Eye on Extremism - January 29, 2020

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Eye on Extremism
January 29, 2020
Re: info@counterextremism.com

As of January 29, 2020:

Tech Crunch: Study Of Youtube Comments Finds Evidence Of Radicalization Effect

“Research presented at the ACM FAT 2020 conference in Barcelona today supports the notion that YouTube’s platform is playing a role in radicalizing users via exposure to far-right ideologies. The study, carried out by researchers at Switzerland’s Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne and the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil, found evidence that users who engaged with a middle ground of extreme right-wing content migrated to commenting on the most fringe far-right content. A March 2018 New York Times article by sociologist Zeynep Tufekci set out the now widely reported thesis that YouTube is a radicalization engine. Followup reporting by journalist Kevin Roose told a compelling tale of the personal experience of an individual, Caleb Cain, who described falling down an “alt right rabbit hole” on YouTube. But researcher Manoel Horta Ribeiro, who was presenting the paper today, said the team wanted to see if they could find auditable evidence to support such anecdotes. Their paper, called “Auditing radicalization pathways on YouTube,” details a large-scale study of YouTube looking for traces of evidence — in likes, comments and views — that certain right-leaning YouTube communities are acting as gateways to fringe far-right ideologies.”

BBC Radio: The Crisis Inside

“Three years after calling the justice system a shambles, former prison governor Ian Acheson questions whether the London Bridge attack could have been prevented.”

Reuters: Thirty-Nine Killed In Militant Attack On Burkina Faso Village

“Thirty-nine people were killed in northern Burkina Faso on Saturday, in what the government called a terrorist attack on a village in Soum province. The weekend attack followed less than a week after militants killed 36 civilians in a neighboring province, part of a surge in violence in the West African country that has killed hundreds, forced more than half a million from their homes and made much of the north ungovernable over the past two years. The government did not provide further details on the latest attack in the village of Silgadji, describing it in a statement on Tuesday as “cowardly and barbaric”. It was not immediately clear who was responsible. Islamist groups with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State have carried out increasingly brazen raids against civilian and military targets in Burkina Faso in recent months, including an attack on a mining convoy in November that killed nearly 40 people. The rising insecurity has forced people from their homes. The number of displaced increased tenfold in 2019 to more than 560,000 people, making it the world’s fastest-growing displacement crisis, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council. The flight of refugees into other parts of the country is straining local resources and leaving authorities struggling to cope.”

Los Angeles Times: Afghan Troops Clash With Taliban As They Try To Reach U.S. Plane Crash Site

“Afghan troops have clashed with Taliban fighters as they tried to reach the crash site of a U.S. military aircraft that went down in eastern Afghanistan on Monday. The militant group claimed it had downed a “special American aircraft” on an intelligence mission, while the U.S. military said Monday there was no indication the plane was hit by hostile fire. The police chief of Ghazni province said a heavy Taliban presence had blocked access for some 300 elite commandos who’d been sent to the crash site. “As a result, one commando soldier was killed and all of the commando forces retreated and returned back to the city yesterday,” Mohammad Khalid Wardak said on Tuesday. Afghan commandos will try to get access to the area again on Tuesday, he added. The crash happened in the Taliban-controlled Sado Khel area of the Deh Yak district in Ghazni province, the Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said in a message via WhatsApp. “A special American aircraft which was flying over Afghanistan for an intelligence mission was tactically shot down by the Taliban,” Mujahed said. “All on board including high-ranking CIA officers were killed.” A spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan confirmed that a U.S. Bombardier E-11A plane had crashed.”

United States

ABC News: Man Gets 20 Years For Selling Guns To Terrorist Group

“A Colombian man who had been living in South Florida was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years in prison for selling firearms to a South American terrorist organization. U.S. District Judge Jose Martinez sentenced Francisco Joseph Arcila Ramirez in Miami federal court, according to court records. Arcila pleaded guilty in October to providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Arcila instructed two co-conspirators to illegally purchase six AK-style pistols in Miami-Dade County in August 2018, according to investigators. The firearms were then concealed in air-compressors purchased by Arcila at a Miami-area hardware store and shipped to Barranquilla, Colombia. The shipment also contained about 100 AK-47 magazines. In September 2018, Arcila met in Colombia with a National Liberation Army weapons broker, according to prosecutors. Besides selling the six firearms for approximately 60 million Colombian pesos ($17,665), Arcila also discussed future sales with the violent paramilitary group. The National Liberation Army was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. State Department in 1997.”

