Al Qaeda's Osama bin Laden ...Killed By 20-25 U.S. Navy SEALs

There is going to be an overload of information today and this upcoming week about just how America followed through and killed al Qaeda's leader, Osama bin Laden but this story from The Long War Journal has most of the highlights of the operation.

I cannot be more proud of this team of 20-25 Navy SEALS who mobilized in by helicopter in the wee hours of May 1st:

According to CNN, "senior US officials" have stated that the operation was conducted by US Navy SEALs inserted by multiple helicopters, one of which crashed due to mechanical failure. The Associated Press reported that four US helicopters took off from an airbase in northwestern Pakistan, and one took fire during the operation. That helicopter was later destroyed by US troops. ABC News reported that an estimated 20 to 25 SEALs backed by CIA personnel carried out the raid on the $1 million compound.

In addition to bin Laden, four other people, including one of bin Laden's sons and two couriers, were also reported killed in the firefight. A woman was also killed during the raid.

Foreign governments, including Pakistan, where the raid took place, were sidelined, according to The Washington Post. A US intelligence official with knowledge of the raid told The Long War Journal that Pakistan, specifically its Inter-Services Intelligence agency, "could not be trusted" with operational details of the raid.

Thank goodness the U.S. excluded everyone else in this operation - the Pakistanis are notorious for blowing operations like this and then later throwing their hands up and saying "he got away!" What I found interesting is the intelligence that led to us finding bin Laden and how long he has been under surveillance:

The US zeroed in on bin Laden's location after receiving intelligence in August 2010 that he was "hiding in a compound deep inside Pakistan," Obama said. US intelligence was "staring at the compound for months trying to figure out for sure whether we had enough to go with," a US Intelligence official told The Washington Post.

A key link to bin Laden was a courier who was a protege of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of al Qaeda's attacks on the US on Sept. 11, 2001. The courier, who was not named, was identified four years ago and tracked back to Pakistan two years ago, according to The Washington Post.

Abbottabad is far from Pakistan's tribal areas, where most analysts have speculated he was hiding. Abbottabad, a settled district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, is located 30 miles north of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, and about 125 miles east of the Afghan border. The city of Abbottabad, where bin Laden was killed, has more than 100,000 residents and hots a Pakistani Army division headquarters and a military academy, a hospital, and an airport.

Over the years, one of my frustrations with finding bin Laden has been the use of couriers - I have always said that, during the heyday of countless videos coming from al Qaeda, that our number one best lead would be the couriers used to bring in the communications from bin Laden and al Zawahiri. Well, it sounds like one of these couriers was what ended up being the achilles heel of al Qaeda #1.

This operation by U.S. Navy SEALs is further testament to the sheer perfection of execution (pardon the pun) by our special forces. From all accounts, bin Laden had no idea what was upon him. For 25 SEALs to get into that larger city, get to that specific compound and get bin Laden and get out with his body in that short of order is simply astounding.

I thank this SEAL team from the bottom of my heart. Today is a very, very good day.

Al Qaeda emir Osama bin Laden confirmed killed by US forces in Pakistan


US officials have confirmed that Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda's top leader, was killed during an early morning raid by US forces in Pakistan today.

President Barack Obama said Osama bin Laden was killed by "a small team of Americans" during a raid on a fortified mansion in Abbottabad, Pakistan. "After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body," Obama said. Bin Laden's body is currently in Afghanistan. No US personnel were killed during the operation.

According to CNN, "senior US officials" have stated that the operation was conducted by US Navy SEALs inserted by multiple helicopters, one of which crashed due to mechanical failure. The Associated Press reported that four US helicopters took off from an airbase in northwestern Pakistan, and one took fire during the operation. That helicopter was later destroyed by US troops. ABC News reported that an estimated 20 to 25 SEALs backed by CIA personnel carried out the raid on the $1 million compound.

In addition to bin Laden, four other people, including one of bin Laden's sons and two couriers, were also reported killed in the firefight. A woman was also killed during the raid.

Foreign governments, including Pakistan, where the raid took place, were sidelined, according to The Washington Post. A US intelligence official with knowledge of the raid told The Long War Journal that Pakistan, specifically its Inter-Services Intelligence agency, "could not be trusted" with operational details of the raid.

The US zeroed in on bin Laden's location after receiving intelligence in August 2010 that he was "hiding in a compound deep inside Pakistan," Obama said. US intelligence was "staring at the compound for months trying to figure out for sure whether we had enough to go with," a US Intelligence official told The Washington Post.

A key link to bin Laden was a courier who was a protege of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of al Qaeda's attacks on the US on Sept. 11, 2001. The courier, who was not named, was identified four years ago and tracked back to Pakistan two years ago, according to The Washington Post.

Abbottabad is far from Pakistan's tribal areas, where most analysts have speculated he was hiding. Abbottabad, a settled district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, is located 30 miles north of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, and about 125 miles east of the Afghan border. The city of Abbottabad, where bin Laden was killed, has more than 100,000 residents and hots a Pakistani Army division headquarters and a military academy, a hospital, and an airport.

Bin Laden's death is a major blow to al Qaeda. In addition to serving as the terror group's spiritual leader, he played an active role in al Qaeda's operations as well as in its fundraising. Bin Laden was revered not only by al Qaeda's core cadre, but by jihadist groups worldwide.

It is unclear who will take over control of al Qaeda. Ayman al Zawahiri, bin Laden's deputy, has been the public face of al Qaeda for the past several years. Osama's son Sa'ad is also considered to be a possible successor as the emir of al Qaeda; however, it is not yet known if he was killed along with his father in the raid on the compound.

After Osama Bin Laden, Who Is Next?

Osama bin Laden, center, with his second in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, left, and Mohammed Atef in an undated photo.

Osama Bin Laden Killed: Remaining Al-Qaeda Leaders -- The Telegraph

Now that Osama bin Laden has been killed, al-Qaeda will need a new head. Here are some of the contenders:

AYMAN AL-ZAWAHIRI Ayman al-Zawahiri, a 59-year-old Egyptian, was named by the US in April 2009 as al-Qaeda's chief commander, its operational and strategic leader, with Osama Bin Laden stepping back to be the organisation's ideological figurehead.

