Eye on Extremism: August 4, 2025
Top Stories
Newsweek: ISIS Is Waging a Deadly War Across Africa That Threatens US
Militant groups aligned with the Islamic State (ISIS) are ramping up violence across Africa, staging a growing number of attacks and expanding their influence in a way that could ultimately pose a threat far beyond the continent, including to the United States. Over the past week, the jihadis' operations in both the Congo region and Sahel drew headlines as ISIS-affiliated forces claimed a deadly attack against a church in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday and took responsibility for the killing of soldiers in Burkina Faso on Thursday. Both incidents are part of a growing trend of ISIS-linked violence that analysts say exploits existing conflicts and capitalizes on deep-rooted insecurity to mount the kind of threat that makes combatting the group in Africa an especially complicated endeavor.
New York Times: A Weakened Hezbollah Resists Pressure to Give Up Its Weapons
Mr. Nasrallah was assassinated in the fallout from the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, which set off the war in Gaza. The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah opened a second front in solidarity with Hamas by firing across the Lebanon-Israel border. The conflict eventually escalated into a full blown war, during which Israel eliminated Hezbollah’s leadership. The Iran-backed group’s power has ebbed ever since, and after decades of building a formidable state within a state, Hezbollah faces an uncertain future. “Hezbollah was two things: It was Hassan Nasrallah and the weapons,” said Mustafa Fahs, a Lebanese political commentator.
Analysis
The National Interest: What Will Syria Do with Its Foreign Militants?
Yet, the issue of foreign fighters—excluding the thousands of ISIS affiliates currently detained in Syria—has since stirred significant debate both domestically and internationally, with speculations over many prospects from the potential resurging global jihadism to weakening Syria’s national unity with limited representation of its diverse communities to undermining Syria’s fragile process of rebuilding government institutions. At a more fundamental level, integrating foreign fighters into a unified Syrian army is part of the broader challenge of building a unified Syrian army amid a fragmented military landscape dominated by armed factions. Following the regime’s fall and the Syrian army’s collapse, military unity is central to the political transition.
Times of Israel: Operation ‘Gideon’s Chariots’ comes to a close, with promised goals unfulfilled
The Israel Defense Forces has been drawing down forces in the Gaza Strip in recent days, as the major offensive it launched against Hamas three months ago, dubbed “Gideon’s Chariots,” appears to have ended. When the IDF began the offensive in May, Defense Minister Israel Katz and other Israeli officials said that the operation provided for “conquering Gaza” and retaining the territory; moving the Palestinian civilian population toward the south of the Strip; assaulting Hamas; and preventing the terror group from taking control of humanitarian aid supplies. The main objectives of Gideon’s Chariots, they said, were “the defeat of Hamas in Gaza and the release of all the hostages.”
United States
New York Times: U.S. and Israeli Officials Float Idea of ‘All or Nothing’ Gaza Deal
For months, the Israeli government had focused on negotiating a two-phased deal for a 60-day cease-fire in Gaza and the release of some hostages, leaving discussions about a permanent end to the war for a later stage. With the talks now at an impasse, American and Israeli officials appear to be sharply changing their tone by signaling that they will push for a comprehensive deal. But Israel and Hamas remain far apart, and analysts said this new approach would also face steep challenges.
AXIOS: Witkoff tells hostage families Trump wants full Gaza agreement
White House envoy Steve Witkoff told hostage families on Saturday that President Trump wants to "shift" the Gaza policy from trying to get a partial and phased Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal to reaching a comprehensive deal that ends the war and returns all remaining hostages at once, according to a statement by the families and recordings from the meeting. Witkoff's remarks, during a two-hour meeting in Tel Aviv with dozens of families of hostages held by Hamas, were an acknowledgment that the approach Israel and the U.S. have pursued over the last six months to try and reach a partial and incremental ceasefire and hostage deal has failed.
