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What does Al Qaeda want?
Their goals are relatively simple. The want to drive Americans from Muslim holy lands and establish pan-Arabian, fundamentalist Islamic rule in every area worldwide that has a significant Muslim population. They want to destroy what they see as the profane influence of the West on all Muslims and all Muslim-populated areas. If that involves killing every “infidel” they run across, so be it.
What does Al Qaeda mean?
The term in Arabic simply means “the base” which refers to the concept that the organization should serve as a launching pad or base of operations for a global Islamic revolt against the West.
What is Al Qaeda’s history?
The organization grew out of the fundamentalist “Services Office,” which served as a clearing house for the International Muslim Brigade opposed to the 1979 Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan. Later in the 1980s, the Services Office – which was run by Osama Bin Laden – recruited, trained and funded thousands of foreign mujahedeen from more than 50 countries. Bin Laden wanted these trained fighters to continue their holy war after the Russians pulled out of Afghanistan, so he formed Al Qaeda in 1988 to control their activities. From 1991 to 1996, Al Qaeda operated out of Afghanistan and ran several terrorist training bases there. Our best guess these days is that the senior leadership is somewhere in the lawless tribal regions just inside Pakistan near the Afghanistan border area.
Is Al Qaeda active in Iraq?
Damn right it is. Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is a known Al Qaeda sympathizer who works his evil through a network of Al Qaeda operatives constantly on the move throughout Iraq. Zarqawi is believed to be behind many of the bombings and kidnappings in Iraq. He has claimed responsibility for the beheading of U.S. citizen Nick Berg in May of 2004.
Where else does Al Qaeda operate?
We don’t know for sure whether or not Al Qaeda has an actual headquarters anymore, but we do know they have autonomous cells in more than 100 countries around the world. So far, law enforcement officials have broken up cells in the UK, US, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Albania, Uganda and a number of other nations.
How big is Al Qaeda?
No one knows for sure…and that mystery is a part of their operating procedure. Best guess is that there are somewhere between several hundred to several thousand active members around the world.
Why do Al Qaeda supporters hate Americans?
It’s not because we are free and democratic. Al Qaeda opposes our presence in the Middle East and Arab holy lands, particularly any American presence in Saudi Arabia where Mecca is located. These people look down on Americans and other Westerners as infidels. They believe we are corrupting their holy places and ripping off their oil resources.
Is Al Qaeda connected to other terrorists groups? Which ones?
There are at least a dozen other terrorist groups around the world who claim direct links to Al Qaeda. These are some of the most notorious:
Ansar al-Islam: This is the core organization of al-Zarqawi and it’s members are considered among the most dangerous people in the world. This is the outfit that claims credit for most of the atrocities in Iraq.
Egyptian Islamic Jihad and Jamaat Islamiyya: Both of these outfits are based primarily in Egypt and have been active since the 1970s. Many of the top Al Qaeda leaders are Egyptians.
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan: Located in the north of Afghanistan, this lash-up is committed to establishing an Islamic fundamentalist state in Uzbekistan. They have closely embraced Osama Bin Laden’s anti-Western agenda.
Islamic Army of Aden: This is a Yemen-based unit that backs Al Qaeda’s goal of driving Westerners from the Arabian Peninsula. They are also bound and determined to overthrow the Yemeni government.
Abu Sayaf: This is the group that claims responsibility for murder and kidnappings in the Philippines. They are thought to be headquartered and most active on the island on Mindinao. They also operate throughout the Malay Peninsula.
Hezbollah: This is a radical Lebanese militia backed by Iran. They get their recruits and followers from minority Shiite Muslims. This is also the group that was responsible for the bombing on the U.S. Marine Battalion Landing Team headquarters in Beirut on 23 October 1983, killing 241 Americans.
Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (Libya and elsewhere in North Africa)
Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhamman (operating in Kashmir)
Salafist Group for Combat (Algeria)
Armed Islamic Group (Algeria)
Where is Osama Bin Laden?
We just don’t know. Best intelligence estimates are that he’s hiding somewhere in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area of Waziristan. We believe he moves regularly at night and only a few of his most-loyal partisans know where he is or where he’s headed.
Why haven’t we found him yet?
