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The Counter Terrorist ~ October/November 2010 1

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DOWNED AIRLINER A HOSTAGES JOURNEY AL-QAEDA GREEK RIOTS

An SSI PublicationOCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2010

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Counter CounterCounter e OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2010VOLUME 3 NUMBER 5

MEXICAN CRIME CARTELS CROSS THE BORDER

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Counter e OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2010VOLUME 3 NUMBER 5

46

CO

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58

COVER STORY: 32 MEXICAN CRIME CARTELS CROSS THE BORDER By Jennifer L. HestermanFEATURES:

8 Firsthand: A HOSTAGES JOURNEY: THE STORY OF ARJAN ERKEL By Andrew Balcombe

18 Case Study: SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILE DOWNS AIRLINER By Anthony Tucker-Jones

46 AL-QAEDA IN THE ARABIAN PENINSULA TARGETS THE UNITED STATES By Steve Young

58 THE GREEK RIOTS AND TWITTER: LESSONS FOR FIRST RESPONDERS By J.J. Stepien

DEPARTMENTS:

6 From the Editor Economy Of Force

30 Book Review Mao Tse-Tung On Guerrilla Warfare

69 Innovative Products Bawidamann GUNNR, Glaser Safety Slug, SunLinq Solar Charger,

72 Training Review Black Hat, DEF CON

Cover: The towns of Nogales, Ariz., left, and Nogales, Mexico, stand separated by a high concrete and steel fence. Many consider the area one of the most dangerous along the border. Photo: Sgt. 1st Class Gordon Hyde

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FROM THE EDITOR:

Economy Of ForceBy Chris Graham

Counter e


VOLUME 3 NUMBER 5 OCTOBER /NOVEMBER 2010

EditorChris GrahamDirector of OperationsSol Bradman

Director of AdvertizingCarmen ArnaesDirector of ProductionKelli Richardson

Contributing EditorsEeben BarlowJennifer HestermanRichard MarquiseSteve YoungGraphic DesignMorrison Creative CompanyCopy EditorLaura TownO ce ManagerLily Valdes

Publisher:Security Solutions International13155 SW 134th St. STE 204Miami, Florida 33186

ISSN 1941-8639 e Counter Terrorist Magazine, Journal for Law Enforcement, Intelligence & Special Operations Professionals is published by Security Solutions International LLC, as a service to the nations First Responders and Homeland Security Professionals with the aim of deepening understanding of issues related to Terrorism. No part of the publication can be reproduced without permission from the publisher. Th e opinions expressed herein are the opinions of the authors represented and not necessarily the opinions of the publisher. Please direct all Editorial correspondence related to the magazine to: Security Solutions International SSI, 13155 SW 134th Street, Suite 204, Miami, Florida. 33186 or [email protected] Th e subscription price for 6 issues is $34.99 and the price of the magazine is $5.99. (1-866-573-3999) Fax: 1-786-573-2090.

For article reprints, e-prints, posters and plaques please contact:PARS International Corp.Web: www.magreprints.com/quickquote.asp Email: [email protected]: 212-221-9595 Fax: 212-221-9195

Please visit the magazine web site where you can also contact the editorial sta :

www.thecounterterrroristmag.com 2010 Security Solutions International

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e have all heard a well intended person speaking of a given

expenditure of resources or course of action say, If it saves just one

life, it is worth it. Th is statement is, in fact, false.

From the warlord Sun Tzu in 500 B.C. China to the squad leader, Sergeant

Smith in 2010 Afghanistan, anyone who has shouldered the burden of combat

leadership is aware of something that a well intended civilian may not be. Not

only does an expenditure of resources or the undertaking of a given course of

action have to produce favorable results, but it must provide results su ciently

favorable as to justify the commitment. Allocating resources to one course of

action precludes allocating the same resources to other, perhaps superior courses

of action.

Economy Of Force (EOF) is a concept all commanders must appreciate.

EOF is often held to be the principle of employing available combat power in

the most e ective way possible. It is the judicious employment and distribution

of forces in support of primary objectives. It prevents resources from being

squandered on e orts that are not of primary benefi t and it endeavors to ensure

that su cient power is available for allocation where it is most important.

Commanders who do not understand this concept are defeated.

EOF concepts are not only applicable to military campaigns and the

employment of law enforcement agencies, but must be applied to all endeavors.

Th e November, 2008 congressional elections produced the 111th United

States Congress. Th ese men and women were sworn into o ce with the burden

of an existing 2008 national defi cit of approximately, $455,000,000,000

(CBO). In just two short years they were able to run the national debt past

$13,350,000,000,000 (www.usdebtclock.org, 19 August 2010). Th is, of

course, does not take into account creative accounting practices and even

greater future fi nancial commitments resulting from their chosen policies. Th is

spending is accomplished by the massive printing of additional currency and

borrowing under increasingly disadvantaged terms from governments such as

the Peoples Republic of China.

If you determine that your representative has been complicit in negligent

spending, and the pursuit of counter productive policies, the November 2010

elections will provide you the opportunity to fi re him (and her).

Semper Fidelis,

Chris GrahamEditor of e Counter Terrorist


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Counter e

In 2002 I was contacted by the American embassy in [the Russian Republic of] Dagestan and was told that two of their people wanted to visit my Mdecins Sans Frontirs Swiss (MSF) mission in Russia. The embassy said they do humanitarian work in Dagestan, so I had no reservations about meeting them.

Arjan Erkel. Photo: Jos van Zetten

Firsthand:

A HOSTAGES JOURNEYThe Story of Arjan ErkelBy Andrew Balcombe

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our satellite phones. Soon after that, I was kidnapped.

On re ection, there are obviously a lot of things I would have done di erently to avoid being taken as a hostage. Better training for my driver also would have been helpful.

When the FSB had previously warned us that we were being targeted, we sent six of our workers back to Moscow. But I didnt want armed security. Working for a humanitarian organization, I was supposed to be neutral.

