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Terrorism Tag

Posted by New Neo on November 19, 2015 0 Comments
Obama's taunt that Republicans "are scared of widows and orphans" takes on an ironic twist in light of the fact that one of the dead in Wednesday morning's Paris raid was a female suicide bomber, Hasna Aitboulahcen [Featured Image]. We also know that, in some of the earliest conflicts in which a significant number of female suicide bombers and other terrorists were involved (Chechnya), many of these women terrorists were in fact widows. That status inspired the group's Russian name, which means "Black Widows":
Shahidka,...sometimes called "Black Widow" or Chyornaya Vdova in Russian, is a term for Islamist Chechen female suicide bombers, willing to be a manifestation of violent jihad. They became known at the Moscow theater hostage crisis of October 2002...

Posted by Amy Miller on November 19, 2015 2 Comments
Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the mastermind behind last week's terror attacks in Paris that killed 129 people (so far---some victims are still in critical condition) and wounded hundreds more, was confirmed dead following a dramatic police raid on an apartment complex in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis on Wednesday. According to multiple reports, French officials fired over 5000 rounds into the flat where intelligence revealed the terrorist and several other people were hiding. According to Fox News, Abaaoud was identified via skin samples found following the raid. His cousin also died---she blew herself up in a suicide attack on the scene. More from Fox News:
Two counterterrorism sources tell Fox News his death marks a major advance for the investigation, but add they are operating on the premise that more senior suspects connected to the plot are still out there. They describe Abaaoud as the “Mohammed Atta” of the Paris attacks, the “tactical guy” who identified and pulled together the operatives, in the same way the lead hijacker kept the 9/11 teams on course.

Posted by Amy Miller on November 19, 2015 3 Comments
Today, American Yeshiva student Ezra Schwartz was murdered in the Gush Etzion area of the West Bank in Jerusalem. He was one of three killed when a Palestinian terrorist open fired into a traffic jam. The Jerusalem Post reports:
Seven others were lightly wounded in the attack, two Israeli women and five American yeshiva students. They were all evacuated to the Sha’are Tzedek Medical Center. The Americans are due to be released. while the two Israeli women will be hospitalized overnight. ... Initial reports suggest that the terrorist fired at the cars as he drove by them and was even able to reload this gun. He then sped in the direction of the Alon Shvut settlement, but slammed into a car.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on November 19, 2015 11 Comments
As German Chancellor Angela Merkel doubles down on her open-border policy just days after the deadly Paris terror attacks by reiterating her government’s willingness to absorb more migrants, the political landscape in changing rapidly before her eyes. The anti-immigration party AfD that was just above 3 percent in opinion polls as recently as August, is now polling above 10 percent. Established in 2013 as a grassroots reaction to the EU’s monetary policy, the party has skyrocketed to the country's third largest political force. AfD (Alternative for Germany) has aligned itself with the anti-Islamisation movement ‘Pegida’, drawing impressive crowds to its rallies, especially in the eastern part of the country.

Posted by Mike LaChance on November 19, 2015 56 Comments
As the world reacts to the terror attacks in Paris and French authorities continue to address new developments, some progressives are pushing the left's pet issue of gun control. In order to understand their point, you have to completely ignore the fact that France has some of the strictest gun control laws in the world and that the victims of the Paris attacks were completely unarmed. Jenn Jacques reports at Bearing Arms:
Liberals Push Gun Control, Ignorant Rhetoric Following Attacks in Paris I cannot imagine the horror the survivors of last night’s attack in Paris witnessed and I pray peace and comfort will embrace the family and friends of the victims. I watched the reports of the attacks unfold on HD, and like many Americans, sat in disbelief feeling helpless and dumbfounded...

Posted by New Neo on November 19, 2015 17 Comments
The best approach to addressing the ISIS threat would have been one of prevention---an ounce of it worth far more than a pound of cure. An obvious move would have been to keep a small residual force in Iraq, back when even Obama was crowing about the successful transition there. Another good move would have been to not do anything in Syria without knowing exactly who and what was going to replace Assad. I wrote a piece on that very topic in June of 2013, and although I don't pretend to be a strategic genius on the subject, it wasn't hard to predict the problems:
My strong suspicion is that there are few good guys here. It was the same question I asked about Egypt and Libya. In both places there were some “good guy” elements mixed among the Islamicist fanatics, although I suspected the latter would be the ones to end up with the power, just as they had long ago in Iran. And that seems to be the way it’s trending, although news from both countries has died down for the moment.

