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| An American Warning |
| An American Warning is a site for all Americans. We take headlines and connect the dots of the not so obvious. It's different because we show you why certain stories are important in relation with other world events. As well, we have forums, blogs, news, photos and more. An American Warning – because “all tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscious to remain silent”. – Thomas |
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| Terrorist Threat and US Response: A Changing Landscape |
| 2008-09-03 10:47:38 |
The Washington Institute published a monograph that my colleague Matt Levitt and I edited, on the lecture series we've been hosting at the Institute since December 2007. Speakers have included Juan Zarate , the Deputy National Security Advisor, Mike Leiter , the director of NCTC, Don Kerr , the Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, and Charlie Allen , DHS Undersecretary for Intelligence and Analysis. The monograph includes the prepared remarks of the first seven of the senior US government...(read more)...
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| NEFA Foundation Report: "Anatomy of a Modern Homegrown Terror Cell: Aabid Khan et al." (Operation Praline) |
| 2008-09-02 20:47:23 |
The NEFA Foundation has published a new report that I have written, titled "Anatomy of a Modern Homegrown Terror Cell." The report focuses on the recent criminal trial of Aabid Hussain Khan at the Blackfriars Crown Court in London, as told through the actual evidence seized by U.K. authorities and the detailed testimony of Khan himself. According to Karen Jones, the reviewing lawyer in the case from the U.K. Crown Prosecution Service, "The evidence showed Khan was a committed and active supporter...(read more)...
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| Aafia Siddiqui Indicted For Charges Including Attempted Murder and Assault |
| 2008-09-02 16:10:22 |
Aafia Siddiqui has been indicted by a federal grand jury in New York City and will appear in court on Thursday in connection with this new indictment, which you can download from here . She is charged with: (1) one count of attempting to kill United States nationals outside the United States; (2) one count of attempting to kill United States officers and employees; (3) one count of armed assault of United States officers and employees; (4) one count of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation...(read more)...
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| The Urgent Need for a Broader Counterinsurgency Approach in the FATA |
| 2008-09-02 16:07:51 |
Asif Ali Zardari , imminently to become Pakistan’s President, faces a resurgent Taliban, ongoing terrorist attacks and a fractured political environment which makes effective responses all the harder. President Pervez Musharraf’s resignation as President on August 18 could have provided an opportunity for a coalition government to take charge on security issues. But the withdrawal on August 25 of Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) from the coalition has left Zardari’s...(read more)...
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| Navy SEAL From Supersecret Unit Falls in Afghan War |
| 2008-09-02 15:11:47 |
There were two unrelated developments today in Afghanistan, but each open the door a crack on highly secret aspects of the nearly seven-year-old war. The first was the Defense Department announcement that Navy SEAL Petty Officer 1st Class Joshua Thomas Harris, 36, of Lexington, N.C., was killed last week during an Afghanistan combat operation. "Harris was temporarily forward deployed from his assignment at Naval Special Warfare Development Group, Dam Neck, Va.,” the Pentagon said in a statement...(read more)...
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| Mashal to Leave Damascus? Not Likely. |
| 2008-09-02 11:03:02 |
Haaretz reported this morning that Hamas politburo head Khalid Mashal is leaving Damascus to take up residence in Sudan . The left-leaning Israeli paper picked up the story from the Kuwaiti daily Al Rai’ . Mashal last visited Sudan in early August, where he met with President Omar Bashir. According to Haaretz , “Israeli sources believe that the move signals a serious desire on Syria’s part to advance the negotiations.” Meanwhile, reports of Mashal’s imminent departure...(read more)...
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| Textbook Appeasement: The State Department and the Islamic Saudi Academy |
| 2008-09-02 05:10:00 |
Pop quiz: Murder is permissible if the victim is: (a) An apostate (b) An adulteress (c) A polytheist (d) All of the above If you answered (d), then you are either a hardened Islamist hunkered down for a last stand in Mosul or a twelfth-grade student at the Islamic Saudi Academy (ISA) in Arlington, Virginia. While the above quiz is fictional, it reflects the actual teachings of some of the textbooks used at the ISA. Under the Foreign Missions Act (FMA), the State Department has an obligation to review...(read more)...
