Al Queda Situation

[Wilma]

The big news item is the situation in the far east causing our embassies to close.  Would someone simplify this for me?  I don't seem to be able to grasp the facts.

[jarhead]

Wilma,
I don't think there are any "facts". Just a diversion so Obama can come out and say how spying on ALL of us has paid off and HE stopped the terrible terrorist attacks from killing us all. Now a big round of applause and pat him on the back---and oh yea---"our eavesdropping has worked so well that I feel we should nudge all US citizens to wear a tape recorder and turn ALL private conversations into Uncle Sam"
Where I'm confused is I thought Al Queda was on the run and no longer a threat to us because "the One' had eliminated the threat. Guess he underestimated them, huh ?

[Diane Amberg]

Well, there's one opinion. I'd like to, but I don't dare say anything.

[Warph]

Wilma... We  really don't know anymore than this.  My understanding is that Susan Rice is behind this.  According to Rep. Peter King,
chairman of the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, It is a necessary move:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/08/03/rep-peter-king-says-al-qaeda-threat-is-very-specific-as-us-issues-travel-alert/

The Barack Obama administration and State Department has closed an unprecedented number of embassies and consulates across the Middle East following terror communications that were intercepted.  The State Department has closed 22 diplomat facilities from  North Africa through the Middle East and into South Asia.

As per CNN, "Fresh intelligence led the United States to conclude that operatives of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula were in the final stages of planning an attack against U.S. and Western targets.  This may have been planned for Ramadan, which ends this coming Wednesday.

The United States intercepted electronic communications this week among senior operatives of Al Qaeda, in which the terrorists discussed attacks against American interests in the Middle East and North Africa, American officials said Friday.

The intercepts and a subsequent analysis of them by American intelligence agencies prompted the United States to issue an unusual global travel alert to American citizens on Friday, warning of the potential for terrorist attacks by operatives of Al Qaeda and their associates beginning Sunday through the end of August. Intelligence officials said the threat focused on the Qaeda affiliate in Yemen, which has been tied to plots to blow up American-bound cargo and commercial flights.

The bulletin to travelers and expatriates, issued by the State Department, came less than a day after the department announced that it was closing nearly two dozen American diplomatic missions in the Middle East and North Africa, including facilities in Egypt, Iraq, Yemen, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Britain said Friday that it would close its [/i] embassy in Yemen on Monday and Tuesday because of "increased security concerns."

[Maude]

I think it shows we are chicken and no back bone to stand up to anyone. It makes the United States look weak. But the people that are running the country now are only trying to make them self's look good. For the last 5 1/2 years they have been  blowing smoke up everyone's butt and 51 percent of the county believed it.

[Wilma]

Thank you, Warph, for your unopionated answer to my question.  Maybe I have a little better understanding of what's happening.  Personally, I don't see why anyone would want to travel over there anyway.

[Warph]

I think it shows we are chicken and no back bone to stand up to anyone. It makes the United States look weak. But the people that are running the country now are only trying to make them self's look good. For the last 5 1/2 years they have been  blowing smoke up everyone's butt and 51 percent of the county believed it.

Well said, Maude... very well said!  You hit that nail right on the head!  I'm glad to see that someone has an honest opinion as to what is going on in La La Land.

[Warph]

Thank you, Warph, for your unopionated answer to my question.  Maybe I have a little better understanding of what's happening.  Personally, I don't see why anyone would want to travel over there anyway.

Intel Community Worried Obama Admin May Have Disclosed Too Much
About Current Al-Qaeda Threat

Via Washington Times:
In warning about possible al Qaeda attacks against Americans overseas, U.S. officials may have provided too much detail about intercepted chatter and the source of the information, and that may make it more difficult to get such tips next time, former and current intelligence officials say.

On Friday, the U.S. State Department issued a worldwide travel alert for Americans, citing an unspecified al Qaeda threat. The bulletin said that the highest threat levels are the Middle East and North Africa, "and possibly occurring in or emanating from the Arab Peninsula."

