Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry reports to CNN that a suicide bomber has killed seven civilians near the German Embassy in Kabul

Breaking News…

Developing…

UPDATE 1: Reuters.com

KABUL (Reuters) - A suicide car bomb exploded outside the German embassy and a U.S. base in the Afghan capital, Kabul, Saturday, killing three civilians, witnesses said.

A sewage tanker and several cars were burning at the scene and there were bloodstains on the road as police loaded the bodies onto the back of a pick-up truck and ferried several wounded to nearby hospitals, a Reuters witness said.

The blast was a result of a suicide attack, an Interior Ministry spokesman said, but he could not confirm the number of casualties.

The bomber struck on a road lined with high concrete blast barriers that runs between the German embassy and Camp Eggers, the headquarters of a U.S. unit that trains the Afghan army and police.

Four U.S. military personnel at the base suffered non-life threatening injuries from shattered windows and debris, but the perimeter walls were not penetrated, a spokesman said.

Spokesmen for the German embassy were not immediately available for comment.

Taliban militants, fighting to overthrow the Western-backed Afghan government and drive out foreign troops, have launched hundreds of suicide attacks in the last two years, but most of the victims are Afghan civilians.

While Taliban influence has spread from their traditional heartlands in the south and east to areas closer to the capital, there were fewer attacks inside Kabul last year than in 2007 with many more police checkpoints throughout the city.

President-elect Barack Obama has pledged to make Afghanistan a foreign policy priority after he comes to office Tuesday and is expected to approve the doubling of U.S. troops in the country from the 30,000 at present.

Reinforcements cannot come soon enough.

The opening scene of the new season of 24, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer, shows Bauer being grilled by a Senate committee that is accusing him of torture. Bauer admits to the torture of a Muslim jihadist, but says that by torturing the terrorist, he saved 45 people that would have died on a bus. Bauer said that he has the authority to stop terrorists and other criminals by any means necessary.

The show just implied that torturing terrorists works.

When terrorists that wish to kill us are not tortured and are not stopped, this happens:

And this.

And this.

And this.

Ask yourselves which is more prudent:

The lives of innocent people?

Or the life of one terrorist with valuable information?

(Also, the new Madame President on 24 said, “The United Nations is useless.” Sweet.)

Dana, living near Sderot, Israel, explains how it feels to live with a fifteen-second warning of death-by-rocket for eight years. Dana recorded this in July 2008.

After Hamas kept shooting rockets and mortars at Israeli civilian targets, Dana asked Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) to post her testimony on YouTube.

Even after experiencing 9/11, I do not expect daily terrorist attacks.

However, for the citizens in the city of Sderot, they live their life 15 seconds at a time.

Video: 15 Seconds in Sderot

Breaking News…

Developing…

UPDATE 1: breitbart.com

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A Los Angeles airport spokesman says a man who allegedly made a threat aboard a jetliner as it was landing was subdued by passengers and is being questioned.

Los Angeles International Airport Albert Rodriguez says the man was taken for questioning after Delta Air Lines Flight 110 from Atlanta landed Wednesday morning.

Rodriguez says the man reportedly made the threat as the plane was touching down in Los Angeles. About 230 passengers were aboard and they were not injured.

The nature of the threat wasn’t immediately disclosed but Rodriguez says airport police and the FBI are investigating.

The passengers who heard the threat rushed the man and held him down until the police arrived.

Terrorism averted.

UPDATE 1: breitbart.com

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A man who claimed to have a bomb aboard a Los Angeles-bound jetliner and was then tackled and bound by other passengers will not face federal charges, the FBI said Wednesday.

No bomb was found aboard the Delta Air Lines Flight 110 from Atlanta, and after questioning by the FBI and airport police, federal investigators had decided not to pursue charges, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.

She said they also concluded the man should undergo a psychological evaluation.

The plane was only minutes from landing at Los Angeles International Airport shortly before 10:30 a.m. Wednesday when the man “jumped up and started running … (and) yelled ‘I’ve got a bomb,’” passenger Bruce Worrilow told Fox 11 News.

Eimiller, who noted that the sequence of events was unclear, said the plane was a minute or two from touching down when the man apparently left his seat and walked to the rear of the plane, where he scuffled with a flight attendant.

After passengers restrained him, the man claimed to have a bomb, then later lunged for an exit door and assaulted a passenger, Eimiller said.

