Tag Archives: Al-Qaeda
10 April 2013
The New York Times reports that the first person killed by a US drone attack, in 2004, was victim of a secret deal, under which the C.I.A. had agreed to kill him at the request of Pakistan. The victim, Mr. Muhammad, was not a top operative of Al Qaeda, but a Pakistani ally of the Taliban who led a tribal rebellion and was marked by Pakistan as an enemy of the state. The C.I.A. agreed to kill him in exchange for access to airspace it had long sought, in order to be able to use drones to hunt down its own enemies.
Source: The New York Times | A Secret Deal on Drones, Sealed in Blood
11 February 2013
A New York Times report reveals that the United States (US) carries out strikes in Yemen from a drone base in Saudi Arabia since 2011. Military strikes are carried out with the consent of the government of Yemen, but the CIA can carry out a drone strike without the permission of the government of Yemen. The CIA has been given the mission of killing leaders of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, who the Obama administration have determined to pose a direct threat to the US.
The fact that the Joint Special Operations Command must get Yemen’s government’s approval before launching a drone strike is said to be in place, because the military’s drone campaign is closely tied to counterterrorism operations that are conducted by Yemeni special operations troops.
Source: The New York Times | Drone Strikes’ Risks to Get Rare Moment in the Public Eye
29 January 2013
Israeli officials have maintained that Israel could launch a pre-emptive strike if Syria transfers chemical weapons to Hezbollah or al-Qaeda groups. There is growing concern that the government in Syria might lose control over its chemical weapons due to the on-going struggle in the country. In a movement characterized by military officials as ‘routine’, the Israeli army has moved its Iron Dome rocket defense system to Haifa, close to the border with Lebanon.
Source: The New York Times | Israel Girds for Attacks as Syria Falls Apart
Source: The Huffington Post | Israel Syria Strike: Chemical Weapons Transfer Could Bring Israeli Military Attack, Official Warns
23 January 2013
The New York Times reports that militant factions in Africa represent a new face of terrorism — groups that are violently anti-American but not under the command and control of al Qaeda (AQ) leaders in Pakistan.
The increasing role of such groups was also noted by the independent inquiry into the attack on the United States diplomatic mission in Benghazi in September 2012. This inquiry had noted that the context in which the global terrorism threat, as most often represented by al Qaeda is ‘fragmenting and increasingly devolving to local affiliates and other actors who share many of AQ’s aims, including violent anti-Americanism, without necessarily being organized or operated under direct AQ command and control.’
Source: The New York Times | Panel Assails Role of State Department in Benghazi Attack
Source: The New York Times | North Africa Is a New Test
13 January 2013
On 11 January 2013, President Barack Obama, after meeting with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, said that the United States (US) would accelerate the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in the coming months, because of gains made by Afghan security forces.
After the NATO combat mission will end in 2014, the mission would be focused on advising and supporting Afghan troops, and targeting the remnants of Al Qaeda. Mr. Karzai said the United States had agreed to turn over control of the prisons that house terrorism suspects to Afghan control. He also said he would push for legal immunity for US soldiers – which is a requirement for the US to leave troops behind in Afghanistan.
Source: The New York Times | Obama Accelerates Transition of Security to Afghans