Syria

The Washington Post: Despite Defeats, The Islamic State Remains Unbroken And Defiant Around The World

“In a series of bloody campaigns from 2014 to 2019, a multinational military coalition drove the Islamic State group, often known as ISIS, out of much of the Iraqi and Syrian territory that the strict militant theocracy had brutally governed. But the Pentagon and the United Nations both estimate that the group still has as many as 30,000 active insurgents in the region. Thousands more IS-aligned fighters are spread across Africa and Asia, from the scrublands of Mali and Niger to the deserts of Iraq and mountains of Afghanistan, to the island jungles of the Philippines. I keep track of the loose alliance of various global affiliates and insurgent groups collectively known as the Islamic State. It’s part of my researchchronicling America’s wars in remote lands where I have worked for the CIA and the U.S. Army. I also monitor Islamic State activities around the world for a University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth project I lead called MappingISIS.com In recent months, the Islamic State group has reconstituted itself in the Syria-Iraq region and continues to inspire mayhem across the globe. Iraq, the homeland of jihadocracy The “Dawla Islamia,” or Islamic State, began as a Sunni Muslim insurgent group in Iraq amid the maelstrom of sectarian violence that followed the U.S.-led 2003 invasion.”

France 24: Syria Army Says Retakes Key Northwest Town

“Syria government forces recaptured a strategic highway town in the northwest from jihadist and allied rebels Wednesday, in the latest blow to the country's last major opposition bastion. Maaret al-Numan, a former anti-government protest hotspot turned ghost town after months of bombardment, lies on a key highway connecting the capital to second city Aleppo. The M5 highway has long been in the sights of the government, as it seeks to revive a moribund economy ravaged by almost nine years of war. “Our forces managed in the past few days to stamp out terrorism in many villages and towns,” including Maaret al-Numan, an army spokesman said. In 2011, Maaret al-Numan was one of the first towns in the northwestern province of Idlib to rise up against the Damascus government. The following year, it was captured by rebels fighting against President Bashar al-Assad's rule. It is the latest town to fall in a Russian-backed offensive on the Idlib region this year. The area of some three million people is dominated by jihadists from Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, but allied opposition fighters are also present.”

Iraq

The New York Times: U.N. Criticizes Iraq Trials Of ISIS 'Members', Including Human Shields

“The United Nations on Tuesday raised “serious concerns” about the trials of hundreds of alleged Islamic State members in Iraq, some of whom merely prepared meals, offered medical services or even acted as human shields for the jihadist group. Iraq has processed thousands of cases under its anti-terrorism law - including of detainees from outside the Middle East transferred from neighboring Syria - in the aftermath of a 2014-17 war against Islamic State militants. The joint report by the UN's Human Rights Office in Iraq (UNAMI) and the Office of the UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) covers 794 trials carried out between May 1, 2018 and Oct. 31, 2019, OHCHR spokesman Jeremy Laurence told a Geneva news briefing. “(The report) raises serious concerns about unfair trials placing defendants at a serious disadvantage,” he said, adding that the cases in the UN report also included 28 foreign defendants from 11 different countries. In some cases, the individuals had provided basic support services, such as selling vegetables or preparing meals for members of the ultra-hardline jihadist group, the report said.”

Kurdistan 24: ISIS Opens Fire On Fishermen Outside Tikrit, Killing 1 And Injuring Another

“The Iraqi military announced that members of an Islamic State sleeper cell fired on several fishermen working on the Tigris River on the southeast outskirts of Tikrit on Tuesday, killing one of them and injuring another. According to local sources, the attack took place in the Zalaya area of the city of al-Dor, located in Salahuddin province. A statement from Iraq’s Security Media Cell confirmed the attack, explaining that “the ISIS fighters directly opened fire on the fishermen.” It further claimed that the action was one of several attacks of late that came in response to a voice recording of Islamic State spokesperson Abu Hamza al-Quraishi recently circulated on the web that called for the group's followers to step up terrorist activities by any means at their disposal. The statement also added that the Iraqi security forces conducted a search and capture operation in the area to apprehend those who had “conducted this act of terrorism,” however no further details were given regarding the results of the mission. The Islamic State remains active in multiple areas across Iraq, often attacking military or police bases under cover of night.”

