Archive for the ‘Middle East’ Category

“we will be reading Miranda rights to the corpse of Osama bin Laden,”
-Attorney General, Eric Holder, March 16, 2010

President Obama may have felt squeamish about the belly slap and facial holds implemented by the CIA on 30% of the 100 or so graduates of the CIA program (that gave us upward of 60% of what we learned about al Qaeda), including the 3 waterboardees, but he certainly has no qualms over the killing of 400-500 militants, along with those civilians unfortunate enough to have been in the vicinity of Drone attacks. The latest to bite the dust is Hussein al-Yemeni, an al Qaeda trainer believed to have had a role to play in the suicide bombing that killed 7 CIA officers (Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud who claimed credit as well may or may not be dead from a previous strike).

Killing Mr. al-Yemeni was very important to the CIA because of his status in al Qaeda and his involvement in the Khost attack, Mr. Panetta said. Mr. Panetta didn’t speak directly to the circumstances of the death; the CIA doesn’t discuss covert action.

“Anytime we get a high value target that is in the top leadership of al Qaeda, it seriously disrupts their operations,” Mr. Panetta said. “It sent two important signals,” Mr. Panetta said. “No. 1 that we are not going to hesitate to go after them wherever they try to hide, and No. 2 that we are continuing to target their leadership.”

No tears shed, certainly. And I’m glad for the parts of the Bush-era counter-terrorism programs that President Obama has chosen to retain. However, criticism persists that the Obama approach is to kill over capture.

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You can always count on some kind of anti-American screed from the likes of Matt Damon:

And his latest has been thrown in the dumpster with all the rest of the anti-American Iraqi war movies:

“Green Zone” is the last drama set to be released by a major studio related to the Iraq war, and Hollywood is undoubtedly grateful for it after the picture, directed by Paul Greengrass and starring Matt Damon, opened to just $14.5 million domestically and $9.7 million overseas.

It’s the latest in a string of flops that include “Body of Lies,” “The Kingdom” and “Stop-Loss.” Even “The Hurt Locker,” while not a major disappointment given its low budget, is the lowest- grossing best picture Oscar winner in recent history. Read the rest of this entry »

Created by The Sniper, from a Reuters photo. (Hat tip: Greyhawk).

Marineistan“?!

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Many of us were unborn when Adolph Hitler slaughtered millions of the world’s Jews, yet we wonder how the world could have remained silent and allowed such a monster to gain the power to kill millions of innocent men, women and children. Unfortunately, some have not learned from history and seemed doomed to repeat it.

In a sick twist of irony, the world has been unwilling to exterminate a similar strongman, who denies the holocaust and existence of Israel, and who at this very moment is building a nuclear bomb to wipe Israel off the face of the earth.

Once again, attempts to deal with Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad through direct talks have been futile and fruitless. How long will the world continue to kick the can down the road, allowing Ahmadinejad to run out the clock?

Does anyone really believe that Iran’s nuclear program is for peaceful purposes? Of course not—Iran is developing a nuclear weapon and the world is watching. Read the rest of this entry »

The new PC rules of waging war is taking it’s toll on the US military/NATO/Afghan troops attempts to re’seize control of the Taliban poppy stronghold of Marjah.

Even the Air Force Times today focused on the frustration of soldiers on the ground, hampered by NATO style ROEs that effectively have the forces fighting with one hand tied behind their backs.

Some American and Afghan troops say they’re fighting the latest offensive in Afghanistan with a handicap — strict rules that routinely force them to hold their fire.

Although details of the new guidelines are classified to keep insurgents from reading them, U.S. troops say the Taliban are keenly aware of the restrictions.

“I understand the reason behind it, but it’s so hard to fight a war like this,” said Marine Lance Cpl. Travis Anderson, 20, of Altoona, Iowa. “They’re using our rules of engagement against us,” he said, adding that his platoon had repeatedly seen men drop their guns into ditches and walk away to blend in with civilians.

