World Threats

I guarantee Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan is feeling anything but lucky at this moment – religious violence between the Muslim north and the Christian south is intensifying, confidence in his government is declining and now dozens of police officers have been killed or wounded in an ambush by a bizarre cult in Nasarawa state.

The police officers, roughly numbering sixty, were heading to the Alayko Village to arrest the chief of the Ombatse cult that is responsible for the intimidation of both Christian and Muslim believers by storming their respective houses of worship and forcing villagers to swear an oath of allegiance to their group.

But they walked straight into an ambush that resulted in the deaths of thirty officers and the disappearance of seventeen more, prompting the Nigerian President to cut short a diplomatic trip abroad and return to discuss the matter with military and policy agencies to address security concerns in his unstable nation.

The Ombatse, meaning “the time has come” in traditional language, is technically outlawed in Nigeria but still worshiped by members of the Eggon Community, who represent just one of over two hundred ethnic groups in the culturally diverse nation – many of whom practice traditional belief systems such as the aforementioned.

Their mission is to apparently fight the human vices of alcohol and adultery by kidnapping and forcing people to join their cult, which is a damn good reason why the local police are cracking down on them, but maybe it is time to bring in the military instead to deal with these, ahem, domestic terrorists.

Ahmed Shebani is the founder of the Democratic Party in Libya, the first political party created after the anti-Qaddafi revolution began and the only one that is actively calling for the establishment of secular democracy (with international help) and explicitly recognizes the state of Israel.

Click here to read my interview with Ahmed Shebani.

French and Libyan officials are still in the dark as to who is responsible for this morning’s car bombing just outside the French Embassy in a residential area in Tripoli where two security guards and civilians were hurt, but thankfully no one was killed.

The French Embassy in Tripoli was attacked early this morning by a car bomb that left the scene, located in a residential area, one of destruction with the embassy’s ground-floor reception area and neighboring homes badly damaged. Two guards and a few civilians were injured, but no fatalities were reported.

Libyan Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdel Aziz quickly condemned the attack, while the French President called on the Libyan government to “shed the fullest light on this unacceptable attack” and deployed his own foreign minister to Tripoli who said officials from both nations would work together to find those responsible.

No groups have claimed responsibility, but it should come as no surprise that France is definitely high on terrorist target lists, as they have both assisted greatly in the overthrow of former Libyan despot Colonel Gadaffi in 2011 and more recently in the liberation of Northern Mali from Al-Qaeda aligned rebel jihadists.

This comes just seven months after the deadly September 11th assault on America’s Embassy in Benghazi, and highlights the inescapable fact that even though Libya is securer and more stable in the aftermath of Gaddafi’s overthrow, there is still a significant terrorist presence that is feeding off the arsenals used by the loyalist and rebel forces in 2011 to target both Western nations engaged in the ongoing War on Terror and their African allies.

We will update as more information becomes available.

What say you?

I find it amusing how many pride themselves in slashing defense budgets, weakening military forces and supporting peace projects so as to act civilized while opposing the warmongers of the world.

Which is ironic because on the flip side, I don’t believe we have seen so many unrelated conflicts occur across the world as we are witnessing right now. Honestly, its unbelievable.

Over the past week we have seen the Syrian rebels launch a successful offensive into Raqqa, French and Chadian forces fiercely engage Islamist terrorists in Mali, Congolese soldiers recapture two Eastern towns long held by M23 rebels, the Malaysians assault Filipino rebels over ancient territorial claims and our own ongoing conflict in Afghanistan continue unabated.

Sounds like a world in chaos, one which operates under the premise that there are forces – inspired by something as simple as religious dogma, or complicated as ancient territorial claims – willing to embroil nations, armies and civilians in war for their claims, and the first step to resolving these conflicts is for a peaceful minded world to concede peace and human nature are not the greatest forces at coexistence.

And the second step? Realizing new age music and negotiations are not going to resolve disputes and conflicts waged for numerous reasons, but supporting the right side – sometimes the forces besieged, Malaysia and Mali, and others the besiegers, Syrian rebels and our coalition forces in Afghanistan – is guaranteed to be more productive to both securing peace that is quick and hopefully, for everyone, lasting.

