk in his bedroom, Bristol Youth Court was told. Detailed guides explaining ways of killing someone were also found on his phone. Gloucestershire Police said the boy's electronic devices contained images of him performing Nazi salutes, posing with imitation firearms and memes of mass killers such as Norwegian terrorist Anders Breivik. The boy admitted 11 counts of collecting material of use to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism contrary to section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000. Senior District Judge Paul Goldspring, chief magistrate for England and Wales, sentenced the teenager to a 12-month referral order, which included a programme of rehabilitation. The judge said he felt the boy did not pose a significant risk of serious harm to the public. “It is very important that you take this opportunity to pause and think,” the judge told the boy, saying that if he appeared before him again a custodial sentence was likely.”

Europe

The Jerusalem Post: Fight Against Terrorism: Dangerous ISIS Member Arrested In Greece

“Moroccan security services have ended the hectic career of an Daesh terrorist. The General Directorate of Studies and Documentation (DGED) and the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance were able, thanks to precise information, to arrest, in Athens, the so-called Abou Mohamad Al Fateh, a 28-year-old Moroccan who joined the ranks of Daesh and which was the subject of an international arrest warrant at the initiative of the Moroccan justice system. The concerned is a big name of the terrorist organization in which he held important positions, in particular in what is called special group of operational services, in Dir Ezzour, in Syria. He was also part of the religious police in Riqqa province. Video recording showed him targeting a Syrian soldier with a weapon of war threatening to kill the “enemies of religion », as he said. According to information available to the Moroccan security services, he was planning to carry out terrorist attacks in Morocco. According to information provided by a source familiar with the matter, Abu Mohamad Al Fatah either escaped from the war zones controlled by Daesh in Syria to take refuge in Europe and more specifically in Greece, using a false identity.”