Eye on Extremism - June 21, 2021

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Eye on Extremism - 06-21-21
By: Counter Extremism Project - 06-21-21
Re: info@counterextremism.com

Eye on Extremism


As of June 21, 2021:

The Jerusalem Post: Germany Bans Hamas Flag After Antisemitic Incidents Occurred Amid Escalation

“The German government banned the flag of Hamas this week following a spat of antisemitic incidents that took place during the pro-Palestinian protests that took place in the country during the most recent escalation between Israel and allied terror groups in the Gaza Strip last month. According to Deutsche Welle, citing the Welt am Sonntag newspaper, all parties in the coalition of the German government agreed that the symbol should be marked as a symbol of hate following the antisemitic incidents – even though one party raised the constitutional ramifications that could arise from such as ban. According to the report, the law was proposed by Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union party. “We do not want the flags of terrorist organizations to be waved on German soil,” said a spokesperson for the party Thorsten Frei, according to DW. In Germany last month, the “most violent [antisemitic] incidents were in the southern Berlin district of Neukölln, where demonstrators who gathered in solidarity with Palestinians burned Israeli flags, chanted anti-Israel slogans and waved Hamas banners,” a report in The Guardian noted. The German anti-Israel attacks may have been fueled from Ankara where the pro-Hamas ruling party has used its diaspora for years to increase extremism.”

Reuters: Boko Haram Cleric Confirms Shekau's Death, Urges Fighters' Loyalty

“A senior cleric with Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram confirmed the death of its leader and urged fighters to stay loyal in its fight against rival Islamic State militants, according to a video seen by Reuters on Friday. Bakura Sahalaba, a cleric with the Lake Chad branch of Boko Haram, urged its men to fight on in the video, which appeared on social media after the rival Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) said Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau had died. Three Boko Haram researchers verified its authenticity. ISWAP had said Shekau, one of the world's most notorious extremists, had died around May 18 after fleeing a battle with ISWAP and detonating an explosive device before he could be captured. The regional affiliate of Islamic State, ISWAP has sought to absorb Shekau's fighters and unify the groups which during Shekau's tenure fought one another for control of territory in northeast Nigeria and around Lake Chad. “The Lake Chad branch of (Boko Haram) is clearly willing to keep fighting ISWAP until it can speak directly with (Islamic State) on next steps,” said Jacob Zenn, editor of The Jamestown Foundation's Terrorism Monitor publication.”

United States

The Washington Post: Fierce Capitol Attacks On Police In Newly Released Videos

“Videos released under court order provide a chilling new look at the chaos at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, including body camera footage that shows a man charging at a police officer with a flagpole and tackling him to the ground. Federal judges ordered the release of the videos after media organizations, including The Associated Press, went to court to request that the Department of Justice provide access. The videos are being presented as evidence in prosecutors’ cases against three men charged with assaulting police. The new videos show a Marine Corps veteran and former New York City police officer wielding a flagpole as he attacks police, as well as rioters crushing another officer into a door as he screams in pain. Still another video shows a New Jersey man punching an officer in the head. The release comes at a time when Republican lawmakers in Washington increasingly try to downplay the siege, portraying the breach of the Capitol as a mostly peaceful protest despite the shocking violence that unfolded. Supporters of former President Donald Trump fought past police lines to storm the building and interrupt the certification of President Joe Biden’s election win over Trump.”

Associated Press: Judge Denies Bid To Move Trial Over White Nationalist Rally

“A federal judge on Friday denied a request to move the trial in a lawsuit filed against organizers of the deadly 2017 Unite the Right rally out of Charlottesville. U.S. District Court Judge Norman Moon first floated the idea of moving the trial during a telephone conference in the case earlier this month, citing potential logistical and safety issues associated with holding the trial in U.S. District Court in Charlottesville. After that hearing, the defendants in the case filed motions supporting transferring the trial to either Lynchburg or Roanoke. In a ruling Friday, Moon rejected the transfer, noting that many of the plaintiffs lived, worked and studied in Charlottesville, where they allege they were injured. The judge also said convenience for the parties and the witnesses weighed in favor of keeping the trial in Charlottesville. “The Court finds that the interests of justice factor continues to support holding this trial in Charlottesville rather than transferring it, so that the trial may take place in the community most directly affected by the Unite the Right rally,” Moon wrote in his ruling. Violent street clashes broke out in Charlottesville on Aug. 12, 2017, before a man fascinated with Adolf Hitler plowed his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing a woman.”

