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Posts Tagged terrorism
Taliban Hotel Attack: Low Death Toll, High Psychological Value
Posted by Brian in News, Threat Watch on 7/Jul/2011 13:54
Taliban Hotel Attack: Low Death Toll, High Psychological Value is republished with permission of STRATFOR.
By Scott Stewart
At about 10 p.m. on June 28, a group of heavily armed militants attacked the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan. According to government and media reports, the attack team consisted of eight or nine militants who were reportedly wearing suicide vests in addition to carrying other weapons. At least three of the attackers detonated their vests during the drawn-out fight. Afghan security forces, assisted by International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), needed some eight hours to clear the hotel of attackers. One group of militants even worked their way up to the roof of the hotel, where they fired several rocket-propelled grenades.
The attack resulted in the deaths of 12 people, as well as all the militants. The Taliban had a different take on the attack, posting a series of statements on their website claiming responsibility and saying the assault was conducted by eight operatives who killed 90 people and that the real news of their success was being suppressed. (Initially, the Taliban claimed to have killed 200 in the attack but reduced the toll to 90 in later statements.)
NATO and ISAF spokesmen have noted their belief that, due to the location and use of suicide bombers in the attack, the Haqqani network was involved in the operation. On the evening of June 29, a NATO airstrike killed Ismail Jan, a senior Haqqani leader in Afghanistan who NATO claims was involved in planning the hotel attack. Read the rest of this entry »
The Seattle Plot: Jihadists Shifting Away From Civilian Targets?
Posted by Brian in News, Threat Watch on 30/Jun/2011 15:53
The Seattle Plot: Jihadists Shifting Away From Civilian Targets? is republished with permission of STRATFOR.
By Scott Stewart
On June 22 in a Seattle warehouse, Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif pulled an unloaded M16 rifle to his shoulder, aimed it, and pulled the trigger repeatedly as he imagined himself gunning down young U.S. military recruits. His longtime friend Walli Mujahidh did likewise with an identical rifle, assuming a kneeling position as he engaged his notional targets. The two men had come to the warehouse with another man to inspect the firearms the latter had purchased with money Abdul-Latif had provided him. The rifles and a small number of hand grenades were to be used in an upcoming mission: an attack on a U.S. Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) in an industrial area south of downtown Seattle.
After confirming that the rifles were capable of automatic fire and discussing the capacity of the magazines they had purchased, the men placed the rifles back into a storage bag intending to transport them to a temporary cache location. As they prepared to leave the warehouse, they were suddenly swarmed by a large number of FBI agents and other law enforcement officers and quickly arrested. Their plan to conduct a terrorist attack inside the United States had been discovered when the man they had invited to join their plot (the man who had allegedly purchased the weapons for them) reported the plot to the Seattle Police Department, which in turn reported it to the FBI. According to the federal criminal complaint filed in the case, the third unidentified man had an extensive criminal record and had known Abdul-Latif for several years, but he had not been willing to undertake such a terrorist attack. Read the rest of this entry »
Senior Leader of Al Qaeda Group Captured in Afghanistan — Dressed as Woman
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News, Threat Watch on 29/Jun/2011 01:34
KABUL, Afghanistan — A senior leader of an Al Qaeda-linked terror group has been captured in northern Afghanistan dressed up like a woman — the latest in a recent series of cases involving male militants disguised as females, the U.S.-led military coalition said Tuesday.
A joint Afghan and coalition force apprehended a senior figure from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and two of his associates during a nighttime operation Monday in Kunduz city, NATO said.
It said the militant, who also supported the Taliban network, had planned attacks against the Afghan National Police, as well as various suicide bombings and assaults against other Afghan security forces.
The coalition said there also have been a handful of recent reports of female combatants in burqas.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/06/28/senior-leader-al-qaeda-group-captured-while-dressed-as-woman/#ixzz1Qe02i2ys
Death Toll in Afghan Hotel Raid Rises to 10
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News, Threat Watch on 29/Jun/2011 01:27
Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan.
“Suicide attackers stormed a popular Western-style hotel in Afghanistan on Tuesday, setting off explosions and exchanging gunfire with Afghan authorities for hours until NATO helicopters took out three of the remaining gunmen.
Guests at the Inter-Continental hotel in Kabul hid in their rooms during the attack, which killed 10 Afghan civilians — mostly hotel workers — and wounded 8, according to Afghan officials. The six suicide bombers and four gunmen involved in the raid were killed.”