Like everyone else, I guess I never thought it would happen to me. I had just had dinner at the house of my

The militants put me in an underground room with only a candle for light.

I felt completely alone and all sorts of things ran through my head. Is this the end of my life? Should I try to escape?

W hen they arrived, however, it was clear they were not humanitarians. We had dinner together and they openly told me that they were military attachs. ey said they wanted to observe the Russian military exercises o the coast of the Caspian Sea while embedded with us.

I said no. But during that time, MSF was closely watched by the Russian federal security service, the FSB. It was always suspected that we were spying for the West. Someone saw me talking with the Americans, so this did not do our cause much good at all. e FSB had already raided our o ces and con scated all of

CToctnov2010.indd 9 8/24/10 10:59 AM


fiances parents and my driver and I were on our way home. On the road ahead, a Lada blocked the road and three men armed with handguns got out. My driver was slow to react and by then it was too late. I thought it was best to get out and walk toward them to avoid a shootout. If that was the right decision, I dont know. They pistol whipped me then kicked me when I lay on the ground. When all the fight was out of me, they put me in the passenger seat with a gun against my head and one pressed against my heart and we drove off.

Afterward they said, Why did you try to escape? Look, now there is blood all over the backseat. The beating broke my finger, put deep cuts in my scalp, and knocked out some teeth.

After a week I was handed over to a second group of people. The first group were criminals of some kind. But the second bunch, they were clearly Islamic militants.

The militants put me in an underground room with only a candle for light.

I felt completely alone and all sorts of things ran through my head. Is this the end of my life? Should I try to escape? It was like being partially buried in a grave, like I was in the twilight zone between life and death.

After the first two weeks, acceptance eventually came to me and that was the most important thing. I had to try and change the things I did have influence over, such as persuading them to let me have medicine for my injuries.

In the initial weeks, I was just treated like a piece of livestock with a price on my head. There were 12 men in the group; they had masks on, so I didnt recognize them. That gave me a little bit of hope that I might be released. At first, I tried not to look into their eyes. I

thought it might antagonize them. Thats what I learned anyway, but they asked me, Why dont you look at us? Are you afraid?

I knew I had to make contacta good relationship could save my life. If I showed them too much weakness, I would undermine their respect for me. After that, I forced myself to look into their eyes. I wanted them to start treating me like a person.

These guys were macho and death was around them every day. The Russian forces were hunting for them all the time. I had seen the videos where their fellow militants had cut the throats of Russian prisoners. So despite my fear, I had to become macho and show I was not afraid to die. I wanted them to like me, so if the order came, they would hopefully debate among themselves whether to kill me.

Over time, I got them talking. In the beginning they just spoke about girls, politics, or religion, then slowly, we created a kind of relationship.

After acceptance, the most important thing I did to help myself was to keep my emotions under control. I worked on my social interaction with my kidnappers. After a while, I was invited out of my hole to talk to them while they cooked. At other times, I was invited to play chess or just watch TV.

June 2002ultimatum Video

At a certain moment in time, I had to star in my own ultimatum video. The script was simple and consisted of Hurry up; if you dont pay by the end of June, I die!

After the video, we talked about how they would kill me. I asked, Will you cut my throat? Or put a bullet in my head? They said, If we shoot you in the temple, there will be a large hole in the other side

of your head. That wouldnt be good for your family to see.

There were other times when I felt close to death. If the Russian army was nearby, my captors would get very nervous. Once, they came to me and said, Maybe we have to run for it, or maybe we will have to kill you because you will slow us down. Maybe the Russians will even kill you because you have a beard and a camouflage suit.

Eventually we agreed, if the time came, they would shoot me in the middle of the forehead. They said it wasnt 100 percent certain, but at least it would look better for my family. If I was going to die, then I wanted it to be fast.

ReleaseAfter 20 months my captors said they

were going to move me again, but I didnt have to bring my stuff. I thought it was the end. But what can you do? I just did what I was told and hoped for the best.

They drove me around in the middle of the mountains until we stopped at a house. I said farewell and actually embraced the leader, who was known as The General. I didnt thank them for not killing me, but it could have been worse.

The new group put me in the trunk of a bigger car this time and told me not to feel offended. By this time, I was used to trunk travel. We drove to a village and I heard a lot of barking dogs. I was taken out of the trunk and brought to what I thought was a basement. Then they took off my blindfold and I saw two very scary-looking faces smiling at me. In 20 months, I had never seen anyones face. I thought, Whats going on here? They said, You are free, welcome home. I said, Welcome home? They said, Yeah you are free, we freed you, there was a military raid and we freed you.

I didnt believe them; I thought they were just trying to taunt me. But then I

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August Mission: August 21-29, 2009November Mission: November 6-14, 2009

looked around and saw that I was in the FSB o ce in Makhachkala.

ey took me to a hotel and I washed. When I looked in the mirror, I saw I had lost a lot of weight, 18 kilos to be exact. I didnt shave; the FSB said you shouldnt shave until you get back to Moscow because it looks like you have been through an ordeal.

AFTERMATH I heard three days before my

liberation, the Dutch embassy received a phone call stating one million euros should be paid as ransom for me. e embassy assembled the money and gave it to a group of ex-Russian KGB veterans. What they did with it and where the money ended up, I dont know.

A court case was fought between MSF and the Dutch government later. e Swiss court ordered that MSF pay 500,000 euros (half the ransom) back to the Dutch.

Initially, the ransom was going to be kept a secret and the line that I was freed by a military action was going to be held. is didnt last long though. A worker from MSF soon told the story to the French newspaper Le Monde and the truth came out.

UNDERSTANDING RADICALS

When I was kidnapped I tried to understand the people who held me captive. Later, I started thinking about the situation in the West with youths wanting to go on jihad or become terrorists.

I sought out a man named Samir Azzouz who seemed to be radicalized and I interviewed him in prison. I visited him three times and he gave me his journal. I used his story as an example of how young people around the world have the

same set of ideals. I described how he radicalized, what his views are, and the views of his group. If we dont understand the causes of radicalization we will never be able to e ectively prevent it.

