Abu Laith al-Libi Killed by Missile Stike of Terrorist Safehouse

ROBERT REID AND PAMELA HESS write:

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A missile from a U.S. Predator drone struck a suspected terrorist safehouse in Pakistan and killed a top al-Qaida commander believed responsible for a brazen bomb attack during a visit last year by Vice President Dick Cheney to Afghanistan, a U.S. official said Thursday.

The strike that killed Abu Laith al-Libi was conducted Monday night or early Tuesday, said the official, who would neither confirm nor deny that the U.S. carried it out. The attack was against a facility in Pakistan's north Waziristan region, the lawless tribal area bordering Afghanistan. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to discuss the strike publicly.

Online Questions for Al-Qaida Reveal Terrorists Frustrated and Wanting More Terror Against the U.S.

Judging by hundreds of questions submitted online to al Qaeda's No. 2 leader, it seems the terror network's self-proclaimed supporters are as much in the dark about the its operations and plans as Western analysts and intelligence agencies.

Al Qaeda's No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri...was supposedly taking questions via the Internet.

Among their concerns: Where will it strike next? Does it control small militant groups in the Mideast and Europe? Why hasn't it hit America again?

Al Qaeda's media arm, Al-Sahab, announced last month that Osama bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, would take questions from the public in an "online interview."

More than 900 entries, some with multiple questions, were posted on a militant Web site before the January 16 deadline...
...The vast majority of questioners, identified only by their computer usernames, appeared to be supporters of al Qaeda or the jihadi cause, often expressing praise for "our beloved sheik" and "the lion of jihad, Sheik Osama."

Many appeared frustrated that al Qaeda is not doing more.

"When we will see the men of al Qaeda waging holy war in Palestine? Because frankly our situation has become very bad," wrote one, with the username "Seeking the Path."

"As for al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia," he asked, "are there efforts to revive jihadi action there after the blows that hurt us?"

Another, signed "Osama the Lion," asked: "Why doesn't al Qaeda open a front in Egypt, where there are wide opportunities and fertile ground for drawing in mujahedeen?"

Another, called "Knight of Islam," asked, "We are awaiting a strike against American soil. Why has that not been done? Why are the Jews in the world not struck?"

Former Congressman Indicted for Conspiracy to Support Terrorists

LARA JAKES JORDAN (AP) writes:

WASHINGTON - A former congressman and delegate to the United Nations was indicted Wednesday as part of a terrorist fundraising ring that allegedly sent more than $130,000 to an al-Qaida and Taliban supporter who has threatened U.S. and international troops in Afghanistan.
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Mark Deli Siljander, a Michigan Republican when he was in the House, was charged with money laundering, conspiracy and obstructing justice for allegedly lying about lobbying senators on behalf of an Islamic charity that authorities said was secretly sending funds to terrorists.

Reversing Iraq's Descent Into Mayhem

Tabassum Zakaria and Matt Spetalnick write:

MANAMA (Reuters) - President George W. Bush said on Saturday that America's new strategy had reversed Iraq's descent into mayhem and the United States was on track to complete the withdrawal of 20,000 troops by mid-year.

After talks at a base in the Kuwaiti desert with his military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, and the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad, Ryan Crocker, Bush said security gains in Iraq "are allowing some U.S. forces to return home."

He added: "Any additional reduction will be based on the recommendation of General Petraeus, and those recommendations will be based entirely on the conditions on the ground in Iraq."

Bush conceded that until last year, "our strategy simply wasn't working," with Iraq riven by sectarian violence and al Qaeda militants strengthening their grip in many areas. He said the new strategy, involving a troop buildup and a focus on counter-insurgency warfare, was turning things around.

Happy New Year 2008

No big surprise here: Happy New Year!

My retreat to Mepkin Abbey near Moncks Corner, South Carolina got extended into the full week of Christmas, not that I stayed there for more than three days, but I just fell into leaving my computer off - amazing feat - and therefore did not check emails or write blog posts or read blogs or watch tv news, etc.

This hiatus from the world at large was so refreshing. Then, the other day, I noticed a headline in the local Publix grocery store that announced in bold letters that a suicide bomber in Pakistan had killed Bhutto.

I cried.

And, here I am back at my computer for the first time since December 21st (as I recall) and for the first time in the new year: 2008.

So, happy new year.

Holiday Shoppers Murdered in Pakistan by Suicide Bomber

by Riaz Khan, AP

SHERPAO, Pakistan - A suicide attacker detonated a bomb packed with ball bearings and nails amid hundreds of holiday worshippers Friday at the residential compound of Pakistan's former interior minister, killing at least 50 people, authorities said.

It was the second suicide attack in eight months apparently targeting Aftab Khan Sherpao, who escaped injury. One of his sons was wounded.

Suspicion will likely focus on the pro-Taliban or al-Qaida militants active in the northwestern region of the country where the attack occurred.

Ayman al-Zawahri Calls on Iraqi Sunni to Purge Traitors

By LEE KEATH, Associated Press Writer

CAIRO, Egypt - Al-Qaida's No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri warned of "traitors" among insurgents in Iraq and called on Iraqi Sunni Arab tribes to purge those who help the Americans in a new videotape posted Monday on the Web.

Al-Zawahri's comments were aimed at undermining so-called "awakening councils" — the groups of Iraqi Sunni tribesmen that the U.S. military has backed to help fight al-Qaida in Iraq and its allies.

Some Sunni insurgent groups have fought alongside American forces, and the U.S. military has touted the councils as a major factor in reducing violence in war-torn regions like Iraq's Anbar province

Lowest Levels of Violence in Iraq During Last Six Months

By PATRICK QUINN, Associated Press

BAGHDAD - Violence in Iraq is at its lowest levels since the first year of the American invasion, finally opening a window for reconciliation among rival sects, the second-ranking U.S. general said Sunday as Iraqi forces formally took control of security across half the country.

Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, the man responsible for the ground campaign in Iraq, said that the first six months of 2007 were probably the most violent period since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. The past six months, however, had seen some of the lowest levels of violence since the conflict began, Odierno said, attributing the change to an increase in both American troops and better-trained Iraqi forces.

"I feel we are back in '03 and early '04. Frankly I was here then, and the environment is about the same in terms of security in my opinion," he said. "What is different from then is that the Iraqi security forces are significantly more mature."

Meanwhile, al-Qaida's No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri said in a new video posted Monday that the United States is trying to hide its failures in Iraq and warned that the mujahedeen there are increasing in strength.

Suicide Bombings in Diyala Province, Iraq

Robert H. Reid of the Associated Press writes:

BAGHDAD - A woman with explosives strapped to her body attacked the office of a Sunni group that had turned against al-Qaida in Iraq — one of two suicide bombings in Diyala province northeast of Baghdad that left at least 22 people dead Friday.

An Iraqi official claimed the woman was seeking revenge for her two sons who were killed fighting for al-Qaida.

The two brazen attacks were the latest in a series of al-Qaida assaults against members of the new "awakening groups" — mostly Sunnis including former insurgents who have begun cooperating with the Americans to rid their communities of extremists.