Terrorism

U.S. kills 62 al-Shabab militants with massive air assault in Somalia

The U.S. military over the weekend unleashed an intense air assault targeting al-Shabab militants in Somalia, killing at least 62 in a series of strikes aimed at denying the terrorist group a safe haven from which to launch attacks. The strikes in the Gandarshe region of Somalia — which mark the latest step in a growing U.S.-led military campaign targeting the terrorist group in Africa — were conducted in coordination with the Somali government, U.S. Africa Command said in a statement early Monday. At least 34 militants were killed on Saturday and another 28 on Sunday, Pentagon officials said. The military said no civilians were killed or injured in any of the six bombings. “All six airstrikes … targeted a known al-Shabab encampment,” U.S. Africa Command said in the statement. “U.S. Africa Command and our Somali partners conducted these airstrikes to prevent terrorists from using remote areas as a safe haven to plot, direct, inspire, and recruit for future attacks.” “We are committed to preventing al-Shabab from taking advantage of safe havens from which they can build capacity and attack the people of Somalia,” the U.S. military said. “In particular, the group uses portions of southern and central Somalia to plot and direct terror attacks, steal humanitarian aid, extort the local populace to fund its operations, and shelter radical terrorists.” The U.S. in recent months has ramped up its air campaign against the terrorist group, which is affiliated with al Qaeda. There are estimated to be as many as 9,000 al-Shabab fighters across Somalia. In addition to the continuing airstrikes, there have also been clashes between al-Shabab fighters and U.S. forces on the ground in Somalia. Last June, an American soldier was killed and another four wounded in a firefight with militants in southwestern Somalia.

Score one for the good guys!  🙂

Foiled Iranian plots in Europe raise concern in US, spotlight Israeli intelligence sharing

On the heels of explosive revelations that Iranian operatives – allegedly under direct orders from Tehran – plotted to carry out deadly attacks on dissidents across Europe, U.S. intelligence is on heightened alert of similar Iran-orchestrated operations, according to several analysts and insiders. “Given recent geopolitical developments, there is a growing concern of Iran orchestrating assignations and potential attacks,” said Michael Rozin, president of Minneapolis-based threat detection firm Rozin Security, and a former Israeli security agent, told Fox News. “Iranian intelligence services typically leverage local residents or citizens for pre-operational activities and use their own trained operatives … They leverage local sympathizers or those with families in Iran.” In August, the Department of Justice arrested two Iranians suspected of spying and “acting on behalf of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran by conducting covert surveillance of Israeli and Jewish facilities in the United States, and collecting identifying information about American citizens and U.S. nationals.” In particular, the Iranians targeted those involved with the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) – also referred to as the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). The MEK has long been deemed a terrorist organization by Tehran. It was also designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department in 1997, but was removed from the list in 2012. Eight years earlier, then-U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld designated the group as civilian “protected persons” under the Geneva Convention. One man identified as Ahmadreza Mohammadi Doostdar was a dual national with U.S. and Iranian citizenship, accused of conducting illicit snooping on a Jewish organization in Chicago. The other, Majid Ghorbani, is an Iranian citizen and California permanent resident, who was arrested after allegedly taking photos at an Iranian opposition rally held in New York, in September 2017 and passing them on to Iranian intelligence. The indictment against Ghorbani says he was involved in an operation to kidnap and kill Ali Safavi, a leading Iranian opposition figure. “I remember him. He came to the rally and upon seeing me, asked why I don’t go to California to visit anymore,” Safavi, a senior official with the NCRI, said..

For more, click on the text above.

Winning: Study Shows Worldwide Terror Attacks Falling Under Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump presided over a decline of nearly 25 percent in the number of terrorist attacks and their lethality across the globe last year compared to 2016, a feat likely made possible by the ongoing demise of the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), a U.S. government-linked study shows. Although ISIS remains the most prolific and deadly jihadi group in the world, followed by the Afghan Taliban and al-Qaeda’s Somalia-based al-Shabaab, the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) noted a decline in ISIS attacks in a report released on August 1: The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) was responsible for the most terrorist attacks (1,321) and deaths (7,120) in 2017, though were responsible for 10 percent fewer attacks and 40 percent fewer deaths than in 2016. The Taliban and al-Shabaab were the next most active with 907 attacks (4,925 deaths) and 573 attacks (1894 deaths) respectively. Established as a Center for Excellence by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate, the University of Maryland issues various START studies every year. The consortium catalogs attacks across the world by terrorists of all stripes, from ISIS to members of the Communist Party of India-Maoist. Click here for more.

