Strategy Page

Does Saudi Arabia have nuclear weapons? A combination of factors suggests the kingdom may have successfully gone shopping for nuclear weapons technology. It all began when Saudi Arabia, terrified by potential invasion from Saddam’s Iraq in 1991, allowed U.S. armed forces unprecedented access to protect the kingdom and establish a staging ground for Desert Storm. Now, the Saudi Sunni royals fear another usurper, the rise of Shia Iran. Iran has ambitions to dominate the region and achieve superpower status, placing itself in a position of hegemony and theological preeminence in the Muslim world.

Indeed, Iran’s nuclear ambitions seem to have triggered a regional nuclear arms race. The neighbors started their own nuclear programs within months of Iran’s decision to start enriching uranium. In the 11 months following Iran’s decision to develop nuclear energy in 2006, 13 countries across the Middle East drew up new plans, or revived discarded ones, for building nuclear power projects.

It is, arguably, more attractive for the Saudis to develop their own nuclear deterrent than to rely upon a foreign defender, such as the U.S., especially when the foreign defender is a military ally of Israel. Such leverage of power could guarantee the safety and continuity of the rule of the Sunni royals. Security of Islam’s holy sites and security of the Saudi oilfields could be assured without the undesirable presence of hated infidel armies.

According to India Daily, Pakistan’s President Musharraf has entered into secret agreement with the Saudis to deliver the nukes. The publication speculated that the battered Musharraf wished to gain unconditional support of the Saudis in exchange of handing over the nuke blueprints. The U.S. was unable to help Musharraf maintain power in the Pakistani elections. The new president, Asif Ali Zardari, knows the river of American dollars will eventually dry up. Pakistan needs the money; the Saudis have oil money and they want the nukes. The Saudis are not interested in acquiring nuclear weapons manufacturing capability or weapons-grade material. The Saudis love to go shopping. They can shell out unlimited petrodollars to purchase anything they want. They want to acquire the actual weapons for missile warhead delivery.

What are indications that the Saudis have a nuclear weapons program in progress? Saudi Arabia has constructed a site for the deployment of long-range missiles in the Al Sulial desert 500 kilometers south of Riyadh. The “missile city” complex contains missile silos, factories and residential housing areas for hundreds of site workers. Satellite photos reveal two missile bases and a complex of 33 buildings, eight of them capable of storing Chinese CSS-2 medium (MRBM) and intermediate range (IRBM) ballistic missiles, which have a range of between 2,500 and 4,000 kilometers. The missile, 24 meters long, is capable of carrying a two ton non-conventional warhead. It seems unlikely that the Saudis would acquire nuclear- capable intermediate and medium range missiles with the intent to merely arm them with conventional warheads.

If Israel and Iran fire nuclear weapons at each other, which of those two countries would Saudi Arabia fire upon?

Just a thought.

Hat Tip: Vodka Pundit

Fahid Mohammed Ali Msalam, left, and Sheikh Ahmed Salem Swedan, right, both on the FBI’s most wanted terrorist list, were reportedly killed in a drone attack in Pakistan on New Year’s day. They were wanted and indicted for the 1998 US embassy bombings in Africa. ABC News has confirmed this report according to U.S. officials and counter-terrorism sources.

ABC News

Two top al Qaeda officials are believed dead following a New Year’s Day drone attack in northern Pakistan, ABC News has confirmed. U.S. officials said Fahid Mohammed Ali Msalam and Sheikh Ahmed Salem Swedan, both on the FBI’s most wanted terrorists list, were killed in the CIA strike.

Msalam, who also went by the alias Usama al-Kini, and Swedan were both from Kenya and were indicted in the Aug. 7, 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya and for conspiring to kill U.S. citizens.

“It’s amazing that it took 10 years to get these guys when they were on the FBI most wanted list all of this time,” said former national security advisor and ABC News consultant Richard Clarke.

