Threat Matrix: December 2006

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[nwctwx]

Fighting Jihad in Cyberspace
-Full Story-

The setting is familiar to anyone who watches the evening news. A large, executive-style desk, a laptop perched on top, a logo in the background and a screen showing shifting images to reinforce the newsreader's message. The only difference is the presenter, who is swathed in an Arab headdress and masked to hide his identity, and the subject of the broadcast, a call for an Islamic state for Iraq and a vow to use Iraq as a launching pad to crush the "Zionists" in Israel.

Welcome to the "Voice of the Caliphate", the latest offering from the Global Islamic Media Front, widely regarded as the mouthpiece of al-Qaeda and the worldwide jihadist movement.

Distributed over the internet, the mock news format is just one of many employed by al-Qaeda's highly sophisticated propaganda arm.

	Mystery Surrounds Zawahri’s Silence
	HizbAllah Offensive in Lebanon: Day One
	Significant Terrorist Incidents, 1961-2003: A Brief Chronology

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[Cindy]

http://www.fbi.gov/page2/dec06/holiday_scams121106.htm
"‘TIS THE SEASON
For Charity Scams"

12/11/06

[Cindy]

Off-Topic...

A CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION ONLINE!
http://www.truthusa.com/CHRISTmas.html

[Cindy]

ON THE NET...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=GLOBALJIHAD
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=jihad
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=Hezb-e-Islami

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=gulbuddinhekmatyar
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hekmatyar

===
===

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1752136/posts

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/War_Terror/2006/12/12/2752967-ap.html

December 12, 2006
"Afghan warlord: insurgents helped Democrats win U.S. mid-term elections"
By FISNIK ABRASHI
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Hezb-e-Islami is active in eastern Afghanistan along the Pakistan border where U.S. forces are deployed. Western security officials suspect Hekmatyar is hiding in the border area. This year has seen an escalation in the insurgency led by the former ruling Taliban."

[Cindy]

http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20061211-111044-5748r.htm

"Surprise terrorist attacks remain top threat"
By Bill Gertz
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
December 12, 2006

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "A surprise attack on the United States by terrorists is the most worrying threat facing the country, while a nuclear detonation by al Qaeda here remains a low probability, the admiral in charge of the U.S. Northern Command says.

"We're trying to think through the unknown unknowns," Adm. Timothy J. Keating, the Northcom leader, said in a telephone interview with reporters."

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/12/20061211-2.html

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
December 11, 2006

President Bush Meets with Senior State Department Officials on Iraq
United States Department of State
Washington, D.C.


THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. I just had a briefing with senior policy advisors here at the State Department. I want to thank you for your hospitality, Madam Secretary.

We talked about a lot of things. We talked about what's taking place on the ground in Iraq, particularly from the perspective of the State Department. I must tell you, there are some fantastic, brave souls who are heading PRTs, provincial reconstruction teams. These are our civilian components on the ground there in Iraq. And we got a briefing from Baghdad with one of our PRT leaders here in Washington about the challenges and the tasks to help this Iraqi government get a country that can sustain and govern and defend itself.

No question in my mind, there are some very brave State Department officials who are engaged in this really important endeavor. And I want to thank them and their families. I appreciate the advice I got from those folks in the field. And that advice is an important part, an important component of putting together a new way forward in Iraq. Like most Americans, this administration wants to succeed in Iraq, because we understand success in Iraq would help protect the United States in the long run.

We also talked about the neighborhood, the countries that surround Iraq and the responsibilities that they have to help this young Iraqi democracy survive. We believe that most of the countries understand that a mainstream society, a society that is a functioning democracy, is in their interests. And it's up to us to help focus their attentions and focus their efforts on helping the Iraqis succeed.

I appreciate so very much the Iraqi leadership taking the lead in its neighborhood. After all, one of the things we're trying to do is help this government get on its feet so it can govern and it can conduct its own foreign policy. But the role of America is to help this young democracy survive.

I'm looking forward to continuing my deliberations with the military. There's no question we've got to make sure that the State Department and the Defense Department are -- the efforts and their recommendations are closely coordinated so that when I do speak to the American people, they will know that I've listened to all aspects of government, and that the way forward is the way forward to achieve our objective: to succeed in Iraq. And success is a country that governs, defends itself, that is a free society, that serves as an ally in this war on terror.

