Some U.S. officials fear al-Qaeda might attack West from Syria
Dozens of seasoned militant fighters, including midlevel planners, have traveled to Syria from Pakistan in recent months in what U.S. intelligence and counterterrorism officials fear is an effort to lay the foundation for future strikes against Europe and the United States.
“We are concerned about the use of Syrian territory by the al-Qaeda organization to recruit individuals and develop the capability to be able not just to carry out attacks inside of Syria but also to use Syria as a launching pad,” CIA Director John Brennan told a House panel recently.
The extremists who concern Brennan are part of a group of al-Qaeda operatives in Pakistan that has been severely depleted by a decade of U.S. drone strikes. But the fighters still bring a wide range of skills to the battlefield, such as bomb-building, small-arms tactics, logistics, religious indoctrination and planning, though they are not believed to have experience in launching attacks in the West......
UN: 400,000 displaced this year in Iraq violence; Security Council expresses ‘grave concern’
The United Nations envoy to Iraq says about 400,000 people have been displaced this year by ongoing violence in western Iraq, and the U.N. Security Council is expressing “grave concern” about recent developments particularly in Ramadi and Fallujah.......
http://www.startribune.com/world/252820291.html
Where’s the MEDIA on this????