tagged w/ Jordanian
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I wrote yesterday about failures in signals analysis by counterterrorism officials, but I woke up today to read about a deadly failure of good old human intelligence. The suicide bomber who killed seven CIA operatives in Afghanistan last week was an Al Qaeda double agent.
The attacker, a physician-turned-mole, had been recruited to infiltrate al-Qaeda's senior circles and had gained the trust of his CIA and Jordanian handlers with a stream of useful intelligence leads, according to two former senior officials briefed on the agency's internal investigation. His track record as an informant apparently allowed him to enter a key CIA post without a thorough search, the sources said.
The bomber, identified as Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, was standing just outside an agency building on the base Wednesday when he exploded a bomb hidden under his clothes, killing the seven Americans along with a Jordanian officer who had been assigned to work with him. Six CIA operatives were wounded.
Balawi was a Jordanian physician with a history of Islamist militant support. He had been recruited by Jordanian intelligence agents and had been working with the CIA for long enough to be a trusted informant. And then he blew himself and seven operatives up inside of their base.
Neal Ungerleider at True/Slant also found that Balawi was a blogger who liked to fantasize about an Islamist future.
It appears al-Balawi, writing under the nom-de-plume Abu Dujanah al-Khurasani, ran the extremely popular jihdaist bulletin board al-Hesbah. Among al-Hesbah’s many users, some were people connected to the London tube bombers and others high-ranking al-Qaeda members.
Al-Balawi/al-Khurasani was also a prolific blogger...who, apparently, liked to daydream about a future caliphate....The face of Islamist terrorism apparently is this: A 36-year-old doctor posting about future dystopias on internet forums in his free time. He could just as easily have been a Trekkie.
I'm sure this is a much more thorny intelligence dilemma than being more aware of warning from Africa, and I can't say I've got any armchair-intelligence-operative suggestions. I'll say though, while I'm sure that the CIA is not pleased with the attention they're getting about their efforts in Afghanistan, I'm glad to hear they were actually working on getting to Al Qaeda.
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Terror and terrorism are all the rage today in online magazines. Lets start with Time online. Today's article entitled Amid the Hysteria, A Look at What al-Qaeda Can't Do sets the tone for our research into terrorism as it exists today.
Essentially we see that our continued over-reaction to 9/11 gives these people incredible power that they would not have otherwise. That is the over-riding lesson to be learned here today.
Then we move onto Newseek online and Fareed Zakaria's article entitled Don’t Panic: How our frenzied response to terrorism only feeds it. It is good advice from someone who has lived through it.
Here is the opening paragraph from his sage advice:
"In responding to the attempted bombing of an airliner on Christmas Day, Sen. Dianne Feinstein voiced the feelings of many when she said that to prevent such situations, "I'd rather…overreact than underreact." This now appears to be the consensus view in Washington, but it is quite wrong. In fact, precisely the opposite is true. The purpose of terrorism is to provoke an overreaction. Its real aim is not to kill the hundreds of people directly targeted but to sow fear in the rest of the population. Terrorism is an unusual military tactic in that it depends on the response of the onlookers. If we are not terrorized, then the attack didn't work. Alas, this one worked very well."
And again from Newsweek online we read a piece entitled Anatomy of a Double-Cross: How a Jordanian jihadist turned CIA operative—and back again. We are unfortunately learning that things are never quite simple in the often misty and foggy world of international terror.
From CBS News online we read a piece entitled CIA Bomber in Video With Taliban Leader: Tape Surfaces Showing Jordanian Who Killed CIA Operatives in Afghanistan Vowing Revenge for Killing of Taliban Figure .
Now we have taped evidence that this man was a double agent with intent to kill Western intelligence people. I wonder if we knew this before he killed seven American and one Jordanian operative?
And from CNN World News online we read a piece entitled 30 injured in Hong Kong acid attack in what may or may not be an act of terrorism. We don't know yet.
One thing is for sure from even a cursory reading of today's news. Terrorism and terrorist-like actions are here to stay. Can we afford to militarize our response to all of it? Or does it make more sense to send responsibility for handling it back to the international police and intelligence communities where it belongs?
Just asking.
CWO3 Tom Barnes, USCG (Ret.)Terror and terrorism are all the rage today in online magazines. Lets start with Time... more
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The Central Intelligence Agency was bracing yesterday for a fresh barrage of questions about its competence following reports that the man who blew himself up at its main operating base in Afghanistan on 30 December, killing seven of its employees, had been recruited by the US but had, in fact, been a double agent for al-Qa'ida all along.The Central Intelligence Agency was bracing yesterday for a fresh barrage of questions... more
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If it is taboo to discuss how America's actions in the Middle East cause Terrorism -- and it generally is -- that taboo is far stronger still when it comes to specifically discussing how our blind, endless enabling of Israeli actions fuels Terrorism directed at the U.S. An article in yesterday's New York Times examined the life of Humam Khalil Abu Mulal al-Balawi, the Jordanian who blew himself up, along with 7 CIA agents, in Afghanistan this week. Why would Balawi -- a highly educated doctor, who was specifically recruited by Jordanian intelligence officials to infiltrate Al Qaeda on behalf of Western governments -- want to blow himself up and murder as many American intelligence agents as possible?If it is taboo to discuss how America's actions in the Middle East cause... more
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I wrote yesterday about failures in signals analysis by counterterrorism officials, but I woke up today to read about a deadly failure of good old human intelligence. The suicide bomber who killed seven CIA operatives in Afghanistan last week was an Al Qaeda double agent.