Al-Zawahiri is reportedly a qualified surgeon and the grandson of the imam of one of Egypt's most important mosques. But he has devoted his life to Islamic theology, history, and jihad. Osama Bin Laden's chosen biographer has referred to him as the "real brains" of al-Qaeda.

He is thought to be hiding along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

Read more ....

My Comment: The focus will now shift to Ayman al-Zawahiri. The bounty on his head is the same as Osama Bin laden's, and after Osama Bin laden he is the most identified with the movement. With the consensus being that he is hiding in Pakistan, I can only expect that the search to find and kill him will only intensify.

Al Qaeda Terror Plot in Germany Linked To Training In Waziristan Area of Pakistan

Once again we see the importance of al Qaeda training camps in Pakistan in the world wide onslaught of islamic terror camps as it has now come out that the main member of the al Qaeda cell plotting the terror attack in Germany trained in the Waziristan area of NW Pakistan.

From the report at The Long War Journal:

The suspected ringleader, a 29-year-old college drop-out identified as Abdeladim El-K., was charged with planning a terror attack in Germany and being a member of a foreign terror organization. The other two suspects are still being questioned.

Griesbaum said the 29-year-old Moroccan had attended an al Qaeda terror camp in the Waziristan region of Pakistan near the Afghan border in 2010. He returned to Germany in May 2010 and was attempting to build a terror network here with an estimated seven to eight members.

"But it could also be more than that," said Joerg Ziercke, president of the Federal Crime Office (BKA), at the news conference at the federal prosecutor's office in Karlsruhe. "We'll learn more with our investigation."

The suspects had cheered Thursday's bombing in Marrakesh where 15 were killed, Griesbaum said.

NOT A SUICIDE BOMBING

The other suspects are a 31-year-old electrician identified as Jamil S., who holds dual German and Moroccan citizenship, and a 19-year-old with German and Iranian citizenship, Amid C., who was about to graduate from high school.

Okay, this article gives me a chance to address this whole aspect of al Qaeda training camps and their effect on world wide islamic terrorism. We see this German plot and like so many other al Qaeda plots, they follow one of the members' past dealings and they find that he was trained and the mission originally plotted in an al Qaeda training camp. For the past number of years those camps have been located in Pakistan ....why you ask? Well, because al Qaeda's preferred training camp home of Afghanistan is occupied by U.S. Marines and soldiers.

Let's not miss this very important point - al Qaeda doesn't want to have to hide their training camps in Pakistan - they are at risk from the Pakistani military, local issues with warring factions of the Taliban and local tribes and of course, some predator drone attacks from the U.S. At the same time Pakistan has such a dense population compared to the huge open spaces of Afghanistan.

So, when you discuss the fact that you want U.S. troops and NATO forces out of Afghanistan you best understand that this will come with a heavy price. In less than a year of our withdrawal, the Taliban will be back in power in Afghanistan. And with the Taliban back in power, you will have more al Qaeda training camps than you can shake a stick at and with al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan which offer complete protection, you end up with all of the masterminds of the islamic terrorist world settling in for the plotting of the major attacks like 9/11.

Are you sure you ready to pay this price?

Al Qaeda plot in Germany linked to Waziristan


Reuters has additional information on the three "al Qaeda" operatives arrested in Germany late last week:

The suspected ringleader, a 29-year-old college drop-out identified as Abdeladim El-K., was charged with planning a terror attack in Germany and being a member of a foreign terror organization. The other two suspects are still being questioned.

Griesbaum said the 29-year-old Moroccan had attended an al Qaeda terror camp in the Waziristan region of Pakistan near the Afghan border in 2010. He returned to Germany in May 2010 and was attempting to build a terror network here with an estimated seven to eight members.

"But it could also be more than that," said Joerg Ziercke, president of the Federal Crime Office (BKA), at the news conference at the federal prosecutor's office in Karlsruhe. "We'll learn more with our investigation."

The suspects had cheered Thursday's bombing in Marrakesh where 15 were killed, Griesbaum said.

NOT A SUICIDE BOMBING

The other suspects are a 31-year-old electrician identified as Jamil S., who holds dual German and Moroccan citizenship, and a 19-year-old with German and Iranian citizenship, Amid C., who was about to graduate from high school.

Jamil S. was tasked to arrange the financing of the attack and obtain identity papers for Abdeladim El-K. Amid C. was responsible for ensuring encrypted communication.

I put al Qaeda in quotes above because it would be interesting to know exactly which group (or groups) Abdeladim El-K, Jamil S., and Amid C. are members of. Given that they are Moroccans, could they be affiliated with the Moroccan Islamic Fighting Group or the Salafia Islamiyah? Or perhaps al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb? Or, since they are from Germany, is it possible they were members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan or its offshoot, the Islamic Jihad Union (both of these groups are very active in Germany)? Or are they just plain al Qaeda? How would al Qaeda classify these three?

Al Qaeda Suicide Bomber Hits Cafe' In Morocco Full of Infidels, 14 Are Dead

Islamic terror reared its ugly head again today in a major way when a cafe' in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh was the target of an al Qaeda suicide bomber - when the dust, blood and guts had settled, 14 people (11 of which were tourists) were dead and over 20 people were wounded. Make note of the fact that this cafe' was hit primarily due to the high traffic of western infidels that frequent it - this is a hallmark of al Qaeda.

From the article at Yahoo News:

A massive terrorist bombing tore through a tourist cafe in the bustling heart of Marrakech's old quarter Thursday, killing at least 11 foreigners and three Moroccans in the country's deadliest attack in eight years.

At least 23 people were wounded in the blast a few minutes before noon in Djemma el-Fna square, one of the top attractions in a country that depends heavily on tourism, Moroccan Interior Minister Taib Chergaoui said.

Government spokesman Khalid Naciri told the AP it was too soon to lay blame for what he called a terrorist attack but he noted that Morocco regularly dismantles cells linked to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and says it has disrupted several plots.

