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Entries in Terrorism (26)

Monday
Mar302009

Hezbollah Using Mexican Drug Routes To Access United States, Funnel Cash

Earlier this month we did a post on Mexican drug cartels that are working with terrorist groups, that post is:Connection Between Mexican Drug Cartels and Terrorists Clear.

Though this story has not made it's way into the mainstream media, reports about this going on have been around for quite some time. In fact over the last few years small stories have been reported about terrorists, middle-eastern men, and Arabs have been crossing the border.

As early as October of 2001 these reports have been slowly creeping in through various news sources. It is also unknown as far as I can tell how many were crossing the border prior to September 11, 2001 since it appears there was not real tracking of this data prior to the attack.

In 2005 a known Al-Qaeda terrorist was captured near the Mexican boarder, who was watching the movements of police, wildlife, and other people. This happened right near Fort Hancock, TX. It was confirmed that terrorists are moving into the area, learning Spanish, and changing their names to blend in with the Hispanic communities in the region.

The Al-Qaeda terrorists was only captured after he aggravated one of his neighbors who eventually turned him in to the Mexican Authorities, but not before he was already settled into the area for well over a year.

The current spike in violence in Mexico, near the border areas are in part due to the current President of Mexico, Felipe Calderón stepping up actions against the drug cartels and firing corrupt Mexican police officers.

The violence will most likely continue to rise, as the terrorist groups will likely back the drug cartels with financing and weapons further turning the area into a war zone.

Though current administration would like to have you believe the Mexican drug cartels are obtaining their weapons from U.S. citizens selling arms across the boarder, the drug cartels are increasingly using advanced weapons such as rocket launchers and grenades likely to come from sources other than the U.S.

Starting this past weekend reports of Hezbollah using the Mexican boarder to get money out of the U.S. to further fund terror operations around the world is on the rise.

Though no confirmed actions against the U.S. from Hezbollah have occurred as yet, it does present an increasingly troublesome situation. Terror operatives are inside the U.S. they are using our porous boarder with Mexico to further their cause, and as I stated in the post above, it may only be a matter of time before we see one of these terror groups take over a Mexican city or town near our border to lauch operations against the United States.

 

Wednesday
Feb182009

Taliban Make Comeback Inside Pakistan, Shari'a Law Imposed

The new fledgling government of Pakistan came to an agreement with Taliban fighters and is allowing the Taliban to impose Shari'a Law in the Swat Valley region of Pakistan.

In the agreement, the Pakistan government declared a truce with the Taliban and according to the Associated Press, gave the insurgents dominance in the Swat region by installing a strict regimen of Islamic law amenable to the militants' authority. The pact was spear headed by a hard-line cleric sent to the region to negotiate with the Taliban and persuade them to give up their arms.

In essence, whether or not Pakistan or other nations will admit it openly, this once again gives the Taliban their own territory, and government. With this territory located near Afghanistan, and within the northern territory of Pakistan near the heavily disputed region of Kashmir it presents a huge problem for western nations in the efforts to combat terrorism.

This is a clear set back for the United States, which has remained largely silent on the issue, and posses a direct national security threat on many levels,as it gives the Taliban an opertunuity to rule, and plan openly.

As spring looms in the northern hemisphere, and an increase in troops that are headed for Afghanistan there may well be some tough fighting ahead.

Either way, the stage has been set for the terrorists to effectively plan more attacks against the West from a protected position. Will an invasion of Pakistan happen next?

Thursday
Feb122009

Pakistan Admits Mumbai Attacks Planned On Their Soil

For the first time Pakistan admitted that the Mumbai terror attacks were planned inside their country.

Pakistan’s Interior Ministry Adviser Rehman Malik told a press conference that “some part of the conspiracy has taken place in Pakistan,” adding that eight people had been arrested – including a few named by India as masterminds.

But he also unveiled a slew of foreign links pointing to a network of “non-state actors” providing logistical support from around the globe. These include:

  • Internet phone accounts arranged in Barcelona
  • a digital teleconferencing system in Houston
  • the use of Indian mobile phone connections
  • a domain name registered in Russia
  • a satellite phone registered in a Middle Eastern country
  • further links to Austria and Italy.

Tuesday
Feb032009

Cause For Concern? Iran States They Successfully Launched Satellite Into Space

Photo by WharmanSending off alarm signals around the world, Iran announced the successful launch of their first domestically made satellite into space.

The U.S. State Department said Iran’s development of a space-launch vehicle gives the country the “technical basis” to develop long-range ballistic missile systems.

At a time when world pressure on Iran is building against their nuclear program, it may pose more trouble to the Obama administration at a time when they are attempting to reach out to Iran to establish a dialog.

Even France is worried and has expressed concern over the launch of the Satellite.

Though this may cause more international pressure to increase against Iran, time is running short. I personally doubt much will be done to stop Iran.

If nothing is done, they will not only have a nuclear weapon but the capability to launch  long range missiles as well.

Friday
Jan232009

War On Terror Over...as Defined By President Bush

According to the Washington Post, the war on terror is over. That's right it has come to an end, or at least as defined by President Bush.

According to the Post:

 

Key components of the secret structure developed under Bush are being swept away: The military's Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, facility, where the rights of habeas corpus and due process had been denied detainees, will close, and the CIA is now prohibited from maintaining its own overseas prisons. And in a broad swipe at the Bush administration's lawyers, Obama nullified every legal order and opinion on interrogations issued by any lawyer in the executive branch after Sept. 11, 2001. It was a swift and sudden end to an era that was slowly drawing to a close anyway

 

But don't the headlines fool you, just today President Obama ordered attacks in Pakistan using missile carrying drones. This attack killed 20 people inside a tribal area in Pakistan. So...No matter what you want to call it, whether or not we take detainees, or if we have prisoners in Guantanamo Bay or in San Francisco, Pennsylvania, or anywhere else inside the United States....Make no mistake, the War on Terror continues.