The people we need to finger this guy are ultra-loyal members of his inner circle and difficult to capture, turn or exploit for intelligence. Osama avoids using electronic devices such as radios or cell phones which could allow us to use our SIGINT/ELINT technology to locate him. He communicates with his minions primarily by couriers or videotaped messages distributed by messengers. We are focused on the Waziristan area and searching hard but the terrain is rugged, complex and shot through with caves and other hiding places that can’t be detected by aerial surveillance. It’s literally like looking for a needle in a haystack.
If we capture or kill Osama will that destroy Al Qaeda?
No. Al Qaeda can and would function without Osama Bin Laden. Killing OBL in combat would likely just elevate him to martyr status and his followers would fight on to avenge his death.
Can we tie Al Qaeda reliably to major attacks?
Hell yes. Try these on for size:
1998 – Bombing of U.S. Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
2000 – October surface craft attack on USS Cole in Yemen.
2001 – Aircraft hijacking attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center and on the Pentagon on 11 September.
2002 – Explosion of a fuel tanker truck outside a synagogue in Tunisia.
2002 – Car bomb attack in Mombasa, Kenya as well as a failed attempt to shoot down an Israeli commercial jet with a shoulder-fired missile in the same country.
2003 – Car bomb attacks on three expat residential compounds (the Khobar Towers) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Furthermore, we have good intelligence information that Al Qaeda surrogate groups carried out suicide attacks on Western interests in Casablanca, Morocco in May 2003. Such groups are also believed responsible for the nightclub bombing in Bali, Indonesia in October 2003. The outfit that detonated a truck bomb in the parking garage of the World Trade Center in 1993 was also linked to Al Qaeda.
Reliable information also indicates Al Qaeda was involved in the failed plot by Richard Reid to detonate a shoe-bomb on a transatlantic flight in 2001. They were also linked to the 1999 plot to set off an explosive device at LAX and a 1995 scheme to blow up 12 transpacific flights make by U.S. commercial carriers. Al Qaeda is also believed to be behind the 1995 plan to kill then-President Bill Clinton during a state visit to the Philippines and a 1994 plot to kill Pope John Paul II during a visit to Manila
ABC News' Luis Martinez reports: The Army has had another bad month for suicides within its ranks with 18 suspected suicides during the month of February. That is a decrease from January's record-high of 24 suspected suicides, but one Army official said Wednesday the number still remains high and "very disturbing."
The Army's in the midst of a month-long training stand-down to help soldiers identify suicidal behavior among their colleagues. That stand-down was prompted by last year's record number of 143 suspected suicides in the ranks, 138 of those have been confirmed as suicides and five remain under investigation as possible suicides. Still, last year's 143 possible suicides were substantially higher than the 115 suicides that occurred in 2007, and the fourth straight year that suicides had increased Army-wide.
Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli and top Army mental health officers released the February numbers during a bloggers conference call this morning. Last month's high numbers prompted the Army to begin releasing monthly suicide statistics.
Chiarelli said trying to reduce the suicide numbers within the ranks, "is one of the hardest problems" he's seen in his 36 year military career and such a complex challenge, "that there is no single solution...suicide is a multi-dimensional problem that requires a multi-disciplinary approach to tackle it."
He also said that the increase cannot be easily explained by conventional wisdom. For example, Chiarelli said he believed that if soldiers had adequate access to mental health providers the numbers would go down. But, he said a review of the numbers showed that 50 percent of those who committed suicide last year had sought out some form of mental health care or counseling and still went ahead to commit suicide.
Chiarelli also explained how on first blush it might appear that soldiers with multiple combat deployments might have the highest suicide numbers, but the opposite seems true. He said suicide numbers are lower among multiple deployers and that they seem to develop a resiliency to the stressful situations they encounter. Furthermore, last year's suicide numbers were split almost evenly into thirds among those who had deployed to combat, those who had come home from combat and those who'd never shipped out overseas.
Stressing how this is "not business as usual and we must move quickly," Chiarelli noted success in helping to remove the stigma of seeking counseling, but said more progress had been made at the officer level than among junior enlisted and junior non-commissioned officers. "That's an issue we have to work hard," said the general.
