Tag: Terror List

What Did Turkey Know?

Remember when the US killed Osama and they questions started flying around about what did Pakistan know about it?

Did Pakistan know that Osama was hiding in plain sight?

Now a few in the intel service are starting to ask similar questions about Turkey and Baghdadi…..

As U.S. intelligence analysts comb through electronic and paper documents seized last weekend from the lair of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, one question is foremost on their minds: How was the Islamic State leader able to find refuge in a Syrian province secured by the Turkish military and its proxy forces?

Three U.S. national security officials told me that they want to know more about Turkey’s knowledge of Baghdadi’s whereabouts. One important task for the team now going through the material seized in the Baghdadi raid and another raid that killed organization’s spokesman, Abul Hassan al-Muhajir, is to map out the relationship between Turkey’s intelligence service and Islamic State.

Both men were hiding close to the Turkish border in Syrian territory. Muhajir was found in Jarabulus, a town in the Aleppo province patrolled by Turkish forces. Baghdadi was found in Idlib province, where there are numerous Turkish military checkpoints.

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-11-01/baghdadi-raid-did-turkey-know-where-he-was-hiding-in-syria

For me do not care one way of the other….Baghdadi is dead and that is all that is important.

This looks like Bloomberg just trying to stir shit…..for it matters not what Turkey knew or did not know….Baghdadi is dead…..

His second in command is dead as well and the new leader is some dude from the the ranks that few knew of….the intel people might want to worry about this new guy more than what Turkey knew and when.

Baghdadi is DEAD….he took the cowards way out a blew himself up….Turkey had nothing to do with this event….our military people achieved their goal and took the bastard out.  PERIOD!

Turkey is trying to regain their primo spot in the elimination of ISIS after the US and the Kurds killed Baghdadi…..

Turkey announced that they have captured the older sister of the late ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The woman, identified as 65-year-old Rasmiya Awad, is being described as having suspected affiliation with an extremist group.

Turkey captured Awad in a raid in north Syria’s town of Azaz, in the Turkish-controlled part of the Aleppo Province. Officials said she is believed to be an intelligence “gold mine.”

Little is known about Baghdadi’s sister, though Turkish officials say they believe what she knows about ISIS could significantly expand understanding of the group, and facilitate more raids.

This is likely an attempt for Turkey to score a big win in anti-ISIS operations, after the US killing of Baghdadi was attributed in many reports to the Kurdish YPG sharing intelligence about him.

(antiwar.com)

I Read, I Wrote, You Know

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

Out Of The Desert……

Let’s take a look at the future of extremism.

AQ was born of war in Afghanistan…..ISIS was born of war in Iraq…..then the progression could be true of Libya……

The blood in the sand is thanks to the extremism of the branch of Islam….Wahhabism/Salafist…….

This form of Islam is not necessarily the form of Islam most Americans will encounter on the streets of America….no more so than the extremes of Judaism……

Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (d. 1792) was the first modern Islamic fundamentalist and extremist. Al-Wahhab made the central point of his reform movement the principle that absolutely every idea added to Islam after the third century of the Muslim era (about 950 CE) was false and should be eliminated. Muslims, in order to be true Muslims, must adhere solely and strictly to the original beliefs set forth by Muhammad.

https://www.learnreligions.com/wahhabism-and-wahhabi-islam-250235

The conflict that began with the death of Qaddafi is breeding another extreme group to watch…..

Madkhali-Salafis (“Madkhalis” for short), followers of an ultra-conservative Sunni Muslim doctrine, are growing in influence across Libya since the fall of the Qadhafi regime in 2011. Present in major armed groups in both east and west, they wield considerable military clout and, as a result, political leverage over both post-2014 rival governments. Their rise within the security sector follows a common pattern among other Libyan warring factions, both Islamist and non-Islamist, which have sought to expand their influence by penetrating the security apparatus and converting its members to their worldview. Now, their anti-democratic agenda and rejection of Libya’s religious and cultural diversity has triggered growing apprehension from many Libyans. Libyan political actors negotiating a solution to the conflict should seek to build a professional security apparatus shielded from ideological influence of any kind. For their part, Madkhalis should publicly commit to respecting religious freedom.

https://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/north-africa/libya/addressing-rise-libyas-madkhali-salafis
 
What are the chances of a new faction will emerge as a blight on Islam?
 
