Friday, August 31, 2012

CIA DRONE AND SPEC OP ATTACKS TO INTENSIFY IN YEMEN

In SANAA, Yemen, a drone strike hit a vehicle carrying  militants traveling in eastern Yemen. Eight militants were killed and this marks the third such strike this week. The drone targeted a vehicle in Hadramawt in eastern Yemen.




The U.S. considers the local al Qaeda branch the world's most active and has used drones in the past to go after its members. Seven other suspected militants have been killed in air strikes in the area since Tuesday. Yemen's government has intensified its campaign against militant groups, backed by U.S. advice and logistical support. Militants have carried out several attacks in retaliation.
 
OSINT NEWS researched drone usage in Yemen a half year ago, and we offer 8 observations that indicate the CIA is deeply involved in Yemen and, probably, will remain there for years to come. We hope they are. How about you? Take the poll- you can make a comment on it, too:
WHAT ROLE SHOULD THE CIA PLAY IN YEMEN?

NONE

LIMITED

A LOT









  
pollcode.com free polls 

8 reasons OSINT News believes the CIA will remain deeply involved in Yemen:
1. We made a commitment. Several years ago, Gerald Feierstein, the new U.S. ambassador to Yemen, said the U.S. was  committed to support the Yemeni army and security forces in their efforts to combat the burgeoning al Qaeda force.

Feierstein stated, "There is a deep concern that al Qaeda could work freely in Yemen. We understand that fighting extremism cannot be through security only and it should include economic and development reforms. This is what America is committed to directly or through the Friends of Yemen Group.”

The Friends of Yemen Group is comprised of nations looking to help stabilize Yemen so al Qaeda and other terrorist groups will fail to develop a lasting stronghold there. They voiced their support for the security and stability of the Arabian Peninsula nation.

He went on to say, “America emphasizes its commitment to supporting the Yemeni Government and its people to overcome al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, to secure Yemeni borders, continue to train Yemeni anti-terrorist forces in addition to the provision of necessary equipments to get rid of the immediate threats posed by al Qaeda.”

At that time, Yemen’s President Saleh’s ensured that his government would take all necessary measures against terrorists and extremists and they welcomed Feierstein’s statement. Saleh added that he will support all measures mentioned by President Obama. A roughly $1.2 billion assistance bundle was being considered by Washington at that time. Feierstein said much will go to establishing a security department not to fight terrorists directly but to revitalize Yemeni forces and to battle the fight against drugs.

2. Numbers on the ground. Currently, the CIA has expanded the number of case officers collecting intelligence in Yemen. These intelligence officers, along with special ops and military intel, are brave souls. Al Qaeda in Yemen injured 10 intelligence officers, 3 seriously, on September 25, 2009 in the capital, Sana’a. The attack came just after American instructors finished a training course on fighting terrorism. 

An intelligence officer, Abdullah Ba Sharaheel, was murdered when two gunmen opened fire on him in the city of Al Mukalla. He was on his way home with his family when the Al Qaeda gunmen attacked on motorcycles and shot him.


3. The Arabian Peninsula is where al-Qaeda fled. Little wonder CIA analysts are focusing more on al Qaeda’s offshoots, in addition to the small, inner core group, which may still be housed in the tribal areas of Pakistan (Although, maybe not, after bin Laden's death). These offshoots are becoming more of a threat to America’s security. Their fears have influenced President Obama’s tactical measures in Yemen, for clandestine U.S. military strikes and armed CIA drone attacks on terrorists commenced. 

Al Qaeda has always aspired, but failed, to create a safe haven in Yemen...in the beginning, that is.  From 2001 to 2004, when Edmund J. Hull was the American ambassador to Yemen, U.S. and Yemeni counterterrorism efforts defeated al Qaeda at every turn, severely degrading its capabilities. During this period, al Qaeda mounted no successful operations against U.S. interests in Yemen and suffered the loss of its top leadership and cadres.

Unfortunately, things have changed. Their influence there is boiling over today. CIA analysts believe effective drone strikes in Pakistan have kept al Qaeda from recovering the offensive game. So, they migrated to the Arabian Peninsula and the new Yemen-based group is called Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). They succeeded in getting the Xmas day suicide bomber aboard the plane bound for Detroit. Analysts also believe the deceased Anwar al-Awlaki helped transform the AQAP into a transnational threat. OSINT News believes that, although the CIA has 10 times more people and resources in Pakistan than it does in Yemen, the figures will soon be the same. The National Security Council met with White House officials and it was decided that the CIA will play a major operational role in Yemen.

