January 23, 2006: Thoughts on Osama Bin Laden tape of January 18, 2006

by Laura Mansfield

Last week’s audio-taped message from Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden concluded with the following comments:

We patiently fought the Soviet Union with small humble weapons for ten years and we drained their economy until they collapsed and vanished, praise be to Allah. 

You should have learned a lesson from that. 

We will be patient fighting you, Allah willing, until one of us dies.  We will never flee from fighting you until the end.

Osama Bin Laden is telling us in no uncertain terms that he believes he has found the Achilles Heel of the United States, and that he will be aiming directly for that spot.

Our Achilles Heel is patience.  As a nation, we have lost our patience.  We no longer are capable of pulling together for the long haul.  We expect everything to happen in nice, short, easily digestible segments, with no pain, discomfort, or even inconvenience along the way.

I was at a women’s meeting this weekend.  One of the women said, only half in jest, “I’m taking this war in Iraq personally; now children of my friends are being sent over there”.

That is a statement that you will hear echoed throughout the US.  By and large, we’re willing to get behind a cause for a while, until it starts impacting us or our friends.  We support extra security as long as we aren’t the ones who are being watched more closely.

We are by and large a TV people.  We have demonstrated that we want quick results.  When we get bored because it’s taking too long to get the job done, then we want to quit.

Osama Bin Laden has declared war on the United States. Almost everyone in American knew that on September 12, 2001, a day after the first salvo was launched, bringing down the twin towers of the World Trade Center and setting the Pentagon on fire. 

While the fires burned, President Bush declared a “War on Terror” and vowed to bring justice to those who attacked us.  The crowds cheered the President, cursed Bin Laden, and waved flags.  A bipartisan chorus from the Senate and House joined together on the Capitol steps to sing God Bless America.

But despite the warnings from our Commander in Chief, most of America failed to grasp that the “War on Terror” was no ordinary war.  Even today, most would mark the beginning of the War on Terror as September 11, 2001.  Most thought that we would march into Afghanistan, liberate the country, kick the butts of the Taliban, and watch Bin Laden do the Perp Walk before the next Super Bowl.

In reality, the War on Terror began nearly a quarter of a century earlier, with the Islamic Revolution in Iran and continued full swing through the 1980’s.  U.S. Embassies and housing complexes for our military were bombed, American diplomats, private citizens, and military personnel were kidnapped, executed and some beheaded. The US Embassy in Tehran was overrun by Radical Islamist students in Iran; the staff was held hostage for 444 days.  Nightclubs, airports, and airplanes were targeted by bombs and automatic weapons.

Radical Islam had declared War on America.

Meanwhile the other Superpower of the late 20^th century found itself embroiled in its own battle with Radical Islam, when the Soviet Union marched its armies into Afghanistan.

Radical Islam turned to the US for help against the Soviets: the US trained and armed guerilla soldiers who adopted the name “mujahideen” from the early Holy warriors who followed the Prophet Mohamed were eager to accept weapons from the “Great Satan”. 

In retrospect, it is obvious, but at the time few recognized this was simply a case of the “mujahideen” following the old axiom “the enemy of my enemy is by friend”, a practice that they continue to follow, most notably in the alliance between the Sunni Al Qaeda and the Shi’ite government in Iran.

From a military strategy standpoint, the Soviet Union was completely unprepared for the enemy they faced.  They had planned and drilled for battle with the United States.  They anticipated that their biggest threat would come from the huge war machine of the US military. 

Bin Laden summed up the battle strategy that he and his “mujahideen” used to bring down the Soviets: 

We patiently fought the Soviet Union with small humble weapons for ten years and we drained their economy until they collapsed and vanished

Bin Laden is quite clear that he is using the same strategy against the United States.  

Unless we pay attention he is likely to succeed.

