The Downfall of Al-Shabaab in Somalia

We last reported on the success of the renewed offensive against the terrorist organisation Al-Shabaab. Now, it seems that the counter-offensive is achieving tremendous success. In the past few weeks, the crumbling Al-Shabaab has suffered significant losses with the deaths of multiple high-profile group members. On Saturday, the 23rd of May, the US and Somali forces launched a collaborative assault on the region of Middle Juba, where a suspected Al-Shabaab headquarters was situated. Airstrikes from the US were launched on the town of Jilib, setting the stage for the Somali Army to launch a ground assault. After the intense airstrikes and raids, Al-Shabaab's leaders, Ahmed Diriye and Abu Ubaidah, released a video showcasing a previous meeting between several important members of the group, which took place from the 8th to the 15th of May. The group called this meeting 'The Jihad in East Africa' (Garowe Online, 2023). While the group tried to appear unfazed in the face of the rapidly approaching assault, this facade was quickly shattered when Al-Shabaab forces clashed with Somali counter-terror forces. The military had begun carrying out arrests in the town of Towfiq after a tip-off from villagers that an Al-Shabaab commander was hiding there. As security forces apprehended the leading Al-Shabaab operative, other members of the militant group attacked. Among these attackers was Al-Shabaab finance chief Mahad Aquadub. After the military fought off these attackers, Aquadub was shot, causing the terror chief to flee. While fleeing capture, he suffered a heart attack which resulted in his death. Four other militants were arrested following the attacks. These operatives have been linked to the planning of multiple terror attacks and are currently being held in Mogadishu (Garowe Online, 2023). Aquadub's death was a crushing blow for the group, as he was instrumental in collecting taxes for the organisation. As Al-Shabaab would occupy areas, they would coerce businesses and citizens into paying them taxes, which would go towards funding the group's operations. With Aquadub dead, the funding for the group has been greatly restricted. The financier was in charge of unlawful tax collection within the Galamadug Region.

The following day, the US released a preliminary report on the results of the airstrikes on Jilib. It was revealed by the Somali Ministry of Information that the airstrikes targeted leading Al-Shabaab member Osman Mohamed Abdi. Abdi was reportedly severely injured in the airstrikes. Somali state media stated, "Osman Mohamed Abdi [...] was wounded in a joint operation carried out by the National Army and international allies in Jilib. Abdi was responsible for smuggling foreign terrorists into the country and spreading propaganda to recruit fighters". (Garowe Online, 2023) Abdi's official title within the group was Head of External Operations. He had previously been the group's Head of Defense. Abdi is also directly linked to the 2016 El-Adde Attacks, which were the largest attacks on African peacekeepers on Somali soil, leaving more than two hundred Kenyan soldiers dead. In the following days, intelligence suggested that Abdi was critically injured and in an unconscious state. His condition is worsening by the day, and his death is seemingly imminent.

On the 26th of May, Al-Shabaab militants attacked a military base belonging to the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) in Bulo Marer. The attacks began at around 5 am when cars filled with explosives and suicide bombers crashed into the base, which housed Ugandan soldiers. Following the explosions, a fierce firefight broke out between ATMIS forces, Somali forces, and Al-Shabaab militants. The fighting resulted in major losses for the terror group, although they did manage to seize some military equipment. However, this seizure was short-lived as ATMIS and US aerial units launched airstrikes on the captured equipment, destroying them in the process. Following the strikes, the remaining attackers fled. Al-Shabaab-owned media claimed that they had overrun the base, but Somali, ATMIS, and US sources declared that the situation is under control (IOL, 2023). Al-Shabaab is slowly being contained, and even their retaliatory attacks are failing, resulting in multiple casualties for them.

ATMIS Soldiers

By the 29th of May, the situation within the organisation was dire. This was most glaringly obvious when a leading member of the group surrendered and left the organisation. The man in question was Abdirahman Macalin Ahmed, a founding member of Al-Shabaab, who held several influential roles within the group, including as an advisor to the group's former leader. Ahmed was most active in the southern regions of Somalia, where he was in charge of extortion in the Lower Shabelle Region (Garowe Online, 2023). With all of these high-profile losses, it's clear that Al-Shabaab's grip on Somalia is rapidly slipping. The offensives by the African Union, US, and Somali military are clearly extremely effective. All of these losses have occurred in the past week alone. Going forward, as the summer counteroffensive intensifies, it is highly likely that we will witness further losses and possibly more surrenders from high-ranking members of the group. Clearly, with Ahmed surrendering and leaving the group, the organisation is in shambles. It looks as if it is the beginning of the end for Al-Shabaab.

Afghanistan is the New Breeding Ground for Terrorism 

Afghan-Taliban Counter-Terror Forces

Since the Taliban regime took control of Afghanistan, the country has become a breeding ground for terrorism. Groups like Islamic State and other smaller terrorist organisations are using this period of instability to destabilise and consolidate their territories. Despite pushback from the Afghan government, especially against the Islamic State, smaller groups are still thriving under the unstable regime. Most notably, Al-Qaeda has strengthened its relationship with the Taliban government, allowing the core terror group to operate without persecution. The Taliban still have around three to four thousand foreign fighters working for the group, mostly from Pakistan and Central Asia. The flow of foreign fighters entering the country seems to have slowed. It appears that the Taliban government has been issuing valid passports to members of terror groups, including Al-Qaeda. These passports give terror operatives new identities, allowing them to travel internationally for recruitment. The vending of these false identities and the capability of international travel creates a wall of protection for terror operatives, making it harder for intelligence services to effectively identify them.

