Archive for category Threat Watch

Iraqi Caught Crossing Texas-Mexico Border

From Breibart:

Breitbart Texas exclusively obtained leaked information on the Iraqi man who was apprehended while illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border into Texas on February 12, 2015. The Border Patrol agent responsible for interviewing the subject initially expressed concerns that the Iraqi was sent by Russia, largely due to the Iraqi man’s history as a military trainer, his speaking several languages, including Russian, and his having lived in Crimea, according to one of the leaked documents. Breitbart Texas was provided with two documents by a federal agent who works under the umbrella of Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The agent insisted on remaining anonymous.

 

, , , , , , ,

No Comments

The Middle Eastern Balance of Power Matures

The Middle Eastern Balance of Power Matures is republished with permission of Stratfor.”

By George Friedman

Last week, a coalition of predominantly Sunni Arab countries, primarily from the Arabian Peninsula and organized by Saudi Arabia, launched airstrikes in Yemen that have continued into this week. The airstrikes target Yemeni al-Houthis, a Shiite sect supported by Iran, and their Sunni partners, which include the majority of military forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. What made the strikes particularly interesting was what was lacking: U.S. aircraft. Although the United States provided intelligence and other support, it was a coalition of Arab states that launched the extended air campaign against the al-Houthis.

Three things make this important. First, it shows the United States’ new regional strategy in operation. Washington is moving away from the strategy it has followed since the early 2000s — of being the prime military force in regional conflicts — and is shifting the primary burden of fighting to regional powers while playing a secondary role. Second, after years of buying advanced weaponry, the Saudis and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries are capable of carrying out a fairly sophisticated campaign, at least in Yemen. The campaign began by suppressing enemy air defenses — the al-Houthis had acquired surface-to-air missiles from the Yemeni military — and moved on to attacking al-Houthi command-and-control systems. This means that while the regional powers have long been happy to shift the burden of combat to the United States, they are also able to assume the burden if the United States refuses to engage. Read the rest of this entry »

, , , , , , , , , ,

No Comments

South African Mercenaries Enlisted To Fight Boko Haram

From Financial Times:

, , , , , ,

No Comments

Tell This Guy “No One Wants To Take Your Guns”

Brian Aitken was arrested, is now a felon and hasn’t seen his son in 5 years.

, ,

No Comments

Ignorant Congressman Doesn’t Understand Guns, Bullets or the Purpose of the Second Amendment

From The Journal News:

The only people who should have access to these bullets are law enforcement and the military. There is no conceivable reason for anybody else to need access to a handgun round that can pierce body armor. It is our responsibility to do whatever we can to keep law enforcement safe – to protect them while they protect us. And when the gun industry fights to keep ammunition like this on the street, we must stand up.

Hunters and law-abiding gun owners have no need for a compact, semi-automatic firearm with ammunition that punches through body armor. Deer don’t wear Kevlar. Yet over and over again, we hear the gun industry lobby arguing to ensure that civilians have access to cop-killing bullets.

Why do police need armor piercing bullets? How many crimes have been committed by people wearing body armor? Every .30 caliber rifle round can pierce soft body armor. If you are truly against “armor piercing ammo” then you should want all rifle ammunition banned. Hunting is a false argument, the second amendment never mentions hunting. At the time of the War of Independence the citizens of the colonies were just as well armed as the Redcoats. There were even towns that had their own armories stocked with cannons.

, , , , , , , , , ,

No Comments

Russia Fortifying Arctic Border

From Business Insider:

In order to capitalize on a changing Arctic, Russia is undertaking a major military upgrade of its northern coast and outlying Arctic archipelagos. These bases — which include search-and-rescue stations, military ports and airstrips, and military headquarters — are positioning Russia to become the dominant power in the region.

The Northern Fleet itself is due for a massive upgrade starting in 2015 that will last through the rest of the decade. The fleet has been upgraded to a unit called the Russian Joint Strategic Command North (JSCN), which, according to the Polish Institute of International Affairs, won’t be an ordinary naval force.

, , , , , ,

No Comments

Al-Shabaab Attacks Somali Hotel

From CNN:

The attack began around 5 p.m. when a car bomb exploded at the hotel’s entrance, according to witness Aden Hussein, who said he was meters away from the hotel when the blast happened.

Gunmen then went inside the hotel, shooting people, Hussein said.

One of the attackers, wearing a belt with explosives, blew himself up inside the hotel, police Capt. Ahmed Abdi said

A few hours after the assault began, state-run media reported that security forces stormed the building and killed the remaining assailants.