Passengers and flight crew members then restrained him a second time, binding him with plastic ties.

Eimiller said the man’s identity had not been confirmed.

The man was expected to be turned over to Los Angeles police. Eimiller said he could face state charges.

The motive for the alleged threat was not immediately clear, Eimiller said.

None of the 271 passengers aboard the aircraft were hurt and no other flights were disrupted, said Delta spokeswoman Betsy Talton.

I hope this man will at least face state charges.

They do not even know his true identity!

The Daily Beast

Did Saddam’s daughter, who looted millions from Iraq, secretly fund both the shoe thrower and the bungled coup attempt?

New revelations in Iraq point to a possible link between the shoe thrower and the Iraqi Baathists who just made a botched attempt to topple the government of Nouri al-Maliki and return Saddam’s party to power.

Reports in the Arab media indicate that the Iraqi shoe thrower, Muntather al-Zaidi may have been planning his assault on President Bush for more than a year, helped by Iraqi Baathists seeking to overthrow the U.S,-backed government. One leading Arab website said the al-Zaidi’s handlers may have been funded by Raghad, the eldest daughter of former dictator Saddam Hussein.

Raghad, who currently lives in self-exile in Jordan, is wanted in Iraq for funding terrorism and for looting billions from state funds on the eve of the 2003 war that toppled her father.

Dia’ al-Kanani, the judge investigating the shoe-throwing incident, said Thursday he turned down a request to release al-Zaidi on bail for security reasons, including fear for the suspect’s own security. He said there was a real threat he may be attacked.

An Iraqi government spokesman said al-Zaidi sent a letter to al-Maliki on Thursday asking for a pardon. The journalist described his own behavior as “an ugly act” and asked to be pardoned. There was no comment from the Iraqi government.

Al-Zeidi is a correspondent for al-Baghdadia, a pro-Baathist television station based in Cairo, Egypt, that some suspect is funded by Raghad. He could face two years imprisonment for the assault and for insulting Bush and al-Maliki.

Why won’t the Jordanian government arrest Raghad and extradite her back to Iraq?

Is she hiding in whereabouts unknown inside of Jordan?

Scoop This has reported on the shoe throwing incident, as well as the Baath Party conspiracy.

Hat Tip: Hot Air Headlines

Ziad Jarrah liked to drink beer and attend discos while at college. Then five years later, he steered Flight 93 into the ground, killing everyone on board.

I would almost surmise from the video that he is not “down for the cause”, but his murderous actions on September 11, 2001 prove otherwise.

Burn in hell, Ziad.

Hat Tip: Hot Air

International Herald Tribune

WASHINGTON: A new study of the global future by U.S. intelligence agencies suggests that Al Qaeda may be on the decline, having alienated Muslim supporters with its indiscriminate killing and inattention to the practical problems of poverty, unemployment and education.

While not contradicting intelligence assessments suggesting that Al Qaeda remains a major threat with a strong presence in the tribal areas of Pakistan, the report says the group “may decay sooner” than many experts have assumed because of severe weaknesses: “unachievable strategic objectives, inability to attract broad-based support, and self-destructive actions.”

That is good news.

From an American point of view, the predicted decline of Al Qaeda is one of the few bright spots in the report, “Global Trends 2025: A Transformed World,” which predicts a significant relative decline in the world dominance of the United States as China, India and other powers assert themselves.

“Although the United States is likely to remain the single most powerful actor, the relative strength of the United States - even in the military realm - will decline and U.S. leverage will become more constrained,” the report says.

By 2025, the report predicts, “the U.S. will find itself as one of a number of important actors on the world stage,” playing “a prominent role in global events” but not a decisive one as in the past.

Hopefully those countries get their crap together and stop asking us for money.

It says the global shift from West to East in wealth and economic power “is without precedent in modern history.”

Well, drill baby drill! We can increase our nation’s collective wealth by drilling for more of our own oil.

The comments on Al Qaeda are based in part on the work of David Rapaport, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, who has studied the cycles of terrorist activity in the past, including those associated with anarchism, Marxism and nationalism.

The report says the global Islamic terrorist movement is likely to outlast Al Qaeda itself, with other groups likely to emerge and supplant it. But it foresees a future of frustration and attrition for the group that Osama bin Laden created 20 years ago and built up during the 1990s.