Turkey

Xinhua: Turkey Repatriates 4 French Fighters

“Turkey on Tuesday deported four French fighters back to France, the state-run TRT broadcaster reported. The number of foreign fighters who were sent back to their countries since November 11, 2019, has reached 200, the report said citing a statement released by the Interior Ministry. Turkey earlier declared that it would send thousands of captured Islamic State militants, mostly from Europe, back to their countries, even if their citizenships were canceled.”

Afghanistan

Al Jazeera: Afghan Police Officers Killed In Taliban 'Insider' Attack

“At least 11 Afghan police officers have been killed after Taliban fighters stormed a police base in Pul-e Khumri, the capital of Baghlan province, local government officials told the Associated Press on Tuesday. The fighters first overran a checkpoint near the base late on Monday and were apparently able to breach the compound with ease because a sympathetic policeman opened a door for them. Details were provided by Mahbobullah Ghafari, a Baghlan provincial councilman. A local police official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to brief reporters about the attack, also gave the same account. Six others were wounded in the overnight attack in Pul-e Khumri, provincial council member Samiuddin Nazir told DPA news agency. A spokesman for the Taliban, Zabiullah Mujahid, however, put the death toll at 17, adding that one officer was taken hostage. The group has, at times, exaggerated its claims. The attack comes one day after the Taliban claimed it shot down an American military plane in Ghazni province - a claim the US military denies. Insider attacks have been steady throughout Afghanistan's 18-year conflict, with US and NATO troops the most frequent targets.”

Middle East

Brookings Institute: Minding The Gap: How To Provide More Comprehensive Support To The Children Of ISIS

“Senior officials from governments fighting ISIS are meeting this week, and they would do well to consider how better to repatriate children of ISIS fighters. Disagreements over whether or not countries should be doing more to try to repatriate their citizens, particularly the children, remain. Yet rather than focusing on those seemingly intractable differences, members of the global coalition to defeat ISIS could usefully draw attention to the need to ensure that countries that do repatriate have the expertise and other capacities to do so effectively. Many currently do not. The numbers speak for themselves. According to the most recent U.N. figures, 66,101 people are being held in the deteriorating conditions in the al-Hol camp in northeast Syria, 96% of whom are women and children, with 66% of the children under 18 years old. Only some 350 children were repatriated between January and October of 2019, with almost three-quarters of them returning to Kazakhstan or Kosovo. Meanwhile, too few governments have demonstrated a willingness to repatriate. Politicians often point to possible short-term security risks associated with the individuals or “dangers of sending emissaries to the region” to confirm citizenship, while minimizing the long-term risks of allowing their citizens, particularly children, to languish in detention camps.”

The Jerusalem Post: ISIS’s Al-Qurashi’s Declaration Of War On Israel

“On January 27, 2020, ISIS released a new audio speech by its spokesman Abu Hamzah Al-Qurashi, produced by its media arm Al-Furqan and distributed on social media. Al-Qurashi delivers a defiant message: ISIS is not only surviving – despite declarations by consecutive US presidents that it was finished – but it is also expanding its war against its enemies and that war now spans the globe. Notable in the speech was Al-Qurashi’s declaration of war on Israel, calling on ISIS factions in the Sinai and Syria to attack it and urging Muslims to thwart the US peace plan referred to as the “Deal of the Century.” Urging ISIS fighters to step up their attacks, he called on Muslims everywhere to “emigrate” and join the ISIS branch nearest them. ISIS was practically not interested in attacking Israeli targets from Syria, when it could have done so easily during the years 2014-2017. Their main priority was the Damascus regime and the Syrian army and the many competitors in the jihadist arena, like Jabhat al-Nusra. ISIS was afraid to suffer the brunt of the Israeli air force, which could have weakened it in the fight for supremacy in the Syrian opposition camp.”

