Eye on Extremism - June 18, 2021

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Eye on Extremism - June 18, 2021
By: Counter Extremism Project
Re: info@counterextremism.com

Eye on Extremism - As of June 18, 2021

Reuters: Policeman Killed, More Than 80 Students Abducted In Attack On Nigerian School

“Gunmen killed a police officer and kidnapped at least 80 students and five teachers from a school in the Nigerian state of Kebbi, police, residents and a teacher said. The attack is the third mass kidnapping in three weeks in northwest Nigeria, which have authorities have attributed to armed bandits seeking ransom payments. Usman Aliyu, a teacher at the school, said the gunmen took more than 80 students, most of them girls. “They killed one of the (police officers), broke through the gate and went straight to the students' classes,” he told Reuters. Kebbi State police spokesman Nafiu Abubakar, said the gunmen killed one officer during an exchange and also shot a student, who was receiving medical treatment. Police late on Thursday had not released the number of students missing, and a spokesman for the Kebbi state governor said they were conducting a tally of the missing. The attack took place at a federal government college in the remote town of Birnin Yauri. Abubakar said security forces were searching a nearby forest for the abducted students and teachers. Atiku Aboki, a resident who went to the school shortly after the gunfire stopped, said he saw a scene of panic and confusion as people searched for their children.”

The Portland Press Herald: Bill Nemitz: Neo-Nazis Moving To Northern Maine? Say It Ain’t So

“Here we go again. Another gang of neo-Nazi white supremacists thinks Maine is the next thing to heaven. “I’d recommend anyone in Maine not interested in a white ethnostate to move out of Maine. Because they’re in one,” Chris Pohlhaus, aka “The Hammer,” told me in a text. Pohlhaus, a 34-year-old former Marine from San Antonio, Texas, is a man on a mission: Move to northern Maine with a band of like-minded misanthropes, buy up all the cheap real estate they can find, stock up on guns, set up their own schools and live nastily ever after. And, oh yes, no people of color allowed. It all began back in February, when Pohlhaus, who’s cultivated a high profile in the world of rabid white supremacy by selling Nazi banners for “banner drops” on highway overpasses, opened a chat called “Great Maine Migration” on the instant messaging platform Telegram. Vice News ran a story on the chat Monday after obtaining a transcript of the session from the Counter Extremism Project, which tracks extremist groups and, when possible, gums up their operations. The organization sent me a copy of the chat transcript Wednesday, along with Pohlhaus’s contact information.”

United States

The New York Times: Two More Guantánamo Detainees Are Cleared For Transfer To Other Nations

“Two men who have been held for years without charge at Guantánamo Bay following detention by the C.I.A. have been approved for transfer to other countries, bringing to 11 the number of detainees cleared to be sent elsewhere even as the State Department has yet to name someone to negotiate with other governments to take them. Both of the men, Abdulsalam al-Hela, 53, and Sharqawi Abdu Ali al-Hajj, 47, are Yemeni citizens, and present a particular challenge to the Biden administration as it seeks places to resettle cleared detainees as part of its aim of closing the military operation holding 40 detainees at the U.S. naval station in Cuba. The latest decisions were disclosed on Thursday by the interagency Periodic Review Board. Beyond the 11 detainees who have been approved for transfer, 12 have been charged with war crimes, including a prisoner who pleaded guilty as part of an agreement that will permit his transfer. Now the administration needs to find governments willing to take the detainees who have been cleared to be repatriated or sent to third countries. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken told Congress this month that he was seeking to designate someone to work full time on arranging transfers.”

