“The Taliban on Monday confirmed the arrest of a British couple in their 70s in Afghanistan after a plea from their children for their release. The four adult children of Peter and Barbie Reynolds said their parents have lived in Afghanistan for 18 years, remaining after the Taliban toppled the Western-backed government in 2021. The couple run Afghanistan-based Rebuild, an organization that provides education and training programs for businesses, government agencies, educational organizations and nongovernmental groups. The Sunday Times, which first reported the arrests, said one project was for mothers and children. The Taliban has severely restricted women’s education and activities.”
Associated Press: Pakistani Security Forces Kill 10 Militants In A Raid Near Afghanistan
“Pakistani security forces raided a militant hideout in the restive northwest near the Afghan border, killing 10 militants, the military said Monday. The military did not provide additional details about the militants killed in Bagh, a town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. But such operations are often conducted against the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. The group is an ally of the Taliban in Afghanistan and has been emboldened since the Afghan Taliban seized power there in 2021. Meanwhile, a main crossing on the Afghan-Pakistan border remained shut Monday for the third day, officials said, after Pakistan closed the key trade route in a dispute over the construction of a post along the border by Afghanistan, authorities said.”
BBC: Inadequate Information Released After Southport Attack By Authorities, Says Terror Law Reviewer
“... Counter-extremism expert Ian Acheson agrees. "I don't think they could conceivably have arrived at that conclusion on the basis of the evidence," he said. "I think the comms decision was 'let's say as little as possible and let's try to dampen down community feeling by saying, 'no, there's nothing to see here',' which of course then created a narrative that was exploited by misinformation and disinformation." The day after the attack, Merseyside Police issued a press release reiterating that the incident was "not currently being treated as terror-related". That same day, however, police halted their search of the attacker's house after finding a substance under his bed that they suspected may be poison.”
BBC: Newshour February 24, 2025
“BBC interviewed CEP Senior Director Hans-Jakob Schindler in a Newshour segment on February 24, 2025. The interview, on the security situation in Germany, starts at the 39:00 mark.”
The Guardian: Neo-Nazi Group Plots Rebuild As Trump’s FBI Chief Takes Helm, Audio Reveals
“An international neo-Nazi terrorist group with origins in the US appears to be quickly rebuilding its global and stateside ranks, according to information obtained by the Guardian from its digital accounts. Founded in 2018, the Base has been the intense focus of a years-long FBI counter-terrorism investigation that has resulted in more than a dozen of its members arrested. It has plotted an assassination, mass shootings and other actions in Europe, which made it a proscribed terrorist organization in several countries. By 2022, it seemed to disappear. Yet its founder and leader, Rinaldo Nazzaro, a former US special forces contractor residing in Russia, used the safety of Russian apps before the November election to recruit and reorganize during a tense political moment.”
The New York Times: Syria Begins A ‘National Dialogue,’ But Without A Major Player
“Syria’s interim government is bringing together people from the country’s many religions and sects for a two-day national dialogue that began on Monday. Ahmed al-Shara, the country’s interim president, whose rebel coalition seized control of Syria in early December, promised to hold a national dialogue to discuss the formation of a representative government. His government set a March 1 deadline to begin the process. Invitations for the event were sent out on Sunday, Feb. 23, to hundred of participants, including community leaders, academics and religious leaders, only one day before the conference was set to begin. Also invited were journalists, businessmen, activists, former detainees of the Assad government and the families of people who were killed or wounded in Syria’s brutal, 13-year civil war.”
Reuters: US Imposes New Sanctions On Iran's Shadow Oil Fleet
“The United States imposed a fresh round of sanctions targeting Iran's oil industry on Monday, hitting more than 30 brokers, tanker operators, and shipping companies for their role in selling and transporting Iranian petroleum, the Treasury Department said. The announcement comes as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to bring Iran's crude exports to zero to prevent the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and builds on the layers of sanctions already imposed by his government and the previous Biden administration. "Iran continues to rely on a shadowy network of vessels, shippers, and brokers to facilitate its oil sales and fund its destabilizing activities," said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a statement. "The United States will use all our available tools to target all aspects of Iran’s oil supply chain, and anyone who deals in Iranian oil exposes themselves to significant sanctions risk," he added.”
“The late leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group who was killed in an Israeli airstrike days after he took the post was laid to rest in his southern hometown Monday, a day after his cousin and predecessor was buried in Beirut. Hashem Safieddine, who was about 60, was killed in early October in a series of Israeli airstrikes in a southern suburb of Beirut at the height of the Israel-Hezbollah war. He was killed days after his cousin and predecessor Hassan Nasrallah was killed in Israeli airstrikes south of Beirut. Following Nasrallah’s death on Sept. 27, Safieddine was secretly named Hezbollah’s secretary-general but was killed just days later.”
The New York Times: Hamas Official Expresses Reservations About Oct. 7 Attack On Israel
“For months, leaders of Hamas have defended the militant group’s decision to launch the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, even though it ignited a devastating Israeli offensive that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza and reduced the territory to rubble. Hamas has declared “victory” over Israel, and some of its officials have vowed that their fighters will carry out more Oct. 7-style attacks in the future. But now one of Hamas’s top officials is publicly expressing reservations about the assault, which also touched off a humanitarian crisis that displaced nearly two million and led to critical shortages of food and health care.”
BBC: Israel Demands Complete Demilitarisation Of Southern Syria
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded the complete demilitarisation of much of southern Syria. It is an announcement that could make conflict between Israel and the new leadership in Syria, after the toppling of President Bashar al-Assad, more likely. In a speech to Israeli military cadets on Sunday, Netanyahu said that Israel would not allow the forces of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) - the Islamist group that led the overthrow of Assad - nor the new Syrian army that is being formed to "enter the area south of Damascus". "We demand the complete demilitarisation of southern Syria in the provinces of Quneitra, Deraa and Suweida from the forces of the new regime," he added.”
Associated Press: Morocco Says It Dismantled Islamic State Cell That Was Planning Attacks
“Moroccan authorities this month arrested a dozen people they said were planning attacks on behalf of the Islamic State in the Sahel, a region south of the Sahara Desert, officials said Monday. The discovery of the terrorist cell and what authorities called an “imminent dangerous terrorist plot” reflect the expanding ambitions of extremist groups in the region. Authorities did not provide details of the suspects’ motives or their plot, beyond saying they planned to set off bombs remotely. They released photographs and videos showing officers raiding terrorist cells throughout the country. The images showed weapons stockpiles found during police raids, Islamic State flags drawn on walls, and thousands of dollars of cash.”
Reuters: EU Suspends Sanctions Against Syria Including On Energy, Banking
“European Union countries suspended a range of sanctions against Syria with immediate effect on Monday, including restrictions related to energy, banking, transport and reconstruction. The EU has a range of sanctions in place targeting individuals and economic sectors in Syria. European leaders began rethinking their approach after insurgent forces led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ousted Bashar al-Assad as president in December. Meeting in Brussels on Monday, EU foreign ministers agreed to suspend restrictions on oil, gas and electricity, and sanctions on the transport sector. They have also lifted asset freezes for five banks, eased restrictions on the Syrian central bank and indefinitely extended an exemption to facilitate delivery of humanitarian aid.”
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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