At least eight French citizens were being treated at Marrakech's main Tofail Hospital, along with one Canadian, a British citizen and three Moroccans, emergency room chief Hicham Nejmi said. Others were being treated at a military hospital and a handful in private clinics.

April marks the start of Morocco's tourist season, when visitors gather to watch snake charmers, storytellers, jugglers and local musicians, filling the cafes that ring the edges of the iconic square on the route to the city's major open-air souk, or market.

"There was a huge bang, and lots of smoke went up. There was debris raining down from the sky," honeymooner Andy Birnie, who lives in north London, told The Associated Press by telephone. "Hundreds of people were running in panic."

Let's face it...Morocco is ripe with radical islam...it's ripe with terrorists who usually offer their services outside of this terror appeasing country. Morocco is full of islamists who are waiting to go back and conquer Spain, for pete's sake. The only reason we are seeing a terror attack in Morocco today is because al Qaeda saw a chance to take out a bunch of infidels - a reminder to those of us in the West that we are not welcome in a muslim country.

So, 14 people will be buried in the next week. Some will have to be shipped thousands of miles back to their grieving families. Why? Because Islam must be the only "religion." Because Islam means submission. Submit or die. Those are the choices they give us. Or should it be...submit, die or fight back and win?

Terrorist attack hits cafe in Morocco, 14 dead


MARRAKECH, Morocco – A massive terrorist bombing tore through a tourist cafe in the bustling heart of Marrakech's old quarter Thursday, killing at least 11 foreigners and three Moroccans in the country's deadliest attack in eight years.

At least 23 people were wounded in the blast a few minutes before noon in Djemma el-Fna square, one of the top attractions in a country that depends heavily on tourism, Moroccan Interior Minister Taib Chergaoui said.

Government spokesman Khalid Naciri told the AP it was too soon to lay blame for what he called a terrorist attack but he noted that Morocco regularly dismantles cells linked to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and says it has disrupted several plots.

At least eight French citizens were being treated at Marrakech's main Tofail Hospital, along with one Canadian, a British citizen and three Moroccans, emergency room chief Hicham Nejmi said. Others were being treated at a military hospital and a handful in private clinics.

April marks the start of Morocco's tourist season, when visitors gather to watch snake charmers, storytellers, jugglers and local musicians, filling the cafes that ring the edges of the iconic square on the route to the city's major open-air souk, or market.

"There was a huge bang, and lots of smoke went up. There was debris raining down from the sky," honeymooner Andy Birnie, who lives in north London, told The Associated Press by telephone. "Hundreds of people were running in panic."

The explosion blew much of the facade off the two-story terracotta-colored Argana cafe, leaving awnings dangling. Panicked passersby dragged away bodies and tried to put out flames with fire extinguishers, witnesses told The Associated Press.

"I believe the injured were mostly tourists, judging by what they were wearing," Alexandre Carvalho, a 34-year-old call center worker from southern Portugal, told the AP by telephone.

At least two French nationals were among the casualties, although it was not immediately clear whether they were dead or wounded, judicial officials in the French capital said. President Nicolas Sarkozy confirmed that the victims included French citizens.

UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said the British ambassador was travelling to Marrakesh, although he gave no immediate confirmation of British casualties.

This former French colony has enjoyed relative stability and political plurality compared to some of its neighbors, but King Mohamed VI holds the final say in all policy, and the country's largest Islamist movement is banned from politics.

The king has pledged constitutional reforms in response to several largely peaceful protests over the past two months that were inspired by popular uprisings that pushed out autocrats in nearby Tunisia and Egypt.

Germany, which said none of its citizens had been hit, urged that the attack "must not lead to the reform process that has been initiated in Morocco being undermined."

Al-Qaida's affiliate in North Africa stages regular attacks and kidnappings in neighboring Algeria. Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb is holding four Frenchmen hostage after kidnapping them in Niger last year, and recently released new images and audio recordings of their voices.

Morocco, however, has been mostly peaceful since it was hit by five simultaneous terrorist bombings in Casablanca in 2003 that killed 33 people and a dozen bombers linked to the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group, a local militant group also been implicated in the deadly transit attacks in Madrid in March 2004.

In April 2007, two suicide bombers died in attacks by the U.S. consulate in Casablanca, the economic capital.

Moroccan authorities have rounded up thousands of purported terror suspects in recent years and while they "regularly discover terrorist cells ... nothing led us to foresee an act of this magnitude," Naciri said.

"Morocco has an international image of welcome, hospitality and tourism," he told the AP. "An act of this magnitude will leave its mark."

Al Qaeda's Leaders Watched 9/11 Unfold On TV In Afghanistan And Pakistan

WikiLeaks: Al Qaeda Watched Towers Burn -- CBS News

Latest WikiLeaks docs offer new insights into al Qaeda's leadership, though accounts come from unreliable Gitmo prisoners.

Each of us remembers where we were on September 11, 2001, but we never knew what the masterminds of al Qaeda's terrorist plot were doing that terrible day.

Now, we have an answer, as found in more than 700 documents from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, and just published by WikiLeaks.

As it turns out, while Americans watched in horror as the twin towers burned, al Qaeda's top leaders were watching, too. CBS News correspondent David Martin reports that Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the plot mastermind, was in Karachi, Pakistan, watching on television with Ramsi bin al Shib, the day-to-day coordinator of the operation.

"After the success of the attacks, the operatives prostrated themselves and gave thanks to Allah," one document says.

Read more ....

My Comment: Osama Bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri are still on the loose .... but one day they will be caught.

Wikileaks Discloses The Whereabouts Of Al Qaeda Leaders On 9/11

WikiLeaks Discloses New Details On Whereabouts Of al-Qaeda Leaders On 9/11 -- Washington Post

On Sept. 11, 2001, the core of al-Qaeda was concentrated in a single city: Karachi, Pakistan.

At a hospital, the accused mastermind of the bombing of the USS Cole was recovering from a tonsillectomy. Nearby, the alleged organizer of the 2002 bombing in Bali, Indonesia, was buying lab equipment for a biological weapons program. And in a safe house, the man who would later describe himself as the intellectual author of the Sept. 11 attacks was with other key al-Qaeda members watching the scenes from New York and Washington unfold on television.

