BBC: Al-Shabab Attacks Hotel In Somali Capital

“The Islamist group has attacked the Syl Hotel before, which is popular with government officials. Witnesses reported blasts and gunfire coming from the hotel, telling Reuters news agency fighters were inside. Media affiliated with the group say four Somali MPs were wounded. The government has not commented. Al-Shabab said earlier that fighters were in control of the hotel and were shooting "workers and officers of the... government". Resident Farah Ali, who lives near the president's office, told Reuters: "We first heard a huge blast, and then gunfire followed. We understand the fighters are inside [the hotel] for we hear exchange of gunfire.”

Associated Press: Suspected Attack By Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Strikes A Ship In The Red Sea, Though Crew Reportedly Safe

“A suspected attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck a ship in the Red Sea early Friday, causing damage to the vessel, authorities said. The attack off the port city of Hodeida comes as part of the rebels’ campaign against shipping over Israel’s ongoing war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said the ship reported being “struck by a missile.” “The vessel has sustained some damage,” the UKMTO added. It described the crew as being “safe” and said the ship was continuing on its way, suggesting the damage wasn’t severe. The private security firm Ambrey also reported the attack. The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack, though it typically takes the rebels hours to acknowledge their assaults. The Houthis have attacked ships since November, saying they want to force Israel to end its offensive in Gaza.”

CEP Mentions

The Spectator: Have The Tories Finally Woken Up To The Extremism Problem?

“Michael Gove has a reliable track record for sounding the alarm on ideological hatred, so are his latest proposals on redefining extremism a cure for what ails us? The communities secretary has unveiled a plan to broaden the definition of extremism. The new official meaning aims to ban those with a ‘violent or intolerant’ ideology from government links and funds. Gove named several organisations that could fall foul of the new definition: the Muslim Association of Britain, Mend and Cage were groups, he told the Commons, that could be held to account. Predictably enough, critics have taken to the air to condemn this crackdown, seeing it variously as unnecessary, unwieldy or a downright descent into authoritarian bigotry. So who is right?”

Black Enterprise: White Supremacist ‘Active Clubs’ Use Trump’s Fat-Shaming Tactics To Recruit For Race War

“... In 2023, a report from the Counter Extremism Project highlighted close to 46 active clubs in 34 states. Lewis said one of the most important strength values is their ability to recruit white men nationwide, encouraging them to organize and lead their own clubs. “This is an unprecedented growth. I’ve never seen a network in right-wing extremism grow so fast. Usually, it takes years to build a transnational network,” Alexander Ritzmann, report author, said. “It’s concerning.”  These clubs don’t just find homes in the United States. Some have been found overseas in Denmark, France, Norway, Poland, Portugal and Canada. Once just housed online, members have begun to make real-life appearances, primarily at anti-LGBTQ protests.”

The NEN: UK Government Strengthens Approach To Counter Extremism

“... Professor Ian Acheson, Senior Advisor, Counter Extremism Project said: “These are necessary next steps to confront and deter those who advocate for violent extremism. “Hateful anti-British ideas that undermine our democracy creating intimidation and fear need ideologues to drive them. It is intolerable that the state underwrites people and organisations poisoning community life in one of the most successful multi-ethnic countries in the world.”

UnHerd: Britain’s Futile Battle Against Extremism Islamism Is Still Evading Government Censure

“Back in 2015, word came down from on high that every British school was now bound by law to promote “fundamental British values”, lest they fall foul of Ofsted, or worse. Cast your mind back to the start of the year: it had kicked off with the murder of Parisian cartoonists, swiftly followed by grainy CCTV images of three Bethnal Green schoolgirls on their way to join Isis splashed across every front page. The year before, a plot to de-secularise a handful of Birmingham schools and instil an “intolerant Islamic ethos” was uncovered in the Trojan Horse scandal — which, despite subsequent revisionism, really did take place.”