And the reason why that's vital is because Iraq is a central component of defeating the extremists who want to establish safe haven in the Middle East, extremists who would use their safe haven from which to attack the United States, extremists and radicals who have stated that they want to topple moderate governments in order to be able to achieve assets necessary to effect their dream of spreading their totalitarian ideology as far and wide as possible.

This is really the calling of our time, that is, to defeat these extremists and radicals, and Iraq is a component part, an important part of laying the foundation for peace.

And so Madam Secretary, thank you for the briefing. I want to thank your team here in Washington for their good work, and I thank those out in the field who have shown such incredible bravery to do the hard work necessary to secure our country.

Thank you all.

END 11:58 A.M. EST

[Cindy]

http://www.northcom.mil/newsroom/news_release/2006/120906_b.html

"NORAD and USNORTHCOM use VS 07 to stretch personnel, capabilities, interagency cooperation"

By MC1(SW/AW) Joaquin Juatai
NORAD/USNORTHCOM Public Affairs

December 9, 2006

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1752146/posts

"Anti-terror stop and search law facing the axe"
The Daily Mail ^ | 12th December 2006 | JAMES SLACK and BEN TAYLOR

Posted on 12/12/2006 2:05:27 AM PST by Mrs Ivan

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Controversial stop and search powers introduced by Labour were facing the axe last night after being dismissed as virtually worthless by Britain's leading anti-terror policeman.

Andy Hayman said the searches caused 'so much pain' to the community - but delivered hardly any arrests.

It leaves Home Secretary John Reid under enormous pressure to scrap or limit use of the searches, which were introduced in the Terrorism Act 2000."

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "They are also hugely unpopular with Muslims, who claim they are unfairly targeted."

[Cindy]

Off Topic...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1752144/posts

"Russian billionaire seriously injured in Ferrari wipe-out"
London Times ^ | 11/27/06 | Charles Bremner

Posted on 12/12/2006 1:51:48 AM PST by TigerLikesRooster
Edited on 12/12/2006 2:09:10 AM PST by Jim Robinson. [history]
Times Online

[Cindy]

FRONTPAGE MAGAZINE.com: "'ACCEPTABLE' HOLOCAUST DENIAL" by David Bedein (December 12, 2006)

AMERICAN THINKER.com: "IN CASE YOU HAD ANY DOUBT" by Thomas Lifson (December 11, 2006)

[Cindy]

PERSECUTION.ORG
http://www.persecution.org

[Cindy]

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_1161.html

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
This information is current as of today, Tue Dec 12 2006 02:45:11 GMT-0800.

Worldwide Caution
October 11, 2006

[Cindy]

Note: The ongoing comments section is interesting.

ON THE NET...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZUUnUGpxXU

[Cindy]

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=/Culture/archive/200612/CUL20061212a.html

"Pentagon Evangelism Called 'National Security Threat'"
By Nathan Burchfiel
CNSNews.com Staff Writer
December 12, 2006

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "(CNSNews.com) - Christian military officers who share their faith at work in the Pentagon pose a threat to national security, according to a group that advocates for religious neutrality in the military.

Public displays of faith by high-ranking military officers project an image of a Christian nation waging war on non-Christians, both inside and outside the United States, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation said Monday.

This created an "internal national security issue every bit as great as the one we're fighting outwardly," said the organization's president, Mikey Weinstein.

"The jihadists, the insurrectionists, everybody from the head of Hamas, Hizballah, the Islamic Jihad, the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, they see us as invading American imperialists and crusaders," he told a news conference in Washington, D.C.

Weinstein, a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy who has been critical of proselytizing at the academy, called for an investigation into several officers who appeared in a promotional video for a Christian organization while in uniform.

In addition to creating a national security threat, Weinstein said, evangelistic efforts by Christian officers directed toward their colleagues or subordinates amounted to "coercion" and "fanatical unconstitutional religious persecution."

"There's a time and place to celebrate your faith or no faith," Weinstein said. "There's so many times and places you can do it ... but there's a few times you can't, one of which would be when you wear your uniform during the duty day and duty night and you outrank somebody else and you're trying to push your religious faith on them."

He called on incoming Defense Secretary Robert Gates to investigate a promotional video for the Christian Embassy, an organization that ministers to members of Congress, ambassadors, presidential appointees and Pentagon officials."

