Scores Of FARC Guerillas Killed In Airstrike While Celebrating New Years Eve

Colombia Raids Farc Jungle Base During Party -- BBC

An air strike by Colombian forces has killed at least 18 Farc rebels while they held a New Year's party in a jungle camp, officials said.

Another 13 surrendered when troops stormed the base in Meta province, the defence ministry said.

It said Friday's raid was part of an offensive to find those responsible for the death last week of the governor of the southern province of Caqueta.

Read more ....

More News On Colombia

Colombia: 18 rebels killed in attacks on 2 camps -- Washington Post
Colombian forces raid Farc camp -- Al Jazeera
Colombia troops bomb rebel camp, killing 18 -- China View
Bombardment kills at least 18 Colombian rebels -- Reuters
Uribe disavows statements of aggression against Venezuela -- Colombia Reports
Two Killed in Colombian Rebel Attack -- Latin American Herald Tribune
Colombia says coca crop eradication down in 2009 -- Seattle PI/AP
Despite billions in US aid Colombia fails on coca targets -- Morning Star
Hugo Chavez claims Colombia, US could simulate attack on fake rebel camp in Venezuela -- The Canadian Press
Colombia needs to prepare for foreign threat - study -- Reuters
Colombian assassination raises fears about FARC's strength -- Washington Post
Colombia’s Peacemaker -- Newsweek
Fears grow of South American arms race -- Financial Times

A Terrorist War Obama Has Denied -- A Commentary

From The Washington Post:

Janet Napolitano -- former Arizona governor, now overmatched secretary of homeland security -- will forever be remembered for having said of the attempt to bring down an airliner over Detroit: "The system worked." The attacker's concerned father had warned U.S. authorities about his son's jihadist tendencies. The would-be bomber paid cash and checked no luggage on a transoceanic flight. He was nonetheless allowed to fly, and would have killed 288 people in the air alone, save for a faulty detonator and quick actions by a few passengers.

Heck of a job, Brownie.

The reason the country is uneasy about the Obama administration's response to this attack is a distinct sense of not just incompetence but incomprehension. From the very beginning, President Obama has relentlessly tried to play down and deny the nature of the terrorist threat we continue to face. Napolitano renames terrorism "man-caused disasters." Obama goes abroad and pledges to cleanse America of its post-9/11 counterterrorist sins. Hence, Guantanamo will close, CIA interrogators will face a special prosecutor, and Khalid Sheik Mohammed will bask in a civilian trial in New York -- a trifecta of political correctness and image management.

Read more ....

My Comment: Charles Krauthammer is not the only one who is finding the actions of the White House incomprehensible. My contacts outside of the U.S. .... Canada, Asia, Europe, and (specifically) Russia .... they are all shaking their heads in wonderment, questioning if the U.S. administration is truly aware of the consequences of their actions and its long term implications.

As for myself, living in Canada gives me a viewpoint that is out of the beltway and the bubble that it creates. I tell critics of the President that we must reconcile ourselves with the fact that President Obama and his Democrat allies received a huge mandate from the American people for change .... and change is what he and Congress are now delivering. If it works .... he deserves the accolades and kudos for his foresight and vision. If it fails .... and it almost did on Christmas Day .... condemnation and denunciation will be the order of the day.

I learned a long time ago that the American public and the politicians that they elect are a fickle group .... and they will always give the politicians that they elect a few years to implement and initiate their policy .... for better and/or for worse. The only thing thing that we on the opposite side can do is point out why this is wrong, and hope that in the long run our worst nightmares do not become today's headlines.

Should "Torture" Be Used On The Terrorist Who attempted To Bomb Flight 253. Majority Of Americans Say Yes

58% Favor Waterboarding of Plane Terrorist To Get Information -- Rasmussen Report

Fifty-eight percent (58%) of U.S. voters say waterboarding and other aggressive interrogation techniques should be used to gain information from the terrorist who attempted to bomb an airliner on Christmas Day.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 30% oppose the use of such techniques, and another 12% are not sure.

Read more ....

My Comment: One more example on our elected officials diverging away from what the majority of the American public believe should be done in the war on terror.