SAMIR AZZOUZIn January 2003 Samir Azzouz and

a friend were arrested on the Ukraine border with Chechnya. ey wanted to join the jihad to ght the Russians. After their release because of lack of evidence, they were sent back to the Netherlands. On their arrival, every move they made was monitored by the Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD).

In 2004 two of Azzouzs friends, a Dutch Moroccan, Mohammed Bouyeri, and a Dutch American, Jason Walters, were arrested for murder and attempted murder. Bouyeri killed the Dutch lmmaker and Islam critic eo van Gogh while he was riding his bike in Amsterdam. Using an HS 2000 9-mm pistol, Bouyeri shot van Gogh eight times then cut his throat, nearly decapitating him. Taking a second dagger, Bouyeri pinned a message from the Koran into van Goghs chest, along with a death list, including the names of several politicians.

Bouyeri managed to shoot a policeman before he was shot in the leg and subdued; the policeman survived, saved by his body armor.

In December 2006 Azzouz was arrested in the Netherlands for the third and nal time. e public Prosecution Service accused him of being the leader of a group of Islamic radicals called the Piranhagroep. Azzouz was accused of several crimes, including plotting attacks on the AIVD headquarters in Leidschendam, the national parliament in the Hague and a nuclear power station in the south of the Netherlands.

Jason Walters, the son of an African

Amsterdam site where eo van Gogh was assassinated on November 2, 2004. Photo

Iijjccoo at nl.wikipedia.

Using an HS 2000 9-mm pistol, Bouyeri shot van Gogh eight times then cut his throat, nearly decapitating him.

CToctnov2010.indd 13 8/24/10 10:59 AM


American soldier who served in the Netherlands and a Dutch mother, was also a senior member of a terrorist cell called the Hofstadgroep. Bouyeri was a member of the same cell.

On November 10, a few days after Mohammed Bouyeri was arrested, a Dutch police arrest team raided Walterss home in the Hagues Laakkwartier. At 2:30 a.m., a battering ram was used to try and break down the front door. In response, Walters threw a Yugoslavian-made fragmentation grenade from an upstairs window. e explosion injured four police o cers. e arrest team then red shots and withdrew, taking their wounded with them.

An hour later, the Dutch Marines Counter Terrorism Unit, the Bijzondere Bijstands Eenheid (BBE), arrived and a sniper section from the Dutch Royal Military Police, the Brigade Speciale Beveiligingen (BSB), set up ring


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positions on adjacent roofs. At this time, a 7-km-wide, no- y zone was being enforced above the city and government helicopters circled the building.

Walters later told his friend Azzouz that while all this was going on outside, he often slept. Walters also told Azzouz that he called the police emergency line 112 and told them a large number of terrorists were in another building just down the street.

At 14:30 the next afternoon, police advised any civilians still in the area to take cover. e local energy company then shut down the power to the apartment.

At 17:15 BSB snipers red shots into the apartment and Walters was hit in the shoulder. Twenty minutes later the BBE used a frame charge to breach the door and storm the entrance of the building. Walters and another man sharing the at with him surrendered and Walters was

Dutch SOF training. Photo courtesy of the author.

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taken to a hospital. A motorized robot was sent further into the building to search for any booby traps but none were found.

Walters was sentenced to life in prison for attempted murder and membership in a criminal organization.

Samir Azzouz spends his days in the terrorism wing of Vught prison in the southern Netherlands reading the Koran and learning Russian. He has four years of his sentence left to serve.

Arjan Erkel works as a guest speaker for international organizations and companies, and donates time to several charities. He has also written another book called YEP, which promotes Young Ethnic Professionals.

About the AuthorMr. Balcombe is an Australian

freelance journalist and cameraman based in the Netherlands. He reports on international justice, defense, and security issues. This article is based on his interviews with Arjan Erkel.

endnotesSamir, by Arjan Erkel Balans, Amsterdam copyright 2007ISBN 978 90 5018 870 8(uses material taken from the diary of

Samir Azzouz and interviewed him face to face)

http://www.nu.nl/algemeen/438959/grote-anti-terreuractie-in-den-haag.html

http://nos.nl/archief/2005/nieuws/artikelen/2004/11/10/tijdlijnactiedenhaag.html

Media Silence on Van Gogh Killers Islam Views. NIS News. 2007-11-05. Retrieved 2008-03-23.

Terror on Trial: First hand report on the Hofstadgroep trial by Emerson Vermaat

The Secret Life of Mohammed Bouyeri Gunman kills Dutch film director,

Attentat fr Waffe im Glaubenskampf, Die Welt, February 3, 2006

Requisitoir in de strafzaak tegen Mohammed B. (Indictment of the criminal case against Mohammed B.) (Waybacked).

Life in jail for brutal killer of Dutch film-maker Van Gogh

retrieved July 21, 2009 Man accused of Van Gogh killing

refuses to recognize Dutch court Jan Kanter: Mohammed B. schweigt,

Die Welt, July 12, 2005 Anthony Browne: Muslim radical

confesses to Van Gogh killing in court tirade, The Times, 12 July 2005

Jan Kanter: Van-Gogh-Mrder hlt


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Case Study:

Counter The

The commercial aviation industry has been confronted by the possibility of a surface-to-air missile (SAM) shooting down a passenger airliner at least since the 1980s when a Stinger missile fell into Iranian hands. Today the greatest threat posed to aircraft by shoulder-fired missiles is during takeoff and landings.