At one point Chiarelli suggested the issue of unemployment might be a suicide risk factor among National Guardsmen and Army Reservists. He said he had participated in a conference call yesterday that detailed 15 suicide cases and noted that among the cases involving National Guardsmen and Army Reservists, a common theme was the issue of unemployment among the civilian soldiers who had taken their lives. He cautioned later that this was a very small sampling and the difficulties in trying to determine a trend from such a small group.
Other officials also added that the issues that lead to suicide are hard to narrow down to one particular reason. For example, stress over personal relationships is often cited as a major factor, but it might be compounded by other issues like financial distress which again point to the importance of tackling suicides in a multi-disciplinary way.
The Departmet of Homeland security has black listed Vets. as possible domestic terroirst. They have informed law inforcement to be on the look out for vets as possile terrorist. So now I have to worry about driving around with my Vet plates I am a target.
This morning I wrote a post about a Homeland Security paper that warned about “right wing extremists” and the threat that they may pose to the government.
This paper basically lumped in people who are either pro second amendment, anti abortion, anti illegal immigration, or pro smaller government (or more than one or all of the above) with white supremacists and domestic terrorists. As maddening as I found that paper there was one aspect to the paper that I missed this morning and to me it is much more egregious.
This is what the Department of Homeland Security thinks about our military men and women who are overseas fighting on our behalf:
the return of military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks
That is unforgivable. To suggest that some of our troops will come home and form or join terrorist groups is beyond reprehensible. And why suddenly is the Department of Homeland Security suddenly using the “T” word again when talking about our troops when they refuse to call the actual terrorists what they are?
The report continues:
Returning veterans possess combat skills and experience that are attractive to right-wing extremists,” it says. “DHS/I&A is concerned that right-wing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize veterans in order to boost their violent capacities
I find it very interesting to see how these people really feel about our veteran
A GROUP of sailors from HMAS Success has been sent home and an inquiry is underway after they allegedly plotted a challenge to have sex with as many female crewmates as possible.
The sailors allegedly detailed their plot in a document called “The Ledger” where dollar values were placed on each woman's head, during an overseas deployment in May, Channel Seven reports.
Larger amounts were offered if the sailors could sleep with a female officer or a lesbian and sailors challenged each other to have sex in various locations, including on top of a pool table, the report said.
The arrangement was discovered while HMAS Success was visiting Singapore. The captain ordered the sailors to immediately return home to Australia after they were formally interviewed.
The Defence Department has launched a formal inquiry into the incident and confirmed an unspecified number of sailors from the Success, one of the fleet's biggest ships, returned to Australia in May.
”The matter concerning sailors who were returned to Australia from HMAS Success in May 2009 remains under investigation, so the veracity of any allegations has yet to be confirmed,” Defence said in a statement to the Seven Network.
”The individuals were removed from the ship after an equity and diversity health check, which led to a formal inquiry being initiated.
”During the equity and diversity health check a number of concerns were raised by female crew members. These concerns are now subject to formal inquiry.”
The statement said the navy demands a working environment “free from unacceptable behaviour”.
It warns all of its staff to “treat others fairly” and that any form of unacceptable behaviour “will be dealt with”.
BAGHDAD – Iraqi forces assumed formal control of Baghdad and other cities Tuesday after American troops handed over security in urban areas in a defining step toward ending the U.S. combat role in the country. A countdown clock broadcast on Iraqi TV ticked to zero as the midnight deadline passed for U.S. combat troops to finish their pullback to bases outside cities.
"The withdrawal of American troops is completed now from all cities after everything they sacrificed for the sake of security," said Sadiq al-Rikabi, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. "We are now celebrating the restoration of sovereignty."
The Pentagon did not offer any comment to mark the passing of the deadline.
Fireworks, not bombings, colored the Baghdad skyline late Monday, and thousands attended a party in a park where singers performed patriotic songs. Loudspeakers at police stations and military checkpoints played recordings of similar tunes throughout the day, as Iraqi military vehicles decorated with flowers and national flags patrolled the capital.
"All of us are happy — Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds on this day," Waleed al-Bahadili said as he celebrated at the park. "The Americans harmed and insulted us too much."
