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Old 02-18-2020, 07:52 AM
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Arrow Eye on Extremism - February 18, 2020

Eye on Extremism - February 18, 2020
By: Counter Extremism Project
RE: info@counterextremism.com

As of February 18, 2020:

NBC News: Rocket Attack Strikes Near U.S. Embassy In Iraq

“A rocket attack struck near the U.S. Embassy in Iraq early Sunday, a U.S. military and Iraqi officials have confirmed. “The attack did not injure any personnel, and the coalition remains committed to supporting the government of Iraq to defeat ISIS remits,” Col. Myles Caggins, a spokesman for the U.S. military operation in Iraq, told NBC News. He added that they were not able to identify who was behind the attack, and the incident remains under investigation. Three Iraqi security officials told the Associated Press that two of the rockets fell inside the U.S. Embassy compound, while another hit near the coalition base. The Iraqi officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Washington has blamed Iran-backed paramilitary groups for increasingly regular rocketing and shelling of bases hosting U.S. forces in Iraq and of the area around the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. An attack last month hit the U.S. Embassy compound itself, and a rocket attack on a military base in the north in December killed a U.S. civilian contractor. No one has claimed responsibility for Sunday's attack, but the U.S. has accused Iran of being behind previous attacks on U.S. troops and facilities in Iraq.”

Reuters: Pakistan Confirms Escape Of Taliban Leader Who Justified Malala Shooting

“A high-profile local Taliban figure who announced and justified the 2012 attack on teenage Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai has escaped detention, Pakistan’s interior minister confirmed a few days after the militant announced his breakout on social media. Former Pakistani Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan, who claimed responsibility on behalf of his group for scores of Taliban attacks, proclaimed his escape on Twitter and then in an audio message sent to Pakistani media earlier this month. The Pakistani military, which had kept Ehsan in detention for three years, has declined to comment but, asked by reporters about the report, Interior Minister Ijaz Shah, said: “That is correct, that is correct.” Shah, a retired brigadier general, added that “you will hear good news” in response to questions about whether there had been progress in hunting down Ehsan. Ehsan later told a Reuters reporter by telephone that he had already left Pakistan and arrived in Turkey together with his wife and children. He said he had surrendered to the army under a deal, and escaped only after the agreement was not honored.”

Vice: Mark Zuckerberg Is Literally Begging Europe To Regulate Facebook: ‘It Will Be Better For Everyone’

”Zuckerberg failed to deliver on his numerous pledges to address extremism on his platform, especially in the wake of the Christchurch massacre being streamed live on Facebook,” David Ibsen, the executive director of the Counter Extremism Project, told VICE News in an emailed statement. In the wake of the mosque shooting in New Zealand, Facebook signed up for an agreement, called the Christchurch Call to Action, promising to work more closely with governments to eradicate extremist content from its platform. But terror groups continue to exploit Facebook for online radicalization. “Facebook is still hosting extremist content while attacks linked to online radicalization continue to occur. It is unacceptable that instead of taking responsibility for the terrorist material thriving on the platform, Zuckerberg is trying to thwart the EU authorities’ efforts to ensure a safer online environment for Europeans. We appeal to European decision-makers not to place the appeals of American tech oligarchs over the safety of European citizens.”

United States

NBC News: Trump Pushed CIA To Find, Kill Osama Bin Laden's Son Over Higher Priority Targets

“When intelligence officials briefed President Donald Trump on the most worrisome terrorist threats during the first two years of his tenure, they regularly mentioned the names of the senior terrorist figures the CIA was working hardest to find and kill, including the leader of al Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahri. Trump would ultimately greenlight successful strikes on ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Yemeni al Qaeda chief Qasim al-Rimi — perhaps the most significant names on the CIA list of potential U.S. targets. But he was more interested in a young and less influential figure much farther down the list, according to two people familiar with the briefings, because he recognized the name. “He would say, 'I've never heard of any of these people. What about Hamza bin Laden?'“ one former official said. “That was the only name he knew,” a Pentagon official added. Although Osama bin Laden's youngest son was not believed to be planning attacks, the U.S. ultimately carried out an airstrike that killed him in 2018, according to current and former officials familiar with the matter. At first, officials weren't sure of his fate, but in July, NBC News was the first to report that U.S. officials believed he was dead.”