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| Radicals Continue Pressure on Ahmadiyah in Indonesia |
| 2008-09-01 21:53:13 |
Due to pressure from radical Islamic groups, the South Sumatra provincial government officially banned the Ahmadiyah sect on 1 September. They are the second province after West Sumatra to impose such a ban. Earlier, several hard-line Muslim organizations under the Islamic People's Forum, such as Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia, the Islamic Defender's Front, and the Indonesian Mujahidin Council, demanded the dissolution of Ahmadiyah due to its heretical teachings that its founder, Ghulam Ahmad, was a prophet...(read more)...
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| Iran’s Fantasy: A Renewed Cold War between "Infidels" Russia and America |
| 2008-09-01 20:55:50 |
Following is a short commentary I wrote about the Iranian regime strategic opportunity to dodge the international sanctions and the rise of its own opposition, seized through the ongoing tensions between the Russian Federation and NATO. The main point in this article is the Khomeinist Strategic thinking as it pushes hard to widen these international tentions and take advantage of the possibilities of a return of a kind of a Cold war. Evidently Counter Terrorism experts in the US and across the Atlantic...(read more)...
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| A Hidden Grain of Truth That Should Resonate |
| 2008-09-01 12:30:30 |
The Los Angeles Times has an interesting feature on the late Hezbollah leader Imad Mughniyah and his rather mysterious death on Feb. 12 in Damascus. Mughniyah, of course, was one of the true pioneers in the use of terrorist tactics by radical Islamists against the West. Among the interesting details the report has is that, on the night his car blew up, incinerating him inside, Mughniyah was on his way to meet Syrian president Bashar Assad. But there was one Mughniyah quote buried deep in the story...(read more)...
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| Madrassas Extending into Pakistani Heartlands |
| 2008-08-29 13:18:46 |
This short analysis from the invaluable Middle East Media Research Institute is well worth a read. It discusses the controversy Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader, Asif Zardari set off when, while delivering the keynote address at the 23rd Internationalist Socialist Congress, he described madrassas as propagating Islamist extremism. Unsurprisingly, Pakistan’s religious leaders condemned him. But reading the report, and these notes from MEMRI’s Urdu-Pashto Blog also indicates that...(read more)...
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| NEFA Foundation: New Exclusive Interviews with Top Pakistani Taliban Spokesman Maulvi Omar |
| 2008-08-29 13:04:56 |
The NEFA Foundation has obtained two exclusive interviews with Maulvi Omar, the main spokesman for and a Shura Council member of the Pakistani Taliban movement, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). During the first interview, recorded in May 2008, Maulvi Omar emphasized the connection between both the Pakistani and Afghan Taliban movements and Al-Qaida , saying there is no difference between them, and that they are merely different words for the same ideology, working towards precisely the same goals....(read more)...
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| Hizballah’s Attack On The Lebanese Army: An Accident Or A Message? |
| 2008-08-29 11:08:42 |
Phillip Smyth is the the CT Blog's Assistant Newslinks Editor and a contributor to the Aramaic Democratic Organization. He has visited Lebanon, interviewied anti-Hezbollah NGOs and Hezbollah supporters, and maintains regular contact with sources there. He wrote the following about the recent downing of a Lebanese Army helicopter by Hizballah forces. The hills of Iqlim al-Tuffah are known for their apple orchards, in addition to being an off-limits Hizballah base. The area had been targeted by the...(read more)...
