U.S. Begins Major Offensive Operation Against Afghan Taliban
July 2, 2009 by national
Filed under World Report
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Thousands of U.S. Marines began a “major operation” in southern Afghanistan early today, moving into towns and villages to protect civilians from the Taliban under the Pentagon’s new counterinsurgency strategy.
Almost 4,000 American personnel and 650 Afghan soldiers are taking part in Operation Khanjar, or Strike of the Sword, pushing into the Helmand River valley in helicopters and armored vehicles to set up bases, the military said in an e-mailed statement.
“Where we go, we will stay and where we stay, we will hold,” Brigadier General Larry Nicholson said in the statement.
The operation comes two days after U.S. combat troops withdrew from Iraqi cities under a drawdown that will allow the Pentagon to focus on the conflict in Afghanistan. The Marines involved in today’s offensive were deployed as reinforcements in May, as part of President Barack Obama’s commitment to defeat a resurgent Taliban.
U.S. General Stanley McChrystal assumed command of international forces in Afghanistan last month and is spearheading new counterinsurgency tactics aimed at better protecting civilians.
U.S. and NATO-led forces have failed to establish a permanent presence in the Helmand River valley, an insurgent stronghold and center of illicit opium production where militants have thrown out local police and government officials.
Group of Somali-Americans Indicted on Terror Charges
July 1, 2009 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
al-Shabaab
A federal grand jury has indicted a group of Somali-Americans on terror-related charges after more than 20 young men from the Minneapolis area were recruited to join an Al Qaeda-linked group in Somalia, according to two law enforcement sources.
The indictments have yet to be unsealed, but an announcement is expected in the next few weeks. One law enforcement source told FOX News the grand jury already has handed up indictments against at least three people.
Among those charged is a man from Minneapolis who went to war-torn Somalia and then, about four months ago, relocated to Seattle, according to the two sources and a leader in the Minneapolis Somali community. The man was then arrested in a Seattle airport and transferred to a jail in Minneapolis, where he is currently being detained, according to the law enforcement sources.
The law enforcement sources said the man, described as in his 20s, has been charged with providing material support to a terrorist group, in this case al-Shabaab, which has been warring with the moderate Somali government since 2006.
Lebanon Unmasks 4 al-Qaeda Suspects
July 1, 2009 by national
Filed under World Report
According to a report released by the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International (LBCI), three of the suspects were charged on Monday by the Lebanese military prosecutor Judge Saker Saker with establishing a clandestine gang connected to the al-Qaeda terror group, while the fourth suspect remains at large.
The judicial officials meanwhile announced the three in custody are of Kuwaiti, Syrian and Tajik nationalities. Under the Lebanese Constitution, they will be handed death sentences should they be convicted of the charges.
The report comes as an al-Qaeda group — allegedly plotting attacks in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and the Persian Gulf states like Kuwait — was exposed earlier this month.
Recent acts of violence in Lebanon and Syria have largely been pinned on extremist groups inspired by the al-Qaeda.
U.S. Adm. Mike Mullen Outlines Top U.S. Threats
June 29, 2009 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
At any given moment, U.S. Adm. Mike Mullen is juggling at least a half dozen critical situations around the world.
The final hours before taking off for Moscow to iron out details of a military cooperation agreement with Russia were no different for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the fight against the Taliban inside Pakistan, al-Qaida’s intent to attack the U.S. and Iran are the issues Mullen says he is grappling with right now.
“The biggest concern I have right now is in the broader Middle East,” says Mullen. “We are in a position in Iraq where we’re decreasing our footprint over the next year and a half, considerably to meet the president’s direction to have all troops out of Iraq by the end of 2011.”
At the same time Mullen says, “We’re increasing the number of forces we’ve got in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is in that region — in Afghanistan and Pakistan — I think the No. 1 threat that we have right now, is al -Qaida.”
Mullen says al-Qaida’s main goal “is to attack Western interests.”
But another threat, North Korea, is most pressing.
“What is most important in my view is that somehow this leader gets the message that he’s just continuing to isolate himself and his people,” says Mullen.
He pulled no punches when discussing Kim Jong il’s behavior.
“He is somewhat unpredictable. Clearly that’s the case,” says Mullen.
When asked about U.S. military preparation to deal with a possible missile launch in the direction of Hawaii, Mullen responded confidently.
“I think we’re very well postured and in a position to be able to address the threat. I have great confidence in our forces and our ability to do that.”
When pressed on just what would be done, Mullen says the U.S. would “take all necessary measures to defend our people.”