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In a major victory for coalition forces in Mali, a French airstrike late last month successfully targeted and killed Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, deputy leader within the al-Qaeda in the Islamic Mahgreb terror group, a U.S. official confirmed today.

Abou Zeid, who fought in the 1990′s Algerian insurgency and was known for extreme brutality – recently capturing several French citizens and holding them ransom – was a critical commander for Mali’s Islamist forces, and along with a significant number of his men, were killed during an French aerial bombardment.

The bombardment, which took place in Aguelhok near the Algerian border, has seen over one hundred French sorties in recent days monitor and target the Malian insurgency, which riding on the coattails of Tuareg rebels were able to takeover all of Northern Mali and impose a very strict, brutal Sharia upon a oppressed citizenry until the French intervened in January, and with the help of African allies, have been successful in driving them deep into the Sahara and neighboring mountains.

When you combine the last few stories that have come out of Mali, the news is very good for coalition forces: Islamists have been driven out of the vital cities of Gao and Timbuktu, Chadian forces killed 100 Islamists in a very bloody battle at the Ifoghas Mountains and now a major commander in al-Qaeda has been neutralized by the French Air Force.

While far from over, the fight for Mali is definitely heading in the right direction for coalition forces and I might have high hopes, but with the insurgents trapped in one region that both the Chadian and French forces have successfully attacked in recent days, perhaps this conflict is now a matter of hunting the cowards rather than actually fighting.

Guess we’ll find out.

What say you?

HT: CNN

French President Francois Hollande visited the fabled City of Timbuktu yesterday after a joint coalition of French and Malian soldiers liberated the ancient city from Islamist terrorists earlier in the week.

Local residents, thrilled at their liberation and France’s decision to intervene, danced in the streets with jubilation and even offered Mr. Hollande a camel as thanks for his leadership on this conflict, which has gone on in Mali for almost nine months, with western involvement starting just 3 weeks ago.

Although the French led counter-assault against the Islamist aligned Tuareg rebels has successfully pushed back the brutal sharia compliant oppressors, liberating several ancient and important cities, there is still much to do as the Islamists simply ran into the Sahara rather then oppose the French.

But Mr. Hollande is definitely well within his right to celebrate in Timbuktu – his decision freed the good people of that city from a living hell on earth – and it likely prevented the collapse of Mali into complete oblivion and absolute islamist control where terror camps would rule with free reign and a former bulwark against Al-Qaeda would be transformed into our greatest foe in the War on Terror.

What say you?

HT: ABC News

The French-led intervention into the Malian conflict has yielded its greatest victory thus far: the successful entrance and Islamist evacuation of the ancient trade city of Timbuktu, grounded by Malian soldiers and backed by French helicopters and paratroopers.

Timbuktu’s liberation (note: the city is still not entirely occupied by Malian and French soldiers right now, as the allied force is still clearing it of Islamist fighters, most of whom fled to the desert) spurred celebration among the thousands of Timbuktu refugees residing in Bamako, realizing at long last a hope of freedom returning to their besieged home.

Although still a long way from winning this conflict and beating down the Islamist threat, the joint French-Malian force, with supporting African soldiers, are moving in the right direction – pushing their adversaries deeper into Southern Mali and liberating more cities and villages that have been imprisoned by the Islamist-led Taureg rebellion for nearly a year.

What say you?

HT: New York Times

The first of more to come?

That is the question casual observers and military analysts are asking as the United States Air Force is air-lifting hundreds of French soldiers from their home bases to the hostile grounds of Mali, while considering whether to supply refueling tankers to French warplanes.

It might not seem like much, but the United States is slowly entering the sub-Saharan theatre of the ongoing Western conflict to eradicate al-Qaeda and international Jihadism that is threatening to take over Mali, Algeria and neighboring North African nations and turn them into bases of terrorism.

These developments are coming as thousands of French and African soldiers enter the stage and the need for greater Western support grows every day, particularly with an eye towards the U.S. and other members of NATO, which has thus far remained unusually inactive in this conflict.