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=northkorea
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=nkorea

===


http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=25960
"Rogue Regime"
By Jamie Glazov
FrontPageMagazine.com | December 12, 2006

[Cindy]

ping:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1747324/posts?page=533#533

[Godzilla]

Some kook comes up with a flashy name for his cause and manages to get some air time. Arrogant ignoramus

[nwctwx]

Confronting the Threat of an Al Qaida WMD Attack
By James J.F. Forest | December 12, 2006

A previous issue of this column examined the Salafi-Jihadi ideology which motivates members of al Qaida and affiliated groups. As described in the Militant Ideology Atlas, published by the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, this ideology is built upon the precepts of an existing Salafi tradition within the broader Islamic faith, and resonates in the Muslim world because of several pre-existing perceptions and environmental factors, including a sense of crisis, humiliation, impotence and resentment directed at their local rulers and powerful Western allies. An understanding of this ideology leads to important insights on the potential threat posed to the United States and our allies if these groups were to acquire a weapon of mass destruction.

In October 2006, an audio statement was released by Abu Hamza al-Muhajir—the leader of al Qaida in Iraq—calling for nuclear scientists to join his mujahideen group, emphasizing that "the battlefield will accommodate your scientific aspirations." That same month, Dhiren Barot—a British jihadist and convert to Islam—pled guilty in a London courtroom to a series of terrorist plots in the UK and U.S. that were, according to authorities, "designed to kill as many innocent people as possible." In one plot, Barot intended to detonate a radiological dispersion device (also known as a "dirty bomb") in London. These and other recent examples are pointed to as evidence of the global Salafi-Jihadist movement's growing interest in weapons of mass destruction. Contemporary members of this movement rationalize the need for these weapons as part of a power/capability/force multiplier calculation within the context of the larger socio-political vision being pursued.

Initially, in the late 1990s, al Qaida sought to acquire WMD in order to defend their safe haven in Afghanistan. Today, research indicates that al Qaida wishes to acquire a WMD to use as a first strike weapon against the United States and its allies. Their calculus for WMD acquisition is rational, not apocalyptic. They believe that WMD will advance their strategic objective of exhausting the United States economically and militarily by forcing the U.S. to expend massive amounts of money on protecting our critical infrastructure, borders and ports of entry, and on military deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. They are convinced that acquiring WMD will allow them to achieve military and strategic parity with the West, bestow credibility on the mujahideen, exaggerate the movement's power and capability, and frighten the enemies of Islam.

They also rationalize the acquisition and use of WMD as necessary to avenge Western "killing of Muslims" by killing large number of western civilians. In 2003, Al Qaida received some modicum of religious sanction for the use of WMD against the enemies of Islam by Saudi cleric Nassir bin Hamad al-Fahd, who issued an important and detailed fatwa on the permissibility of WMD in jihad. He stated that since America has destroyed countless lands and killed millions of Muslims, it would obviously be permitted to respond in kind. Similarly, al Qaida spokesman Suleiman Abu Gheith stated in 2002 that "we have the right to kill 4 million Americans, 2 million of them children . . . and cripple them in the hundreds of thousands. Furthermore, it is our obligation to fight them with chemical and biological weapons, to afflict them with the fatal woes that have afflicted Muslims because of their chemical and biological weapons." And al Qaida member Abu Muhammad al-Ablaj noted that a chemical, biological, or nuclear weapon "must be used at a time that makes the crusader enemy beg on his knee that he does not want more strikes."

More...

[Cindy]

Thanks to a Special Freeper for pointing to this article:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1752206/posts

"A generation is all they need: One day we will all happily be implanted with microchips"
Toronto Star ^ | Dec. 10, 2006. | KEVIN HAGGERTY

Posted on 12/12/2006 6:04:15 AM PST by ActionNewsBill

"One day we will all happily be implanted with microchips, and our every move will be monitored. The technology exists; the only barrier is society's resistance to the loss of privacy"
Dec. 10, 2006. 08:46 AM
KEVIN HAGGERTY
SPECIAL TO THE STAR

[Cindy]

Actually, there are "scholars" with that thinking and atheists with that thinking -- I've been sent articles from them in the last 6 months which I have declined to post. However, this guy seems to be an IN YOUR FACE type, so I thought I would post the CNS snippet.

[Cindy]

Good overview article.
Thanks nw.