‘Our Country Is In Trouble’ -- An Ex-bin Laden Hunter On Why The U.S. Hasn't Beaten Al Qaeda.

From Newsweek:

Michael Scheuer is a worried man—and an angry one. He's worried by what he regards as the United States's failure to devise a successful strategy against Osama bin Laden and angered by what he sees as the political timidity behind that failure. Scheuer has a claim to be heard. He was a CIA officer for almost 20 years. In the 1980s he was involved in the arming of the Afghan mujahedin against the Soviets. For much of the 1990s he ran the team hunting for Osama bin Laden. In 2004 he quit the CIA to write a book titled "Imperial Hubris," an account of years of Western failure to take seriously the growing threat of Islamist terrorism. Now Scheuer has written a new book, "Marching Toward Hell: America and Islam After Iraq." He spoke with NEWSWEEK'S John Barry about it.

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My Comment: Since the seventies, after the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee headed by Senator Church had hearings on "illegal" conduct of the C.I.A. that resulted in the elimination of much of its traditional "body on the ground" intelligence work to favor more electronic and equipment surveillance, America's Intelligence capability has not been the same. While it is probably the best in monitoring leaders of state, it is clear that it is not effective against individuals and quasi organizations such as Al Qaeda.

To change the culture of America's Intelligence Organizations will, in my opinion, only come about through an act of god. Since 911, there are two images that sum up to me on what is the best and worse of the CIA. The first one is right after 911, when CIA operatives were dropped into Afghanistan and were successful in organizing opposition groups in that country as well as coordinating U.S. air strikes against the Taliban and their Al Qaeda allies. The second one is learning about Valerie Plame and her involvement in sending her husband to Niger, and the fallout after that escapade. The clear nepotism and politicization of the CIA for all to see.

UN: 13 Countries Use Child Soldiers

From Time Magazine:

The situation for children caught in conflict remains "grave and entirely unacceptable" because 58 groups in 13 countries still recruit and use child soldiers, according to a senior U.N. official.

Undersecretary-General Radhika Coomaraswamy told the U.N. Security Council Tuesday that in addition to being pressed into service, children in several countries are also killed, maimed, abducted and raped and denied access to humanitarian groups.

She cited a recent report from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to the Security Council on Children and Armed Conflict that named 58 groups in 13 countries "responsible for the recruitment and use of child soldiers."

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My Comment: A problem that has been with man since the beginning of recorded history. Young generations lost and destroyed to fulfill an adults view of what should be.

U.S. Military Aid To The Phillipines Found Effective In Separatist Clash

From The Washington Times:

U.S. military assistance to the Philippines has been effective in building counterinsurgency capacity, according to a U.S. military study, but critics say it has come at the price of a U.S. blind eye to extrajudicial killings there.

The government of the far-flung archipelago nation has been locked for decades in a conflict with separatist groups in the southern region of Mindanao, home to the Philippines" Muslim minority.

Peace deals and cease-fires were negotiated with the mainstream rebel groups in the 1990s, and Mindanao was granted autonomy in 1996, but more radical elements, some linked to al Qaeda and other Islamic terror groups, have since emerged.

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My Comment: Conflict in the Philippines is nothing new. But the fact that the central government is starting to be successful against many of these insurgent groups is new. Concerns about extrajudicial killings is an area of concern. Unfortunately, civil war and conflict is never clean, and the prospect of brutality and war crimes being committed is almost a given.

Will the Philippines ever achieve a level of peace .... maybe ..... but like all low level conflicts this is a very long term prospect. The only hope is to minimize it and localize it to the regions that have always bred this level of violence.

Infamous Hezbollah Terrorist Imad Mughniyeh Assassinated By Car Bomb In Syria -- Roundup Of News

From Yahoo News:

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Imad Mughniyeh, the militant accused of attacks that left hundreds of Americans and Israelis dead, including a U.S. Navy diver during the infamous 1985 hijacking of a TWA jetliner, has been killed, Hezbollah said Wednesday.

The militant group blamed Israel for the assassination — a charge the Jewish state denied — but it did not say how he died. However, Middle East media reported he was killed in a recent car bomb in Syria.