Surface-tO-air MiSSile DOwNS airliNerBy Anthony Tucker-Jones

A British C-130J Hercules aircraft launches defensive countermeasures prior to being the first coalition aircraft to land on the newly reopened military runway at Baghdad International Airport. Photo: Master Sergeant Robert R. Hargreaves Jr

CToctnov2010.indd 18 8/24/10 11:00 AM


FTwo insurgents in Iraq with SA-7b and SA-14 MANPADS. Photo: U.S. Department of

Homeland Security

ollowing the collapse of the USSR the proliferation of the Soviet-designed

SA-series man portable air defense systems (MANPADS) increased dramatically. e spread of these weapons vastly exceeded the infamous theft of the US-made Stinger. During the 1991 and 2003 Iraq wars, the threat from MANPADS was a factor that had to be considered in Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses operations. Modern countermeasures appear to have largely succeeded in thwarting the aging technology that is the majority of available MANPADS. Before the attacks on Iraq and Afghanistan, both countries were assessed to be equipped with Strela-2/SA-71 and quantities of these missiles and possibly others fell into insurgents hands, but they are reported

to have generally missed their targets.2 Following the coalition intervention in Afghanistan, some 5,600 shoulder- red SAMs were captured; many more, though, are available on the black market.

Around 20 countries have produced more than a million MANPADS, though less than half are assessed to be operational3 with them in service with almost 60 countries. It has been claimed that up to 150,000 missiles fell into terrorists hands4 and are operated by about 30 terror groups.5 Although such estimates are unveri able, the legal transfer of MANPADS internationally is largely unhindered. In recent years, e orts have been made to destroy surplus stocks and the US Department of Homeland Security runs a Counter-MANPADS Special Program O ce.

Four con scated Serbian SA-7B MANPADS lie in a hole in the ground awaiting destruction by members of the 61st Ordnance Company (EOD) at a site near Route Delaware on the Zone of Separation (ZOS) in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Photo: Specialist Christopher R. Salaza

The late Afghan guerrilla leader Ahmad Shah Massoud said there were only two things the mujahideen needed in their Holy War against the Sovietsthe Koran and the Stinger.

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A Marine res a FIM-92A Stinger missile at an unmanned aerial target during training at San Clemente Island. Photo: Christopher OQuin, U.S. Marine Corps

e late Afghan guerrilla leader Ahmad Shah Massoud said there were only two things the mujahideen needed in their Holy War against the Sovietsthe Koran and the Stinger. e latter rst went into action in Afghanistan on September 25, 1986.6 Whereas the use of the SA-7 and Stinger against the Soviets was deemed bene cial, the fear of their use against unapproved targets was a completely di erent matter. e Central Intelligence Agency and British Joint Intelligence Committee were very alert to the danger of a commercial aircraft being brought down over Afghanistan or the Gulf. Indeed, Iranian Revolutionary Guards stole half a dozen Stinger missiles the following year from a convoy en route to guerrilla forces operating near the western Afghan city of Herat.7 Skeptics suspected that Washington cooked up this story to hide the possibility that Afghan rebels had sold them.8

CToctnov2010.indd 20 8/24/10 11:00 AM


After Moscows withdrawal from Afghanistan, at least 300 Stinger missiles remained unaccounted for and there was a real danger that they might end up in Iranian hands or with terrorist groups such as Hezbollah or Hamas. e more immediate anxiety was that a commercial airliner would be shot at while transiting Afghanistans airspace. Washington adopted its oft-practiced policy of throwing money at a problem, outbidding any interested parties by o ering $55 million for the return of the missiles.9

Although the Irish Republican Army (IRA) sought MANPADS in Europe, it was much harder to smuggle arms into Northern Ireland than into Afghanistan. Only the IRAs Libyan connection seemed to bear any fruit. Following Muammar Gadda s involvement, the vessel Eksund, containing up to 50 Libyan SA-7 missiles, was seized by the French in 1987. Reportedly, one was red at a British Army Lynx four years later in South Armagh, but it missed its target. e IRAs East Tyrone Brigade is rumored to have made an acquisition attempt, but without any success. In 1994 intelligence o cials warned that the IRA was trying to obtain Stinger missiles; ultimately, IRA SAM stocks exposed were smalljust seven were decommissioned in 2005.

On November 28, 2002, two SA-7 missiles red at an Israeli Boeing 757 ying out of Mombassa, Kenya, missed their target. Similarly, two years later on November 22, 2004, an Airbus A300 leaving Baghdad airport survived missile wing damage and was forced to land. It was deemed a write-o .

On March 23, 2007, a Belarussian TransAVIAexport Airlines Ilyushin Il-76 was shot down over Mogadishu, Somalia. One eyewitness recalled, I saw with my eyes when the plane was ying low level, was hit by a rocket, and then fell to the ground.10 Later it was said that the aircraft with the Belarusian National

Airline had been shot down by a SAM. Available information suggests that Iran

may have been behind this attack having already taken the decision to supply the Taliban with such weapons to employ against coalition forces. According to intelligence sources, Iran supplied Somali Islamists with around 200 SA-7s in 2006 and the following year it was alleged


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that Iranian QW-1s and SA-7s had been delivered to insurgents in Iraq. Iran had reportedly reverse engineered the QW-1 and had been buying up surplus SA-7s in the Far East.

In April 2007 the British Special Boat Service operating in Afghanistans Nimroz province interdicted trucks coming over the Iranian border carrying SA-7 missiles.11 Despite this successful capture, on July 22, 2007, the Taliban attempted to bring down an American C-130 Hercules over Nimroz using an SA-7 of Soviet or Chinese origin brought in from Iran.12 e Taliban at that point was actively seeking SAMs because their only

successes against coalition helicopters had been with rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), which only have an e ective range of approximately 500 yards. On this occasion, the Herculess pilots took evasive action and dropped ares to successfully escape destruction.13 is was the rst time that the Taliban was known to have attempted to take down a coalition aircraft using a SAM. Previously, Washington had moved to head o this threat by o ering a bounty of $40,000 per system.14

In the run up to the more recent Belarussian airlines attack, it seems the shooters not only conducted a trial

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run, but also tried to hide their tracks. On March 9, 2007, a weapons team reportedly equipped with an RPG got into position on the approaches to Mogadishus airport and shot at Belarussian Il-76 Flight EW-78826 carrying Ugandan peacekeepers. Although the aircraft was heavily damaged, it managed to land, but was deemed unairworthy. The Somalis may have tightened security within RPG range creating a false sense of security.