Syria

Reuters: Syrian Forces Consolidate Control Of Aleppo, Air Strikes Under Way

“The Syrian army said on Monday it had taken full control of dozens of towns in Aleppo’s northwestern countryside and it would press on with its campaign to wipe out militant groups “wherever they are found”. The advances were made after President Bashar al-Assad’s forces drove insurgents from the M5 highway linking Aleppo to Damascus, reopening the fastest route between Syria’s two biggest cities for the first time in years in a big strategic gain for Assad. Assad said on Monday his forces’ rapid recent gains presaged the eventual defeat of the nine-year insurgency that sought to oust him from power. But in an appearance televised by state media, he also cautioned that the conflict was not yet over. “We know this liberation does not mean the end of the war or the crushing of all plots or the end of terror or the surrender of the enemy, but it definitely rubs their noses in the dirt,” Assad said. “This is a prelude to their (opposition forces’) final defeat, sooner or later.” Backed by heavy Russian air strikes and aided by pro-Iranian militias, government forces have intensified since the start of the year their campaign to recapture the Aleppo countryside and parts of neighboring Idlib province in the far northwest of Syria where anti-Assad insurgents hold their last strongholds.”

Al Monitor: Raqqa Seeks To Repair What IS Ruined

“Since the city of Raqqa was freed from the Islamic State (IS) in October 2017, the Religious Affairs Foundation in Raqqa held its first Islamic forum in the city. The conference — titled, “The eternal message of Islam: concepts and challenges” — attracted 140 representatives of religious institutions from the various northern and eastern parts of Syria, members of the Raqqa Civil Council, Raqqa tribal elders, representatives of the Syrian Democratic Forces and officials at the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (Rojava). On the first day of the event, on Feb. 1, Sheikh Anas al-Hamad, a member of the Religious Affairs Foundation, said that the forum’s goal is to rectify the religious path of Islam that IS in Raqqa misinterpreted, to counter IS extremist ideas that mushroomed among some of the youth segments that were influenced by IS ideology, to turn the mosques into places to disseminate peace and charity, and grant the rights that IS denied to women and advance their status.”

The Sydney Morning Herald: Police Raids As Families Of Islamic State Still Stuck In Freezing Syrian Camp

“Police have raided homes in Sydney and Melbourne in an attempt to gather evidence against some of the 67 family members of Islamic State fighters living in a Syrian refugee camp. The Australian Federal Police has stepped up investigations into the Australians trapped in the al-Hawl camp amid concerns some of them may try to flee and make their way home as conditions deteriorate in the camp. The AFP raided properties in Melbourne on January 30, and in Sydney on February 5, which federal government sources confirmed were connected to its investigation into the wives of slain or imprisoned Australian Islamic State fighters. The government insists it has no plans to rescue the Australians because the conditions in Syria are too dangerous and many of the women and families pose an ongoing security risk. But security agencies are preparing for the possibility that some or all of the 20 women and 47 children might find their way home. This could involve paying people smugglers to get them out of northern Syria and to an Australian embassy, according to government sources. The government is also alive to the possibility of Kurdish authorities closing the camp if the security situation in northern Syria deteriorates even further in coming months.”

Iraq

The Washington Post: Killing Of ISIS Leader Has Not Hurt Group’s Operations, Says Iraqi Kurdish Prime Minister

“Iraqi Kurdistan's prime minister says the U.S. killing of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has not affected the extremist group's ability to operate and is warning that the militants are resurgent. Masrour Barzani, also the region’s security chief, said that the organization is “regrouping” and mounting attacks in northern and western Iraq. He spoke Saturday to The Washington Post on the sidelines of a security summit in the southern German city of Munich, where he said he had reiterated Kurdish concerns to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo when they met a day earlier. “His killing has not weakened the ability of ISIS to operate,” Barzani said, using an acronym for the militant group, pointing to the ability of local cells to operate independently of the central leadership. “They have not stopped recruiting more people, they have not stopped attacking,” he added. Barzani’s warnings come against the background of his government’s efforts to urge the United States to find a way to maintain a troop presence in Iraq, amid political backlash in Baghdad over the Trump administration’s targeted killing of top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani on Iraqi soil last month. Soleimani’s slaying — which was precipitated by the death of an American contractor in an attack on an Iraqi military base hosting U.S. troops — escalated tensions in the region.”