United States

Voice Of America: More Than A Decade On, No End In Sight For Syria's War

“As Syria's conflict enters its 14th year, analysts say a permanent political resolution for the war-torn country remains elusive. Despite gradually recapturing most of the territory previously held by anti-government rebels, forces loyal to the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and their Russian and Iranian allies remain engaged in several battles, particularly in the northwestern part of the country, where rebels and Turkish-backed groups still control some territories. In the northeast, U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces control a large swath of territory, some of which they liberated from the Islamic State terror group. "It is hard to imagine a sustainable political resolution in Syria while the fighting is still raging," said John Saleh, a Washington-based Syria researcher. "The complex nature of the Syrian conflict makes it extremely challenging to find viable solutions. This is a multifaceted war, and ending it requires an international consensus, which is clearly hard to get," he told VOA.”

Turkey

Bloomberg: Turkey, Iraq Reach PKK Security Deal And Seek Closer Trade Ties

“Turkey and Iraq reached a landmark security deal to crack down on Kurdish militants holed up in the mountains of northern Iraq. The agreement comes as the two countries work toward building a major trade route and restarting a key oil pipeline running from northern Iraq to Turkey’s coast. Turkey welcomed a decision by Iraq to label the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, a “banned organization” and the two countries discussed measures against the group, according to a joint statement late Thursday. Ankara has long sought to prevent the Kurdish militants — labeled as terrorists by the US and European Union — from using northern Iraq as a springboard for attacks in their decades-long war for autonomy in Turkey’s largely Kurdish southeast. Turkey’s looking to expand its military operations against the PKK in Iraq. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — who’s expected to visit Baghdad next month — is courting nationalist voters ahead of local elections on March 31. The cross-border operation, which is expected to target PKK hideouts on Mount Gara, is unlikely to start before the winter snow melts in April or May.”

Yemen

Bloomberg: Ship Hit By Missile In Red Sea As Houthis Vow To Step Up Attacks

“A commercial ship was hit by a missile in the southern Red Sea, according to the UK Navy, in another suspected attack by Houthi militants based in Yemen. The vessel said it “sustained some damage,” UK Maritime Trade Operations, a part of the navy that provides maritime-security information, said on X. “The crew are reported safe and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call.” The assault happened around 4 a.m. local time on Friday and 76 nautical miles (141 kilometers) off the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah. UKMTO did not name the vessel or give more information about it. It was the second incident in the span of hours as the Iran-backed Houthis vow to expand their campaign of assaults on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Earlier, UKMTO said another ship reported two rockets flying over it. The Islamist group started attacking warships and merchant vessels in mid-November, saying the move was to pressure Israel to stop its war against Hamas in Gaza.”

Middle East

Associated Press: Palestinian Leader Appoints Longtime Adviser As Prime Minister In The Face Of Calls For Reform

“Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has appointed his longtime economic adviser to be the next prime minister in the face of U.S. pressure to reform the Palestinian Authority as part of Washington’s postwar vision for Gaza. Mohammad Mustafa, a United States-educated economist and political independent, will head a technocratic government in the Israeli-occupied West Bank that could potentially administer Gaza ahead of eventual statehood. But those plans face major obstacles, including strong opposition from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Israel-Hamas war that is still grinding on with no end in sight. It’s unclear whether the appointment of a new Cabinet led by a close Abbas ally would be sufficient to meet U.S. demands for reform, as the 88-year-old president would remain in overall control. “The change that the United States of America and the countries of the region want is not necessarily the change that the Palestinian citizen wants,” said Hani al-Masri, a Palestinian political analyst. “People want a real change in politics, not a change in names."”

Wall Street Journal: Hamas Calls For Confrontation Against Israel In Jerusalem

“Hamas has called for Palestinians to confront Israel at the Al Aqsa Mosque on Friday, when the arrival of large numbers of worshipers presents a test for Israeli authorities aiming to sustain a fragile peace over Ramadan as war rages in Gaza. In recent years, the Islamic holy month has been an occasion for violent confrontations between Palestinians, Israeli authorities and Jewish worshipers at the compound in East Jerusalem, considered the holiest site in Judaism, and one of Islam’s holiest.  Jerusalem is holding its breath.  “The situation is dire in Jerusalem and this Ramadan we are not feeling any of its spirit, neither in celebrations nor in worship because the occupation has turned the city into a military zone,” said Maha Yaish, a tourism operator who lives in East Jerusalem, referring to the Israeli security presence. Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh last month called for Palestinians to march on Al Aqsa at the start of Ramadan, which began Sunday. The march didn’t materialize.”