Osama is not some rube from the boonies.  He is an intelligent and educated man who is driven by a religious fervor, making him even more dangerous.  He saw the dent that the US economy took after 9/11.  He has carefully observed the behavior of the US economy every time he releases a new taped message.

He was paying attention when Hurricane Katrina roared into the Gulf Coast.

He knows that the US people have a short memory; he knows that we are a spoiled nation. He knows that with rare exceptions, we are one paycheck away from disaster as individuals, one natural or manmade disaster away from social collapse on a regional basis at the very least.

He knows the impact oil prices have on the US economy; he knows that while we are terror-phobic, we aren’t willing to make the sacrifices and changes it will require to mitigate the risk of terrorism.

He knows that the more chronological distance that is put between us and the 9/11 attacks, the less we remember, and the more at risk we become from shoving our heads into the sand ostrich-like.

And he knows the damage it will cause when he sends his suicide bombers after us on our own soil.  I’m not talking about the damage to property or the loss of life; I’m talking about serious damage to our morale and to our national psyche, as well as to the economy.

In the message, Bin Laden says:

We would not object if you ask for a long-term truce based on fair conditions that we both agree to. As a nation, God has forbidden us to lie and cheat, thus both sides can enjoy security and stability through a truce while we rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan, which have both been demolished through war.  

But he also says:

In the end, victory in this war will either be for us or for you.  If it is for us, you will be disgraced and this is the way things are progressing;  but if it is the latter, you should read history and you would learn that as a nation we do not sleep in defeat, and we will avenge our defeat forever, and many days and nights will not pass before we take our revenge as we did on September 11.

He is telling us that he will agree to a truce with us, if we ask for it.  After all, he has nothing to lose.  He is laying out his terms for us in this message.  He will agree to a truce until they can rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan, and have a safe haven as their base of terror. 

But they will never forget, and will never give up the battle.

Charles Welty, author of Ameristan, has defined the Arabic word Hudna, which is used to mean truce, as “pause while we reload our weapons”.

That is the kind of truce Bin Laden is offering.  He would like for us to ease up, to give up the battle while he regroups.

Osama Bin Laden is a patient man.  He can and will wait until the time suits him. 

He said in the message:

The delay in similar operations in America, is not because we cannot break through your security;  operations are being planned that you will see carried out in your homes.

He’s stressing to us that he has considerable patience.  He will wait as long as he needs in order to accomplish his goals.  If we kill him, then he is rewarded in paradise.  In his twisted mind, if he survives, he will be rewarded on earth and in paradise.

He knows that America has a short memory.  He is working on a hundred year plan; he knows America is on a four year plan – because everything can change at the next Presidential election.

The Soviet Union fell because their strategic planners misjudged their enemy.  After all how much damage could be done a rag tag bunch of men with riles and a handful of RPG launchers?  They weren’t the first to underestimate their enemy - the British made a similar mistake a couple of centuries before, in 1776.

Let’s hope we don’t make the same mistake today.

January 19, 2006: Al Jazeera airing what they claim is new audio tape from Osama Bin Laden...

The audio taped message, which is delivered by a voice that sounds like Bin Laden, claims that the reason there have been no further attacks in the United States since September 11, 2001, is because "the operations that are underway require extensive planning", rather than because of additional security precautions.

In his first message since fall of 2004, Bin Laden also says that a "truce" is possible while they rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan.

No terms for the truce were listed in the portion of the tape which has aired to date.

Although some have postulated that this tape was in response to last Friday's bombing raid in Pakistan where several top Al Qaeda operatives were killed.

It is more likely that this tape was intended to be released as Bin Laden's annual Eid message to the Muslim ummah, which has become his de facto state of the ummah address.

The "excuses" for no further attacks to date in the US rings somewhat hollow and apologetic, which is very much out of character for Bin Laden.

Historically Bin Laden tapes have preceded major terror attacks. Given the recent cluster of messages from Zawahiri, and this message from Bin Laden, it is certainly possible that attack preparations are in the final stages.