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March 2002: President Bush authorizes the indefinite detention of enemy combatants.

April 2010: President Obama keeps that program intact.

Watch as the left heads explode:

The White House is considering endorsing a law that would allow the indefinite detention of some alleged terrorists without trial as part of efforts to break a logjam with Congress over President Barack Obama’s plans to close the Guantanamo Bay prison, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Monday…

Civil liberties advocates and many who back Obama’s effort to close Guantanamo have opposed a preventive detention law as a departure from the tradition of prosecuting and punishing individuals for specific crimes. Some critics have also expressed worries that such a law would be hard to limit and could be extended well beyond Al Qaeda operatives. Read the rest of this entry »

While the US media has been diddling around with political barbs and infighting, teleprompters vs palm’prompters, and spinning the stage show that’s the health care bipartisan summit, my mind has been on our US military and NATO troops… including one of our FA own, Old Trooper. The US, NATO and Afghan military have amassed around the village of Marjah to implement Operation Mushtarak, or “Together,” …one leg of the strategy to again seize three key areas of Afghanistan, and beat back the resurgence of the Taliban since NATO took over security in 2006. The overview of the Afghan strategy includes not only the military strategy, discussed here, but “…political development, economic development, counter narcotics, and the Afghanistan police and justice system.”

The McChrystal plan is a short term (12-18 months) “surge” that changes the prior activities of going after the bad guys, and substitutes an aggressive offense to provide security to the Afghans, whom the Taliban have intimidated and brow beaten into submission. As the LongWarJoural article states:

For the short term, the US does not consider it necessary to control the entire country but rather to secure a few key areas and population centers. The goal is for the people of Afghanistan to first see an opportunity for a normal, better future, and then to start to experience it.

The key areas that General McChrystal has identified are:

• Helmand province, particularly the Helmand River valley
• Kandahar City and the areas surrounding the city
• The provinces of Paktika, Paktia, and Khost

The second part of the strategy is to develop the Afghan National Security Force into a force that is capable of providing security for the country. Although ANSF development will not be completed in 18 months, it needs to demonstrate both substantial progress and that the long term goal of the ANSF providing for security for the entire country is achievable. A major review will be held in December 2010 to assess progress.

The Helmand Province is key, being a fertile agricultural area of Afghanistan serving not to supply much needed food for the nation, but poppies for opium for terrorist funding, it’s refinement and storage. With an unused hydroelectric dam Kajak at the northern end of the river valley, the area offers strategic import for a nation’s food belt.

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743-image_amadinejad_drawing

It’s a big day for the little man in Iran.

The 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution has arrived, and to remind the USA Ahmadinejad has been blowing smoke at the White House and the American people for quite some time now.

My question is will he remain in power to celebrate the next anniversary if there is another anniversary to celebrate at all? Read the rest of this entry »

“I want to announce with a loud voice here that the first package of 20 percent fuel was produced and provided to the scientists,” he said.

Enriching uranium produces fuel for a nuclear power plants but can also be used to create material for atomic weapons if enriched further to 90 percent or more.

We have the capability to enrich uranium more than 20 percent or 80 percent but we don’t enrich (to this level) because we don’t need it,” he said in a speech broadcast live on state television.

EPIC FAIL

So who’s lying?

On Tuesday: (h/t Doug Ross)

[FBI Director] Mueller said none of the intelligence chiefs at Tuesday’s hearing (including Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair and CIA Director Leon Panetta) were consulted about the decision to read AbdulMutallab his Miranda rights. That decision was made by the chief security interrogator at the scene in consultation with the Department of Justice, Mueller said.

Same day report from CNN:

At congressional hearings last month, Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano admitted they had not been consulted about the decision to Mirandize Abdulmutallab.