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/06/29/death-toll-in-brazen-afghan-hotel-raid-rises-to-10/
Alleged Plot Against U.S. Military Base In Seattle Is Eighth in Two Years
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News, Threat Watch on 24/Jun/2011 21:58
“In the latest planned assault on a U.S. military installation – at least the eighth such conspiracy in the past two years — two Islamic converts have been arrested for allegedly plotting a Fort Hood-style attack on a Seattle center for new military recruits.
According to the FBI, Abdul-Latif and accused coconspirator Walli Mujahidh, formerly Frederick Domingue, sought to determine “how they could kill the most military personnel and escape or die as martyrs” during a planned July 5 assault on the Military Entrance Processing Station.
The men discussed using “fragmentation grenades” in the facility’s cafeteria as a way of maximizing casualties, say authorities, and were arrested after they allegedly purchased automatic weapons from an informant for the planned attack.
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/feds-seattle-terror-plotter-sought-kill-us-soldiers/story?id=13917700
U.S. Intensifying Secret Campaign of Yemen Airstrikes
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News, Threat Watch on 9/Jun/2011 20:31
WASHINGTON — “The Obama administration has intensified the American covert war in Yemen, exploiting a growing power vacuum in the country to strike at militant suspects with armed drones and fighter jets, according to American officials.
The acceleration of the American campaign in recent weeks comes amid a violent conflict in Yemen that has left the government in Sana, a United States ally, struggling to cling to power.
Yemeni troops that had been battling militants linked to Al Qaeda in the south have been pulled back to the capital, and American officials see the strikes as one of the few options to keep the militants from consolidating power.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/09/world/middleeast/09intel.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
As U.S. pullout nears, Taliban attacks undermine confidence
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News, Threat Watch on 9/Jun/2011 20:14
By HASHIM SHUKOOR
McClatchy Newspapers
KABUL, Afghanistan — A 6-week-old Taliban offensive that has struck some of the most peaceful parts of Afghanistan and killed police commanders and senior officials is undermining confidence in the Afghan army and police just as the Obama administration considers how quickly it should begin drawing down U.S. forces here.
The campaign, whose targets have included high-level meetings of government officials and supposedly secure facilities in Kabul, including the Defense Ministry, has left many Afghans uncertain of the competency of the security forces and their loyalty.
Particularly unsettling for many was the attack April 18 in which a Taliban sympathizer wearing a military uniform entered the heavily defended Defense Ministry building and opened fire.”
“A suicide attacker getting into the Defense Ministry shows the government’s weakness,” said Abdul Samad, a 25-year-old mechanic, when he was asked about his sense of Afghanistan’s security situation. Such an attack “makes people lose trust in the security forces.”
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/09/2259271/as-us-pullout-nears-taliban-bombs.html#ixzz1Opb045Do
Soldier who died in afghanistan left notes behind for his daughter
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News, Warriors on 1/Jun/2011 04:20
Army 1st Lt. Todd W. Weaver Died September 9, 2010 serving during Operation Enduring Freedom 26, of Hampton, Va.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky; died Sept. 9 at COP Stout, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
“Dear Emma: Well if you are reading this, I guess I did not make it home and therefore, I was not able to remind you again of how much I love you. I love you so much baby and I will always love you. Although I may not be here right now, take comfort in the fact that I am watching over you right now. I am not gone and I will always be with you in spirit. I know this time must be hard for you but I also know how strong you are. Never forget that God knew what was best for us before we were even born. Take comfort in that. This happened for a reason. Although you may not believe it now, you will one day.
I want you to know just how important you are to me. I could not ask for a more caring, beautiful and loving wife. The memories that we have shared over the last few years have been the best of my life. Although it may seem like my life was cut short, I lived a life that most can only dream of. I married the perfect woman. I have a beautiful daughter that amazed me every day. I even had two great dogs – at least most of the time. I couldn’t ask for anything more.
If you feel sad, just think back to the memories that we shared. Look at our daughter and how beautiful she is. Be strong for her. Remind her about her Daddy and tell her that I loved her more than anything else in the world. Her birth was the best day of my life and she was the best thing that ever happened to me. Her smile and laughter represent all that is good and beautiful in this world. Tell her that Daddy is in heaven now and will watch over her and protect her every minute of every day.
I love you Emma. But never be afraid to do what you need to do to be happy. It is so important that you continue to find happiness in your life. Although you may think this is impossible right now, have faith. Much better times are coming. You and Kiley have a wonderful life ahead of you and I am so happy to have shared some of it with you. I love you.