Later that month Belarussian IL-76 Flight EW-78849 arrived in Mogadishu to deliver equipment and to try and salvage EW-78826. On March 23 EW-78849 took off at approximately 1700

hours destined for Minsk with a refueling stop in Djibouti. The flight was carrying eleven people, including four engineers who had been working on the damaged aircraft. It appears that up to three SAM teams may have been waiting for an opportunity, with one deployed to a nearby farmers market and one in a small boat offshore.

The crew had just turned back after developing a problem with its number two engine when a wing exploded and plummeted into the Indian Ocean. The stricken plane crashed in the uninhabited Kuluweyne district 19 miles north of Mogadishu. Ten crew members were killed instantly; miraculously, an eleventh

An AIM-9M Sidewinder air-to-air missile, launched from an F/A-18C Hornet scores a direct hit on an air launched LUU-2B/B illumination flare during a live fire missile exercise over the Indian Ocean. U.S. Navy photo by Photographers Mate 3rd Class Mark J. Rebilas

CToctnov2010.indd 25 8/24/10 11:10 AM

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Over the period 19832004, it appears that around two dozen civilian aircraft were shot down by shoulder-fired missiles resulting in 500 deaths.

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was found staggering around amongst the wreckage, but died of his injuries later that day.15

According to the Aviation Safety Network, Shortly after takeoff three missiles were fired at the plane. Reportedly one of the missiles hit the wing. Control was lost and the airplane crashed.16 There were conflicting reports that the projectile had been fired from a farmers market or a small boat. Investigators concluded a missile had hit the aircraft.17

The threat to commercial aircraft and civil airports remains. Over the period 19832004, it appears that around two dozen civilian aircraft were shot down by shoulder-fired missiles resulting in 500 deaths. Just six incidents involved large turbojet airliners and only two of those were catastrophic.18 Nonetheless, fending off third-generation infrared SAMs using multiple target detectors with the

ability to reject flare decoys is difficult. Once fourth-generation SAMs become widely available, the problem will become greater. There is no single defensive fix for the commercial aviation industry. Cost may deter widespread employment of electronic countermeasures unless attacks become more frequent. And, of course, no technology is a panacea.

About the AuthorMr. Tucker-Jones served within the

British intelligence community and now serves as a military historian and defense writer. His latest book The Rise of Militant Islam (Pen & Sword Military, 2010) examines from an insiders perspective how Western intelligence misinterpreted landmark events on the road to 9/11 and failed to curb global jihad.

CToctnov2010.indd 27 8/24/10 11:11 AM


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endnotes1 Since its appearance in the 1960s,

more than 50,000 Strela-2/SA-7s have been built. The Chinese HN5 reverse-engineered version led to the Pakistani Anza (which has been exported to Malaysia). The QW-1 successor to the HN-5 appeared in the mid-1990s and Iran also developed the Mithaq-1/2.

2 According to American intelligence analysts Saddam Hussein stockpiled at least 5,000 shoulder-fired missiles and fewer than one-third were recovered. Stocks were primarily the aging SA-7 and SA-14s. The Iraqis were not thought to have the later and more sophisticated SA-16s and SA-18s.

3 The MANPADS Menace: Combating the Threat to Global Aviation from Man-Portable Air Defense Systems, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, US State Department, Fact Sheet, September 20, 2005

4 Mombassa Attack Highlights Increasing MANPADS Threat, Janes Intelligence Review, February 2003

5 Christopher Bolkcom & Bartholomew Elias, Homeland Security: Protecting Airliners from Terrorist Missiles, CRS Report for Congress, February 16, 2006

6 The resistance fired five missiles

scoring three hits against Soviet helicopters over Jalalabad airfield. At Kabul three missiles missed, but it did not matter because history had been made. Mohammad Yousaf & Mark Adkin, Afghanistan The bear Trap, (Leo Cooper 2001), p.174-176

7 Alex Brummer, Stinger missiles snatched from Afghan rebels, The Guardian, 15 October 1987. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Iran obtained nine Stingers that were either captured or purchased by Iran from the Afghan Mujahideen, SIPRI Yearbook 1988, p.191

8 In total about 1,000 were delivered by the late 1980s, and its introduction ended Moscows ability to conduct heliborne ops largely unhindered, see Anthony R. Tucker, The Soviet War Over Afghanistan, Janes Soviet Intelligence Review, June 1989, p.271. It was not until toward the end of 1988 that in response to these reports of mujahideen groups selling missiles to Iran and in the face of thawing relations with Moscow that Washington stopped supplying Stinger. See Kabul regains air supremacy as US halts Stinger supply, The Times, 24 January 1989

9 It was assessed that because of the sensitivity of the battery coolant unit

many of the remaining missiles were time expired and inoperable.

10 Missile hits plane in Somalia, ABC News Online, March 24 2007

11 Taliban in first heat-seeking missile attack, Telegraph.co.uk, July 28 2007

12 Intelligence indicated that Iran was acting as a conduit for Chinese SAMS after it was alleged the Chinese HN-5 had been discovered in the hands of the Taliban. London confronts Beijing over Chinese weapons in Taliban hands, www.afghanistanwatch.org, September 5 2007

13 Taliban in first heat-seeking missile attack, Telegraph.co.uk, July 28 2007

14 Talibans failed first use of SAM still worrisome, The Washington Times, July 29, 2007

15 Mohamed Olad Hasan, Missile brought down aid flight with no survivors, The Independent, March 25, 2007

16 Criminal Occurrence Description, Preliminary March 23 2007, aviation-safety.net

17 Sahal Abdulle, Belarus says plane shot down in Somalia, Reuters, March 24, 2007

18 Homeland Security: Protecting Airliners from Terrorist Missiles

CToctnov2010.indd 28 8/24/10 11:11 AM



CToctnov2010.indd 29 8/24/10 11:11 AM


BOOK REVIEW

Mao Tse-Tung on Guerrilla Warfare Reviewed by: Chris Graham

any need to seek permission, which side will have the initiative?