Read more ....

My Comment: I find this to be a fascinating report, providing information that even I was unaware of .... and kudos to Wikileaks for releasing it even though US intelligence is probably annoyed with its disclosure.

Al Qaeda 'Thrives' After Dictators Fall

PHOTO: Al Qaeda's second in command, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, released a new video message. ABC News

FBI Counter-Terror Official: Al Qaeda 'Thrives' After Dictators Fall -- ABC News

Al Qaeda Releases New Web Video, Official Says Al Qaeda in Yemen More Dangerous Than Osama Bin Laden's 'Core' Group.

On the same day reports emerged of a new al Qaeda video that praised the revolutions sweeping the Arab world, one the U.S.'s top counter-terror officials warned the terror organization "thrives" in the political unrest that follows.

"The governments of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen have drastically changed in the last six months," FBI Assistant Director of Counter-Terrorism Mark Giuliano said Thursday. "They are now led by transitional or interim governments, military regimes, or democratic alliances with no established track record on counterterrorism efforts. Al Qaeda thrives in such conditions and countries of weak governance and political instability -- countries in which governments may be sympathetic to their campaign of violence."

Read more ....

My Comment: I can also make the counter argument that Al Qaeda thrives if dictators do not fall. But in regards to Yemen .... unfortunately .... Al Qaeda is going to be there (entrenched) for a very long time.

Al Qaeda's Top Commander In Kunar Province Killed By U.S. Airstrike

This was NOT a predator drone strike conducted by the U.S. in Kunar province in Afghanistan that killed Sa'ad bin Abi Waqas, the top al Qaeda commander in the province - this was a fixed wing bombing and I make mention of it because we rarely see it now being done by U.S. forces in Afghanistan. But this is awesome news - there were other al Qaeda commanders and operatives killed in the strike that happened on April 14th as well.

From the article at The Long War Journal:

The International Security Assistance Force has confirmed today that al Qaeda's commander in the contested northeastern province of Kunar was killed during an airstrike earlier this week.

Waqas, an al Qaeda commander from Pakistan, was killed along with an identified number of al Qaeda and Taliban commanders in an airstrike on April 14 in the Dangam district in Kunar.

ISAF has not provided the names and nationalities of the other al Qaeda operatives thought to have been killed in the airstrike, despite multiple inquires by The Long War Journal.

Waqas' full name is Sa'ad bin Abi Waqas. His fighters, who are members of the Sa'ad bin Abi Waqas Group, are featured in a video released in early 2010 that shows them inventorying equipment provided by donors. The fighters display radios, binoculars, backpacks, uniforms, and other gear donated to the group. Enough equipment was donated to outfit about a platoon of al Qaeda fighters (20-40 men).

Waqas "coordinated attacks against coalition forces," ISAF stated in a press release today announcing his death. "He was associated with another Pakistan-based senior al Qaeda leader and together they conducted training for members throughout the province, as well as weapons procurement."

Waqas took control of al Qaeda's operations in Kunar after the previous leader, Abu Ikhlas al Masri, was captured by ISAF and Afghan commandos in December 2010. [For more information, see LWJ report, ISAF captures al Qaeda's top Kunar commander.]

This is also further evidence that many reports of the "few" al Qaeda in Afghanistan are full of shit - this is in Kunar province which is up in the northeastern part of Afghanistan and is far from much of the most heated action in the country and yet we have significant numbers of al Qaeda even out there.

You'll see that Waqas wasn't exactly in his job very long at top of the food chain of al Qaeda in Kunar...only four months before he got snuffed out so I wonder how many al Qaeda are eager to fill his shoes. At the same time, I'm thrilled to see us actually put a fighter jet up in the air and drop some bombage on these sorry sacks.

Al Qaeda's commander for Kunar, several operatives killed in airstrike


The International Security Assistance Force has confirmed today that al Qaeda's commander in the contested northeastern province of Kunar was killed during an airstrike earlier this week.

Waqas, an al Qaeda commander from Pakistan, was killed along with an identified number of al Qaeda and Taliban commanders in an airstrike on April 14 in the Dangam district in Kunar.

ISAF has not provided the names and nationalities of the other al Qaeda operatives thought to have been killed in the airstrike, despite multiple inquires by The Long War Journal.

Waqas' full name is Sa'ad bin Abi Waqas. His fighters, who are members of the Sa'ad bin Abi Waqas Group, are featured in a video released in early 2010 that shows them inventorying equipment provided by donors. The fighters display radios, binoculars, backpacks, uniforms, and other gear donated to the group. Enough equipment was donated to outfit about a platoon of al Qaeda fighters (20-40 men).

Waqas "coordinated attacks against coalition forces," ISAF stated in a press release today announcing his death. "He was associated with another Pakistan-based senior al Qaeda leader and together they conducted training for members throughout the province, as well as weapons procurement."

Waqas took control of al Qaeda's operations in Kunar after the previous leader, Abu Ikhlas al Masri, was captured by ISAF and Afghan commandos in December 2010. [For more information, see LWJ report, ISAF captures al Qaeda's top Kunar commander.]

ISAF has also been actively hunting Waqas' commander, Qari Zia Rahman, since last summer. Rahman has been described as a "dual hatted al Qaeda and Taliban commander," and leads forces in Kunar and Nuristan provinces in Afghanistan, as well as across the border in Pakistan's tribal agencies of Bajaur and Mohmand.

Kunar province is a known sanctuary for al Qaeda and allied terror groups. The presence of al Qaeda cells has been detected in the districts of Pech, Shaikal Shate, Sarkani, Dangam, Asmar, Asadabad, Shigal, and Marawana; or eight of Kunar's 15 districts, according to an investigation by The Long War Journal.

Despite the known presence of al Qaeda camps in the provinces, US troops have abandoned several combat outposts in Kunar and the neighboring province of Nuristan after major attacks on remote bases. US Army commanders said that the outposts were closed or turned over to Afghan forces as part of a new counterinsurgency strategy to secure population centers.