U.S. counter-terrorism officials said that they believed the al Qaeda leaders were running operations for the terrorist group in Pakistan.

“Hopefully this provides some sense of justice for the 1998 bombings,” one official told ABC News.

The U.S. Department of State had offered rewards of up to $5 million for information leading to the capture or conviction of each of them.

John Kiriakou, a former CIA officer and ABC News consultant, described Msalam as “probably the single most prominent African member of al Qaeda” and a leader who known as a “logistics whiz.”

“He was very important in al Qaeda’s ability to coordinate and plan very complicated terrorist operations,” said Kiriakou, adding that the U.S. government had been looking for him “for a very long time.”

FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said in statement late Thursday that Msalam was believed to be the operations chief for al Qaeda in Pakistan. While he could not confirm Msalam’s alleged involvement in the September 2008 attack on the Marriott hotel in Islamabad, he said U.S. offficials reported Msalam was involved in attacks in Pakistan over the last year.

A CIA spokesman declined to comment on the matter.

Those are some ugly mofos.

Great job, CIA.

The FBI will send you a $10 million check tomorrow.

Hat Tip: InstaPundit

Rashid Rauf was initially wanted for questioning by police in England over the murder of his uncle in Birmingham. Rauf fled to Pakistan but was arrested in August 2006 by the Pakistani police for his alleged involvement in the plot to detonate liquid bombs in airplanes over the Atlantic Ocean. Rauf escaped Pakistani custody in 2007 but was killed by a U.S. missile on Saturday.

However, I am more interested in the cooperation between America and Pakistan and how they planned to kill Rauf.

The Independent

A secret meeting on board an American aircraft carrier between the US General David Petraeus and the head of the Pakistani military laid the foundation for the killing of Britain’s most wanted terrorist.

The Independent learned that talks held on board the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Persian Gulf three months ago led to General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani pledging to provide information on “high-value” targets such as Rashid Rauf, who died in a missile strike inside Pakistan on Saturday.

Senior UK security sources insisted that the lethal attack in North Waziristan on the 27-year-old Birmingham-born Rauf – accused of being involved in the plot to plant liquid bombs aboard transatlantic airliners – was “a unilateral American action” without any British involvement.

American officials stated that the intelligence on the whereabouts of Rauf and a Saudi Islamist, Abu Zubair al-Masri, was provided by Pakistani authorities. The agreement on sharing intelligence came during the meeting on the aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea in the last week of August, US sources said.

General Kayani, who had taken over from General Pervez Musharraf as the head of the Pakistani military, was brought to the ship by American helicopters. He was told about grave American disquiet over the help being given to the Taliban by elements of the Pakistani military and intelligence service, the ISI. According to US officials an agreement was reached at the conclusion of the “heated” meeting with General Kayani, in which the Pakistanis promised to supply high-quality intelligence.

I wonder if the Pakistani ISI knew all along where Rauf and al-Masri were hiding. Also, I wonder what General Petraues, on behalf of the American government, offered in return for intelligence on Rauf’s whereabouts. Money? Weapons? I believe that Pakistan received more than “shared intelligence”.

Also, I hope General Kayani arrests the Pakistani military and ISI members guilty of aiding the Taliban in North Warziristan.

Hat Tip: Hot Air Headlines

breitbart.com

US special forces have conducted about a dozen secret operations against Al-Qaeda and other Islamic militants in Pakistan, Syria and other countries under broad war-waging authority given them by the administration of President George W. Bush, The New York Times reported on its website.

Citing unnamed senior US officials, the newspaper said the authority was contained in a classified order signed by then-defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld in early 2004 with the approval of President Bush.

The order gave the military permission to attack Al-Qaeda and other hostile targets anywhere in the world, even in countries not at war with the United States, without any additional approval, the report said.

Under this authority, a Navy Seal team raided a suspected Islamic militant compound in the Bajaur region of Pakistan in 2006, The Times said, citing a former top CIA official.