Your loving Husband, Todd”
Todd’s wife’s blog:
http://emmaweaverbabyonboard.blogspot.com/2011/03/struggle-and-peace.html
Allen West: Define the Enemy: What it takes to win in Afghanistan
Posted by Jack Sinclair in News, Threat Watch, Warriors on 6/May/2011 00:07
“Is your operation enemy oriented or is your operation terrain oriented?”
“The first thing we fail to understand is that Afghanistan is not a war in and of itself. Neither was Iraq a war in and of itself.
We have a war against an Islamic, totalitarian enemy which is political, which is informational it is military and it is also economic.”
-Lt. Col. Allen West
Lt. Col. Allen West (US Army, Ret.) speaks to the Center for Security Policy’s National Security Group on Capital Hill. Col. West was a senior advisor, Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan, U.S. Central Command.
Military Working Dogs
Posted by Brian in News, Warrior Tools, Warriors on 5/May/2011 22:04
ForeignPolicy.com has a weekly column on working dogs in the military written by Rebecca Frankel. This is a nice photo essay she did on war dogs. It is being reported that a dog was with the team that disposed of Osama bin Laden.
Bin Laden’s Death and the Implications for Jihadism
Posted by Brian in Opinion, Threat Watch on 3/May/2011 12:59
Bin Laden’s Death and the Implications for Jihadism is republished with permission of STRATFOR.
By Scott Stewart
U.S. President Barack Obama appeared in a hastily arranged televised address the night of May 1, 2011, to inform the world that U.S. counterterrorism forces had located and killed Osama bin Laden. The operation, which reportedly happened in the early hours of May 2 local time, targeted a compound in Abbottabad, a city located some 31 miles north of Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital. The nighttime raid resulted in a brief firefight that left bin Laden and several others dead. A U.S. helicopter reportedly was damaged in the raid and later destroyed by U.S. forces. Obama reported that no U.S. personnel were lost in the operation. After a brief search of the compound, the U.S. forces left with bin Laden’s body and presumably anything else that appeared to have intelligence value. From Obama’s carefully scripted speech, it would appear that the U.S. conducted the operation unilaterally with no Pakistani assistance — or even knowledge.
As evidenced by the spontaneous celebrations that erupted in Washington, New York and across the United States, the killing of bin Laden has struck a chord with many Americans. This was true not only of those who lost family members as a result of the attack, but of those who were vicariously terrorized and still vividly recall the deep sense of fear they felt the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, as they watched aircraft strike the World Trade Center Towers and saw those towers collapse on live television, and then heard reports of the Pentagon being struck by a third aircraft and of a fourth aircraft prevented from being used in another attack when it crashed in rural Pennsylvania. As that fear turned to anger, a deep-seated thirst for vengeance led the United States to invade Afghanistan in October 2001 and to declare a “global war on terrorism.â€
Because of this sense of fulfilled vengeance, the death of bin Laden will certainly be one of those events that people will remember, like the 9/11 attacks themselves. In spite of the sense of justice and closure the killing of bin Laden brings, however, his death will likely have very little practical impact on the jihadist movement. More important will be the reaction of the Pakistani government to the operation and the impact it has on U.S.-Pakistani relations. Read the rest of this entry »
Death of bin Laden – details pouring in
Posted by Gary in News, Threat Watch, Warriors on 3/May/2011 08:07
The Secret Team that Killed bin Laden
(Yahoo)
By Marc Ambinder National Journal
From Ghazi Air Base in Pakistan, the modified MH-60 helicopters made their way to the garrison suburb of Abbottabad, about 30 miles from the center of Islamabad. Aboard were Navy SEALs, flown across the border from Afghanistan, along with tactical signals, intelligence collectors, and navigators using highly classified hyperspectral imagers.
Behind The Hunt For Bin Laden
(New York Times)
Mark Mazzetti, Helene Cooper and Peter Baker
For years, the agonizing search for Osama bin Laden kept coming up empty. Then last July, Pakistanis working for the Central Intelligence Agency drove up behind a white Suzuki navigating the bustling streets near Peshawar, Pakistan, and wrote down the car’s license plate. The man in the car was Bin Laden’s most trusted courier, and over the next month C.I.A. operatives would track him throughout central Pakistan.
U.S. Rolled Dice In Bin Laden Raid
(Wall Street Journal)
Siobhan Gorman and Adam Entous
As two Black Hawk helicopters packed with American special forces skimmed their way across a moonless sky toward Osama bin Laden’s lair, the mission’s planners still weren’t even sure their target lived there.
The World is Safer
(Washington Post)
Scott Wilson and Anne E. Kornblut
The Obama administration presented new details Monday about the death of Osama bin Laden, portraying the spiritual leader of al-Qaeda as a reclusive figure who had lived in relative luxury and whose final moments had finally exposed his cowardice.
