U.S. President Barack Obama makes a point at the National Defense University at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C., on May 23, 2013. Larry Downing / REUTERS Experts Contradict Obama On Islamic Terror Threat — Washington Times errorism analysts are rebutting President Obama’s assertion that the “scale of the threat” from Islamic terrorists has reverted to pre-Sept. 11, 2001, levels. “This is a total fabrication,” said Steven Emerson, whose Investigative Project on Terrorism tracks radical Islam. “The ‘scale of this threat’ in the 1990s never closely resembled the terrorist attacks post 9/11. This is an outright lie.” The Heritage Foundation has been cataloguing foiled terror attacks post-9/11 by Islamic groups. The number: 54. James Carafano, a military analyst at Heritage, said the 1990s’ numbers “were a fraction of that.” Mr. Obama on Thursday delivered a speech at the National Defense University that came close to declaring victory over al Qaeda, saying it is now operating franchise groups. Read more …. Previous Post : Will Our War Against Terror Come To An End? My Comment: I am not a terrorism expert, but I have definitely not seen a decrease in terrorism threats in the past few years …. both here and abroad.
Syria Opposition Unity Talks Face Specter Of Collapse — Reuters ISTANBUL – Syrian opposition talks aimed at presenting a coherent front at an international peace conference to end the civil war faced the prospect of collapse after President Bashar al-Assad’s foes failed to cut an internal deal, opposition sources said on Friday. The failure of the Syrian National Coalition to alter its Islamist-dominated membership as demanded by its international backers and replace a leadership undermined by power struggles is playing into the hands of Assad, whose forces are attacking a key town as his ally Russia said he would send representatives to the conference, coalition insiders said. After two days of meetings in Istanbul, senior coalition players were in discussions late into the night after veteran liberal opposition figure Michel Kilo rejected a deal by Syrian businessman Mustafa al-Sabbagh, who is the coalition’s secretary-general, to admit some members of Kilo’s bloc to the coalition, the sources said. Read more …. Update : Syria opposition group struggles to agree — Al Jazeera My Comment : Assad will never be overthrown if the opposition can never unify. One would think that everyone’s burning hatred of Assad would be enough for the opposition to forget about their differences and unify to get rid of this regime …. but apparently not.
C.I.A. to Focus More on Spying, a Difficult Shift — New York Times WASHINGTON — For more than seven years, Mike — a lean, chain-smoking officer at the Central Intelligence Agency’s headquarters in Virginia — has managed the agency’s deadly campaign of armed drone strikes. As the head of the C.I.A.’s Counterterrorism Center, Mike wielded tremendous power in hundreds of decisions over who lived and died in far-off lands. But under a new plan outlined by the Obama administration on Thursday, the Counterterrorism Center over time would cease to be the hub of America’s targeted killing operations in Pakistan, Yemen and other places where presidents might choose to wage war in the future. Already, the C.I.A.’s director, John O. Brennan, has passed over Mike, an undercover officer whose full name is being withheld, for a promotion to run the agency’s clandestine service. It is a sign that Mr. Brennan is trying to shift the C.I.A.’s focus back toward traditional spying and strategic analysis, but that is not an easy task. Read more …. Update: Obama to bring US drone programme out from ‘legal shadows’ of the CIA — The Guardian My Comment : The CIA became responsible for drone strikes because they became very good at it …. and they had the legal right to conduct this type of warfare that the Pentagon does not have. Is now the right time to make this shift …. I am not sure. I will defer to President Obama because he has intel that I do not have …. but if he is wrong …. he better be ready to suffer the consequences because Al Qaeda has proven in the past to be a very deadly organization …. and (hint hint) some of their key leaders are still around .
Woolwich Attack Video: Watch Full Extended Footage Of Terrorists Charging At Police Car In Attempt To Kill WPC — Daily Mirror The film of the terrifying attack shows how suspect Michael Adebolajo got within two feet of the WPC who was driving the armed response BMW X5 This shocking footage shows how the brave WPC first on the scene at the Woolwich beheading came within inches of death. The female driver, unable to draw her firearm, is saved by a male colleague in the back who fires his machine-gun through his window at a suspect who is charging at her. The callous Islamic extremists had lured police to the scene by dragging the body of the murdered fusilier – named yesterday as Lee Rigby, 25 – into the middle of the road. When they see the first police car arrive, the pair split up. Blade-wielding Michael Adebolajo, 28, runs at officers head-on and his accomplice, named locally as 22-year-old Michael Oluwatobi Adebowale, advances alongside, aiming his gun at them. The film of the 10 seconds of terror shows how Adebolajo got within two feet of the WPC who was driving the armed response BMW X5. Read more …. My Comment: This video footage is incredible. It looks like the reason why these two murderers did not flee the scene was that they were waiting for law enforcement to show-up and to inflict even more casualties. The above video is from YouTube, but you will have to go to the Daily Mirror ( click here ) for a clearer and extended look at what had happened. In short …. law enforcement had to act immediately and with deadly force …. their lives were clearly at risk.
Violent incidents happen in Judea and Samaria constantly. Last week alone, the IDF dealt with 115 incidences of rock and firebomb throwing by Palestinians. Because this violence is ongoing, it seems mundane. But when a rock smashes through a person’s car window, that violence doesn’t seem so mundane any more. The IDF will continue to act to protect Israeli civilians. Related posts: In Response to Rocket Fire From the Gaza Strip, IAF Targets Several Terror Activity Sites and Smuggling Tunnels Firearms Uncovered in Palestinian House Near Hebron The 2012 Terror Attacks Against Israel You Never Heard About