Eye on Extremism - February 26, 2020

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Eye on Extremism
As of: February 26, 2020
Re: info@counterextremism.com

As of February 26, 2020:

CNN: US Military Says It Killed Terrorist Leader Who Planned Attack That Killed Americans In Kenya

“A US airstrike in Somalia killed an al-Shabaab leader who had a role in "planning and directing terrorist operations," including a January attack on Manda Bay, Kenya, that killed three Americans, the US military said Tuesday. "Post-strike assessments confirm the two terrorists killed in the Feb. 22 precision airstrikes were an individual associated with the attack on Manda Bay and his wife, who was also a known al-Shabaab member," US Africa Command said in a statement Tuesday. "The two terrorists were identified as a senior al-Shabaab leader, who was in charge of planning and directing terrorist operations on the Kenya border region, including the recent attack on Manda Bay, and his wife, who also was a witting and active member of al-Shabaab responsible for facilitating a wide range of terrorist activities," the statement added. The airstrike occurred in the vicinity of Saakow, Somalia, which is located approximately 320 kilometers west of Mogadishu. An earlier statement from Africa Command said the strike had targeted an al Shabaab compound, killing "two terrorists" and wounding another.”

Military Times: Taliban Attacks Significantly Down As Reduction In Violence Deal Appears To Hold

“The week-long reduction in violence deal hashed out between the Taliban and the U.S. appears to be holding up. Attacks have so far been significantly reduced, potentially leading to the signing of a long-term peace deal on Feb. 29 and the withdrawal of American troops. Reports emanating from the battlefield indicate only a handful of attacks over the last four days across Afghanistan since the reduction in violence deal went into effect on Feb. 22. Afghanistan-based Tolo News has reported a total of 17 attacks carried out by the Taliban between Feb. 22 and Feb. 25. New York Times journalist Mujib Mashal reported roughly nine major attacks and 15 dead over the first three days of the implementation of the violence reduction trial period. The Taliban claimed a couple of IED strikes against Afghan military and logistics convoys in Farah and Zabul provinces on Tuesday. The Taliban also claimed an attack near Sangin in Helmand Province on Monday. The Taliban have clarified that the reduction in violence is not a cease-fire. The Taliban agreed to not attack major military installations, provincial capitals and major cities but the militants say passing logistics convoys and rural areas are still open battlegrounds.”

United States

The New York Times: As Domestic Terrorists Outpace Jihadists, New U.S. Law Is Debated

“When the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness issued its terrorism threat assessment for 2020 last week, it noted a marked shift. The threat level from violent, homegrown extremists, and specifically white supremacists, was marked in red as the top category: “High.” The threat from the Islamic State, Al Qaeda and their ilk was demoted to third, in green: “Low.” Terrorism experts believe that holds true for the entire United States. “In the U.S., more people are killed by far-right extremists than by those who are adherents to Islamist extremism,” said Mary McCord, a Georgetown University law professor and a former senior Justice Department official for national security. Her comments came at a discussion last week at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, which commemorates victims of the most notorious attack by international terrorists on American soil. Even as the menace from homegrown extremists grows more explicit, however, law enforcement is wrestling with how to combat it. That challenge has spawned a fervent debate over whether the United States needs a new law to specifically criminalize domestic terrorism, or whether such a statute would threaten basic First Amendment rights.”

The Philadelphia Inquirer: New Jersey Declared White Supremacists A Major Threat. Here’s Why That’s Groundbreaking.

“New Jersey says white supremacist extremism is one of the state’s greatest terrorism threats — higher than al-Qaeda and the Islamic State — and in doing so has positioned itself as a national leader in countering domestic terrorism inspired by racism, experts say. Last week, the state Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness issued a 2020 threat assessment report, for the first time rating the threat of homegrown violent extremism, and specifically white supremacist extremism, as “high," noting the increased number of plots, attacks, and recruitment efforts in 2019. Meanwhile, al-Qaeda, an Islamic extremist group founded by Osama bin Laden, and ISIS, which split from al-Qaeda in 2014, were both rated in the “low” threat category. Experts say this assessment is true across the country, but New Jersey, in publicly releasing its research and analysis, may be in a better position than other states to dedicate new resources and personnel to addressing violent white supremacist organizations and countering the ideology. “They nailed it,” said Colin P. Clarke, a senior research fellow at the Soufan Center, a nonprofit threat and security research organization. “I don’t think it’s fearmongering.”