But as the US military began drawing down its forces in Kunar and Nuristan in late 2009, it acknowledged that al Qaeda camps were in operation in Kunar. ISAF targeted three al Qaeda camps in Kunar between October 2009 and October 2010.

Osama Bin Laden Deputy Zawahiri Calls For The Overthrow Of Gadhafi

Photo: Al Qaeda?s second in command, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, released a new video message. ABC News

Al Qaeda Deputy Surfaces in Rare Online Video -- ABC News

Osama Bin Laden Deputy and Egyptian Native Ayman al-Zawahiri Praises Mubarak's Fall, Calls on Arab Armies to Intervene in Libya.

In a new, rare video message from al Qaeda's number two terrorist commander, Ayman al-Zawahiri calls on Arab armies to intervene in Libya to help eject dictator Moammar Gadhafi before "Western aid... turns into invasions."

The hour-plus long video posted online is the first since Egypt's successful revolution and features the Osama bin Laden deputy in a white robe with the barrel of an assault rifle visible at his side. In addition to discussing the bloody fighting in Libya, al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian native, celebrates the overthrow of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and says that the continuation of the North African nation depends on the destruction of Israel and the establishment of Islamic law.

Read more ....

My Comment: Al Qaeda has been very late to the dance with the spread of revolution in North Africa. As for this message from al-Zawahiri, I call this an attempt to recapture the spotlight .... but from my perspective this is a very late and pathetic attempt.

Wikileaks Reveals Worries About Al Qaeda's Growth And Influence In Yemen

State Cables Show Rising Concern About al-Qaeda In Yemen -- Washington Post

The warning from two influential French senators was stark, but it suggested there was still time to “save Yemen so that it does not become the next base for Al Qaeda.”

The warning from two influential French senators was stark, but it suggested there was still time to “save Yemen so that it does not become the next base for Al Qaeda.”

Diplomats in Qatar, Kuwait and Egypt used words such as “frightened” and said al-Qaeda was flourishing as Yemen faltered.

But the most dire assessments came from Saudi Arabia, where officials said Yemen would be a more hospitable environment for terrorists than even Afghanistan and was already so infested that it should be considered al-Qaeda’s “main home.”

Read more ....

More News On Al Qaeda In Yemen

US, France, Middle East concerned over Yemen becoming al-Qaeda base: Wikileaks -- Economic Times
WikiLeaks reveal fears about Yemen’s al Qaeda -- Hindustan Times
Unrest in Yemen Seen as Opening to Qaeda Branch -- New York Times
Al Qaeda expands presence in Yemen amid unstable government -- CNN
USA Today
Yemen: Al Qaeda Declares South province As “Islamic Emirate” -- Eurasia Review
Amid region's unrest, al-Qaeda makes inroads in Yemen -- USA Today
Libya: Arab revolts a boost for al-Qaeda says terrorist leader -- The Telegaph
Arab uprisings disrupt US counter-terror effort -- AFP

Seizing On Obama's Plan To Withdraw From Afghanistan, Has Al Qaeda Already Started Building NewTraining Camps?

People have asked me many times why I support the War in Afghanistan and why I am against the withdrawal of U.S. troops from there. Well, this story from The Telegraph pretty much sums it up.

Our mission initially in Afghanistan was very clear - it was NOT about nation-building, it wasn't about taking over the country of Afghanistan. It was and still is clear - it was to capture Osama bin Laden and take out the Taliban who had allowed bin Laden to operate in that country and plan the 9/11 terror attacks. It was determined by the U.S. and NATO and many other coalition countries that a Taliban-led Afghanistan would continue to foster al Qaeda and other terror groups and lead to more and more destruction across this world.

Well, along the way, America and the coalition fell prey to civilian and media pressures to fight this war like a bunch of schoolgirls playing hopscotch and instead of dealing a death knell to the Taliban in Afghanistan, this war has prolonged.

But back to my point of all of this - if we withdraw from Afghanistan then that means that the Taliban will be back in power in less than a year. It's as simple as that. And we will be back at square zero with hundreds of al Qaeda training camps across Afghanistan - and the next 9/11 will be plotted unheeded.

The article points out that al Qaeda is more than likely ALREADY building camps in certain areas that we have withdrawn from - are you going to try and tell me that won't multiply by ten when we are gone?

I understand the desires to leave Afghanistan and I especially agree with those that say if we aren't going to fight there to win, then get out...but I go back once again to the consequences...are you 100% comfortable with the Taliban back in power and al Qaeda flourishing there? Will you REALLY sleep at night confident that the next 9/11 won't be just around the corner?

Al-Qaeda 'setting up training centres in Afghanistan'


There are growing fears that despite the addition of 30,000 US troops last year, the terror organisation has exploited vacuums in Kunar and Nuristan created by the decision to pull US troops back to more populated areas in both Afghan provinces and concentrate firepower in the south.

With President Barack Obama determined to begin sending American soldiers home in July, some in the US military are concerned al-Qaeda is making a comeback, nearly a decade after it was driven into Pakistan's neighbouring tribal areas by the US invasion.

A Taliban commander told the Wall Street Journal that "in these bases fighters from around the world are training" to be "suicide bombers, guerrillas and experts" in improvised explosive devices.

The training centres are so far however considered too small and too temporary to act as launch pads for attacks on the West in the manner Osama bin Laden used them for preparing the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

But al-Qaeda activity in the country's northeast has picked up considerably in the past six to eight months, particularly in the Korengal Valley in Kunar, which US forces abandoned in the summer of 2009.

According to research by the Long War Journal, a blog from the Foundation for the Defence of Democracies, the terror group has a presence in eight of Kunar's 15 districts.

Last autumn two al-Qaeda camps were struck by US jets, killing dozens of foreign fighters, including a number of al-Qaeda figures. Another raid in December captured Abu Ikhlas al-Masri, described as a leading al-Qaeda operative.

Last week, six US soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division and an Afghan soldier were killed and at least 15 others wounded in an ambush by Taliban fighters in Kunar close to the border with Afghanistan.