Turkey

The New York Times: Turkey Says Two Killed In Car Bomb Attack Near Syria Border

“A car bomb attack by the Kurdish YPG militia killed two people and wounded five on Sunday in the northeastern Syrian town of Tel Abyad, near the Turkish border, the Turkish Defence Ministry said in a statement. The Arab town, from which Turkish-backed forces last October pushed out the YPG militia in a major campaign spearheaded by the Turkish army, has seen a series of car blasts that have killed dozens of civilians. “The perpetrator was captured alive along with another terrorist who came to the area with a bomb-rigged vehicle for a second attack,” the ministry said. Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency said earlier, citing security sources, that four civilians were killed in the attack. Turkey views the YPG as a terrorist organization linked to Kurdish insurgents on its own soil. The group was not immediately available for comment. Syrian Arab rebels accused the YPG of carrying out the blasts, which they say seek to sow fear in areas where Turkey has carved a sphere of influence with the help of Syrian Arab rebels it backs and arms.”

Afghanistan

The Washington Post: Esper Says Taliban Deal Is Promising But Not Without Risk

“U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Saturday that a truce agreement between the United States and the Taliban that could lead to the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan is not without risk but “looks very promising.” Ahead of a formal announcement of the seven-day “reduction in violence” deal, Esper said it was time to give peace a chance in Afghanistan through a political negotiation. He spoke a day after a senior U.S. official said the deal had been concluded and would take effect very soon. Expectations are that agreement will be formally announced on Sunday and that the reduction in violence will begin on Monday, according to people familiar with the plan. “So we have on the table right now a reduction in violence proposal that was negotiated between our ambassador and the Taliban,” Esper told an audience at the Munich Security Conference. “It looks very promising.” “It’s my view as well that we have to give peace a chance, that the best if not the only way forward in Afghanistan is through a political agreement and that means taking some risk,” he said. “That means enabling our diplomats and that means working together with our partners and allies on the ground to affect such a thing.”

The New York Times: As Afghan Soldier Kills 2 Americans, Peace Talks Forge Ahead

“President Trump stood in a misty drizzle at Dover Air Force Base as the remains of America’s latest two casualties in the long war in Afghanistan arrived home. The somber silence was shattered by anguished cries from the young widow of Sgt. First Class Javier J. Gutierrez, who sprinted toward the plane as the metal cases holding her husband’s body and that of Sgt. First Class Antonio R. Rodriguez were being pulled out. “No!” she screamed, calling out his name over and over. Just hours before that brief ceremony on Feb. 10, President Trump had made a momentous decision, giving his diplomats a green light for a peace deal with the Taliban that would lead to an American troop withdrawal and, possibly, the beginning of the end of the United States’ longest war. This was once called “the good war,” “the war of necessity.” When American soldiers invaded Afghanistan in 2001 — driven by the Sept. 11 Qaeda attacks on American soil — and toppled the Taliban’s oppressive government, they were welcomed by large parts of Afghan society. But since then, the war has become a bleeding stalemate in which even some Afghan soldiers turn their guns on American service members, viewing them as invaders instead of partners.”

Reuters: No Let Up In Taliban Attacks, Fresh Orders Awaited Over Deal With U.S.

“Taliban fighters attacked Afghan government forces overnight, and militant commanders said on Monday insurgency operations would go-ahead until they receive fresh instructions based on a deal with the United States to reduce violence in the country. Last week, a senior U.S. administration official said negotiations with Taliban representatives in Qatar had resulted in and agreement in principle for a week-long reduction of violence, but the seven-day period had not commenced. The official said the agreement covered all Afghan forces, and would be closely monitored. “Our leadership hasn’t conveyed any message about a ceasefire to us,” a Taliban commander in Helmand, a southern province that has seen some of the fiercest fighting. Commanders in Paktika and Nangarhar - two other provinces regarded as strongholds for the Taliban – also said they would continue their attacks as planned. On Sunday night, Taliban fighters attacked Afghan government forces manning a checkpoint in the northern province of Kunduz. According to a statement by Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid, they killed 19 security personnel.”

Pakistan

The New York Times: Suicide Bomber In SW Pakistan Kills 8 At Islamist Rally

“A powerful suicide bombing killed eight people and wounded 16 others in Pakistan's restive Baluchistan province on Monday, local police said, when it struck an Islamist rally in the regional capital. Police said the blast went off near Quetta's press club, where dozens of supporters for a Sunni militant group had gathered outside. They added that police officers were among those killed. Hospital officials say some of the wounded persons were listed in critical condition. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing. Baluch separatist groups, as well as rival Shiite and Sunni militants, operate in the province and have staged similar attacks before. City police chief Abur Razza Cheema said dozens of followers of the radical Ahle Sunnat Wal Jammat party were rallying to pay tribute to Islam’s first caliph when the bomber blew himself up there. Footage on social media appeared to show the explosion ripping through the local bazaar, sending people running for shelter. The bombing destroyed some nearby shops and vehicles, police said. The impoverished province of Baluchistan has long been the scene of a low-level insurgency by armed groups demanding more autonomy for the region and a greater share in gas and mineral resources there.”