What’s more, military planners were able to watch the entire attack “live” at CIA headquarters in Virginia through a video camera installed on a Predator aircraft that was sent to the area, the paper said.

Another raid was conducted by US special forces in Syria last October 26 in cooperation with the Central Intelligence Agency, the report said.

There is no information about the remaining secret military strikes, but officials made clear the list of targets did not include Iran, The Times pointed out.

The paper said, however, that US forces had carried out reconnaissance missions in Iran using other classified directives.

About a dozen additional operations have been canceled in the past four years because they were deemed too risky, too diplomatically explosive or relied on insufficient evidence, the paper said.

Before the 2004 order, the Pentagon needed to get approval for missions on a case-by-case basis, which could take days, the paper recalled.

But Rumsfeld was not satisfied with the status-quo and pressed hard for permission to use military power automatically outside the combat zones of Iraq and Afghanistan, according to The Times.

The paper says the 2004 order identifies 15 to 20 countries, including Syria, Pakistan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and several other Persian Gulf states, where Al-Qaeda was believed to be operating or had sought sanctuary.

According to the New York Times, the name of the secret order is called the “Al Qaeda Network Exord”.

According to a senior administration official, the new authority was spelled out in a classified document called “Al Qaeda Network Exord,” or execute order, that streamlined the approval process for the military to act outside officially declared war zones. Where in the past the Pentagon needed to get approval for missions on a case-by-case basis, which could take days when there were only hours to act, the new order specified a way for Pentagon planners to get the green light for a mission far more quickly, the official said.

Hopefully, the secret raids were successful in killing and capturing Al Qaeda militants.

Countries on the list where secret raids took place include: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen, plus other Gulf states. Secret reconnaissance missions inside Iran were also ordered and executed.

There were missions canceled as well, and some of these canceled missions were reported in the New York Times this past June. This was at the time when the New York Times was (rightfully) accused by the American public for revealing U.S. military and CIA missions in other countries. One of the canceled missions, reported by the New York Times, included the U.S. Navy SEALS and Army Rangers receiving secret orders to capture Ayman al-Zawahri, Osama Bin Laden’s top deputy, inside Pakistan.

Read the entire 3-page article - International Herald Tribune

Khaleej Times

MIRANSHAH, Pakistan- A US missile strike targeting a high-level meeting of Al-Qaeda and Taliban commanders in a Pakistani tribal area missed most of them by just minutes, security officials said Friday.

Two missiles hit the house of Pakistani Taliban leader Hafiz Sahar Gul in the North Waziristan district bordering Afghanistan on Thursday night, killing nine people including six Arab militants, the officials said.

“There was a meeting of around 30 foreign Al-Qaeda and local Taliban commanders in the house of Hafiz Sahar Gul but the majority of them left the building ten minutes before the missile struck,” a security official told AFP.

“The six Arabs who were killed are all believed to be lower level operatives,” the official added on condition of anonymity.

Officials did not immediately give the identities of the targeted militants. But they said that they were not Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden or his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri.

Damn. Ten fucking minutes too late. But the good news is that our military personnel are getting amazing intelligence information for such a quick strike.

I wonder how high-level these Al Qaeda commanders really are? Remember, at this point of the War On Terror, it is better to kill the Al Qaeda commanders that handle the day-to-day operations of the terrorist group than kill Osama Bin Laden or Ayman al-Zawahiri.

However, make no mistake, I want bin Laden and al-Zawahiri dead with as many Predator missiles as can fit up their collective asses!

Hat Tip: The Jawa Report

It is believed that the suicide bomber was looking for a place to crash the truck before deciding on the Marriott Hotel entrance. One bomb inside the truck was placed on a timer to detonate and cause a chain reaction of explosions with the other bombs, however, all the bombs exploded simultaneously, thus creating a crater 30 feet wide. Fox News is reporting that the bombs inside the truck were TNT-RDX, mortar shells, and land mines. Fox News is also reporting that 60 people are dead and 250 people injured. CNN reports that the bombs weighed over 2,000 pounds.