While the Taliban government has its terrorist allies, it also has a fair few enemies within the country. On top of the Islamic State in the Khorasan Province (ISKP), which is extremely active within the country, a report by ISIS indicates that ISKP has been involved in one hundred and eighty-one attacks since 2022. These operations are believed to have caused over one thousand casualties. Additionally, ISKP carries out significant attacks on business and infrastructural targets, including the foreign ministry, the Pakistani embassy, and a hotel where Chinese diplomats were staying. Though these attacks gradually decreased in the winter months, the rate of these attacks was staggering, with them happening so quickly one after another.

ISKP has found itself a new membership base through former Taliban members (from the Haqqani Network), foreign fighters from Pakistan (from the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)), and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU). Through these means, ISKP has hundreds of new fighters who can launch multiple attacks at once, allowing for such a rapid frequency. The European Union Institute for Security Studies (2023) reports that membership for the group has doubled from around two thousand members to just over four thousand. This doubling of membership is not just from former members of other groups but also from previously detained members who escaped during the unrest when the Taliban took over the country. This diverse ISKP complicates counterterrorism for the Taliban, who would not want to anger factions within itself and would want to avoid any intra-factional conflict in the group.

This intra-factional conflict has occurred before in the Taliban, with former members breaking away from the official group to form the National Resistance Front, comprised mostly of former Taliban members and local militias. The NRF still carries out attacks on the governmental Taliban to this day.

ISKP attacks on foreign assets within Afghanistan have brought major international attention, particularly regarding attacks on Pakistani, Chinese, and Russian targets. ISKP targets any government that cooperates with the Taliban government, even launching rocket attacks on Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The constant attacks on Pakistani targets have soured relations between the two countries. Pakistan is not only a major investor in Afghanistan but also faces attacks from a Taliban-aligned group, the TTP. The TTP has been launching insurgency operations against Pakistan since 2014, but recently the group has become extremely well-structured, with a UN report fearing that the group has the potential to be extremely damaging to the Middle East. One worrying possibility is an alliance between the TTP and ISKP. In the past, the TTP had aligned itself with the Islamic State, so it would not be unprecedented. Even though it is operating against Pakistan, the Taliban government of Afghanistan protects the TTP and possibly assists it. Since 2022, the TTP has been strengthened through the re-joining of former splinter groups. This reuniting was facilitated by Al-Qaeda, an ally of the Taliban.

The terrorist issues are not just straining relations with Pakistan but also with China. China's concerns lie with the Taliban government's affiliations with the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) or ETIM for short. ETIM desires to create an independent Uighur Muslim State, which encompasses land from Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. The Chinese government believes the ETIM group has been influencing the over ten million Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang. The Uighurs are already under intense scrutiny by Chinese law enforcement for potential terror threats. The controlling Taliban have been attempting to influence ETIM fighters, though many security experts fear that these attempts to control the group will only push them closer to ISKP.

The Taliban government in Afghanistan has created a breeding ground for terrorism through its alliances and its enemies. All terror groups aligned with the government are being equipped and given the means for covert international travel, enabling them to recruit and launch attacks internationally. The enemies of the Taliban are consolidating with one another against a common enemy, bolstering terrorism in the Middle East. With significant security vacuums across Africa and the Middle East, it seems that these growing terror organisations can spread their influence. This situation is very similar to the early 2000s, with groups having the opportunity to grow their membership from foreign fighters and merge with other groups, creating large terror organisations.

https://www.iss.europa.eu/content/security-risks-emanating-afghanistan#_the_transnational_dimension__

Most Wanted: Prominent Abu Sayaff Member Arrested After Nearly 20 Years

Adingh being Arrested [Source: PNP]

One of the most prominent members of the Abu Sayaff Terrorist group was arrested in the Philippines. Abu Sayaff member Tatoh Datu Adingih was listed as the ninth most wanted man in the island province of Tawi-Tawi, where he had been hiding for sixteen years. Under the pseudonym Tatoh Moro, Adingh hid in Languyan for nearly two decades. On the 27th of April, the Philippines' 5th Special Action Battalion raided his hideout in Barangay Similac. The multi-organisational arrest was aided by BASULTA Regional Mobile Force Battalion, the Anti-Kidnapping Group, and the Philippine Navy. (Manila Bulletin, 2023)

Adingh was forced to surrender when faced with Philippine police, he was charged with murder. Adingh was identified through intense intelligence operations and tips from multiple informants.

https://mb.com.ph/2023/4/27/wanted-abu-sayyaf-man-arrested-in-tawi-tawi-after-26-years-of-hiding

Chopped Up Bodies & Mass Shootings: Violence in the Cartel Controlled Regions of Ecuador

Guayaquil After the Attack [Source: BBC]

The city of Esmeraldes in Ecuador is plagued by cartel violence, surpassing the levels witnessed in Colombia during the 1980s. Beheadings, killings, and assaults on women are all too common, leading to a staggering 180% increase in the murder rate from 2021 to 2022. The once peaceful nation, which had previously avoided the widespread violence associated with cartel epidemics, has now earned a reputation as the murder capital of the world. In an effort to tackle the escalating cartel violence, President Guillermo Lasso has enforced martial law in Esmeraldos.