Syria

The New York Times: Syrian Troops Press Ahead With Campaign As Strikes Kill 16

“Airstrikes on rebel-controlled northwest Syria killed at least 16 people Tuesday, including two students and two teachers, opposition activists said, as government forces captured a town considered a symbol of the uprising against President Bashar Assad. The capture of Kafranbel was another blow to insurgents after government gains over the past three months. Kafranbel was a major opposition-held town that gained attention in the early years of the Syrian conflict because of weekly anti-government protests that included humorous English-language banners carried by protesters. The banners were initiated by anti-government journalist Raed Fares who was shot dead in the town along with his friend Hammoud al-Juneid in November 2018. Fares was a harsh critic of Islamic militants who control much of Idlib. The government controlled Syrian Central Military Media said Kafranbel was captured late Tuesday after fierce fighting with al-Qaida-linked militants. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said the town was taken by the government after punishing bombardment from the air and ground.”

Bloomberg: What’s At Stake In Idlib, Last Battle In Syria’s War: Quicktake

“After nine years of civil war, the fighting over who controls Syria has come down to one province: opposition-held Idlib, in the northwest. Backed by Russian air power, forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad are advancing on the area. Because the drive leaves rebels and civilians caught in the crossfire with little room to flee inside Syria, it raises the specter of enormous bloodshed and a massive refugee exodus toward neighboring Turkey. The looming showdown has put Russia in conflict with Turkey, after the two countries worked for years to contain the havoc of the war. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a breakaway faction of al-Qaeda, has emerged as the dominant force in Idlib after other rebel groups were crushed in relentless bombings by Russia and regime forces. Its fighters are well-trained and battle-hardened and are estimated to number 20,000 in combination with those of several other al-Qaeda-affiliated groups. Turkey is backing an estimated 40,000 other opposition forces who are loosely organized and deeply divided. They are struggling to stand their ground in the hope of securing a meaningful role in future peace talks. The likelihood of that happening diminishes as government forces advance.”

Afghanistan

CNN: Pompeo Says US Will Sign An Agreement With Taliban 'If And Only If' Reduction In Violence Is Successful

“The US will sign an agreement with the Taliban "if and only if" the week-long reduction in violence is successful, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday. The US is edging toward a peace agreement that could trigger the long-anticipated reduction of US troops serving in America's longest war. Under the plan, the American military presence would be reduced to 8,600 troops from the current 12,000 to 13,000 over the course of 135 days, according to two sources familiar with the agreement. Speaking from the State Department Tuesday, Pompeo said that "so far, the reduction in violence is working." "It isn't perfect, but it's working," he said. "It's got to work for a long time while this political resolution is driven forward." The top US diplomat said that the US-Taliban agreement, which would be signed "on or about February 29," has a timeline "for a conditions-based and phased troop withdrawal and for the commencement of intra-Afghan negotiations." Pompeo said that the "conditions-based withdrawal," if it comes to bear, "sets a high bar for the things that will take place in order for America to ensure that we can accomplish both of those missions: a peace and reconciliation solution in Afghanistan and ensuring that the homeland continues to be as risk free as we can possibly make it."

Voice Of America: US Airstrikes Kill 4 Islamic State Terrorists In Afghanistan

“U.S. military officials in Afghanistan say airstrikes have killed at least four Islamic State terrorists in eastern Afghanistan as a weeklong reduced fighting truce between U.S.-backed Afghan security forces and the Taliban insurgency entered its fourth day without any significant breaches. The two counterterrorism airstrikes Tuesday focused on areas in the Afghan province of Kunar, which houses Islamic State bases and borders Pakistan, the U.S. military spokesman tweeted. “We continue to eliminate ISIS terrorists wherever they hide to protect Afghanistan while honoring U.S.-Afghan-Taliban agreement to reduce the violence,” stressed Col. Sonny Leggett in reference to the Middle Eastern terrorist group. The 7-day nationwide “reduction in violence” is to culminate on Saturday with the signing of a U.S.-Taliban agreement to end to the 18-year-old Afghan war, America’s longest.“ If it works out over the next less-than-a-week, I would put my name on it, yes. Time to come home,” Trump said Sunday before his departure to India when asked whether he intended to sign the agreement with the Taliban.”