The Wahhabis, the Muslim extremists, have hijacked the faith from the end of WW1…….(this link is for those that pretend they know the Muslim faith and make false claims)(try learning something for a change)

Our century so far has been overshadowed by a plague which roots, western powers have proclaimed, can be found in Islam and its practice. And though politicians have been careful not to publicly brand all Muslims terrorists, the narrative has nevertheless been one of suspicion and assumption. The words terror and Islam have been juxtaposed too many times in the media for anyone to believe that it was not by “design.” There has been a war of words against both Islam and Muslims. Its aim is rather simple and only too predictable since it falls within an equation of greed and cynicism.

By ridiculing Islam and dehumanizing its followers, western powers have essentially laid the ground for intervention – positioning their armies within a narrative of moral salvation and liberation when their aims are everything but.

 
The possibility of a new group to be added to the terror list is forming and needs to be handled……Muslim need to step up and protect their faith from the monsters from the shadows.

Was War Declared?

While everybody was being told that there was no collusion and the exoneration of a president…..the US moved a little closer to a possible war with Iran.

In the first such move of its kind, President Trump has labeled Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization. Never before has the US made that declaration about a foreign military, reports Reuters. In fact, never before has the US used the label against any part of a foreign government, notes the New York Times. In response, Iran is expected to label the American military a terrorist organization, too, reports NPR. “This unprecedented step, led by the Department of State, recognizes the reality that Iran is not only a State Sponsor of Terrorism, but that the IRGC actively participates in, finances, and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft,” Trump said in a statement.

“If you are doing business with the IRGC, you will be bankrolling terrorism,” Trump said. The IRGC has about 150,000 members, including ground forces, navy, and air force personnel, reports the BBC. The move will allow the US to seek penalties against members of the group and bar their entrance to America. The same applies to individuals or entities providing assistance to the Guard. The Washington Post notes that the move comes one day before Benjamin Netanyahu, a staunch ally of Trump who has made Iran a focal point of his tenure, seeks re-election as prime minister of Israel

Let me help to catch you up…….

https://lobotero.com/2019/04/08/stir-the-pot-for-war/

https://lobotero.com/2019/04/08/stir-the-pot-for-war/

Now what about this war thingy?

It is no longer a question of if Americans will die in a conflict with Iran, but when.

The United States has long been engaged in a secret shadow war with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), dating back to the American invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003.

This conflict took the lives of hundreds of American troops and hundreds more IRGC members. The Iranian opposition to the U.S. occupation of Iraq, and the inability of the U.S. to militarily defeat Iranian forces inside Iraq, was just one reason that the Obama administration decided to withdraw American troops in 2011.

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/america-just-declared-war-on-iran-and-nobody-blinked-irgc-terrorists/
 
This is just an attempt to protect Israel…..for most Americans cannot remember what happened in 1979….all they know is that Iran wants to destroy Israel and that is enough to possibly go to war.

Bin Laden Makes News (Again)

We all remember the name of the bastard that lead the attacks on 9/11…Osama bin Laden…..now that he is dead we should be free of the name right?

NO!

His son is making a name for himself…..Hamza bin Laden…..and the US is offering a reward for information on his location…..a million bucks….kinda low for info on a known terrorist…..