 

, , , ,

No Comments

Surveillance State Repeal Act Introduced In House

From FreedomWorks:

That’s why it’s so refreshing to see a bill like the Surveillance State Repeal Act. It’s bold and effective. Specifically, here is what the bill would do:

  1. Repeals the Patriot Act (which contains the provision that allows for the bulk collection of metadata from U.S. citizens).
  2. Repeals the FISA Amendments Act (which contains provisions allowing for the government to monitor emails).
  3. It would extend judges’ terms on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and technical and legal experts to advise on technical issues raised during proceedings.
  4. Mandate that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) regularly monitor such domestic surveillance programs for compliance with the law and issue an annual report.
  5. Ban the federal government from mandating that the manufacturer of an electronic device must install spy software.
  6. Gives people a proper channel to report illegal activity in their department.
  7. Says that no information related to a U.S. person may be acquired without a valid warrant based on probable cause—including under Executive Order 12333.
  8. Retains tools that are useful to law enforcement such as not requiring a new warrant if the suspect switches devices in an attempt to break surveillance.
  9. Protects intelligence collection practices involving foreign targets for the purpose of investigating weapons of mass destruction.

, , , , , , , , ,

No Comments

$500 Million in Equipment Lost By Pentagon in Yemen

From The Washington Post:

The Pentagon is unable to account for more than $500 million in U.S. military aid given to Yemen, amid fears that the weaponry, aircraft and equipment is at risk of being seized by Iranian-backed rebels or al-Qaeda, according to U.S. officials.

With Yemen in turmoil and its government splintering, the Defense Department has lost its ability to monitor the whereabouts of small arms, ammunition, night-vision goggles, patrol boats, vehicles and other supplies donated by the United States. The situation has grown worse since the United States closed its embassy in Sanaa, the capital, last month and withdrew many of its military advisers.

 

, , ,

No Comments

Russia Targets NATO With Military Exercises

Russia Targets NATO With Military Exercises is republished with permission of Stratfor.”

Summary

Russian military exercises, the latest in a series across the country, have taken on a threatening posture. While the most recent installment is not the largest exercise Russia has conducted, the areas involved and the forces included seem to have been deliberately chosen to send a warning to NATO; the exercise itself seems to simulate a full-scale confrontation with NATO through the forward deployment of nuclear armed submarines, theater ballistic missiles and strategic bomber aircraft. Strategic weapon systems, including assets that are part of Russia’s nuclear capabilities, have also been deployed to locations near NATO’s borders. Read the rest of this entry »

, , , , ,

No Comments

Gunsmith Keeps Kurds in the Fight Against ISIS

From War is Boring:

His shop isn’t much more than a basement under Erbil’s central bazaar. Its only fittings are a work bench, a chair and some tools. Shotguns and air rifles line the walls. He even owns some ancient-looking muskets.

Before Islamic State swept into Iraq, Bakhtiar’s business mostly focused on repairing hunting weapons. He had run the family business since 1987, when he took over from his father during the reign of Saddam Hussein.

 

, , , , , , ,

No Comments

How To Prevent The Government From Spying On Your Cellphone

From Democracy Now:

, , , , , , , , , ,

No Comments

Silent Circle Raises $50 Million

From ArsTechnica:

Terms of the buyout deal with Spanish smartphone maker Geeksphone, the phone’s hardware manufacturer, were not disclosed. Silent Circle said Thursday that it has raised $50 million and plans on showing off an encrypted “enterprise privacy ecosystem” at World Mobile Congress next week. A BlackPhone tablet is on the way, too.

“Silent Circle has brought tremendous disruption to the mobile industry and created an integrated suite of secure enterprise communication products that are challenging the status quo,” Mike Janke, cofounder and chairman of the Silent Circle board, said in a statement. “This first stage of growth has enabled us to raise approximately $50M to accelerate our continued rapid expansion and fuel our second stage of growth.”

 Silent Circle’s Enterprise Platform

, , , , , ,

No Comments

The Ramifications of the Swap For Bowe Bergdahl

From The Daily Caller:

Carl Mueller told NBC in an interview that aired Monday that he and his wife thought they could win his daughter’s freedom with a $6.2 million ransom payment, although he acknowledged the Arizona family faced a daunting task in raising that much money. But when the White House agreed last year to trade Bergdahl, who had been held for five years by the Taliban and Haqqani network, the family believes the price for their daughter went up.

“That made the whole situation worse,” Kayla Mueller’s brother, Eric, told the network. “Because that’s when the demands got greater. They got larger. They realized that they had something. They realized that, ‘Well, if they’re gonna let five people go for one person, why won’t they do this? Or why won’t they do that?’”

 

, , , , , ,

No Comments

Again: DHS Warns of “Right-wing” Terrorism

From CNN:

A new intelligence assessment, circulated by the Department of Homeland Security this month and reviewed by CNN, focuses on the domestic terror threat from right-wing sovereign citizen extremists and comes as the Obama administration holds a White House conference to focus efforts to fight violent extremism.

This administration continues to hope for an attack by “right-winger” and “individualists” while ignoring Muslim extremists who say exactly what they are going to do. It’s good to know our government has their priorities straight.

, , ,

No Comments