I personally believe the United States should take an active role in the Malian conflict, as this has the potential to not just determine North Africa’s role in the War on Terror, but future security in both America and Europe, as the thought of thousands of jihadist warriors training just an ocean away is not reassuring.

What say you?

Five foreigners that had been working at the Amenas BP plant in Algeria have still not been found. With the Algerian military combing the facility, they have found dozens of dead jihadists and hostages, but are still missing these foreigners. The death toll has also increased:

On Monday, Mr Sellal said the dead came from eight nations, without specifying which ones. He said one Algerian hostage had been killed.

HT: Time.com

Now, there’s a headline I thought I’d never write…

With the threat of Mali descending entirely into al-Qaeda’s allies and essentially becoming a jihadist training ground to assault other African nations, Europe and the United States, the French took the initiative and intervened on behalf of the crumbling Malian government – using air assault and now ground forces to eliminate the threat.

And this came as the French launched an unsuccessful attempt to rescue a member of their special forces that had/has (there is still uncertainty as to his status) been held by al-Shabab jihadists in Somalia for over three years.

All of this, including the French’s promise of remaining in Mali until the jihadists are defeated and order is returned to the once thriving Saharan nation, has quickly turned the usually timid and anti-interventionist French into enemy number one for Al-Qaeda, as the United States has taken a back seat to the decade old War on Terror.

I’m at a loss of words on how the French under socialist president Hollande have now become a stronger Western power in the fight on global jihad then the United States… who led the conflict after devastating attacks on our homeland just over eleven years ago. The role reversal is a shock.

HT: Time.com

Now, there’s a headline I thought I’d never write…

With the threat of Mali descending entirely into al-Qaeda’s allies and essentially becoming a jihadist training ground to assault other African nations, Europe and the United States, the French took the initiative and intervened on behalf of the crumbling Malian government – using air assault and now ground forces to eliminate the threat.

And this came as the French launched an unsuccessful attempt to rescue a member of their special forces that had/has (there is still uncertainty as to his status) been held by al-Shabab jihadists in Somalia for over three years.

All of this, including the French’s promise of remaining in Mali until the jihadists are defeated and order is returned to the once thriving Saharan nation, has quickly turned the usually timid and anti-interventionist French into enemy number one for Al-Qaeda, as the United States has taken a back seat to the decade old War on Terror.

I’m at a loss of words on how the French under socialist president Hollande have now become a stronger Western power in the fight on global jihad then the United States… who led the conflict after devastating attacks on our homeland just over eleven years ago. The role reversal is a shock.

What say you?

HT: Reuters and The Associated Press

Months of war had ravaged the Malian military, including a failed coup attempt early last year against the elected government after perceived indifference towards the rank-and-file suffering during their campaign to prevent the Tuareg rebels and aligned islamists from taking the north, which showed last week when they were losing a major stronghold in the government’s territory and the President sent out an urgent plea to the world for assistance.

The French and neighboring African nations heard the call and immediately joined the fight.

For four days the French air force has bombarded military installations, and training camps run by the conscience deprived, al-Qaida allied terrorists who seized the Tuareg’s revolution and turned it into a jihadist hellhole that has seen barbarism enforced on the citizenry, the destruction of ancient cities and a threat to international security.

Four hundred French soldiers, including special forces, have been deployed to the sub-Saharan nation in an all-out effort to prevent the rebels from advancing any closer to the Malian capital, however, the jihadist leader of the rebels promised a prolonged fight similar to Afghanistan and Somali for the French as they launched a counteroffensive.

Fighting continues unabated this afternoon in Mali, as both sides throw everything they have at each other… The French are awaiting African reinforcements to boost the tired Malian Army’s weakened ground force, while expecting logistical support from NATO and the United States as they alone attempt to enforce the UN resolution’s mission of liberating Mali from their jihadists captors.

As the world continues to watch… The French have finally stood up to the advance of jihadism and al-Qaida in Africa, and answered the call of the suffering in Northern Mali. Good for them. Now its our time to gear up and head in.

What say you?