Learn more
 
4. We're not battling nation states anymore; we're fighting terrorist networks. And, they're sprouting up around the world faster than Chicken Delight franchises. Yemen is a pilot project...to be expanded, globally. No longer will America send in armored marine divisions. Instead, small, covert operations will expand globally where we gather intelligence, then apply it with lightening strike, in/out, inexpensive operations using spec ops.

Philip Mudd, a former senior official at the CIA and the FBI, believes that a Sept. 11-style attack has been supplanted by a proliferation of plots by AQAP and other affiliate networks. He stated, "The sheer numbers suggest that one of the plots in the United States will succeed. In the future the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region will not be the sole, or even primary, source of bombing suspects" (CTC Sentinel). Mudd's observation is another reason why OSINT News believes the U.S. should adopt Britain's MI5 model in its counterterrorism and counterintelligence efforts...here at home.

Learn more

5. Yemen needs stabilization. The reasons behind the current political and social chaos in Yemen is complex, with much historical causations that are an expression of authoritarian rule. And, al Qaeda takes advantage of chaos. Unrest continues to boil. While we were gathering OSINT intelligence a year ago, a gunmen killed a senior Yemeni intelligence officer in the main southern city of Aden, the latest in a spate of assassinations to hit the south, a security official said. Lieutenant Colonel Ali Ahmed Abd Rabbo was driving along the main coast road on Sunday evening when protesters blocked his way.

"As soon as his car stopped, gunmen opened fire, riddling the vehicle with bullets and killing the colonel". It was unclear whether the gunmen were from among the demonstrators or militants who had infiltrated the protest.

Several days later, army Colonel Naji Aitha escaped with minor injuries when militants detonated explosives outside his home, while fighting raged for the Abyan provincial capital of Zinjibar, where troops had been trying to dislodge al Qaeda linked militants.

At that time, a year ago, 230 Yemeni soldiers and 50 tribal auxiliaries had been killed in the battle for Zinjibar.

6. Anwar al-Awlaki resided there. His role in the global al Qaeda jihad was real, and just because a drone attack killed him, he was the "who's who" of jihadi attackers against the West. His DVDs and taped sermons on jihad were found in the computers of the US army officer responsible for the Fort Hood shootings, Major Nidal Hassan; underpants bomber Abdulmuttallab; and Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad. These DVDs and taped sermons are still used today to perpetuate hatred against the West, particularly the U.S.


7. CIA expanding operations there. Al Qaeda swarmed to Yemen. So, we should, too. As OSINT News was researching the AQAP, a group of construction workers in the Arabian Peninsula was hard at work constructing a secret CIA runway that would heavily ramp up drone strikes in Yemen designed to target al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The runway and  campaign is run by the CIA, which has been increasing the use of drone strikes in Afghanistan and Pakistan. OSINT News studied a wall chart  that shows al Qaeda's presence in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), including their organizational structure, key leadership figures, official media arm, Military Division, Research and Development Division,  Shura Council, and AQAP attacks (Delta Christmas attack,  attempted assassination of Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, etc). It was a vast mosaic of networking genius, to say the least.

8. We feel justified to be in Yemen. And why not? Virtually every attempted terrorist attack against the West by Salafist jihadis since 2009 has had some association with AQAP or with the deceased and incredibly influential   Islamic cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki.

AQAP is the most internationally active of the various al Qaeda branches and, as mentioned previously, has been involved in the 2009 attempted ''underpants'' bombing by Umar Farouk Abdulmuttallab, as well as the 2010 cargo bomb plot.
 

For these 8 reasons, OSINT NEWS believes the CIA will continue increasing operations and will remain in Yemen for a long time.

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association For Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). A portion of Ad revenues generated on this site is donated to the AFIO. His ideas are his own and do not represent those of any organization he's a member of. We will publish your ideas and comments at no charge...for the good of the order! Contact us on the Secure Contact Form

Thursday, August 30, 2012

CIA GOT BIN LADEN, NOT PAKISTAN SPY AGENCY

According to The Indian Express newspaper, stung by lingering suspicions that it was complicit in sheltering Osama bin Laden, Pakistan's spy agency has claimed credit for helping US intelligence agencies locate the high-walled hideout of the terror mastermind.