Egypt

Egypt Independent: Egypt’s Parliament Introduces New Amendments To Terrorism Law

“The Egyptian House of Representatives’ Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee on Monday approved an amendment to Law 8/2015 regulating designated terrorist and terrorism lists. The committee has now chosen to include satellite channels, radio stations, and social media accounts encouraging terrorism as under the jurisdiction of terrorist entities. The committee also amended the definition of funds in the law to include all financial assets and economic assets, including oil and others, whatever the means of obtaining them and the legal documents and tools, including the digital or electronic form. Members of the committee also agreed to amend article seven of the law, regarding the implications of publishing decisions to include terrorist elements and entities. The amendment stipulates that any elements included in the lists lose the reputation necessary to hold public, parliamentary or local jobs and terminate any service in government jobs or contracts with public business sector companies, no longer being able to be appointed or contracted with any of them.”

Nigeria

Daily Post Nigeria: Boko Haram: Terrorists Suffer Heavy Casualty In Failed Attempt To Infiltrate Borno

“Reports reaching DAILY POST from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, reveals that the military has successfully repelled an attempt by ISWAP to infiltrate Damasak, the headquarters of Mobbar local government area of Borno State, northeast Nigeria. Sources said that a rocket launcher fired by the terrorists landed close to the UN hub, but there was no effect. “Boko Haram tried to infiltrate Damasak Town around 5pm but they suffered deadly blow from troops of Nigerian Army. “There was heavy casualty on the side of the Boko Haram. Damasak is now agog with celebration,” a source told DAILY POST in Maiduguri. The source also said many vehicles were burnt, adding that fire from the attack was still on. “More detail will come tomorrow, but the soldiers did their best,” the source said.”

Somalia

Xinhua: Somali, U.S. Forces Kill Al-Shabab Terrorist In Southern Somalia

“Somali and the United States forces killed an al-Shabab terrorist in a new airstrike conducted in the militants' stronghold in southern Somalia on Monday. The U.S. Africa Command(AFRICOM) which has in the past conducted counterterrorism strikes against the terror group in Somalia said the latest airstrike was carried out in collaboration with the Somali forces in the vicinity of Jilib. “We currently assess no civilians were injured or killed as a result of this airstrike,” said AFRICOM. The latest airstrike comes after the Somali government vowed to intensify military operations against the al-Shabab militant group which it said has weakened. Government spokesman Ismael Mukhtar Omar said on Saturday the operations which are being carried out in collaboration with troops from the African peacekeeping mission and the U.S., highlights the increasing capability of the government security forces to secure the nation. Ismael said the loss of cities as towns in Lower Shabelle in the southern region has significantly reduced al-Shabab's influence and forced them to rely on terrorist attacks such as the Dec. 28, 2019 bombing of innocent civilians in Mogadishu to remain relevant and generate fear amongst the local populace.”

Africa

The New York Times: Burkina Faso Farming Town Struggles To Cope With Fallout Of Violence

“Two years ago, Pissila was a quiet farming town in Burkina Faso, unfamiliar with the violence that was stirring further north. Now an influx of displaced people has changed life dramatically for its 15,000 inhabitants. As deadly attacks on civilians by jihadist groups with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State have surged, 30,000 people have poured into the town seeking refuge, trebling the population, straining resources and leaving authorities struggling to cope. Much of the work of housing the newcomers has been shouldered by ordinary people, such has been the speed of the rise in violence in a once calm country. The chaos caused by home-grown insurgents has coincided with a spillover of jihadist groups from Mali. Hundreds have died in attacks in Burkina over the past year, many of which have had a ethnic or religious bent, and large areas of the country are out of government control. Aid organizations and charities have rushed to help, and tents have been set up for the displaced in Pissila by an aid organization called HELP, but many say it is not enough in a country where nearly one million have fled violence over the past year.”

All Africa: Kenya: State Fights Contrabands In War Against Funding Of Terrorism

“The government has intensified the war against contrabands and smuggling of goods as part of a comprehensive strategy in countering the financing of terrorist activities. Speaking during a high-level security meeting at the Government Guest House in Garissa, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i said that the vice is hurting businesses in the country. “This is not a trade. It is fuelling the deaths of Kenyans. Those who engage in it are Al-Shabaab's foremost supporters and funders and will be handled like the terrorists,” he said. Dr Matiang'i stated that the government will launch a security operation and enhance surveillance along Kenya's borders to stop and deter the flow of illicit goods, services, and immigrants into the country. The CS said that the multi-agency team will provide weekly updates to him for necessary action and responses. Dr Matiang'i warned that any government official found engaging in illicit trade will face severe disciplinary action. “Any officer, either in the national or county governments, found tolerating or abetting cross-border smuggling of counterfeits will be held personally accountable,” he said.”