“Submit a tip, get paid,” reads the tweet from the State Department’s Counter-Terrorism Rewards Program. In this case, the US is looking for a big tip—and offering a handsome reward: The US announced it will pay up to $1 million for information leading to Hamza bin Laden, the 30-year-old son of Osama. The State Department describes him as an emerging al-Qaeda leader who has issued audio and video threats against the US and Western nations loyal to it in revenge for his father’s death. The BBC reports that letters found in the compound where Osama was killed in 2011 indicated Hamza was the son he was grooming to take over for him. He was added to the US’ Specially Designated Global Terrorist list in 2017, and he has another familial terror tie: Relatives in 2018 said he had married the daughter of Mohamed Atta, the eldest of the 9/11 hijackers.


As for his general whereabouts, “We do believe he’s probably in the Afghan-Pakistan border [region] and… he’ll cross into Iran. But he could be anywhere though in … south central Asia,” said Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security Michael Evanoff. NBC News reports the UN took action against Hamza as well on Thursday: Member states are required to freeze his assets and adhere to a travel ban and arms embargo against him. In the meantime, Saudi Arabia has made its own move against the young bin Laden: Per the kingdom’s interior ministry, his citizenship there has been taken away, the Independent reports. The Washington Post notes that the revocation actually occurred by royal decree in November; it’s not clear why it’s coming to light only now.

Hamza’s luck is running out……but is he truly a threat or are we just trying to eliminate a problem before it becomes one?

Closing Thought–26Jan18

Ever notice there are always lists for everything?

And a new list of countries to be careful of has been issued……

US authorities issued an emergency order Monday requiring additional screening of cargo on flights departing for the United States from five Mideast countries, citing a threat of terrorism. The Transportation Security Administration order is aimed at preventing terrorist attacks in response to “persistent threats to aviation,” TSA said in a statement. The countries falling under this order are Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. The countries were chosen because of “demonstrated intent by terrorists groups to attack aviation from them,” the statement said. TSA said most of the requirements of the emergency order are already being carried out voluntarily by airlines in some countries, but it didn’t identify the countries.

Airlines that TSA said are affected by the order are EgyptAir, Royal Jordanian, Saudia, Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Etihad, although EgyptAir no longer accepts cargo shipments on flights to the US at the request of American authorities, notes the AP. Under the requirements of the order, airlines are supposed to provide certain information on the shipments “at the earliest practical point” before loading the cargo to US customs officials. The shipment information is then compared to information the US has on terror threats.

What I find the most interesting is that most of the countries are allies……go figure!

The List: Are We Checking It Twice?

You know that I am highly critical of a lot of programs of the US government……and I know I am not alone….the difference is that I try to give an alternative to the paths that we pursue….and terrorism is no different.

The Paris attacks of last week have Americans as well as the rest of the world trying to re-think their security procedures.

The attacks last week has brought up a wealth of questions….like how did the terrorist stay in France or Belgium if he was a known terrorist on that list that gets passed around with the names of those that should be considered dangerous.  How did this person come and go without knowledge of the authorities?

If you would like a better perspective of how the French approach counter-terrorism…..then read on…..

Source: The French Approach to Counterterrorism | Combating Terrorism Center at West Point

Personally, I think that the approach of the “home team” needs a new direction.  These days it is about massive surveillance out on the street and the infiltration of possible groups that want to do harm…..the problem is that the government is spending massive amounts of cash to be able to film you peeing behind a dumpster on Main Street or infiltrating some group of mentally starved youths so they can be conned into wanting to buy C4…..

Maybe the government could spend more time on those at the top of the list and not worry about where I pee….just a thought.

The List?  Yep, there is a list.

There is a Terror List…..and on that list there are 325,000 names of people of interests…..

The National Counterterrorism Center maintains a central repository of 325,000 names of international terrorism suspects or people who allegedly aid them, a number that has more than quadrupled since the fall of 2003, according to counterterrorism officials.

The list kept by the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) — created in 2004 to be the primary U.S. terrorism intelligence agency — contains a far greater number of international terrorism suspects and associated names in a single government database than has previously been disclosed. Because the same person may appear under different spellings or aliases, the true number of people is estimated to be more than 200,000, according to NCTC officials.