Yemen

The Guardian: Yemen Airstrikes Kill 31 Civilians After Saudi Jet Crash

“Thirty-one people were killed in air strikes on Yemen on Saturday, the United Nations says, the victims of an apparent Saudi-led retaliation after Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed to have shot down one of Riyadh’s jets. The Tornado aircraft came down on Friday in northern Al-Jawf province during an operation to support government forces, a rare shooting down that prompted operations in the area by a Saudi-led military coalition fighting the rebels.The deadly violence follows an upsurge in fighting in northern Yemen between the warring parties that threatens to worsen the war-battered country’s humanitarian crisis. “Preliminary field reports indicate that on 15 February as many as 31 civilians were killed and 12 others injured in strikes that hit Al-Hayjah area ... in Al-Jawf governorate,” the office of the UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen said in a statement. Lise Grande, the UN coordinator, denounced the “terrible strikes”. “Under international humanitarian law, parties which resort to force are obligated to protect civilians,” she said. “Five years into this conflict and belligerents are still failing to uphold this responsibility. It’s shocking.”

Lebanon

Reuters: Crisis Puts Lebanon's Survival At Stake, Hezbollah Warns

“Lebanon may not survive if its new government fails, the powerful Hezbollah warned on Sunday, urging the country’s divided politicians not to obstruct the cabinet as it seeks to address an unprecedented economic and financial crisis. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah also said there was no point in politicians trading blame over the causes of the crisis, after former prime minister Saad al-Hariri on Friday accused his rivals of pushing the country to near-collapse. Banks are curtailing access to deposits, the Lebanese pound has slumped, inflation has spiked and firms are shedding jobs and slashing wages in a financial crisis. Hariri resigned last year amid mass demonstrations against the ruling class. Hezbollah, heavily armed and backed by Iran, is one of the main backers of Prime Minister Hassan Diab’s cabinet which was formed last month after the failure of efforts to establish a new national unity cabinet led by Hariri. Supporting the government was a “national duty”, Nasrallah said. “This is not a party matter. If this government fails, it is not known whether a country will remain for someone to ride in on a white horse and form a new government.”

Nigeria

CNN: Caught Between Roadblocks, They Were Sitting Ducks For Boko Haram Massacre

“Fatima Babagana hoped to become a top broadcaster in Nigeria. The 19-year-old had started a political science degree after a diploma in mass communications. She told everyone she was passionate about becoming a journalist. Her dreams came to an abrupt end on Sunday night in Nigeria's insurgency-hit Borno State. The University of Maiduguri student was one of at least 30 people killed when militants set fire on stranded travelers caught in a roadblock in the remote village of Auno village. Most of them were asleep in their vehicles at the checkpoint when the attackers ambushed them, according to Babagana's uncle. Babagana had hitched a ride from Maiduguri with her uncle and his friend on Sunday. Her uncle told CNN that he was going to drop her off at Potiskum during his journey to another state, where she was planning to visit a relative. CNN is not reporting the uncle's name because of his fear of retribution from Boko Haram and the military. But soldiers at a roadblock in Benisheikh town -- around 45 miles west of Borno State capital Maiduguri -- ordered them to go back for their safety. The officers warned they could be ambushed by Boko Haram, said Babagana's uncle, who drove the car.”

The Hill: A Militant Group You May Not Know Kills Hundreds Of Christians Every Year

“The recent news reports about Christian persecution coming out of Nigeria are horrifying. A day after Christmas, extremists who identified themselves as part of ISIS murdered 11 Christians in Nigeria. A few weeks into the new year, on Jan. 19, the Islamic State of West Africa released a video of a child — who looked to be around 10 years old — executing a Christian man in Borno, Nigeria. A few days later, on Jan. 22, a Nigerian pastor, the Rev. Lawan Andimi, was beheaded by Boko Haram’s militants. Andimi had made international news for turning a hostage video into a testimonial about his faith in Jesus. “By the grace of God, I will be together with my wife, my children, and my colleagues,” Andimi said. His murder triggered protests in 28 of Nigeria’s 36 states, drawing an estimated 5 million people to denounce violence against Christians. While the world has been consumed by news about Iran, China and conflicts in other regions, Nigeria’s militant and extremist groups have waged a campaign of death and devastation against Christians. Persecution-monitoring groups such as Open Doors and U.K.-based Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust estimate that more than 7,000 Nigerian Christians have been killed for their faith in the past five years. The brazen, bloody attacks by Boko Haram and ISIS-affiliated militants tragically have made these groups into household names.”