"The lead and the information actually came from US," a senior official of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) had told the Washington Post, in what the paper said was a push for recognition ahead of the anniversary of the stealth raid that killed bin Laden.
Learn more

The official said it was ISI which had provided CIA with a cellphone number that eventually led to an al-Qaeda courier Abu Ahmad al-Kuwaiti, the paper said. "Any hit on al-Qaeda anywhere in the world has happened with our help," the official said. "They knew who the number belonged to," the official said, adding that he had worked closely with the CIA and turned over thousands of suspect numbers. "But after that, their cooperation with us ended."

"It is the story of an extreme trust deficit and betrayal," the official lamented. But the Washington Post said that US officials disputed the ISI version. "The fact is, our knowledge of the number didn't come from them telling us about it," the paper quoted US officials as saying.

The paper said many Pakistani politicians have described the May 2 raid as an assault on Pakistan's sovereignty and an example of US arrogance. A Pakistani doctor who helped the CIA in the hunt for bin Laden remains in custody on charges of treason, and his associates are barred from working.
Learn more

OSINT News believes Pakistan's ISI is lying about their critical help in killing bin Laden and also feel Pakistan is no U.S. ally in the battle against terrorism. We recall the words, "Justice has been done." President Barack Obama announced the triumphant news to the American public. Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil, was killed by Navy Seals, and we celebrated. The amazing courage and percision of the U.S. Navy SEALs who finally found and executed "Public Enemy No. 1".

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO). A portion (10%) of this site's ad revenues is donated to the AFIO. The views expressed on this site do not represent those of any organization he is a member of. OSINT News is always looking for different perspectives regarding the Intelligence Community- got a thought, article or comment you'd like to submit? Contact us on the Secure Contact Form

Monday, August 27, 2012

PAKISTAN FATA REGION TERRORIST BREEDING GROUND

Before describing the past week's heavy fighting in the federally administered tribal area (FATA), OSINT News researched this area's geography to learn about the provinces, cities and towns in this mysterious NW part of Pakistan. The radical elements in these tribal areas are of concern to the U.S. because they have the potential to eventually undermine a nuclear Pakistan itself. 
Learn more

The tribal region we describe below is located on the frontier between Pakistan and Afghanistan and is the center of terrorist activity in the world today. Since 2001, Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters have regrouped here, using its mountainous terrain as a safe haven in which to train, plan major terror attacks, send insurgents to Afghanistan, and recruit ever-younger fighters. It is a region of militancy with a lethal mixture of ultra-conservatism, hatred of the West, economic under-development and an absence of law and order...all factors that breed a radicalized populace, with grave consequences for the stability of a nuclear
Pakistan. OSINT News believes these 28 tribal areas pose an international security risk unlike any other.


Learn more

The are 28 major tribal area agencies- Makeen, Parachinar, Angoor Ada, Jamrud, Wana, Pakistan, Landi Kotal, Spinkai, Alizai, Kurram, Mir Ali, Pakistan, Miranshah, Sadda, Fata, Zira Khel, Lahor, Fata, Shindand, Pakistan, Khar, Bajaur, Damadola, Upper Orakzai, Ghulam Khan, Bara Tehsil, Ayub Kaley, and Beliamen.
Learn more

There is a village named Alizai Alizai in the FATAs, located near the Durand Line border with Afghanistan . It is occupied by the Turi Tribe and both Shia and Sunni Muslims dwell in Alizai. It is considered a peaceful place in the Kurram Agency although some civil unrest took place recently. The United States has maintained detention facilities in the Alizai tribal area and it has been rumored that this site has been used to torture prisoners. The tribal area Angoor Ada Angoor, also called Angorada, means "Grape Base" in Pashto. OSINT News gathered information regarding Angorada from the data supplied by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and a Department of Defense (DoD) Combat Support Agency. It is a village and a border crossing straddling the South Waziristan Agency of Pakistan 's Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Afghanistan 's Paktika Province.
Learn more

Angorada is one of the few easy passages across a very mountainous border, and one of two between Paktika and Waziristan, the other passage being the Gumal River. The Afghan village Shkin lies just to the west of Angoor Ada. The actual authoritative Durand Line international boundary, first demarcated in 1895, slices through the east side of the main bazaar area, placing most of the built up area legally in Afghanistan. However, the military forces and gates enforcing border control are several hundred meters west of the boundary and thus west of the main bazaar area.