Times of Israel: Trump: I don’t think Gaza war is a genocide, ‘horrible things happened’ on Oct. 7
US President Donald Trump on Sunday rejected the characterization of Israel’s campaign against the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip as a “genocide,” emphasizing that the war started when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. Asked about the genocide accusation, Trump said: “I don’t think it’s that. They’re in a war.”
Times of Israel: New US lawsuit demands UNRWA pay for crimes of Hamas, Hezbollah
US citizens who were victims of Hamas and Hezbollah attacks, as well as relatives of such individuals, are suing the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, demanding it be held liable for aiding and enabling the actions of the terror groups. The New York Times reported that the lawsuit was filed Thursday at a federal court in DC, based on a Department of Justice decision in April that UNRWA is not entitled to immunity from US lawsuits.
Zohran Mamdani leads among Jewish voters, but about 60% prefer other candidates, says a new poll from a pro-Israel nonprofit. The poll also found Jewish voters strongly disagree about how Mamdani would shape their future. Mamdani is pulling the largest share of Jewish voters at 37%, with the rest dispersed between his competitors, Mayor Eric Adams (25%), former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (21%) and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa (14%), according to the poll commissioned by New York Solidarity Network and conducted by GQR.
Jason Epstein travels internationally as a public affairs consultant, and although he is a proud Jew, he does not announce it in countries where that might be an issue. Until now it hasn’t been a problem, he says: Last names immediately recognizable as Jewish in the West are not identified as such in much of the rest of the world. Lately, though, his Jewishness is coming up, he says, and he suspects it’s because antisemitic conspiracy theories have resurged alongside renewed attention to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender at the center of one the United States’ strangest and most divisive political issues.
Spectrum News: CUNY chancellor discusses recent testimony on antisemitism
CUNY Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez talked about his experience testifying before Congress and shared details on how CUNY is changing its hate response system to make students feel safer and recognized more efficiently.
Local Jewish organizations and state leaders are reacting after a video of an altercation between two Florida State University students went viral Thursday over concerns of anti-semitism.
New Hampshire Public Radio: Police investigating actions of neo-Nazi group in downtown Concord
A white supremacist hate group marched across the State House lawn carrying swastika flags and fought with passersby in Concord Saturday, according to several eyewitnesses. Lieutenant Mark Schneible said Concord police are investigating possible criminal activity related to the group, but provided no other detail. A spokesperson for the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office said Sunday that it was "actively monitoring" the police investigation.
Europe
Times of Israel: European countries slam videos of emaciated hostages, call on Hamas to disarm
The European Union, Britain, France and Germany on Sunday condemned propaganda videos of two emaciated Israeli hostages published by Gaza terror groups last week, with leaders insisting Hamas disarm and play no role in the future of the Strip. Rom Braslavski, 21, and Evyatar David, 24, appeared pale and emaciated in footage released by Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas, respectively, clips from which the captives’ families have approved for publication. In a clip approved for publication on Saturday, David could be seen in an underground tunnel digging what he said he feared was his grave.
France 24: Hamas Israeli hostage videos 'appalling', EU foreign affairs chief Kallas says
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Sunday denounced videos released by Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad showing two emaciated hostages held in Gaza as "appalling" and called for the release of all remaining captives after nearly 22 months of war. The two Palestinian militant groups have over the past few days released three videos showing two hostages seized during the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.
France
Jerusalem Post: Gazan student refugee deported to Qatar over antisemitic posts, France's FM says
Nour Atallah, a Palestinian student granted refugee status in France, has been deported to Qatar to complete her studies, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs announced on X/Twitter on Sunday night. Atallah was set to begin studying law and communications at the Sciences Po Lille university in the fall until old antisemitic social media posts of hers resurfaced. In posts on her X/Twitter account, which has since been deleted, she advocated for the filmed execution of the hostages and shared a video of Adolf Hitler saying, “Kill the Jews everywhere.”