However, martial law has proven ineffective in halting the cartel attacks. Just a few weeks after its imposition, the cartels beheaded three men, their heads subsequently discovered wrapped in black bags. Such methods of attack are distressingly frequent, with different cartel gangs employing distinctive "signatures" for their beheadings, whether it involves discarding the head in a plastic bag or removing the victim's intestines. Following these beheadings, many victims are hanged, their decapitated bodies left hanging from road signs, bridges, and buildings. Most recently, a massacre occurred at the city's port, where, in broad daylight, thirty members of the Los Tigeros gang opened fire on civilians, resulting in the deaths of nine innocent individuals. This audacious attack, carried out amidst a significant military presence and during daylight hours, was unprecedented. The heinous nature of the assault was so outrageous that Ecuador's Secretary of Defense, Diego Ordonez, resigned. It is believed that the port was targeted due to illicit dealings between boatmen and rival gangs. Esmeraldes' position as a port town on the border with Colombia makes it an ideal location for gangs to launch smuggling operations. Similar cartel attacks have also occurred near the port city of Guayaquil, resulting in three fatalities.

While hangings, beheadings, and shootings serve as public displays of cartel horror, there are also covert acts, including the kidnapping and torture of young women. In one instance, three young women were discovered in shallow graves near the Esmeraldes River. The violence in the region is extensive, involving multiple gangs not only from South America but also from different parts of the world.

The most notable European gang present in the violent regions of Ecuador is composed of Albanian traffickers who smuggle cocaine from South America to Britain and mainland Europe. The Albanian Gang is believed to be involved in an almost two billion pound cocaine enterprise that has permeated nearly every area of the UK. Ecuador serves as the starting point for these cocaine smuggling operations. The Albanian Mafia receives assistance in Ecuador from a street gang known as The Alligators. Other gangs are affiliated with prominent Mexican cartels, carrying out their bidding hundreds of miles away in Ecuador. The two largest cartels operating in Ecuador are the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation Cartel, both of which employ street gangs. The aforementioned Tiguerones are aligned with the Jalisco Cartel, alongside the Wolves and Chinolone Gangs. The rival Sinaloa cartel has the Panatones, The Gangsters, and the Choneros. These gangs have filled the void left by the now-weakened FARC and other powerful Colombian cartels. Ecuador has become a highly sought-after territory for Mexican and European gangs to conduct lucrative drug smuggling enterprises. In an interview with VICE (2023), Derek Maltz, a former head of the DEA Special Operations Division, stated, "The Mexican cartels are expanding not only north of the border but also south of the border and pretty much around the world... They approach it like a Fortune 500 company, considering the best countries for their product. They are flooding Europe with cocaine."

The situation in Ecuador is dire. The government appears to be struggling to control the spread of this criminal activity, even with the implementation of martial law. President Lasso, who is facing unrelated impeachment charges, seems to be losing his grip on the country, with his approval rating plummeting to thirteen percent. Lasso has sought to strengthen relations with the US. Perhaps future cooperation in drug enforcement between the nations can help curb the power of these drug gangs.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgwxyn/ecuador-mexico-drug-war-cocaine

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11989507/How-violence-spiralling-control-cartel-ravaged-region-Ecuador.html

Terror In Mali: The Terror Resurgents and a Military Massacre

Still from a Video of the Attack Aftermath [Source: Africa News]

A resurgence of terror has occurred in the African nation of Mali amid a UN investigation into the unlawful killing of civilians. On 23rd April, eighty-eight Jihadists launched bombing attacks on Mali's Savare Airport. Around five in the morning, bombs exploded, destroying multiple buildings and resulting in thirteen deaths. The area is not only an airport but also contains buildings belonging to the nearby military base. In addition to the thirteen deceased, three of whom were soldiers, sixty-one people were injured. In an interview (Africa News, 2023), one resident of Savare recounted the day of the attack, "We heard noises after the prayer, around 5:30 am, 5:40 am [...] Some people thought that a building had collapsed but came to ask us for help at the station. We went to the camp to inform the commander. We also alerted the civil protection. Around 6:00 am, the authorities arrived, and together we extracted the injured and dead. It was really difficult." No group has come forward to claim responsibility for the attacks, but many believe that this large-scale attack is a sign that terror will return to the nation.