Muslim group sues to block Trump terrorism report

Two anti-Trump organizations filed a lawsuit Monday arguing that a government report earlier this year linking immigrants to most of the country’s terrorism cases since 2001 is so misleading that it violates federal law. The request seeks to recruit federal judges to police the accuracy of the administration, in what — if it’s successful — could become a model for anti-Trump groups to push back on a president they see as having a tenuous connection to the truth. The January report concluded that 73 percent of the 549 people convicted of international terrorism between 2001 and 2016 were foreign born. Activists were infuriated by the report at the time, and now two groups — Muslim Advocates and Democracy Forward — have sued, saying the investigation “misleadingly inflates the threat they pose to the United States,” and “inaccurately” focuses on Muslims. “The report perpetuates the ongoing stigmatization of immigrants and Muslims by the administration,” the groups said. “For example, the Trump administration has used the report to justify its sweeping ban on the entry of nationals from six Muslim-majority countries into the United States. It has also specifically tied the report’s findings to its calls for an end to the issuance of diversity and family reunification visas, which would have a significant negative impact on Muslim immigrants.” At stake is the Information Quality Act, which lays out the goal of government information being accurate, and creates a process for the public to demand corrections, with the agencies required to respond to those requests within 60 days. Neither the Justice Department nor Homeland Security, which co-authored the report, responded to the groups’ requests, they said. The groups want the courts to declare the report inaccurate and issue an order banning them from disseminating it. The Justice Department declined to comment. The report has been widely used by the Trump administration, which pointed to the findings in calling for stricter immigration and travel controls.

Soo..  To be clear…  These liberal, anti-Trump, Muslim-advocacy groups want the courts to censor a report issued jointly by the DOJ and Homeland Security, because they don’t like what that report says.  That would be terrible!  Americans need to know the truth about Muslim immigrant crime, which is much greater than most Americans are aware, in large part because the dominantly liberal mainstream media won’t report on it.

American flag destroyed, replaced with ‘ISIS flag’ at Utah high school

An American flag at a high school in Southwest Utah was found destroyed and replaced with an ISIS flag Thursday, Fox 13 reported. An unknown perpetrator had taken down the flag at Hurricane High School, which is in the Washington County School District, and replaced it with “what looked like a flag used by ISIS,” police said. The American flag was left shredded at the scene. The words “ISIS is COMI” had been spray-painted on a wall on the school’s east side, KUTV reported. Ken Thompson, a spokesman for Hurricane Police department, said authorities don’t know if the perpetrator was a student or someone from outside the community. “Officers have received tips this morning and they’re following those leads and so far they haven’t generated a credible lead but tips can help us out a lot,” he said. Hurricane Police sent additional officers to the school Thursday to reassure students and faculty of their safety. Classes resumed normally on Thursday and will reportedly continue through Friday. Authorities released a statement saying school employees have replaced the “ISIS flag” with a new American flag, and removed the graffiti. Images of the ISIS flag were then sent to the FBI for analysis. “[B]ased on information we received from the FBI we do not believe this act was perpetrated by someone linked to the Islamic State,” Hurricane PD said in a statement. “This investigation is ongoing and investigators will continue to follow-up on leads.”

Hopefully they are able to identify the piece(s) of garbage who did this, arrest them and appropriately charge them.  Awful…

Jihadist Responsible for Mall of America Stabbing Spree Entered U.S. with Foreign Relatives

A jihadist who pleaded guilty to going on a stabbing spree at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota entered the U.S. as a legal immigrant with foreign relatives. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed to Breitbart News in a statement that 20-year-old Mahad Abdiaziz Adbiraham entered the U.S. as a “derivative of a relative,” which is immigration lingo used to describe a foreign-born resident who came to the country either as the immediate child or spouse of a legal immigrant. Adbiraham, according to KSTP, pleaded guilty last week to stabbing two men in a Macy’s dressing room at the Mall of America, an attack that the jihadist admitted in court was inspired by the Islamic State (ISIS). In a statement to the courtroom, Adbiraham said the attack was a “call for jihad by the Chief of Believer, Abu-bakr Al-baghdadi, may Allah protect him, and by the Mujahiden of the Islamic State,” adding: “I understand that the two men I stabbed know and have explained the reason for my attack, and I am here reaffirming that it was indeed an act of Jihad in the way of Allah.” The Mall of America jihadist also threatened Americans, saying in the statement that the country would not be considered safe until its “war with Islam” ended. The jihadist attack by the foreign-born resident is just the last ISIS-inspired attack by a legal immigrant to the U.S. Last year, Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud, 25, who entered the U.S. from Somalia and obtained citizenship, trained with a terrorist organization in Syria, plotting to return to the U.S. to carry out the attack,

What a piece of garbage…  This is yet another example of why it is absolutely critical that exercise “extreme vetting” of potential new legal immigrants.  Coming to America is a privilege; NOT a right.  And, we should only allow those who want to assimilate into our unique American culture, speak/learn English, and be a positive contributor to our economy; not be a parasite.

