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| Terror Networks |
| Bin Laden Warned of 'Disaster after Disaster' for al-Qaida |
| 2012-05-01 |
| [An Nahar] the late Osama bin Laden ... who has left the building... bemoaned "disaster after disaster" inflicted by U.S. drone strikes on al-Qaeda before he was killed and even mulled changing his terror group's name, a top U.S. official said Monday. President Barack Obama's I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody... top counter-terrorism advisor John Brennan said al-Qaeda was losing "badly" under a huge U.S. assault, was a "shadow" of its former self and that its core leadership would soon be "no longer relevant." Brennan said in a speech in Washington that the al-Qaeda leader's frustration poured out in documents seized from his compound by U.S. Navy SEAL special forces who killed him a year ago. "He confessed to 'disaster after disaster,'" Brennan said, saying that some of the captured material would be published online this week by the Combating Terrorism Center at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. On the eve of the anniversary of bin Laden's death, Brennan argued that a relentless U.S. drone campaign and other pressure had left al-Qaeda seriously weakened, and unable to replace wiped-out leaders. "Under intense pressure in the tribal regions of Pakistain, they have fewer places to train and groom the next generation of operatives, they're struggling to attract new recruits. "Morale is low," Brennan said in a speech at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, which was briefly interrupted by a Code Pink anti-war demonstrator who was hauled out of the room by a burly policeman. Brennan said that the documents gathered at bin Laden's lair in Abbottabad ... A pleasant city located only 30 convenient miles from Islamabad. The city is noted for its nice weather and good schools. It is the site of Pakistain's military academy, which was within comfortable walking distance of the residence of the late Osama bin Laden.... , outside Islamabad, show that the late al-Qaeda leader urged his subordinates to flee Pak tribal regions for places "away from aircraft photography and bombardment." Things got so bad for the group which plotted the September 11 attacks in 2001, the deadliest terror strike in U.S. history, that bin Laden considered changing the group's name, he said. "In short, al-Qaeda is losing, badly. And bin Laden knew it," he said, adding that bin Laden had complained at the B.O. regime's decision to stop using the phrase "war on terror." Brennan's speech will likely prompt new claims by Republicans that the Obama campaign is exploiting the anniversary of the bin Laden raid to boost the president's prospects of reelection in November. Senior Obama aides are clearly using the president's decision to launch the high risk raid as an implicit comparison to the character of his presumptive Republican rival Mitt Romney ...whose real first name is actually, no kidding, Willard, was governor of Massachussetts and is currently the front-runner for president on the Publican ticket. He is the son of the former governor of Michigan, George Romney, who himself ran for president after saving American Motors from failure, though not permanently. Romney's foot is in an ideological bucket because of Romneycare, a state-level experiment that should have been a warning against Obamacare if anyone had been paying attention. Romney's charisma is best defined as soporific, which is probably why he is leading the Publican field... Brennan also claimed that the administration's tactics against al-Qaeda had made it harder than ever for "core" al-Qaeda to plan and execute large-scale, potentially catastrophic attacks. "Today, it is increasingly clear that-compared to 9/11, the core al-Qaeda leadership is a shadow of its former self," Brennan said. "Al-Qaeda has been left with just a handful of capable leaders and operatives, and with continued pressure is on the path to its destruction. "And for the first time since this fight began, we can look ahead and envision a world in which the al-Qaeda core is simply no longer relevant." Brennan's speech amounted to the administration's most comprehensive public survey about the state of the struggle against al-Qaeda. He spent considerable time defending strikes by unmanned U.S. drones in nations like Pakistain, crediting them with dismantling al-Qaeda's top leadership and causing bin Laden's distress. Brennan said the strikes were legal, ethical and proportional, and added that Obama had instructed his officials to share more details about the secret war. Despite lauding the administration's achievements in hammering top al-Qaeda leaders and the group's capacity, Brennan also warned that global terror threats were still potent, particularly those emanating from Africa. "As the al-Qaeda core falters, it continues to look to its affiliates and adherents to carry on its murderous cause," Brennan said, warning that the group's merger with the Shebab group in Somalia was "worrying." He said that al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) remained a threat, despite the strike that took out radical U.S.-born holy man Anwar al-Awlaki ... Born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, zapped in Yemen, al-Awlaki was a dual citizen of the U.S. and Yemen. He was an Islamic holy man who was a trainer for al-Qaeda and its franchises. His sermons were attended by three of the 9/11 hijackers, by Fort Hood murderer Nidal Malik Hussein, and UndieboomerUmar Farouk Abdulmutallab. He was the first U.S. citizen ever placed on a CIA target list... , who directed its external operations. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #6 Al-Queso. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2012-05-01 23:17 |
| #5 ..before he was killed and even mulled changing his terror group's name,.. to ACORN? |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2012-05-01 11:56 |
| #4 the name change considered: TSA Rope-a-Dope Ensemble |
| Posted by: jack salami 2012-05-01 10:37 |
| #3 Very nice Pebbles. |
| Posted by: Jiggs Guelph1434 2012-05-01 10:32 |
| #2 Al Q could change it's name to "Forward!" |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2012-05-01 05:07 |
| #1 I'll be surprised, iff not outright shocked, iff Osama did change the name of Al-Qaeda to something else. As per the MSM-Net, I'm also surprised to learn that new "Core" AQ#1/EL Supremo Ayman Zawahiri is not receiving the same deference or accolades once given to Osama, espec from AQ affiliates whose curren or new Leadership had long-standing ties to Osama's inner circle. HAVE SERIOUS DOUBTS ON THIS ONE. * ION DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > DR. ABDUL QADEER KHAN: OSAMA RAID WAS "STAGED". * IIRC SAME > WHY NO ONE WILL EVER SEE THE DEATH PHOTOS OF OSAMA BIN LADEN FROM ABBOTTABAD!? There are deep, hidden Secrets + Skeletons, etc. of the GWOT that Powers-That-Be/They-Whom-Must-Not-Be-Named want to keep dark + hidden forever, at any cost. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2012-05-01 00:31 |