Since 2020, the Malian Government began to distance itself from the West and turned to Russia's Wagner Group to aid in counter-terror operations. Mali's Junta Government is under close scrutiny due to an ongoing human rights investigation. In operations against terrorists last year, it was alleged that the Malian Army, along with unidentified Western fighters, killed five hundred unarmed villagers. The massacre being investigated is alleged to have occurred on 27th March of last year when Malian and Russian helicopters descended on the town of Moura. The villagers began to flee as the military forces opened fire. Around five hundred civilians were killed and thrown into ditches. Witnesses to this attack immediately spoke out, triggering the UN to launch a fact-finding mission to Mali, which was blocked multiple times. An internal investigation by Mali's Junta found that all those killed were confirmed terrorists. In a UN Report released on 12th May, a year after the massacre, it was found that the government had violated the Human Rights Act. A spokesman for Mali, Abdoulaye Maiga, claimed that the UN's decision was made to destabilise the Malian Government. He said, "No civilian from Moura lost their life during the military operation. Among the dead, there were only terrorist fighters, and all those arrested were handed over to the gendarmerie". (Inquirer, 2023) This UN report is the dawn of a difficult period in Mali. Not only will the report have huge ramifications on the international stage but also comes at a time when radical jihadism is growing rapidly.

Reference list

AfricaNews and Churm, P. (2023). Blasts in Mali kill and injure dozens amid resurgence of ‘terrorist incidents’. [online] Africanews. Available at: https://www.africanews.com/2023/04/23/blasts-in-mali-kill-and-injure-dozens-as-government-fears-resurgence-of-terrorist-incident/ [Accessed 14 May 2023].

Reuters (2023). Mali rejects UN report on alleged execution of 500 villagers by troops. [online] INQUIRER.net. Available at: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1769094/mali-rejects-un-report-on-alleged-execution-of-500-villagers-by-troops [Accessed 14 May 2023].

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The New Zealand Pilot Captured by Papua Sepratists

The New Zealand Pilot Captured by Papua Separatists

In February of this year, a small plane carried five passengers to the hazardous area of Paro in the mountainous region of Nduga, Indonesia. When the plane landed, armed members of the Free Papua Organisation stormed it, capturing the New Zealand pilot. All the other passengers were Papuan, so they were spared. The pilot, however, faced a more uncertain fate when the armed rebel group set the empty plane alight. The pilot, Philop Max Mehrten, was taken hostage by the group, who vowed to only free him when West Papua was recognized as independent by the Indonesian Government. Sammy Sebbo, the spokesman of the West Papua National Liberation Army, the armed branch of the Free Papua Organisation, said in a statement, "We have taken the pilot hostage, and we are bringing him out [...] We will never release the pilot we are holding hostage unless Indonesia recognizes and frees Papua from Indonesian colonialism [...] New Zealand, Australia, and America must be held accountable for what they have done, helping the Indonesian military to kill and genocide indigenous Papuans in the past 60 years". (The Guardian, 2023) The Papua police couldn't launch rescue operations due to mountainous jungle terrain. Military rescue operations weren't established either, leaving Mehrten as the rebels' captive.

While all this occurred in February, recent footage released by the FPO revealed the pilot for the first time since his capture. In the video, Mehrten is seen surrounded by armed men. He is forced to say, "Indonesia must recognize Papua as independent". (The Guardian, 2023) The FPO members in the video ensured he would remain safe but would only be released when independence is granted. The released video sparked renewed outrage at Indonesian authorities. The Papuan police chief has told The Guardian that negotiations for his release are ongoing, attempting to converse with local church leaders to obtain Mehrten's release.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/14/indonesian-separatists-release-video-of-nz-pilot-they-took-hostage

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/08/separatists-fighters-in-papua-hold-new-zealand-pilot-hostage 

Leader of the Islamic State Killed by Turkish Special Forces

A few weeks ago, US Central Command announced that an instrumental international IS operative was killed by a drone strike, dealing a huge blow to the terror organisation. Turkish special forces likely put the final nail in the coffin of the Islamic State when they announced that their special forces had killed IS leader Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi in Syria. Announced by President Recep Erdogan, the Turkish intelligence forces initiated the raid in the town of Jindares, in Aleppo, an area occupied by Turkish rebels. Qurashi's headquarters was a small house on the border of the town in a field of olive trees. (www.aljazeera.com, 2023b)

The death of the IS leader comes at a time of uncertainty on the Turkish-Syrian border. Not only is IS still operating, though on a smaller scale than they were in 2014, but there is also friction between the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Force. The group, who receives funds from the US, has been the target of Turkish air raids after an explosion occurred in Istanbul. The Turkish government blamed Kurdish groups and began to launch attacks on the SDF, even threatening ground attacks with troops. The leader of the SDF, per Epstein (2023), believes that the attacks from Turkey will only allow ISIS to thrive. He said, "There is no doubt that Daesh [A province of Islamic State] will benefit more than anyone else from this Turkish offensive."

In recent times, a multifaceted assault on Islamic States from all fronts has crippled the group to near destruction. Not only did the US kill an IS operative who was instrumental in the planning of attacks on Europe, but also counter-terror assaults from the Taliban have killed a senior member of the terror organisation. In late April, Taliban counter-terror operations against IS killed a senior leader of the group unexpectedly. The IS leader, whose identity has not yet been released, planned the Abbey Gate Airport bombing which killed nearly two hundred people, including Afghan civilians and US marines. (www.aljazeera.com, 2023a)

The Taliban may seem like an unlikely ally to the war on terror, but they are currently facing battles across the country with ISIL, the IS province in Afghanistan. The killing of such a high-profile individual may also open up diplomatic avenues for Western governments to begin talks with the Taliban government. It already seems as though the Taliban leadership is split, however, with US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Tom West stating that he mainly deals with officials in Kabul, with the group's more radical leaders based in Kandahar.

