An American Warning

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Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Another Pakistan Deal with the Taliban Jihadists
2008-05-22 11:00:00
Once again , the Pakistan government signs another deal with the Taliban , while counting on an impotent American government and an uninformed American public to continue to provide them billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars as our "ally". This is becoming an near-annual event in Taliban appeasement by the Pakistan government: the September 2006 North Waziristan Accord, the August 2007 calls by President Musharraf to "mainstream" the Taliban, and now a peace agreement with the Taliban in Swat. The next...(read more)
More About: Deal , Jihadists

NEFA TerrorWatch: The Spillover Impact of the Iraqi Jihad in Afghanistan
2008-05-22 07:16:00
This week's episode of NEFA's TerrorWatch broadcast takes a closer look at Mohammed al-Thibaiti (a.k.a. Abu Sulaiman al-Otaibi), a Saudi Arabian national and a senior Al-Qaida lieutenant who was confirmed killed during recent clashes with the "crusaders and apostates" in the Paktia province of Afghanistan --and the larger spillover impact of the Iraqi jihad on the conflict in Afghanistan. On May 11, Al-Qaida leader Mustafa Abu al-Yazid published a letter confirming that al-Thibaiti "was martyred in...(read more)
More About: Jihad

Two Easily Exploitable Vulnerabilities of Money Services Businesses
2008-05-21 22:41:00
Money Services Businesses (MSBs) provide important services to a large segment of our society. According to FinCEN, MSBs refer to five distinct types of financial services providers: currency exchangers; check cashers; issuers, sellers, or redeemers of traveler’s checks, money orders or stored value; the United States Postal Service; and money transmitters. MSB customers mostly consist of the “unbanked.” This client base tends to be more transient, consist of low income households,...(read more)
More About: Money , Vulnerabilities

Hezbollah Wins in Lebanon - Is This the "Grand Bargain" in Action?
2008-05-21 20:58:00
Today is a day which we should mark on the calendar and remember for a long time. For on this day, it became abundantly clear that the Iranian-Syrian axis now controls Lebanon through Hezbollah , and Al Qaeda and the Taliban now control the Northwest provinces in Pakistan (see ABC News and the AP story ). Both groups of terrorists won through sustained asymmetric (and, in Lebanon, conventional) warfare which eventually collapsed the will of the opposition, which was not supported in any material...(read more)
More About: Action , Bargain , Grand

Hezbollah's Communication Network Confirms Its Terror Goals
2008-05-21 16:50:00
An intelligence map released by a French web site, referencing Lebanese sources, shows the extensive communications network established by Hezbollah throughout Lebanon. These closed telephone circuits are operationally independent of government networks. The Lebanese Ministry of Telecommunications has no link to these closed cable-based networks. These systems were at the heart of the latest confrontation between the Seniora cabinet and Hezbollah commander Hassan Nasrallah. The latter accused the...(read more)
More About: Terror , Communication , Network , Goals

Preserving Coalition Government Key to U.S. Objectives in Pakistan
2008-05-21 11:19:00
A power struggle is underway between Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman (and widower of Benazir Bhutto) Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan Muslim League/Nawaz (PML/N) leader Nawaz Sharif, and President Pervez Musharraf. This struggle threatens to unravel the newly elected coalition government and plunge Pakistan back into political chaos....(read more)
More About: Middle East , Government , Coalition

No Laughing Matter
2008-05-21 04:00:00
Gun owners have become experts at spotting politicians pretending to be Second Amendment supporters. We've seen Al Gore and John Kerry go through the posing and posturing. We've seen it from Claire McCaskill in Missouri. And of course, we're seeing it from Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton right now. The fact that the Democratic presidential candidates are trying to run as pro-Second Amendment candidates isn't surprising. But that they're trying to pull off this charade during the primary campaign...(read more)
More About: Matter , Laughing

The High Cost of Oil Dependence
2008-05-20 22:45:00
With the price of oil over $125 a barrel and U.S. gasoline prices hovering around $4 a gallon, high energy costs have been a top news headline lately. Though the economic effect of these surging prices has been most prominently noticed, the high cost of oil dependence extends far beyond that. Today I have a policy briefing at FDD's web site analyzing the geopolitical implications of our dangerous dependence on foreign oil -- including the impact this has on our war-on-terror policies. An excerpt:...(read more)
More About: Cost , High