His killing is a major blow to Hezbollah, which fought Israel in the summer 2006 war in Lebanon, and its Iranian and Syrian backers.

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News Updates From Other News Services:
News FromThe BBC: Bomb Kills Top Hezbollah Leader

News From Haaretz: Hezbollah Deputy Leader Was Behind String Of Terror Attacks

From Yahoo News: Attacks Blamed On Mughniyeh

From First Post: Death Of The ‘Original Bin Laden’

From Breitbart: Hezbollah Says Top Militant Is Killed

From Times Online: Imad Mughniyeh, Hezbollah Terror Leader, Killed In Car Bomb

From The Belmont Club: Mughniyeh Killed in Damascus

From CNN: Hezbollah Commander On FBI Terrorist List Killed

My Comment: You can run, but you cannot hide. Aside from the story that he is now dead, the next story should be what is Syria's involvement in giving sanctuary to such a person. Obviously there is and always has been a direct collaboration between the two.

With his death Syria's role in terror attacks against U.S. interests will probably now never be known. But what is known is that this is a clear signal to Hezbollah that their leadership are not immune to attacks and being safe in countries that support their efforts.

The US Troop Surge In Iraq, A Year Later

From Yahoo News:

BAGHDAD - A year ago in Baghdad: Shiite militiamen and Sunni insurgents owned entire neighborhoods and key areas beyond. Iraq's government was adrift, and U.S. commanders weighed the real possibility of being trapped in a full-scale civil war.

Washington's response was "the surge," launched Feb. 14, 2007, with the 82nd Airborne as the vanguard of an American troop buildup that would climb to 30,000 extra U.S. soldiers by the summer.

A year later — through a mix of military might, new allies and some fortunate timing — Iraq looks very different.

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My Comment: What difference a year makes. BUT ..... violence and problems still persist. Animosity and a total lack of trust persists between all sides. Political and religious extremists are active on the local, provincial, and central government levels. Poverty, community displacement, ethnic cleansing, corruption, discrimination against minorities, and the presence of death squads are everywhere.

Is there hope for Iraq .... I think so. The direction for peace and stabilization appear to be going the right way. But the healing process is going to take a long time, and it can still change to the worse in a flash.

Saddam Hussein and his supporters devastated and corrupted the culture of Iraq. The 2003 invasion and occupation further shocked Iraqi society, with the subsequent involvement of Al Qaeda, foreign agents, scores to settle, and subsequent short but bloody civil war further galvanizing everyone.

The U.S. troop surge bought a little time for healing and providing a veneer of security. The true test will happen when American forces start to go home this summer,

Troops On Timor Streets After President Shot

From The Times Online:

Reinforcements flooded into East Timor today to enforce a state of emergency as President Ramos-Horta remained in a serious condition with gunshot wounds a day after an apparent coup attempt.

Eleven people are understood to have been questioned over the attack, in which the rebel leader Alfredo Reinado was killed leading a band of rebels that shot Dr Ramos-Horta up to three times. Xanana Gusmão, the Prime Minister, was uninjured in a related attack.

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More News From the Telegraph: East Timor President 'Lucky' To Be Alive

More News From The Independent: East Timor Reeling After Coup Attempt

My Comment: We now know that the leader of the coup and assassination attempt was a former East Timor rebel leader known as Alfredo Reinado. Trained by Australia, he deserted the East Timor Army last year complaining of regional discrimination in Army promotions. Peace negotiations were underway, but it is clear that these talks fail in the past month.

For a fragile and new democracy in the heart of Indonesia, this is terrible news for all those who have been working very hard to develop and bring peace to East Timor. It is also clear that for the U.N. and Australia, this instability is a black eye in their attempts to bring peace to this region.

Transcript Of An Al Qaeda Diary in Iraq

A few days ago I wrote about a diary written by an Al Qaeda member that was found by coalition forces in a raid on a safe house. The transcript of this diary can be read by all here. A fascinating snippet can be found here.(Hat Tip to Strata-Sphere)

Its group Emir called [redacted] (Detained), and the number of fighters in the Battalion were 200. … The battalion was one of the first battalions whose numbers of fighters was tarnished after Abu-Haydar al-Ansari Battalion, and the number of fighters is now only ten.