France 24: France's highest court annuls arrest warrant against ex Syrian president Assad
France's Court of Cassation Friday annulled a French arrest warrant against former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad as part of a probe into deadly 2013 chemical attacks during the country's civil war, ruling that there were no exceptions to presidential immunity. France24 journalist Claire Paccalin speaks to Jeanne Sulzar, Lawyer for the Civil Parties.
Germany
However, in 2024, the number of antisemitic crimes motivated by religious ideology or politics (relating to foreign elements) rose significantly, surpassing those by right-wing extremists. 109 crimes were of a right-wing extremist background, and 111 cases were of a foreign ideology or a religious background. "This is a novelty for Hamburg," Voss told the Abendblatt. "The rise in criminal offenses is clearly linked to the terrorist Hamas attack on Israel," he explained. "Since then, antisemitic crimes have risen significantly, particularly online, for example in the form of anti-Israel insults."
Deutsche Welle: German police expands use of Palantir surveillance software
The surveillance software called Gotham, developed by US company Palantir, is billed as an all-rounder: gigantic amounts of data are brought together at lightning speed. It only takes a few seconds to satisfy a police officer's curiosity: name, age, address, fines, criminal record. In combination with selected cellphones and the contents of scanned social media channels, a comprehensive profile of any person appears in an instant. With the help of artificial intelligence (AI), the surveillance program developed by the US technology company seems to make the dreams of police and intelligence agencies come true.
WELT: Three attacks in two days - Railway operator discovers another cable fire
There has been a third suspected deliberate cable fire at Deutsche Bahn within two days. After two incendiary devices ignited in Düsseldorf on Thursday, this time Saxony-Anhalt is affected. According to Deutsche Bahn, a cable fire was also discovered there on Friday evening on a line near the Webau district. The police suspect sabotage, the state security service is investigating. According to NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU), left-wing extremists are presumably responsible for the attack. A letter of confession was published on the left-wing platform "Indymedia". The "Angry Birds Commando" claimed responsibility for the attack. The authenticity of the letter is still being investigated, a police spokesperson said.
The Guardian: Choir that drowned out Germany’s AfD leader happy to ‘bend the ear’ of country
It was while Alice Weidel was being interviewed on the terrace of a parliament building overlooking the River Spree in Berlin that members of the Corner Chor’s mobile phones began to ping with alerts as their song in protest at her far-right party, Scheiß AfD Jodler (Shit AfD Yodellers), blasted out from a 100,000-watt sound system on the other bank. “We were hugely surprised and truly happy to hear at that moment that our song was receiving such a public airing,” one choir member told the Guardian.
DPA: Germany's far-right AfD hits 25% in poll, just behind conservatives
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has risen to 25% in a survey by polling firm INSA for the first time since mid-May. The poll, conducted weekly for the Sunday edition of the Bild newspaper, saw a one-point increase in the party's popularity.
Greece
AFP: Athens mayor tussles with Israeli envoy over antisemitic graffiti in Greek capital
The mayor of Athens became embroiled in a war of words Sunday with the Israeli ambassador to Greece, who accused city authorities of not doing enough to clean up antisemitic graffiti. Ambassador Noam Katz told the Kathimerini daily in comments published Sunday that Israeli tourists felt “uncomfortable” in Athens because the Mayor Haris Doukas does not act against “organized minorities” who put up anti-Jewish graffiti.
Russia
A trial began Monday under tight security for 19 defendants accused of involvement in last year’s shooting rampage in a Moscow concert hall that killed 149 people and wounded over 600 in one of the deadliest attacks in the capital in years. A faction of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the March 22, 2024, massacre at the Crocus City Hall concert venue in which four gunmen shot people who were waiting for a show by a popular rock band and then set the building on fire.
United Kingdom
The UK Charity Commission is reportedly investigating UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) and Campaign Against Antisemitism following a complaint from CAGE International, CAGE reported on Friday. CAGE complained that UKLFI and CAA have helped legitimise Israel’s "racist, apartheid and genocidal policies" and have brought "malicious complaints to universities, employers, and regulatory bodies to silence pro-Palestinian voices."