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| Libyan Terrorism Settlement: Mixed Results & An Unknown Precedent |
| 2008-08-28 17:17:18 |
The U.S.-Libya terrorism settlement which sailed through the U.S. Congress at the end of July and was signed on August 14 has mixed results for both countries and the victims of Libyan-sponsored terrorism. The deal will enable the U.S. and Libya to complete the process of mutual diplomatic recognition and establish economic relationships benefitting both countries and major American industries. The Libyan Victims Compensation Act and a supplemental letter provided by the State Department to some...(read more)...
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| Amman Warms to Hamas |
| 2008-08-28 14:24:51 |
Last week, Jordan's minister of information publicly confirmed that senior Jordanian officials have been meeting with Hamas in an effort to "solve pending security issues." These talks represent a significant shift for Amman, since relations between Jordan and the Palestinian group had been frozen for two years, following the arrest of three Hamas members in the kingdom on terrorism and weapons charges. As my colleague David Schenker and I argue in this co-authored piece, while the decision to renew...(read more)...
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| Counterradicalization in the Netherlands |
| 2008-08-27 22:02:58 |
I have an article in the latest issue of The Sentinel , the West Point Combating Terrorism Center’s journal. The piece is entitled A Preliminary Assessment of Counter-Radicalization in the Netherlands and describes various programs implemented by Dutch authorities, focusing particularly on those of the city of Amsterdam. The second part of the article analyzes the relationship between authorities and political Salafists/non-violent Islamists, a topic that has been addressed several times by...(read more)...
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| Cleaning Up Iraq and Capturing An Iranian-Linked Terrorist |
| 2008-08-27 16:15:44 |
From the press releases of the coalition forces, we can see that there's never a dull moment in Iraq: 1. Coalition forces in Diyala killed three terrorists, two of whom were wearing suicide vests, and detained an alleged al-Qaeda in Iraq leader. The AQI suspect is allegedly responsible for bombing attacks and assassinations. 2. Soldiers found 100 blasting caps, 20 rocket-propelled grenades, two 120 mm mortar rounds, a 60 mm mortar round, two anti-tank rounds and 35 parachute grenades in a Baghdad...(read more)...
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| The Dangers of Hezbollah in Latin America |
| 2008-08-27 11:45:07 |
The Los Angeles Times today carries an interesting story on the growing ties of Hezbollah in Venezuela. As the article points out, such ties are not new, but what is more worrisome is the vast amount of cocaine being moved through Venezuela that passes through areas where the Hezbollah presence is most pronounced. The issue is, of course, Iran's growing presence in the region, something the administration has paid surprising little attention to as the Iranian diplomatic and intelligence presence...(read more)...
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| The Ties That Bind Grow Harder to Deny |
| 2008-08-27 11:07:12 |
There is a fascinating interview with Mohammed Habib, the deputy supreme leader of the Muslim Brotherhood where he acknowledges that the Brotherhood has a presence inside the United States. As I have repeatedly stated, there is nothing illegal about the Muslim Brotherhood being here. What makes the groups that grew out of the _Ikhwan_ so interesting and perplexing is their unwillingness to admit that relationship, despite the fact there is no sanction against belonging to the organization. Why act...(read more)...
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| Surprisingly Candid Answers From the Muslim Brotherhood |
| 2008-08-27 11:02:40 |
Officials at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) offer swift and vehement denials when anyone publicly links them to the Muslim Brotherhood , an international movement that seeks the spread of Shariah, or Islamic law, throughout the world. This week, someone has made that connection again. And CAIR's reaction will be interesting to watch. The source this time? Mohammed Habib, the second-in-command of the Muslim Brotherhood. In an interview published by Pajamas Media , the Brotherood's...(read more)...
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| CT Blog Operations Restored Following Server Crash |
| 2008-08-27 07:47:01 |
Last Friday night, the main server at the company which hosts our operations suffered a massive crash (no cyberattack indicated), which left us unable to post new material. Posts as of mid-July have been restored, with more to be uploaded, and we will post fresh Newslinks. As a service to our readers, I am making available Microsoft Word files with all July posts and all August posts up to the time of the crash....(read more)...