Sahara Reporters: Boko Haram Terrorists Threaten Minister Of Communications, Mock Buhari, Warn BBC, Others

“The Boko Haram sect has released a new video threatening and warning those it considered hindrances to its activities. The sect, through its factional leader, Abubakar Shekau, threatened the Minister of Communication for threatening to block their mobile lines. Shekau, who has been reported dead multiple times, also warned the “BBC, Radio Germany, Radio France International, Dandal Kura, national dailies”, saying his terrorist group is doing the work of Allah. Shekau said, “I am speaking to those who pretend to be good Muslims but they are not. God will judge the hypocrites of Islam who use the platform of religion to achieve their selfish gains. “We don’t judge people until we are sure of what we have seen in them. “This video message is specifically released because of one man, who thinks he has the knowledge and is knowledgeable about religion. Keep this message in your heart until you die if you don’t repent. “From today, you will continue to live in sorrow, because I, Shekau, say so on behalf of Allah, Allah hears us, He is the judge in the hereafter. “This warning is for Isa Ali Panatami; don’t think simply because you preach in English or because you are called a doctor, means you have knowledge of Islam. You know nothing.”

Somalia

All Africa: Somalia: Alarm As Al-Shabaab Infiltrates State Institutions

“Abshir Gaarane Ahmed was a lead singer in a government band in Benadir, the region that covers the capital Mogadishu in Somalia. The public knew him as the man who belted out patriotic songs about his country. His trimmed beard and smooth voice suited a youthful artiste. Then on January 21, the National Intelligence and Security Agency of Somalia (Nisa) paraded him as a terrorist. Side by side, Nisa published videos of him singing about his beloved Somalia as well as a confession: he had worked as an Al-Shabaab “accountant”. Nisa did not indicate for how long he had been Shabaab's financial manager. But it only confirmed stories that emerged from last year that the Somalia-based militant group was planting its agents inside government departments. Those agents, one report by the Voice of America's Somali Service indicated, had used their government postings as a cloak to hide their militant life, gathering information to help the group collect taxes and target its enemies with precision inside Somalia. In Benadir, Governor Abdirahman Omar Osman 'Yarisow' was killed last year in August by a blind female suicide bomber, who had worked in his office as a coordinator for people with disabilities.”

Africa

The New York Times: 31 Reported Dead In Mali, As Attackers Return To Scene Of A Massacre

“At least 31 people were killed on Friday in an attack on a village that was the scene last year of Mali’s worst civilian massacre in recent memory, the government said. A government statement did not say who carried out the early-morning attack on Ogossagou, a village of Fulani herders in central Mali. Last March, men believed to belong to a rival group’s militia killed more than 150 civilians in Ogossagou, an attack that highlighted the rising ethnic and jihadi violence in West Africa’s vast Sahel region. Moulaye Guindo, mayor of the nearby town of Bankass, said the latest assault came less than 24 hours after Malian troops stationed near Ogossagou had left their base. Central Malian residents have criticized the army for failing to protect them against recent violence, which has displaced 200,000 people and left many communities with no local government or means of defense. They have turned to militias for protection against jihadists and rival ethnic groups, though the militias have themselves used their weapons to settle scores. Malian officials have said they suspect that Dan Na Ambassagou, an ethnic Dogon group, carried out last year’s massacre in Ogossagou. The group has denied responsibility.”

Al Jazeera: Dozens Killed In Church Attack In Burkina Faso

“At least 24 people were killed after unidentified gunmen attacked a church in northern Burkina Faso, officials said on Monday, in the latest assault against places of worship in the West African nation. The attack took place on Sunday during a weekly service at a Protestant church in the village of Pansi in Yagha, a volatile province near the border with Niger. A group of “armed terrorists attacked the peaceful local population after having identified them and separated them from non-residents”, Colonel Salfo Kabore, the regional governor, told AFP news agency. “The provisional toll is 24 killed, including the pastor... 18 wounded and individuals who were kidnapped,” he added. A resident of the nearby town of Sebba said Pansi villagers fled there for safety. “It hurt me when I saw the people,” Sihanri Osangola Brigadie, the mayor of Boundore commune, told The Associated Press news agency after visiting victims in the hospital in Dori town, 180km (110 miles) from the attack. The attackers looted oil and rice from shops and forced three youth they kidnapped to help transport it on their motorbikes, he said. Christians and churches have become frequent targets in the north of the country.”