Eighty-five (85) militants and 17 civilians comprised the 102 persons killed last week in the Federal Administered Tribal Area (FATA). Here's blow-by-blow details of the murderous events:

Security Forces on August 26 killed at least 20 militants and injured 10 others in a clash during a raid in Batwar area of Salarzai tehsil (revenue unit) in Bajaur Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

At least 28 militants and four members of the Salarzai Qaumi Lashkar were killed and 10 militants and four Security Force (SF) personnel injured as the fighting continued for the second day on August 25 along the border area of Batwar in Bajaur Agency. In addition, seven persons belonging to one family were killed and eight others, including women and
children, were injured when two mortar shells hit a house in Qambarkhel area of Bara region in Khyber Agency. 
Learn more

Eighteen suspected militants were killed and another six were injured when missiles fired by United States (US) drones slammed into suspected militants' hideouts in Shawal area of North Waziristan Agency (NWA) on August 24. Also, eight militants were killed and two of their hideouts destroyed after SFs shelling in Gawaki area of Orakzai Agency. Also, six militants and two Lashkars (tribal militia) were killed and five civilians were injured when at least 100 militants from across the Afghanistan border entered Batwar village in Salarzai tehsil (revenue unit) in Bajaur Agency and started firing on the posts set up by Salarzai Qaumi Lashkar.

Five militants were killed and two others injured when a US drone fired missiles at a vehicle near Shnakhura village in NWA on August 21.

Whew...what a week! OSINT News studied the history of these turbulent tribal areas. They, by law, are all semi-autonomous and governed by rules dating back to the British colonial era. Today, unfortunately, they provide safe havens for international terrorists, training grounds for regional militants, and are a destabilizing threat to the Pakistani state. Since 9/11, the Pakistani government has pursued different strategies to address these overlapping threats to national and international security, ranging from heavy military operations to negotiations. All have failed.

Robert Morton, Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO). A portion (10%) of this site's ad revenues is donated to the AFIO. The views expressed on this site do not represent those of any organization he is a member of. OSINT News is always looking for different perspectives regarding the Intelligence Community- got a thought, article or comment you'd like to submit? Contact us on the Secure Contact Form

Thursday, August 23, 2012

A WEAPON IN BATTLING TERRORISM- DOGS!

Boomer, a German shepherd trained in bomb detection and tracking that worked at University of Toledo in Ohio from 2002 until his retirement in 2009, died Aug. 13 at age 11.

The dog’s partner was John Betori, a 2002 UT alumnus, who patrolled his alma mater’s campuses 21 years before leaving in 2009 to become director of public safety/chief of police at Owens Community College, in Ohio.

“Boomer was a big part of the UT family and, after his retirement, really became a big part of my family as well,” Betori said. “I was proud to have had the chance to represent The University of Toledo Police Department for nearly eight years with him at my side.”

While on duty, UT’s K-9 unit provided protection details and patrolled public events to ensure safety. Boomer’s detection ability was put to use at all home UT football games from 2002 to 2008 and at high-profile campus events, including presidential campaign stops by Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Kerry. Boomer and Betori also assisted police departments in other jurisdictions, checking the Cleveland Browns Football Stadium before all home games from 2002 through 2008 and sniffing the greens of Highland Meadows Golf Club before the Jamie Farr tournament. The two also helped federal agencies with bomb threats.
Learn more

Bomb-sniffing dogs like Boomer were unheard of until an incident occurred two decades ago. Since then, the demand for heroes like Boomer, well, boomed. It began when the phone rang one morning in 1972 at Trans World Airlines' New York City headquarters. The caller on the other end delivered a bomb threat. The anonymous party demanded $2 million, to be tucked into duffel bags in JFK airport lockers, or else four TWA plane would blow up soon. Not sure which planes were in danger, the airline began grounding all of its flights to search them. TWA Flight 7, on its way from New York to Los Angeles, was among them. Flight 7 had been in the air only 15 minutes when the pilot got the message. He turned the aircraft back to New York and rushed 45 passengers and seven crew members off the plane.