Intelligence Chiefs To Meet President Obama On Tuesday

Obama Sets Tuesday Meeting On Air Bomber Security Failures -- McClatchy News

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama closed 2009 on a somber note, consoling the CIA over seven officers and contractors killed Wednesday in Afghanistan by a suicide bomber and receiving preliminary findings on intelligence failures that enabled a Nigerian with alleged Islamic extremist ties to board a U.S.-bound flight on Christmas Day with explosives in his underwear.

In a statement released Thursday from Hawaii, where the president has been vacationing with his family, Obama said he'd meet Tuesday in Washington with multiple agency heads to address the investigation and the next steps.

Read more ....

More News On President Obama And The Upcoming Intelligence Community "Review"

Heads set to roll as Obama goes on attack over security failures that allowed Christmas Day bomber on to plane -- The Daily Mail
Obama summons US intel chiefs for security talks -- Reuters
Obama Begins New Year With Eye on Intel -- New York Times
Obama Begins New Year with Eye on Intel -- Time Magazine
White House pledges to fix intelligence gaps -- L.A. Times
Obama "Cleared the Decks" for the Preliminary Terror Reports -- ABC News
Obama consoles CIA, reviews intelligence, airport safety failures -- Kansas City/McClatchy News
W.H. stands by watch list probe pick -- Politico
Detroit bomber: US intelligence 'insufficiently aggressive' in pursing leads -- The Telegraph
Democrats Join Calls for Napolitano to Step Down Following Failed Attack -- FOX News
Is Janet Napolitano to blame for Flight 253 security failure? -- Christian Science Monitor
Napolitano's 'no drama' competence shows her potential -- David Broder, Washington Post
Systemic Failure -- R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr., American Spectator
EDITORIAL: Transportation Security Administration on trial -- Washington Times

CIA Conducting Complete Review After Taliban Attack Kills 7 Officers -- Complete News Roundup

Suicide Bombing In Afghanistan Devastates Critical Hub For CIA Activities -- Wall Street Journal

WASHINGTON—Wednesday's attack on a U.S. compound in Afghanistan devastated what has been a hub of counterterrorism and intelligence operations for the spy agency.

Seven Central Intelligence Agency officers and contractors were killed and six more wounded in the suicide bomb attack at Forward Operating Base Chapman, CIA Director Leon Panetta said Thursday, the second-largest single-day loss for the spy agency in its history.

Read more ....

More News On The Attack Against A CIA Base In Afghanistan

President Obama's Letter to CIA Employees -- ABC News
Pakistan Taliban say they carried out CIA attack -- Washington Post
Reports: Taliban Suicide Bombing Hit CIA Nerve Center -- Voice of America
CIA Base Attacked in Afghanistan Supported Airstrikes Against al-Qaeda, Taliban -- Washington Post
U.S. seeks answers after Afghanistan bombing that killed 7 CIA operatives -- L.A. Times
Taliban infiltrator who killed 7 from CIA wore Afghan uniform -- McClatchy News
Afghanistan Suicide Bomber May Have Been Helped by CIA Informant -- Wall Street Journal
Afghan suicide bomber kills seven CIA agents after attacking base -- Times Online
CIA Takes On Bigger and Riskier Role on Front Lines -- New York Times
The CIA Takes a Big Hit in the Afghan War -- Yahoo News/Time
Attacked CIA base oversees air strikes -- Sydney Morning Herald
Afghan CIA bomber 'was courted as potential informant' -- BBC
CIA suicide bomber was invited on base, report claims -- The Telegraph
Source: CIA Suicide Bomber Invited on Base -- CBS News
CIA deaths will be avenged, official says -- UPI
CIA: Bombing of U.S. base won't daunt us -- Chicago Tribune
Suicide bombing at CIA camp in Afghanistan likely revenge attack by Taliban warlord - a former ally -- New York Daily News
CIA bombing raises question about safety protocols -- Yahoo News/AP
After CIA Deaths, Should Afghans Guard US Bases? -- Sphere
The CIA's Loss, and Ours -- Robert Richer, Washington Post opinion

CIA deaths on the job -- Washington Post

Palistan Civil War News Updates -- January 1, 2009

Suicide Bomber Kills 70 At Volleyball Game In Pakistan -- The Telegraph

As many as 70 people have been killed by a suicide car bomber at a volleyball game in north-west Pakistan.