DHS, DOJ: More than 70 Percent of Terror-Related Convicts in U.S. Are Foreign Born

U.S. federal courts have convicted at least 549 individuals of “international terrorism-related charges” between 9/11 and the end of 2016, including 402, or 73 percent, who are foreign-born, reveals a new report issued by the U.S. Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Homeland Security (DHS). The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, a component of DHS charged with enforcing American immigration laws within the country, removed 1,716 aliens over “national security concerns” since September 11, 2001, notes the assessment. While briefing reporters on condition of anonymity, a Trump administration official said of the ICE removals linked to national security threats: “This is an important statistic to highlight because it’s not always the case that seeking a criminal conviction in our federal courts to be an ideal outcome to protect our national security and certain national interests. It could be the case that our sources and methods are such that we cannot disclose them or perhaps in some of these cases it’s more ideal to remove the individual through our civil immigration system and get the [individual] out of the continental United States and back to where he or she came from.” DHS and DOJ issued the assessment of terrorism-related activity data in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 13780: Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States. “There were 549 individuals convicted of international terrorism-related offenses in U.S. federal court. Of that 549, roughly three out four — 73 percent — were foreign-born,” revealed the anonymous Trump administration official. In a press release announcing the report, DHS and DOJ further explained: ” Breaking down the 549 individuals by citizenship status at the time of their respective convictions reveals that: 254 were not U.S. citizens; 148 were foreign-born, naturalized and received U.S. citizenship; and,147 were U.S. citizens by birth.”

To read more, click on the text above..

Single U.S. airstrike wipes out 100 terrorists in Somalia

A single American military airstrike killed at least 100 fighters allied with the Somali-based terror group al-Shabab, the Pentagon revealed Tuesday, adding to an escalating body count as the Trump administration ramps up its counterterrorism campaign in the West African nation. U.S. forces working with the Somalian government on Tuesday confirmed an American sortie against a suspected al-Shabab camp ended with more than 100 fighters dead. The strike, which took place 125 miles west of the Somali capital of Mogadishu, was the largest casualty count racked up by U.S. warplanes operating in Somalia this month. And the Pentagon said the up-tempo pace will not fade quickly. “U.S. forces will continue to use all authorized and appropriate measures to protect Americans and to disable terrorist threats” working with the African Union and Somali federal forces, the U.S. Africa Command said in a statement shortly after Tuesday’s strike. Reached by the Reuters news service, al-Shabab spokesman Abdiasis Abu Musab denied the attack. “It is just … propaganda,” he said. But Somalia’s state news agency SONNA reported late on Tuesday that “about 100 militants” had indeed been killed when U.S. planes and Somali commandos attacked al-Shabab bases in the Bur Elay area of Bay region. The attack on the al-Shabab compound was the fifth by American fighters against targets associated with the terror group that has been fighting a deadly insurgent war against the weak Somalian government. Several militants were killed during a pair of initial airstrikes on Nov. 3, while several more died during a Nov. 14 U.S. strike on an al-Shabab target 60 miles northwest of Mogadishu, command officials confirmed at the time. There are currently 500 U.S. military personnel stationed in Somalia, supporting and leading counterterrorism operations in the country, Pentagon spokesman Col. Rob Manning said earlier this month. He declined to comment on the exact number of al-Shabab fighters based in the country, or whether other terror groups like Islamic State were gaining a foothold in the Horn of Africa. In one of its first national security actions, the Trump administration in May ordered an escalation of American-led operations against al-Shabab’s network in Somalia. The order came weeks after Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Kyle Milliken was killed in a Navy SEALs raid against a known al-Shabab stronghold in the country. His death was the first U.S. casualty in Somalia since 18 American soldiers were killed during the infamous “Black Hawk Down” incident in 1993. Earlier this month the U.S. warned of a threat to American diplomatic personnel in Mogadishu and directed all nonessential staff to leave the capital. Al-Shabab has lost control of most of Somalia’s cities and towns since it was pushed out of Mogadishu in 2011. But it retains a strong presence in parts of the south and center and carries out terror attacks, Reuters reported.

Score one for the good guys!  Excellent!!    🙂

President Trump Designates North Korea as a State Sponsor of Terror

President Donald Trump revealed his intentions to declare North Korea as a state sponsor of terror. “In addition to threatening the world by nuclear devastation, North Korea has repeatedly supported acts of including assassinations on foreign soil,” Trump said. The president made his remarks to reporters as he met with his cabinet at the White House on Monday. “Should have happened a long time ago,” Trump said. “Should have happened years ago.” He referred to the death of American prisoner Otto Warmbier and “countless others” brutalized by the North Korean regime. Trump said the announcement was only part of his “maximum pressure campaign” to isolate the North Korean regime in response to their actions. In 2008, President George W. Bush took the regime off the list. Trump also previewed new sanctions that the Treasury Department were preparing to level against North Korea. “The North Korean regime must be lawful,” Trump said. “It must end its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile development, and cease all support for international terrorism — which it is not doing.”

This is long overdue.  Pres. Bush should never have removed the DPRK from that list.  Kudos to Pres. Trump for putting that evil and dangerous regime back on the list.  Excellent!

CIA Releases Hundreds of Thousands of Documents from Osama bin Laden

Over at the Long War Journal, Thomas Joscelyn and Bill Roggio have the first analysis of the massive trove of documents, files, and images which were recovered at Osama bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, during the raid in which bin Laden was killed. The cache of documents, released today for the first time by the CIA, are an amazing stockpile of information that has never before been public. Click here for some highlights.