Syria

Al Monitor: Does Kurdish Jihadist Group Threaten Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham In North Syria?

“Ansar al-Islam is considered a Salafist-jihadist movement seeking to establish an “Islamic state” according to its own vision and Islamic governance in a bid to obtain and preserve the “legitimate rights” of the Kurdish people. The group was established in September 2001, basing itself in northeastern Iraq, notably in the areas of Iraqi Kurdistan. In 2014, Ansar al-Islam established itself in Syria, notably in Damascus and its countryside, and Quneitra, through a merger with the Usama ibn Zayd Brigade, Al-Ezz bin Abdul Salam Brigade and Al-Adiyat Brigade. In February 2015, it announced the establishment of its northern branch in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, and has been mainly active in the northern countryside of Latakia. Ansar al-Islam operates under the umbrella of the Rouse the Believers operations room, which was founded in October 2018 and includes Hurras al-Din, Ansar al-Tawhid and Ansar al-Din Front. According to sources close to Ansar al-Islam who spoke to Al-Monitor, the group is led by Syrian individuals of Kurdish origin, who despite the fact that they espouse a similar ideology of al-Qaeda, deny having any organizational ties to it. In fact, Ansar al-Islam refuses to fight outside Syria and does not support al-Qaeda’s operations around the world, according to the sources.”

Asharq Al-Awsat: Syria Regime Reroutes Forces From Idlib To Badia Desert In Clampdown On ISIS

“Syrian regime forces renewed shelling the southern parts of the northwestern governorate of Idlib, with reports citing fighters retreating from contact lines there to the Badia desert to fight ISIS with support from the Russian air force. “On Thursday morning, rocket and artillery shells targeted areas in Ihsim, Al-Bara, Ibilin, Balshon, Jawsaf, Abdeta, Arnaba, Al-Fatirah Fleifel, Benin, and Sifwuhun in the southern Idlib countryside,” local sources told the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). Shelling on Abdeta resulted in the death of two combatants from the Turkey-backed Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) factions. Many injuries were also reported as witnessed said warplanes and reconnaissance aircraft flew over Zawiya Mountain, a highland region in Idlib. Regime forces also targeted and destroyed a civilian car with a guided missile east of Al-Ziyadiya region in Al-Ghab Plain. SOHR sources indicated that several regime rocket shells hit the vicinity of a Turkish outpost in the village of Sarjah at the base of Zawiya Mountain. Turkish forces, accompanied by the Syrian opposition factions named “Al-Fateh al-Mubeen,” responded to the attack by targeting regime areas with dozens of rocket and artillery shells in Kafrnabel and other regions of the southern and eastern Idlib countryside.”

Iraq

PBS News Hour: As ISIS Presence Dwindles, U.S. Troops In Iraq Face Other Threats

“In the latest targeting of American troops in Iraq, an unexploded rocket landed close to a military base on Sunday. There were no serious damages. Today around 2,500 U.S. troops remain in the country as part of a multinational fight against ISIS. While it is the lowest U.S. military presence there in two decades, and ISIS has lost significant territory, fears of resurgence in case of a troop pullout remain. Special Correspondent Leila Molana-Allen and videographer Adrian Hartrick report. Hari Sreenivasan: An unexploded rocket landed close to a military base hosting U.S. troops in northern Iraq today. There was no significant damage but the attack was the latest targeting the American military presence in the country. About 2,500 U.S. troops remain in Iraq as part of the multinational coalition force in the fight against ISIS. It's the lowest U.S. Military presence in two decades. And while ISIS has lost territorial control, the threat of a resurgence remains if the military were to pull out all together. NewsHour Weekend Special Correspondent Leila Molana-Allen and videographer Adrian Hartrick were granted access to travel to bases across Iraq that still have a U.S. presence to find out what they're doing and what their future plans are.”