Defense One: Pentagon Works To Sharpen Definition Of ‘Extremism’

“How do you define extremism? That’s one question the Defense Department is asking itself as it works to implement the first National Strategic for Countering Domestic Terrorism, released by the White House this week. The 32-page strategy document directs the government to increase information sharing among agencies and the private sector, work more closely with community partners to stop recruitment, including via social media, and stop domestic terrorism attacks from happening. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called the strategy “a milestone” in America’s effort to combat “a serious and growing security threat.” “While domestic law enforcement agencies take the lead, the Department of Defense will do our part to support this important strategy,” Austin said in a statement on Tuesday. “That includes maintaining the Department’s robust relationship with federal law enforcement as well as refining our policies to better address this issue within the Department.” The Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol capped a year that saw violence by homegrown terrorists, especially white supremacist, anti-Muslim and far-right anti-government extremists, hit a quarter-century high, according to recent analysis by the Washington Post.”

Syria

Al Monitor: Is Islamic State Rebuilding In Syrian Desert?

“Despite the announcement of the defeat of the Islamic State (IS), and despite the numerous campaigns launched by all parties in Syria against it, the terrorist group still poses a threat. At the field level, it seems IS cells resumed their activities in the Syrian desert, known as Badiya. Military operations have intensified to the point that hardly a day passes without IS carrying out an explosion, ambush, assassination or attack in separate areas of the Badiya, which extends over Raqqa, Hama, Homs, Deir ez-Zor and all the way to Suwayda. These terrorist operations include targeting security and military personnel from the government forces, Iranian militias and Russian forces. Despite the numerous campaigns launched by the various parties in Syria against IS, its power of offense remains unhinged, which indicates that it has regained its ability to make a strong comeback. Local websites reported that the government forces had attended the funeral of three members, including an officer with the rank of captain, who were killed on June 6 by an IS mine as they were riding a vehicle on a dirt road linking the city of al-Sukhna and Athreya in the eastern desert of Homs. On June 3, a brigadier general with the Syrian government army was killed in clashes with IS in al-Sukhna, east of Homs in the Syrian desert.”

Iraq

PBS News Hour: Watch Iraq’s Secretive Counterterrorism Unit Track Down And Extract An ISIS Fighter

“Seven years ago this month the Islamic State declared its caliphate, killing thousands in its years-long reign of terror in Iraq and Syria. The group may have lost its territory, but its fighters still plague Iraq. Special Correspondent Leila Molana-Allen and Videographer Adrian Hartrick provide an exclusive look at the Iraqi counter-terror teams fighting ISIS, and the civilians caught in between. Judy Woodruff: Seven years ago this month, the Islamic State declared its caliphate, and its reign of terror in Iraq and Syria would claim thousands of lives over the ensuing half-decade. The group may have lost its territory in recent years, but its fighters still plague Iraq and its people. Now an exclusive look at the Iraqi counterterrorism teams who are fighting ISIS, and the civilians caught in between. Special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen and videographer Adrian Hartrick report. Leila Molana-Allen: How to track down and extract ISIS insurgents hiding in plain sight. These commandos are training in a simulated village built to look like the areas where many of the Islamic State's fleeing fighters still take refuge years after the ISIS caliphate was destroyed.”

The National: Iraq's Extremists Are Formidable, But They Cannot Undo Its History

“A person who attacks settled beliefs or institutions”. That is the Merriam-Webster dictionary’s definition of an iconoclast. Its Greek root is “eikonoklastes” – literally meaning “image destroyer”. Generally, iconoclasts are often those who are committed to destroying religious imagery in whatever shape it comes, be it statues, stained glass or paintings. Some attack any personification of an idea they reject. The most vicious of extremists are those who attack heritage, identity and social cohesion. Iraq has been a victim of attacks from iconoclasts for years, as competing groups try to shape the cultural identity of the country, and force their dominance on it. The examples are numerous, and most damaging was that of ISIS. When ISIS took over parts of Iraq and Syria over seven years ago, they systematically went about destroying historic relics in Ninewah, Aleppo and beyond. The motivation was threefold: terrorise civilians, claim victory and attempt to destroy a collective identity based on shared memory in order to divide and conquer the society. They followed a long line of terrorists attacking human civilisation. The Taliban attacked the 6th-century Buddhas of Bamiyan in Afghanistan in March 2001, and Al Qaeda attacked the Al Askari shrine in Samara.”