The Times: What the far-right Homeland Party is really like, by an ex-member
It was not long after joining Homeland that Alexander Bramham realised the party was no ordinary political organisation. Members would socialise by sparring in a boxing ring. They would use racist and homophobic language, he said. Once, after a day of voluntary gardening work in Fulford, Staffordshire, he went for a drink with other members. In the pub garden, the conversation, he claimed, quickly moved on to Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Oswald Mosley. “The mask slipped, so to speak,” said Bramham, 33, who left the party in June.
Daily Record: Woman, 64, left bloodied after being hit by sign during far-right protest in Edinburgh
An elderly woman was rushed to hospital after she was hit by a placard and left bloodied during a far-right protest in Edinburgh. The 64-year-old was part of a group from Stand Up to Racism who had gathered in the city's Meadows on Friday, August 1.
Britain First is a ‘far-right’ political party which was formed in 2011 by former members of the British National Party. Sam Ingham and Jordan Morris, a couple from Rossendale attended the Britain First protest in Manchester’s St. Peter’s Square on Saturday afternoon. We spoke with them to get a further understanding on why they had come to the protest and to get their opinion on what they think should change in Britain.
Afghanistan
Amu: Sources: Female doctor shot dead by gunmen in Nangarhar
A female doctor was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen Sunday morning in Jalalabad, the center of the eastern province of Nangarhar, local sources said. The attack took place in the Alfath Mina neighborhood, near the provincial police headquarters, according to the sources.
Amu: Taliban flog 7 in Kabul on drug and alcohol charges
Taliban publicly flogged seven people in Kabul after accusing them of trafficking and selling drugs and alcohol, according to a statement from the Taliban-run Supreme Court. The statement said that each of the individuals received between 10 and 39 lashes and was sentenced to prison terms ranging from one to five years. The punishments were carried out after approval from the court.
Amu: Taliban flog man in Kapisa for alleged ‘propaganda’ against their rule
Taliban publicly flogged a man in Kapisa province after accusing him of spreading “propaganda” against their rule, according to a statement from the Taliban-run Supreme Court. The statement said that the man was whipped 39 times last week in Hese Awal district and sentenced to one year and six months in prison. The punishment was carried out in public with local Taliban officials present.
Amu: Four years into Taliban rule, girls in Bamiyan say education ban has crushed their dreams
As the Taliban prepare to mark four years in power, many girls in Afghanistan’s central Bamiyan province say the ban on secondary and higher education has left them with broken dreams and few options for the future. Since schools for girls beyond the sixth grade were shut in 2021, thousands have been forced to abandon their studies. Some now spend their days in sewing workshops or working in small clinics, often the only way to leave their homes and remain connected to society.
Amu: Radio director freed after three months in Taliban custody
A local journalist who was jailed by the Taliban for three months over his reporting on social and economic issues has been released from a prison in Ghazni Province, according to a media watchdog. The Afghanistan Journalists Center said Sulaiman Rahil, director of Khushhal Radio in Ghazni, had been freed after serving a sentence handed down by a Taliban court. The group welcomed his release but condemned his arrest and trial as a violation of his fundamental rights.
Afghanistan International: Taliban Relocates TTP Families From Kunar To Ghazni & Zabul, Say Sources
The Taliban has relocated several families affiliated with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from Kunar province to Ghazni and Zabul provinces, local sources told Afghanistan International on Sunday. According to sources in Kunar, the transfers began approximately a month ago and were coordinated by a special Taliban committee in cooperation with TTP. The families were reportedly moved using military vehicles from the districts of Khas Kunar, Marawara, Dara-i-Pech (Mano Gai area), Sirkanay, and Dangam.
Afghanistan International: TTP, Baloch Militants Get Support From Inside Afghanistan, Says Pak
Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of providing financial and logistical support to militant groups, including the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The country has called on the Taliban to take decisive action against them. Speaking at a weekly press briefing, Shafqat Ali Khan, spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the issue of cross-border terrorism remains central in ongoing diplomatic discussions with the Taliban administration in Kabul.