Police said dozens more were injured in the attack in the village of Shah Hasan Khan, in the troubled Bannu district.

“The villagers were watching the match between the two village teams when the bomber drove his double-cabin pick-up vehicle into them and blew it up,” said Habibullah Khan, the local chief of police. “There was a match between two village teams and a lot of people were watching it.”

Read more ....

More News On Pakistan

More than 70 dead in Pakistan volleyball blast: report -- Yahoo News/Reuters
More than 70 dead in Pakistan volleyball blast -- The Independent
Pakistan volleyball crowd 'hit by suicide bomber' -- BBC
Suicide car bomb kills 40 in Pakistan -- Yahoo News/AFP

Deadly strike in Pakistan targets car -- CNN
U.S. drone attack in Pakistan kills three militants -- Reuters
Militants 'bomb schools' in Pakistan tribal area -- AFP
Tribal elder killed in NW Pakistan bomb blast -- AFP
Gunmen attack NATO fuel tankers in Pakistan: police -- AFP
Pakistan army hits 'militants' in Waziristan hospital -- BBC
Pakistan raid on hospital kills Arab and Sudanese militants -- Christian Science Monitor
650 militants killed in Pakistan in 3 months: army -- China View

Pakistani police seek terror charges for US men -- BBC
Pakistan to seek terror charges for five Americans -- AFP
5 terror suspects from U.S. may face life terms in Pakistan -- Dallas Morning News/AP

U.N. to Cut Foreign Staff in Pakistan for Safety -- New York Times
UN to relocate staff in Pakistan -- Al Jazeera
UN to withdraw staff from Pakistan -- Times Online

Pakistan's financial capital comes to a standstill -- China View
Terror, Protests Keep Pakistan’s Economy Closed on First Day -- Business Week/Bloomberg

Afghanistan War News Updates -- January 1, 2009

Grisly year: The bomb disposal expert's death near Sangin yesterday takes the toll for 2008 to 108, making it the bloodiest year since the Falklands

British Bomb Disposal Expert Dies In Afghan Explosion On New Year's Eve, Ending Grisly Year For UK Forces -- The Daily Mail

An Army bomb disposal expert was killed by an explosion in Afghanistan on New Year's Eve, the Ministry of Defence announced today.

The soldier, from 33 Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers, was fatally injured by a blast near Sangin in Helmand Province and died yesterday afternoon.

It is understood he was on patrol conducting controlled explosions in order to save the lives of his comrades when he was mortally wounded.

Read more ....

More News On Afghanistan

Afghan militant attacks set pace for a bloody 2010 -- AFP
Afghanistan war: Suicide attack highlights Taliban reach -- Christian Science Monitor

Taliban militants behead 6 ex-colleagues in S. Afghanistan -- China View
Taliban beheads six Afghan 'spies': police -- AFP

More civilian deaths claimed in Afghanistan -- Yahoo News/AP
UN Says Afghans Slain in Troop Raid Were Students -- New York Times/AP
Hamid Karzai demands US hand over gunmen who killed children -- Times Online

UK bomb disposal expert killed in Afghanistan -- Times Online
Death takes 2009 British death toll in Afghanistan to 108 -- AFP

Number of U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan doubles in 2009 -- L.A. Times
2009 Deadliest Year for U.S. in Afghanistan -- ABC News

Soldiers prepare to send bodies of four comrades, journalist back to Canada -- National Post
Graphic: Afghanistan death toll -- Baltimore Sun
US Military Deaths in Afghanistan Region at 861 -- New York Times/AP

Two French journalists kidnapped in Afghanistan -- AFP
Two French journalists kidnapped in Afghanistan -- Deutsche Welle

Is power in Afghanistan returning to ethnic fault lines? -- Christian Science Monitor
US Marines in southern Afghanistan keep their hands off opium poppies, but farmers still upset -- Canadian Press
An Army colonel in Afghanistan on keeping the bad guys out -- Miami Herald/McClatchy News
Attack signals growing struggle for troops in Afghanistan -- Globe And Mail
The U.N. in Afghanistan -- New York Times editorial

World News Briefs -- January 1, 2009

World Gives Hearty Welcome To 2010 -- CNN

(CNN) -- At least 1 million people marked the passing of another year at the iconic ball drop in New York's Times Square, despite an early morning dusting of snow and late-night freezing rain.

