Posted on 09/22/2013 12:23:13 PM PDT by jazusamo
Video of Mall attack at link - 2 minutes.
American forces in Africa are likely drafting target lists for possible strikes against al Qaeda-linked terrorist groups tied to Sunday's deadly attack in Nairobi, a former U.S. general said Sunday.
"They're developing targets . . . and refining target lists, trying to fill in any gaps that we possibly have" on potential locations of al Shabaab strongholds in Kenya and elsewhere on the African continent, former Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli said Sunday.
Al Shabaab, the Somali-based terror group with ties to al Qaeda's Africa cell, known as al Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb (AQIM), claimed responsibility for Sunday's bloody attack on a shopping mall in the Kenyan capital.
"Intelligence has been gathered and will continue to be gathered to fill in any holes that we have about what happened in this particular attack and what could happen in the future," the former four-star general said during an interview on ABC's "This Week."
Chiarelli declined to comment specifically on what means U.S. and partner forces may be using to target the group's main outposts in Kenya.
That said, command officials are "doing all of the kinds of things that you would do to gain information in . . . what is a very chaotic situation," according to Chiarelli.
On Sunday, President Obama called Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta to express his condolences in the aftermath of the Nairobi attack.
At least 59 people were killed and 175 people injured in the attack, according to recent reports. Kenyan forces continue to battle with al Shabaab militants still inside the massive shopping complex, reports state.
Sunday's violence underscores the growing problem Islamic fundamentalist in Africa are posing to U.S. allies in the region.
Al Shabaab and the Nigerian-based terror group Boko Haram have steadily increased their ties with AQIM in recent years.
Those affiliations have resulted in the al Qaeda cell evolving into one of the organization's most dangerous factions, second only to al Qaeda's Yemeni cell, known as al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
In June, the State Department offered a $7 million for information on the location of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau.
However, U.S. military and intelligence officials are still having significant difficulty gaining any insight into groups like al Shabab and Boko Haram.
The relatively small network of intelligence assets Washington currently has in place in Africa pales in comparison to the number of similar American assets in places such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere in the Mideast.
But the resulting blow back from the Mideast counterterror campaign has manifested itself with the rise of al Qaeda factions gaining control of wide swaths of territory in North and Western Africa.
Target. Okay, but are we going to take them out if they kill more people, or are we going to send in psychologists and sing Kum Bah Yah?
With the turkey we have in the WH I’d say the latter.
..... And yet .... if those very same al Qaeda-linked terrorist groups slip into Syria and fight against the regime they will get full asset and financial support from the United States.
..... We live in very curious times.
Well stated and sadly you’re absolutely right.
Obama has an interesting foreign policy.
It’s foreign to the logic of every living being on planet earth, if they’d stop to THINK about it.
Send the general some red paint.
Target, but not attack?
What is the point? With the Current Occupant now squatting in the White Hut, there will be no response even if the Kenyan Islamic militants go on a rampage.
Too many of his “blood brethren” will be in the vanguard, and you can’t just go around targeting your brothers, can you?
Fact is, The Won hasn’t a drop of “Kenyan” blood in his veins. His genetic father was altogether different from what has been revealed thus far. Definitely no Kenyan, though.
So we know they've probably got intel in both countries. But I remembered hearing or reading about this, article dated April 8, 2013. Reuters can only post a link.
I guess we didn't have enough home grown criminals and terrorists so we are importing them by the tens of thousands from Muslim hell holes so we can be fair and have our very own Muslim hell holes?
Pretty soon they will be shooting up our malls, churches, and schools as well those in other parts of the world.
But, hey, that is better than being thought of as "intolerant", right?
They’re targetting them for weapons deliveries.
Does one of the terrorists have big ears??
Why? Aren't they are allies? John Kerry to the courtesy telephone, please.
The same group we are probably arming in Syria will be bombed by us in Kenya/Somalia?
Good advice...As an aside, that’s my youngest grandson’s favorite saying.
We’ve already had some attacks by these scum but you’re right, I think they’ll increase in number.
Putting Cross Hairs on them wherever they are and wherever they go.
They may be American but they’re not AMERICAN. We have Chinese-Americans, African-Americans (that is usually wrong), Native-Americans and Muslim-Americans. We are at war with Islam. Well, Islam is at war with us. Our politicians are still saying “It’s a religion of peace.”
We’re allowing them in. And we’re allowing them to build training facillities disguised as mosques. But when they attack a Christian church in the US it will not be called terrorism against Christianity.
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