e author states, e establishment of innumerable anti-Japanese bases behind the enemys lines will force him to ght unceasingly in many places at once, both to his front and his rear. He thus endlessly expends his resources. is is precisely a principle that jihadists attempt to exploit against their enemies. Even incompetent attacks provoke disproportionate governmental

ao Tse-Tung was a communist guerrilla leader who developed his tactics while ghting to expel Japanese forces from China and struggling to gain and retain control of that country. For Mao, propaganda, political manipulation, and terrorism were key tactics used to support a broad guerrilla e ort. USMC Brigadier General Samuel B. Gri th translated Maos treatise on guerrilla warfare and Praeger Publishing released Mao Tse-Tung on Guerrilla Warfare (1961). is book reveals many important facets of Maos tactics that are widely emulated today.

Mao identi ed seven necessary steps for his campaign against the Japanese:

1. arousing and organizing the people 2. achieving internal uni cation politically3. establishing bases4. equipping forces5. recovering national strength6. destroying the enemys national strength7. regaining lost territories

He stated, e basic method is the attack in a violent and deceptive form. He adds, When guerrillas engage a stronger enemy, they withdraw when he advances; harass him when he stops; strike him when he is weary; pursue him when he withdraws.

e author observed, In guerrilla warfare, small units acting independently play the principal role, and there must be no excessive interference with their activities. is raises a question. If there are two opposing sides and one invests massive resources to acquire the most advanced communications technology available to support rapid decision making between di erent levels of command, and the other is technologically primitive, but simply encourages its elements to act without

us, in the present day, we see law-abiding Islamists who share the goals of violent terrorists ling lawsuits that appear to pursue the strategic degradation of governmental counter-terrorism e orts.

Mao said, Revolutions rarely compromise; compromises are made only to further the strategic design. Negotiation, then, is undertaken for the dual purpose of gaining time to buttress a position (military, political, social, economic) and to wear down, frustrate, and harass an opponent. Few, if any, essential concessions are to be expected from the revolutionary side, whose aim is only to create conditions that will preserve the unity of the strategic line and guarantee the development of a victorious situation. Obviously, this ploy is practiced from Pyongyang to Tehran and by many groups in between.

It should be noted that the authors writings may give a misimpression of nobility to his actions. In fact, Mao was complicit in, . . . terrorist massacres claiming thousands of victims . . .1 A fellow guerrilla chief stated, We killed a great number of traitors, so that the people had no choice but to continue on the path to revolution.2 Here too, we see a tactic that many jihadists have embraced.

Previous generations may have studied the horrors of communism more closely than we generally do today, but Mao Tse-Tung is still relevant to the world we live in. ere are politicians in virtually every nation of the world who have been inspired by Maos policies. Maos tactics have been studied by the most competent guerrilla and terrorist groups in the world. Our adversaries have learned much from Mao. So must we.

1 Stephane Courtois, Nicolas Werth, Jean-Louis Panne et al. e Black Book of Communism. (Harvard University Press, 1999) page 475

2 Ibid.

expenditures and reorientation of organizational postures.

Mao recognized that violence was to be employed synergistically with other equally important e orts to gain what he wanted. He wrote, Propaganda materials are very important. Every . . . guerrilla unit should have a printing press . . . Many jihadist cells adhere to this very principle by elding videographers and posting clips on the Internet immediately following an action.

Mao added, While military a airs and political a airs are not identical, it is impossible to isolate one from the other.

Translated by: Brigadier General Samuel B. Griffi th

ao Tse-Tung was a communist guerrilla leader who developed his tactics while ghting to expel Japanese M

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The Counter Terrorist_Lenco_2010.indd 1 1/28/2010 10:50:42 AM


CToctnov2010.indd 31 8/26/10 1:43 PM

creo


Counter The

Violence in Mexico and on the US border continues to escalate as the Mexican crime cartels fight to improve their position. Mexican law enforcement, military leadership, and government officials have been primary targets. The armed enforcement wings of the cartels have not retreated from law enforcement; they have confronted and engaged. Their tactics are paramilitary in nature and their armament plentiful. Their killings can be indiscriminate or meticulously planned. In addition to these challenges, terrorist factions and citizens from countries that sponsor terror are exploiting this multifaceted conflict.

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announces a Border Security task force. Photo: DHS

CToctnov2010.indd 32 8/24/10 11:11 AM


MEXICAN CRIME CARTELS CROSS THE BORDER By Jennifer L. Hesterman

DOUGLAS, Ariz. (March 17, 2009) Two men scale the border fence into Mexico. Photo: US Navy.

T related charges during the course of this operation, the assets seized by agents are staggering: $154 million; 2,600 pounds of heroin and methamphetamine; 71 tons of cocaine and marijuana; and more than 500 weapons and 500 vehicles.

Although the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBIs) press release regarding Project Deliverance is entitled Fighting Cartels on the Southwest Border, this statement actually outlines nationwide activity. For example, on June 10, 429 individuals in 16 states were arrested during the nal phase of the operation. Cartel activity was present not only in border states, but in locales such as Montana, Tennessee, and Illinois.

Cartels may be attempting to reduce their visibility. Some reports indicate that in the last few years, they have relocated operations out of major cities and now target small towns to serve as

he cartels are engaging asymmetrically by partnering with

gangs, corrupting our federal o cers and system, and engaging in direct action attacks on both sides of the border. e stakes are high as Mexico and the United States battle for control with an enemy that shows no willingness to acquiesce.

