Reuters: Russia Plans High-Level Contacts With Syria In Near Future, Lavrov Says
“Russia is planning to hold high-level contacts with Syria in the near future, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday. President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Syria's interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on February 12, the first direct communication between the two since Sharaa's forces overthrew Moscow's ally Bashar al-Assad in December. Russia is hoping to retain the use of two military bases in Syria.”
Reuters: Turkey Detains Nearly 300 People In Raids On PKK Suspects, Including Opposition Figures
“Turkish police have detained 282 suspects accused of ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, militant group, the government said on Tuesday, among them journalists, politicians, and academics. The raids of the last five days took place as Turkey continues to remove elected pro-Kurdish mayors from their posts over militant ties. The crackdown is coinciding with some signs that there could be an end to a 40-year conflict between the PKK and authorities. Jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan is expected to make a statement as soon as this month on such efforts, four months after an ally of President Tayyip Erdogan urged him to call on the militants to lay down their arms.”
Merkur.De: Attack In Munich: That's Why There Are So Many Attacks Now - "Massive Accumulation"
“... "The incident in Munich is a classic attack scenario and every successful attack motivates other people to carry out such attacks," says terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler from the Counter Extremism Project BuzzFeed News Germany. "Cars were used at Christmas in Magdeburg and on New Year's Day in New Orleans. So it is not totally surprising that another attack has been attempted using a car."”
Merkur.De: “Intensify Hybrid Warfare Before Elections”: Russia’s Role In The Munich Attack
“... Hans-Jakob Schindler is well aware of the theory of Russian agents in Afghanistan. "It is entirely possible, we had corresponding indications," said the director of the NGO Counter Extremism Project (CEP) in an interview with this editorial team. However, this cannot currently be proven, says the terrorism expert and Middle East expert. But: "Russia's goal is to cause social upheaval in Germany too." Acts of violence shortly before important elections would certainly play into the Russians' hands, says Schindler. "However, attacks cannot be timed precisely. For that to happen, Russia would have to intervene directly with the perpetrator in question."”
Watson: Attacks In Germany: Is Russia Behind It?
“... "That is certainly possible, we had corresponding indications," said Hans-Jakob Schindler, the director of the NGO Counter Extremism Project (CEP), to the "Frankfurter Rundschau". However, Schindler sees no evidence of Russia or the Taliban's involvement in the attacks in Germany: "Acts of violence shortly before important elections would certainly suit the Russians," said the extremism researcher. "However, attacks cannot be timed precisely. For that to happen, Russia would have to intervene directly with the perpetrator in question. That should have been noticed during the investigations into the attacks of the last few months," said Schindler.”
Frankfurter Rundschau: Russia's Influence On Munich Attack: "Hybrid Warfare Before Elections"
“... Hans-Jakob Schindler is aware of the theory of Russian agents in Afghanistan. "That is entirely possible, we had corresponding indications," said the director of the NGO Counter Extremism Project (CEP) in an interview with this editorial team. However, this cannot currently be proven, said the terrorism expert. But Russia's aim is to cause social unrest in Germany. Acts of violence shortly before important elections would suit the Russians well, explains Schindler: "However, attacks cannot be timed precisely. For that to happen, Russia would have to intervene directly with the perpetrator in question." If there had been direct Russian intervention, "this should have been noticed during the investigations into the attacks of the last few months."”
FDD’s Long War Journal: Status Update On Global Jihad
“Bill is joined by Caleb Weiss and Edmund Fitton-Brown to discuss the latest UN Sanctions Monitoring Team report on the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda that was released this week.”
Nieuwsuur: How Jihadism Is Advancing In The Sahel
“Civilians in the Sahel region are caught between warring factions. From jihadists from IS and al-Qaeda, to Russian mercenaries and government troops from the military juntas. There seems to be no end in sight to the hopeless cocktail of violence in the Sahel. The name Sekou has been changed for security reasons. His real name is known to us. The data in this video about jihadist activities in the region can be found here: https://acleddata.com/”
Fox News: Trump Admin Reveals List Of Cartels And Gangs To Be Designated Terrorist Organizations
“The Trump administration sent a list of over half a dozen drug cartels to Congress last week that it plans to designate as foreign terrorist organizations, Fox News confirmed on Tuesday. The list sent to Congress includes the international Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua – Spanish for "Train from Aragua" – that has ties to the socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro and has been terrorizing U.S. cities in recent months. Other groups included in the Trump administration’s list are the Salvadoran gang Mara Salvatrucha – also known as MS-13 – as well as several Mexican cartels, including the Sinaloa, Jalisco, Zetas, the Gulf Cartels, Cartel Unidos and "La Nueva Familia Michoacana."”