Gaza Strip
Hamas on Saturday said it would not disarm “as long as the occupation exists,” denying reported remarks to the contrary by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and blasting him for visiting an aid site run by the controversial, US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. In a statement, Hamas vowed to continue its violent struggle, saying its right to do so was guaranteed by international law until Palestinians’ “national rights” were realized, “foremost among them… the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with full sovereignty and Jerusalem as its capital.”
Reuters: Hamas says it will allow aid for hostages if Israel halts airstrikes
Hamas said on Sunday it was prepared to coordinate with the Red Cross to deliver aid to hostages it holds in Gaza, if Israel meets certain conditions, after a video it released showing an emaciated captive drew sharp criticism from Western powers. Hamas said any coordination with the Red Cross is contingent upon Israel permanently opening humanitarian corridors and halting airstrikes during the distribution of aid. According to Israeli officials, 50 hostages now remain in Gaza, only 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Hamas, thus far, has barred humanitarian organizations from having any kind of access to the hostages and families have little or no details of their conditions.
The Israel Defense Forces defeated Hamas’s Beit Hanoun battalion, the military declared on Saturday, after three of the terror group’s operatives surrendered to troops of the Givati Brigade in the northern Gaza town. The operatives emerged from a tunnel and surrendered to the forces in the area, the IDF said, adding that they told the troops they had sought to flee the area after another gunman with them was killed during a previous exchange of fire with the military.
Iran
Iran International: Four Americans held in Iran, including two arrested after June war – NYT
The Islamic Republic is holding at least four Iranian American citizens including two individuals arrested after last month's US and Israeli airstrikes, The New York Times reported Saturday, citing rights groups and lawyers. “Three of the Americans are in jail, and one has been barred from leaving the country,” the New York Times wrote, quoting individuals familiar with the detentions.
Iran International: Iran's Guards warn against 'satanic' push for two-state solution
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) on Saturday slammed efforts to promote a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a few days after a UN conference co-chaired by Saudi Arabia pushed for the solution. “These satanic efforts are prescribing a two-state solution to end the Palestinian issue,” the IRGC said in a statement, marking the first anniversary of the Israeli killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
Israel
Jerusalem Post: How the Israeli government is missing the chance to defeat Hamas
Those who demanded a "total victory," promised to eradicate Hamas, and vowed to bring the hostages home, are now facing a grim reality: Hamas remains in power in Gaza with no viable alternative, hostages are still captive, and Israel’s international legitimacy is at an unprecedented low. Paradoxically, this deterioration comes after notable military successes - in Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and even Gaza. Yet Israel does not look like a victor today. It appears exhausted, isolated, and entangled in a theater without a clear political goal.
Holocaust survivors say the hostage videos published in recent days recall for them their own torture and deprivation under the Nazis eight decades ago. “Their bodies are painfully thin—nearly Muselmänner—their eyes terrified and vacant, their faces marked by despair and hopelessness. These images take me back to those dark days—to the hell, the hunger, the orphanhood, and the fear,” Israel Shaked said in a statement released by the International March of the Living, which brings Jewish teens to concentration camps in Europe.
New images of emaciated Israeli hostages held in Gaza have horrified Israelis and added pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire with Hamas, even as his government considers another expansion of the nearly 22-month war. The videos released late last week by militant groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad show two skeletal hostages pleading for their lives. In one, Evyatar David says he is digging his own grave and speaks of days without food. In the other, Rom Braslavsky writhes in agony on a dirty mattress and says injuries in his foot prevent him from being able to stand.
The family of hostage Rom Braslavski said on Sunday that it was allowing the publication of part of a propaganda video released by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group last week showing him emaciated and begging for freedom. In the clip, Braslavski, in tears, says he is “suffering with pain that doesn’t look good,” and that he is unable to stand or walk.