Learn more

Taxing to the far end of the runway, the plane stopped for its search, and Brandy, a German shepherd led by New York City Police, trotted on. In the cockpit, she sniffed a black briefcase and sat down next to it. The briefcase, marked "Crew," was a normal sight on planes and at airports. Pilots kept their manuals in such briefcases back then. But Brandy's instinct was correct. Inside, police found enough of the explosive C-4 to destroy the plane. A detective from the New York City Police Department whisked the bomb off the plane and disarmed it five minutes before it was set to explode (source: Witkin). No other flights had bombs.

Likewise, Boomer protected the students and staff at University of Toledo. UT Police Chief Jeff Newton said, “Boomer provided many years of faithful service, fearlessly placing his life on the line every day for the protection of the UT community. Boomer has been missed since his retirement in 2009, and we are all deeply saddened to learn of his passing."

"I hope that the friendships and working relationships Boomer helped build will last for many years to come,” Betori said. “His passing leaves a large void in our hearts, but the memories will last forever.”

The U.S. has come a long way since the 1973 NYC plane scare. In 1998, the government funded Federal Protective Service (FPS) Explosive Detector Dog (EDD) Teams that provide mobile and effective capabilities for the protection of life and property. Trained dogs on patrol give a strong, visible and psychological deterrence against criminal and terrorist threats. EDD Teams are the most effective countermeasure available today for detection of explosives.

Learn more

Since the program first started in Washington, D.C. in 1998, FPS has grown the EDD program from a basic pilot program consisting of 12 teams to a fully operational, nationwide program of more than 70 teams. EDD responsibilities require the highest levels of expertise and professionalism. The selected handlers and canines are matched early in the training process and are required to complete a mandatory 10-week training course at the Basic FPS Canine Academy located in Anniston, Alabama. After successful completion of the training program, the handlers and their canine partners graduate from the course as a certified Explosive Detector Dog Team and are strategically deployed across the nation based on current threats and risk analysis.


OSINT News is glad to see dogs like the late Boomer on patrol at civic events. The American public will be seeing more of them working inside airports, stadiums and at public events.

Robert Morton, Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO). A portion (10%) of this site's ad revenues is donated to the AFIO. The views expressed on this site do not represent those of any organization he is a member of. OSINT News is always looking for different perspectives regarding the Intelligence Community- got a thought, article or comment you'd like to submit? Contact us on the Secure Contact Form

Monday, August 20, 2012

TALIBAN UMBRELLA GROUP HATES AMERICA

Learn more about TTP
The Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) has hated the U.S. ever since an August 5, 2009 incident in Zanghara, South Waziristan. In a carefully orchestrated midnight attack, US drones zeroed in and killed Baitullah Mehsud, the dreaded leader of the infamous Tehreek-e-Taliban as he lay with his wife on his father-in-law's terrace.
The lingering question remains, "Who tipped off the CIA?". Baitullah Mehsud had grown too big for his boots and his delusions of grandeur, manic dreams of ruling all of Pakistan, and his brazen and bloody terrorist acts made many people uneasy. The US, Pakistan's intelligence service (ISI), the Karzai Government, the Government of Pakistan 
...even various splinter groups of the Taliban who once  partnered with him, wanted him dead.  

NW Pakistan- learn more
This is why OSINT News believes the TTP to be particularly menacing, especially when Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is attacked. We  obtained the  information for this article on a TTP terrorist attack against Pakistan's nuclear arsenal from several OSINT sources. According to Tushar Ranjan Mohanty, a Research Associate at the Institute for Conflict Management, the attack occurred only two days ago and has been under-reported by the US news media. We cross-referenced Mohanty's report with three Pakistani newspapers: The News, Dawn.com, and One Pakistan.

The Minhas Air Force Base at Kamra in the Attock District of the Punjab Province, Pakistan, is a major location where Pakistan stockpiles its nuclear arsenal, which US intelligence estimates to include at lease 100 warheads. Unfortunately, it was attacked by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants in the early morning hours several days ago. Nine attackers dressed in military uniforms and armed with rocket propelled-grenades and suicide vests targeted the base and the adjacent Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC). After eight hours of fighting, the base was declared clear. Two Pakistan Air Force (PAF) personnel were killed and one Saab 2000 surveillance aircraft was damaged during the battle.