Foreign Policy: With Taliban Talks Soon To Start, Afghan Government Splits Apart

“The Afghan government may be proving to be its own worst enemy on the eve of U.S.-orchestrated peace talks with the Taliban, with Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah rejecting the results of the recent election that gave a thin victory to President Ashraf Ghani and declaring that he would form his own “inclusive government.” Many Afghans worry that the election dispute plays right into the hands of the Taliban insurgents, who this month agreed with U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad to initiate peace negotiations in March, following a seven-day truce that began Saturday. The Taliban have rejected the legitimacy of the current Kabul government, describing it as a “puppet regime” they will not negotiate with; instead the Islamist militant group agreed to hold talks with “intra-Afghan” factions, as a statement from U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo put it. Ironically, until recently it was the government that regularly portrayed the Taliban as a nonunified movement it was unable to negotiate with. But now it is Kabul that seems more split than ever before. “Instead of fighting each other, they need to find a solution. Inner problems between these politicians affect all of us. They cast a poor light on all Afghans, and this needs to stop,” Muneer Ahmad Niazi, a university lecturer from Kabul, told my colleague Abdul Rahman Lakanwal, a journalist based in the capital. “We need a government that represents all people.”

Lebanon

Reuters: Hezbollah Says It Opposes IMF Management Of Lebanon Crisis

“Hezbollah is against allowing the International Monetary Fund to manage Lebanon’s financial crisis, the powerful group said on Tuesday, indicating opposition to any IMF bailout that would impose tough conditions on the heavily indebted state. Hezbollah, backed by Iran and designated as a terrorist group by the United States, is one of the main parties that backs the new Beirut government as it struggles with the unprecedented crisis. Facing a huge public debt burden and a liquidity crunch, the government on Tuesday appointed international investment firm Lazard and law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP as its financial and legal advisers on a widely expected sovereign debt restructuring. Beirut has sought IMF technical but not financial aid. “We will not accept submitting to (imperialist) tools ... meaning we do not accept submitting to the International Monetary Fund to manage the crisis,” said Hezbollah’s Sheikh Naim Qassem, deputy leader of the heavily armed Shi’ite group. “Yes, there is nothing to prevent consultations ... and this is what the Lebanese government is doing.” An IMF technical team visited Beirut from Feb. 20-24. “The discussions on the challenges and the authorities’ plans to address them were very informative and productive,” IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said.”

Middle East

Al Jazeera: Shaky Ceasefire Holds Between Islamic Jihad, Israel In Gaza

“A ceasefire between the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group and Israel is holding in the Gaza Strip after two days of heavy fighting. Following Egyptian and international mediation, the truce came into effect at 11:30pm (20:30 GMT) on Monday, Ihsan Ataya, a senior Islamic Jihad leader based in Lebanon, said in a press statement. No projectiles were fired from the Gaza Strip overnight, a spokeswoman for the Israeli army confirmed. During two days of fighting, Israeli aircraft pounded dozens of targets in the Gaza Strip while Islamic Jihad bombarded southern Israel with heavy rocket fire. The latest escalation began after Israeli soldiers on Sunday shot dead Mohammed al-Naim, a member of the Islamic Jihad's armed wing, who was allegedly planting an explosive device at the heavily secured Israeli fence east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. In a graphic video that went viral, an Israeli bulldozer violently retrieved al-Naim's body and it remains in the custody of Israeli forces. Islamic Jihad responded by firing a barrage of rockets and mortar rounds at Israel, which prompted the military to strike Islamic Jihad targets in Syria, where some of the Iran-backed group's leaders are based. Two more Islamic Jihad members were killed in an overnight air attack.”

Egypt

France 24: Egypt Executes Eight Men Over Church Bombings: Sources

“Egypt has executed eight men sentenced to death over deadly attacks claimed by the Islamic State group on churches and a police checkpoint, judicial and medical sources said Tuesday. The convicts, whose final appeal against the death penalty was denied in May last year, were put to death at dawn on Monday, the sources said. They were among 17 defendants who were sentenced to death by a military court in October 2018 for their roles in the attacks on churches in Alexandria, Cairo and Tanta and a police checkpoint in southwestern Egypt, a judicial source told AFP. The other nine were tried in absentia and remain at large. The four attacks in 2016 and 2017, mostly targeting Christians, killed a total of 88 people. The Coptic Christian minority makes up between 10 and 15 percent of Egypt's 100 million population and has been particularly targeted by IS. Executions have risen sharply since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi took power in 2014 after leading the army's overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. Human rights group Amnesty International, which opposes the death penalty, said the severity of the convicts' alleged offences was no justification for their group execution. "A mass execution is no way to deliver justice. These men were executed following an unfair military trial," it said.”

