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Author	Topic: U.S. Citizens are Taken Hostage in Algeria in Response to Mali Operation	Post a Reply Back to Topics

xrdc Champion Author St. Louis Posts:6,925 Points:666,875 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Jan 16, 2013 4:36:25 PM Ignore xrdc Report Abuse The long war is far from over... Wired - "U.S. citizens have been taken hostage by an extremist group out to avenge the French offensive against Islamist fighters in Mali, an unforeseen consequence of the operation that could get the U.S. involved directly in the conflict." "State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland confirmed on Wednesday that an unspecified number of American citizens were abducted by an Islamist militant group at an eastern Algerian oil field early in the day. A group claiming responsibility for the abduction, Katibat Moulathamine, or the “Masked Brigade,” told a Mauritanian news service that the abduction was a retaliation for the French air campaign against Islamist militants in northern Mali, begun on Friday. With the caveat that early reports are often mistaken, ABC News reports that the attackers are believed to be affiliated with al-Qaida." "At the Pentagon, officials learned about the abduction of U.S. citizens Wednesday morning. A response has yet to be formulated. “We’re tracking the situation closely, and there’s no planned response at this point, but we’re assessing,” says Maj. Rob Firman, a Pentagon spokesman." [...] "The U.S. has yet to get involved in the French effort in Mali, now in its sixth day. Since France began its air campaign, Pentagon officials have suggested that they would likely provide the French with refueling aircraft, manned and unmanned spy planes and airlift assistance. Intelligence sharing about Mali has reportedly begun, but the Obama administration has yet to approve the military assistance, apparently wanting to study the situation further before getting the U.S. involved. It remains to be seen what will become of this request in light of the Algeria abduction." --We WERE involved in the tragically botched French hostage rescue attempt which may explain something. Read on... -=

xrdc

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St. Louis

Posts:6,925
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Message Posted: Jan 16, 2013 4:36:25 PM

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The long war is far from over...

Wired - "U.S. citizens have been taken hostage by an extremist group out to avenge the French offensive against Islamist fighters in Mali, an unforeseen consequence of the operation that could get the U.S. involved directly in the conflict."

"State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland confirmed on Wednesday that an unspecified number of American citizens were abducted by an Islamist militant group at an eastern Algerian oil field early in the day. A group claiming responsibility for the abduction, Katibat Moulathamine, or the “Masked Brigade,” told a Mauritanian news service that the abduction was a retaliation for the French air campaign against Islamist militants in northern Mali, begun on Friday. With the caveat that early reports are often mistaken, ABC News reports that the attackers are believed to be affiliated with al-Qaida."

"At the Pentagon, officials learned about the abduction of U.S. citizens Wednesday morning. A response has yet to be formulated. “We’re tracking the situation closely, and there’s no planned response at this point, but we’re assessing,” says Maj. Rob Firman, a Pentagon spokesman."

[...]

"The U.S. has yet to get involved in the French effort in Mali, now in its sixth day. Since France began its air campaign, Pentagon officials have suggested that they would likely provide the French with refueling aircraft, manned and unmanned spy planes and airlift assistance. Intelligence sharing about Mali has reportedly begun, but the Obama administration has yet to approve the military assistance, apparently wanting to study the situation further before getting the U.S. involved. It remains to be seen what will become of this request in light of the Algeria abduction."

--We WERE involved in the tragically botched French hostage rescue attempt which may explain something.

Read on...