Turkey

France 24: Gunman Attacks Turkey's Pro-Kurdish Party, Killing One

“A gunman stormed a provincial office of Turkey's pro-Kurdish party on Thursday, killing a woman and renewing alarm at the heated rhetoric accompanying government efforts to shut the party down. The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) identified the victim as Deniz Poyraz, a party official in the western province of Izmir where the morning attack occurred. The party's national co-leader said a planned meeting of 40 officials at the office had been called off for unrelated reasons moments before the attack. “The plan here was clear,” HDP co-leader Mithat Sancar told reporters. “What they wanted was a massacre.” The HDP is the Turkish parliament's third-largest party, supporting liberal causes and espousing leftist economic views. But President Recep Tayyip Erdogan views it as the political front of outlawed Kurdish militants who have been waging a decades-long insurgency that has claimed tens of thousands lives. Erdogan frequently makes fiery speeches denouncing the party, which has seen scores of its members detained. The government's attempt to use the courts to disband it has drawn sharp rebukes in Europe and the United States. The HDP said the rhetoric coming from Erdogan's ruling party was the “instigator of this brutal attack.”

Afghanistan

The New York Times: Elite Afghan Forces Suffer Horrific Casualties As Taliban Advance

“At least 24 Afghan commandos and five police officers were killed after they were surrounded by the Taliban in northern Afghanistan on Wednesday, according to local and Afghan military officials. It was a profound blow to the elite force at a time when such troops often serve as the only units keeping the insurgents from capturing more territory. The vicious battle took place in the early morning hours in a key district of Faryab Province. The Taliban seized Dawlat Abad district roughly a week ago — one of dozens that have fallen since American and international forces began withdrawing from the country last month. “When the Taliban came to Dawlat Abad, they surrounded the commandos and killed them in less than an hour,” said Mohammad Hakim, a militia commander who escaped the district. What happened in Faryab is playing out in districts across the country, at an alarming rate. Tolo News, a national media outlet in the country, reported fighting in 80 of Afghanistan’s roughly 400 districts in the country Thursday. On Thursday alone, the neighboring district of Shirin Tagab fell after Afghan forces there fought for days and ran out of ammunition, said Sebghatullah Selab, the deputy head of the provincial council in Faryab.”

Reuters: Militant Groups Could Pose Threat To U.S. In Two Years From Afghanistan -Pentagon Leaders

“Top U.S. military leaders said on Thursday that international militant groups like al Qaeda could pose a threat from Afghanistan to the U.S. homeland and American allies in two years. President Joe Biden's decision to withdraw troops completely from Afghanistan by September has raised concerns that the country could erupt in full-scale civil war, providing al Qaeda space in which to rebuild and plan new attacks on U.S. and other targets. “It would take possibly two years for them to develop that capability,” U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said during a congressional hearing. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley said he agreed with the timeline and said there was a medium risk at the moment. “If there was a collapse of the government, or a dissolution of the Afghan security forces, that risk would obviously increase,” Milley said. The comments are some of clearest signs of concern in the military and intelligence community about the threat militant groups could pose from Afghanistan and the risks of a complete withdrawal. A United Nations report in January said there were as many as 500 al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan and that the Taliban maintained a close relationship with the Islamist extremist group.”

Pakistan

Associated Press: Militants Kill Soldier Near Airport In Southwestern Pakistan

“Suspected militants opened fire on troops at a security post near an airport in southwestern Pakistan on Thursday, killing a soldier before fleeing the scene, the military said. The attack happened in the Turbat district in Baluchistan province, a military statement said. Security forces have launched a search operation in the region to trace and arrest the attackers, it added. The slain soldier was identified as Aqeel Abbas. No group immediately claimed responsibility but previous such attacks have been blamed on small separatist groups that have been carrying out a long-running insurgency demanding independence from the central government in Islamabad. The Pakistani Taliban and the Islamic State group also have a presence in Baluchistan. Although Pakistan’s military says it has quelled insurgency, isolated attacks hon troops ave continued.”