……..central database is the hub of an elaborate network of terrorism-related databases throughout the federal bureaucracy. Terrorism-related names and other data are sent to the NCTC under standards set by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 6, signed by President Bush in September 2003, according to a senior NCTC official. The directive calls upon agencies to supply data only about people who are “known or appropriately suspected to be . . . engaged in conduct constituting, in preparation for, in aid of, or related to terrorism.”

You know because I person reads Arabic newspapers does not make them a “terrorist”…..but somehow that person is probably on this list…..

Washington has decided to act in the shadow of Paris……

I know that many are afraid of losing their 2nd amendment rights….usually it it the same people that would deny 1st amendment rights to some Americans……there is a bill coming up that many may not know about…..I can help…..

A significant gap in current federal law allows suspected or known terrorists in the United States to legally buy guns. Since 2001, lone-wolf terrorists have increasingly turned to high-powered guns as their weapon of choice. An investigation found that between Feb. 2004 and Dec. 2014, suspected terrorists attempted to purchase guns at least 2,233 times. In 2,043 of those cases, over 90 percent of the time, individuals on the consolidated terror watch list passed a background check and were legally able to purchase a firearm.

The Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act, or S. 551 / H.R. 1076, would close the terror gap and prevent suspected terrorists from easily buying guns.

Learn how the bill would keep guns out of the hands of terror suspects.

Okay….I await the attacks and the craziness……

My Latest Intel Report

Most of my readers know that I am a bit of a international relations geek……I research and write a lot about the world’s situation and the dangers that we face now and in the future.  Because of my interests I get a lot of stuff that most Americans would have to pay to read….one of my sources is a group called IntelCenter…..these people track terrorists and such and analyze future problems as they are forming…..

Usually their reports are pretty much along the same lines as the local media outlet….but from time to time they report something that should be news but for some reason we seldom hear or read……

I got a report from 09 September 2015 that listed the top ten group in the world that need to be watched….and they are……
Most Dangerous Groups Over Past 30 Days
Group Threat Index (GTI)
1 – Islamic State (IS)
2 – al-Shabaab [Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen (HSM)]
3 – Boko Haram
4 – Taliban
5 – Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)
6 – Jabhat al-Nusrah
7 – Tehrik-i Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
8 – Ansar al-Sharia
9 – Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR)
10 – al-Huthi Rebels

Please take a moment to look over the list……(pause here for a little reflection from the reader)…..now…..is there anything unusual about the list?

Al-Qaeda main is NOT on the list…wassup wit dat?

But yet the government has started pushing the idea that AQ is more dangerous than ISIS….

A much-hyped new report for SOCOM is aiming to shift US focus away from ISIS and back toward al-Qaeda on the grounds that the later is a bigger “long-term” threat, and that ISIS is too aggressive to actually be successful in the long run.

The report comes out of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and attempts to compare al-Qaeda to Mao, with ISIS as Che Guevara, and drawing the conclusion that because Mao had a much bigger reign, that means al-Qaeda ultimately will too.

Underpinning all the claims of ISIS relying on a strategy that “already failed” is the conceit of a US victory in the occupation of Iraq, and the notion that al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), which became ISIS, was “defeated” by the US in that war. It then goes on to assume ISIS will inevitably be defeated the same way again.

AQ is more dangerous that ISIS?  Really?

Here are a few things to consider about al-Qaeda, nearly 30 years in, has little real territory, and that is mostly in the possession of its auxiliaries. ISIS, by contrast, has half of Syria and a good chunk of Iraq, and is recruiting at a much faster clip than al-Qaeda is. Whether they ultimately falter, it’s hard to deny that right now, ISIS is making more progress than al-Qaeda toward their respective goals.

What is our government up to with these newest revelations?

Do you watch the news, I mean real news not the pond scum from WND or Inforwars, if you do then when was the last time you heard AQ mentioned?  Take a minute and think it over……

I know the refugees are far more interesting and easy for those that have a very limited mental capacity…..but there is something going on here and few people are paying attention…..