Reuters: Israel's Netanyahu urges Red Cross to aid Gaza hostages
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he spoke with the International Red Cross's regional head, Julien Lerisson, and requested his involvement in providing food and medical care to hostages held in Gaza.
Times of Israel: ‘On the precipice of defeat’: 19 former defense chiefs demand end to Gaza war
More than a dozen former senior Israeli security officials issued a joint video message Sunday with a call to end the war in Gaza, arguing that Israel has racked up more losses than victories and that the fighting has dragged on for political reasons rather than strategic military need. Among the 19 retired IDF chiefs of staff, intelligence chiefs, Shin Bet and Mossad directors, and police commissioners backing the clip were former prime minister and IDF chief Ehud Barak and former IDF chiefs of staff Moshe Ya’alon and Dan Halutz; ex-Shin Bet directors Nadav Argaman, Yoram Cohen, Ami Ayalon, Yaakov Peri and Carmi Gillon; ex-Mossad chiefs Tamir Pardo, Efraim Halevy and Danny Yatom; and former Israel Police commissioners Dudi Cohen, Moshe Karadi, Rafi Peled and Assaf Hefetz.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “pushing for the release of the hostages through decisive military victory,” according to a diplomatic source quoted Sunday by Hebrew media. The source’s comments came as captives’ relatives slammed reported plans to expand the fighting in the Gaza Strip and slammed Netanyahu for indicating, in a video statement on harrowing footage of two hostages, that there was no ceasefire-hostage deal in sight.
Lebanon
Naharnet: Lebanon receives 'final' US paper as Aoun tells Hezbollah 'cooperation is only option'
The Lebanese Presidency has told Hezbollah that cooperation with the state is its only option, ahead of Tuesday’s crucial cabinet session on its weapons, Lebanese sources said. “Hezbollah is in a state of shock over its allies’ public calls for the monopolization of weapons,” the sources told Al-Arabiya’s Al-Hadath channel.
Naharnet: Bassil urges Hezbollah to admit its arms have become 'a burden'
Free Patriotic Movement leader Jebran Bassil considered, amid domestic and American pressure to disarm Hezbollah, that it is time for the group to admit that its arms have become a burden to Lebanon. "I call on Hezbollah to act responsibly and to admit that these arms have become a burden," Bassil said in an interview Thursday with Lebanese TV channel MTV, also urging the group to do some "serious thinking" and "not to buy time."
Syria
Reuters: Kurdish-led SDF says it clashed with government forces in northern Syria
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said on Monday its fighters had clashed with government forces in Aleppo province in the country's north, in the latest incident to cast a shadow over a landmark integration deal they signed in March. The SDF was the main fighting force allied to the United States in Syria during fighting that defeated Islamic State in 2019 after the group declared a caliphate across swathes of Syria and Iraq.
Reuters: Armed groups attack security force personnel in Syria's Sweida
Armed groups attacked personnel from Syria's internal security forces in Sweida, killing one member and wounding others, and fired shells at several villages in the violence-hit southern province, state-run Ekhbariya TV reported on Sunday. The report cited a security source as saying the armed groups had violated the ceasefire agreed in the predominantly Druze region, where factional bloodshed killed hundreds of people last month. Violence in Sweida erupted on July 13 between tribal fighters and Druze factions. Government forces were sent to quell the fighting, but the bloodshed worsened, and Israel carried out strikes on Syrian troops in the name of the Druze.
Long War Journal: UN report shows Islamic State and Al Qaeda exploiting post-Assad chaos in Syria
On July 29, the United Nations Security Council Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team released its latest report detailing terrorist group activities around the world. The section on Syria discussed the most recent developments related to the resurgence of the Islamic State and Al Qaeda, in addition to the difficulties of integrating various groups into the country’s military.
Yemen
Sandbox: State Department increases its bounty for the leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
Would you like to make $10 million? Well, if you do, the U.S. government is happily going to pay you if you can provide actionable intelligence regarding a certain Sa’ad bin Atef al-Awlaki, who happens to be the leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Al-Awlaki ascended to the leadership of AQAP only last year. Since then, he has publicly called for attacks against U.S. and Western targets across the world. In addition, as the AQAP’s leader and former Amir of the Shabwah province in Yemen, the terrorist has played a leadership role in attacks and kidnappings of Americans in Yemen.
