thedrifter
01-27-09, 06:49 AM
Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong
[Fred Schwarz]
At Long War Journal, Jane Novak writes:
In the face of Saudi Arabia's success against the al Qaeda organization, many Saudi operatives have fled to the more hospitable climate in Yemen, joining others who recently arrived from Iraq, Somalia, and Pakistan. Al Qaeda in Yemen announced its merger with Saudi Arabia's al Qaeda organization to form al Qaeda in the Arabic Peninsula (AQAP). The announcement came in its latest release of the online journal Sada al Malahim, or the Echo of Epics. A propaganda video was also released by the group on Friday.
Wait, a minute—Yemen? Isn’t that where we’re repatriating a bunch of terrorists so that President Obama can brag about shutting down Guantanamo? Sure enough:
President Saleh announced that the US will repatriate 94 Yemeni detainees within three months. . . . Saleh said Saturday that Yemen had rejected a US plan to release the 94 to Saudi Arabia for rehabilitation.
Now, I know President Obama has his reasons, and he’s a very smart man, but somehow I can’t help worrying that this might end up badly. After all, as Novak writes:
Yemen has a troubling history of placating al Qaeda operatives, a history that includes early releases of convicted terrorists, multiple escapes, deal making with the terror group, and outright lying to the US on the status of al Qaeda operatives. In 2000, the USS Cole was attacked in the Aden port killing 17 US sailors, and 16 were killed in a terror assault on the US Embassy in Sana'a last September.
So I don’t know; I’m not entirely convinced this is a good idea. Not to worry, though:
Yemen is building a rehabilitation center with US assistance, and the FBI this week delivered a half million dollars worth of biometric collection equipment including mobile fingerprint sets.
Moreover:
Remarking on the status of the Yemenis at Guantanamo, [US Ambassador to Yemen Steven] Seche said, "Except in the case perhaps of some very hard-core elements, we believe that the majority of these detainees can be put productively into a . . . reintegration program with the goal over time of enabling them to find a way back into Yemeni society without posing a security risk."
So that’s all right then.
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/01/arabian_peninsula_al.php
Ellie
[Fred Schwarz]
At Long War Journal, Jane Novak writes:
In the face of Saudi Arabia's success against the al Qaeda organization, many Saudi operatives have fled to the more hospitable climate in Yemen, joining others who recently arrived from Iraq, Somalia, and Pakistan. Al Qaeda in Yemen announced its merger with Saudi Arabia's al Qaeda organization to form al Qaeda in the Arabic Peninsula (AQAP). The announcement came in its latest release of the online journal Sada al Malahim, or the Echo of Epics. A propaganda video was also released by the group on Friday.
Wait, a minute—Yemen? Isn’t that where we’re repatriating a bunch of terrorists so that President Obama can brag about shutting down Guantanamo? Sure enough:
President Saleh announced that the US will repatriate 94 Yemeni detainees within three months. . . . Saleh said Saturday that Yemen had rejected a US plan to release the 94 to Saudi Arabia for rehabilitation.
Now, I know President Obama has his reasons, and he’s a very smart man, but somehow I can’t help worrying that this might end up badly. After all, as Novak writes:
Yemen has a troubling history of placating al Qaeda operatives, a history that includes early releases of convicted terrorists, multiple escapes, deal making with the terror group, and outright lying to the US on the status of al Qaeda operatives. In 2000, the USS Cole was attacked in the Aden port killing 17 US sailors, and 16 were killed in a terror assault on the US Embassy in Sana'a last September.
So I don’t know; I’m not entirely convinced this is a good idea. Not to worry, though:
Yemen is building a rehabilitation center with US assistance, and the FBI this week delivered a half million dollars worth of biometric collection equipment including mobile fingerprint sets.
Moreover:
Remarking on the status of the Yemenis at Guantanamo, [US Ambassador to Yemen Steven] Seche said, "Except in the case perhaps of some very hard-core elements, we believe that the majority of these detainees can be put productively into a . . . reintegration program with the goal over time of enabling them to find a way back into Yemeni society without posing a security risk."
So that’s all right then.
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/01/arabian_peninsula_al.php
Ellie