Counter Extremism - 10-27-21

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Counter Extremism 10-27-21
Re: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#in...tWdBlWgSCKRdnG


Islamic State In Afghanistan Could Be Able To Attack U.S. In 6 Months-Pentagon Official

“The U.S. intelligence community has assessed that Islamic State in Afghanistan could have the capability to attack the United States in as little as six months, and has the intention to do so, a senior Pentagon official told Congress on Tuesday. The remarks by Colin Kahl, under secretary of defense for policy, are the latest reminder that Afghanistan could still pose serious national security concerns for the United States even after it ended its two-decade-old war in defeat in August. The Taliban, which won the war, are enemies of Islamic State and have seen its attempts to impose law and order after the U.S. pullout thwarted by suicide bombings and other attacks claimed by Islamic State. They include bombings targeting the minority Shi'ite sect and even an Islamic State beheading of a member of a Taliban militia force in the eastern city of Jalalabad. In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Kahl said it was still unclear whether the Taliban has the ability to fight Islamic State effectively following the U.S. withdrawal in August. The United States fought the Taliban as well as striking groups like Islamic State and al Qaeda. “It is our assessment that the Taliban and ISIS-K are mortal enemies. So the Taliban is highly motivated to go after ISIS-K. Their ability to do so, I think, is to be determined,” Kahl said, using an acronym for Islamic State in Afghanistan.”

Associated Press: Iraqi Officials: 11 Killed In IS Attack Northeast Of Baghdad

“Gunmen from the Islamic State extremist group attacked a village northeast of Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least 11 civilians and wounding six others, Iraqi security officials said. The officials said the attack occurred in the predominantly Shiite village of al-Rashad northeast of Baqouba in Diyala province. The circumstances of the attack were not immediately clear, but two officials who spoke to The Associated Press said Islamic State group militants had kidnapped two villagers earlier and then raided the village when their demands for ransom were not met. Machine guns were used in the attack, they added, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. They said all the dead and wounded were civilians. Attacks targeting civilians have become rare in Iraq since the Islamic State group was largely defeated in the country in 2017, although it remains active through sleeper cells in many areas. Militants from the Sunni Muslim extremist group still conduct operations, often targeting security forces, power stations and other infrastructure. A roadside bomb attack targeted a Baghdad suburb in July, killing at least 30 people and wounding dozens of others at a crowded market.”

United States

NBC Washington: Virginia Judge To Sentence Neo-Nazi Group Members Under Terrorism Law

“Two neo-Nazi group members intended to engage in terrorist activity before FBI agents arrested them ahead of a pro-gun rally in Virginia, a federal judge concluded Monday. U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang’s decision to apply a “terrorism enhancement” in sentencing the men favors prosecutors’ recommendation that both of them get 25 years in prison. Chuang heard starkly different portraits of the two defendants as he prepares to sentence them at separate hearings on Thursday at the federal courthouse in Greenbelt, Maryland. Prosecutors said Canadian Armed Forces reservist Patrik Jordan Mathews and U.S. Army veteran Brian Mark Lemley Jr. planned to carry out a massacre inspired by their white supremacist ideology. Defense lawyers say an undercover FBI agent tried in vain to bait the two “damaged military veterans” into developing a plan for violence at a January 2020 gun rights rally at Virginia's state Capitol in Richmond, Virginia. FBI agents arrested Lemley and Mathews and a third member of a white supremacist group called The Base. The group has been a leading proponent of “accelerationism,” a fringe philosophy that advocates using mass violence to hasten society’s collapse.”