Posted by Amy Miller on November 18, 2015 7 Comments
Earlier this year, I dove in to the world of ISIS propaganda with a piece explaining that ISIS is using digital media to both recruit new members, and make it more difficult for international intelligence officials to track terror threats. ISIS is really good at propaganda. Their use of social media to recruit and promote themselves is unlike anything we’ve seen from an extremist group; their social media accounts reach into computers and homes all across the globe, and their Al-Bayan radio network is reportedly on par with NPR. Since last week's attack on Paris, ISIS operatives have released multiple videos articulating an intent to attack high-profile sites on U.S. soil. For a JV operation, their propaganda is pretty damn polished.

Posted by Mike LaChance on November 18, 2015 15 Comments
Carly Fiorina appeared on the Kelly File last night and offered a harsh rebuke to President Obama's recent remarks regarding the terror attacks in Paris. Fiorina pointed out that Obama is more comfortable attacking Republicans than he is talking about America's enemies and laid blame at the feet of the president and Hillary Clinton who she charges with leaving a vacuum in the Middle East by prematurely pulling out American forces against military counsel. When Megyn Kelly asks Fiorina what can be done domestically to stop the rise of ISIS and other terrorists, she says one of the most logical first steps would be to stop the flow of Syrian refugees who can't possibly be vetted adequately.

Posted by Amy Miller on November 17, 2015 7 Comments
A soccer match between Germany and the Netherlands has been canceled over the "concrete threat" of a planned bomb attack. Hanover, Germany is the latest site of two separate terror scares in the wake of Friday's massacres in Paris, France. French intelligence officials gave the all clear just moments ago (as reported in a Fox News live broadcast) after a fresh tip prompted law enforcement to evacuate the area following a previous false alarm. Fox News explains what happened:
"We had concrete evidence that someone wanted to set off an explosive device in the stadium," Hannover police chief Volker Kluwe told German TV. Referring to another bomb threat about an hour beforehand that turned out to be a false alarm, Kluwe said, "After the first object turned out to be harmless, we got a tip that had to be taken seriously that an attack was being planned." Investigators found a suspicious suitcase inside or near the stadium and a second suspicious device at the city's central train station, German media and Sky News report. Police closed off part of the train station.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on November 16, 2015 10 Comments
French jets struck ISIS targets in Syria this Sunday night, destroying a jihadi training camp and a munitions dump in the city of Raqqa, where Iraqi sources say the Paris attacks were planned.
Twelve aircraft including 10 fighter jets dropped a total of 20 bombs in the biggest air strikes since France extended its bombing campaign against the extremist group to Syria in September, a Defence Ministry statement said. The jets launched from sites in Jordan and the Persian Gulf, in co-ordination with U.S. forces. Meanwhile, as police announced seven arrests and hunted for more members of the sleeper cell that carried out the Paris attacks, French officials revealed to The Associated Press that several key suspects had been stopped and released by police after the attack.
A review of social media records shows there were warnings that terror cells were about to launch a major attack on the iconic city.
ISIS claims of responsibility for Friday’s Paris massacre are being reviewed by US intelligence analysts Sunday morning, with a focus on the English-language version, which is delivered in American-accented English, Fox News has been told. It is now clear the plot included a rollout of ISIS propaganda, which was prepared in advance, including threats directed toward the Russian people, Rome, London and Washington DC. Separately, Fox News has learned that four credible, ISIS-linked social media accounts began sharing messages 72 hours before the Paris attack, including images of weapons, the Eiffel tower, as well as blessings for the attackers’ mission. A military intelligence source says the social media traffic is now seen as evidence the three teams had gone operational. The translations include “God bless you in your mission” and “Support the deployment,” as well as a reference to our “sister,” suggesting an operative, or member of the support team was a woman.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on November 16, 2015 10 Comments
Still reeling from that heinous terrorist attacks that shook Paris Friday night, here's the latest. Mincing no words, France remains devout to plans to, "destroy terrorism."

"France is at war."

Speaking to a joint session of Parliament Monday, French President Hollande declared, "France is at War." He encouraged Members of Parliament to extend the country's state of emergency for another three months. Calling the Paris attacks, "acts of war," Hollande the murderous acts represented an attack of aggression, "against our country, against its values, against its youth, and against its way of life." Hollande's speech is here (in English) and is worth a listen:

Posted by Leslie Eastman on November 16, 2015 9 Comments
Brave souls who watched the CBS Democratic Party debate Saturday night were treated to a serious-minded, sober event in which the moderators asked fairly challenging questions. The responses were unsurprising, and should not change the direction of the primary in a significant way. However, the Republican Party will find a great deal of fodder for the presidential battle ahead. There were a few highlights lowlights that I think are worth featuring. When asked, I have always asserted that "black swan" events, or, those events that are not readily anticipated and make a significant impact, will be key in the 2016 outcome. The Paris attacks were the first of these "black swans".