This video shows the carnage of the attack, as well as eyewitness testimonies. A young man in the video talks about “walking over dead bodies”. Rehman Malik, head of the Pakistan’s Interior Ministry, says that the government of Pakistan was warned two days earlier that an attack would take place.

This video shows the aftermath of the attack. The video shows that the hotel is still smoldering with smoke. Guests staying at the top floor of the hotel are fear dead.

Al Qaeda and the Taliban are suspected in the attack, however, no group has claimed responsibility. The government of Pakistan are convinced that both groups are behind the attack, and state that Al Qaeda has “created a new nightmare” in Pakistan.

Neil Cavuto on Fox News and Pakistan television are reporting that a massive car bomb exploded at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan! 18 people are reported dead. Four floors of the hotel are engulfed in flames! Several craters were created on the ground due to the explosion!

Breaking News…

Developing…

UPDATE 1: AP reported an hour ago of a large explosion heard near the Marriott Hotel. Reuters is reporting the same information.

The AP is reporting that there is no immediate claim to responsibility.

Fox News is reporting that at least 18 people are dead and 30 are injured.

UPDATE 2: At least 40 people are now reported dead.

UPDATE 3: More pictures…

breitbart.com

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Police say at least 40 people have died in a massive explosion that destroyed the luxury Marriott Hotel in Pakistan’s capital.

Senior police official Asghar Raza Gardaizi said he fears there are dozens more dead inside.

He said that the Saturday blast, which reverberated throughout Islamabad, was caused by more than a ton of explosives.

The blast left a crater some 30 feet deep in front of the main building.

Flames poured from the windows of the hotel and rescuers ferried a stream of bloodied bodies from the gutted building.

No group has taken responsibility for the attack.

UPDATE 4: Witnesses say they saw a truck burning near the Marriott Hotel, then it exploded causing a massive crater, fires, injury, and death.

UPDATE 5: More pictures courtesy of Fox News.

Fox News is now reporting 45 people have been killed.

UPDATE 6: Video courtesy of MSNBC.

breitbart.tv

No group has taken responsibility for the attack, yet.

UPDATE 7: 55 people are now reported to be dead.

Through a spokesman, President Bush has offered his condolences and says that America stands with the government and the people of Pakistan against terrorism.

UPDATE 8: Video courtesy of Al Jazeera.

The suicide bomber drove a truck to the Marriott Hotel but could not get passed security.

UPDATE 9: Fox News is reporting that at least 60 people have been killed.

The entire hotel is engulfed in fire. There may be people trapped under the rubble, plus there may be people trapped on the top floor of the hotel.

There is a rumor that newly elected Prime Minister, Yousaf Raza Gillani, the widower of Benazir Bhutto, was supposed to have dinner at the Marriott Hotel before canceling his appearance.

Fox News.com is reporting that Pakistan has ordered its troops to open fire on U.S. forces if they cross into Pakistan to conduct raids on the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

Breaking News…

Developing…

UPDATE 1: Such orders would not have been given if Musharraf was still in power.

I am still waiting on Fox News.com to post the story.

UPDATE 2: Open question - Why are the Pakistanis protecting the Taliban and Al Qaeda? U.S. forces cross into Pakistan in order to KILL AL QAEDA! The U.S. forces want to protect the Pakistani people.

UPDATE 3: Fox News.com

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — DEVELOPING: Pakistan’s army spokesman says its forces have orders to open fire if U.S. troops launch another raid across the Afghan border.

Pakistani officials issued sharp protests to Washington after helicopters ferried U.S. commandos into Pakistan’s South Waziristan region on Sept. 3 for a highly unusual ground attack into a militant stronghold.

Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas told The Associated Press that, after the raid, the military told its field commanders to prevent any similar raids.