Kurdistan 24: Iraq’s Interior Ministry Announces Dismantling Of ISIS Sleeper Cell In Kirkuk

“The Iraqi Ministry of Interior on Saturday announced the dismantling of a sleeper cell comprising 10 suspected ISIS militants in Kirkuk province. Iraqi security services have recently intensified their campaigns against the remnants of the terrorist group in several provinces, mainly areas disputed with Erbil, and managed to arrest dozens of people in recent weeks. The interior ministry’s intelligence agency said in a statement Saturday that the 10 people arrested were “wanted for affiliation to ISIS terrorist group as sleeper cells in Kirkuk province,” adding that they were suspected of providing logistical support “for ISIS elements,” and some were fighters or support forces in the “Kirkuk sector.” ISIS militants have continued to attack Iraqi security forces and civilians in many of the areas disputed between the federal government of Iraq and the autonomous Kurdistan Regional government, especially Kirkuk. In May, the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces and their Iraqi counterparts established the first joint security coordination center in Kirkuk, following a similar model in Diyala. The Kurdistan Region’s senior officials have repeatedly said that ISIS remains a serious threat to the disputed areas, their residents, and vital facilities.”

Turkey

The Jerusalem Post: Turkey Is Radicalizing Extremists To Attack Kurdish Women

“Photos show Deniz Poyraz smiling and happy. But for Turkey’s far-right, she was a threat, a young woman activist who was not a supporter of the increasingly thuggish, Islamist and nationalist government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan. She was murdered last week by a man who appears to be close to the Turkish state. The gunman had served in Syria and enjoyed posing with weapons and nationalist Turkish symbols. He walked into an opposition political party office in Izmir and murdered Poyraz. Women have become key targets of Turkey’s extremist government in recent years. Videos increasingly show violence against women in the streets of cities, including women being beaten by men. Turkey, once a candidate for European Union membership, now stands accused of sending assassins to target women activists from Syria to France. Turkey’s pro-government media often portrays women as “terrorists” despite no evidence of them ever being armed or doing any “terrorist” activist. For the state and the ruling AKP party, women who struggle for LGBT rights, or student or environmental activists are “terrorists”; men who pose with weapons and support actual terrorists in Syria, are celebrated as heroes in Ankara.”

Afghanistan

The New York Times: Taliban Enter Key Cities In Afghanistan’s North After Swift Offensive

“The Taliban entered two provincial capitals in northern Afghanistan Sunday, local officials said, the culmination of an insurgent offensive that has overrun dozens of rural districts and forced the surrender and capture of hundreds of government forces and their military equipment in recent weeks. In Kunduz city, the capital of the province of the same name, the Taliban seized the city’s entrance before dispersing throughout its neighborhoods. Kunduz was briefly taken by the Taliban in 2015 and 2016 before they were pushed back by American airstrikes, special operations forces and Afghan security forces. “Right now, I hear the sound of bullets,” said Amruddin Wali, a member of Kunduz’s provincial council. “The Taliban have appeared in the alleys and back alleys of Kunduz, and there is panic all over the city.” The setbacks come at a harrowing moment for Afghanistan. American and international troops, now mostly based in Kabul, the capital, and at Bagram airfield, are set to leave the country in weeks. To the west of Kunduz in Maimana, the capital of Faryab Province, Taliban fighters appeared at the city’s entrance before moving into the city’s periphery. The Taliban clashed with security forces into Sunday night, after a series of takeovers in past days in the capital’s surrounding districts.”