Afghanistan

Bloomberg: Taliban Slash Import Duties On Food As More Afghans Go Hungry

“The Taliban government has cut import duties on food staples as it grapples with soaring prices and a cash crunch that have made it more difficult for Afghans to feed their families just when a bitter winter looms. Afghanistan has often struggled with soaring food prices due to shortages and supply-chain issues, posing a major issue for the Taliban that swept into power in August as U.S. troops were exiting. The country depends largely on imports and foreign aid for its food supply. The Finance Ministry cut the import tariffs for a ton of flour to 1,000 afghanis ($11) from 3,095 afghanis, while those for one ton of cooking oil were more than halved to 2,012 afghanis from 5,885 afghanis, spokesman Ahmad Wali Haqmal said by phone. Import duties for a ton of sugar were reduced to 1,548 afghanis from 3,483 afghanis. Afghanistan brings in more than half of its food needs from neighboring countries, in particular Pakistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, Haqmal said. The country is also a significant rice buyer, consuming about 600,000 tons of rice annually, he added.”

Pakistan

Al Jazeera: Kashmir Students Who Cheered For Pakistan Booked Under Terror Law

“Police in Indian-administered Kashmir have filed criminal cases under a stringent anti-terror law against the students of two medical colleges in the region for celebrating Pakistan’s victory against India in the T20 World Cup. Pakistan thrashed archrival India with a 10-wicket victory in the cricket match held in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday night. India’s loss triggered attacks against Kashmiri students in western Punjab state and a Muslim member of the Indian team was abused online. Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir, a Himalayan territory claimed in its entirety by both India and Pakistan who rule over parts of it. A popular rebellion against the Indian rule erupted in Indian-administered Kashmir the 1990s, with the rebels demanding either a merger with Muslim-majority Pakistan or an independent state. In such a scenario, an India-Pakistan cricket match evokes strong reactions mainly in the valley, with residents publicly declaring their support for Pakistan to make a political statement. Following Sunday’s match, there were similar celebrations in the disputed region over Pakistan’s first-ever win against India in a cricket World Cup.”

Yemen

Arab News: More Than 85 Houthis Killed Near Yemen’s Marib: Arab Coalition

“The Arab coalition in Yemen said on Tuesday it carried out 21 attacks targeting “mechanisms and elements” of the Houthi militia in two districts near the strategic city of Marib in the last 24 hours. The coalition said more than 85 Houthi militants have been killed and nine military vehicles were destroyed in the military operations in Al-Jawba and Al-Kassara. The coalition added in a statement that it will continue to provide support to the Yemeni National Army to protect civilians from Houthi violations. The coalition has reported heavy strikes around Marib in recent weeks. Al-Jawba lies about 50 kilometers south of the city and Al-Kassara is about 30 kilometers northwest. The Houthis began a major push to seize Marib in February and have renewed their offensive since September after a lull.”

Lebanon

BBC News: Lebanon: Beirut Violence Fuels Fears Of Return To Civil War

“My friend and neighbour Richard was starting a series of online meetings at his office on the south-east edge of Beirut when all hell suddenly broke loose. He spent the next three hours sheltering on the ground floor as the sounds of war raged around the building, triggering a rush of traumatic memories for someone who had lived through 15 years of civil conflict from 1975 on. “All the memories of the civil war flashed back into my mind,” he said. “It was very intense, feelings of anger, of fear, of anxiety, especially about my children. I felt that they will be living what I lived during the civil war.” When Richard later arrived home safely, he suddenly burst into tears. “I don't know why, and the next day I was not able to function at all. It seems the war trauma came back to me again. I didn't want this to happen to me and my children.” For Richard and many other Lebanese people, the sudden eruption of sectarian clashes in the capital on 14 October rang strident alarm bells. Political tensions were very high, the economy was collapsing, electricity and fuel were almost non-existent, prices were soaring - and now gunmen were battling it out in the streets again. Was the country teetering on the brink of another civil war?”

