Yemen: US Drones kill 55

From Homeland Security News Wire:

U.S. drone attacks kill at least 55 al-Qaeda militants in Yemen

22 April 2014

 A series of U.S. drone strikes Sunday and Monday killed at least fifty-five al-Qaeda militants in Yemen. The operation focused on al-Qaeda operation basecamps in the rugged mountain of the central and southern provinces of Yemen. 

Yemeni government sources to say that the first series of attacks, carried out on Sunday, killed three prominent al-Qaeda operatives. Al-Qaeda made gains in Yemen during the chaos which accompanied the 2011 popular uprising against then-President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was driven from power a year later. In the last two years, the United States and the new Yemeni government have escalated the fight against the Islamist militants.

Yemen’s interior ministry said that the first strikes on Sunday lasted for several hours and claimed the lives of three prominent figures as well as dozens of other militants. It identified the three as Mohammed Salem Abed Rabbo al-Mashibi, Fawaz Hussein al-Mahrak and Saleh Said Mahrak.

The Washington Post reports that Yemeni security officials noted that the sprawling base was one of the few permanent facilities al-Qaeda was operating in Yemen....

I am amazed that there was 55 left to kill, since Obama assured us a while back that they were 'on their heels.'  However, there is more on this here...

 

Ukraine: Biden irony alert

In case you missed it, VP Joe Biden is in Ukraine right now, because...and is quoted as saying:  

Russia must "stop talking and start acting" to defuse the Ukraine crisis.

Go read more of the BBC's take on  the latest White House talking tour here...

Nigeria: Murder of Christians continues

From Jihad Watch:

Nigeria: Islamic jihadists murder 75 with rush-hour jihad bomb at bus station
19 April 2014

“We are in your city, but you don’t know where we are.” That is true of many more cities besides just Abuja. But to pay too much attention to such matters would be “Islamophobic,” and neither government and law enforcement authorities nor the general public have yet caught on to the fact that every resistance to jihad terror and Islamic supremacism is ipso facto “Islamophobic,” and the whole point of charging “Islamophobia” is to clear away all obstacles to the advance of jihad terror.

“Nigeria’s Boko Haram Islamic extremists claim massive blast that killed 75 in Nigerian capital,” by Michelle Faul, The Associated Press, April 19 :

LAGOS, Nigeria – Islamic extremists Saturday claimed responsibility for the massive rush-hour explosion earlier this week that ripped through a busy bus station in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, killing at least 75 people and wounding 141.

“We are in your city, but you don’t know where we are,” Abubakar Shekau, leader of the Boko Haram terrorist network, says in a new video that threatens more attacks.

“Yes, we are the ones who carried out the attack in Abuja,” he says in Nigeria’s Hausa language in the video, which was received through the same channels as previous ones....

Read more here.

And then there is this:

Nigeria: Jihadists burn church on Easter Sunday, murder over 150
April 20, 2014

“In response, the youths of the Wukari communities – were said to have organized themselves – and had reacted to attack a Mosque and burn it down. The youths were reported to join the attack against the Boko Haram jihadists.” If that reaches the mainstream media, it will be reported as Christians attacking the mosque out of “Islamophobia,” with no mention of the Muslims burning down the church. Note also that “the acting governor” is a “Boko Haram sympathizer.”

“Police and Boko Haram Massacre Over 150 Dead,” 247ureports.com, April 21:
Information reaching 247ureports.com indicates that another Boko Haram offensive have taken place again – only days after the massacre that took over 200 lives in Nyanya, Abuja federal capital territory.

According to the information, unknown gunmen launched attack at select communities of Wukari local government area in Taraba State. The attack began at about 1:30am on Sunday Easter morning and continued till 3pm Sunday Easter afternoon. The police image maker confirmed to 247ureports.com that the attacks began in the middle of the night in a manner resembling that of Kaura community [Kaduna] attacks by Fulani herdsmen. According to the police, the attacks initially was thought to be Fulani herdsmen but as the attacks progressed, it became obvious that the attackers were most likely Boko Haram jihadists.

It was confirmed that a church was burnt down during the attack – Christian Church of Nigeria – along with many homes belonging to non-Muslims. Eyewitness account indicates that fifteen corpse were seen littered on the streets – within the line of fire....

Yes, there is more here.