Middle East

The New York Times: Israel Strikes Gaza Again, After Militants Set Fires In Israel

“Israeli airstrikes hit several sites in Gaza on Thursday night for the second time in three days, after Palestinian militants sent incendiary balloons into farmland in southern Israel for the third day in a row. There were no reported casualties in either Israel or Gaza, but the exchange raised the specter of a return to full-scale conflict for the first time since an 11-day air war ended nearly a month ago. The Israeli Army said it had targeted military compounds and a rocket launching site near Gaza City and Khan Younis, two of the biggest cities in the strip, shortly before midnight on Thursday. A Hamas-linked media outlet in Gaza reported hits on sites near Gaza City and Khan Younis, as well as in Jabalia, a town in the north of the strip. About an hour later, early on Friday morning, sirens sounded in areas of southern Israel close to Gaza, a warning that the Israeli military said was prompted by gunfire from militants in Gaza, not rockets, which might have led to an even more forceful Israeli response. The Israeli airstrikes followed attempts by militants in Gaza to set fires in Israeli farmland surrounding the strip. Militants sent balloons over the perimeter fence that were attached to incendiary devices. Eight fires were reported on Thursday, in addition to scores earlier in the week.”

Arab News: Arab Experts Discuss Media Handling Of Extremism And Terrorist Acts

“Representatives from a variety of media sectors met on Thursday to draft a code of conduct for the media’s handling of terrorist incidents and to formulate a strategy for the reporting of issues related to extremism and terrorism. The meeting — held at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers in Tunisia — was attended by members of information ministries and heads of the security media agencies of interior ministries from across the Arab world, as well as representatives from the Arab League, the Arab Radio and Broadcasting Union, Naif Arab University for Security Sciences, and the Saudi Broadcasting Authority. In his opening speech, Khalid Hilal Al-Maamari, the assistant secretary-general of the Arab Interior Ministers’ Council, said the meeting highlighted the importance of the media and its role in security awareness and crime prevention. He also stressed the need to establish an effective partnership between the media arms of the security services and the news media to ensure unified efforts to protect Arab countries from any possible threats, not only in terms of security, but also at cultural, social, health and economic levels.”

Nigeria

Sahara Reporters: Nigerian Soldiers Arrest Suspected Chadian Terrorist And Kidnap Kingpin, Eliminate Others

“The Defence Headquarters on Thursday said troops of Operation Hadin Kai have arrested one Mohammed Maki, who claims to be a Chadian, coordinating a kidnapping syndicate and terrorist groups in the north-eastern part of Nigeria. The Acting Director, Defence Media Operation, Brig.-Gen. Bernard Onyeuko disclosed this while briefing newsmen on military operations across the country between June 3 and June 16 on Thursday in Abuja. Onyeuko said the troops conducted several raids, extensive airstrikes, responded to distress calls as well as repelled and thwarted terrorist attacks in the region during the period. He said the Air Task Force conducted airstrikes executed within Damboa on June 3, dislodging several terrorists and inflicted significant damages on their logistics facilities. According to him, troops also repelled terrorist attacks on the town on the same day, where several fighters of the ISWAP sect, including one of their commanders named Umar Tela, were neutralised. “Other locations where troops recorded significant results are Gujba in Yobe, Magumeri in Borno, and Mubi in Adamawa. Troops conducted raid operations on terrorist hideouts on June 4 and June 5. “In the course of these operations within the period under review, several terrorists were neutralised, while some escaped with gunshot wounds.”