The New York Times: Climate Aid Projects Fighting Extremism And Unrest Are Closing Down
“Numerous programs aimed at averting violence, instability and extremism worsened by global warming are ensnared in the effort to dismantle the main American aid agency, U.S.A.I.D. One such project helped communities manage water stations in Niger, a hotbed of Islamist extremist groups where conflicts over scarce water are common. Another helped repair water-treatment plants in the strategic port city of Basra, Iraq, where dry taps had caused violent anti-government protests. U.S.A.I.D.’s oldest program, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, ran a forecasting system that allowed aid workers in places like war-torn South Sudan to prepare for catastrophic floods last year.”
The Hill: Al Qaeda-Linked Group Member Killed In Us Airstrike, Pentagon Says
“A member of a group linked to al Qaeda has been killed in a U.S. airstrike, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on the social platform X. “On Feb. 15, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Forces conducted a precision airstrike in Northwest Syria targeting and killing a senior finance and logistics official in the terrorist organization Hurras al-Din (HaD), an Al-Qaeda affiliate,” CENTCOM said Sunday. In 2018, Hurras al-Din came out of the militant group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham. Hurras al-Din was designated in 2019 a specially designated global terrorist group by the U.S. State Department. “We will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists in order to defend our homeland, and U.S., allied, and partner personnel in the region,” CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla said in the Sunday X post.”
The Guardian: Off Air: One By One, The Taliban Are Removing Women’s Voices From Afghan Radio
“When the Taliban began marching towards cities across Afghanistan in the summer of 2021, Alia*, a 22-year-old Afghan journalist, found herself doing some of the most important work of her short life and career. In the weeks leading up to the Taliban takeover in August, Alia’s voice on the radio became familiar to many in northern Afghanistan. She reported on the withdrawal of foreign troops, the siege of government offices and on the detention of former officials in her province. Above all, Alia reported on the situation for women and their fears and concerns – emotions she was experiencing herself. As the Taliban gradually began imposing restrictions on them, Alia was documenting history repeating itself.”
Associated Press: Palestinian Families Flee West Bank Homes In Droves As Israel Confronts Militants
“By car and on foot, through muddy olive groves and snipers’ sight lines, tens of thousands of Palestinians in recent weeks have fled Israeli military operations across the northern West Bank — the largest displacement in the occupied territory since the 1967 Mideast war. After announcing a widespread crackdown against West Bank militants on Jan. 21 — just two days after its ceasefire deal with Hamas in Gaza — Israeli forces descended on the restive city of Jenin, as they have dozens of times since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. But unlike past operations, Israeli forces then pushed deeper and more forcefully into several other nearby towns, including Tulkarem, Far’a and Nur Shams, scattering families and stirring bitter memories of the 1948 war over Israel’s creation.”
“Militants armed with guns intercepted several passenger buses on a highway in the restive southwestern Pakistan late Tuesday night, forcibly removed seven passengers and killed them before fleeing the scene, officials said. The attack occurred in Rakhni, a town in Balochistan, as the buses were heading to the eastern Punjab province from the southwestern city of Quetta, said Waqar Alam, a district administrator. He said the attackers targeted and killed only those people who were from the Punjab province. No group claimed responsibility for the attack but the suspicion is likely to fall on ethnic Baloch separatists, who have been blamed by the government for previous such attacks on passenger buses in Balochistan.”
Reuters: Lebanese Search For Dead In Devastated Villages As Israel Withdraws
“Residents of south Lebanon returned to devastated villages on Tuesday, searching for the bodies of relatives killed in last year's war between Israel and Hezbollah, as Israeli troops withdrew from most of the territory. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel would complete its withdrawal from the south on Tuesday to meet a deadline set under a U.S.-backed ceasefire, but that it would temporarily remain in five points needed for its security. Hezbollah, which was badly pummelled in the war, said Israel was still occupying Lebanese territory and put the onus on the Lebanese state to get Israeli forces out. In the frontline village of Kfar Kila, barely a building was left standing.”
“In a surprise announcement, a top Hamas leader said Tuesday that the U.S. and Israeli-designated terrorist group would release six living Israeli hostages on Saturday and the bodies of four others on Thursday, including the remains of the Bibas family, who for many Israelis have embodied the captives' plight in Gaza. Israel has said it is gravely concerned about Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, but has not confirmed their deaths. Hamas said they were killed in an Israeli airstrike early in the war.”
The Washington Post: Hamas Says It Will Release Six Living Hostages And The Bodies Of Four Others
“Hamas said Tuesday that it would release the bodies of four Israeli hostages on Thursday, including members of the Bibas family, and six living hostages two days later, on Saturday. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed in a statement that “understandings” had been reached for Hamas to release the 10 living and dead hostages. The bodies of “four additional deceased hostages” would be released next week, the statement said. That would complete the hostage releases connected to the first phase of the ceasefire deal. Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official, said in a recorded message that the releases were aimed at ensuring the success of the first phase of a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, and “to prepare for the second phase.””