Africa

Voice Of America: Uganda Police Blame Rebel Group ADF For Bombings In Capital

“Police in Uganda are investigating two explosions in Kampala. A blast targeting a bus killed one person on Monday, and an explosion Saturday at a bar in the capital that left one person dead and several others injured. Police blamed both attacks on the rebel Allied Democratic Forces, an affiliate of Islamic State, and said arrests have been made. At a news conference Tuesday, Ugandan police spokesperson Fred Enanga said the commander of the Allied Democratic Forces, or ADF, Muhammed Nkalubo, coordinated the bombings. Enanga also said police have caught three men involved in setting up the attacks. “So far, we've managed to arrest three collaborators who were receiving money from the ADF sources and distributing it to their recipients, to their operatives and agents in the country.” He said the suspects, identified as Abdulrahman Waibi, Sanyu Nakitende and Aisha Katushabe, distributed $114,000 in connection with the attacks. Great Lakes Region security analyst Dismas Nkunda said it would not be surprising if the reports about the ADF are true, considering the group is based in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The group has been operating in the DRC for the past 20 years after being pushed out of Uganda.”

United Kingdom

BBC News: Leicester Man Who Promoted Terrorism Online Jailed

“A Leicester man who posted violent extremist beliefs online has been jailed. Mohammed Mahboobshah admitted encouraging terrorism between 8 October and 5 November 2020. The 26-year-old, formerly of Evington Valley Road, was sentenced to two years and eight months at Leicester Crown Court on Friday. Counter terrorism police said his social media posts “went far beyond anti-Western rhetoric”. The Leicestershire force said the posts were identified when Mahboobshah was being investigated over non-related matters. They were deemed to be encouragement or inducement to the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. Det Insp Neil Kendrick from Counter Terrorism Policing East Midlands said: “Mahboobshah promoted his violent extremist beliefs online using well known social media platforms. “His posts went far beyond anti-Western rhetoric as he repeatedly threatened serious violence, praised terrorists' activities and sought to encourage others to engage in terrorist activity.” Mahboobshah was also given a deportation order upon release and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £190.”

Brinkwire: Expert Debunks The ‘Lone Wolf’ Concept, Saying, ‘These Guys Don’t Function In A Vacuum.’

“…Liam Duffy, advisor at the Counter Extremism Project, has warned the UK is going in “the wrong direction” to understand how to manage the threat due to a string of common misconceptions. Mr Duffy told This website: “One of the biggest misconceptions is that these people are alone, this myth of the lone wolf launching an attack. “Most of the time they are definitely lone actors, but even in the rare instances that they are radicalised mostly online and self-activated, they still do perceive themselves to be part of a much broader movement.” He explained that a ‘lone actor’ may be at the centre, but wider analysis reveals an intricate ecosystem that allows that individual to commit acts of terror. The other members of this ecosystem range from logistical supporters and funders, to apologists and sympathisers. He added: “These people don’t operate in a vacuum.” The need to find an effective solution to the problem of violent extremism was brought sharply into view in 2017 when three horrific, separate attacks left dozens dead; Westminster Bridge and Palace (6 deaths), Manchester Arena (23 deaths) and London Bridge (11 deaths). Since 2017, a total of 31 late-stage terror plots have been foiled, according to the head of MI5.”

Europe

Radio Free Europe: Belarus Carries Out Wave Of Detentions For Subscribing To 'Extremist' Telegram Channels

“Belarusian police have detained dozens of people in the southeastern city of Homel on charges of subscribing to “extremist” social-media channels in the latest crackdown on freedoms in the country. Authorities have declared hundreds of opposition Telegram channels and social-media sites “extremist” since Belarus was engulfed by protests after a disputed presidential election in August 2020, and anyone operating or using such sites can face jail time or fines. The Viasna human rights center said on October 26 that around 30 people were charged the day before for allegedly using banned Telegram channels. In once case, a 22-year-old student was picked up off the street by security agents in a car who threatened her with violence unless she provided the password to her phone, Viasna said. After providing access to the phone, she was detained for subscribing to “extremist” Telegram channels and sentenced in a three-minute trial to 15 days in jail, Viasna said.”