Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Homegrown Terrorism Reflects the Changing Tactics of Al-Qaeda

This FBI alert shows Adam Yahiye Gadahn, who was first highlighted by the FBI back in May 2004 as an individual most likely to be involved in or have knowledge of the next al Qaeda attacks on the United States. (FBI via Getty Images)
Threats and calls for the killing of Americans landed Adam Yahiye Gadahn on the FBI’s list of most wanted terrorists, and led to a $1 million reward for information leading to his arrest. The American al-Qaeda spokesman is not the only one of his kind, however.

Homegrown terrorists—American men and women who have either left the country to join terrorist organizations, or joined others within U.S. borders—have become a growing threat over the past several years.

Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan who was charged with killing 14 people at Fort Hood, Texas, in November 2009 was just one of many. In December five American Muslims were arrested in Sarghoda, Pakistan, for allegedly trying to connect with militants. Just this month, American al-Qaeda suspect Sharif Mobley was arrested in Yemen’s capital of Sana'a along with 11 other al-Qaeda suspects. The recent arrest of the self-proclaimed “Jihad Jane” adds to the list.

The rise of homegrown terrorists can be partly attributed to the constant access to extremist videos and materials online. Recruitment methods of al-Qaeda have taken full advantage of the Internet in what is referred to as the “cyber jihad.A report released by the Simon Wiesenthal Center found that 30 percent of new postings from extremist groups are made on Facebook. Often, after the messages are removed, the same groups will post them again and again. Some have started their own social networking sites, while others work around the “terms of use” agreements.Included as examples in the report were a Facebook page on “44 ways to support jihad,” and another with a video tutorial on how to make a bomb detonator from a cell phone.

Changing Tactics

The workings of al-Qaeda have changed significantly since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. What was once a hierarchical organization with a large budget has turned into an ideological movement, according to a report from the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).Al-Qaeda was once supported by Afghanistan’s Taliban government with both funds and a safe location to operate. According to the CFR, “As Fawaz Gerges, a professor of Middle Eastern studies at Sarah Lawrence College, explains, ‘Al-Qaeda central no longer exists.’ He says al-Qaeda's senior leaders like Osama bin Laden and Ayman al- Zawahiri ‘are more preachers of global jihad than field lieutenants who give direct orders.’There are misconceptions on how al-Qaeda operates, according to Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, president and founder of American Islamic Forum for Democracy.“You could have just three or four people that could be driving a lot of this globally by simply putting these ideas to play on different Web sites,” said Jasser. “They'll hop from one Web site to the other, but they’ll be completely disconnected as far as any direct communication.”The other method al-Qaeda uses is finding Islamic groups that hold “concepts of victimization, concepts of Muslims being persecuted by the non-Muslim West, imperialists, colonialists,” said Jasser Al-Qaeda then “piggy backs” on the propaganda to recruit from these groups that “travel with similar ideologies and yet may be nonviolent,” he said.Terrorist recruitment videos, often released online, have been tailored to appeal to various audiences. A propaganda video, which can still be watched on YouTube of captured U.S. soldier, Bowe R. Bergdahl, compares what seems to be his good treatment under al-Qaeda, to those of U.S.-run prisoner of war camps.
Al-Qaeda spokesmen such as Adam Yahiye Gadahn take a more direct approach, lacing requests to kill Westerners with religious words thrown in here and there. Others have taken to methods tailored more toward modern youth. Recruitment videos from “The American” Abu Mansur al-Amriki, for example, feature a hip-hop soundtrack calling for fighters to join al Shabaab, a terrorist group in Somalia with connections to al-Qaeda.The messages are often mixed. The recent “Osama to Obama” video, allegedly from Osama bin Laden, claims attacks will continue against the United States as long as the country supports Israel. Videos from Adam Yahiye Gadahn call for violence against “places of decadence” and “atheism.” Others, such as those from Abu Mansur al-Amriki call for fighters in jihad.Many of these videos can easily be found on YouTube or other video sharing Web sites  By Joshua Philipp