AG Holder Announces That Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Will Face Military Trial Then Goes Off On Congress For Taking His Circus Public Trial Away from Him

I tell you what folks, I'm so fucking sick of one Eric Holder I could about bust a vein here. This clown is the WORST Attorney General this country has ever had at the helm...this is a man whose heart belongs to terrorists and criminals - this is a man with the ultimate legal arm in the country and he is an enabler of violence, of murder, of terror and of intimidation. I've had it.

Well, today ...poor little Eric Holder got all pissed off because he had to announce that the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was being sent over to the Department of Defense so that the mastermind of 9/11 would face a military council trial. And instead of just doing that and eating some crow, the Attorney General took the opportunity to whine and bitch about the fact that Congress took his little pet project of displaying this madman in a federal court in New York City.

Eric Holder and Barack Hussein Obama are pissed as hell because they can't showcase this terror trial across the world and then use the fact that Mohammed would get off on a technicality as a wedge for their popularity with Muslims across this world. Well, I'll tell you what Mr. Holder....Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has the blood of 3,000 Americans on his hands and if your trial had gone forward AND he would have gotten off....Khalid Sheikh Mohammed would not have left this country. Bank on that.

Here's the article on crybaby Eric Holder from Fox News:

Holder Blames Congress for Forcing Hand on Military Commissions for 9/11 Detainees


Congress tied the Obama administration's hands in trying the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks and his accomplices, Attorney General Eric Holder said Monday, announcing that he was left without a choice and has referred the cases to the Defense Department for trial.

In stark language, Holder lambasted Congress for imposing restrictions blocking any detainees from being tried in the U.S., saying that the "unwise and unwarranted restrictions" undermine the U.S. in counter-intelligence and counter-terror efforts.

Expressing his disappointment in no uncertain terms, the attorney general said that as a native New Yorker, he knows as well as anyone the federal court's capacity to try the suspects. He added that he's intimately familiar with the cases, much moreso than congressional members -- or the public -- who opposed allowing the cases to be held in the United States.

"Do I know better than them? Yes. I respect their ability to disagree but they should respect that this is an executive branch function, a unique executive branch function," Holder said in a press conference.

As a result, Holder said Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who has been incarcerated in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, since 2006, after being captured in Pakistan in 2003, and four alleged Sept. 11 co-conspirators will face prosecution by a military commission in Guantanamo.

"Prosecutors from both the Departments of Defense and Justice have been working together since the beginning of this matter, and I have full faith and confidence in the military commission system to appropriately handle this case as it proceeds," Holder said.

The other terror suspects are Walid Muhammed Salih Mubarak Bin Attash, Ramzi Bin Al Shibh, Ali Abdul-Aziz Ali and Mustafa Ahmed Al Hawsawi. The five detainees are accused of killing 2,976 people -- all named in an 81-page indictment dismissed and unsealed Monday by a federal judge.

"Because a timely prosecution in federal court does not appear feasible, the attorney general intends to refer this matter to the Department of Defense to proceed in military commissions," reads the order to dismiss signed by U.S. District Judge Kevin Duffy.

Click here to read the unsealed indictment.

Click here to read the order to unseal the indictment.

The decision to return the detainees to a military commission is a reversal from Holder, who announced in November 2009 that he would move the trials to a civilian court in the United States. Supporters said it sent the right message to the rest of the world that U.S. courts were the fairest and best venue for trials.

At the time, President Obama said it was Holder's decision. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Monday's decision again remained with Holder.

"The president's primary concern here is that the perpetrators ... of that terrible attack on the American people be brought to justice as swiftly as possible and as fairly as possible," Carney said before Holder's remarks.

After Holder's original announcement, attempts to place the suspects in a New York City courtroom were met with fierce resistance from area residents who said they didn't want to deal with another possible terror threat in downtown Manhattan that the case would bring. A potential plan to house the suspects in a prison in Thomson, Ill., also faced considerable scrutiny.

During the lame-duck session last December, Congress acted to prevent the federal trials by attached to a defense authorization bill provisions that prohibited detainees from being brought to trial in the United States.

Family members of the victims said they were pleased with Holder's decision despite his reasoning.

"I am frankly shocked by the attorney general's comments," said David Beamer, the father of Todd Beamer, who is credited with preventing United Flight 93 from hitting its target. The plane instead crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pa.

"I guess one of my reactions is is I'm thankful there are three branches of government because the last thing I want to see is KSM returning to New York City for a civilian trial," Beamer said.

Debra Burlingame, head of 9/11 Families for a Safe and Strong America, said the group is "relieved" Obama "abandoned his plan" to bring the conspirators to U.S. soil.

"We are grateful to the president for reversing his decision, conveyed to the families just last month, to go forward with civilian trials and seek repeal of congressional legislation that stripped funding for that effort," said Burlingame, whose brother was the pilot aboard American Airlines Flight 77, which was forced into the Pentagon on Sept. 11.

"We have great confidence in the military commissions legal framework, which is fair, lawful, effective and consistent with our tradition and values as a nation," she said.

New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, said that the military commissions are the appropriate place for the trials.

"This means with certainty that the trial will not be in New York. While not unexpected, this is the final nail in the coffin of that wrong-headed idea," Schumer said.

But ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero, which vehemently opposes military courts, said the Obama administration's decision "is completely wrong."

"There is a reason this system is condemned: it is rife with constitutional and procedural problems and undermines the fundamental American values that have made us a model throughout the world for centuries. Attorney General Holder's previous decision to try the 9/11 defendants in federal court was absolutely the right call but this flip flop on the part of the Obama administration is devastating for the rule of law and greatly undermines America's standing abroad," Romero said.

J.D. Gordon, a former Defense Department spokesman for secretaries Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates, said trusting the civilian jury with some of the most dangerous terror suspects "is really a flawed mistake." Gordon noted that Mohammed and the other co-conspirators were already going through the military commission process before the Obama administration halted the case.

"I think they ran into the buzz saw of reality where the American public didn't see it in their best interest to hold Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in a civilian trial where he could theoretically be acquitted there and also where he'd have a chance to have his rhetoric used against us," Gordon said.