Abbas said that if it was clear that troops had crossed the ill-defined border into Pakistani territory, either on the ground or in the air, that troops should “open fire.”

He said, “No incursion is to be tolerated.”

The Pakistanis are trying to play hardball and are going against their country’s national security interests.

UPDATE 4: U.S. Commanders respond.

U.S. military commanders accuse Islamabad of doing too little to prevent the Taliban and other militant groups from recruiting, training and resupplying in Pakistan’s wild tribal belt.

Pakistan acknowledges the presence of Al Qaeda fugitives and its difficulties in preventing militants from seeping through the mountainous border into Afghanistan.

However, it insists it is doing what it can and paying a heavy price, pointing to its deployment of more then 100,000 troops in its increasingly restive northwest and a wave of homicide bombings across the country.

Pakistan, why not just combine forces with American and NATO forces? We all seek the destruction of the Taliban and Al Qaeda! We are all allies seeking the same cause!

The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Yousuf Raza Gilani, is reportedly safe.

Breaking News…

Developing…

UPDATE 1: Could Al Qaeda have ordered the hit against Prime Minister Gillani?

Pakistan’s military nearly captured Ayman al-Zawahiri, Al Qaeda’s second-in-command, yesterday.

UPDATE 2: Fox News.com

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — BREAKING NEWS — Officials say shots have been fired at a motorcade carrying the Pakistani prime minister, but that he is safe.

Zahid Bashir is the press secretary to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

He said two bullets struck the politician’s vehicle on the driver’s side near the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on Wednesday.

A security official said the shots were fired from a hill nearby. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

At least the Prime Minister is safe.

UPDATE 3: breitbart.com

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Snipers fired on the motorcade for Pakistan’s prime minister on Wednesday as it drove to the airport to pick up the premier, striking his car window at least twice, officials said.

Neither the prime minister nor his staff were in the vehicles, but the assassination attempt comes as Pakistan’s new civilian government—under pressure from American officials—is cracking down on Islamist militants after ousting U.S. ally Pervez Musharraf from the presidency.

At least two bullets hit the front window on the driver’s side of Yousuf Raza Gilani’s limousine on the main highway linking Islamabad with the nearby city of Rawalpindi, officials said.

Zahid Bashir, the premier’s press secretary, said unknown assailants fired “multiple sniper shots” in what he described as a “murder attempt.”

Interior Secretary Kamal Shah said later Wednesday, however, that the vehicles were attacked on their way to the airport to pick up the prime minister, who had been in Lahore, and that Gilani’s plane had not even landed yet.

“The driver reached Islamabad airport, but the prime minister or his staff was not traveling in the vehicles,” Shah said.

At least no one was hurt.

breitbart.com

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - President Pervez Musharraf said Monday he will resign to avoid an impeachment battle with Pakistan’s ruling coalition that would harm the nation.

Musharraf said in address to the country that he will submit his resignation Monday, but said he knew that whatever he has done “was for the people and for the country.”

Musharraf had dominated Pakistan since seizing power in a 1999 military coup, making the country a key strategic ally of the U.S. by supporting the war on terror.

But his popularity at home sank over the years, with many Pakistanis blaming rising violence on that U.S. alliance. His reputation took a hit last year when he ousted dozens of judges and imposed emergency rule in the country.

His rivals won February parliamentary elections and have since sought his ouster. They had finalized impeachment charges against him and were planning to file them as early as this week if he did not resign.

Breaking News…

Developing…

UPDATE 1:

Newsweek.com is reporting that President Musharraf will go into exile in Saudi Arabia for the next 3 months. Retired Major General Rashid Qureshi is denying the Newsweek report.

UPDATE 2: The APP is reporting that there are celebrations in the streets and the people are crediting Benazir Bhutto’s sacrifice for Musharraf’s resignation. Bhutto was assassinated last year on December 27th.