The "truce offer" is especially disconcerting; under Islamic law, Bin Laden is required to warn his victim and give them an opportunity to come to terms before the attack can be legitimately launched. It is likely that this is what Bin Laden is doing with the truce offer.

We will continue to review and analyze the tape as additional portions are made public.

January 19, 2006: Al Jazeera airing what they claim is new audio tape from Osama Bin Laden...

The audio taped message, which is delivered by a voice that sounds like Bin Laden, claims that the reason there have been no further attacks in the United States since September 11, 2001, is because "the operations that are underway require extensive planning", rather than because of additional security precautions.

In his first message since fall of 2004, Bin Laden also says that a "truce" is possible while they rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan.

No terms for the truce were listed in the portion of the tape which has aired to date.

Although some have postulated that this tape was in response to last Friday's bombing raid in Pakistan where several top Al Qaeda operatives were killed.

It is more likely that this tape was intended to be released as Bin Laden's annual Eid message to the Muslim ummah, which has become his de facto state of the ummah address.

The "excuses" for no further attacks to date in the US rings somewhat hollow and apologetic, which is very much out of character for Bin Laden.

Historically Bin Laden tapes have preceded major terror attacks. Given the recent cluster of messages from Zawahiri, and this message from Bin Laden, it is certainly possible that attack preparations are in the final stages.

The "truce offer" is especially disconcerting; under Islamic law, Bin Laden is required to warn his victim and give them an opportunity to come to terms before the attack can be legitimately launched. It is likely that this is what Bin Laden is doing with the truce offer.

We will continue to review and analyze the tape as additional portions are made public.

Three "Explosive devices" aka bombs found on bus in Metro Cincinnati today

From http://www.wcpo.com/news/2006/local/01/17/devices.html

Investigators have determined that three cardboard cylinders found on a Metro bus Monday were explosive devices.

They were found on a Metro bus on Wexford Avenue in Sycamore Township Monday evening.

Speaking to the power of the devices, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office says if all three went off right next to a person, that person would be seriously hurt or even killed.

If they all went off at the same time on or under an empty bus seat, the explosion would destroy that seat but would not destroy the bus, police added.

Each cylinder was about 4 1/2" long and 3/4" in diameter. They contained a high grade flash powder and had an internal fuse with an external heat source, investigators said.

That means the devices would explode when exposed to an external heat source, 9News was told.

Police don't know who left the devices and no arrests have been made.

Issue 13 of Ansar al Sunnah magazine gets graphic about their feelings for America

The two images shown above were published by the Ansar al Sunnah Army in Iraq in issue 13 of their monthly magazine.

The top image is the cover of the issue. The second image accompanies an article on Jihad.

A full translation of this issue, which contained 34 pages, is in progress.

By the way, if you want to email the folks who created and published these graphics, they can be reached at ansar_alsunnah_army@yahoo.com.

The entire PDF can be downloaded from here.

Special thanks for Archangel for finding the PDF and sending it to us.

January 16, 2006: Guess who’s coming to dinner?

by Laura Mansfield

If you live in the tribal areas of Pakistan near the Afghani border, it’s probably a very good idea NOT to call all your buddies and let them know that you have a special guest arriving, especially if that special guest is one of the top leaders of Al Qaeda.

It may be prestigious and you may really want to do some serious name dropping with your friends, but unless you are looking for a cheap way to have your house demolished, it’s probably not a good idea, as the villagers in Damdoula learned Friday when they invited Dr. Ayman Zawahiri to dinner to celebrate the Eid.

You see, the United States is very serious about this War on Terror that we have found ourselves in. We’re so serious about it that our President has even had the spooks listening in on international phone calls where one of the parties is in the US, when either party is suspected of involvement in terrorism.

While the pundits are arguing back and forth about whether this should be allowed or not, there is one thing you can take to the bank.