Good News on the Libel Front
2008-05-20 21:11:00
Today there was good news on freedom of speech front, as the Wall Street Journal won a complete victory in a libel case involving terror finance issues. The lead reporter, the venerable Glenn Simpson, is now 4-0 since 9/11 in these types of cases. While the victory is a testament to his tenacity and care, it is also a testament to the courage of the WSJ in willing to fight and win these cases. Most are lost simply because the will to fight has gone out of so much of the media, who would often rather...(read more)
More About: News , Good News , Front , Good

Feared FARC Commander Surrenders
2008-05-20 17:12:00
Another FARC commander has surrendered to Colombian authorities . Nelly Avila Moreno, aka Karina, turned herself in (along with her daughter andher partner, known as Michin.) Karina was commander of the 47th Front. (She was also one of the top-ranked women in the FARC - here is some background on the women in the FARC. ) This would be roughly equivalent to a Captain surrendering. At a news conference, she stated the FARC was “crumbling.” She had been out of communications with the FARC...(read more)
More About: Farc , Commander

Secret Report on Saudi School in Virginia Must Be Released
2008-05-20 16:08:00
Yesterday, the Board of Supervisors of Fairfax County, Virginia , near Washington, DC, unanimously voted to continue leasing county property to the Islamic Saudi Academy, which is funded by the Saudi government. The school had been criticized for using textbooks which included virulently anti-Semitic and anti-Christian language and teachings . The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued a report last year urging the State Department to shut the school down unless it materially changed...(read more)
More About: School , Report , Released , Secret

Unresolved U.S. Strategy on Jihad and the War of Ideas
2008-05-20 04:00:00
An unresolved question remains who in the U.S. Government is accountable for the wartime "war of ideas" against Jihad ists. Last fall , Senator Joe Lieberman questioned the FBI, the DHS, the Director of National Intelligence, and the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) about their organizations' role in the "war on ideas" against jihadists. The answer was a giant shrugging of shoulders. The Washington Times reported that: "FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III revealed during the hearing that the...(read more)
More About: Ideas , Strategy

Turkish Ambassador to U.S. Calls Iran "a threat to Turkey as well as to the
2008-05-20 00:09:00
Doug Farah and I talked about his post on Hezbollah and clarified that Hezbollah might be the premier non-state terrorist threat. After all, Hezbollah's support and the extent of its direction from the current Iran ian regime is massive. Two years ago, I wrote here about my discussions with a senior Western intelligence service official, who estimated Iran's direct financial support to Hezbollah at $100 million, and that was when oil was less than half of the current price. I assume that amount has...(read more)
More About: Turkey , Calls , Ambassador , Turkish

Is Hezbollah the Premier Threat?
2008-05-19 19:39:00
There is some serious re-evaluation of priorities in parts of the U.S. and European intelligence communities as to the who now poses the greatest strategic threat to the West-al Qaeda or Hezbollah . Hezbollah has publicly emerged in recent days the premier military force in Lebanon , able to act with relative impunity while the army stands by. But perhaps more importantly, Hezbollah has now become a public target of al Qaeda, as Osama bin Laden has explicitly stated in his most recent audio tape....(read more)
More About: Threat , Premier

Scotland's Gun Ban Doesn't Work
2008-05-19 04:00:00
Scotland has had a gun ban in place for a decade now. Guess what? According to a Scottish newspaper , "Cases of attempted murder involving firearms [are] almost three times that of a decade ago." That's right. Ten years after a gun ban was put in place, crimes involving firearms have increased, not decreased. Add Scotland to the list of places that have implemented gun bans, only to see things get worse. It's the same story in England, where news reports last month say gun-related crime...(read more)
More About: Work