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| Hope, Change and Secrecy |
| 2008-08-26 21:00:00 |
Barack Obama has a problem with openness . The candidate of "hope and change" seems to be hoping that if reporters can't get access to records from his past, they'll change their mind and leave it alone. The good news for gun owners is that we do have access to his anti-gun record, and we're making it public. NRA-ILA has a whole section of its website devoted to telling the truth about Obama's brutal attacks on your Second Amendment rights. You can find it at www.nraila.org/obama . Obama...(read more)...
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| The Right Thing to Do |
| 2008-08-26 21:00:00 |
Residents of Vallejo, California, are facing a public safety crisis right now. The cityls declared bankruptcy, and crime is rising . Police are leaving the force for better-paying jobs in other cities, and there’s no real solution in sight. It wouldn't solve every problem facing the local leaders in Vallejo, but I think Solano County, where Vallejo is located, should treat concealed-carry as "Shall-Issue," rather than keeping the very restrictive policies that are currently in place....(read more)...
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| The Platform Cannot Stand, Part 3 |
| 2008-08-24 21:00:00 |
I'm still asking good Democrats to oppose the proposed Democratic platform , at least where it concerns our constitutional Right to Keep and Bear Arms: "We recognize that the right to bear arms is an important part of the American tradition, and we will preserve Americans' continued Second Amendment right to own and use firearms. We believe that the right to own firearms is subject to reasonable regulation, but we know that what works in Chicago may not work in Cheyenne. We can work together...(read more)...
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| Mr. Ruff And The Frankfort Jihad |
| 2008-08-24 19:37:00 |
I won’t belabor the point, but the Muslim list of filthy or Najis Things include; urine, feces, dead bodies, pigs, dogs and kafir. And kafir are the unbelievers. The infidels. The non-Muslims. Us. Filthy us....(read more)...
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| Russia-Georgia CyberWar Assessment |
| 2008-08-22 14:40:53 |
The Guardian Online just posted an assessment I co-wrote with my friend Jim Hendler (computer science professor at RPI) about the Georgia-Russia cyberwar. The first modern cyberwar? Aaron Mannes and James Hendler Friday August 22 2008 The Russian-Georgian conflict is being described as the first time cyber-attacks have accompanied an actual war. Last year, the Russian-Estonian spat was described as the first modern cyber-war. These descriptions over dramatise events and are a distraction from the...(read more)...
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| Europe must realize: Jihadism is an Ideology not only a theology |
| 2008-08-21 22:56:54 |
The following short piece is a summary of an analysis I discussed during this summer June-July with European officials as a Visiting Fellow with the European Foundation for Democracy in Brussels. Among the main groups and fora I presented these ideas to were: The Majority Party EPP at the European Parliament in its Conference in Paris; the secretariat for international relations of the European Socialist Group; the Center for International Affairs in Rome with the participation of the Chief of Staff...(read more)...
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| Ruff And Ready |
| 2008-08-21 19:08:00 |
Americans will not be told what God to worship or what allowances we must make to soothe this or that religious group. Stop shoving your God in our faces.
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| Leaked Data on Radicalization in the UK |
| 2008-08-21 17:40:17 |
The Guardian newspaper made public today parts of a classified internal research document produced by Britain's MI-5. As someone who has worked in intelligence and law enforcement, I do not condone the unauthorized release of classified material. While it is important to keep the public informed, prematurely releasing classified matieral can put (human) sources and (technical) methods at risk. I wonder how much such considerations factored into the Guardian's decision to publish its "exclusive" report...(read more)...
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| Religion, Radicalization and the future of Terrorism |
| 2008-08-21 16:26:09 |
The UK's Guardian today published details of a report produced by Britain's Security Service (MI5) entitled, ' Understanding radicalization and violent extremism in the UK '. The report is from MI5's internal behavioral analysis unit and contains within it some interesting and surprising conclusions. The Guardian report covers many of these in depth (so no need to go over here) but one point, which is worth highlighting is the claim made within the report that religion is and was not a contributory...(read more)...