CNN: 14 Children Among Dozens Killed In Cameroon Attack, UN Says

“At least 14 children were among 22 people killed by armed men in the English-speaking region of Cameroon, a UN official said. The UN's James Nunan said the attack happened in Ntumbo, a village in northwestern Cameroon on Friday. Details of the violence emerged Sunday. Nunan told CNN that an unspecified number of residents were injured, including a pregnant woman. He added that at least 600 villagers have since fled the area. Rignyu Solange, who comes from Ntumbo, said nine members of her family were killed when security forces searching for separatists burned many houses in the village. “My sister and her family were killed in their sleep as the military torched houses because they suspected that separatist fighters were hiding in the village. I want the perpetrators of this act to be severely punished,” Solange told CNN. The death toll from Friday's attack has risen to 32, Cameroonian activist and human rights lawyer Felix Agbor Nkongho from the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy told CNN on Monday. “The military officers responsible for these heinous crimes must be brought to justice,” he said.”

Financial Times: We Want To Finish This Conflict’: Mali Is Ready To Talk Peace With Jihadis

“Sara fled Sobane Da, her village in central Mali, eight months ago when jihadis arrived on motorbikes carrying torches and Kalashnikovs. They set alight the traditional mud-and-thatch justice hall of the Dogon people before killing 35 villagers, including Sara’s sister and uncle. The 18-year-old, now living in an informal displacement camp on the outskirts of the capital, Bamako, is desperate for the violence that has engulfed Mali to end. Since the defeat of Isis in the Middle East, there has been an influx of foreign fighters into the west African Sahel, a vast region that shelters homegrown rebels, criminal gangs and weapons pouring out of Libya, raising fears that it could become a stronghold for militants. With more than 1,200 people killed last year in central Mali alone, Sara wants the government to begin talks with the jihadi groups that have wreaked havoc across the country. ”If we sit with these people, and say we pardon each other, it can finish,” she said. “We are able to pardon, we want to finish this conflict and settle this.” This month, Mali’s president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita said that his government was ready to hold discussions with two of Mali’s most notorious extremist leaders.”

The Washington Free Beacon: U.S. Vows To Continue Backing Fight Against Islamic Terror In Africa

“The United States is committed to sending counter-terrorism resources to Africa to aid the continent’s ongoing fight against radical Islamic forces, according to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Speaking Sunday alongside senior Senegalese officials during the first stop of a multi-nation visit to Africa, Pompeo said the Trump administration is currently reviewing its security plans for West Africa and will ensure nations in the region receive all the support they need in the fight against Islamic terrorist forces. In his meetings with the Senegalese president and foreign minister, Pompeo said he “talked about Islamist terrorism, which endangers 350 million people right here in West Africa. It threatens Americans, too, and we are counting on Senegal. It is an important ally in this fight. And I assured our friends that the U.S. will keep this fight up as well.” Pompeo’s comments are being viewed as a dose of much-needed reassurance to African nations concerned about America’s ongoing commitment to their safety and security. “We did have a lot of conversation about the security situation here and America’s role in those,” Pompeo told reporters.”

Fox News: Where Is Ugandan Warlord Joseph Kony?

“Josh Lipowsky, a senior researcher for the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), concurred that while the LRA has “weakened, it has not disappeared.” “Uganda initiated an amnesty program back in 2000 that saw some 13,000 LRA fighters lay down their weapons and return home. By 2012, the LRA had fewer than 100 men who had splintered into factions spread across Africa,” he explained. “It simply doesn’t have the infrastructure that it once did. That is not to say that the group cannot still be dangerous.” Kony’s LRA movement was sparked in the mid-1980s under the guise of defending those in Northern Uganda from the new regime of Yoweri Museveni. However, by the 1990s, Kony’s operation had descended into an insurgency that waged war against the civilian population, the very people Kony initially proclaimed to be protecting. Some 38,000 adults were abducted and a further 38,000 children – with thousands of boys routinely forced into becoming “child soldiers” and girls held as spoils of war, deemed “wives” or, more jarringly, sex slaves. Victoria Nyanjura was one of those girls whose childhood and innocence was ripped from her in a horrific miscarriage of justice.”