-=

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LTVibe Champion Author Orlando Posts:6,701 Points:523,620 Joined:Mar 2010	Message Posted: Jan 19, 2013 8:09:45 AM Ignore LTVibe Report Abuse >>What would pacify the terrorists? What would make them stop wanting to harm Americans?<< The now deceased leader of al-Qaeda answered those questions years ago... Bin Laden Calls for Americans To Convert to Islam [Edited by: LTVibe at 1/19/2013 8:14:20 AM EST]
AC-302 Champion Author Los Angeles Posts:26,597 Points:2,904,045 Joined:Aug 2004	Message Posted: Jan 18, 2013 9:45:13 PM Ignore AC-302 Report Abuse My good friend worryfree thoughtfully posted: "Clearly we cannot kill our way to safety or to put an end to terrorism. We need to address the root causes of terrorism while we kill off the most radical. This is an international problem." --And I don't disagree with you. You are 100% right. But here's the rub.. what are the root causes of terrorism? Do you think religious intolerance might have something to do with it? And if so, how do you address that? If you want to speak in general of "social inequality", then that might be something, too. But how do we rectify that inequality - do we simply give these terrorists money until their greed is slaked? While what you say sounds good, the devil is, as usual, in the details. What would pacify the terrorists? What would make them stop wanting to harm Americans? (Yes, I realize that relatively few Americans were in that bunch of oil/gas workers who were kidnapped.)
jdhelm Champion Author Iowa Posts:11,886 Points:1,200,840 Joined:Dec 2009	Message Posted: Jan 18, 2013 9:35:39 PM Ignore jdhelm Report Abuse the blind sheikh, was purportedly also supposed to have been a target in the Benghazi attacks, where they alledgedly were going to take US Ambassador captive in exchange for the release of the blind sheikh - alledgedly. what i can't believe is, that this too wasn't a result of some 20 minute video on some stupid homemade muslim movie by yet another libber. where's hillary again?
101Speedster Champion Author Ventura Posts:30,445 Points:2,718,620 Joined:May 2005	Message Posted: Jan 18, 2013 7:35:57 PM Ignore 101Speedster Report Abuse American, Frenchman Confirmed Killed in Algeria Siege >>An American and a Frenchman have been found dead, and the Obama administration said Friday it was trying to secure the release of U.S. hostages still being held by Islamic militants at an Algerian gas plant deep in the Sahara. Earlier Friday, Algeria's state news service said nearly 100 out of 132 foreign hostages had been freed three days into the bloody siege. That number of hostages at the remote desert facility was significantly higher than any previous report . . .<< I'm just amazed that Obama already knows that it is a terrorist attack.
xrdc Champion Author St. Louis Posts:6,925 Points:666,875 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Jan 18, 2013 6:42:14 PM Ignore xrdc Report Abuse It looks like the American confirmed as being killed already was from Katy (Waco) TX. If it's the same guy that brings up a mugshot online for disorderly conduct in FL, he may not have gone without a struggle. I hope he took a few of his captors with him.
xrdc Champion Author St. Louis Posts:6,925 Points:666,875 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Jan 18, 2013 5:52:45 PM Ignore xrdc Report Abuse More on the demand for the release of Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman (a.k.a. the "Blind Sheikh") and Aafia Siddiqui (a.k.a. "Lady Al Qaeda") and why they matter so much to the "decimated" al Qaeda.
xrdc Champion Author St. Louis Posts:6,925 Points:666,875 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Jan 18, 2013 5:09:54 PM Ignore xrdc Report Abuse ********* BREAKING ***************** Hostage rescue in Algeria BOTCHED Jihadists offer to release American hostages in exchange for the Blind Sheikh and Aafia Siddiqui...State Dept. rejects offer • Kidnappers want US to free Omar Abdel Rahman and Aafia Siddiqui who are both in American prisons • Algeria's news service says nearly 100 of 132 foreign hostages have now been freed • The fate of the other hostages is unclear • Texas resident Frederick Buttaccio was killed in the bloody raid by the Algerian military on Thursday • Fierce gun battles erupted as troops moved in on the militants at a BP site in Algeria • Source said 30 hostages were killed in the botched raid • The Obama administration was not aware of the heavily armed rescue mission ahead of time • Algerian officials said 18 militants have been killed but there were estimated to be 70 in total • Captors were reportedly threatening this morning to attack other energy installations Read it all... Why is this not news in America???? [Edited by: xrdc at 1/18/2013 5:10:32 PM EST]