Despite all the infighting and ill-relations between these countries, their efforts have crippled the Islamic State. With such high-profile losses in the past few months, it seems that the group will struggle to recover. The group has named Qurashi's replacement, but that seems futile with all the opposition they face.

Reference list

Epstien, J. (2022). US military confirms that another ISIS leader has been killed in Syria, revealing that he was taken out in a raid by local forces. [online] uk.movies.yahoo.com. Available at: https://uk.movies.yahoo.com/us-military-confirms-another-isis-211201491.html?guccounter=1 [Accessed 13 May 2023].

www.aljazeera.com. (2023a). ISIL leader behind Kabul airport bombing killed, Taliban says. [online] Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/25/isil-leader-behind-kabul-airport-bombing-killed-taliban-says?traffic_source=KeepReading [Accessed 13 May 2023].

www.aljazeera.com. (2023b). Suspected ISIL chief killed in Syria, says Turkish president. [online] Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/1/erdogan-says-turkey-has-killed-suspected-isil-leader#:~:text=President%20Erdogan%20discloses%20intelligence%20operation [Accessed 13 May 2023].

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Kenyan Death Cult Search Finds 100 Dead Bodies With Missing Organs

Though the title may seem sensational, it is true. Paul Mackenzie, the leader of the Good News International Church, is responsible for 112 deaths - men, women, and children. The Good News International Church was a doomsday cult orchestrated by Mackenzie in Shakahola Forest, Kenya. The cult leader believed that the world would end on April 15th, so he told his followers to starve themselves, saying that dying before the end of the world would get them into heaven to meet Jesus. (Reuters, 2023) Most died of starvation, while some children and women were found suffocated and beaten. After his followers were dead, Mackenzie buried the bodies in the woods. After multiple reports of missing people, the police uncovered the mass death. The current recovery of the bodies is ongoing but is an incredibly difficult process due to the thick plant life in the forest. Autopsies on the recovered bodies have revealed that organs were harvested before and after death. Chief Inspector of the case Martin Munene believes that organ trafficking was highly likely in the case.

Mackenzie was not alone in this crime. A prominent televangelist, Ezekiel Odoro, was also arrested last month in connection to the disappearances. Odoro is believed to have received large amounts of money following the deaths of Mackenzie's followers. Also, some deaths have been linked to Odoro's church, with the victims then being moved to the mass graves in Shakahola Forest. Odoro is also linked to selling the houses of the victims and laundering money for Mackenzie. Authorities also believe that the organ harvesting plot is grander than just Mackenzie and Odoro, with twenty bank accounts being frozen in relation to the investigation. (France-Presse, 2023) It is highly likely that more arrests will come in the following weeks.

The Timeline

The arrests and timeline of the crime imply that there was a large amount of organization in the crime. After reports of missing people were made in early April, police began to search for them, stumbling across around thirty mass graves in Shakahola Forest. On April 14th, Paul Mackenzie handed himself into authorities for the crime. By then, all of his cult followers were dead, with some starving, suffocating, or being beaten. Odoro would remain free until he was arrested on April 27th. A week later, Odoro would post bail, while Mackenzie remained in custody without formal charges. Autopsies on the recovered bodies began in late April and early May, revealing the missing organs.

The bleak story is still ongoing, with more bodies being exhumed from the mass graves.

References

France-Presse, A. (2023). Autopsies reveal missing organs in Kenya cult deaths, say police. The Guardian. [online] 9 May. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/09/autopsies-missing-organs-kenya-cult-deaths-police [Accessed 10 May 2023].

Reuters (2023). Forest search resumes for Kenyan death cult victims of ‘highly organised crime’. Reuters. [online] 9 May. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/forest-search-resumes-kenyan-death-cult-victims-highly-organised-crime-2023-05-09/ [Accessed 11 May 2023].

 Who are the White Helmets of Syria?

[Source:IndieWire]

The White Helmets are a group that not many people know but have likely seen. Most of the population remembers seeing white helmeted aid workers during the mass news coverage of the Syrian crisis. Most, including myself, assumed these were United Nations troops and aid workers. I was not introduced to the White Helmet organisation till recently after I saw them seeking donations to aid the thousands of Turkish and Syrian people affected by the recent 7.8 magnitude earthquake. As I looked into them more I found myself being drawn to their aid efforts but also the disinformation that clouds their reputation. 

