Associated Press: The Latest | Israel Vows To Defend Itself If Iran Responds To Attack On Its Consulate

“Israel’s military said Thursday it is prepared to defend the country and strike back if Iran retaliates for a deadly airstrike on the Iranian Consulate in Syria. Tehran holds Israel responsible for the attack earlier this month, which the U.S. military believes Israel carried out. Israel has not commented on it. The increased tensions have sparked international concern that Israel’s devastating war against Hamas in Gaza could spill over into the rest of the Middle East. Six months of fighting in Gaza have pushed the tiny Palestinian territory into a humanitarian crisis, leaving more than 1 million people on the brink of starvation. The head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Samantha Power, told lawmakers Wednesday she accepted “credible” reports that famine is now occurring in hard-hit northern Gaza. President Joe Biden said this week that Israel is not doing enough to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Israeli bombardments and ground offensives have killed at least 33,360 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 74,993, the Health Ministry says. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its tally, but says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.”

Voice Of America: Taliban Facebook Plan Is Attempt To Silence Critics, Journalists Say

“Plans by the Taliban to block access to Facebook are a further attempt to curtail freedom of speech and silence critics in Afghanistan, according to journalists and activists. The proposal was announced by the Taliban’s acting minister of telecommunication and information technologies, Najibullah Haqqani. In an interview with TOLO News, Haqqani said his ministry was preparing a policy “either to restrict or block” access to Facebook in Afghanistan. Haqqani said that blocking the social media platform was “in the interest of the nation.” He added that because Afghan youth are too uneducated to use Facebook in a “positive way,” using it “is a waste of time and money.” Afghan journalists and activists, however, see the proposal as an attempt to further curtail free expression and media freedoms. The proposed policy is a continuation of the Taliban’s “repressive restrictions,” said one Kabul-based journalist, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals. The journalist said that “by blocking Facebook, they [the Taliban] want to limit journalists from sharing news and information and silence activists and [government] critics.””

CEP Mentions

The New Daily: Ways To Counter Australia’s Growing Neo-Nazi Threat

“Australian white supremacists and neo-Nazis are encouraging members to undergo combat sports training and law enforcement avoidance under the banner of “Active Clubs”, a parliamentary inquiry into right-wing extremism heard from the Counter Extremism Project (CEP). The CEP called for close monitoring of this activity. “There is increasing evidence suggesting that the network’s main objective is instead the creation of shadow militias that can be activated when the need for co-ordinated violent action on a larger scale arises,” CEP said.”

United States

Voice Of America: FBI Fears 'Coordinated Attack' On US homeland

“A surge of confidence by supporters of the Islamic State terror group — reflected in a series of online threats against Europe combined with its deadly attack on a concert hall in Russia — is giving security officials in the United States cause for concern. National security and law enforcement officials have long been worried about small groups or individuals drawing inspiration from terror plots around the world to conduct attacks in the U.S. But FBI Director Christopher Wray told lawmakers Thursday that something more worrisome may be in the works. “Now increasingly concerning is the potential for a coordinated attack here in the homeland, akin to the ISIS-K attack we saw at the Russia concert hall a couple weeks ago,” Wray warned lawmakers, using an acronym for the Islamic State’s Afghan affiliate. Just days ago, police agencies across Europe boosted security after media outlets linked to Islamic State, also known as IS or ISIS, posted calls to attack stadiums hosting Champions League soccer matches this week in Madrid, London and Paris.”

The Daily Mail: Devastating New Details Reveal More State Department Chaos In The Two Weeks Before The Afghanistan Disaster: U.S. Staff Still Didn't Have A Full Evacuation Plan When The Taliban Stormed Kabul... Days Before The Suicide Blast

“Hours of private testimony by two of the top State Department officials who oversaw the evacuation from Afghanistan lays bare the confusion at the heart of the operation, and how they failed to respond to warning signs that the Taliban was sweeping across the country. The result was a chaotic operation at Kabul's airport in August 2021 with Americans scrambling to get on flights after the extremist group had seized control of the country. American citizens had to pass through checkpoints run by the same gunmen who had spent years battling U.S. forces. Yet even as the Pentagon prepositioned forces to support an evacuation as ground conditions worsened, the officials, Brian McKeon and Derek Chollet, said their priority had been to work out how to keep the U.S. embassy open. They were still working on a plan to evacuate Americans and their Afghan allies when the militant group overran the capital.”

The Washington Post: Pentagon Frustrated By Lack Of Notice From Israel In Syria Strike

“Senior Pentagon officials were frustrated that Israel did not notify the United States before conducting a strike on an Iranian site in Syria this month, an escalation that they assess increases risks to American forces in the Middle East, U.S. officials said. Iran has vowed retaliation for the April 1 strike on a building adjacent to its embassy in the Syrian capital, Damascus, which killed two senior commanders from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an organization with a long history of supporting violent attacks against Israel and the United States. U.S. and Israeli officials are closely coordinating how they may respond to an Iranian counterstrike, officials said, with a top American general visiting Israel on Thursday.”