From the Washington Post:
"The attacker, a physician-turned-mole, had been recruited to infiltrate al-Qaeda's senior circles and had gained the trust of his CIA and Jordanian handlers with a stream of useful intelligence leads, according to two former senior officials briefed on the agency's internal investigation. His track record as an informant apparently allowed him to enter a key CIA post without a thorough search, the sources said. The bomber, identified as Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, was standing just outside an agency building on the base Wednesday when he exploded a bomb hidden under his clothes, killing the seven Americans along with a Jordanian officer who had been assigned to work with him. Six CIA operatives were wounded."
Balawi was a Jordanian physician with a history of Islamist militant support. He had been recruited by Jordanian intelligence agents and had been working with the CIA for long enough to be a trusted informant. And then he blew himself and seven operatives up inside of their base.
Neal Ungerleider at True/Slant also found that Balawi was a blogger who liked to fantasize about an Islamist future.
"It appears al-Balawi, writing under the nom-de-plume Abu Dujanah al-Khurasani, ran the extremely popular jihdaist bulletin board al-Hesbah. Among al-Hesbah’s many users, some were people connected to the London tube bombers and others high-ranking al-Qaeda members. Al-Balawi/al-Khurasani was also a prolific blogger...who, apparently, liked to daydream about a future caliphate....The face of Islamist terrorism apparently is this: A 36-year-old doctor posting about future dystopias on internet forums in his free time. He could just as easily have been a Trekkie.
I'm sure this is a much more thorny intelligence dilemma than being more aware of warning from Africa, and I can't say I've got any armchair-intelligence-operative suggestions. I'll say though, while I'm sure that the CIA is not pleased with the attention they're getting about their efforts in Afghanistan, I'm glad to hear they were actually working on getting to Al Qaeda.
FROM THE NEWS BLOG: http://blogs.current.com/news/2010/01/05/who-was-the-double-agent-and-suicide-bomber-who-attacked-the-cia-in-afghanistan/
SOURCES: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/04/AR2010010402150_pf.html
http://trueslant.com/nealungerleider/2010/01/05/cia-suicide-bomber-was-a-blogger/
IMAGE: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cia-memorial-wall.jpgI wrote yesterday about failures in signals analysis by counterterrorism officials,... more
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The Jordan Times reports that figures recently released by the Central Bank of Jordan indicated that the Kingdom’s tourism sector generated 1.099 billion in Jordanian Dinars (1.5 Billion USD) during the first seven months of this year, up 16 per cent from JD949 million in the same period of 2007.
According to the latest Minister of Tourism and Antiquities figures, the number of visitors on package tours increased by 60 per cent to 287,646 compared to 180,052 tourists in the first seven months of last year.
According to hotel records, the top locations in order were Amman, Petra, Dead Sea and Aqaba; Petra alone witnessing a 58% increase with 455,024 registered tourists. Visitors to Jerash rose 66 per cent to 190,400 tourists, while the St. George Church of Madaba saw an increase of 104 per cent, drawing 163,027 visitors. The Baptism Site also witnessed a 63 per cent increase in visitors, as some 79,954 tourists visited the site, The Jordan Times reports that figures recently released by the Central Bank of Jordan... more
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Avid peace supporter Ahmed Khalifa wants to build peace status with Sderot
Israel's embassy in Amman and the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem received an unusual requested this week: A Jordanian artist expressed his interest in visiting Sderot and building a statue of peace in the southern city along with local children.
The artist, Ahmed Khalifa, is a sculptor and painter known for his enthusiastic support for peace with Israel, despite the treaty's unpopularity in Jordan. Khalifa does not shy away from openly maintaining contacts with the Israeli embassy, and in the past built statues for the Peres Center for Peace.
Recently, Khalifa turned to the Jerusalem city hall and asked to place a statue in the capital in order to promote peace. Several days ago, he presented his work at a Jerusalem fair.
"It is important for me to convey a message against violence and the firing of Qassams through the statue," Khalifa said. "It hurts me to hear about every rocket that lands in the city. I want to come in order to bear a message of peace and support from Jordan. We must show that in the Arab world too there are voices that oppose the Qassams."
The Jordanian artist said he does not fear an attack because of his initiative. "When you do something good, you shouldn't fear anyone," he said.
Sderot's Mayor Eli Moyal pledged to assist Khalifa in realizing his mission.
"I laud such initiatives and I'm happy that some people in the Arab world think differently," he said. "We'll be glad to cooperate with any peace initiative."
Avid peace supporter Ahmed Khalifa wants to build peace status with Sderot... more
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