Pakistani's live in a world of fear, as is demonstrated by this short video of a
daytime TV show bombing. Imagine if this startled Pakistani TV anchorwoman had been Erin Burnett of CNBC,  Mishal Husain of BBC news, or Dianne Sawyer of ABC news...while you and your family were viewing the program. 

Learn about the connection

According to Pakistan's The News newspaper, the TTP attack on the nuclear arsenal is believed to stem from mounting speculation that Pakistan’s military was preparing to carry out a large-scale operation in the militant stronghold of North Waziristan, in the North-West Pakistan tribal belt, a longstanding demand of the United States. Early reports suggested that the attackers, some wearing suicide jackets, were targeting JF-17 fighter jets at the base that could be used in such an operation.

Ehsanullah Ehsan, a TTP spokesperson, claimed that four suicide bombers had carried out the attack to take revenge for the killings of the former chief of TTP, Baitullah Mehsud, and al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden. The attackers, Ehsan declared, had succeeded in achieving their targets and had delivered a "lethal blow". Ehsan claimed that dozens of security personnel had been killed in the attack and that the TTP could 'attack at will' and would target other locations. 

Learn more
OSINT News believes more assaults will, indeed, occur and that the opening of NATO supply routes is one reason for the TTP's new offensive. We read back issues of Pakistani and Afghanistan newspapers and found this script was written by Pakistan and the US years ago. We found an interview where the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesperson, Ihsanullah Ihsan, told a TV anchorperson named Saleem Safi over the phone that the government of Pakistan is not independent, but a slave of the U.S. and could not do anything against its will. His exact words, "We have prepared our strategy and will give strong opposition, if NATO supply routes are reopened. The Pakistan people should support the TTP against the government, which is a slave of the US.” Well...the supply routes have recently reopened.

OSINT News believes the conflict, extremism, attacks against the U.S., and resistance to modernity will continue in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Both countries are tied by historical precedents, thus creating Pakistan's ambiguous policy of supporting the United States on one hand and showing empathy for the Afghan Taliban on the other. To know thy enemy is to become an expert on the larger narrative of the Afghanistan-Pakistan relationship, beginning with the 1989 departure of Soviet troops. It is hoped that the CIA and the rest of the U.S. Intelligence Community enlightens our policy makers on this relationship.

Failing in Pakistan? Learn more
We also believe the TTP will continue to avenge Baitullah Mehsud's death with a vengeance. He was a leading militant in Waziristan, Pakistan, and the leader of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is a Taliban umbrella group. He formed this alliance with at least five pro-Taliban groups in December 2007 and was thought by the CIA and U.S. military analysts to have commanded up to 5,000 fighters. They conducted many attacks in Pakistan including the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.           

Ehsan is not making idle threats, for Pakistan’s Federal Ministry of Interior recently cited intelligence reports indicating that the terrorists had chalked out a plan to hit Islamabad and Lahore simultaneously. The reports come from reliable sources and state "...attacks, using explosive laden trucks, will be launched in Islamabad and Lahore at the same time." These intelligence sources added that the key leader of a terrorist outfit, Yaseen, was the mastermind of the proposed vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attacks, which are planned against a top hotel and a sensitive building in the Red Zone of Islamabad, and an airbase and airport in Lahore.
The nuclear arsenal at Minhas Air Force Base has been attacked four times since December 2007. On December 10, 2007, a suicide bomber exploded his car targeting a bus carrying PAF employees' children, killing and wounding eight persons, including five schoolchildren. On January 18, 2008, militants fired four rockets at short intervals. One landed on the roof of the senior Non Commissioned Officer's (NCO) Mess, and two inside the Mirage Rebuild Factory. Then, on October 23, 2009, eight persons were killed and 17 sustained injuries when a suicide bomber blew up a Police check-post near the PAC, when Security Force (SF) personnel stopped him at the check-post.

Despite their willingness to kill children, they 
are fierce warriors and are willing to die for their cause, whatever it is. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) attack that took place in May 2011 further demonstrates their tenacity. They assaulted the headquarters of the Pakistan Navy's Naval Air Arm and the most populous Pakistani military installation, located near the PAF's Faisal Air Force Base of Karachi, Sindh. Fifteen TTP warriors were killed, but they still managed to murder 18 military personnel.