Today: Read the rest of this entry »

It only took a public thrashing to get Obama and pals to figure out that hey, maybe we want to get this Christmas Day Bomber to cooperate after all:

The Nigerian man accused of trying to use a bomb hidden in his underwear to bring down a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day has been cooperating with investigators since last week, discussing his contacts in Yemen and providing intelligence in multiple terrorism investigations, officials said Tuesday.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s cooperation could prove to be a national security victory and a political vindication for President Barack Obama, who has been under fire from lawmakers who contend the administration botched the case by giving Abdulmutallab the right to remain silent, rather than interrogating him as a military prisoner.

In the days following the failed bombing, a pair of FBI agents flew to Nigeria and persuaded Abdulmutallab’s family to help them. When the agents returned to the U.S., Abdulmutallab’s family came, too, according to a senior administration official briefed on the case. The family persuaded Abdulmutallab to work with the FBI, believing he would be treated fairly in U.S. courts, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.

Gotta agree with York on this one….a little too smooth: Read the rest of this entry »

Even the Washington Post has come out in opposition to the Obama administration’s decision to treat the crotch-bomber (Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab) as nothing more than a common street criminal:

Whether to charge terrorism suspects or hold and interrogate them is a judgment call. We originally supported the administration’s decision in the Abdulmutallab case, assuming that it had been made after due consideration. But the decision to try Mr. Abdulmutallab turns out to have resulted not from a deliberative process but as a knee-jerk default to a crime-and-punishment model.

~~~

…Some intelligence officials, including personnel from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, were included in briefings by the Justice Department before Mr. Abdulmutallab was charged. These sessions did provide an opportunity for those attending to debate the merits of detention vs. prosecution. According to sources with knowledge of the discussions, no one questioned the approach or raised the possibility of taking more time to question the suspect. This makes the administration’s approach even more worrisome than it would have been had intelligence personnel been cut out of the process altogether.

The fight against an unconventional enemy such as al-Qaeda cannot be waged exclusively or effectively through any single approach. Just as it would be a mistake to view all terrorist acts as law enforcement challenges, so would it be unwise to deal with all such incidents as acts of war. All paths must be seriously considered before a determination is made.

I cannot for the life of me fathom how anyone could believe giving Miranda warnings to a terrorist is a good idea. Yes, I know the left has many rabid peaceniks who are more naive than a 5 year old but come on…..Miranda warnings for a foreign terrorist suspect? He is not a US citizen and he was trained by and is a part of a non-state entity which has declared war on us. He simply does not have the same protection afforded to a US citizen. He is an enemy combatant. No Miranda warnings are necessary. (see Aye’s excellent commentary for more) Read the rest of this entry »

It really is not any surprise that this report coming out of the US military is completely sterilized as it has been the aim to whitewash it from the beginning. It details how everyone else screwed up but Hasan was just a troubled military man who simply freaked out and killed 13 of his compatriots, sic.

Look at the photos the media selected to use of Hasan. Downplay any mention of terrorism. Read the rest of this entry »

Here is Obama’s remarks after the Christmas Day Bomber:

“The buck stops with me.”

“I am less interested in placing blame.”

Nice words.

But when it comes down to it, the Administration hid much of the ineptness inside that administration and how they are fighting this war. The New York Times explains the nuts and bolts, but we know what it all comes down to. They just don’t believe we are at war. I mean come on, it’s just some folks who don’t like us, so we need to find a way to get them to like us. Read the rest of this entry »

During last night’s Massachusetts debate between Scott Brown and Martha Coakley there was a lot of attention paid to Scott Brown’s answer to a question posed from the moderator, David Gergen, in last night’s debate in which he was asked “…are you willing, under those circumstances, to say I’m going to be the person, I’m going to sit in Teddy Kennedy’s seat and I’m going to be the person that is going to block it (Obamacare) for another 15 years?” His answer is 40 seconds into the video:

But some are overlooking this important gaffe by his challenger, Martha Coakley, in which she asserted that all the terrorists are gone in Afghanistan. Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit puts together this video: Read the rest of this entry »