Bin Laden discovered ‘hiding in plain sight’
(Washington Post)
Greg Miller and Joby Warrick
Half an hour had passed on the ground, but the American commandos raiding Osama bin Laden’s Pakistani hideaway had yet to find their long-sought target. Two of bin Laden’s protectors were already dead, shot by the Navy SEALs carrying out the raid, and one of the U.S. helicopters sat crippled in the courtyard.
Washington Examiner EXTRA: Latest news on Osama bin Laden’s death
Posted by Gary in News, Threat Watch on 2/May/2011 15:03
From: The Washington Examiner
Washington Examiner EXTRA: Latest news on Osama bin Laden’s death
We’ve collected all of our coverage here. We’ll continue to update this post throughout the day.
Examiner Editorial – Bin Laden could run but he couldn’t hide from the U.S.
A decade ago in the terrible aftermath of one of America’s darkest days, President George W. Bush vowed that “I don’t know if it will be tomorrow, or next month, or next year, but we will get him.” Five years later, tough interrogation by the CIA of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and another Osama bin Laden henchman turned up the nickname of an especially trusted courier of the al Qaeda leader. Read More
Nate Beeler’s Cartoon – The End of Osama bin Laden
Check out more of Nate Beeler’s cartoons here.
News from the Examiner’s staff writers:
Emily Babay and Brian Hughes – Crowds rejoice at White House after news of bin Laden’s death
Flag-waving Washingtonians flocked to the White House after learning of Osama bin Laden’s death, cheering and chanting “USA, USA,” into the early morning hours Sunday night and all afternoon Monday. Read More
Susan Ferrechio – Lawmakers credit Obama, Bush for killing bin Laden
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill put aside their partisanship at least temporarily Monday and praised President Obama for the mission resulting in the death of Osama bin Laden. Read More
Transcript Of President’s Speech – Osama bin Laden Killed
Posted by Gary in News, Threat Watch, Warriors on 2/May/2011 14:51
President of the United States:
“Good evening. Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.It was nearly 10 years ago that a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack on the American people in our history. The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory — hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky; the Twin Towers collapsing to the ground; black smoke billowing up from the Pentagon; the wreckage of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the actions of heroic citizens saved even more heartbreak and destruction.
And yet we know that the worst images are those that were unseen to the world. The empty seat at the dinner table. Children who were forced to grow up without their mother or their father. Parents who would never know the feeling of their child’s embrace. Nearly 3,000 citizens taken from us, leaving a gaping hole in our hearts. Read the rest of this entry »
Islamist Militancy in a Pre- and Post-Saleh Yemen
Posted by Brian in News, Threat Watch on 21/Apr/2011 12:35
Islamist Militancy in a Pre- and Post-Saleh Yemen is republished with permission of STRATFOR.
By Reva Bhalla
Nearly three months have passed since the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, first saw mass demonstrations against Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, but an exit from the current stalemate is still nowhere in sight. Saleh retains enough support to continue dictating the terms of his eventual political departure to an emboldened yet frustrated opposition. At the same time, the writ of his authority beyond the capital is dwindling, which is increasing the level of chaos and allowing various rebel groups to collect arms, recruit fighters and operate under dangerously few constraints.
The prospect of Saleh’s political struggle providing a boon to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is understandably producing anxiety in Washington, where U.S. officials have spent the past few months trying to envision what a post-Saleh Yemen would mean for U.S. counterterrorism efforts in the Arabian Peninsula.
While fending off opponents at home, Saleh and his followers have been relying on the “me or chaos†tactic abroad to hang onto power. Loyalists argue that the dismantling of the Saleh regime would fundamentally derail years of U.S. investment designed to elicit meaningful Yemeni cooperation against AQAP or, worse, result in a civil war that will provide AQAP with freedom to hone its skills. Emboldened by the recent unrest, a jihadist group called the Abyan-Aden Islamic Army launched a major raid on a weapons depot in Jaar in late March, leading a number of media outlets to speculate that the toppling of the Saleh regime would play directly into the hands of Yemen’s jihadists.
Meanwhile, the opposition has countered that the Yemeni jihadist threat is a perception engineered by Saleh to convince the West of the dangers of abandoning support for his regime. Opposition figures argue that Saleh’s policies are what led to the rise of AQAP in the first place and that the fall of his regime would provide the United States with a clean slate to address its counterterrorism concerns with new, non-Saleh-affiliated political allies. The reality is likely somewhere in between. Read the rest of this entry »