thedrifter
02-09-09, 07:15 AM
More on Yemen
[Fred Schwarz]
In The Weekly Standard, Stephen F. Hayes and Thomas Joscelyn detail how ineffectual Yemen’s central government is and how extensive its terrorist network has become. This is important because, while no final decision has been made, the Obama administration is seriously considering sending 90 or so terrorists back to Yemen. Hayes and Joscelyn explain what a terrible idea this would be:
Another top Bush administration official puts it more starkly. "Releasing hardcore terrorists back to the Yemenis will almost certainly guarantee that we will have to kill them or capture them all over again."
This is because there are two obvious problems with releasing the Yemeni detainees from Guantánamo: the detainees and Yemen.
Yemen’s government promises that any terrorists placed in its hands will be rehabilitated, but Hayes and Joscelyn scoff at this. Even Saudi Arabia, which is much more strongly anti-terror, could not make former mass murderers take up woodworking or air-conditioner maintenance:
The U.S. embassy in Sana'a was bombed on September 17, 2008—ten civilians were killed, including one American. Al Qaeda in Yemen, now one of the strongest al Qaeda affiliates worldwide, executed the attack. The group's chief deputy, a Saudi named Said Ali al -Shihri, passed through Guantánamo and Saudi Arabia's jihad rehabilitation program—the one even hawkish U.S. officials point to as a success. Last week, al Shihri turned up in a jihadist Internet video, joined by three other terrorists. One of them, Abu al-Hareth Muhammad al-Oufi, was also released from detention at Guantánamo Bay and graduated from the Saudi reintegration program. In the video, the former detainees proudly proclaim that they are returning to the same jihad that landed them in the U.S. detention facility.
But not to worry; Yemen has the situation under control. It just released 170 al-Qaeda suspects and is sure they won’t be any more trouble. How does Yemen’s government know this? Simple: The terrorists have all signed pledges to be good. Problem solved. Amazing what a little hope and change will do.
02/08 07:16 PM
Ellie
[Fred Schwarz]
In The Weekly Standard, Stephen F. Hayes and Thomas Joscelyn detail how ineffectual Yemen’s central government is and how extensive its terrorist network has become. This is important because, while no final decision has been made, the Obama administration is seriously considering sending 90 or so terrorists back to Yemen. Hayes and Joscelyn explain what a terrible idea this would be:
Another top Bush administration official puts it more starkly. "Releasing hardcore terrorists back to the Yemenis will almost certainly guarantee that we will have to kill them or capture them all over again."
This is because there are two obvious problems with releasing the Yemeni detainees from Guantánamo: the detainees and Yemen.
Yemen’s government promises that any terrorists placed in its hands will be rehabilitated, but Hayes and Joscelyn scoff at this. Even Saudi Arabia, which is much more strongly anti-terror, could not make former mass murderers take up woodworking or air-conditioner maintenance:
The U.S. embassy in Sana'a was bombed on September 17, 2008—ten civilians were killed, including one American. Al Qaeda in Yemen, now one of the strongest al Qaeda affiliates worldwide, executed the attack. The group's chief deputy, a Saudi named Said Ali al -Shihri, passed through Guantánamo and Saudi Arabia's jihad rehabilitation program—the one even hawkish U.S. officials point to as a success. Last week, al Shihri turned up in a jihadist Internet video, joined by three other terrorists. One of them, Abu al-Hareth Muhammad al-Oufi, was also released from detention at Guantánamo Bay and graduated from the Saudi reintegration program. In the video, the former detainees proudly proclaim that they are returning to the same jihad that landed them in the U.S. detention facility.
But not to worry; Yemen has the situation under control. It just released 170 al-Qaeda suspects and is sure they won’t be any more trouble. How does Yemen’s government know this? Simple: The terrorists have all signed pledges to be good. Problem solved. Amazing what a little hope and change will do.
02/08 07:16 PM
Ellie