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| Examining Legal Regimes to Combat Terrorism in Near East & South Asia |
| 2008-08-21 10:00:47 |
On July 22 and 23, I attended a conference co-hosted by the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University and the Inter-University Center for Legal Studies at the International Law Institute , titled, "Lifting the Fog of Law: Legal Regimes to Combat Terrorism in the Near East and South Asia” in Washington. The conference brought together 70 experts from the U.S., North Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia came together to exchange views on the effectiveness...(read more)...
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| Transnational Jihad, Supremacism, and Cold War Tactics |
| 2008-08-21 01:00:00 |
In facing new threats, a fundamental focus must be on defining the identity of such threats and an associated awareness of the need to change our governmental and policy strategies accordingly. If the threats are not clearly identified and defined, the consequences are a series of desperate, fractured tactical efforts to address aspects of the threats as perceived by diverse governmental organizations, without a coordinated strategy. Such a tactical-centric approach to new threats would predictably...(read more)...
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| New Al Qaeda Message Confirms Head of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan Still Alive |
| 2008-08-20 15:59:23 |
The SITE Intelligence Group has issued a press release that a new speech is forthcoming from Al Qaeda's #2, Ayman al-Zawahiri, containing eulogies for two recently killed Al Qaeda commanders, Abu Khabab al-Masri (a.k.a. Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar) and Abu Abdullah al-Shami, an escapee from Bagram prison in July 2005 and killed last month in a U.S. strike . I posted about al-Masri's reported death on July 28 , and Evan Kohlmann posted the NEFA Foundation's transcript of Al Qaeda's acknowledgement...(read more)...
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| The Price of the Criminal-Terror Nexus in Afghanistan |
| 2008-08-20 12:01:55 |
The increasingly sophisticated attacks by the Taliban against U.S. and NATO troops, including the recent coordinated strikes that left 10 French soldiers dead shows how the Taliban has evolved over the past year. What is clear is that, whatever the strategy there is, it is not working. I would argue that the almost exponential growth rate of opium cultivation in recent years is the vital component in allowing the Taliban to obtain the resources to replenish its fighting capabilities, which were almost...(read more)...
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| Hezbollah Signs Pact with Salafis |
| 2008-08-19 15:08:20 |
"But implementation to be decided later" Amidst a growing world crisis, new developments in Lebanon may signal what lies ahead in the sphere of global jihadist forces in the near future. A memorandum of understanding has been signed by Hezbollah, the main pro-Iranian organization in the region, and a number of Salafist groups outlining efforts to "confront America." Innocent minds may question how that impacts our lives. However, events that unfold in Beirut have a direct effect on the war on terror,...(read more)...
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| Ideological Blinders and Missed Opportunities in Counter-Radicalization |
| 2008-08-19 13:58:38 |
Jeffrey Imm’s recent broadside against myself, my colleague Michael Jacobson, The Washington Institute’s Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, West Point’s Counterterrorism Center, and the Quilliam Foundation is a poor reflection of the Counterterrorism Blog in its departure from the Blog’s tradition of civil and scholarly debate. Unfortunately, Imm’s blog is neither. Contrary to Mr. Imm’s assertion that I criticized him in my July 17 post , that...(read more)...
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| Quilliam Foundation and Misdirection on Egypt's Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa |
| 2008-08-18 21:45:30 |
In my July 16, 2008 article "False Reports of Jihadists 'Quitting' or Abandoning Islamic Supremacism," I challenged the Quilliam Foundation to address some key questions that were being asked about its organization. The primary issue I raised was its documented support for Egyptian Grand Mufti Sheik Ali Gomaa (also spelled "Ali Gum'a" or "Goma"). In reply, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy's Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence Director Matthew Levitt criticized me on July...(read more)...
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