With the case now returning to the military commission, the process will start all over again. After the administration announced in 2009 it planned to move the trials to federal court, the military withdrew its charges without prejudice -- an action that effectively allowed it to preserve its legal position so that if the cases returned to the commissions in the future, the men could be charged again.

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Holder should try to have more faith in the military commission process.

"The United States has a long history of successfully utilizing military tribunals dating back to the American Revolution, and it's why Congress set up the military commission process. Instead of taking this opportunity to blame Congress for preventing the 9/11 terrorists from having civilian trials, the administration should assure Americans that it will keep all terrorists off U.S. soil and utilize the military commission process in Guantanamo Bay to its full extent," Grassley said.

As the Justice Department prepared to announce its reversal, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday also decided to pass on a case that would have further determined the legal rights of the detainees kept at Guantanamo Bay.

The justices turned away a petition asking them to establish the standards of evidence lower court judges should use to determine if the detainees can remain locked up while waiting for their cases to be heard.

Al Qaeda Operative Convicted of Aiding In London Bombings Released After Only 4 Years In Prison, Given Probation

Flowers are seen placed at the London Bombing Memorial, on the fifth anniversary of the attacks, in Hyde Park July 7, 2010. Fifty two people were killed and hundreds were injured when suicide bombers attacked three Underground trains and a bus on July 7, 2005. – Reuters Photo


Just a reminder for those who may be a little foggy about the London bombings of 2005 where al Qaeda-linked islamic jihadis blew themselves up and killed 52 innocent British citizens...and now it is revealed that a few months ago, one of the al Qaeda terrorists who assisted in that operation, who subsequently cooperated with the government's case, was released from prison after serving less than 5 years in prison - he gets 10 years probation and walks the streets he once helped cover with British blood.

Needless to say, there are many in Britain who are outraged. From the article at DAWN:

An al Qaeda operative who helped set up the camp where the 2005 London suicide bombers were trained has been sentenced to 10 years of probation after serving less than five years in prison.

Mohammed Junaid Babar, 35, confessed in 2004 to setting up the camp in South Waziristan, Pakistan, and equipping it with explosives, night vision goggles and camping gear. He told a federal judge in New York that he knew some of the militants were planning a bomb attack in Britain.

His sentence, which was originally reported on Monday by the Guardian newspaper, prompted a fierce reaction in Britain. A lawyer representing victims’ families and survivors of the London bombings called the move “crazy.”

“There is no way a reduction of this size has any regard to the feelings of victims,” Clifford Tibber said Monday. Graham Foulkes, whose 22-year-old son David was killed by one of the blasts that hit London’s transport network, said Babar’s cooperation with US authorities does not diminish his role in the attacks.

“To be responsible for the deaths of 52 people, serve four-and-a-half years and be released and to say that means he has paid his debt to society just beggars belief,” Foulkes told the UK’s Guardian newspaper.

Since when do we have to offer any terrorist a reduced sentence for cooperation? And considering the actual bombers of London all died in the operation, what the hell is the pay off? Is this really the signal we want sent to every jihadi across the world? Oh yeah, do your dirty deeds, kill innocents freely and spend less time in prison than if you cheated on your taxes.

Look at this case and then ask me why the possible civilian trials of dirtbags like Khalid Sheik Muhammad would be racked with pitfalls. We have some dipshit judge in New York who treats this al Qaeda operative involved in the London bombings like he's some Mafia snitch accountant.

This clown has the blood of over 50 Brits on his hands and now walks free - and the fact of the matter is this - he'll violate his probation in less than a year, leave for Pakistan and he'll be back at his terrorist trade once again. Wanna bet on that?

Al Qaeda member who aided London bombers released


NEW YORK: An al Qaeda operative who helped set up the camp where the 2005 London suicide bombers were trained has been sentenced to 10 years of probation after serving less than five years in prison.

Mohammed Junaid Babar, 35, confessed in 2004 to setting up the camp in South Waziristan, Pakistan, and equipping it with explosives, night vision goggles and camping gear. He told a federal judge in New York that he knew some of the militants were planning a bomb attack in Britain.

A year after his confession, four men who were trained at the camp detonated backpack bombs in the London subway, killing themselves and 52 victims.

After the bombings, Babar testified for the government in four trials targeting al Qaeda militants, three of the trials in Britain and one in Canada. At least 10 people were convicted because of his testimony, the US government says.

Babar pleaded guilty to five terrorism charges and faced a possible 70 years in prison, but court documents show that on Dec. 10 he was sentenced to time served and 10 years of probation as a reward for his cooperation. In all, he spent only four years and eight months behind bars, the US Attorney’s Office said.

His sentence, which was originally reported on Monday by the Guardian newspaper, prompted a fierce reaction in Britain. A lawyer representing victims’ families and survivors of the London bombings called the move “crazy.”

“There is no way a reduction of this size has any regard to the feelings of victims,” Clifford Tibber said Monday. Graham Foulkes, whose 22-year-old son David was killed by one of the blasts that hit London’s transport network, said Babar’s cooperation with US authorities does not diminish his role in the attacks.

“To be responsible for the deaths of 52 people, serve four-and-a-half years and be released and to say that means he has paid his debt to society just beggars belief,” Foulkes told the UK’s Guardian newspaper.

Babar’s defense lawyer did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.

Babar, a US citizen, was arrested in 2004 on five charges of supporting al Qaeda. In a court appearance in June 2004, he told federal judge Victor Marrero that he helped set up the base in the summer of 2003 to train Taliban militants who were fighting US troops in Afghanistan.

He said he delivered night vision goggles, sleeping bags, waterproof socks, rain ponchos and money to a “high ranking official” of al Qaeda who was running the camp. He also arranged shipments of aluminum nitrate, ammonium nitrate and aluminum powder for making bombs that were tested at the camp.

“I was aware that some of the people who attended the jihad training camp had ideas about, you know, plotting against some targets in the United Kingdom, and I provided some of the materials,” Babar told the judge.

During testimony he gave in the Canadian and British trials, Babar said he became radicalised by the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. He quit his job as a computer programmer in New York and moved to Lahore, Pakistan. There he participated in two failed plots to kill then-President Pervez Musharraf and became familiar with other al Qaeda recruits from abroad.

