Jump to content

Drone strikes kill militants in Yemen; Americans urged to leave


Numbers

Recommended Posts

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/05/world/yemen-us-drone-strike/index.html

 

Drone strikes kill militants in Yemen; Americans urged to leave

 

(CNN) -- A pair of suspected U.S. drone strikes killed four al Qaeda militants in Yemen as the United States maintained a heightened security alert in the country and urged all Americans to leave immediately.

 

Security sources told CNN about the strikes but didn't offer additional details. A Yemeni official said four drone strikes have been carried out in the past 10 days.

None of those killed on Tuesday were among the 25 names on the country's most-wanted list, security officials said.

 

It is unclear whether the strikes were related to the added security alert in the country after U.S. officials intercepted a message from al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri to operatives in Yemen telling them to "do something." The message was sent to Nasir al-Wuhayshi, the leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the terror group's Yemeni affiliate. U.S. intelligence believes al-Wuhayshi has recently been appointed the overall terror organization's No. 2 leader.

 

Also Tuesday, the State Department urged Americans in Yemen to leave immediately, citing terrorist activities and civil unrest. All non-emergency U.S. government personnel were also told to leave.

 

Two U.S. military transport aircraft landed in Yemen on Tuesday to evacuate American citizens.

 

"In response to a request from the U.S. State Department, early this morning the U.S. Air Force transported personnel out of Sana'a, Yemen, as part of a reduction in emergency personnel," Pentagon press secretary George Little said in a statement.

 

Little also said, "The U.S. Department of Defense continues to have personnel on the ground in Yemen to support the U.S. State Department and monitor the security situation."

 

The UK Foreign Office also announced it had temporarily withdrawn all staff from the British embassy and would keep the facility shut until employees are able to return.

 

Washington takes precautions

 

Acting on the intelligence information, the United States heightened its security stance, issuing a worldwide travel alert and closing a number of embassies and consulates over large areas of the Middle East and Africa this week.

 

List of U.S. embassies and consulates closed this week

 

The State Department said the substantial security steps reflect an "abundance of caution" over intelligence information that indicated final planning by al Qaeda in Yemen for possible terrorist attacks on Western targets to coincide with the end of Ramadan this week.

 

Three sources told CNN that the United States has information that members of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula are in the final stages of planning for an unspecified attack. Recent jailbreaks in Pakistan, Iraq and Libya all have the fingerprints of al Qaeda operations.

 

Prison breaks are among reasons for heightened security

 

On Monday, White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters that U.S. anti-terrorism efforts had decimated al Qaeda's global leadership and greatly diminished its core in Afghanistan and Pakistan, saying the threat had "shifted to some of these affiliates, in particular AQAP."

 

Separately, American special forces units overseas have been on alert for the past several days awaiting a mission to attack potential al Qaeda targets if those behind the most recent terror threats against U.S. interests can be identified, a senior Obama administration official told CNN.

 

The official declined to identify the units or their locations because of the sensitive nature of the information. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel put the units on alert last week, the official said.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think this has a lot to do with the Benghazi witch hunt.  Administration is afraid of what'd happen should anyone else die at an embassy or consulate, so they shut down a dozen-plus at one time. Great..

 

The greatest weapon available to a terrorist group is not a suicide vest, or a dirty bomb, or nerve gas.  It's fear.  And we are getting our asses kicked by fear.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think this has a lot to do with the Benghazi witch hunt.  Administration is afraid of what'd happen should anyone else die at an embassy or consulate, so they shut down a dozen-plus at one time. Great..

 

The greatest weapon available to a terrorist group is not a suicide vest, or a dirty bomb, or nerve gas.  It's fear.  And we are getting our asses kicked by fear.

 

I believe it has a little do with it but not necessarily because of Benghazi. 

 

1.  There was some form of religious celebration going on and many people would be in the streets for something like this.  Easy to hide a few things with the amount of people running around.

 

2.  We were launching drone strikes in the midst of all the celebrations going on (not targeting the celebrations but they did happen during these time frames).  Good time to avoid the expected retaliation attacks that are sure to follow.

 

3.  The UK staff also pulled out.

 

4.  Credible intel on Al Qaeda telling their Yemen group to "do something."

 

5.  Yemen has been bad a long time and has been since well before Benghazi.

 

Note:  The one thing that has me confused is the issue in Syria and connections with Libya, Al Qaeda, and US support.  If one is to believe that there was an arms deal being brokered in Libya by US agents to provide weapons to the rebels, why would Al-Qaeda have shot their own foot (in Benghazi and elsewhere) if the US is going to give them weapons and possibly training to defeat the Syrian government forces ?  The rebels are supported by both the US and Al Qaeda.  ...or is this simply a case of my enemies enemy is my friend.  ...or keep your friends close and enemies closer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Various news outlets reporting 1300+ dead in a gas attack in Damascus..

 

Obama made a lot of noise about how he wouldn't tolerate Assad using chemical weapons. He's done so several times now, our own investigation even confirmed at least 2 incidents from what I've read, but those weren't on this scale. Still, it's been allowed to continue despite much talk of "crossing a red line" and other such euphemisms that have pretty much resulted in a whole lot of nothing.