While clear on the threats, he’s keenly aware of the advantage he has.
via Mullen outlines top U.S. threats – wtop.com.
al-Qaeda Kills US Missionary For Spreading Christianity
June 25, 2009 by national
Filed under Incident Reports
A friend of the Cleveland, Tenn., missionary shot to death Tuesday in Africa said he will withhold judgment about the claim that terrorist group al-Quaida was responsible for the killing until it can be validated.
“Maybe it is true, maybe it isn’t,” said the Rev. Jim Gibson, co-pastor of First Baptist Church of Cleveland, where Christopher Ervin Leggett was a member. “I don’t think it would be very wise to address that until either it can be confirmed as true or false.”
A branch of terrorist group al-Qaida on Thursday claimed responsibility for the death of Mr. Leggett, who was shot several times by unidentified gunmen.
Arab satellite TV station Al-Jazeera said it received an audio statement from al-Qaida’s North Africa branch in which the group said it killed the 39-year-old for trying to convert Muslims to Christianity in Nouakchott, Mauritania, according to The Associated Press.
“Two knights of the Islamic Maghreb succeeded Tuesday morning at 8 a.m. to kill the infidel American Christopher Leggett for his Christianizing activities,” the group said in the statement.
The authenticity of the statement could not be independently verified.
Mauritania’s Interior Ministry said Thursday it was investigating the death, and security forces were doing “all they can to catch the criminals.”
Mr. Gibson said the family is coping as best it can under the circumstances and appreciates the love and support of friends.
After Minneapolis, FBI Eyes Atlanta’s Somalis
June 25, 2009 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
In this small town on the edge of Atlanta, the FBI and local law enforcement are looking out for an alarming kind of crime: radical Islamist terrorists potentially trying to recruit the town’s young Somali-Americans to fight a war in Africa.
There is terrorist recruitment taking place already in Minnesota, said Clarkston police chief Tony J. Scipio. That’s why his department and the FBI are looking for anything similar in the Somali-American community here in Clarkston.
In Minneapolis, as many as 20 young men have been reported missing from their homes since last fall. They are thought to have been lured into the ranks of al-Shabaab in Somalia. That group got a terrorist designation from the U.S. State Department, which ties it to al-Qaeda, bombings, assassinations and attacks on peacekeepers. A powerful faction fighting Somalia’s transitional government, al-Shabaab’s agenda is extremely strict Sharia law.
To fight potential recruiters, the Atlanta FBI has spent the last several months in what the agent-in-charge called an “outreach” program to Clarkston Somali-Americans, including mosque visits and community meetings.
Teen Hackers To Battle al-Qaeda
Security chiefs are hiring teenage computer hackers to spearhead a war on cyber terrorists.
A crack team of web whizz-kids is being set up to foil al-Qaeda internet-based attacks on the UK.
British spymasters fear terror groups, who already use the web to spread hate, aim to take it on as a “new weapon”.
A successful strike at the stroke of a computer key could hit energy supplies and paralyse Government or financial centres.
Security Minister Lord West issued the warning as he launched the Government’s new cyber security strategy.
Britain also faces a growing threat from hostile foreign governments and international crime gangs.
States such as China or Russia could target key businesses, the national power grid, finance markets and Whitehall departments.
In a major move to beef up our defences, a new Office for Cyber Security will be formed.
U.S. Drone Strike Said to Kill 60 in Pakistan
June 23, 2009 by national
Filed under World Report
An airstrike believed to have been carried out by a United States drone killed at least 60 people at a funeral for a Taliban fighter in South Waziristan on Tuesday, residents of the area and local news reports said.
Family members mourned Mr. Zainuddin, a tribal leader, on Tuesday in Abbotabad.
Details of the attack, which occurred in Makeen, remained unclear, but the reported death toll was exceptionally high. If the reports are indeed accurate and if the attack was carried out by a drone, the strike could be the deadliest since the United States began using the aircraft to fire remotely guided missiles at members of the Taliban and Al Qaeda in the tribal areas of Pakistan. The United States carried out 22 previous drone strikes this year, as the Obama administration has intensified a policy inherited from the Bush administration.
Pakistans Nuclear Nightmare
Al-Qaida says it will use Pakistan’s nuclear weapons against the U.S. if it ever gets the chance. We’re not surprised. Nor would we be surprised if it eventually got the opportunity.
‘God willing, the (Pakistani) nuclear weapons will not fall into the hands of the Americans, and the mujahedeen would take them and use them against the Americans.” So says Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, al-Qaida’s top commander in Afghanistan, where the terror group has found a friend and ally in the Taliban.
If you think 9/11 was bad, just wait until al-Qaida gets a nuke, which is not as far-fetched as it sounds. Based both in Afghanistan and Pakistan’s untamed northwest frontier, al-Qaida in April launched a major offensive into Pakistan’s Swat Valley, engaging in fierce fighting with Pakistani army forces.