Al-Maliki declared a public holiday and proclaimed June 30 as "National Sovereignty Day."
Midnight's handover to Iraqi forces filled many citizens with pride but also trepidation that government forces are not ready and that violence will rise. Shiites fear more bombings by Sunni militants; Sunnis fear that the Shiite-dominated Iraqi security forces will give them little protection.
If the Iraqis can hold down violence in the coming months, it will show the country is finally on the road to stability. If they fail, it will pose a challenge to President Barack Obama's pledge to end an unpopular war that has claimed the lives of more than 4,300 U.S. troops and tens of thousands of Iraqis.
The gathering at the Baghdad park was unprecedented in size for such a postwar event in a city where people tend to avoid large gatherings for fear of suicide bombers. They ignored an appeal by Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi to stay away from crowded places during the U.S. pullback, which has seen more than 250 people killed in bombings over the past 10 days.
Security at the party was stifling, as it was throughout much of Baghdad where increased checkpoints dotted the streets and identity checks were methodical. Police using bomb sniffers searched every man, woman and child who attended the party.
In a ceremony rich with symbolism, the top U.S. military commander in Baghdad, Maj. Gen. Daniel Bolger, gave his Iraqi counterpart the keys to the former defense ministry building, which had served as a joint base.
"On the eve of the 30th of June 2009 in accord with a security agreement between Iraq and America, Iraqis take the lead in Baghdad," Bolger said.
The withdrawal, required under a U.S.-Iraqi security pact, marks the first major step toward withdrawing all American forces from the country by Dec. 31, 2011. Obama has said all combat troops will be gone by the end of August 2010.
Despite Tuesday's formal pullback, some U.S. troops will remain in the cities to train and advise Iraqi forces. U.S. troops will return to the cities only if asked. The U.S. military will continue combat operations in rural areas and near the border, but only with the Iraqi government's permission.
The U.S. has not said how many troops will be in the cities in advisory roles, but the vast majority of the more than 130,000 U.S. forces remaining in the country will be in large bases scattered outside cities.
There have been some worries that the 650,000-member Iraqi military is not ready to maintain stability and deal with a stubborn insurgency.
Privately, many U.S. officers worry the Iraqis will be overwhelmed if violence surges, having relied for years on the Americans for nearly everything.
"We think they are ready," U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill told The Associated Press in an interview Monday. He said his main concern was that a lack of progress in efforts to reconcile Shiite, Sunnis and Kurds was feeding the violence that still marks the daily lives of many Iraqis.
"Frankly they need to pick up the pace," Hill said of the national reconciliation effort.
The commander of U.S. troops in the Middle East, Gen. David Petraeus, expressed concern about the spate of high-profile bombings but said the average daily number of attacks remained low at 10 to 15 compared with 160 in June 2007.
"While certainly there will be challenges — there are many difficult political issues, social issues, governmental development issues — we feel confident in the Iraqi security forces continuing the process of taking over the security tasks in their own country," said Petraeus after meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo.
Despite some concerns, al-Maliki appears eager to see the Americans leave and has urged Iraqis to hold steady against any rise in violence. Ahead of national elections next year, al-Maliki is portraying himself as the leader who defeated terrorism and ended the U.S. occupation.
Iraqi officials said they are expecting some violence but would not allow it to trigger the sectarianism that nearly sparked a civil war in 2006-2007.
At that time, death squads roamed the streets, slaughtering members of the rival Muslim sect. Bombs rocked Baghdad daily — until thousands of U.S. troops poured in, establishing neighborhood bases and taking control of the Iraqi capital and other cities.
While the U.S. troop surge strategy was successful in stemming the bloodshed, many Iraqis also saw it as an affront to their national pride.
On a visit to Ramadi, a Sunni city 70 miles west of the capital, Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani, a Shiite, told the AP that when the sun rises on Tuesday "Iraqi citizens will see no U.S. soldiers in their cities. They will see only Iraqi troops protecting them."