As a result of the threat, the United States will close 21 embassies in 17 countries in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia on Sunday, the traditional start of the work week in those countries.

On Saturday, unnamed U.S. officials told media outlets Yemeni intelligence agencies alerted Washington to the threat during the visit by the Yemeni president to Washington.

U.S. officials speaking on the condition of anonymity further told press representatives that "chatter" among "operatives" from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula had been taking place over the last several weeks, and increased over the last few days, lending further credence to the Yemeni warning.

Intelligence officials are dismayed that the administration provided so much detail on what prompted the closings, and that the disclosures could work against obtaining new information. Militants are now likely searching for the sources of the information to both the U.S. and Yemeni officials, and almost certainly will kill anyone they suspect of working with Western intelligence.

"There simply are not that many who would know about the attacks," says one former high-ranking U.S. intelligence officer, "so it won't be hard for al Qaeda leaders to pin-point the sources of information. Once that happens, they certainly won't be working with us anymore."

[Warph]

The State Department said "Current information suggests that al-Qaeda and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks both in the region and beyond."

WASHINGTON (AP) —
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/08/03/top-us-officials-meet-to-discuss-embassy-threat/2615705/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+UsatodaycomNation-TopStories+%28News+-+Nation+-+Top+Stories%29

Top U.S. officials met Saturday to review the threat of a terrorist attack that led to the weekend closure of 21 U.S. embassies and consulates in the Muslim world and a global travel warning to Americans. President Obama was briefed following the session, the White House said.

Obama's national security adviser, Susan Rice, led the meeting and then joined Lisa Monaco, Obama's assistant for homeland security and counterterrorism, in briefing the president, the White House said in a statement.

"The president has received frequent briefings over the last week on all aspects of the potential threat and our preparedness measures," according to the statement.

Among those at the meeting Saturday afternoon were the secretaries of State, defense and homeland security and the directors of the FBI, CIA and the National Security Agency, according to the White House. Also attending was Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In an interview Friday with ABC News, Dempsey said officials had determined there was "a significant threat stream" and that the threat was more specific than previous ones. The "intent is to attack Western, not just U.S. interests," he said.

The global travel warning was the first such alert since an announcement before the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The warning comes less than a year since the deadly September attack on a U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, and with the Obama administration and Congress determined to prevent any similar breach of an American embassy or consulate.

The State Department's warning urged U.S. travelers to take extra precautions overseas. It cited potential dangers involved with public transportation systems and other prime sites for tourists, and noted that previous attacks have centered on subway and rail networks as well as airplanes and boats.

Travelers were advised to sign up for State Department alerts and register with U.S. consulates in the countries they visit.

The statement said that al-Qaeda or its allies might target either U.S. government or private American interests. The alert expires on Aug. 31.

The State Department said the potential for terrorism was particularly acute in the Middle East and North Africa, with a possible attack occurring on or coming from the Arabian Peninsula. The diplomatic facilities affected stretch from Mauritania in northwest Africa to Afghanistan.

U.S. officials pointed specifically to Yemen, the home of al-Qaeda's most dangerous affiliate and the network blamed for several notable plots against the United States, from the foiled Christmas Day 2009 effort to bomb an airliner over Detroit to the explosives-laden parcels intercepted the following year aboard cargo flights.

"Current information suggests that al-Qaeda and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks both in the region and beyond, and that they may focus efforts to conduct attacks in the period between now and the end of August," a department statement said.

Yemen's president, Abdo Rabby Mansour Hadi, met with President Obama at the White House on Thursday, where both leaders cited strong counterterrorism cooperation. This past week, Yemen's military reported a U.S. drone strike killed six alleged al-Qaeda militants in the group's southern strongholds.

Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., the House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman, said the embassy threat was linked to al-Qaeda and concerned the Middle East and Central Asia.

"In this instance, we can take a step to better protect our personnel and, out of an abundance of caution, we should," Royce said. He declined to say if the National Security Agency's much-debated surveillance program helped reveal the threat.