Pakistan
The first round of talks between the Bajaur Peace Jirga and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) concluded on Friday, 2 August, with tribal elders urging militants to withdraw from civilian areas or return to Afghanistan. “We demanded that the armed groups either return to Afghanistan or, if they are intent on fighting, leave populated areas and move toward the mountains,” said Dr. Khalil-ur-Rehman, a jirga member, during a media briefing.
Mali
Mali’s former prime minister was taken into pretrial detention on Friday after expressing solidarity in a media post with jailed critics of the military junta ruling the West African country, his lawyer and a close associate said. Moussa Mara’s arrest is the latest in a crackdown on dissent by Mali’s military rulers following the country’s first pro-democracy rally since soldiers seized power nearly four years ago.
Nigeria
Reuters: Armed men on motorbikes kill 11, kidnap 70 in northwest Nigeria
Armed men on motorbikes killed 11 people and kidnapped at least 70 others, including women and children, in a village in northwest Nigeria, witnesses said, in a region plagued by mass abductions and unrest. The men opened fire as they rode into Sabongarin Damri in Zamfara State late on Saturday, resident Isa Sani told Reuters.
Somalia
Defense Post: Peacekeepers and Al-Shabaab Clash Over Key Somali Town
International peacekeepers are battling radical Islamist fighters to retake a strategic Somali town, the African Union mission in the country said on Sunday. Since the beginning of 2024, the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab group has seized dozens of towns and villages in an offensive which has reversed nearly all of the gains made by the troubled Horn of Africa nation’s army in 2022 and 2023.
Australia
Amid record levels of anti-Semitic incidents in Australia, a special survey initiated by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) has revealed alarming findings highlighting the state of emergency the country is currently facing. The survey, which polled 1,000 respondents from across Australia between 27th June and 1st July, found that less than a quarter of Australians (24%) would describe general public attitudes to Jewish People in Australia as very positive (9%) or slightly positive (15%). 28% of respondents described attitudes towards Jews as very negative (8%) or slightly negative (20%).
Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel demonstrators marched across Sydney’s iconic Harbour Bridge on Sunday to call for increased aid deliveries to Gaza and sanctions on Israel. The march in Australia’s largest city occurred days after a government minister said the country would recognize a Palestinian state in the future, and as global pressure has mounted on Israel amid reports of deepening starvation in Gaza.
Australian police have arrested one of the three men suspected in an arson attack on a haredi Orthodox synagogue in Melbourne last December that destroyed the building and injured one person. Giovanni Laulu, 21, of Melbourne, was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion that he had set fire to the Adass Israel Synagogue, an incident that came amid an alarming string of antisemitic incidents in the area.
Technology
The Guardian: Unmasked: the man behind one of the fastest growing far-right YouTube channels
The Guardian has identified the self-described “national socialist” behind an openly extremist YouTube channel that in just over two months has accumulated 50,000 subscribers, seen more than 2.3m views, and likely made thousands of dollars from YouTube’s revenue-sharing monetization program. Johnathan Christopher “Chris” Booth, 37, lives in the unincorporated community of Coral, a part of Maple Valley Township in Michigan’s Montcalm county, and is married to a senior local Republican official.
CCN: France’s Far-Right Swings Pro-Crypto, Plans To Mine Bitcoin With Nuclear Power
Cryptocurrencies are now entering mainstream political agendas — and in France, they’re becoming a point of divergence between the government and the opposition. The far-right Rassemblement National, long skeptical of the crypto industry, has recently begun to revise its stance. This shift comes as global trends show a growing alignment between pro-crypto platforms and electoral success.
Stay up to date on our latest news.
Get the latest news on extremism and counter-extremism delivered to your inbox.