The White Helmets, or the Syrian Civil Defence (SCD) as they are also known, started as a collective of much smaller local relief groups. Though the name Syrian Civil Defence makes the group sound like some local military group, the White Helmet's efforts began, and remained, purely to assist locals. As the Syrian Government lost control of their territory to Islamic State in 2012, civilians cried out for medical and rescue assistance. This is where the local organisations which would become the White Helmets began. Small, local groups would start to help trapped civilians, searching the rubble of bombed buildings for civilians. (Syrian Civil Defense, 2015) Gradually, these local groups, operating deep in IS-controlled territory began to receive training and funding from the wider international community. Western Nations and other NGOs began training the SCD in urban search and rescue to increase the group's success. The most notable and influential NGO to train the group was the Mayday Rescue Organisation, which was led by a man named James Le Mesurier, a former British Army captain. The smaller local groups would grow to over three-thousand members. In 2014, the SCD was formalised, with it establishing one hundred-eleven local centres over eight operational provinces, which included the IS hotbeds of Aleppo and Damascus. 

Whilst being active in the occupied territory of Syria, the White Helmets quickly became an enemy in the eyes of the Government. The group were targeted multiple times by the Syrian Government and Russian airstrikes. (Jan, 2015) As well as the threat of air attacks, the group also acted in areas occupied by the brutal Islamic State. Despite the dangers, the group set up crucial local infrastructures that would help over four million Syrians. (Winsor, 2023) Whilst the group supported the locals in IS-occupied Syria, the border media focus on them would soon shift to a much more negative one as the group became the target of a Russian disinformation campaign.

Terrorist Accusations

To the Syrian Government, the White Helmets were seen as a terrorist organisation. The aid the group offered to locals vilified them in the eyes of Assad and the Russian Government. The group began to be slandered in the media, with Russian state media claiming the group had links to Al-Qaeda. Through alt-right and pro-Russian online personalities, a conspiracy theory began that the White Helmets were a terrorist group masquerading as relief workers. Of course, there are no credible links between this aid group and Al-Qaeda. When this became apparent, the online conspiracy theories shifted. Instead of being linked to terrorism, the group was now portrayed as a UN puppet organisation that acted on Western interests. Alt-right internet personalities, such as Infowars' Alex Jones, even claimed that the White Helmets were funded by American billionaire George Soros and were carrying out gas attacks on Syrians. These claims were also completely bogus. The damage was done. The White Helmets became a controversial group, despite not actually being linked to the UN, American billionaires or Al-Qaeda. (Ellis, 2017) Completely separate from the claims of terrorism was the idea the group was not impartial, specifically tied to Turkey. This theory was proposed by the Kurdish Syrian Defence Force group. According to Kurdistan24 (2019), the White Helmets only entered the Afrin area of Syria after the Turkish Government took control of the region. urging them to believe that the White Helmets were working for the Turkish Government. In addition, many of the White Helmet members were formerly trained in Turkey, further bolstering the connection between the two. So, because of these proposed links to White Helmets became vilified in the Kurdish communities. Nicholas Heras, a leading security expert at the Center for New American Security, the SDF, and by extension the general Kurdish population, saw the White Helmets as a kind of 'trojan horse'. To them, the White Helmets were the puppets of the Turkish Government. 

The White Helmets Today

With the conflict in Syria over, the myth of a terrorist, Government aligned, gas-attacking White Helmets has essentially died out. They now act as a relief organisation, as they always have. Most recently, the group has been active in aiding the victims of the earthquake on the Turkish-Syrian border. In more recent times, the suspicious death of White Helmet co-founder James Le Mesurier has overshadowed the group. Le Mesurier would fall from his Istanbul apartment in 2019, killing him. Turkish authorities verified the death as a suicide, with there being no evidence of foul play during an autopsy. (Safi, 2019) Russian and Syrian-based media blamed Western intelligence services for his death, whilst conspiracy theorists online blamed Russian assassins. Even after his death, the White Helmets continue to be a heroic force in Syria, a country still in dire need of relief organisations that look after local communities with no resources. It's estimated that millions of Syrians were helped in some way by the help of the White Helmet organisation during the Syrian Civil War alone. To this day, they continue their relief efforts, helping those who need it most. 

Reference list

Catherine, J.J. (2019). Kurds say White Helmets not welcome to help fight fires in northeast Syria. [online] Kurdistan24. Available at: https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/15b19407-31f2-4709-ab99-580b6a66dc72 [Accessed 8 May 2023].

Ellis, E.G. (2017). Inside the Conspiracy Theory That Turned Syria’s First Responders Into Terrorists. [online] Wired. Available at: https://www.wired.com/2017/04/white-helmets-conspiracy-theory/ [Accessed 9 May 2023].

Jan, M. (2015). Q&A: Syria’s White Helmets. [online] www.aljazeera.com. Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/8/21/qa-syrias-white-helmets [Accessed 8 May 2023].

Safi, M. (2019). No signs of foul play in death of White Helmets founder, say Turkish police. The Guardian. [online] 13 Nov. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/13/no-signs-foul-play-death-white-helmets-founder-james-le-mesurier-turkish-police [Accessed 9 May 2023].

Syrian Civil Defense. (2015). Volunteers to Save Lives. [online] Available at: http://syriacivildefense.org/volunteers-save-lives [Accessed 8 May 2023].

Winsor, M. (2023). Who are the White Helmets? A group of ordinary Syrians doing the extraordinary. [online] ABC News. Available at: https://abcnews.go.com/International/white-helmets-group-ordinary-syrians-extraordinary/story?id=96971864#:~:text=The%20White%20Helmets%20says%20it [Accessed 9 May 2023].

