Posted on 2008 under Blogs, CounterTerrorism, Terrorism |
26
Dec
An intelligence assessment, the "Internal Homeland Security Threat Assessment for the years 2008-2013, obtained by the Associated Press projected several "dramatic" developments. Among these projections that Terrorism directed against the US will "continue to be driven by instability in the Middle East and Africa." The report asserted that WMD attacks "could be carried out against America" but then added that "these threats are also the most unlikely because it is so difficult for al-Qaida and similar groups to acquire the materials needed to carry out such plots." The report reasserts a number of predictions made before and noted that increasing numbers of individuals will pose as refugees or asylum seekers.
This is a good interview with MG Bob Scales (Retired) who just returned from Afghanistan. The things he says in this interview are all things that have been said on this site repeatedly and very recently in some cases.
A local Al-Qaeda chief known as "Imad the killer" escaped in a pre-dawn breakout from an Iraqi police station on Friday, triggering a wild shootout that left 13 militants and Iraqi policemen dead.
Not long ago, the simple, anonymous thrill of exposing chinks in American software was enough of a payoff for a Russian hacker. Today it's cash. And almost all the targets are in the United States and Europe.
The terrorism threat to the United States over the next five years will be driven by instability in the Middle East and Africa, persistent challenges to border security and increasing Internet savvy, says a new intelligence assessment obtained by The Associated Press.
A German military helicopter chased away pirates who were trying to board an Egyptian ship Thursday off the coast of Somalia. One of the ship's crew was shot in the attack.
There was little hint of Christmas day when the sun rose over this barren military base on Dec. 25. But as the day wore on, platoon leaders tacked on a new mission - to make sure every Marine had the chance to call home.
Iraq's Christians, a scant minority in this overwhelmingly Muslim country, quietly celebrated Christmas on Thursday with a present from the government, which declared it an official holiday for the first time.
