bin Laden letters released

“This report is a study of 17 declassified documents captured during the Abbottabad raid and released to the Combating Terrorism Center (CTC). They consist of electronic letters or draft letters, totaling 175 pages in the original Arabic and 197 pages in the English translation. The earliest is dated September 2006 and the latest April 2011. Some of the letters are incomplete and/or are missing their dates, and not all of the letters explicitly attribute their author(s) and/or indicate the addressee. In addition to Bin Ladin, the recognizable individuals who appear in the letters either as authors or as recipients are `Atiyyatullah and Abu Yahya al-Libi, both of whom are al-Qa`ida leaders; Adam Yahya Gadahn, the American al-Qa`ida spokesman and media advisor; Mukhtar Abu al-Zubayr, the leader of the Somali militant group Harakat al-Shabab al-Mujahidin; Abu Basir (Nasir al-Wuhayshi), the leader of the Yemen-based al-Qa`ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP); and Hakimullah Mahsud, the leader of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Given the small collection of documents released to the CTC, it is impossible to construct a coherent evolution of al-Qa`ida or its current state. “Letters from Abbottabad” is an initial exploration and contextualization of 17 documents that will be the grist for future academic debate and discussion.”

CTC Report | English Translations | Original Arabic Letters

Somali woman blows herself up, kills 2

“A young woman strapped with explosives blew herself up on Wednesday at a ceremony in the Somali national theatre attended by the prime minister and other officials, killing at least two.”

Source: Somali woman blows herself up, kills 2 | News24

Wanted by US for $10 million: Hafiz Saeed, mastermind of Mumbai attack

“The United States has offered a $10 million bounty for the founder of the Pakistani militant group blamed for the 2008 attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai that killed 166 people, a move that could complicate U.S.-Pakistan relations at a tense time.”

(Source: World News – Wanted by US for $10 million: Hafiz Saeed, mastermind of Mumbai attack.)

Al-Qaeda’s online forums go dark for extended period

“Al-Qaeda’s main Web forums have been offline for the past 11 days in what experts say is the longest sustained outage of the sites since they began operating eight years ago.

No one has publicly claimed responsibility for disabling the sites, but the breadth and the duration of the outages have prompted some experts to conclude the forums have been taken down in a cyberattack — launched perhaps by a government, government-backed organization or hacking group.”

Source: Al-Qaeda’s online forums go dark for extended period – The Washington Post

Olympic Security Review After France Attacks

“Britain has planned for a dizzying array of security nightmares surrounding the Olympics, including a coordinated attack like the London transit bombings, a dirty bomb or a cyberattack.”

(Source: Olympic Security Review After France Attacks – ABC News.)

Link Grows Between Terrorism, Organized Crime, Officials Say

” The two missions of fighting terrorism and combating global organized crime are increasingly linked, senior Defense Department officials told Congress yesterday.

Michael A. Sheehan, assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict; Garry Reid, deputy assistant secretary of defense for special operations and combating terrorism; and William F. Wechsler, deputy assistant secretary of defense for counternarcotics and global threats, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee’s emerging threats and capabilities subcommittee.
The hearing focused on the Pentagon’s role in implementing the national strategies for counterterrorism and combating transnational organized crime under the 2013 defense budget request.

“Terrorism, drug trafficking and other forms of transnational organized crime are increasingly intertwined,” Sheehan noted, adding that his office — which is responsible for overall supervision of special operations forces — is uniquely positioned to provide policy guidance and program oversight to the department’s efforts in both missions.

Wechsler noted four trends in terrorism and transnational crime:
– Terrorist groups are adopting criminal techniques, including drug trafficking, to raise funds;

– Criminal organizations are adopting terrorist techniques, such as beheadings;

– Terrorist organizations and criminal organizations that have been separate are now “working together in ways that previously we hadn’t seen … [such as] the attempted assassination of a Saudi ambassador here in the United States”; and
– Some countries are using criminal activity to produce revenue.
Sheehan said that while the Defense Department plays a central role in fighting terrorism and a more supporting role battling transnational organized crime, the national strategies governing the two missions are complementary and mutually reinforcing.
While the counterterrorism focus on al-Qaida remains, he said, the landscape is changing. As al-Qaida and other terror groups meld with international criminal networks, DOD is expanding its efforts beyond direct strikes against terrorist targets in supporting an interagency approach, Sheehan said.
“All our national security challenges … [are] becoming increasingly interagency,” he noted.
Fighting terrorism increasingly includes targeting the global drug trade, he said. “Nowhere is the link between transnational organized crime, insurgency and terrorism more apparent than in Afghanistan, where the Taliban continues to receive a large percentage of its revenue through heroin trade,” he added.
Fighting insurgents, prosecuting criminals and applying pressure to states profiting from terror or criminal activity involves agencies from DOD to the Drug Enforcement Agency to the State Department, Sheehan noted. And while direct strike is an important special operations capability, even purely military action often focuses on a partnering approach, he said.
“Just as important … are the special operations forces’ efforts that build the capability and capacity of our partners to shape the global information and ideas environment, as well as train and equip the capacity of other countries,” he added.
Working with Pakistan to keep pressure on al-Qaida is essential, and Yemen serves as an important front against al-Qaida on the Arabian Peninsula, he noted.
“DOD continues to collaborate extensively with the Yemeni forces on operational matters, and together we are closely monitoring [al-Qaida on the Arabian Peninsula] and regularly improving our understanding of its external plots,” Sheehan said.
Combating the nexus of terrorism and transnational organized crime, he said, “is a call to action to leverage all of the elements of national power to protect citizens and U.S. national security interests and to enable our foreign partners to do the same.””

(Source: Defense.gov News Article: Link Grows Between Terrorism, Organized Crime, Officials Say.)

Attack on aid worker ‘payback for massacre’

“THE attack on an Australian aid worker in Afghanistan was retribution for the night-time murder of 17 unarmed Afghan civilians by US soldier Robert Bales, the Taliban has said.”

(Source: Attack on aid worker ‘payback for massacre’.)

Security tight for Greek Independence Day parades

“Authorities in Greece are implementing massive security measures for fear that anti-austerity protests could disrupt national parades to mark Greek Independence Day this weekend.”

(Source: The Associated Press: Security tight for Greek Independence Day parades.)

Cyber-attack on BBC leads to suspicion of Iran’s involvement

“A “sophisticated cyber-attack” on the BBC has been linked to Iran’s efforts to disrupt the BBC Persian Service.

In a speech Director General Mark Thompson plans to say that the internet attack coincided with efforts to jam two of the service’s satellite feeds into Iran.”

Source: BBC News – Cyber-attack on BBC leads to suspicion of Iran’s involvement

3 dead in Kenya bus station blast

“At least three people were killed and others were treated for wounds following explosions at a bus station in the Kenyan capital Saturday, the Red Cross said.

The explosions occurred in central Nairobi, the agency said.”

(Source: 3 dead in Kenya bus station blast – CNN.com.)