The Washington Post: Death Of Famed Afghan Commander In Taliban Massacre Highlights The Country’s Struggles And Fears

“He was a general's son, a U.S.-trained officer with a dazzling academic record and a daring military reputation. Col. Sohrab Azimi, a field commander in Afghan special forces that often rescue troops and retake outposts from Taliban attacks, symbolized the country's best hope to fend off an insurgent takeover as U.S. troops began to withdraw from the fight. Azimi, 31, and his squad of 22 men were massacred Wednesday by Taliban forces while defending a base in northern Faryab province and waiting for reinforcements. The loss unleashed a flood of emotions across social media — grief, anger and fear that even the nation’s most skilled defenders would be undercut by poor military leadership and the departure of Afghanistan’s major foreign military ally. At a ceremony outside a military hospital in Kabul on Saturday morning, a Muslim cleric blessed the velvet-draped coffins of Azimi and two other commandos, released by the Taliban and flown to Kabul by the Afghan Air Force. They were lifted onto artillery trucks, followed by goose-stepping soldiers and a marching band, then loaded into ambulances. “This is the price we pay for defending our country’s independence, freedom and dignity,” Rangin Dadfar Spanta, a former foreign minister, told the silent, mostly uniformed crowd that included Azimi’s father, a retired army general.”

Pakistan

Associated Press: Military: 2 Militants, Soldier Killed In Pakistan Shootout

“A shootout between government forces and Pakistani Taliban fighters overnight in a northwestern territory left two militants and a soldier dead, the military said early Sunday. A military statement said security forces conducted an operation in the Spinwam area of North Waziristan, a tribal region that has served as a sanctuary for local and foreign militants. North Waziristan and six other tribal regions were merged into northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in recent years following military offensives against militants in the area. The military, which acted on intelligence to identify the militants’ location, said the fighters were involved in activities against security forces and belonged to the banned Pakistani Taliban group. They opened fire on security forces, triggering an intense exchange of fire during which the two militants and soldier were.”

Voice Of America: Taliban Donations Soar In Pakistan Ahead Of US Pullout From Afghanistan

“Donations to the Afghan Taliban are on the upswing in Pakistan border regions as the militant group intensifies attacks against Afghan forces ahead of the U.S. troop withdrawal, locals told VOA. Multiple sources and eyewitnesses on the ground with knowledge of these donations have confirmed to VOA that fundraising for the Taliban has continued in various parts of Pakistan. An informed resident of Duki, some 210 kilometers (130 miles) east of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, told VOA that Afghan Taliban militants stay with coal miners in the nearby mountains and come to the bazaar area every Friday to solicit 5,000-10,000 Pakistani rupees ($50 to $70) from shopkeepers. “They are coming on motorbikes and asking larger stores for contributions. They say that they belong to the Taliban movement and that they are fighting in Allah's path,” said the resident, who did not want to be named because he fears retaliation by the militants. “In the past, they were coming to a few mosques. But recently they have started coming to collect contributions from shops,” he added. A member of the Baluchistan assembly, who also requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, told VOA that members of the Taliban openly hold fundraising campaigns in several districts of the province.”

Middle East

Haaretz: The Secret Weapon That Helps Hamas Raise Millions Of Dollars

“…Global media coverage of the fighting drew attention to how the militant organization had brought hundreds of thousands of viewers to its website, where they were provided instructions on how to contribute under the eyes of the authorities, and offered a QR code to facilitate the transactions. The QR code is just one example of how Hamas has become something of a technology leader among terrorist groups, which experts say are making more and more use of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to raise money. After being driven off the Coinbase cryptocurrency exchange two years ago by U.S. authorities, for instance, Hamas developed software that creates a new digital-wallet address each time a donor scans the QR code. “Now, instead of one Hamas wallet, you have many wallets and many donors. That makes it hard to follow the money,” explains Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director at the Counter Extremism Project, a New York-based nonprofit that builds programs to sever the financial, recruitment and material support networks of extremist groups and their leaders.”

Egypt

Al Monitor: Egypt Plans To Resettle Millions In Sinai Amid Anti-Terrorism Operations

“The Egyptian army has yet to officially announce the end of the anti-terrorism operation it launched in the Sinai Peninsula in 2018. But the expansion of development projects in Sinai with the aim of resettling a large number of residents is a sign that the government is signaling the beginning of a return to normalcy and a reduction of the threat from terrorists. The development sector in the northern Sinai governorate revealed June 10 that the state has spent 4 billion Egyptian pounds (about $255 million) since 2014 on projects in the governorate. Naji Ibrahim, head of the development sector in the governorate, said in June 10 press statements that these projects aim to improve roads and services (electricity, sewage and drinking water) all the while turning Bedouin villages and areas into integrated cities and modern housing complexes. He also mentioned industrial and agricultural projects to cover the needs of the northern Sinai residents, namely the food supply. He also said that there are projects that will attract more investments and residents to permanently work and reside in the governorate, in accordance with the directives of the political leadership.”