“Top diplomats from Ethiopia and Somalia on Tuesday held a first round of technical talks aimed at resolving a dispute sparked by a deal between Ethiopia and Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said. Turkey has been mediating between the Horn of Africa countries after concerns about potential conflict in an already volatile region. Tensions have simmered since landlocked Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding with Somaliland last year to lease land along its coastline to establish a marine force base. In return, Ethiopia would become the first country to formally recognize Somaliland’s independence. Somalia says the deal infringes on its sovereignty and territory.”
The Washington Post: The Militia Commander
“As Islamist extremist groups have advanced in the past few years, often overpowering government forces in the Sahel, tens of thousands of civilians have taken up arms to defend themselves. Some of them, like a millet farmer turned militiaman nicknamed Tidjie, now wonder whether they’ll ever be able to lay them down. “We are stuck,” he said. “All we can think about is death.” For months, Tidjie said, he had woken from his nightmares believing he’d heard gunfire. He had developed stomach ulcers. He was so tired, he said, that all he could think about was quitting. But he said he was sure there was no way out. If he put down his Kalashnikov rifle, Tidjie feared, he would face near-certain death at the hands of the Islamist extremists he had spent nearly five years fighting.”
The Washington Post: The Islamist Militant
“As Islamist extremist groups have wrested large swaths of territory from government control in the Sahel, young men have streamed into their ranks, often compelled more by economic desperation than ideology. Ibrahim, a soft-spoken Nigerien in his 20s, joined the local al-Qaeda affiliate after bandits sacked his village, leaving him with few prospects, and the sense of adventure and fellowship he found among the militants helped keep him fighting by their side, even as he grew increasingly troubled by the group’s brutality. “In the army, if there is a battle and soldiers win, then they are happy. It was like that for us,” he said. “I was with my friends, and it was joy.””
Voice Of America: Yazidi Woman Enslaved By Islamic State Relocates To Germany Months After Rescue
“A Yazidi woman who survived rape and enslavement by Islamic State and was rescued from Gaza last October in a U.S.-led operation arrived in Germany on Tuesday, February 18. Fawzia Amin Saydo, 21, was kidnapped by IS militants from her hometown of Sinjar, northern Iraq, in August 2014, just a month before her 11th birthday. She endured a decade of suffering, including rape, enslavement and forced marriage to a Palestinian IS fighter in Syria before being sent to Gaza to live with her captor's mother. She was rescued from Gaza on October 1, 2024, during a secret U.S.-led operation that involved cooperation among human rights activists, as well as Israeli, Jordanian, Iraqi and United Nations officials.”
Bloomberg: Australia Spy Chief Sounds Alert On Use Of Minors In Terrorism
“Australia’s spy chief Mike Burgess has revealed that almost all foiled terrorist attacks over the past year involved the radicalization of children, while adding that the range of threats to national security is increasing exponentially. In his annual threat assessment delivered in Canberra on Wednesday, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation director-general said the threat of terrorism and politically-motivated violence is rising, with individuals “self-radicalizing” through complicated and contradictory systems of belief. “Of all the potential terrorist matters investigated last year, fewer than half were religiously motivated. The majority involved mixed ideologies or nationalist and racist ideologies,” Burgess said, according to excerpts of his speech provided in advance.”
BBC: Facing Islamist Threats, Bangladesh Girls Forced To Cancel Football Matches
“Asha Roy, 17, was excited to take part in a women's football tournament, but her hopes were dashed as Islamists forced the organisers to cancel the match in northern Bangladesh. Shortly before the game began earlier this month, the Islami Andolan Bangladesh group announced a protest rally against the event in Rangpur region, saying it was un-Islamic. Fearing trouble, local police stepped in and the women's team members were asked to return to their home for their safety. "I was frustrated and frightened. We had never faced such a situation before. It was disappointing that we came back without playing," Ms Roy told the BBC.”
Bloomberg: India To Allow Ambassador-Level Taliban Post To Counter China
"India’s government is expected to accept a top Taliban representative to the country soon, the latest step from New Delhi to improve ties with Kabul and counter China’s growing influence in Afghanistan. The Taliban-led government has identified two potential candidates to take charge of the Afghan embassy in New Delhi, according to officials familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private. The Taliban official won’t be recognized as a diplomat by India but will be the top representative for the government there, the people said. The Taliban won’t be able to fly its flag at the embassy, at events or on official vehicles, they said.”
Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.
Fact:
On October 7, 2023, Hamas invaded southern Israel where, in the space of eight hours, hundreds of armed terrorists perpetrated mass crimes of brutality, rape, and torture against men, women and children. In the biggest attack on Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust, 1,200 were killed, and 251 were taken hostage into Gaza—where 101 remain. One year on, antisemitic incidents have increased by record numbers.
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