Israel: No peace from terrorists

From IDF Blog: 

Gaza Terrorists Attack Israel during Passover Holiday

April 21, 2014

A short while ago, IAF aircraft targeted two terror activity sites in the southern Gaza Strip and a third site in the central Gaza Strip, in response to the latest severe aggression emanating from Gaza. Direct hits were confirmed.

Yesterday evening, an IED was activated against IDF soldiers patrolling the security fence in the southern Gaza Strip. 12 hours later; at around 07:15 today, Palestinian militants fired an anti-tank missile at an IDF patrol along the security fence in the same area, causing no damage or injuries. Since this morning, 7 rockets were fired from Gaza, hitting southern Israel. One rocket caused damage to civilian infrastructure in Sderot.

Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, IDF Spokesman: “Israeli civilians celebrating the Passover Holiday woke up this morning to the sound of Code-Red alarms and rockets. It is our obligation to seek out and target those who wish to attack our civilians and soldiers and to eliminate their capabilities. Hamas rocket terrorism is an intolerable reality Israelis should not have to accept”.

Since the beginning of 2014, 100 rockets fired from Gaza hit southern Israel.

More related links here.

Boston Marathon Security and DHS - One year later

Lots of headlines about the Boston Marathon today - one year after the terrorist attack that killed three and injured hundreds. 

From CBC:

Boston Marathon under tight security 1 year after bombing

36,000 runners will jog along the 42-kilometre course

The Associated Press  Apr 21, 2014

 About 36,000 runners are registered to run this year's Boston Marathon - one year after two bombs killed 3 people and wounded more than 260 others at the annual race. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)

For years, state and local officials have conducted a "tabletop exercise" before the Boston Marathon, a meeting that allows them to study a map of the 26.2-mile course from Hopkinton to Boston's Copley Square and plan for emergencies that could arise during the race.

So many new people needed to attend the session this year that they moved it from the state's emergency bunker in Framingham to the a convention centre in the city. The crowd grew from what usually is about 100 to more than 450, according to Boston Athletic Association executive director Tom Grilk, who is in charge of organizing the race....

More here. 


In the lead up to today's Run, a report was issued last week about lessons learned from that atrocity. 

From Homeland Security News Wire:

Report details first-response lessons from Boston Marathon bombing

17 April 2014

Last Thursday, DHS released a 19-page report titled “Boston One Year Later: DHS’s Lessons Learned,” detailing three topics which were a focus of attention in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing. The report discussed the “importance of partnerships,” the “need for effective and reliable communications,” and the need to further boost anti-radicalization efforts.

ABC News reports that immediately after the bombing, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) National Targeting Center “re-vetted” all flights that departed earlier in the day from Boston, New York, and Newark airports to identify potential suspects. A review of DHS’s “name-matching capabilities” found a misspelling of “Tamerlan Tsarnaev,” the older of the accused Boston bombers, allowing him to return unnoticed to the United States after a trip to Russia despite previous alerts from Russian intelligence. DHS has now improved its ability to detect variations of names derived from a wide range of languages.

Boston police chief Ed Davis said he was not notified about Tsarnaev before the attacks despite previous FBI investigations of Tsarnaev, but now DHS has improved its system of sharing information with local officials about potential threats.

Since 2002, Massachusetts has received roughly $1 billion from twenty-two DHS grant programs, including $370 million for the Boston urban area....

Many more interesting details here.  Go read.

Video: Easter Sermon at St Paul's Cathedral

Published on Apr 20, 2014 The Rt Revd & Rt Hon Richard Chartres, Bishop of London, gives the sermon for the Mattins service held at St Paul's Cathedral on Easter Sunday, 20th April 2014.

Donetsk: "First they came for the Jews..."

From YNetnews.com

Donetsk leaflet: Jews must register or face deportation 

 Fear replaced communal atmosphere in Donetsk's Jewish community as armed men handed out a leaflet Passover eve calling on Jews register their religion and property with the interim pro-Russian government or face deportation and loss of citizenship. 

Michal Margalit 
 04.16.114

A leaflet distributed in Donetsk, Ukraine calling for all Jews over 16 years old to register as Jews marred the Jewish community's Passover festivities Monday (Passover eve), replacing them with feelings of concern.

The leaflet demanded the city's Jews supply a detailed list of all the property they own, or else have their citizenship revoked, face deportation and see their assets confiscated....

More details, with other information links, here.



NEVER AGAIN rings hollow yet again. 

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