United Kingdom

BBC News: Terror Sentences Changes 'Should Have Applied To NI'

“Emergency laws ending the early release of people convicted of terror offences should have applied in NI, Stormont's justice minister has said. Last week MPs passed the Terrorist Offenders Bill. It means terror offenders in England, Scotland and Wales will only be considered for release once they have served two-thirds of their term. Naomi Long said she believed there should have been “no barrier” to extend it to NI. The bill was introduced in response to an Islamist-related terrorist incident in London last month. The attacker, Sudesh Amman, had been freed from prison 10 days earlier. There had been calls from a number of unionist politicians for the legislation to apply in Northern Ireland. Speaking in the NI Assembly on Monday, Mrs Long said her department had indicated to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) in London that its preference would be for the law to be applied UK-wide. “I made it clear that was my preference because I was concerned there would be a risk of a two-tier system when it comes to the paroling of terrorist prisoners being set up within the UK,” she said.”

The Independent: Father And Brother Of British Man Who Fought Against Isis In Syria Charged With Terror Offences

“The father and brother of a man who fought against Isis in Syria have been charged with terror offences, in what is believed to be the first case of its kind. Paul Newey, 49, is accused of funding terrorism by sending £150 to his son, while 19-year-old Sam Newey is accused of assisting his brother. Daniel Newey, 27, joined the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) while it was being backed by the US-led coalition to push Isis out of its Syrian territories in 2017. He returned to Britain in 2018 but travelled to Syria for a second time last year, after Turkey launched an offensive against the YPG. A small group of protesters supporting his father and brother gathered outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday. Security officers were called to the courtroom after one demonstrator got into an argument with a West Midlands Police officer before the short hearing. The elder Mr Newey pleaded not guilty to sending money, while either knowing or having reasonable cause to suspect it may be used for the purposes of terrorism. His son, Sam, was not asked to enter a plea to a charge of engaging in conduct with the intention of assisting his brother to prepare or instigate acts of terrorism. The two men, from Solihull, were bailed to appear at the Old Bailey on 21 February.”

Germany

The New York Times: Suspected Far-Right Extremist On Germany's Radar For Months

“German media reported Sunday that the main suspect detained last week as part of police raids on alleged far-right extremists had been on authorities' radar for several months. Der Spiegel reported that 53-year-old Werner S. from the Augsburg region was classified by the German security services as a potential violent threat. The man, whose surname wasn't released for privacy reasons, was among 12 men detained Friday in nationwide raids on suspicion of forming and supporting a “right-wing terrorist organization.” A federal judge on Saturday ordered the men held in investigative detention. The Welt am Sonntag weekly reported Sunday that the group referred to itself as “The Hard Core” and had links to a white supremacist group called Soldiers of Odin, founded in Finland in 2015. German prosecutors alleged the suspects wanted to achieve their goal “with as yet-unspecified attacks against politicians, asylum-seekers and Muslims to provoke a civil war-like situation.” Authorities in Germany have warned of the growing threat of far-right extremism. Last June, a regional official from Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative party was killed by a suspected neo-Nazi. In October, a gunman with anti-Semitic views attacked a synagogue in the eastern city of Halle, killing two passers-by.”

The Guardian: Germany's Muslims Call For Protection After 'Far-Right Terror Plot' Arrests

“Muslim communities in Germany have called for more police protection after the arrest of members of a rightwing extremist group that is believed to have been plotting large-scale attacks on mosques around the country. Twelve men who were arrested following police raids on Friday had been planning attacks using semi-automatic weapons on worshippers during prayers in 10 German states, said to have been inspired by those carried out in New Zealand last year, according to a government spokesman. Investigators had been following the men for months, monitoring their conversations and online activity, after suspecting them of having formed a terror group. They eavesdropped on a meeting in North Rhine-Westphalia earlier this month in which the alleged ringleader, 53-year-old Werner S, outlined the group’s concrete plans for “commandos” to attack Muslims in small communities across the country. Two of the men were elected to acquire weapons, and all members were expected to contribute towards a €50,000 (£42,000) fund to finance the operation. German prosecutors spoke of the planned attacks as “mosque massacres” inspired by the attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in spring 2019, in which 51 people were killed by a gunman.”

The Daily Beast: Can German Activists Stop The Neo-Nazi Resurgence?