Posted by New Neo on November 15, 2015 6 Comments
How the Republican candidates react to the vicious terrorist attacks in Paris tells us something about their attitude towards Islamic terrorism in general (for example, do they use the phrase?) and what to do about it. The first response I read early today was from Ben Carson. An excerpt:
I think America's involvement should be trying to eliminate them completely,' he said. 'Destroy them!' "There are those out there who have a thirst for innocent blood, in an attempt to spread their philosophy and their will across this globe... "I would be working with our allies using every source known to man – in terms of economic resources, in terms of covert resources, overt resources, military resources, things-that-they-don’t-know-about resources, in an attempt not to contain them, but to eliminate them before they eliminate us.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 14, 2015 22 Comments
There's something about Paris. The City of Light. And Art. And Cafes. And Love. https://youtu.be/93WuCPokDr0?t=33s In many ways, the epitome of western civilization in the form of a city. Which is why it's so hard to see it fall in the past decades into something very different. And which is why it's a target of those who oppose western civilization. I went into our Media Library and searched for the images of "Paris" we've used at Legal Insurrection. It's not pretty.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 14, 2015 18 Comments
Of all the attacks in Paris yesterday, the attack on the Bataclan Theater was the most devastating.
French authorities said more than 80 people died in the club where California-based band Eagles of Death Metal had been playing for about an hour. When the shooting started after four gunmen entered the front of the 1,500-seat theater, dozens struggled to flee out the back alleyway as shots were being fired. Gunmen who had entered, dressed all in black and armed with AK-47 rifles, calmly opened fire randomly at patrons who dived for cover on the floor, according to radio reporter Julien Pearce, who was near the stage when the shooting started. "The terrorists were very calm, very determined, and they reloaded three or four times," Pearce said. "I saw 20 to 25 bodies lying on the floor."
But why the Bataclan, of all the theaters and gathering places in Paris? The answer may lie in the fact that it is Jewish-owned, and has been a target for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions BDS movement and terrorist threats for years. This history was first publicized yesterday by the French Le Point magazine (via Google Translate):

Posted by Leslie Eastman on November 14, 2015 24 Comments
Only a few short days ago, Secretary of State John Kerry reasserted the administration's position that climate change was an increasing national security risk.
Speaking at the Ted Constant Convocation Center at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Kerry said he's made addressing climate change a priority of U.S. foreign policy. "The reason I made climate change a priority," Kerry said, "is not simply because climate change is bad for the environment. It's because by fueling extreme weather events undermining our military readiness, exacerbating conflicts around the world, climate change is a threat to the security of the United States and, indeed, to the security and civility of countries everywhere."
Furthermore, the Secretary of the Army offered "developing effective energy solutions" as a key priority. In the wake of the Paris terror attacks, these attitudes must now be deemed completely ludicrous.

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on November 14, 2015 36 Comments
As France and the world begins to get a clearer picture of yesterday's coordinated set of terrorist attacks in Paris, ISIS has claimed responsibility, and French president Francois Hollande has iterated his statement that ISIS is indeed responsible and has made clear that he wants to lead a swift and "merciless" response. USA Today reports on President Hollande's statement:
Speaking after the security meeting, Hollande said Friday's attacks were "committed by a terrorist army, the Islamic State group, a jihadist army, against France, against the values that we defend everywhere in the world, against what we are: A free country that means something to the whole planet.”
CNN reports on the ISIS statement issued today:

ISIS claimed responsibility for gunfire and blasts that targeted six sites Friday night in Paris, killing 128 people in one of Europe's deadliest massacres in recent years.

In an online statement distributed by supporters Saturday, the terror group said eight militants wearing explosive belts and armed with machine guns attacked precisely selected areas in the French capital.

In addition to the people killed, 180 others were injured, according to the Paris Police Prefecture. More than half of them are in critical condition.

Among those wounded are an as yet unconfirmed number of Americans.  Also from CNN:

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on November 13, 2015 104 Comments
Tonight, a group of armed extremists executed a series of coordinated attacks against civilians in Paris, France. As many as 158 people (as being reported by Fox News at 8:30 pm EST) have been killed, with many more injured. At least 5 attackers have been killed; authorities suspect that as many as one dozen people were involved in six separate attacks that occurred all across the city. Each of those six attacks have been confirmed by French authorities. As of the writing of this wrap-up, no group had officially claimed responsibility. There are reports from survivors that the terrorists chanted about Allah and Syria. At around 8:50 pm EST (2:50 am Paris time) French authorities released a bulletin to the media saying that "an unknown number of terrorists are still on the run." Fox News reported via The Guardian (at 9:50 pm EST, 3:47 am Paris time) that French law enforcement officials believe that all of the attackers are dead. The attacks began just before 10 pm Paris time, when terrorists fired into a crowded cafe, leaving "piles" of dead bodies in their wake.
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