Iran

Voice Of America: Israel, Iran Trade New Threats Over Israeli Airstrike On Tehran’s Consulate In Syria

“Israel and Iran are trading threats in the aftermath of Israel’s airstrike that leveled the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus, killing seven Revolutionary Guards, including two of Tehran’s generals. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned Wednesday that Israel "must be punished and will be punished” for the April 1 attack, days after one of his advisers said Israeli embassies are "no longer safe." Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz swiftly answered on the social media site X that "if Iran attacks from its territory, Israel will respond and attack Iran.” Iran partly blamed the United Nations for the possibility of expanded warfare in the Mideast. “Had the U.N. Security Council condemned the Zionist regime’s reprehensible act of aggression on our diplomatic premises in Damascus and subsequently brought to justice its perpetrators, the imperative for Iran to punish this rogue regime might have been obviated,” the Iran mission to the UN said on social media site X. During a visit to an airbase in central Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of "challenging times" on multiple fronts.”

Iraq

The Washington Examiner: US Troop Presence In Iraq To Be A ‘Very Important Part’ Of Prime Minister’s Visit

“Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani is set to meet with President Joe Biden next week, where the two leaders will discuss, among a litany of topics, the future of the U.S. military’s presence in Iraq. The U.S. has approximately 2,500 troops in Iraq who are stationed in the country to continue the defeat ISIS campaign. The two militaries have and continue to discuss the next stage of their partnership as they transition from the defeat ISIS mission to an enduring bilateral security partnership. “We are in the middle of a very important discussion between our two militaries about how we shape the future of our cooperation and our partnership,” a senior State Department official told reporters on Thursday. “The prime minister will be meeting — obviously this will come up with the president … [Al Sudani is] meeting with the secretary of defense. So that’s likely to be a very important part of the discussions.””

Pakistan

Voice Of America: Pakistan Bans Iran-Backed Shiite Group Fighting In Syria

“Pakistan has banned the activities of an Iran-backed Shiite militant group allegedly involved in recruiting and sending young Pakistanis to fight in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad's regime. An Interior Ministry directive, seen Thursday by VOA, identified the proscribed outfit as the Zaynabiyoun Brigade, saying it "is engaged in certain activities which are prejudicial to the peace and security" of Pakistan. It did not elaborate. A ministry official, who spoke to VOA anonymously because he was not authorized to interact publicly with the media, confirmed the authenticity of the March 29 order and placement of the Zaynabiyoun Brigade on a government list of 79 proscribed organizations. The United States designated the Zaynabiyoun Brigade as a terrorist organization in 2019, saying it is composed of Pakistani nationals and provides "materiel support" to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC. The group has reportedly been mobilizing fighters in Pakistan and among Pakistani refugees in Iran, with the IRGC training them for operations in the Syrian civil war, which erupted in 2011.”

Qatar

Associated Press: Court Allows Case Over Forced Gynecological Exams At Qatar Airport To Go Ahead Against Operator

“An Australian court has rejected a case brought by five women seeking compensation from Qatar Airways over invasive gynecological examinations conducted on passengers at Doha’s airport in 2020, but their case against the airport’s operator is going ahead. The five, whose identities have been concealed by the courts, were among hundreds of women forcibly removed from airliners in Doha on Oct. 2, 2020, as officials searched for the mother of a newborn baby found dumped in a terminal trash can. Thirteen women were removed from a flight to Sydney. Many said they were forced to undergo non-consensual gynecological or intimate physical examinations. Federal Court Justice John Halley on Wednesday ruled the women’s argument against state-owned Qatar Airways did not meet international airline liability protocols. “My conclusion that the exclusivity principle precludes the applicants from pursuing any claim for damages against Qatar Airways is a complete answer to the claims that the applicants seek to bring against Qatar Airways,” Halley said.”

Middle East

Reuters: Hamas Leader Says Group Is Still Seeking Hostage Deal After Three Of His Sons Killed

“Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said on Thursday his Palestinian militant group was still seeking a deal for a ceasefire and hostage release after an Israeli strike killed three of his sons in an attack in Gaza. Speaking in Qatar while receiving condolences, Haniyeh said "the interests of the Palestinian people are placed above everything" when asked if the strike would affect the talks on a truce and hostage release. "We are seeking to reach a deal but the occupation is still procrastinating and evading a response to the demands," he told Reuters. Israeli forces carried out Wednesday's attack without authorisation from top commanders or senior leaders, Israeli media said on Thursday, raising fears among families of hostages it would derail efforts to secure their release from Gaza. "I can only hope this won't affect the negotiation. I hope it won't make Hamas put harder conditions on the deal," said Ofri Bibas Levy, whose brother Yarden Bibas was taken captive with his wife and two small children during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7.”