xrdc Champion Author St. Louis Posts:6,925 Points:666,875 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Jan 18, 2013 4:22:31 PM Ignore xrdc Report Abuse Bronco Bama says: "...but in Yemen, in Libya, in other of these places – increasingly in places like Syria – what you see is these elements that don’t have the same capacity that a bin Laden or core al Qaeda had, but can still cause a lot of damage, and we’ve got to make sure that we remain vigilant and are focused on preventing them from doing us any harm.” For such an insignificant threat, he sure has focused a lot of drones on these other hotspots, especially Yemen. And while he has killed a number of select AQ leaders, he has also created even more civiliananimosity toward the U.S. in the areas affected. More on Obama's "signature strikes" and the lack of accountability in his glorious drone campaign. "This tactic permits strikes without knowing the identity of a person and to hit targets based solely on intelligence demonstrating patterns of suspicious behavior...it is important to examine the effects within the domestic context to determine if the alleged air strikes against AQAP alienate the local Yemeni population, and strengthen anti-American sentiment. Taking this view reveals that short term tactical gains through drone strikes cause too much collateral damage and exacerbate rather than ameliorate the terrorist threat over the long term." -=-=
jeskibuff Champion Author Tampa Posts:7,895 Points:1,450,085 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Jan 18, 2013 2:49:53 PM Ignore jeskibuff Report Abuse xrdc said: >Weren't those that "actually carried out the 9/11 attacks" killed when their plane crashed?< You must not have been paying attention. Bush imploded the WTC towers and guided a missile into the Pentagon. No terrorists were involved. There are no such things as Islamic terrorists. Islam is the religion of peace.
xrdc Champion Author St. Louis Posts:6,925 Points:666,875 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Jan 18, 2013 2:06:09 PM Ignore xrdc Report Abuse "Being "decimated" does not mean you don't have the ability to fight." But it sure makes for good campaign-speak. Obviously, it was over-stating the truth as we don't hear him using the term any longer. Even Bama knows when people aren't buying it any longer.
101Speedster Champion Author Ventura Posts:30,445 Points:2,718,620 Joined:May 2005	Message Posted: Jan 18, 2013 1:10:14 PM Ignore 101Speedster Report Abuse I wonder if they have gun control in Algeria?
gocatgo Champion Author South Carolina Posts:15,669 Points:2,532,405 Joined:Apr 2006	Message Posted: Jan 18, 2013 1:06:12 PM Ignore gocatgo Report Abuse nstrd, Germany was "decimated" on the eastern front while being chased by the red army to their borders but still managed to attack the allies in Dec. 1944 at the Battle of the Bulge. Being "decimated" does not mean you don't have the ability to fight. Also there were some predicting WWII would end by Christmas of 1944.
xrdc Champion Author St. Louis Posts:6,925 Points:666,875 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Jan 18, 2013 12:31:29 PM Ignore xrdc Report Abuse Bronco Bama sure loved touting "his" success in "decimating" al Qaeda in during his campaign speeches: Reuters - "Asked whether the cost of the war in lives and money was worth it, Obama said: "We achieved our central goal ... or have come very close to achieving our central goal, which is to de-capacitate al Qaeda, to dismantle them, to make sure that they can't attack us again." Nov 1, 2012: Obama Touts al Qaeda's demise 32 times Since Benghazi Attack “Thanks to sacrifice and service of our brave men and women in uniform, the war in Iraq is over, the war in Afghanistan is winding down, al Qaeda has been decimated, Osama bin Laden is dead.” “A day after 9/11, we are reminded that a new tower rises above the New York skyline, but al Qaeda is on the path to defeat and bin Laden is dead,” Obama said in Las Vegas." "Sept. 13 in Golden, Colo., Obama said, “Four years ago, I promised to end the war in Iraq -- and we did. I said we’d wind down the war in Afghanistan -- and we are. And while a new tower rises above the New York skyline, al Qaeda is on the path to defeat, and Osama bin Laden is dead.” He repeated that line