CARTELS IN THE HEARTLAND

Nearly every state in our country has seen Mexican drug cartels activity. Using multiple points of entry at the border via plazas and leveraging contacts with gangs inside the United States, the cartels are here and they are entrenching. Federal agencies recently announced the conclusion of a 22-month counternarcotics operation, Project Deliverance1 In addition to the arrest of more than 2,200 individuals on drug-

CToctnov2010.indd 33 8/26/10 1:43 PM

creo


ICE officials testified that members of Hezbollah have

already entered the United States across

the Southwest border.

their distribution hubs and lab locations. For instance, the Drug Enforcement Administration discovered during its 2008 Project Xcellerator that the Sinaloa Cartel was using the small airport in Stow, Ohio, to move tons of cocaine into California. In fact, Xcellerator uncovered 70 cartel distribution cells in 26 states.2 Super meth labs operated by criminals associated with cartels have been discovered in suburban areas like Smyrna, Georgia, and Modesto, California.

Breaches at the Border

Issues concerning illegal aliens at the border are exacerbating security issues and providing a way for criminals to enter our country. An investigative report prepared by the House Committee on Homeland Security, Line in the Sand: Confronting the Threat at the Southwest Border3 cites data indicating only 1030 percent of illegal aliens are apprehended at the border. This means at least four

The U.S. border fence near San Diego. Photo: Office of Representative Phil Gingrey

CToctnov2010.indd 34 8/24/10 11:12 AM


CToctnov2010.indd 35 8/24/10 11:12 AM




million slip though annually, either starting new lives in the United States or using our country as a transit point to other destinations.

Of those caught trying to illegally enter, most are from Central and South American countries. However, government reports indicate that

hundreds of these aliens come from countries of concern, some of which are sponsors of terror. While investigating how most-wanted terrorist Adnan Shukrijumah made his way from Mexico to Atlanta, Georgia, just prior to 9/11, WSBTV in Atlanta obtained sensitive documents from a congressional staffer containing data about apprehensions at the border. This document, called the OTM list (Other Than Mexicans) was created by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and is not typically released to the public (although it is regularly referred to in congressional testimony).

OTMs from countries of concern caught illegally attempting to enter the United States from Mexico between FY 07-094:

CToctnov2010.indd 36 8/24/10 11:12 AM


Mexican army performs arrest in Michoacan. Photo: Diego Fernndez


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North Korea .............. 4Syria ......................... 7Afghanistan ............. 12Yemen ..................... 22Iran ......................... 42Iraq ........................ 42Somalia ................... 70Pakistan ................. 112Russia ................... 145China ................. 3,000

U.S. law requires Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain illegal aliens and then arrange a hearing. However, the sheer number of illegals captured (200,000 from Central and South American countries during this FY07-09 period) means most are returned to their country of origin with

a future court date if they wish to return and plead their case. Most do not.

Terrorists and others with nefarious intentions have crossed into the United States at the Mexican border. ICE investigations have revealed that aliens were moved from the Middle East to staging areas in Central and South America before being smuggled illegally into the United States. Also, ICE o cials testi ed that members of Hezbollah have already entered the United States across the Southwest border.5

A government report regarding this threat includes apparent photographic proof of radical Islamist presence just north of the southwest border in the United States. A jacket found in Jim Hogg County, Texas, by the Border Patrol had Arabic military patches:

CToctnov2010.indd 37 8/24/10 11:12 AM

38 The Counter Terrorist ~ October/November 2010Circle 40 on Reader Service Card

CToctnov2010.indd 38 8/24/10 11:12 AM


one depicting an airplane flying over a building and heading toward a tower, and another showing an image of a lions head with wings and a parachute emanating from the animal. The bottom of one patch read martyr, way to eternal life, or way to immortality.

Cartel ViolenCe intensifies

More than 23,000 people have been killed since the Mexican government launched an offensive against the cartels in 2006. Last year was the worst on record, with 9,635 cartel-related deaths. Epic levels of violence seized Mexico again this year, marked by mass killings of the innocent, grisly murders, and vile acts meant to shock and inflict terror. The increased violence started on January 9, 2010, when a record 69 people were killed in cartel violence across the country. Killed in the spree was 36-year-old Hugo Hernandez who was kidnapped in the state of Sonora and taken to the neighboring state of Sinaloa, apparently by rival cartel members who carved his body into seven pieces, dropping them at separate locations. Finally, his face was sliced off and stitched to a football, which was the delivered to Los Mochis city hall in Sinaloa.6

On January 31 masked gunman attacked teenagers in the border city of Ciudad Juarez, children who were enjoying a combination birthday and high school soccer victory party: 16 dead, 14 wounded. The very same evening in Torreon, in the border state of Coahuila, gunman ambushed students in a college bar: 10 dead, 11 wounded. In both cases, no solid relevance to the cartels was evident; the shootings were simply meant to send a message to law enforcement and the government, as well as to terrorize

the public.7 By February 3, 1,000 people had died in Mexico as the result of cartel violence, roughly 1 person every 48 minutes.

Thousands more were killed throughout the spring, as the Gulf cartel declared war against Los Zetas, a paramilitary cartel that previously operated under its umbrella, but recently broke away. Rival cartelsLa Familia and the Sinaloa cartel appeared to be helping the Gulf cartelfight the Zetas, and a new wave of violence erupted from Monterrey to Matamoros. On March 15 in a brazen attack against American officials, a pregnant US consular employeeand her husband were gunned down inside their sport utility vehicle in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez near the Santa Fe International Bridge. Miraculously, their infant in the vehicles backseat was unharmed. Minutes later, the gunmen also killed the husband of another consular employee and wounded his two young children. The employees were on their way home from a gathering at a coworkers house.

On July 2 a deadly shootout just 12 miles south of the Arizona border left 21 dead and 6 injured. This event demonstrated the escalation in violence between cartels that are battling for control of the Arizona border and routes between the border cities of Nogales and Tucson. The same day, in Nogales, two charred human heads were found hanging on a fence outside the Del Rosario cemetery near the US border with a warning from a cartel.

Beheadings, hangings in effigy, acid baths, and death by gasoline-fueled fire are hallmarks of the cartels, particularly paramilitary groups such as the Zetas.