Libya

Asharq Al-Awsat: LNA Targets Terrorists In South Libya

“Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, launched several airstrikes against ISIS terrorists in al-Haruj Mountains, in southwest Libya. The National Army did not comment on the operation, but its Military Information Division issued a brief statement announcing that the air force launched a series of raids on a site of terrorist groups in the mountains. Last Thursday, LNA spokesman Major General Ahmed al-Mismari announced a military operation against terrorists in the south of the country, after the commander of al-Waw Brigade, Ali al-Tabawi was killed by a landmine explosion during a reconnaissance patrol in the Haruj Mountains. ISIS remnants reside only in the deserts in southern Libya, after they were active in separate parts of the country. Over four years ago, forces affiliated with the Tripoli government launched a major offensive to liberate Sirte, ISIS’ main stronghold. Meanwhile, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) called upon members of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) to convene in person in Switzerland on June 28, hours before the meeting of the 5 + 5 Joint Military Committee (JMC) in Sirte. The JMC meeting on Sunday will include LNA representatives and forces affiliated with the unity government headed by Abdulhamid Dbeibeh.”

Nigeria

Premium Times Nigeria: Nigerian Soldiers Foil Boko Haram Attack, Kill Six Terrorists – Official

“The Nigerian Army has announced that soldiers, on Sunday, foiled an attack by Boko Haram terrorists on Kumshe town of Borno State. The army spokesperson, Onyema Nwachukwu, a brigadier general, who announced this in a statement on Sunday, said the intervention of gallant troops forced the terrorists who came on gun trucks and motorcycles to flee without accomplishing their mission. The latest incident occurs a few weeks after the Nigerian army announced the killing of over 50 terrorists in another operation. In the statement on Sunday, the army spokesperson said at least six of the terrorists were killed during the encounter. He added that six AK 47 rifles were recovered alongside one hand held grenade, assorted drugs and other medical items. Read the full statement by the army below. Troops of Joint Task Force North East Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) deployed at the Forward Operational Base (FOB) of 152 Battalion, Kumshe on Sunday, 20 June 2021 gallantly dealt with elements of Boko Haram terrorists (BHTs) on a suicidal infiltration attempt into the camp.”

Sahara Reporters: Nigeria Set To Begin Trial Of 800 Suspected Boko Haram Terrorists

“The Nigerian government is set to commence the trial of 800 suspected members of the terrorist sect group, Boko Haram. The Deputy Director, Prosecution and Head of Complex Casework Group, Federal Ministry of Justice, Chioma Onuegbu, stated this in Abuja during a media engagement on networking for justice and accountability. She added that out of 1,000 case files reviewed, 280 had been filed at the Federal High Court, while 170 were recommended for release for lack of evidence. Onuegbu also said the charges had been served on the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, who would be defending the suspects in court. “The military is making efforts to move the inmates, whose charges were ready to a safe location before the commencement of their trial,” she added.”

Africa

The Washington Post: U.S. General: 'Wildfire Of Terrorism' On March In Africa

“A senior U.S. general warned Friday that the “wildfire of terrorism” is sweeping across a band of Africa and needs the world’s attention. He spoke at the close of large-scale U.S.-led war games with American, African and European troops. The African Lion war games, which lasted nearly two weeks, stretched across Morocco, a key U.S, ally, with smaller parts held in Tunisia and Senegal. The annual drills were skipped last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend, head of the U.S. Africa Command, praised the work accomplished in joint operations, and painted a dark picture of threats besetting parts of Africa. “I am concerned about the security situation across a band of Africa,” from the Sahel region in the west to the Horn of Africa, Townsend told reporters. He noted deadly attacks by al-Qaida- and Islamic State-linked jihadis and al-Shabab. “All of them are on the march,” he said. African neighbors are helping governments deal with the threat, but, he added, “all of that does not seem to be sufficient enough to stop what I call ... (the) wildfire of terrorism that’s sweeping that region.” African Lion saw more than 7,000 troops from seven countries and NATO carry out air, land and sea exercises together.”