Somalia

Citizen Digital: Two Men Suspected Of Recruiting Mombasa Youth Into Al-Shabaab, ISIS Detained

“Two suspected terrorist recruiters will be detained for an additional 21 days after a Mombasa court granted the State more time to conclude investigations into their alleged offences. Yusuf Mrafi (27) and Ali Mwalimu Mwinyi (21) are accused of attempting to recruit youth in Likoni into Al-Shabaab and ISIS terror groups by propagating the teachings of the late radical Muslim cleric Aboud Rogo. "Detectives believe that Mrafi, 27, and Mwinyi, 21, may be part of a terror cell brewing in Likoni sub-county, Mombasa County recruiting youths to join ISIS and Al Shabaab terrorists in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia," the Office of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) said in a statement. "The investigation officer linked the two to a man called Nassor nicknamed ‘Rogo’ suspected to had gone to join Al Shabaab, who got radicalized after accessing videos of Aboud Rogo's preaching from the social media site TikTok," said the ODPP. "The two respondents allegedly informed detectives that there are others who are still using Aboud Rogo’s teachings to radicalize and are yet to be arrested."”

Africa

The Cable: Troops Arrest ‘Boko Haram Terrorist’ In Borno

“The troops of the 115 task force battalion deployed in Askira Uba, Borno state, have arrested a suspected Boko Haram terrorist identified as Muhammed Jibrin. Zagazola Makama, a publication focused on the Lake Chad region, reports that the suspect was nabbed during condone and search operations by the troops in the Askira Uba community. All residents of the community were said to have come out for the condone and search operations except the suspect, who was found hiding. The publication said the suspect has been handed over to the military intelligence unit for further investigation. The development comes weeks after troops of the Nigerian Army killed eight fighters of the Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram terrorists during a raid of a “notorious enclave” in the Sambisa forest in Borno.”

Reuters: Kenya Proposes Maritime Treaty To Defuse Ethiopia-Somalia Tensions

“Kenya has proposed a regional maritime treaty to defuse tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia over a deal allowing Ethiopia to set up a naval base and giving it port access in Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland, a top Kenyan official said on Thursday. Landlocked Ethiopia agreed on Jan. 1 to lease 20 km (12 miles) of coastline in Somaliland, a part of Somalia which claims independence and has had effective autonomy since 1991, offering possible recognition of Somaliland in exchange. That prompted a defiant response from Somalia and fuelled concern the deal could further destabilise the Horn of Africa region. The treaty Kenya is proposing in consultation with Djibouti and regional bloc IGAD would govern how landlocked states in the region can access ports on commercial terms, Korir Sing'oei, Kenya's principal secretary for foreign affairs, told Reuters. "IGAD can be able to formulate a treaty for sharing maritime resources," he said, referring to the bloc which brings together countries in the region. On Thursday Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud held a meeting with his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto in the Kenyan capital as part of efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the dispute.”

Reuters: A Decade On, Tragedy Of Nigeria’s Chibok Girls Endures Outside The Spotlight

“Ten years ago, Solomon Maina's daughter, Debora, was one of 276 schoolgirls kidnapped from their dormitory in the middle of the night by Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamist militants. Global outrage was swift. A ubiquitous "Bring Back Our Girls" campaign, drawing support from the likes of Michelle Obama and Sylvester Stallone, shined a spotlight on the abductions. Then, in 2016 and 2017, negotiations led to the highly publicised liberation of around 100 of the captives. Debora was not one of them. A decade after that fateful night in April 2014, the world has largely forgotten the plight of the so-called Chibok girls. But for the victims and their families, the tragedy is ongoing. "Especially at night, I think about my daughter," Maina, in tears, told Reuters in an interview at his home in Chibok, a Christian enclave in the West African nation's majority Muslim north. "I will never forget her." Abductees who have returned home have struggled to resume their interrupted lives. Some are raising children fathered by their captors. Others have waited years for funds promised by the government to continue their education.”

Germany

DW: Germany: 3 Teens Held Over Suspected Islamist Attack Plans

“Three teenagers who are suspected of having planned an Islamist terrorist attack are currently in custody, German prosecutors said Friday. According to the prosecutors, the detained teenagers — two girls aged 15 and 16 and a 15-year-old boy — had "declared themselves ready" to carry out the attack. All three come from the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The arrest warrants for the teenagers were issued over the Easter weekend, officials say. A fourth suspect has now reportedly been identified in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg. A  court there has also issued an arrest warrant.”

Argentina

Iran News Update: Argentinian Court Declares Iran A “Terrorist State” For 1992 And 1994 Attacks

“Over three decades after deadly attacks in Buenos Aires targeted Israel’s embassy and a Jewish center, an Argentine court has placed the blame on Iran and declared it a “terrorist state,” according to local media reports. The ruling states that Iran had ordered the 1992 attack on Israel’s embassy, which left 29 dead, as well as the 1994 attack on the Argentina Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) Jewish center, the deadliest in Argentina’s history, leaving 85 dead and 300 injured. The court also implicated the Iran-backed Shiite movement Hezbollah in carrying out the AMIA attack, calling it a “crime against humanity.” “Hezbollah carried out an operation that responded to a political, ideological and revolutionary design under the mandate of a government, of a State,” said Carlos Mahiques, one of the three judges who issued the decision, referencing Iran. The 1994 AMIA attack has never been claimed or solved, but Argentina and Israel have long suspected Lebanon’s Shiite Hezbollah group carried it out at Iran’s request.”