If the US is monitoring phone calls in the US you can bet your last dollar that they are also listening in on calls in the tribal regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan where the evidence indicates Zawahiri’s lair may be.

They are listening to the calls, and they are translating them.

And it is just a matter of time before the US Military finds Zawahiri and Bin Laden and their compatriot thugs.

When they find them, you’d better hope that it isn’t your house they are visiting, because the chances are pretty good that your house will be in the middle of a huge smoking crater.

So a little tip from the US: if you want to stay alive, and keep your family alive, it’s probably a good idea to find friends with more ubiquitous tastes than Bin Laden and Zawahiri. Find someone who likes opera or fly fishing or checking out the girls in sunny downtown Kandahar.

If you see Bin Laden or Zawahiri, use your phone to call the US military. They’ll say thank you, hand you a big check, and maybe even get you a job at a flea market in New Jersey.

But whatever you do, don’t invite these bozos to dinner.

That really isn’t prudent.

January 16, 2006: Update on Highway Watch BOLO: No terrorism connection

HighwayWatch posted an update this morning on the BOLO issued last week.

On 01-13-06 The Highway ISAC received word from Southwest Terrorism Task force that the efforts of all had paid off. According to Special agent Jim Myers, the person pictured in the previously issued RFI was located and interviewed at length as a direct result of the Highway ISAC issued RFI. While there is no known terrorism nexus associated with the person pictured in the RFI, The circumstances are such that resolving these reported incidents were very important indeed.

The website with the photo at now contains the following disclaimer:

"There is no known Terrorist Nexus associated with the individual in the photo below. This person is no longer being sought by authorities."

January 16, 2006: ROK Photo: Zaytun Unit Sterilizes Armored Vehicle Following Avian Influenza Warning

Zaytun unit soldiers stationed in Iraq are sterilizing an armored vehicle that just came back from a field civilian operation to stop the spread of avian influenza (AI) yesterday. After neighboring countries reported additional AI virus victims, including three dead in Turkey who tested positive for the H5N1 virus, the Iraqi government issued the highest AI warning level on January 12 in northern Iraq where the Zaytun unit is deployed.

(Description of Source: Seoul Dong-A Ilbo WWW-Text in English -- Internet-based English version of the independent, moderate second-oldest daily Dong-A Ilbo (formerly transliterated as Tong-a Ilbo); carries English-language summaries and full-texts of items in vernacular hard copy. URL: http://english.donga.com)

January 14, 2006: Luck remains with Zawahiri on Friday the 13th

Reports out of Pakistan indicate that Zawahiri was not among those killed in yesterday's airstrike on a safe house in a village a few miles from the Afghan border.

Reports yesterday had speculated that Zawahiri, Al Qaeda second in command, was killed.

January 13, 2006: Did the US get Zawahiri on Friday the 13th?

Reports out of Pakistan indicate that there is a pretty decent possibility that Zawahiri hit a patch of bad luck early this morning, Pakistan time.

According to an ABC News Report, Zawahiri was one of several high level Al Qaeda leaders who was believed to be at a house in a small village just a few miles from the Afghanistan border.

It's important to note that these reports are very preliminary; on several occasions over the past few years both Zawahiri and Bin Laden have been reported dead, only to resurface later in another video.

Apparently intelligence reports over the past few days indicated that Zawahiri was either at the home, or his arrival was imminent. He had apparantly used a house in the same village last winter.

It is likely that intelligence gleaned from last weekend's Zawahiri videotape also came into play.

Eighteen were killed in the airstrike, and five of those are believed to be top level Al Qaeda leaders.

Now it's up to the Pakistani's to recover and ID the bodies, and determine whether or not Friday the 13th really brought bad luck to Zawahiri or not.

If it turns out Zawahiri is among those killed, it will certainly be a stroke of good forture for the US on a day which is usually known for bad luck.