With the help of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and students from 12 city high schools, the dazzling crystal ball began its descent at 11:59 p.m. ET Thursday. Revelers counted down the final seconds of a decade that many were happy to bid farewell to.

Read more ....

MIDDLE EAST

Iranian opposition leader sends new warning. Iran's opposition leader defiant after new threats.

Riot police march through Tehran.

Top US general stresses importance of Iraq vote.

Iraq 'to appeal Blackwater verdict'.

Hundreds demonstrate on border with Gaza.

In sharp contrast with Gaza, casualties decline in West Bank.

ASIA

CIA probes Afghan base security after bomber kills 7. CIA bombing raises question about safety protocols.

N.Korea calls for end to hostile relations with US.

Pakistan volleyball game 'hit by suicide bomber'.

Pakistan police seek terror charges against Americans.

US drone kills 3 militants in Pakistani tribal region.

AFRICA

Eritrean official denies sponsoring insurgents to destabilize neighbors.

Nigerian government admits energy failure.

Ethiopia rejects warning of hunger after drought.

EUROPE

Spain Takes over EU Presidency with spectacular light show.

Russia, Ukraine complete 2010 energy pact.

Russian vodka drinkers get New Year price headache.

AMERICAS

Economy, crime and bloggers added to Cuba's woes in 2009.

200 gather to cheer Honduras' ousted president.

Venezuela warns of US 'aggression' from Aruba, Curacao.

TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR

FBI follows up on terror accomplice claim.

Court says US can stay mum about Guantánamo surveillance.

Terror attempt may hinder plans to close Guantánamo.

Focus on internet Imams as recruiters for Al Qaeda.

ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS

U.S. to lose $400 billion on Fannie, Freddie, Wallison says.

20 million-plus in the U.S. collect unemployment checks in '09.

Mortgage interest rates rise, set to climb higher in 2010.

Oil prices wrap up huge 2009 rally on mixed note.

Happy New Year

WNU Editor: Postings will be light today .... for the obvious reasons. Regular postings will resume tomorrow.

President Obama's Letter to CIA Employees

To the men and women of the CIA:

I write to mark a sad occasion in the history of the CIA and our country. Yesterday, seven Americans in Afghanistan gave their lives in service to their country. Michelle and I have their families, friends and colleagues in our thoughts and prayers.

These brave Americans were part of a long line of patriots who have made great sacrifices for their fellow citizens, and for our way of life. The United States would not be able to maintain the freedom and security that we cherish without decades of service from the dedicated men and women of the CIA. You have helped us understand the world as it is, and taken great risks to protect our country. You have served in the shadows, and your sacrifices have sometimes been unknown to your fellow citizens, your friends, and even your families.

In recent years, the CIA has been tested as never before. Since our country was attacked on September 11, 2001, you have served on the frontlines in directly confronting the dangers of the 21st century. Because of your service, plots have been disrupted, American lives have been saved, and our Allies and partners have been more secure. Your triumphs and even your names may be unknown to your fellow Americans, but your service is deeply appreciated. Indeed, I know firsthand the excellent quality of your work because I rely on it every day.

The men and women who gave their lives in Afghanistan did their duty with courage, honor and excellence, and we must draw strength from the example of their sacrifice. They will take their place on the Memorial Wall at Langley alongside so many other heroes who gave their lives on behalf of their country. And they will live on in the hearts of those who loved them, and in the freedom that they gave their lives to defend.

May God bless the memory of those we lost, and may God bless the United States of America.

President Barack Obama

My Comment: Instead of sending a letter that was written by someone else .... he should go to Langley in person. The sooner .... the better.