United Kingdom

The Independent: Man Who Encouraged Far-Right Terror Attacks Escapes Jail Sentence

“A man who admitted encouraging far-right terror attacks has walked free after a court heard that he was “functioning effectively as a 10-year-old”. Luke Crompton, 30, posted material calling for the murder of black people, Muslims and Jews online, as well as the burning of mosques. Manchester Crown Court heard that he used two accounts on the Russian VK social network that prominently displayed symbols of white supremacy. Crompton pleaded guilty to encouraging terrorism, an offence punishable by up to 15 years in prison, but escaped a jail sentence on Tuesday. Judge Patrick Field QC handed him a two-year community order and 30-week rehabilitation course after hearing that he had a low IQ, possible autism, and had been “influenced and exploited” online. Amid calls for action over extremism and terrorist networking inside British prisons, the judge said Crompton would be “liable to radicalisation” inside jail that could increase the risk he poses. He told Crompton: “What you did was to post vile and hateful material on a Russian social media site over a period of about nine months in 2018. “The individual posts were deeply offensive, dripping with hate and contempt for Jews, Muslims and black people.”

Daily Mail: Official Document Naming Extinction Rebellion As Extremist Group Was Sent To Government Departments, Police Forces And Councils

“A document produced by a counter-terror policing team listing Extinction Rebellion alongside extremist groups was sent to government departments, five police forces and 20 local councils. The guidance, which has since been recalled by the south-east division of Counter Terrorism Policing, was sent to bodies including the Home Office, the Department for Education,the Ministry of Defence, the Prison Service and NHS England. The official document, which placed the environmental movement alongside Islamic extremism and neo-Nazi terrorism, was also sent to the probation service, Ofsted, several local authorities, five police forces and Counter Terrorism Policing headquarters (CTPHQ) in London, The Guardian has revealed. Following the release of the document, members of the campaign group have demanded an explanation. A statement on the group's website said: 'We need to find out who knew what and when. But more importantly, we need to know why. Extinction Rebellion member Rob Cooper, a former police chief superintendent, said: 'The worrying aspect about these revelations is that nobody inside the police or at the Home Office thought to question the guidance that included Extinction Rebellion alongside extremist groups, when it was first produced, or when it was subsequently circulated.”

Asia

The New York Times: Tajikistan Arrests 113 Alleged Muslim Brotherhood Members

“Tajikistan has arrested 113 people charged with being members of Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist organization outlawed in the Central Asian nation, Prosecutor General Yusuf Rakhmon said on Tuesday. Among those arrested over the course of this month were two foreigners, one municipal official, and more than 20 university professors, he told a briefing. The government of the predominantly Muslim ex-Soviet republic has been cracking down on Islamist opposition in recent years, banning the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan and accusing its leadership of plotting a coup. Tajikistan has also blamed Islamists, and the ultra hardline Islamic State militant group in particular, for a series of deadly attack on foreign tourists and local prison staff and border guards. The Brotherhood, founded more than 90 years ago in Egypt, has survived repeated crackdowns at home and has a network of groups across the Middle East and beyond, some directly linked to the Egyptian organization and others more loosely affiliated. Its founder Hassan al-Banna called for a religious revival and the establishment of a caliphate under sharia law.”

Technology

Forbes: Technology Companies Face Hurdles In Moderating Extremist Content Online: Here’s Why

“Last week, I released a new report titled “Free To Be Extreme”, which explored the balance between freedom of expression and the increasing demands placed on technology companies to monitor harmful extremist content online. By examining 107 cases of ‘extremism-related’ cases in the UK from 2015-2019, the report put forward a framework to monitor extremist content and behavior in a way that did not involve directly banning organisations or individuals off the platforms. There were several challenges to come from doing the research. The first that was social media companies and governments seemed to operate in tandem, employing different frameworks to assess harms of extremism. For example, there is no offence that exists for violent extremism. While the Commission for Countering Extremism put forward a new definition for hateful extremism last year, this is not operational in law. Violent extremism is a precursor offence that may or may not be linked to terrorism, and often, terrorism cases refer to ‘extremism’ in case notes. However, extremism in the UK is prosecuted under either hate crime or terrorism legislation.”