“A conservative regional politician, who’d been hounded online by the far right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, was shot dead on his porch last June by a man who’d previously volunteered to hang AfD campaign posters. The victim’s offense? He’d been filmed defending Chancellor Angela Merkel’s refugee policies as a matter of Christian and German values. Of course the AfD denied any responsibility, but for Germans who see in it the threat of resurgent fascism—indeed, Nazism—the murder of Walter Lübcke has remained a potent symbol. Earlier this month, convoluted coalition politics brought members of the AfD together with Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union and the Free Democratic Party to name the governor of the state of Thuringia in former East Germany. The move was seen as an unprecedented and highly unwelcome neo-fascist breakthrough, a big win for a party previously considered completely toxic. People across the country turned out in front of state parliaments and party headquarters to protest, to chant, and in some cases to cry. “It makes people angry that, even though people are being murdered, there are politicians who do not appear to understand how dangerous this party is,” said Robert Fietzke, who organized the anti-AfD protest in the city of Magdeburg.”

Europe

Breitbart: Switzerland Thwarts Major Islamic State Terror Attack

“According to a new investigation by Swiss media, a cell of jihadists based in Geneva plotted to bomb cisterns full of oil near the city’s airport in a major terror attack. The plot, which was set to take place last year before being stopped, revolved largely around a man named Daniel D., who also went by the Islamic name Abu Ilias al-Swisri, a convert to Islam who went on to join the Islamic State terror group two years later, Le Temps reports. Al-Swisri, now 25-years-old, had attended the Petit-Saconnex mosque where he met two other radicals named “PF” and Ramzi, who would also join his Islamic State terror cell. In 2015, both al-Swisri and Ramzi took a trip to Syria where they met with a branch of Islamic State and received weapons training. PF, who remained in Geneva, requested to join the two men in Syria but was told by al-Swisri that the group wanted to plot an attack in Switzerland. Al-Swisri is said to have formed relationships with several more Switzerland-based jihadists, all of whom are currently, like al-Swisri, detained in Kurdish prison camps, and plotted the bombing attack with them.”

Voice Of America: Suspect In Norway Mosque Attack Charged With Terror

“A Norwegian man suspected of killing his stepsister and then storming an Oslo mosque with firearms “with the intention to kill as many Muslims as possible” was formally charged Monday with murder and terror. Philip Manshaus was overpowered inside the Al-Noor Islamic Center mosque in suburban Oslo in August. He fired six shots but didn't hit anyone. One person was slightly injured when they jumped on Manshaus inside the mosque and held him until police arrived. The prosecution says Manshaus, 22, is suspected of killing his 17-year-old stepsister, Johanne Zhangjia Ihle-Hansen, by shooting her four times — three in the head and one in the chest — with a hunting rifle at their home in the Oslo suburb of Baerum. Shortly after that, Manshaus drove to a nearby mosque where three men were preparing for Eid al-Adha celebrations. He wore a helmet with a video camera attached and a bulletproof vest, according to the charge sheet obtained by The Associated Press. Armed with a hunting rifle and a shotgun, Manshaus fired four shots with the rifle at a glass door before he was overpowered by one of the men in the mosque at the time, Muhammad Rafiq. During the scuffle, Manshaus fired two more shots but no one was hit.”

Technology

EURACTIV: Facebook’s Zuckerberg Backs Regulation Of Harmful Online Content

“Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Zuckerberg confirmed that the online network deletes around one million fake accounts per day. Last year, around 50 networks of fake accounts were stopped, he said. Facebook was used in the 2016 US Presidential Election campaign for propaganda campaigns that were orchestrated from Russia, according to the online network and Western intelligence agencies. The Russian government has rejected the allegations. With a few months to go until the 2020 US Presidential Elections in November and some 80 countries heading to the polls this year, the Facebook boss tried to dispel concerns about new manipulations. “We learned our lesson from the 2016 election,” Zuckerberg told the Munich audience. Asked about Facebook’s response to the threat, Zuckerberg admitted that the industry had reacted too slowly at the time and reaffirmed his position that internet companies need more regulation covering elections, content deletion and data protection.”

The Straits Times: Why Indonesia's Stateless Militants Are A Regional Problem

“The Indonesian government decided last week to abandon its citizens who had joined the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror group now stranded in the Middle East, banning them from ever returning home. An earlier announcement by the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) that 689 Indonesian ex-ISIS followers would be repatriated drew criticism from nationalists who argued that the former militants had renounced their citizenship when they joined ISIS, some of them burning their passports in the process.”
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"IN GOD WE TRUST"
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