"The al-Ansari Battalion mentioned here went from 300 fighters to 17. The passages are very interesting to read, as the anger at those who turned their backs against jihad just comes rushing out, demanding more brutality for the snub. Thus is the vicious cycle of hate and defeat al-Qaeda finds itself in across the Muslim world." (Again A Hat Tip To Strata-Sphere)

My Comment: It is clear that after five years Al Qaeda and their allies have been degraded to a level of only a few survivors. While they still enjoy a significant amount of support in the Muslim world, those who would support them actively in a military manner is clearly diminishing.

A tipping point has been reached. If coalition forces and their Iraqi allies continue to pursue a military as well as a diplomatic and reconstruction policy, Al Qaeda's influence will only become a minor one with no public support in Iraq. A remarkable achievement when one realizes that only a year ago most politicians and experts were predicting the demise of Iraq and our coalition allies.

Hamas Leaders Fear Assassination

From Time Magazine:

(GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip) — Leaders of Gaza's ruling Hamas movement have gone into hiding, fearing Israeli assassination attempts in response to a wave of Palestinian rocket attacks on southern Israel, officials said Monday.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak ordered the military to prepare to invade Gaza, and told Israeli lawmakers that under certain circumstances, Israel would "even take down Hamas."

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More From Yahoo News: Hamas Leaders Hiding From Israeli Hits

More From MSNBC News: Fearing Israeli Attacks, Hamas Leaders Hide

My Comment: Let me see now. Hamas leaders call for the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jewish civilians. They launch attacks against Jewish civilian communities. They send suicide bombers against civilians. They murder their own Palestinian political opponents.

And now .... they are telling everyone that they must hide because they are being targeted?!?!?!?

Everyone is accountable for their actions. Israeli leaders, the U.S. Government, the Palestinian Authority .... and yes .... even leaders of Hamas. No one will ..... or can even expect to get a pass.

Asia's Newest Nation Reeling After Coup Attempt On President And Prime Minister

From the Independent:

The President of East Timor was in a serious but stable condition in hospital last night after rebel soldiers launched a coup attempt that targeted the political leadership of the tiny Asian country.

Jose Ramos-Horta, a Nobel Prize laureate, was flown to Darwin in Australia after being hit in the stomach and chest by bullets when would-be assassins opened fire at his home in the city of Dili. Just an hour later, the motorcade of the Prime Minister, Xanana Gusmao, was also attacked, but he escaped unhurt.

"I consider this incident a coup attempt against the state ... and it failed," said Mr Gusmao, who for years led the armed struggle for East Timor's independence from Indonesia. "This government won't fall because of this."

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More From Yahoo News: East Timor President In Stable Condition

More News From the Guardian: East Timor PM Declares State Of Emergency After 'Coup Attempt'

My Comment: I wish to know if Indonesia has a role in this coup attempt. Their hostility to East Timor is well known, but does this also extend to actively participating in the assassination of its leaders .... this unfortunately opens a number of disturbing questions.

Chadian Army Force Rebels To Retreat

From The Telegraph:

Along the roadside at Naala, 50 miles north of the Chadian capital, lies the debris of war.

At least a dozen burnt-out vehicles, two of them armoured personnel carriers scarred black by terrible fires, stand a few hundred yards from the road. Scattered around are the boots of the dead.

Along the roadside at Naala, 50 miles north of the Chadian capital, lies the debris of wa
"They burned together, the people and the vehicles"

Nothing flammable survived any of the infernos, and the trucks' floors are littered with ash, melted glass, and the occasional shard of bone.

"They burned together, the people and the vehicles," said Mbatna Psychique, 25, a nurse.

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My Comment: The Sudan backed rebels, with their pick-ups, had the element of surprise and preparedness that surprised everyone when they attacked. But once the Chadian army, with their tanks, became organized and ready to fight, there was no contest.

This is a huge loss for the rebels. While this conflict has taken people's eye away from the plight of refugees in Darfur, it does highlight Sudan's direct involvement in destabilizing this region. If Sudan cannot be made accountable for its actions, more refugees and more attacks against Chadian forces will continue.