again on Sept. 17 in Cincinnati and again that day in Columbus, Ohio." And on and on he droned... Here's a gem: “I said we’d refocus on the terrorists who actually carried out the 9/11 attacks – and al Qaeda is decimated and Osama bin Laden is dead.” Weren't those that "actually carried out the 9/11 attacks" killed when their plane crashed? What a dolt. This article draws attention to how he has backed off his claim since but definitely not until the election was over. "When the change in thinking occurred – and whether it is mainly a result of the Benghazi attack – is unclear. What is clear is that the White House waited until after the campaign was over to convey its new position to the public." "Even on the very last day of the campaign – nearly two months after the Benghazi attack – Obama was saying, as he did to an audience in Columbus, Ohio, that “al Qaeda is on the path to defeat.” -=-=
flyboyUT Champion Author Utah Posts:22,873 Points:1,012,710 Joined:Aug 2008	Message Posted: Jan 17, 2013 6:05:11 PM Ignore flyboyUT Report Abuse Will somebody call general quarters?
noseatbelt Champion Author Indiana Posts:7,640 Points:205,510 Joined:Feb 2004	Message Posted: Jan 17, 2013 5:55:56 PM Ignore noseatbelt Report Abuse It just can't be, or else obama didn't know what he was talking about, or lied, when he said Al Qadea, was all but wiped out.
jdhelm Champion Author Iowa Posts:11,886 Points:1,200,840 Joined:Dec 2009	Message Posted: Jan 16, 2013 10:06:06 PM Ignore jdhelm Report Abuse - - - ok, let's see, al gore invented the internet, bho got a do-nothing peace prize and single handedly killed osama, and now this - i heard cnn and msnbc and abc and cbs ask bho and he said it was Bush's fault - duh me.
worryfree Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:23,873 Points:1,870,750 Joined:Oct 2005	Message Posted: Jan 16, 2013 9:31:40 PM Ignore worryfree Report Abuse Clearly we cannot kill our way to safety or to put an end to terrorism. We need to address the root causes of terrorism while we kill off the most radical. This is an international problem.
mudtoe Champion Author Cincinnati Posts:9,528 Points:1,291,290 Joined:May 2008	Message Posted: Jan 16, 2013 9:23:37 PM Ignore mudtoe Report Abuse I thought Obama said that we had solved the Islamic terrorism problem when the seals killed Osama. Isn't that what Ambassador Stevens was told when he asked for more security? mudtoe
xrdc Champion Author St. Louis Posts:6,925 Points:666,875 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Jan 16, 2013 5:05:43 PM Ignore xrdc Report Abuse I'm sure this is nothing more than overreaction to the latest youtube video... More from ABC
xrdc Champion Author St. Louis Posts:6,925 Points:666,875 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Jan 16, 2013 4:56:48 PM Ignore xrdc Report Abuse Good question! I was in the middle of planning a family camping trip to Algeria, but now this? More from FoxNews "An Al Qaeda-linked group from Mali have attacked and taken control of a natural gas field partly owned by BP in southern Algeria, killing two and reportedly taking 41 people hostage, including seven Americans." "A group called the Katibat Moulathamine, or the Masked Brigade, called a Mauritanian news outlet to say one of its subsidiaries had carried out the operation on the Ain Amenas gas field, taking 41 hostages from nine or 10 different nationalities." "The U.S. embassy in Algiers said in a statement it wasn't "aware of any U.S. citizen casualties," but sources tell Fox News at least three Americans may be among the hostages." "The group's claim could not be independently substantiated and typically there would be fewer than 20 foreign staff members on site on a typical day, along with hundreds of Algerian employees." "The group said the attack was in revenge for Algeria's support of France's operation against Al Qaeda-linked Malian rebels groups far to the southeast." "The caller to the Nouakchott Information Agency, which often carries announcements from extremist groups, did not give any further details, except to say that the kidnapping was carried out by "Those Who Signed in Blood," a group created to attack the countries participating in the ongoing offensive in Mali...." -=-=
nstrdnvstr Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:36,869 Points:3,986,905 Joined:May 2001	Message Posted: Jan 16, 2013 4:48:37 PM Ignore nstrdnvstr Report Abuse Wow, how can that be? President Obama said that Al Qaeda has been decimated! How could such a "decimated" terrorist organization pull that off?