Swat is just 60 miles from Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad. If al-Qaida beats the Pakistan army in Swat, what will keep it from marching on Islamabad and gaining control of the Pakistani nuclear arsenal — said to number as many as 55 warheads? If you said Pakistan’s ISI intelligence agency, guess again. It’s riddled with fundamentalist al-Qaida sympathizers.
Al Qaeda Says They Would Use Pakistani Nuclear Weapons
If it were in a position to do so, Al Qaeda would use Pakistan’s nuclear weapons in its fight against the United States, a top leader of the group said in remarks aired on Sunday.
Pakistan has been battling al Qaeda’s Taliban allies in the Swat Valley since April after their thrust into a district 100 km 60 miles northwest of the capital raised fears the nuclear-armed country could slowly slip into militant hands.
“God willing, the nuclear weapons will not fall into the hands of the Americans and the mujahideen would take them and use them against the Americans,” Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, the leader of al Qaeda’s in Afghanistan, said in an interview with Al Jazeera television.
Abu al-Yazid was responding to a question about U.S. safeguards to seize control over Pakistan’s nuclear weapons in case Islamist fighters came close to doing so.
“We expect that the Pakistani army would be defeated in Swat … and that would be its end everywhere, God willing.”
Yemen Terror Killings May Be Work of Former Gitmo Prisoner
June 20, 2009 by national
Filed under World Report
The fate of three of nine foreigners abducted in Yemen last week is known — their bodies were found, shot execution style. The whereabouts of the other six — including three children under the age of 6 — remain a mystery.
But terrorism experts say their abductors and killers are almost certainly not a mystery. They say the crimes bear the mark of Al Qaeda, and they fear they are the handiwork of the international terror organization’s No. 2 man in the Arabian Peninsula: Said Ali al-Shihri, an Islamic extremist who once was in American custody — but who was released from the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
And if al-Shihri is behind the gruesome murders and abductions, they say, it raises grave concerns that the scheduled January 2010 closing of the Guantanamo prison and the release of most of its prisoners to foreign countries will galvanize Al Qaeda and compromise American national security.
Pakistans Next Fight – Taliban Leader Baitullah Mehsud
June 17, 2009 by national
Filed under World Report
No one has contributed to Pakistan’s slide into chaos over recent years more than Baitullah Mehsud. From his base in the wilds of South Waziristan, the leader of the Pakistan Taliban has overseen the killing of more than 1,200 civilians and several hundred soldiers through brutal means, including suicide bombings, kidnappings and beheadings. He has been accused of masterminding the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in late December 2007.
In late March, Washington announced a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture, describing Mehsud as a “key al-Qaeda facilitator.” And over the past week alone, he claimed responsibility for five separate terrorist attacks, including the bombing of a luxury hotel in Peshawar and the killing of a vocal anti-Taliban cleric in Lahore. (See pictures of the hotel blast in Peshawar.)
Now Pakistan is taking the fight to Mehsud’s mountainous stronghold, ordering an expansion of its current offensive against Taliban fighters in the Swat valley.
Al Qaeda Running Short On Cash Support
June 16, 2009 by national
Filed under World Report
A recession-driven income slide? Or a brand in terminal decline? Whatever the origin of its money worries, al-Qaida’s latest appeal for funds reveals a group struggling with a fall in donations for its attacks on the West.
In an audio message posted in militant web forums on June 10, 2009, the group’s leader in Afghanistan Mustafa Abu al-Yazid said militants were short of food, weapons and other supplies needed to fight foreign forces there.
The complaint, the latest appeal by Qaeda leaders in the past 18 months, echoes a June 3 request from Osama bin Laden for supporters’ “charity and support” for the militant network’s operations in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
So little is known about current al-Qaida operations that analysts can only speculate about the reasons for the troubles in its fund-raising, which provided an estimated annual budget of $30 million at the time of the 2001 attacks on U.S. targets.
But most agree it is a combination of tighter curbs on charities in the Arab world, a drop in lucrative al-Qaida kidnapping and extortion campaigns in Iraq and the wallet-thinning effect of recession on donors and sympathizers.
Some speculate it also shows a drop in ideological support.
Yemen – 9 Foreigners, Including 3 Children, Found Dead
June 15, 2009 by national
Filed under World Report
A Yemeni security official says six other missing foreigners, including three children, have been found dead, bringing the total number to nine.
The nine foreigners, including seven German nationals, a Briton and a South Korean, disappeared last week while on a picnic in the restive northern Saada region of Yemen.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press, announced the discovery of the remaining six bodies Monday after three others were found earlier in the day.
Yemen, the poorest nation in the Middle East, is home to restive tribes, a Shiite rebellion, as well as a division of Al Qaeda which operates in its remote regions and has often targeted foreigners.