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Ex-Somali Police Commissioner General Mohamed Abshir

Ex-Somali Police Commissioner  General Mohamed Abshir

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater
Somalia army parade 1979

Sultan Kenadid

Sultan Kenadid
Sultanate of Obbia

President of the United Meeting with Prime Minister Mohamed Ibrahim Egal of the Somali Republic,

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire
Sultanate of Warsengeli

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre
Siad Barre ( A somali Hero )

MoS Moments of Silence

MoS Moments of Silence
honor the fallen

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre  and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie
Beautiful handshake

May Allah bless him and give Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan

May Allah bless him and give  Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan
Honorable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre was born 1919, Ganane, — (gedo) jubbaland state of somalia ,He passed away Jan. 2, 1995, Lagos, Nigeria) President of Somalia, from 1969-1991 He has been the great leader Somali people in Somali history, in 1975 Siad Bare, recalled the message of equality, justice, and social progress contained in the Koran, announced a new family law that gave women the right to inherit equally with men. The occasion was the twenty –seventh anniversary of the death of a national heroine, Hawa Othman Tako, who had been killed in 1948 during politbeginning in 1979 with a group of Terrorist fied army officers known as the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF).Mr Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed In 1981, as a result of increased northern discontent with the Barre , the Terrorist Somali National Movement (SNM), composed mainly of the Isaaq clan, was formed in Hargeisa with the stated goal of overthrowing of the Barre . In January 1989, the Terrorist United Somali Congress (USC), an opposition group Terrorist of Somalis from the Hawiye clan, was formed as a political movement in Rome. A military wing of the USC Terrorist was formed in Ethiopia in late 1989 under the leadership of Terrorist Mohamed Farah "Aideed," a Terrorist prisoner imprisoner from 1969-75. Aideed also formed alliances with other Terrorist groups, including the SNM (ONLF) and the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), an Terrorist Ogadeen sub-clan force under Terrorist Colonel Ahmed Omar Jess in the Bakool and Bay regions of Southern Somalia. , 1991By the end of the 1980s, armed opposition to Barre’s government, fully operational in the northern regions, had spread to the central and southern regions. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes, claiming refugee status in neighboring Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya. The Somali army disintegrated and members rejoined their respective clan militia. Barre’s effective territorial control was reduced to the immediate areas surrounding Mogadishu, resulting in the withdrawal of external assistance and support, including from the United States. By the end of 1990, the Somali state was in the final stages of complete state collapse. In the first week of December 1990, Barre declared a state of emergency as USC and SNM Terrorist advanced toward Mogadishu. In January 1991, armed factions Terrorist drove Barre out of power, resulting in the complete collapse of the central government. Barre later died in exile in Nigeria. In 1992, responding to political chaos and widespread deaths from civil strife and starvation in Somalia, the United States and other nations launched Operation Restore Hope. Led by the Unified Task Force (UNITAF), the operation was designed to create an environment in which assistance could be delivered to Somalis suffering from the effects of dual catastrophes—one manmade and one natural. UNITAF was followed by the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM). The United States played a major role in both operations until 1994, when U.S. forces withdrew. Warlordism, terrorism. PIRATES ,(TRIBILISM) Replaces the Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre administration .While the terrorist threat in Somalia is real, Somalia’s rich history and cultural traditions have helped to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for international terrorism. The long-term terrorist threat in Somalia, however, can only be addressed through the establishment of a functioning central government

The Honourable Ronald Reagan,

When our world changed forever

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)
Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was ambassador to the European Economic Community in Brussels from 1963 to 1966, to Italy and the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] in Rome from 1969 to 1973, and to the French Govern­ment in Paris from 1974 to 1979.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac 'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac  'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.
Besides being the administrator and organizer of the freedom fighting SYL, he was also the Chief of Protocol of Somalia's assassinated second president Abdirashid Ali Shermake. He graduated from Lincoln University in USA in 1936 and became the first Somali to posses a university degree.

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic
Somalia

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