As the United States “winds-down” efforts against Islamic terrorist organizations in Asia, the French are ramping-up against Islamist militants in the African nation of Mali. The French are using fighter jets to pound al-Qaida linked training camps in the northern part of the country.
While the United States and the State Department push for negotiations to continue between the Taliban and the Afghan government, we learn the Taliban and al-Qaida may still have a common goal in mind even though their operational planning may differ in approach.
Yeah, that’s what I said. You see, al-Qaida thinks it’s perfectly fine for their “forces” to attack US citizens, military and anyone else who will not submit to their perverted view of Islam. But if we kill a US citizen who is actively planning to attack the United States, we’re violating his human rights.
I’ll freely admit I’m not up on what’s going on in Afghanistan, but Jim Hanson over at Blackfive put together what I thought was a very good paragraph concerning all of this.
The terrorist detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is frequently referred to as a major public relations problem for the United States. Pundits, politicians and President Obama have referred to Gitmo as the “number one” recruiting tool for al-Qaida and other terrorist groups, but research on the subject proves the contention false.
I’m not a counter-insurgency expert. I’m not current or former military. I have little experience managing the beloved Elm Street snowball fights between the north and south side of the street. But you’ve got to ask, why do Marines have to monitor a house for 72 hours to ensure civilians are not around before an air strike is approved?
That was the question put to President Obama’s director of national intelligence at a Senate hearing today. Dennis Blair simply refused to answer a simple question. They can’t answer the question, probably because the White House staff will need to “measure the political winds” if the subject ever comes up.
I’ve been reading discussions concerning the type of explosives terrorists like Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab could bring onto an airliner. Investigators have indicated it was a powder/liquid mix that failed to ignite. The Jawa Report speculates; directing us to a video on making a small, but powerful improvised explosive device.
Additional details on the failed terrorist attack over the skies of Michigan on Christmas day. Federal authorities say Abdul Farouk Umar Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian student was directly supported by al-Qaida in Yemen. He was not on the official no-fly list, but Abdulmutallab’s father had warned U.S. officials months ago concerning his son’s activity.
A Northwest Airlines passenger arriving in Detroit from Amsterdam tried to ignite some sort of substance – or possibly ignited firecrackers – during final approach to the international airport in Michigan. The flight originated in Nigeria and that is where the passenger boarded the aircraft.