Free Republic

Several Egyptian members of the squad of militants that lay bloody siege to an Algerian gas complex last week also took part in the deadly attack on the United States Mission in Libya in September, a senior Algerian official said Tuesday. The Egyptians involved in both attacks were killed by Algerian forces during the four-day ordeal that ended in the deaths of at least 38 hostages and 29 kidnappers, the official said. But three of the militants were captured alive, and one of them described the Egyptians’ role in both assaults under interrogation by the Algerian security services, the official...

We've given up on changing the world. The pragmatic (and brutal) approach to beating terrorism is the only way Is being an international terrorist like being a Page 3 model? By which I mean, when Mokhtar Belmohktar, 40, from Algeria, is pictured in our newspapers, his one eye staring flintily into the camera, clutching his gun like these people always do, is this really what it is all about? Maybe he'll buy lots of copies, clip them out, post them to friends and keep one stuck to the fridge for ever. Or maybe not. Maybe it's all about Allah;...

As conditions in Mali deteriorate into another ‘international effort’ against Islamists, the automatic support from conservatives for military intervention is on a sharp decline. As results of previous campaigns become clear and information is gathered, those on Canada’s political right have started to raise questions about the factions involved, as well as possible outcomes. Born from the aftermath of the deceptive ‘Arab Spring’, a bill of goods sold to the general public by Western governments and the media as ‘democracy taking root’ and ‘the Arab world’s Tiananmen square’ which ended up as nothing more than an exchange of corrupt, morally...

Five suspected members of the Islamist group which held foreign and local workers hostage at an Algerian gas plant have been arrested, reports say. The reports came a day after the Algerian authorities said all 32 hostage-takers had been killed at the In Amenas gas installation.

Most of the weapons used by al Qaeda-linked militants to storm a gas facility in southeastern Algeria came from Libya, the Daily Telegraph has learned. Many of the Islamist terrorists shot their way into the In Amenas compound on Thursday using the AK104 model of Kalashnikov, which was typically used by Libyan rebels in the war against Muammar Gaddafi. They brought F5 rockets that also surfaced in the Libyan war, said the security source. The Islamists wore the same type of outfits that Qatar provided to Libyan National Transitional Council rebels by Qatar – yellow flak jackets with brown patches,...

Again and again, we see all of the fallacies and delusions of Western "leaders" and the media elite crumble in the face of reality. Breaking news is a Canadian was in charge of the jihadist operations at the Algerian gas plant. How do we tell the players? How do we know which of our co-workers and neighbours aren't THEM? Anwar Awlaki, the imam to the 911 Muslim terrorists (who assisted in the purchase of their airplane tickets) was invited to dine and preach at the Pentagon. The global jihad transcends borders, nantionalities, race creed or colou. It is the ideology...

Exclusive: Pamela Geller blasts Obama for lack of leadership in 'act of war' The Algerian hostage crisis came to a bloody end Saturday when Special Forces stormed the BP gas complex after the jihadists executed their non-Muslim POWs. At least 81 people have been killed, including two Americans. They were holding more than 600, but they released all the Muslims, saying “they did not want to hurt Muslims. Some locals were forced to recite parts of the Koran to prove they were Muslims.” The jihadists called their non-Muslim hostages “kuffar,” an ugly word meaning unbelievers. One Muslim hostage said: “Us...

While Holder prepares to use all the powers of the Department of Justice and ATF to push through President Obama's new gun control agenda, he is more than happy to ignore Operation Fast and Furious. As a reminder, this was the DOJ program that allowed the deliberate trafficking of military style assault AK-47s to violent Mexican drug cartels south of the border. Let's not forget Holder has not only refused to cooperate with Congress when it comes to turning over documents about the lethal scandal (death toll is 400 people and counting), he's asked a court to indefinitely hold documents...

Canadian passports found on badly burned bodies of two insurgents. One Frenchman among the terrorists... Some of the gunmen 'given short-term contracts by the oil and gas giant'. Attackers 'arrived in cars painted in colours of Algerian state energy firm'. Two of the dead Islamists from Canada were found in the smouldering remains of a compound at the BP gas plant. One security source today confirmed that the Canadians are suspected of having travelled to Libya, where they joined extremists waging Jihad against the west. The men's badly charred corpses were found close to their victims, many of whom had...

Many of the Islamist terrorists shot their way into the In Amenas compound on Thursday using the AK104 model of Kalashnikov, which was typically used by Libyan rebels in the war against Muammar Gaddafi. They brought F5 rockets that also surfaced in the Libyan war, said the security source. The Islamists wore the same type of outfits that Qatar provided to Libyan National Transitional Council rebels by Qatar – yellow flak jackets with brown patches, known as "chocolate chip" camouflage. The garments are copies of ones worn by Americans in the Gulf war. The terrorists also employed 60mm gun-mortars used...