That is why you have me, right?

TSA: Securing The Homeland

By now all have heard how badly the TSA failed their tests in major airports……where fake terrorists tried and succeeded getting all kinds of weapons and such through their screening process……

Last week the news was slam full of the horror stories and a TSA big shot resigned over the horrible showing by the TSA agents……of course the news out of DHS is that they will revamp the training and the screening process to make us safer…….I do not think that this story will help their pursuit of confidence…….

And then while they were licking their wounds from the failed tests…..more bad news came out…….

The good news from the Department of Homeland’s Security new report on the TSA’s “multi-layered process to vet aviation workers for potential links to terrorism”: That process is “generally effective.” The bad news: There were still 73 individuals who should never have gotten jobs with airlines because they were tagged with terrorism-related category codes. The main problem, the report notes, is that, under current interagency watchlist policy, the TSA isn’t allowed to receive every bit of terrorism-related data, meaning airlines often have to fend for themselves in determining whether a job applicant is properly vetted, including whether an applicant is lawfully allowed to work in the US and if the applicant has committed any crimes that would disqualify him from gaining unsupervised access to secure airport areas. The TSA and airports aren’t permitted to conduct “recurrent criminal history vetting,” meaning the applicant would have to self-report, the DHS report notes.

How the DHS conducted its analysis: The agency asked the National Counterterrorism Center to cross-reference more than 900,000 records of current aviation workers against the NCTC’s terror watchlist. The list’s terrorism codes associated with the 73 individuals in question were not shared with the TSA during the vetting process due to current interagency rules that prohibit such sharing, the report finds. It also notes that “thousands of records” pored over during the vetting process contained incomplete info; sometimes applications would only include an initial for a candidate’s first name or would be missing a Social Security number. The workers who slipped through “were employed by major airlines, airport vendors, and other employers,” the report adds, and were cleared for access to secure areas, “despite representing a potential transportation security threat.” (Two Denver TSA screeners were fired for an alleged “groping scheme.”)

This is NOT an isolated case of a failed test…..there seems to be a continuing story of failure by the agents……..and yet they stick with the same program and promise to do better in the future….

What will it take to flush this program down the toilet and start fresh?

Just wondering.

Middle East: While You Were Otherwise Distracted

I know I am back on the Middle East….well it is more exciting than American politics……this coming from a guy with a degree in polisci……..what can you write about clowns….only that they are creepy and should be avoided.

There are many stories that are newsworthy but for some reason seldom make it to the talking heads……to be fair usually the talking heads are more focused on e-mails or whose butt is bigger or some random car chase in Po-Dunk California……you know the mundane crap that we all crave……..

So while you were otherwise distracted there is news in the War on Terror……..

Though there was no formal announcement of any policy change accompanying it, the latest Worldwide Threat Assessment, issued by the office of the Director of National Intelligence, conspicuously did not list either Iran or Hezbollah as terrorist threats to the United States.

The 2014 report declared both were direct threats to the US and its allies, and Iran had been given an entire segment of the terrorism section in the previous years.

This year, the assessment on Iran praised the nation for its attempts to “dampen sectarianism” and to “deescalate tensions with Saudi Arabia,” though they did warn that Iranian attempts to protect regional Shi’ites risked fueling a secfarian backlash against them.

An interesting turn in international relations……these two have been on the list since its inception…….but now we are cutting them some slack…….

There is another side to this coin……is it possible the US could be painted as protecting the Shi’a sect over the Sunni?  If so then this could be yet another of our trips that could provide recruitment opportunities for extremists.

I have been researching and analyzing the Middle East for decades and I cannot for the life of me understand what the US id doing…….since 2003 it has been one misstep after another……and now it looks more like some secret plan as opposed to accidents….

I understand that we are in negotiations with Iran and we are trying to prove to them that we can trust them and that they could benefit from a successful negotiations……but I think that this may be sending the wrong message within the extremist circles that could be disastrous….

Any ideas?