Al-Qaida Gloats over Middle East Embassy Closures
Aug 8, 2013 17:46:02 #
Hat Tip Newsmax & the New York Times:
Al-Qaida Gloats Over Middle East Embassy Closures
The U.S. embassy in Amman, Jordan was among the American diplomatic posts ordered closed. Thursday, 08 Aug 2013 12:53 PM
By Melanie Batley
The Obama administration's decision Sunday to shutter nearly two dozen U.S. diplomatic posts has given jihadists something to celebrate: a sense that America still sees them as a serious threat.
Despite the plot being thwarted, many supporters of al-Qaida and other terror groups believe the very fact that President Barack Obama was forced to shutter embassies, consulates, and posts throughout the Middle East and Africa most through Saturday was a victory in itself, according to The New York Times.
"God is great! America is in a condition of terror and fear from al-Qaida," wrote one jihadist in an online forum, according to the Times. "The mobilization and security precautions are costing them billions of dollars. We hope to hear more of such psychological warfare, even if there are no actual jihadi operations on the ground."
And while lawmakers initially lauded the move as an appropriate response to a credible threat, some officials are now questioning whether it makes America look weak in the war against terrorism. Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican, went so far as to say the move makes the United States look like "a bunch of cowards."
Others, meanwhile, wonder whether there was enough evidence to indicate an imminent terror plot, especially after Obama's assertions that al-Qaida had been rendered practically impotent.
"The impression the administration left was that al-Qaida was dead or close to dead," Bruce Riedel, a former CIA case officer and a Brookings Institution scholar, told the Times. "In which case, why are we so worried about a conversation between two al-Qaida leaders?"
The decision to close the diplomatic posts was said to initially have been based on an intercepted conversation between Ayman al-Zawahiri, leader of al-Qaida, and Nasser al-Wuhayshi, leader of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, based in Yemen. It has since been reported that up to 20 al-Qaida operatives nicknamed the Legion of Doom were actually on a conference call.
Officials have suggested the conversation indicated one of the most serious terrorist plots against Western interests since the September 11, 2001 attacks, according to the Times.
But the paper says the conversation was vague, and some officials say the administration may have overreacted, a decision that has now cost the U.S. credibility.
"Since B******i, the administration has been in a defense crouch, and they are playing it as safe as they can," Will McCants, a former State Department counterterrorism official, told the Times.
The decision to close embassies was also criticized by allies in the region. Yemen's president Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi was in Washington at the time, meeting with Obama.
"When you do evacuations, you signal that all the effort to build up trust in the Yemeni security establishment amounts to nothing," one disgruntled Yemeni official told the Times.
But some defend the decision, saying there had been a recent growing body of intercepted communications that suggested an imminent threat, and believe it is better to overreact than have a repeat of last September's attack on the U.S. consulate in B******i, Libya, that k**led four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens.
"It's a very high-threat environment with al-Qaida right now because of the quality, quantity and seriousness of the intelligence we're getting," one congressional official who receives regular updates from the CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency told the Times.
Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/alqaida-embassy-closures-gloats/2013/08/08/id/519429?s=al&promo_code=14759-1#ixzz2bPr9kBUZ
Al-Qaida Gloats Over Middle East Embassy Closures
The U.S. embassy in Amman, Jordan was among the American diplomatic posts ordered closed. Thursday, 08 Aug 2013 12:53 PM
By Melanie Batley
The Obama administration's decision Sunday to shutter nearly two dozen U.S. diplomatic posts has given jihadists something to celebrate: a sense that America still sees them as a serious threat.
Despite the plot being thwarted, many supporters of al-Qaida and other terror groups believe the very fact that President Barack Obama was forced to shutter embassies, consulates, and posts throughout the Middle East and Africa most through Saturday was a victory in itself, according to The New York Times.
"God is great! America is in a condition of terror and fear from al-Qaida," wrote one jihadist in an online forum, according to the Times. "The mobilization and security precautions are costing them billions of dollars. We hope to hear more of such psychological warfare, even if there are no actual jihadi operations on the ground."
And while lawmakers initially lauded the move as an appropriate response to a credible threat, some officials are now questioning whether it makes America look weak in the war against terrorism. Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican, went so far as to say the move makes the United States look like "a bunch of cowards."
Others, meanwhile, wonder whether there was enough evidence to indicate an imminent terror plot, especially after Obama's assertions that al-Qaida had been rendered practically impotent.
"The impression the administration left was that al-Qaida was dead or close to dead," Bruce Riedel, a former CIA case officer and a Brookings Institution scholar, told the Times. "In which case, why are we so worried about a conversation between two al-Qaida leaders?"
The decision to close the diplomatic posts was said to initially have been based on an intercepted conversation between Ayman al-Zawahiri, leader of al-Qaida, and Nasser al-Wuhayshi, leader of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, based in Yemen. It has since been reported that up to 20 al-Qaida operatives nicknamed the Legion of Doom were actually on a conference call.
Officials have suggested the conversation indicated one of the most serious terrorist plots against Western interests since the September 11, 2001 attacks, according to the Times.
But the paper says the conversation was vague, and some officials say the administration may have overreacted, a decision that has now cost the U.S. credibility.
"Since B******i, the administration has been in a defense crouch, and they are playing it as safe as they can," Will McCants, a former State Department counterterrorism official, told the Times.
The decision to close embassies was also criticized by allies in the region. Yemen's president Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi was in Washington at the time, meeting with Obama.
"When you do evacuations, you signal that all the effort to build up trust in the Yemeni security establishment amounts to nothing," one disgruntled Yemeni official told the Times.
But some defend the decision, saying there had been a recent growing body of intercepted communications that suggested an imminent threat, and believe it is better to overreact than have a repeat of last September's attack on the U.S. consulate in B******i, Libya, that k**led four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens.
"It's a very high-threat environment with al-Qaida right now because of the quality, quantity and seriousness of the intelligence we're getting," one congressional official who receives regular updates from the CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency told the Times.
Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/alqaida-embassy-closures-gloats/2013/08/08/id/519429?s=al&promo_code=14759-1#ixzz2bPr9kBUZ
Aug 8, 2013 20:15:20 #
CrazyHorse wrote:
Hat Tip Newsmax & the New York Times: br br ... (show quote)
That's right dummy, don't you dare ruin my party timing.
Aug 9, 2013 10:29:05 #
Sorry I don't believe it. This administration along with Valerie Jarrett will do anything it takes to cover their lies. Who believes Brennen? He has been an islamic sympathizer from the beginning. Does anyone remember when he took the pledge it was NOT on the Bill of Rights? The muslim brotherhood has a desk in the west wing. I ask you what more proof do you need? Another thing to remember is if the threat was so specific why close all these embassies. This is all rolled into the B******i coverup.
Aug 9, 2013 14:19:08 #
Old_Gringo wrote:
That's right dummy, don't you dare ruin my party timing.
Quid Pro Quo, Old_Gringo: I'm sorry, but I have no idea what it is you mean by that sentence, and therefore have no response.
Aug 9, 2013 14:25:41 #
CrazyHorse wrote:
Quid Pro Quo, Old_Gringo: I'm sorry, but I have no idea what it is you mean by that sentence, and therefore have no response.
Sorry I wasn't more explicit. I was referring to the 'cartoon' with Barry and Moochelle which is posted above where she was telling him to 'shut up'.
Aug 9, 2013 14:32:15 #
Old_Gringo wrote:
Sorry I wasn't more explicit. I was referring to the 'cartoon' with Barry and Moochelle which was posted above where she was telling him to 'shut up'.
Quid Pro Quo, Old_Gringo: That's fine, I'm with you now.
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