Libya

Asharq Al-Awsat: Sahel Summit In Nouakchott Tackles Terrorism, Libyan Crisis

“The G5 Sahel heads of state discussed on Tuesday during a summit in Nouakchott, Mauritania, the growing threat of terrorism and the Libyan crisis. The summit was held in line with the first General Assembly of the Sahel Alliance, chaired by French Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to ensure high-level international mobilization in support of development in the region. The Sahel General Assembly’s first meeting was attended by representatives from Germany, the EU, the UN, the African Union, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Japan, China and Russia. "I am here with you to say that a surge in mobilization, coordination or prioritization is necessary," Le Drian told the summit. During their meeting, the presidents of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger heard appeals to step up the fight against militants whose offensive across three countries has claimed thousands of lives and inflicted crippling economic damage. "More than ever, the Sahel requires heightened and coordinated attention from states in the region and the international community to brake the spiral of violence," said Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, chairing the one-day summit. In their final statement, the Sahel countries said the region faced an "unprecedented humanitarian crisis.”

Nigeria

Express: Christianity Crackdown: Five Churches Burned As Terrorist Group Open Fire In Nigeria

“More than 100 members of the terrorist group Boko Haram stormed the predominately Christian town of Garkida in Gombi area, opening fire on townspeople and setting fire to churches and houses. At least five church buildings were destroyed in the attack, including two houses of worship belonging to the Church of the Brethren domination, an Anglican Communion church, and a church and separate office of the Living Faith Church. The number of casualties from the attack is not yet known. The Boko Haram terrorists, who seek to impose sharia (Islamic) law in Nigeria, arrived riding on about 60 motorcycles, with two men on each bike carrying AK47 rifles and RPGs - that fire rockets. 20 mounted gun trucks followed, according to the campaign group Save the Persecuted Christians. The attack took place from 7pm and extended well into the night, with locals reporting the Islamic extremists finally left the town at midnight. News of an impending attack by Boko Haram first reached the Christian town at at about 1pm on Friday, prompting many residents to flee. Those who remained were said to have fled into hiding in the surrounding bushes upon sighting the Boko Haram invaders.”

United Kingdom

Sky News: Automatic Release Of About 50 Terrorists To Be Stopped By New Law

“About 50 terrorists will no longer be automatically released halfway through their sentences as emergency legislation becomes law later this week. The government has rushed The Terrorist Offenders (Restriction of Early Release) Bill through parliament - days before the previously scheduled release of the next offender is due to take place. The bill cleared the Commons earlier this month and was backed unamended in one sitting by peers in the Lords. It is understood that Mohammed Zahir Khan, a former shopkeeper in Sunderland, was due to be released on 28 February. He was imprisoned for four-and-a-half years in 2018 for sharing messages and material on social media that was supportive of Islamic State. Another who was due for release in the coming weeks, according to the Henry Jackson Society think tank, was Mohammed Ghani. Ghani, from Barnet in north London, was sentenced to two years and four months in prison in May after threatening to kill police officers. Another was Mohammed Khilji, from northwest London, who was jailed for five years in 2018 after being found guilty of sharing beheading videos on WhatsApp, as well as footage giving advice on how to make a car bomb.”

France

The National: France Jails ISIS Fighter Trained By Leader Of Paris Attacks

“A French court on Tuesday handed a 12-year jail term to a computer technician who travelled to Syria to join ISIS and trained to fight under the ringleader of the 2015 Paris attacks. Reda Hame, 34, who was convicted of taking part in a criminal conspiracy aimed at harming people, received weapons training and a mission from Abdelhamid Abaaoud during his eight-day stay in Syria in the summer of 2015. Abaaoud, who co-ordinated the November 2015 attacks that killed 130 people in Paris, taught him how to fire an assault rifle and handle a grenade. He then dropped him off at the Turkish border with orders to return home and carry out an attack on behalf of ISIS. Hame told investigators that Abaaoud, who was killed in a shootout with French police after the Paris attacks, asked him if he would be prepared to shoot into a crowd, such as at a rock concert. But the Paris native, who was arrested on his return to France, insisted that he never had any intention of following the orders. Hame, who described himself as an ISIS deserter, told the court he only pretended to accept his mission to escape the horrors of the Syrian war and regretted enlisting with the extremist group.”

Germany

Time: How Many Mass Shootings Will It Take For Germany To Confront Its Far-Right Problem?