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Airman Arrested After Trying to Become a Hitman

Garcia with a Rifle [Source: Facebook]

In another bizarre story involving the US Air National Guard after one was arrested for attempting to become a hitman. Obviously, your first thought might jump to a Dark Web sting or links to organised crime, right? Nope, Josiah Garcia was arrested for sending his hitman application to a joke website. The website in question, rentahitman.com, was a prank website, that in no way portrayed itself as a real hitman service. That was obvious to most people, but not Garcia. The website has a 'careers page', which spoke of satirical criteria for a desired hitman, including applications like 'Do you have all of your natural teeth?'. Garcia took the site seriously and began contacting it, repeatedly. In his application, under his so-called street name Reaper, he wrote, "I'm looking for a job, that pays well, related to my military experience (Shooting and Killing the marked target) so I can support my kid on the way [...] What can I say, I enjoy doing what I do, so if I can find a job that is similar to it (such as this one) put me in coach!" 

From February 16th, when Garcia first contacted the site, to March 16th, he sent multiple emails following up on his application. When the owner of the site saw the subsequent emails, he knew that Garcia was being serious about his desire to kill. The emails were forwarded to the FBI who scheduled a mock assassin interview with him on April 5th. Garcia was gleeful during the interview and boasted that he was a 'trained military sniper'. Garcia asked about his future assassin salary, even saying he would kill for as little as $2500. The FBI then set up a fake hit for Garcia to perform on April 12th. When he arrived at the scene, he was arrested swiftly by the FBI. (Metro, 2023) Garcia was a Tennessee Air National Guardsman and wanted to make some quick money as he had a baby on the way. Garcia is the second Air National Guardsman to be arrested in the past few months after Jack Texiera was arrested for leaking important, confidential documents about Ukraine's spring counteroffensive. 

Works Cited

Folk, Zachary. “US Air National Guardsman Arrested after “Applying to Be a Hitman Online.”” Metro, 17 Apr. 2023, metro.co.uk/2023/04/17/tennessee-us-air-national-guardsman-arrested-after-applying-to-be-a-hitman-online-18628219/. Accessed 8 May 2023.

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United We Stand: The Collaborative Fight Against Insurgency in Mozambique

A Burned Village in Cabo Delgado [Source:Upstream Online]

The UN and US have pledged their support to the Mozambican Government after they called for support in their fight against violent extremism within the country. The country's Defence Minister Cristovao Chume has specifically asked for support in the Cabo Delgado region. Chume plans on coordinating a multi-national, multifaceted approach to combating violent extremism within the country. The country already has assistance from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the US, European Union and United Nations forces. (Mangwiro,2023a) Even though this may seem like a trove of support, the country's President Filipe Nyusi has told the UN Peacebuilding Commission that more support was needed to fight insurgency in the region.

This plea for additional support was answered by the UN's Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. In a Security Council meeting, as reported by UN News (2023), Guterres said, "Just as terrorism drives people apart, countering it can bring countries together [...] The United Nations stands with Africa to end this scourge. Above all, it includes our ongoing close collaboration with the African Union (AU) and regional and sub-regional African organisations." The Council agreed on offering African nations struggling with terror, including Mozambique, a plethora of new relief, including preventative and legal help. It is also important to note that Nyusi, who was also present at the Security Council meeting, didn't just call for assistance for his own country, but also for increased aid in other African nations. In an address to the council he said, The expansion of terrorism is quite threatening, and it is driven by factors that vary from context to context. On one hand, radicalisation based on identity variables fuelled by intolerance and, on the other hand, the manipulation of socio-economic factors have accelerated recruitment to terrorist groups, particularly of the youth."

Nyusi also revealed the success of SADC counter-terror operations in the Cabo Delgado region. The nearly two-year-long operation, which is still ongoing, demonstrates the success of African Governmental cooperation, according to Nyusi. 

Almost a month after these United Nations meetings were held, the US State Department's Minister of Foreign Assistance, Dafna Rand, visited Mozambique and reiterated the US support in the fight against terror within the nation. She revealed that the US wanted to focus their support on local communities to ensure future security against insurgent attacks. She also reiterated the partnership between the US and Mozambique militaries, saying, "We also press to have a security partnership with the Mozambican forces, and we are working and training in cooperation on the defence and security side." Rand also stressed that their support will not just be militaristic but also infrastructural. The fight against terror starts with basic services such as local hospitals and schools. From that groundwork, subsequent counter-terror operations will be more successful. (Mangwiro, 2023c) This renewed support from the US was expected, with the companies EXXON Mobile and Total, having offshore gas developments in the country. In addition, the US is the country's biggest financial supporter with them giving the African nation over $560 million annually. 