The intelligence agencies note that Al Qaeda has focused almost exclusively on terrorism, in contrast with groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas, which have transformed themselves into political movements. “Al Qaeda has not achieved broad support in the Islamic world,” the report says. “Its harsh pan-Islamist ideology and policies appeal only to a tiny minority of Muslims.”

Hezbollah and Hamas, as well as Fatah, are still terrorist organizations. They should be scrutinized even more, especially since they have the means to gain political power.

Hat Tip: Hot Air Headlines

UPDATE 1: Breitbart.com

The 121-page report also says that the use of nuclear weapons is more likely in the future.

McClatchy reports:

WASHINGTON — A CIA-led raid on a compound in eastern Syria killed an al Qaida in Iraq commander who oversaw the smuggling into Iraq of foreign fighters whose attacks claimed thousands of Iraqi and American lives, three U.S. officials said Monday.

The body of Badran Turki Hishan al Mazidih, an Iraqi national who used the nom de guerre Abu Ghadiya, was flown out of Syria on a U.S. helicopter at the end of the operation Sunday by CIA paramilitary officers and special forces, one U.S. official said.

“It was a successful operation,” a second U.S. official told McClatchy. “The bottom line: This was a significant blow to the foreign fighter pipeline between Syria and Iraq.”

A senior U.S. military officer said the raid was launched after human and technical intelligence confirmed that al Mazidih was present at the compound close to Syria’s border with Iraq. “The situation finally presented itself,” he said.

The three U.S. officials, who all spoke on the condition of anonymity because the operation was classified, declined to reveal other details of the raid. A CIA spokesman declined to comment.

Also from the article:

The more that U.S. Intelligence personnel learned about Badran Turki Hishan al Mazidih (also known as Abu Ghadiya), the higher al Mazidih ranked on the U.S. most-wanted list. Mazidih produced the most prolific foreign fighter network, which led to thousands of Iraqi civilian deaths, as well as U.S. military deaths. The U.S. Treasury Department froze all assets belonging to Mazidih earlier this year on the 28th of February. Mazidih took direct orders from al Zarqawi and al Masri, both Al Qaeda in Iraq leaders. Mazidih was a High Value Target, especially since he was appointed by al Zarqawi as the groups Syrian commander.

The Bush Administration has refused to publicly acknowledge the operation. Pentagon officials are also not speaking about the operation, though their actions clearly state that they will go after terrorists inside nations that sponsor terrorism or turn a blind eye to terrorists, such as Syria.

Scoop This first reported about the Syrian raid on Sunday afternoon, just as soon as the story broke.

Hat Tip: Hot Air Headlines

And there you have it, folks. Joe Biden says that Barack Obama will be tested with a crisis within the first 6 months of his potential Presidency. I believe the crisis will be a terrorist attack. Or, it could be a nuclear war.

First, remember that Barack Obama failed to distinguish between the countries of Georgia and Russia when Russia, as the aggressor, invaded its neighbor, Georgia. Barack Obama called for Georgia to stop the violence before he left to go on vacation in Hawaii for the Olympics. After his campaign staffers explained to Barack Obama that he erred on his denouncement, Barack Obama immediately issued another statement against Russia to stop the violence. Apparently, Vladamir Putin did not get Obama’s love note and marched deeper into Georgia. How can Barack Obama be taken seriously when he does not even know world geography?

And John McCain? He was the first American politician to denounce Russia and call an end to the war. This denouncement was made while President Bush was getting ready to fly to China for the Olympics.

Second, Joe Biden’s own words specifically state that since Barack Obama is untested and inexperienced, he will face an international crisis in order to prove his inexperience. The despots and dictators all around the world are salivating at the prospect of an Obama Administration.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad knows that Barack Obama will not order the American military to stop the Iranian military from launching nuclear weapons and bombing Israel.

Hugo Chavez knows that Barack Obama will not put pressure on him to stop purchasing Russian military airplanes, tanks, and other weapons. Also, Chavez knows that Obama will not be able to pressure him to stop from increasing the cost of oil.

Hamas, Fatah, and Hezbollah know that the American military will not be ordered to protect Israel, especially not under an Obama Administration.

If you want absolute failure, chaos, and unchecked global terrorism, then you should cast your vote for Barack Obama.

If you want prosperity, peace, and freedom, then you should cast your vote John McCain.

Vote wisely. And remember which side has all of the guns.

Hat Tip: Hot Air (video)

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