“What happened last week at the Midnight hookah bar – a modest lounge in the German town of Hanau, where a largely Turkish clientele often goes to relax in the evenings – should really be enough to change the debate in Germany. The debate about racism and intolerance, about violence, hate and terrorism, and about the ways that all these things have been fuelled by the nation’s political climate. It should have been enough for Germany’s leading politicians to consider the life and death of Gökhan Gültekin, the 37-year-old who worked at that bar in the Heumarkt, a neighborhood dotted with Turkish businesses. He had been busy this winter with preparations for his engagement party. Twice a week, he had taken his father for chemotherapy in the nearby city of Frankfurt. The media reported these facts about him because, on Wednesday night, a German man named Tobias Rathjen, 43, entered the Midnight bar and fired his SIG Sauer at the Turkish diners at a table, killing six. Gökhan was among the first victims. Three more died minutes later at the nearby Arena Bar, where Rathjen continued his rampage before going home to kill his elderly mother and, finally, himself. His massacre, and the raving and paranoid “manifesto” he left behind, has emblazoned in bullets one of Germany’s deepest problems, and one that has long been debated: What is behind the rise in racist terrorism here in the heart of Europe?”

Deutsche Welle: Germany: Injury Toll Rises In Carnival Attack

“The number of injured in the German town of Volkmarsen has been put at over 50 on Tuesday, a day after a man drove a vehicle into a crowd in what police are calling a "deliberate act." Eighteen of the injured were children. 35 people are still being treated with injuries. Investigators are hoping to question a 29-year-old man, who is suspected of driving a silver Mercedes car into the Rose Monday Carnival parade. The suspect reportedly was a local from the town of 6,800 inhabitants. He was known to police in connection with other offenses including breach of the peace and assault. He was not known to authorities as an extremist, reported German news agency dpa. A spokesman for prosecutors said so far there is no indication the incident was politically motivated and that there are currently no plans to hand the investigation over to federal prosecutors. Police and the Frankfurt General Prosecutor's Office are investigating the incident as an "attempted homicide" but have not yet called it an attack, although the Hesse interior ministry is not ruling this out. Prosecutors in the state of Hesse, where Volkmarsen is situated, said on Tuesday that contrary to initial reports the driver had not been under the influence of alcohol. Whether he was tested positive for other drugs remains unclear.”

Europe

The Washington Post: Interpol Official Warns Of Dramatic Rise In Extremist Right-Wing Violence

“The secretary general of Interpol, Jürgen Stock, spoke to The Washington Post about the dramatic rise in extremist right-wing violence and the use of social media as a “sort of incubator” for far-right ideas. The incidents, he said, should be treated in the same way as Islamist extremism. Stock, who is German, has served in his position since 2014. We interviewed him during the Munich Security Conference earlier this month and again last week after a gunman — apparently fueled by extremist right-wing views and conspiracy theories — killed nine people in the German city of Hanau. Interpol, an international organization facilitating police cooperation across borders, is headquartered in Lyon, France. Q: In the past months, we’ve seen attacks by individuals who were followers of right-wing ideologies. The most recent attack was in Hanau. Has right-wing extremism increased? A: The indication is that things are getting worse, definitely. We will see more of these attacks in the future. It is too early to say [on Hanau], but it seems to be. There clearly seems to be a right-wing xenophobic background to the whole thing. It will be interesting to see whether there was a national or international network involved. Interpol has offered its support to the German authorities.”

The Brussels Times: Female IS Terrorist From Antwerp Sentenced To 5 Years In Prison

“Belgian IS terrorist Saïda El Mimouni was sentenced on Tuesday to five years in prison and a €8,000 fine. El Mimouni, who is from the municipality of Borgerhout in Antwerp, Flanders, was not present at her trial. The federal court ordered her to be stripped of her Belgian nationality and arrested on sight. However, it is suspected that she is still in Syria at the moment. Saïda El Mimouni is the wife of Rachid Iba, a member of Sharia4Belgium, which was a Belgian radical Salafist organisation which called for Belgium to convert itself into an Islamic state. El Mimouni had left Belgium on 8 March 2013 and arrived in Syria in April of that year to join Iba. The couple pledged allegiance to Majlis Shura Al-Mujahideen, then to the Islamic State terrorist group. While in Syria, El Mimouni also met her brother, Brahim El Mimouni, and his companion, Ilhame Hajji. In late 2014, Saïda El Mimouni returned to Belgium, where she gave birth to her second son in January 2015. Two months later, she returned to Syria via Poland and Ukraine. International coalition troops recently found a marriage contract, validated by an IS judge, certifying that Saïda El Mimouni was married in May 2017 to a Tunisian IS terrorist, which could mean that Rachid Iba died.”