As part of his Dec. 10 sentencing, the judge ordered Babar to pay a $500 fine.

Prosecutors agreed to enroll him in the US government’s witness protection program and give new identities to him and his family. Babar’s plea agreement with the government bars him from striking any book deals or giving interviews to news media.

Under the terms of his release Babar must meet monthly with a probation officer and cannot travel without the government’s permission. After five years he can apply to have the remaining five years of probation lifted, court documents show.

On Monday the US Attorney’s office originally said Babar had been jailed for five years. It later issued a correction, saying he only spent 56 months behind bars.

When Words Are Weapons....

Philip K Dick, 1978 :

"The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words. George Orwell made this clear in his novel 1984. But another way to control the minds of people is to control their perceptions. If you can get them to see the world as you do, they will think as you do. Comprehension follows perception."

Interesting piece on how governments, media and political enemies use the word "terrorism" for any number of agendas, from vilification to simply jazzing up an otherwise confusing news story.

...more is at stake here than semantics or petty point-scoring in the blogosphere. Political violence has two elements: the act, and the meaning attached to it. Long after the smoke of an explosion has cleared, the battle over language goes on, as contending sides seek to aggrandize the act or dismiss it, portray it as noble or denounce it as vile.

“The use of the term terrorism delegitimizes the opponent,” said Martha Crenshaw, a scholar at Stanford who wrote her first essay wrestling with the definition of terrorism in 1972. “It’s not just the tactics that are discredited, it’s the cause, as well.”

US President Ronald Reagan, in 1986, on the adage 'one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter' :

"That’s a catchy phrase, but also misleading. Freedom fighters do not need to terrorize a population into submission. Freedom fighters target the military forces and the organized instruments of repression keeping dictatorial regimes in power. Freedom fighters struggle to liberate their citizens from oppression and to establish a form of government that reflects the will of the people.”

Of course, Reagan's freedom fighters in the Afghanistan War againnt the Soviets went on to form the Taliban and found (with the help and hype of US intelligence agencies) the terrorist outfit now known as Al Qaeda.

The War On Terror : Sell The Fear, However Misplaced

A poignant, reality-shattering piece from Gary Younge that didn't get anything like the attention and Redditing and Digging that it should have (excerpts) :

"Terror is first of all the terror of the next attack," explains Arjun Appadurai in Fear of Small Numbers. During the Bush years that terror was routinely leveraged for the purposes of social control, military mobilisation and electoral advantage. Meanwhile, the administrative processes that might prevent the next attack were tragically lacking. In short, Bush's anti-terror strategy was not about protecting people but about scaring them.

To galvanise the nation for war abroad and sedate it for repression at home, the previous administration constructed a terror threat that was ubiquitous in character, apocalyptic in scale and imminent in nature. Only then could they counterpose human rights against security as though they were not only contradictory but mutually exclusive.

Al-Qaida was only too happy to oblige. In such a state of perpetual crisis both terrorists and reactionaries thrive. Terrorists successfully create a climate of fear; governments successfully exploit that fear to extend their own powers.

"I'm absolutely convinced that the threat we face now, the idea of a terrorist in the middle of one of our cities with a nuclear weapon, is very real and that we have to use extraordinary measures to deal with it," said former vice-president Dick Cheney.

....in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 the US government undertook the "preventative detention" of about 5,000 men on the basis of their birthplace and later sought a further 19,000 "voluntary interviews". Over the next year, more than 170,000 men from 24 predominantly Muslim countries and North Korea were fingerprinted and interviewed in a programme of "special registration". None of these produced a single terrorism conviction.

This set the pattern for the years to come: wiretapping, rendition, torture, secrecy. Those who otherwise rail against the inefficiency of government argued for more extensive, intrusive state power even as it produced little in the way of results. When confronted with this lamentable record, their only defence was the threat of the next attack. "The next time, the smoking gun could be a mushroom cloud" said Condoleezza Rice, adding. "They only have to be right once. We have to be right every time." Over the last week even once in a while would have looked good.

Al-Qaida is now more likely to be found in Pakistan, an American ally, than in Afghanistan and the latest threat came via Yemen. Terrorism is a strategy, not a place – attempts to carpet-bomb it or occupy it or conquer it will inevitably fail.

Thanks to war and torture it has swelled the number of people who might want to do it harm.

Read The Full Story Here

Al Qaeda Agents Of The CIA

A solid piece of War On Terror hard news by Kurt Nimmo. He lists known or suspected Al Qaeda terrorists who've worked for, or been trained by, the CIA :

- Vinnell bombing leader Khaled Jehani (worked for the CIA in Bosnia, Chechnya, and Afghanistan)

- USS Cole bomber Jamal al-Badawi (worked for the CIA in Bosnia)

- the mental case Zacarias Moussaoui (fought for the CIA in Chechnya)

- the notorious media darling Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (worked for the CIA in Bosnia) who in addition to supposedly materminding dozens of terror attacks is also accused of working with Ramzi Yousef on the Operation Bojinka terror plot (Yousef was recruited by the CIA and associated with the intelligence asset the Muslim Brotherhood).

- former head of Egyptian Islamic Jihad (an asset of the US-British intelligence penetrated Muslim Brotherhood) Ayman al-Zawahiri, sidekick of the late Osama bin Laden, a former CIA operative in Bosnia who received gobs of money from the CIA (he also had a free pass to come and go from the United States while on official CIA business)

- Sheikh Omar Abdul-Rahman, the “spiritual leader of the CIA-backed mujaheddin” (according to the Boston Globe) who was considered by the CIA and Special Forces officers to be “valuable asset” (until he was set-up and convicted for the World Trade Center bombings in 1993) and also flew around on the CIA’s dime

- the key player and former Grand Poobah of the CIA mujahideen operation in Afghanistan, Abdullah Azzam, the founder of Maktab al-Khidamat (the organization received hundreds of millions in U.S. dollars via the CIA) who was blown to bits prior to Osama’s ascension to the al-Qaeda throne. Azzam was also a frequent flier to the United States, land of the Great Satan.

Read The Full Story Here