Learn more
As TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan had stated, "We had already warned after Osama's martyrdom that we will carry out even bigger attacks." The first retaliatory attack on a security establishment after the death of Osama bin Laden occurred on May 13, 2011, when two suicide bombers hit Frontier Constabulary (FC) trainees, 19 miles from Peshawar, the capital city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Province, killing 73 FC personnel and 17 civilians, and injuring another 140. At the time, TTP spokesman Ehsan declared, "Pakistan will be the prime target followed by United States (US). The US had been on a man-hunt for Osama and now Pakistani rulers are on our hit-list as we also killed Benazir Bhutto in a suicide attack."

Related Posts:
Deadly Pakistan Drone Strikes Effective and Justified
Pakistan No U.S. Ally Against Terrorism
Become An Expert On Pakistan's Haqqani Network
Pakistan Militants To Join Taliban In Afghanistan
Pakistan Student Visa Program A Security Threat

Robert Morton, Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO). A portion (10%) of this site's ad revenues is donated to the AFIO. The views expressed on this site do not represent those of any organization he is a member of. OSINT News is always looking for different perspectives regarding the Intelligence Community- got a thought, article or comment you'd like to submit? Contact us on the Secure Contact Form

Thursday, August 9, 2012

RELEASED GUANTANAMO BAY DETAINEES BECAME SAUDI TERRORISTS

Learn more
The State Dept. designated a senior al Qaeda leader as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” because he trained militants in Afghanistan and maintained close ties to other top members of the group. Sanctions are placed against Azaam Abdullah Zureik Al-Maulid, aka Mansur al-Harbi. Though the United States is just now turning its attention to al-Harbi, he has long been a wanted man in his home country of Saudi Arabia.


In 2009, al-Harbi and 83 Saudis and two Yemenis were listed on Saudi Arabia’s “most wanted terrorists” list for engaging in extremist activities abroad. Al-Harbi is a veteran of Afghanistan's terror training camps and is wanted for his connections with other senior al Qaeda leaders. The U.S. State Department announced that al-Harbi "traveled to Afghanistan more than a decade ago to join al Qaeda. He is responsible for training militants and for the coordination of foreign fighters who travel to Afghanistan to fight against coalition forces. As a result of his key training position, al-Harbi is closely associated to many senior al Qaeda leaders."




Who are his senior al Qaeda associates? One of them is Saif al-Adel, the interim al Qaeda leader following the death of Osama bin Laden. Al-Adel is also wanted for his role in the 1998 African embassy bombings. Another wanted associate, Abdel Aziz Migrin, was al Qaeda's leader in Saudi Arabia but was killed in a shootout with Saudi authorities in 2004.

When the list of Saudi's most wanted terrorists was released, Interpol issued "Orange" notices seeking information on all of the wanted men and "Red" notices thereafter for 81 of the suspects. Authorities believed all of the suspects were planning attacks against Saudi Arabia from abroad. Eleven of the 83 wanted Saudi terrorists were once detainees at the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay. Upon their release they were repatriated and placed in rehabilitation programs aimed at abating their extremist views, but it wasn't long before all 11 fled. Authorities believe they rejoined their jihadist associates in neighboring Yemen, which is home to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), one of the terror group's deadliest franchises. Please read "Terrorist rehabilitation- a good strategy?".

Three of them have since surrendered to Saudi authorities. The most recent was Adnan Muhammad Ali al-Saigh, who turned himself in just days ago. Al-Saigh fought with bin Laden's 55th Arab Brigade in Afghanistan prior to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States and went on to join AQAP after being transferred back to his home country from Guantanamo Bay.


Learn more
Ironically, the States Treasury placed Yasin Al-Qadi (photo left) on the  "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" list. He was also named in United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1267 and 1333. The European Union also placed sanctions on Al Qadi but, in 2007, the European Court of Justice overturned sanctions against Al Qadi by individual European Union governments, on the grounds the EU nations had not offered those sanctioned a chance for a judicial review. 

Robert Morton, Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO). A portion (10%) of this site's ad revenues is donated to the AFIO. The views expressed on this site do not represent those of any organization he is a member of. OSINT News is always looking for different perspectives regarding the Intelligence Community- got a thought, article or comment you'd like to submit? Contact us on the Secure Contact Form

TERRORIST REHABILITATION- A GOOD STRATEGY?

This post has been updated. Go to "Terrorist Rehabilitation In Battling Radical Islam."