Where's the Beef? Mystery Grows Surrounding Whereabouts of Adam Gadahn
2008-05-19 00:32:00
This afternoon, Al-Qaida's As-Sahab Media Foundation has released the second audio recording of Usama Bin Laden in the space of only three days--this time, openly addressed "to the Islamic nation." But, perhaps what is most interesting about Bin Laden's latest set of audio recordings is not what they contain--but rather, what they inexplicably lack: the English-language subtitles and matching transcript that have, until recently, been a customary feature of professional-quality As-Sahab videos. An...(read more)
More About: Beef , Mystery , Adam , Adam Gadahn

The Guantanamo Bay Facility - Revolving Door
2008-05-18 17:18:00
The public notices in the media become available most often one by one and are typically separated by months if not years. Periodically, then, it is very much worthwhile for The Counterterrorism Blog to refresh readers’ memories on the type of person who has been incarcerated at The Guantanamo Bay facility in Cuba, known by its nickname “Gitmo.” I am indebted for a good deal of the research to a person who has spent almost two decades hunting members of al-Qa’ida, but who...(read more)
More About: Door

It's Time Now for a Serious Public Debate on Our Iran Policy
2008-05-18 06:10:00
I wrote here last month that the time has come for further clarification from the presidential candidates concerning their plans for dealing with Iran ’s nuclear ambitions. We have heard numerous sound-bites and even read a few short paragraphs issued by their campaigns on the issue, but each has shied away from providing any real substance. They all indicate that America must not allow Iran to achieve nuclear weapons capability. But none has yet indicated how they actually intend to convince...(read more)
More About: Public , Time , Debate , Policy

AN AMERICAN WARNING - ANOTHER AMNESTY BILL - VERY URGENT
2008-05-18 05:18:00
An American Warning - 5/17/08 Big Big Issue? You?re not going to believe this? but I hope you hear this and I hope you get really pissed off when I tell you. Keep in mind? we still have a little bit of time here? but it?s only because the House of Representatives unexpectedly delayed the Iraq supplemental spending Bill Thursday, the full Senate won't be allowed to vote on the amnesty bill that the Senate Appropriations Committee unexpectedly took up and approved Thursday and attached to it. If you didn?t catch that? I?ll spell it out. There is an AMNESTY Bill attached to an IRAQ spending bill. So in order to fund our troops and their safety? Feinstein wants to trade that for Criminal Amnesty . It now looks like the full Senate won't be allowed to vote on the amnesty for around 1.3 million illegal alien ag workers (plus their families) until next Wednesday. That gives us some time to beat this atrocity. This bill is sick and really does about four things. - Grant a three-year ...
More About: Urgent

Jaipur Serial Blasts: Investigations on, Sketches out, No breakthrough Yet
2008-05-17 22:43:00
Investigations into the May 13 synchronized terror blasts that shook the pink city of Jaipur (Rajasthan, India) have reached ‘nowhere’ even after four days of the incident. Trailing the leads from the blast sites, eyewitness accounts and hoax calls/emails all over the country, agencies only pointed fingers at Islamic militants from across the border and their Indian accomplices. Meanwhile, the death toll in Tuesday's (May 13) blasts have reached 63 and injured over 200. The usual political...(read more)
More About: Sketches , Investigations , Serial

Bin Laden Has A New Tape Out And He ... Zzzzzzz
2008-05-17 01:10:00
Is there any reason to get excited about a new Osama Bin Laden tape anymore? The Al Qaeda kingpin issued an audio speech to jihadi Internet forums today and the Western world responded with a collective yawn. News organizations have been reporting it today - but not with the breathless tone and play once given to the most wanted terrorist in the world. In his third audio speech released this year, the Saudi fugitive ridiculed Israel's 60th anniversary. Al Qaeda's founder claimed this year's celebration...(read more)

The Criminal-Terrorist Nexus and the DEA
2008-05-16 23:38:00
It is interesting to note the first major conviction in the United States in a drug case tied to radical Islamist movements, in this case, the Taliban. (Many more case documents can be found here. ) “As an enemy of the United States, Khan Mohammed intended to ship heroin to the United States and use profits from that trade to assist the Taliban,” said DEA Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. “A dangerous double threat, Kahn Mohammed purchased rockets to attack American and...(read more)
More About: Terrorist , Criminal