BOLO: Law Enforcement Seeks Person of Interest in Connection with Tanker Incidents

Alexandria, VA--The Highway Watch® program's Highway ISAC has issued a formal Be On the Lookout (BOLO) requesting assistance from members of the trucking and law enforcement community to assist in identifying a person of interest with connection to several reported incidents in the southeastern United States.

The BOLO relates to a series of reports from truck drivers involving suspicious activities by what is believed to be the same person. In three separate incidents truck drivers reported an individual asking several questions about tank truck deliveries and operations. The individual in question is also reported to have video taped tank truck operations and deliveries as well as taken photographs of tanker equipment. Law enforcement has requested assistance in ascertaining the identity or whereabouts of the person in question.

"The Highway ISAC is working with the Southwest Florida Terrorism Task Force to help resolve the situation as soon as possible," said Don L. Rondeau, Director of the Highway ISAC. "The Highway Watch® is happy to lend our assistance and we look forward to helping law enforcement get to the bottom of these incidents."

Under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Highway Watch® trains highway professionals to identify and report safety and security concerns on our Nation's roads. The program prepares hundreds of thousands of transportation professionals to respond in the event they or their cargo are the target of a terrorist attack and to share valuable intelligence with Homeland Security if they witness potential threats.

When a security call is made to the Highway Watch® hotline, a report of the incident is forwarded to the Highway Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Highway ISAC) where a team of transportation security professionals assess and analyze the report. Incidents that may pose a threat to national security are then shared with government intelligence officials and other law enforcement agencies. Highway Watch® links trained transportation professionals with first responders, law enforcement and the intelligence community via TSA's Transportation Security Operations Center.

Anyone with information on the identity or whereabouts of the person in question is encouraged to call the Highway ISAC at 866-821-3444 or email at hwisac@trucking.org.

(The Highway ISAC is unaware of any illegal activity associated with the person pictured.)

Abu Hamza may be on trial in the UK but tentacles extend to the US

by Laura Mansfield

We aren’t hearing much in the media about the terrorism trial of Muslim cleric Abu Hamza, which began this week in London.

This is surprising considering the connections between Abu Hamza and the United States that goes far beyond convicted shoebomber wannabe who was recruited from Abu Hamza’s Finsbury Park Mosque. It goes beyond the “Jihad Kids” video promoted on his Supporters of Shariah website, which showed a group of young children reenacting the beheading of Nick Berg.

What you’re getting ready to read is not new news. But it will probably be new to many people.

Years before the four commercial jetliners were hijacked on the morning of September 11, 2001, Abu Hamza and his colleagues were sending young Muslims to train for Jihad. Many of these young men were trained in camps in the United States.

On June 26, 2000, the BBC ran an article titled “British Muslims join 'holy war'”, which discussed the operation of a series of terrorism training camps by an organization called Sakina Security Services.

At the time, Sakina's website advertised a two-week course in the US called “Ultimate Jihad Challenge”. The website boasts "Due to the arms laws of the UK, all serious firearms training must be done overseas. The course emphasis is on practical live-fire training. You will fire between 2,000 and 3,000 rounds of mixed caliber ammunition."

The website advertises that participants will accomplish the following:

THE ULTIMATE JIHAD CHALLENGE

THE ULTIMATE JIHAD CHALLENGE IS A TWO-WEEK COURSE IN OUR 1,000-ACRE STATE OF THE ART SHOOTING RANGE IN THE UNITED STATES. DUE TO THE FIREARMS LAW OF THE UK ALL SERIOUS FIREARMS TRAINING MUST BE DONE OVERSEAS.

