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Weekly Analyst Review

22 December 2023

 

Bottom Line Up Front

After being in existence and attempting to gain political legitimacy for over three years, on 13 December 2023, the National Justice Party (NJP) hinted at their planned dissolution of the organization after Christmas 2023.


While the party has not released any official statement on the matter, NJP insiders on Telegram spoke about stagnant growth being one of the reasons behind the cessation of operations as well as leadership defection.


If the insiders are to be believed, four of the six founding NJP leaders left in a "dramatic fashion" within the past year. Interestingly, NJP still is planning on creating propaganda promoting the white race and denouncing the Jews.


Founded in August 2020, by Mike Enoch of the infamous The Right Stuff (more commonly referred to as "TRS") podcast series, The National Justice Party (NJP) ran on a political platform of abolishing the FBI; bringing US Troops back from all foreign theaters; no race mixing; outlawing homosexual marriages, as well as separating where homosexuals would be allowed to work; and paying women to stay at home to care for children. The strongly anti-Semitic and anti-LGBTQ+ NJP policies resonated among white racist males in the United States.


The last NJP incident was recorded back in July 2023 when NJP members protested drag queen story hour at a Church in Nashville, Tennessee.

On the heels of insiders posting the news of NJP dissolution, the Aryan Freedom Network (AFN), never being one to pass up a recruiting opportunity, issued a "welcome call" to all former and remaining NJP members into its organization.


Although AFN stated that the ideological positions of both AFN and NJP are different, the group "hates to see another white nationalist organization falling apart." While appreciating the efforts made by NJP throughout these three years, AFN welcomed former NJP members into its fold. The group will organize a private event for former NJP members and leaders that are interested in getting involved with AFN in the upcoming year.


It is worth mentioning that this is not the first time AFN welcomed former members of a White Nationalist group into its fold. In July 2023, AFN joined forces with the White Knights of Texas, a franchise of Ku Klux Klan (KKK). Since then, the AFN has been holding "Meet and Greet' gatherings throughout the United States in their effort to expand their organization nationwide.

Other Developments

TRAC Incident Report:

 Ethiopian Security Forces Foil an al-Shabaab Attack During a National Celebration, Jijiga, Somali Region, Ethiopia

On 12 December 2023, Ethiopian authorities foiled an Al-Shabaab attack during the 18th Ethiopian Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Day celebration in Jijiga, Somali Region.


Acting on intelligence, security forces arrested an unspecified number of individuals who formed a commando ready to conduct an attack against the crowd attending the celebrations. Several weapons were confiscated, including hand grenades, pistols, and bullets. No deaths or injuries were reported during the operation.


The planned attack has to be framed in the unprecedented Shabaab call for a jihad against Ethiopia released in October 2023 and though this attack was successfully foiled, TRAC must emphasize and highlight the strategic value of the planned attack. The Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Day celebrates the ethnic and tribal diversity within the Ethiopian nation, if the attack had been successful, local tribes would have likely blamed each other. Thus al-Shabaab would have successfully rose tensions among the tribes without any suspicion being casts on themselves.


The location of the incident sheds light on the degree of al-Shabaab infiltration in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian-Somali Region is located in central-eastern Ethiopia, bordering Somaliland. The entire area is considerably far from al-Shabaab’s contested and controlled territories in central and southern Somalia. Therefore, the presence of an al-Shabaab commando in Jijiga displays the capacity of the group to infiltrate its militants deep into the nation, hundreds of kilometers inside the Ethiopian territory.

TRAC Incident Report:

 New Group "Ansar al-Jihad" Claims Responsibility for a Double-Tap [Suicide Bombing and Armed Assault] Assault at Police Headquarters in Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

On 16 December 2023, a group of five militants attacked the police headquarters in Tank, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The complex assault began when a suicide bomber breeched the entrance of the complex, allowing others to enter the building. Security forces immediately responded to the attack and engaged in a gun battle with the militants for hours. Consequently, three policemen lost their lives along with all five militants.

While this incident happened in predominantly Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) territory, a new jihadist group by the remarkably generic name of "Ansar al-Jihad" (Supporters of Jihad) claimed responsibility for the incident in a video message and a statement by its spokesperson Abdullah Ansari.


It is worth mentioning that while the group’s official statement states its name as "Ansar al-Jihad," local authorities and news outlets call them "Ansar al-Islam." It is yet not clear if the group has an alias or if it is a misjudgment by the authorities.


Notably, this is the second newly formed group emerging out of Pakistan in 2023. Back in March 2023, the Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (TJP) announced their existence and have since claimed nine (complex) suicide bombings across Pakistan. Additionally, the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) militants have described TJP as a 'brotherly organization,' adding major complexity to the situation.


Whether Ansar al-Jihad aligns with existing groups or operates independently remains uncertain. However, the core issue persists: Pakistan’s struggle to govern securely. The constant challenges posed by daily Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) activities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the ongoing presence of Baloch separatist groups in Balochistan strain the Pakistani security forces. This latest group in 2023 presents a more than a serious threat to Pakistan’s overall stability.

TRAC Incident Report:

FSB Intelligence Agency Detains an Uzbek Citizen and Suspected Islamic State Kavkaz/Qawqaz (ISKQ) Militant, Planning an Attack in Stavropol, North Caucasian Federal District, Russia

On 20 December 2023, the FSB detained a 21-year-old Uzbek Islamic State Kavkaz/Qawqaz (ISKQ) militant, who was said to be planning a bomb detonation near the regional government building on Lenin Square, in Stavropol. According to authorities, the suspect had created two homemade bombs using ammonium nitrate.


Even though the Islamic State Kavkaz/Qawqaz (ISKQ) is not the most active branch of the organization, there are still frequent conflicts between Russian forces and its militants, particularly in the North Caucasus. Russian security forces regularly carry out operations targeting the group, with the most recent one taking place on 24 November 2023, when Russian forces killed IS militant Ganiev in Sunzha, Ingushetia. Ganiev was suspected of providing support to other senior and active militants, Adam Ozdoev and Amirkhan Gurazhev.


It should be primarily underlined that the Islamic State is deemed an illegal organization in Russia, and in this particular incident, the Uzbek militant could face up to twenty years in prison. The nationality of the assailant is also noticeable and could have some political repercussions between Uzbekistan and Russia. The problem of discrimination and the subsequent rise of Islamic radicalization faced by the Central Asian communities living in Russia is a long-lasting issue and a major concern for the Russian authorities.

On Our Radar:

 

TRAC Incident Report: Lone Wolf Mass Shooter David Kozak Opens Fire & Kills at Least 15 before Committing Suicide, at Charles' University's Faculty of Arts on Jan Palach Square, Prague, Czech Republic

TRAC Photo & Video Report:

Protesters Demand Itochu Aviation Company Cut Ties with Israel-Linked Elbit Weapons Manufacturer, Tokyo, Japan

TRAC Poster Report: Anarchists Shared a Poster Advocating for the Burning of 'Every Prison Cell'

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