United Kingdom

The Straits Times: British ISIS Bride Shamima Begum Was 'Trafficking Victim', Court Told

“A schoolgirl who left Britain to join the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group and had her British citizenship revoked was a victim of human trafficking, a court heard on Friday (June 18). Shamima Begum was 15 when she travelled from London to Syria with two fellow pupils in February 2015. Britain's interior ministry revoked her citizenship on national security grounds after she was discovered heavily pregnant in a Syrian refugee camp in February 2019, amid an outcry led by right-wing newspapers. The Court of Appeal ruled last July that Begum could return to Britain to challenge the decision. But the Supreme Court in February overturned the lower court ruling, and prevented her from doing so on national security grounds. Begum, now 21, is challenging the interior ministry's decision at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) that deals with deportations on national security grounds and the revocation of citizenship. Her lawyer, Samantha Knights, claimed Begum was “a child trafficked to and remaining in Syria for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced marriage”. She also argued that revoking Begum's citizenship left her stateless and the decision was procedurally unfair.”

The Sun: Bluewater Bomb Plotter To Be Kicked Out Of Britain In Weeks After Losing Appeal

“…Last night ex-Foreign Office anti-terror chief Sir Ivor Roberts, of pressure group the Counter Extremism Project, called it “a watershed moment for our justice system”. He said: “The UK justice system is intent on keeping Britain safe and preventing a convicted terrorist from manipulating the rules for his benefit. “Those who endanger the lives of British citizens will not set their own terms for imprisonment.”

Australia

Reuters: Australian Police Arrest Man Over Alleged Islamic State Membership

“A Sydney man who posted extremist rhetoric and possessed recipes for explosives has been arrested for allegedly being a member of the Islamic State group, Australian police said on Saturday. “The man has been charged with membership of a terrorist organisation, namely Islamic State,” after a seven-month investigation, the Australian Federal Police and the New South Wales police said in a joint statement. They did not name the 24-year-old, who was arrested on Friday, a typical practice in Australia unless the police deem the identification of the suspect in the interest of the victim's family or the public. “There is no ongoing threat to the community relating to this investigation,” the police said. The man faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. “The man's rhetoric online was escalating ... he had collected a large amount of extremist material and he was in possession of several improvised explosive recipes,” the police said. “The actions of this man do not represent the Islamic faith,” Federal Police Commander Counter Terrorism Investigations Stephen Dametto was quoted in the press release as saying. “His actions are criminal and they represent hatred and terror.”

Europe

CNN: Far-Right Extremist Who Threatened Top Belgian Doctor Appears To Have Killed Himself, Prosecutor Says

“A far-right extremist who became the object of a month-long manhunt after threatening a top doctor fighting Covid-19, appears to have killed himself, authorities in Belgium said Sunday. A body, believed to be that of Jurgen Conings, was found on Sunday in a wooded area of the town Dislen-Stockem, in Belgium's eastern Limburg province, according to the Federal prosecutor's office. The first indications are that Conings took his own life using a firearm. He had been missing since May 17, prosecutors said. “The lifeless body of a male was found this Sunday by walkers in the woods of Dilsen-Stockem,” a statement from the prosecutor's office read. It added that the cause of death was “likely, according to the first findings, attributable to a suicide by firearm,” but “yet to be confirmed through a future forensic examination.” Conings, a 46-year-old former soldier, had threatened several citizens in recent months, including Belgium's senior virologist Marc Van Ranst, who has played a key role in the country's fight against Covid-19. On May 17, police launched a search for the former soldier after he disappeared in possession of weapons, leaving a letter in which he claimed he would do something that “would change society forever.”