FARC Eats it Own
2008-05-16 21:21:00
Reporting on Interpol’s assertion that the files on the captured FARC computers are authentic has focused on potential Chavez-FARC ties. But another bit of FARC news should be noted. Six of FARC commander Mono Jojoy’s bodyguards had plotted kill him, probably to collect the $5 million reward. The plot was discovered and three of the six were killed, the other three escaped and are now aiding the Colombian authorities. This plot was no doubt inspired by the death of another member of the...(read more)
More About: Farc

No-Match Immigration Enforcement: Time for Action
2008-05-16 11:38:00
The next Administration is unlikely to take workplace immigration enforcement seriously. Now is the time to put employers on notice that they cannot bury their heads in the sand when they receive no-match letters. Congress should do its part by putting a quick end to anti-enforcement lawsuits and clarifying the legal authorities for the sharing of Social Security no-match data....(read more)
More About: Action , Time , Immigration , Match , Enforcement

See You in Louisville!
2008-05-16 04:00:00
An amazing story is about to take place in Louisville , Kentucky. Tens of thousands of Americans will gather to celebrate their freedom, love of country, and devotion to the ideals upon which this great nation was founded. They will arrive dedicated and leave motivated. They will hear tales of heroism and of everyday activism. They'll learn about the rifles carried by their fathers and grandfathers in World War II, and they'll learn how they can protect themselves against violent attackers. They'll...(read more)

National Lab Security Failure - We Get What We Pay For
2008-05-16 00:43:00
Today, the Washington Times reported the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, that conducts research on America’s nuclear weapons and houses special nuclear material for that research, failed a crucial counter-terror security exercise (also reported in today’s CTB Newslinks section). The exercise was a “force-on-force” operation where mock commandos infiltrated and took over key parts of the facility, managing to gain access to what would have been quantities...(read more)
More About: Security , Failure

INTERPOL Finds FARC Computers Material Authentic and Extensive
2008-05-15 23:13:00
We don't yet know what else is in the contents of the FARC computers that INTERPOL has now verified to be exactly as represented by the Colombian government -- the true and untampered contents of FARC computers seized by Colombia following its March 1 cross-border attack on a FARC camp in Ecuador. But we know that the sheer volume of what is contained in those computers, which included three Toshiba laptops, one external hard drive, one external hard disk, and three USB "thumbnail drives" is remarkably...(read more)
More About: Computers , Farc , Interpol , Material

Addressing Asymmetric Threats: Shifts at the Pentagon And Strategic Communi
2008-05-15 18:42:00
Last Thursday, I was honored to chair one of four panels at a special seminar, "Dealing with Today's Asymmetric Threat," co-sponsored by the National Defense University and CACI International , with assistance from the Counterterrorism Foundation. The purpose of the seminar was to establish a framework for the development of an integrated and synchronized strategy, by the end of the calendar year, to address the asymmetrical threats to United States and global security. My panel, titled, "Global...(read more)
More About: Pentagon , The Pentagon , Strategic , Threats

Euro 2008 and Terrorism
2008-05-15 16:03:00
In 23 days the 2008 Euro pean soccer Cup ( Euro 2008 ), this year hosted jointly by Austria and Switzerland, will kickoff. As for any event attracting large crowds and global attention in today’s age, authorities are worried about potential terrorist threats. The Euro Cup, in a way, presents the same security features of a Super Bowl, but it is held in 8 different cities over 3 weeks and with the participation of 16 national teams, making security planning significantly more complicated. Just...(read more)
More About: Terrorism

Daily Kos and Others on Jihad
2008-05-15 06:45:00
What do the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) , National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) , and the Daily Kos all have in common? They are all seeking to define the enemy as other than "jihadists" . A. Daily Kos : Jihad Not Terrorism Three weeks after AP's report of the NCTC / DHS recommendations to eliminate the term "jihadist" (among others) from the lexicon describing Jihadist terrorism, the latest salvo in this "war of ideas" was published on the popular Daily Kos web site by "Amad" on May...(read more)