 

I'm not calling for an invasion but there comes a point when you either back up your threats or you STFU & let everyone know you're full of shit.  I don't think this is an issue where we want to be admitting we are full of shit. At the same time, there aren't a lot of effective options that don't end with US troops in Syria, once again forced to police the entire fuckin' world because the few other nations that might be capable of doing so don't have the stomach for it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Various news outlets reporting 1300+ dead in a gas attack in Damascus..

 

Obama made a lot of noise about how he wouldn't tolerate Assad using chemical weapons. He's done so several times now, our own investigation even confirmed at least 2 incidents from what I've read, but those weren't on this scale. Still, it's been allowed to continue despite much talk of "crossing a red line" and other such euphemisms that have pretty much resulted in a whole lot of nothing.

 

I'm not calling for an invasion but there comes a point when you either back up your threats or you STFU & let everyone know you're full of shit.  I don't think this is an issue where we want to be admitting we are full of shit. At the same time, there aren't a lot of effective options that don't end with US troops in Syria, once again forced to police the entire fuckin' world because the few other nations that might be capable of doing so don't have the stomach for it.

 

I have no love for the Assad regime at all, but I'm not so sure it was the government using chemical weapons.  The rebels had used chemical weapons before I believe, a UN team led by Carla Del Ponte went in and even stated so, that it had very strong indications that rebels were using sarin gas...even the media gave that story a little play then all of the sudden Edward Snowden dominates the news, every channel, all day every day and the few articles detailing how the rebels were using chemical weapons disappear, replaced by accusations of Assad using chemical weapons.  Hmmm. 

 

I have no idea what the truth is, all I know is that I don't believe anything the media here tells us.   Because it's far from the truth usually.  I do know that region is VERY important as far as geopolitics is concerned.  I know Iran is close by, with a defense agreement with Syria....Iran even vowed to send 4000 troops to Syria to help with the situation.  The US and its allies are siding with the rebels who they're arming through back channels.   These same rebels commit atrocities unheard of, in Syria.   Obama speaks out of one side of his mouth condemning these acts then when the speech is over, goes back and signs more papers to continue funding these atrocities.  He's a devil.   Saying one thing and doing the complete opposite is nothing new to him. 

 

Then, combine this info with the fact that Iran, Russia and China recently conducted joint war games....land, air and sea...on a scale never before seen.  Russia has warned the US about any military action vs Syria's or Iran's regime.  Irani troops will be in Syria soon, supporting Syrian troops.  US troops may be in Syria soon if things keep up as they are (contractors like Blackwater/The Craft already there, killing).   Where does this lead?   Russia has warned the US that an attack on Syria and/or Iran would "literally be disastrous" and could go nuclear.  Since Iran and Syria don't have nuclear capabilities, this can only be deemed as a direct threat from Russia as they are the only nuclear capable country out of the 3.  Please don't fall for the bullshit rhetoric that Iran has weapons, Israeli Mossad and the CIA both have stated that a decision to build a nuclear weapon hasn't even been reached in Iran much less an on-going program for nuclear weapons.   Russia is sending S-300 anti aircraft missiles to Syria....where does this lead? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This happened almost 3 months ago:

 

http://rt.com/news/sarin-gas-turkey-al-nusra-021/

 

 

Seems to me the strategy here may be to create enough doubt as to the culprit to let them go on gassing each other without us having to get involved.  Do the insurgents have the capability of delivering nerve gas on that scale? If not, would they balk at releasing it at the site of a conventional artillery/air strike to make it seem like a chemical weapons attack?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They're being armed, funded and helped logistically by the US, Israel .....of course they have the capability to deliver nerve gas on that scale.  And I just realized something.....Israel bombed Damascus not long ago and they've done it on multiple occasions.   The S-300 anti aircraft missiles are a direct response to Israeli threat, as anti aircraft missiles are non factors in the Syrian internal conflict.  The government wouldn't have to worry about the rebels using aircraft so that's not their purpose.....no wonder Israel was pissed at Russia. 

 

And it's sad you have to get news from alternate sources because we know US media doesn't really cover anything of importance.  They keep the American peoples' minds where they want them.......Hey, look!  Nicki Minaj proof of butt implants!!! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They're being armed, funded and helped logistically by the US, Israel .....of course they have the capability to deliver nerve gas on that scale.

 

I don't know much about how that stuff works (thankfully) but I'd imagine dispersal on that large a scale would require aircraft or artillery. I don't think the opposition has much (if any) of either.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

I don't know much about how that stuff works (thankfully) but I'd imagine dispersal on that large a scale would require aircraft or artillery. I don't think the opposition has much (if any) of either.

 

  • Uncontrolled Aerosol Munitions
  • Smoke Generation
  • Explosive Dissemination
  • Atomizers, Humidifiers and Foggers

If they have the nerve agents the method of delivery is relatively easy. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess my point was that it seems more likely that Assad would ok using WMD's than that the opposition would coordinate releasing them on a large scale in 3 separate locations that are known strongholds for them and timed to coincide with shelling/airstrikes, killing 1000+ just to create some sympathy.  Of course, given that this seems unlikely to progress beyond mutual finger-pointing any time soon, they both can pretty much do whatever the hell they want with impunity while the UN chases its tail.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...