The Importance of Local Fighters

In early April, laws were passed in Maputo, which allowed the formation of local militias to aid the Government in the fight against insurgency. Though they existed before, these laws will formalise the militias as a kind-of defence force for local communities. The laws also will give the militias more logistical and structural support. It is also hoped that these local militias will aid in the defence of crucial infrastructure. These militias are mostly made up of experienced fighters who have experience fighting the insurgents in Cabo Delgado. (Mangwiro, 2023c) Though it may seem like an outlandish idea to arm locals, it is important to remember the significance local fighters can have in the fight against terror. Most recently, in Somalia, politicians argued that future counter-offensive plans ignored local fighters, who were previously instrumental in demising the power of Al-Shabaab. 

Who are the Insurgents?

The insurgents who occupy the northern province of Cabo Delgado aren't exactly affiliated with any larger group. There are two likely candidates responsible for such wide-scale attacks. One is the Islamic State, which has claimed responsibility for many of the insurgency attacks in the province. However, it is also suspected there is another, lesser-known terror group operating in the region called Ahlu Sunnah Wa-Jama, which took credit for the initial insurgency attacks. Wa-Jama was a paramilitary-terror organisation that was last active in 2019. The group was based in Somalia, however, these attacks in Cabo Delgado may suggest that the group is resurfacing in Mozambique. Just a few years ago in 2017, Ahlu Sunnah Wa-Jama signed an agreement with the Somalian state of Galmudug, essentially integrating the group within the state's organised military force. (University, Stanford and California 94305, 2023) It is also possible that the small group that was active in the initial Cabo Delgado insurgency attacks were remnants of the group and later 're-branded' as a province of the Islamic State.

What is known, is the devastation of the Cabo Delgado insurgency conflicts. It's estimated that there have been over five thousand casualties and nearly one million people displaced after their villages were destroyed by insurgent forces. 

Reference list

Mangwiro, C. (2023a). Mozambican Government Asks for Help Fighting Terrorism. [online] VOA. Available at: https://www.voanews.com/a/mozambican-government-asks-for-help-fighting-terrorism-/7030484.html [Accessed 8 May 2023].

Mangwiro, C. (2023b). Mozambique Legalizes Local Militias to Help Fight Northern Insurgents. [online] VOA. Available at: https://www.voanews.com/a/mozambique-legalizes-local-militias-to-help-fight-northern-insurgents/7039006.html [Accessed 8 May 2023].

Mangwiro, C. (2023c). US Reiterates Support for Mozambique’s Fight Against Cabo Delgado Militants. [online] VOA. Available at: https://www.voanews.com/a/us-reiterates-support-for-mozambique-s-fight-against-cabo-delgado-militants-/7065538.html#:~:text=The%20U.S.%20is%20reiterating%20its [Accessed 8 May 2023].

news.un.org. (2023). UN underlines support for Africa’s fight against terrorism | UN News. [online] Available at: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/03/1135117.

University, S., Stanford and California 94305 (n.d.). MMP: Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama. [online] cisac.fsi.stanford.edu. Available at: https://cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/mappingmilitants/profiles/ahlu-sunna-wal-jama#text_block_17431 [Accessed 8 May 2023].

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Bandits Raid Nigerian Village, Kill 36 in Total

Nigerian Bandits (Source: WikiCommons)

The town of Dan Umaru in Nigerian faced a severe Bandit attack on April 30th 2023. An unknown number of Bandits raided the village in the early morning, killing thirty civilians, six police officers and kidnapped around a dozen people. On top of the attacks, hunderds of cattle were stolen in attacks on nearby villages. The Nigerian Government has not made any official statement as off yet. (Naija Security Focus, 2023) The Bandit issue is a common one in Nigeria. The term Bandit is a balnket term for a pletheora of criminal and terrorist groups. These Bandit gangs have been active throughout Nigeria since 2011, with some controlling illegal arms trading operations and others capturing industrial sites, such as gold mines. Some of the larger bandit forces were jihadist terrorists from groups such as Boko Haram, Ansaru and Islamic State of the West African Province. Others are smaller groups controlled by local crime bosses/warlords. It is uknown what Bandit group comiited the attack, no terror organisation has taken credit for the attack, menaing it was most likely done by an unaffiliated bandit gang. One gang, it could possibly be, is th one led by a man named Dogo Gide. Gide's gang has previously carried large scale operations in the state of Kibbi. In one insance in 2021, the Dogo Gide Bandits kidnapped students from the Federal Government College. His gang is one of the largest kidnapping-for-ransom gangs in Nigeria. (Maishanu and Babangida, 2022) Gide is also belived to be linked with the logitcal side of Boko Haram, with Gide's gang believed to be supply the terror group with weapons. His group has previiously carried out mass cattle rustling, killing and kidnappings. 

Reference list

Maishanu, A.A. and Babangida, M. (2022). Inside criminal enterprise of Dogo Gide, Ali Kachalla, suspected masterminds of Kaduna train attack. [online] Premiumtimesng.com. Available at: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/524583-inside-criminal-enterprise-of-dogo-gide-ali-kachalla-suspected-masterminds-of-kaduna-train-attack.html?tztc=1 [Accessed 7 May 2023].

Security Focus. (2023). Bandits Storm Kebbi, Kil Six Policemen, 30 Villagers. [online] Available at: https://securityfocus.ng/2023/05/01/bandits-storm-kebbi-kill-six-policemen-30-villagers [Accessed 7 May 2023].