If any of you have ever been to a military funeral in which taps were played; this brings out a new meaning of it. Here is something every American should know. Until I read this, I didn't know, but I checked it out and it's true:
We in the United States have all heard the haunting song, "Taps". It's the song that gives us that lump in our throats and usually tears in our eyes. But, do you know the story behind the song? If not, I think you will be interested to find out about its humble beginnings. Reportedly, it all began in 1862 during the Civil War, when Union Army Captain Robert Ellicombe was with his men near Harrison's Landing in Virginia . The Confederate Army was on the other side of the narrow strip of land.
During the night, Captain Ellicombe heard the moans of a soldier who lay severely wounded on the field. Not knowing if it was a Union or Confederate soldier, the Captain decided to risk his life and bring the stricken man back for medical attention Crawling on his stomach through the gunfire, the Captain reached the stricken soldier and began pulling him toward his encampment.
When the Captain finally reached his own lines, he discovered it was actually a Confederate soldier, but the soldier was dead. The Captain lit a lantern and suddenly caught his breath and went numb with shock. In the dim light, he saw the face of the soldier. It was his own son. The boy had been studying music in the South when the war broke out. Without telling his father, the boy enlisted in the Confederate Army.
The following morning, heartbroken, the father asked permission of his superiors to give his son a full military burial, despite his enemy status. His request was only partially granted. The Captain had asked if he could have a group of Army band members play a funeral dirge for his son at the funeral. The request was turned down since the soldier was a Confederate. But, out of respect for the father, they did say they could give him only one musician.
The Captain chose a bugler. He asked the bugler to play a series of musical notes he had found on a piece of paper in the pocket of the dead youth's uniform. This wish was granted. The haunting melody, we now know as "Taps" used at military funerals was born.
The words are:
Day is done.
Gone the sun.
From the lakes.
From the hills.
From the sky.
All is well.
Safely rest.
God is nigh.
Fading light.
Dims the sight.
And a star.
Gems the sky.
Gleaming bright.
From afar.
Drawing nigh.
Falls the night.
Thanks and praise.
For our days.
Neath the sun.
Neath the stars.
Neath the sky.
As we go.
This we know.
God is nigh
I too have felt the chills while listening to "Taps" but I have never seen all the words to the song until now. I didn't even know there was more than one verse. I also never knew the story behind the song and I didn't know if you had either so I thought I'd pass it along.
I now have an even deeper respect for the song than I did before.
Remember Those Lost and Harmed While Serving Their Country.
Also Remember Those Who Have Served And Returned; and for those presently serving in the Armed Forces.
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BLAINE, Wash. - New rules requiring passports or new high-tech documents to cross the United States' northern and southern borders are taking effect Monday, as some rue the tightening of security and others hail it as long overdue.
The rules are being implemented nearly eight years after the Sept. 11 attacks and long after the 9/11 Commission recommended the changes. They were delayed by complaints from state officials who worried the restrictions would hinder the flow of people and commerce and affect border towns dependent on international crossings.
In 2001 a driver's license and an oral declaration of citizenship were enough to cross the Canadian and Mexican borders; Monday's changes are the last step in a gradual ratcheting up of the rules. Now thousands of Americans are preparing by applying for passports or obtaining special driver's licenses that can also be used to cross the border...."
MANSFIELD, Texas—A North Texas woman has won her fight over patriotism at the workplace.
KTVT in Dallas reports that Debbie McLucas, the woman who was told to remove an American flag from her office at a Mansfield hospital, has since been allowed to re-hang the Stars and Stripes after a national outcry over the story.
McLucas comes from a military family. Before Memorial Day, she had hung a 3 foot by 5 foot flag in her office. But her supervisor – who is from another country—took it down, saying it was offensive.
KTVT’s report sparked such outrage that people flooded the hospital’s switchboards with complaints.
Wednesday night, McLucas told KTVT the hospital CEO gave her a call, apologizing.
The CEO invited McLucas to put the flag back up and said the issue was with the size of the flag, not what it symbolized.
But McLucas said that wasn’t the case when she was originally told to take it down.
”At no point was I afforded the opportunity -- [no one said,] ‘Hey Deb, could you get a one and a half by three and a half and hang it instead of hanging this three by five?’” McLucas told KTVT.
In the end, though, McLucas said she was pleased that so many fellow citizens spoke out about the issue.
“It just restored my faith in the American people,” she told KTVT