THE COURSE EMPHASIS IS ON PRACTICAL LIVE FIRE TRAINING. YOU WILL FIRE BETWEEN 2,000 TO 3,000 ROUNDS OF MIXED CALIBER AMMUNITION. CLASS THEORY IS KEPT TO A MINIMUM. YOU WILL BE TAUGHT THE FOLLOWING SKILLS: -

WEAPONS FAMILIARIZATION

LIVE FIRE MARKMANSHIP

LIVEFIRE FIREARMS DRILLS

LIVE FIRE PEDESTRIAN ESCORT

ACTIONS ON LIVE FIRE

TACTICAL AMBUSH (UNDER FIRE)

LIVE FIRE TACTICAL TEAM FORMATION

LIVE FIRE WORKING AS A TEAM (UNDER FIRE)

LIVE FIRE VEHICLE ANTI-AMBUSH DRILL

LIVE FIRE SHOOTING ON THE MOVE

LIVE FIRE ENGAGING MULTIPLE TARGETS

LIVE FIRE CONCEALED CARRY

LIVE FIRE COVER & CONCEALMENT

LIVE FIRE PRO-ACTIVE ENCOUNTER

LIVE FIRE SHOOTING FROM MULTIPLE POSITIONS

LIVE FIRE COMBAT JUNGLE RUN

LIVE FIRE SNIPER / COUNTER SNIPER

LIVE FIRE SHOOTING AT, THRU & FROM VEHICLE

LIVE FIRE HOSTAGE RESCUE

LIVE FIRE NIGHT & DIM LIGHT SHOOTING

LIVE FIRE WEAPONS FIELD STRIPPING & MAINTENANCE

UNDERSTANDING AMMUNITION CAPABILITIES

Sakina security services provide an instructor development course for the students who want to make a career out of this specialist training.

The camp was apparently held in Alabama; other reports indicate attempts were made to establish another jihad training camp in the Pacific Northwest.

According to Dr. Daniel Pipes, “notorious al Qaeda supporter Abu Hamza, who according to a US indictment was involved with ‘attempting to set up a terrorist training camp in Oregon, hostage taking, conspiracy to take hostages, and providing material support to al Qaeda and the Taliban’”.

The indictment at http://news.findlaw.com/usatoday/docs/hamza/ushamza42104ind.html alleges involvement with a 1998 hostage-taking in Yemen, violent jihad in Afghanistan, and support for both the Taliban and al Qaeda, the latter including attempts to help establish an al Qaeda training camp in Oregon in 1999 and 2000. The indictment comes as part of the Bush administration's multi-faceted legal approach to terrorism, with some alleged terrorists prosecuted by civilian courts while others are deemed combatants and held by the military.

The indictment alleges Abu Hamza involved himself with efforts in 1999 and early 2000 to establish an al Qaeda training camp in Bly, Oregon. It accuses him of providing material support and resources and otherwise facilitating the effort. The indictment focuses in part on alleged discussions between Abu Hamza and other alleged co-conspirators about plans for the camp, and communications to Abu Hamza regarding the stockpiling of weapons and ammunition.

Extradition proceedings in the UK are currently on hold pending the results of his trial there.

In the meantime, what have we learned since 2001?

Not enough, it appears.

Cartoons and Islam: If Muslims didn't like the one in Denmark, they sure aren't going to like this one...

The Islam Comic Book is probably going to get a fatwa issued against it's author.

However, for those who haven't seen it yet:

Read the Islam Comic Book

Lee Kaplan will be on the Tovia Singer Show tonight at 11 pm ET, 8 pm PT, to discuss the ISM conference

What do Georgetown University and Suicide Bombers have in common?

The answer is simple: the Palestinian Solidarity Movement.

Georgetown University, just a stone's throw from our nation's capitol, will be holding a conference by the parent organization of a group that put out a call on a Yahoo Groups mailing list for suicide bombings to attack the hospital room of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Call it what you like - the conference is nothing more than a "Training and strategy session" per the ISM itself that will teach people how to perpetuate the war on Israel through divestment and how to put a good face on terrorism.

Sound hard to believe? You bet. But take a look at what our friend and colleague Lee Kaplan published this morning on Front Page Magazine:

Georgetown U's Terror Conference