Bloomberg: Hamas Says It’s Submitted New Cease-Fire Proposal To Mediators

“Hamas has proposed what it’s calling a “comprehensive” cease-fire deal, in a bid to move forward talks with Israel as their war in Gaza rages. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the militant group is still making unrealistic demands. But the country’s war cabinet is expected to discuss the matter on Friday. Hamas is now proposing that Israeli women, children, elderly and ill hostages can be freed in exchange for the release of 700-1,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, Reuters reported. The details were not published by Hamas when it released a statement on its telegram channel. That simply said its offer was based on “principles and foundations that it considers necessary for the agreement.” The US and other mediators including Qatar and Egypt hoped for a breakthrough before Islam’s holy month of Ramadan, which began on Sunday. Israel and Hamas accuse each other of stalling the talks. In recent weeks, the parties had discussed a six-week pause in fighting, the freeing of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.”

Nigeria

Associated Press: Nigerian Leader Rules Out Ransoms For Abducted Students As Observers Urge Dialogue

“Nigeria’s leader has ruled out the payment of ransoms for nearly 300 schoolchildren abducted from their school in the conflict-hit north a week ago, raising questions from analysts on Thursday about how best to rescue the children without hurting them. Meanwhile, at least two people with extensive knowledge of the security crisis in Nigeria’s northwest told The Associated Press the abductors of the schoolchildren in the state of Kaduna are known and are hiding in the vast ungoverned and unoccupied forests of the region. They both urged the government to engage in dialogue with the armed groups to resolve the protracted conflict. At least 1,400 students have so far been kidnapped from Nigerian schools since the first major school abduction — in Borno state’s Chibok village in 2014 — stunned the world. Most of those eventually released only regained their freedom after ransom payments, according to their schools and parents, even though the Nigerian government does not admit to paying ransoms.”

Somalia

Voice Of America: Inside Somalia’s War On Al-Shabab Disinformation

“Websites and social media accounts affiliated with Somalia’s al-Shabab militants continue to operate and spread the group’s messages despite a relentless effort by Somalia’s government to shut them down. At least two such websites that were recently closed were quickly back up and running after being re-registered and securing new domains. Also operating are al-Shabab affiliated social media accounts, mainly on Telegram and Facebook, that constantly re-emerge as soon as recognized accounts are closed. Meanwhile, al-Shabab’s two main radio outlets continue to broadcast in Somalia. The Somali government has within the last year and half prioritized curtailing al-Shabab’s online media presence to reduce the group’s reach and influence. Government officials have confirmed to VOA for the first time that there are dedicated teams at Somalia's National Intelligence and Security Agency, or NISA, that monitor and alert tech companies for removal of extremist content.”

United Kingdom

Associated Press: The British Government Wants To Define Extremism. Critics Say It Risks Creating More Division

“The British government published a new official definition of “extremism” on Thursday, and said groups that get the label will be barred from receiving government funding. The move is in response to a surge in reports of antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate speech and what authorities call an increase in radicalization in Britain since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which triggered the war and Israel’s invasion of Gaza. But critics say branding nonviolent groups as extremist could undermine freedom of speech and worship, or risk unfairly targeting some people, such as Muslims, and create more division. The government defined extremism as “the promotion or advancement of an ideology based on violence, hatred or intolerance” that aims to destroy others’ rights and freedoms or “undermine, overturn or replace the U.K.'s system of liberal parliamentary democracy and democratic rights.” Communities Secretary Michael Gove pointed in particular to threats from the extreme right and Islamic “extremists who are seeking to separate Muslims from the rest of society and create division within Muslim communities.”

Australia

Associated Press: Australia Resumes Funding For UNRWA And Pledges More Gaza Aid

“Australia will restore funding to the United Nations relief agency for Palestinians, weeks after the agency lost hundreds of millions of dollars in support following Israeli allegations that some of its Gaza-based staff participated in the Oct. 7 attack. The Australian government also pledged Friday to increase aid for the besieged enclave, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressing horror at the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza. Australia’s move follows Sweden, the European Commission and Canada in reinstating funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, which had seen its international funding frozen while the allegations were investigated. “The best available current advice from agencies and the Australian government lawyers is that UNRWA is not a terrorist organization,” Wong told reporters Friday in Adelaide while she announced the aid package.”