Mali

The North Africa Post: Leader Of The Islamic State Of The Great Sahara Captured In Northern Mali

“A man described as a “high-ranking fighter of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara” (EIGS) has been captured by French forces in Mali, in a joint Nigerien-French operation against the group’s militants. Dadi Ould Chouaib, also known as Abou Dardar, was arrested on June 11 in the flashpoint “tri-border” region between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, the site of frequent attacks by extremist groups, the French military said in a statement released on Wednesday. He was located during a helicopter sweep as part of a joint mission between troops from France’s Barkhane anti-jihadist force and Nigerien forces. Niger’s army said in a statement late Wednesday that the joint operation, launched June 8, had led to a clash Tuesday with “armed terrorists” that left a Nigerien dead and “12 terrorists neutralized.” The fighting took place in Arabane, near Ménaka, Mali, in the Three Borders area. Several actions have been carried out in this area in recent days, leading to the arrest of several executives of the Islamic State group. One Nigerien soldier was killed, another wounded, and two French soldiers from the Barkhane force were also wounded in this operation, according to details provided by the French military.”

United Kingdom

ABC News: Inquiry Slams Security Faults Before Manchester Arena Attack

“A public inquiry into a mass attack at a 2017 Ariana Grande concert in northwest England concluded Thursday that “serious shortcomings” by venue operators, security staff and police helped a suicide bomber who killed 22 people carry out his “evil intentions.” Retired judge John Saunders, who is leading the ongoing inquiry, said Salman Abedi should have been identified as a threat by those in charge of security at Manchester Arena “and a disruptive intervention undertaken.” “Had that occurred, I consider it likely that Salman Abedi would still have detonated his device, but the loss of life and injury is highly likely to have been less,” Saunders said. Abedi, 22, set off a knapsack bomb in the arena’s foyer at the end of the May 22, 2017 concert, as fans — including thousands of children and young people — were leaving the pop star’s show. He died in the explosion. His younger brother Hashem Abedi was convicted last year of helping plan and carry out the attack. Saunders recounted missed opportunities to stop Abedi, citing failures by arena operator SMG, security company Showsec and British Transport Police, the agency responsible for patrolling the area in the city of Manchester. He said authorities showed a reluctance to believe an attack could happen, even though Britain and other European countries had experienced multiple deadly attacks in the previous months and years.”

BBC News: Man And Woman Appear In Court In Edinburgh On Terror Charges

“A man and a woman have appeared in court in Edinburgh on terrorism charges. Nikolaos Karvounakis, 35, and Artemis Parissi, 32, were detained in an investigation into the discovery of a suspicious object in a city centre park. They were charged under terrorism and explosive substances legislation. Both were remanded in custody following a short private appearance at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday. Karvounakis and Artemis, who both live in the city, entered no plea to allegations that they breached section 57 (1) of the Terrorism Act 2000. The legislation states that a person has committed “an offence if he possesses an article in circumstances which give rise to a reasonable suspicion that his possession is for a purpose connected with the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism.” They also entered no plea to a charge of section 3 of the 1883 Explosive Substances Act. This legislation states that it is an offence for anybody to use an “explosive substance to cause an explosion likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to property, whether or not any explosion actually takes place. The pair also entered no plea to an allegation of breach of the peace.”

Technology

EU Reporter: When It Comes To Online Extremism, Big Tech Is Still Our Main Problem

“Over the past two months, lawmakers in the UK and Europe have introduced a number of major new bills aimed at curbing the malicious role that Big Tech plays in the spread of extremist and terrorist content online, writes Counter Extremism Executive Director Project David Ibsen. In this new legislative climate, social media giants such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, who for years have been complacent, if not deliberately negligent, in policing their platforms, are finally beginning to come under pressure. Unsurprisingly, their belated efforts to appease governments through self-regulatory initiatives such as Digital Trust and Safety Partnership are already giving way to a search for scapegoats. Lately, Big Tech advocates have begun to promote the idea that extremist and terrorist content online remains an issue solely for smaller social media sites and alternative encrypted platforms. While tackling extremism and terrorism on smaller and alternative sites is certainly worth getting ahead of, the overall narrative here is more than a little convenient for Silicon Valley and flawed in a number of crucial respects.”