- FrontPage Magazine - http://frontpagemag.com - Algerian Killers: “We’ve Come In the Name of Islam, To Teach the Americans What Islam Is”Posted By Daniel Greenfield On January 20, 2013 @ 8:52 pm In The Point | 13 Comments But the trouble is that no one seems to learn the lesson no matter how often it’s taught. The 9/11 attackers came in the name of Islam to teach Americans what Islam is. The Benghazi attackers came in the in the name of Islam to teach Americans what Islam is.  And the lesson is still unlearned. The four-day hostage crisis in the...

Many of the Islamist terrorists shot their way into the In Amenas compound on Thursday using the AK104 model of Kalashnikov, which was typically used by Libyan rebels in the war against Muammar Gaddafi. They brought F5 rockets that also surfaced in the Libyan war, said the security source. The Islamists wore the same type of outfits that Qatar provided to Libyan National Transitional Council rebels by Qatar – yellow flak jackets with brown patches, known as "chocolate chip" camouflage. The garments are copies of ones worn by Americans in the Gulf war. The terrorists also employed 60mm gun-mortars used...

The 'final assault' by Algerian troops on a gas plant seized by militants has resulted in the deaths of seven hostages and 11 kidnappers. The militants reportedly summarily executed their captives as troops tried to free them. "It is over now, the assault is over, and the military are inside the plant clearing it of mines," Reuters quoted a local source as saying. Earlier, the militants reportedly made demands and threatened to kill the captives if their ultimatum was not met. The militant group behind the attack, ‘The Battalion of Blood,’ initially said that the hostages were nationals of Great...

The history of the last thirty years of American policy in the Middle East and North Africa can be summed up in two words: unintended consequences.  The US has found itself pressured by outside events into interventions that have ended up backfiring in substantial ways.In most cases, one can argue with good reason that the US advanced other policies that more than compensated for the complications.  In Afghanistan, we armed the rebels in order to help bring down the Soviet Union.  We initially invaded Iraq to repel Saddam Hussein from Kuwait and to protect Saudi Arabian oil fields, which led...

Some of terrorists 'given short-term contracts by the oil and gas giant' Five of Al Qaeda operatives were 'taken alive' by Algerian army todayWitness describes one terrorist speaking with a 'perfect English accent' Some of the terrorists involved in the Algeria hostage crisis in which up to five Britons died had been working at the BP plant where the atrocity took place, it was claimed today.They had been given short-term contracts by the oil and gas giant, allowing them to plan their attack with lethal precision. Five of the Al Qaeda operatives were ‘taken alive’ by the Algerian army today,...

A British security guard was murdered in cold blood just minutes into the siege at the Algerian gas plant, an IT worker caught up in the hostage crisis has told The Mail on Sunday. The Algerian employee, who managed to escape, has given the most detailed account so far of how Islamist terrorists rounded up foreign workers during the four-day stand-off and placed explosives round their necks. Following his escape, the IT worker contacted a friend who remained in the camp and witnessed yesterday’s final onslaught by Algerian troops. Speaking under condition of anonymity after the Algerian army told him...

Algerian bomb squads scouring a gas plant where Islamist militants took dozens of foreign workers hostage found "numerous" new bodies on Sunday as they searched for explosive traps left behind by the attackers, a security official said, a day after a bloody raid ended the four-day siege of the remote desert refinery. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said the bodies were badly disfigured and difficult to identify.

President Barack Obama offered on Saturday to provide any assistance the Algerian government needs after a deadly hostage siege at a desert gas plant and said the United States was seeking a "fuller understanding" from Algerian authorities of what took place there.

As his second term is about to begin, we may finally be seeing the emergence of an Obama Doctrine in foreign policy. It's one that looks very much like the Reagan Doctrine.In his 1985 State of the Union address, Reagan asserted that "we cannot play innocents abroad in a world that's not innocent; nor can we be passive when freedom is under siege." He urged that "we must stand by all our democratic allies. And we must not break faith with those who are risking their lives—on every continent, from Afghanistan to Nicaragua—to defy Soviet-supported aggression and secure rights which...

Seven hostages were killed by their captors during a final raid by Algerian troops - at least 23 hostages and 32 hostage-takers died in the four-day stand-off, Algerian officials say.Five Britons are feared dead or missing - five Norwegians are unaccounted for. US President Barack Obama said blame for the violent outcome rested with the "terrorists" behind the attack."We will continue to work closely with all of our partners to combat the scourge of terrorism in the region," said Mr Obama.His defence secretary, Leon Panetta, earlier told the BBC the US would go after al-Qaeda wherever they tried to hide....