The brother of Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri joined dozens of Egyptian Islamists in a protest Friday near the French embassy in Cairo against French intervention in Mali.
Mohammed al-Zawahiri took part in the demonstration during which protesters accused Paris of being “at war against Islam”. (more…)
(Via MEMRI.org) Several Islamist and jihadi groups have called for a demonstration outside the French embassy in Cairo, in protest over France’s campaign against jihadis in Mali. The demonstration is slated to be held January 18, following Friday prayers. The groups, which include the General Islamic Movement (Al-tayyar al-islami al-‘am), a coalition of Islamist groups; the Hazem Abu Isma’il Ultras; and the Salafi-jihadi movement, have issued their calls via their Facebook pages, among other venues.
Indeed, the Hazem Abu Isma’il Ultras, a group of fanatical fans of the Salafi presidential candidate Hazem Abu Isma’il, issued an invitation to the demonstration on their Facebook page, specifying that is purpose was “to lift the siege from our brothers in Mali and stop the global crime committed against the Muslims there.” The demonstration is set to begin with a procession from a mosque in Giza nearby the French embassy. (more…)
If you are a person who follows U.S. foreign policy, even tangentially, you must watch this video of Hillary Clinton discussing the terrorist attack / hostage crisis in Algeria:
Couple of thoughts. (more…)
Details are again sketchy. The official U.S. media is avoiding this like the plague. Huffington post had an article with 6 victims. But, it appears the reality is far worse. Reuters reports 34 of the initial 41 hostages have been killed, and U.K. Daily Mail says up to 35 of the hostages killed.
Reports late last night from French Media were that the hostages had been outfitted with explosive, suicide type, bomb belts/vests. Prayers for all the families of the victims. Here are a couple of latest reports.
(Daily Mail)Two British workers were reported tonight to be among the dead following a botched Algerian military raid to free hostages at a desert gas plant.
Thirty hostages, including at least seven foreigners, were killed when Algerian forces stormed a BP desert gas plant seized by Islamist militants, an Algerian security source said. (more…)
(AFP) – Islamist forces based in northern Mali vowed Monday to avenge France’s fierce military offensive against them on French soil.
“France has attacked Islam. We will strike at the heart of France,” said a leader of the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), an offshoot of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). (more…)
The French have lost substantial ground since their decision to try to push back against the Islamists. Most of the “Western Trained” state army officers have defected to the other side. al-Qaeda is within 250 miles of the Capitol, Bamako. This is the heartland of both AQIM and al-Shabab elements. Both of which were the main benefactors from the Libyan weapons depots, including surface to air missiles.
The French military, which began battling in Mali on Friday, expanded its aerial bombing campaign of northern Mali, launching airstrikes for the first time in central Mali to combat the new threat. But it failed to halt the advance of the rebels, who now are only 250 miles from the capital Bamako, in the far south. Before France sent its forces in on Friday, the closest known spot the Islamists were to the capital was 420 miles away near the central belt, though they might have infiltrated closer than that. (link)
al-Qaeda is bragging by posting pictures of the dead French military via twitter., and sending out press releases.
Plea from sanctimonious Hollande to the U.S.A. begging for help in 3…… 2……
(France 24) — France’s military intervention in Mali will be increased to 2,500 French soldiers, defence ministry sources said Tuesday, as the offensive in the divided African country entered its fifth day.
French President François Hollande held a press conference during a state visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday, during which he outlined France’s three goals in Mali. (more…)
An underreported mission to rescue a French hostage in Somalia failed miserably on Friday and now the hostage is presumed to be dead. The White House says the U.S. involvement was “limited technical support” for the French against al-Shabab terrorists. Reading between the lines it appears the terms of assistance are defined due to the failure. Here is the most comprehensive information we can find:
(Associated Press) MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — The night of mayhem and death started with the sound of helicopters above pitch-black fields. When it was over, the French intelligence agent who had been held hostage for more than three years was almost certainly dead, as was at least one French commando, and the home that served as the agent’s final jail was destroyed. And now the Somalis living in the muddy farm town had new cause to fear the militants controlling their street.
It was too dark to see beyond the brief glow of flashlights, but noise was everywhere, said Ali Bulhan, who woke up when the earth started vibrating to the beat of the helicopter rotors. And the flashlights were abruptly extinguished when the French soldiers shot the Somalis who had turned them on to see what was happening in their town in the dead of night, said town elder Hussein Yasin. (more…)
Pinch me…… This is not a typo, the French, as in France, the country of, are using fighter jets to attack al-Qaeda in North Africa. The French are engaged in active military operations against Islamists in Mali. Did I mention this is France doing this…..
Who would have thought that France would be fighting al-Qaeda and the United States would be providing al-Qaeda weapons (Syria) while claiming they are gone. All the while an American Abassador is dragged through the streets and al-Qaeda flags hoisted atop U.S. embassies, and we do…….. ?
John Kerry for Secretary of State, Chuck Hagel for Defense Secretary, Jack Lew for Treasury and John O Brennan for CIA Director…. Sheeesh…. Wake me up in five years,… but only if I can still buy asprin with dollars.
(Reuters) — French aircraft pounded Islamist rebels in Mali for a second day on Saturday and neighboring West African states sped up their plans to deploy troops in an international campaign to prevent groups linked to al Qaeda expanding their power base.
France, warning that the control of northern Mali by the militants posed a security threat to Europe, intervened dramatically on Friday as heavily armed Islamist fighters swept southwards towards Mali’s capital Bamako. (more…)
Considering John O Brennan is nominated to head the CIA, Chuck Hagel is nominated to head the Department of Defense and John Kerry is nominated to be the next Secretary of State. It may seem odd to align the Treasury Secretary pick with them. Odd that is, until you remember:
Prior to his position as President Obama’s Chief of Staff, and prior to him being Obama’s Budget Director (comical considering Obama has never had a budget) Jack Lew served as State Department Director under Hillary Clinton. It was Lew’s influence that shaped and positioned the failed Obama foreign policy toward the Middle East. Specifically toward Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya during their upheavel, the Arab Spring. How has that worked out for our interests ?
President Obama has presented his Chief of Staff, Jack Lew, as his nominee for Treasury Secretary. Make no mistake, this is not a decision made with the economic interests of the United States in mind, this is a highly partisan decision made with the specific intent of finding methonds of spending that will work AROUND congress.
Senator Jeff Sessions is right when he calls Jack Lew a “liar”, but the issues with Lew are far larger than his intentional propensity to mislead:
As the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Lew has spent an inordinate amount of time honing one specific aspect of federal spending. (more…)
President Obama has nominated John O Brennan to be CIA Director. This John O Brennan:
I’m not trying to be an alarmist, but, well…