Another weapon in the cartels battle for control was demonstrated on July

Military patches found along the Texas border. Source: http://www.house.gov/sites/

members/tx10_mccaul/pdf/Investigaions-Border-Report.pdf

CToctnov2010.indd 39 8/24/10 11:12 AM


Mexican soldiers on parade in Mexicos independence day parade in 2009, Mexico. Photo: eeliuth

As the need for agents grows, the hiring

pool is increasingly tainted. CBP officials told Congress earlier

this year that a full 60 percent of CBP applicants fail the

polygraph test and are unsuitable for duty.

15 with the successful detonation of a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) in the border city of Ciudad Juarez. The Juarez cartel apparently targeted first responders by placing a bound, wounded man in a police uniform at the scene, luring law enforcement and medical personnel to the area. A nearby vehicle, inconspicuously containing 22 pounds of Tovex, exploded moments later killing three and wounding 20. Tovex is a water gel explosive that is a widely used substitute for dynamite for industrial and mining purposes. Theft of Tovex is a common occurance; in February, 2009, masked gunmen stole 900 cartridges of the substance from a U.S. firm in Durango, Mexico.8

VBIEDs are widely used by terrorist groups. The targeting of first responders is also not a new tactic. However, the

cartels use of these tactics appears to be an innovation within the region and calls for increased vigilance on the U.S. side of the border as the violence pushes north.

Corruption CompliCations

Corruption of government officials and law enforcement officers in Mexico continues to plague this battle. For instance, Mario Villanueva Madrid, former governor of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, was recently charged with providing police protection to assist the Juarez cartel and laundering money through US corporations. Others recently rounded up include a bodyguard of another governor, police involved in the shooting of an Army general, and several police chiefs.

This corruption has spread into

CToctnov2010.indd 40 8/24/10 11:12 AM


CToctnov2010.indd 41 8/24/10 11:12 AM


Part of $207 million confiscated during the bust of an illegal drug ring. 24 July 2007. Photo: DOJ

the United States as drug trafficking organizations actively attempt to compromise the CBP system. Since 2004 more than 100 CBP agents have been lured by vast sums of money and arrested or indicted for drug smuggling, money laundering, conspiracy, or human smuggling.9 Perhaps the most grievous case was that of Michael Gilliland, a retired Marine. His 16 years of duty with CBP came to an unceremonious end with his conviction for human smuggling. Gilliland helped hundreds of people enter

the United States unchecked through the Otay Mesa crossing in San Diego where he was posted. He worked together with two Mexican women who ran smuggling rings south of the border and the money flowed freely; one of the women had $500,000 in US money stashed in her bedroom at the time of her arrest.10

Cartels also attempt to plant operatives in CBP. Margarita Crispin joined CBP in 2003 with the intent of working with drug smugglers. Before her arrest, she allowed thousands of pounds of

Cocaine bricks seized during Project Coronado. Photo: DEA

CToctnov2010.indd 42 8/24/10 11:13 AM


t was this fierce civil war that led to the toppling of Somalias president,

Major General Mohammed Siad Barre, in 1991. As the commander of the Somali armed forces, Barre had seized power in 1969 and ruled the country as a dictator for more than 20 years. Somalia soon gained a reputation for its brutal crackdowns and human rights abuses. During this period, Barre courted the Soviet Union and the United States, and both countries provided him with aid and assistance.1 His ousting left Somalia without a central government and created a power vacuum that warlords were quick to exploit. In the process, they destroyed the already crippled infrastructure and reduced a large percentage of the population to starvation.

With the roads dominated by warring clans and their militias, and a large portion of the population facing hunger


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marijuana to pass through her inspection lane in El Paso. In 2008 Crispin was sentenced to 20 years in prison and ordered to forfeit $5 million in bribes she was paid while wearing the CBP uniform.

As the need for agents grows, the hiring pool is increasingly tainted. CBP officials told Congress earlier this year that a full 60 percent of CBP applicants fail the polygraph test and are unsuitable for duty.11 Facing a daunting manpower challenge, CBP has also been forced to divert precious resources to address the growing threat of corruption: in the last four years, the number of internal affairs investigators leapt from just 5 in 2006 to 214 at present.12 The FBI is also involved in the fight: it now fields six Border Corruption Task Forces with hundreds of agents that solely work bribery and corruption issues along the 2,000-mile border between the United States and Mexico.13

Countering the threat

With the pause of the $6.7 billion virtual fence project SBINet, which sought to install tower-mounted sensors and other surveillance gear along the border, its back to a human approach to address growing violence and illegal immigration issues at the border. Reminiscent of the 2006 troop deployment, an executive order was signed in May and 1,200 National Guard troops were deployed to augment border security.

These activations are not without cost: the 2006 operation cost $1.6 billion and the current one may top it. An often overlooked cost is that these deployments deplete the Guard presence in states that may need to call upon their resources in the event of natural disaster, such as a hurricane, or preparation for

another National Special Security Event. Also, many states are contributing a great deal of their Reserve and Guard forces to the war efforts abroad, so taskings related to border security exacerbate their shortfalls.

The governors of the border states need more than manpower and a request to Congress is pending for an additional $500 million for border security-related training, facilities, and equipment. The 28th Annual Border Governors Conference was cancelled when the governors of the Mexican border states boycotted because of recent legislation passed in Arizona regarding illegal immigrants.

Local and federal law enforcement (as well as the military where constitutionally permitted) must work together to control the border region. Diplomatic ties with Mexico must remain strong and our support unwavering as the Mexican government meets the cartels head on and fights for control.

As the violence escalates and spills across the border, our government must be careful not to neglect threats to the northern border either. Terrorists, money launderers, and Mexican drug cartels

As the violence escalates and spills across the border, our government must be careful not to neglect threats to the northern border either.

CToctnov2010.indd 43 8/24/10 11:13 AM


have already penetrated or attempted to cross illegally into our country from Canada. The old saying is true: a nation is only as strong as its borders. In this battle, the resolve of our citizens to resist the anarchy created by crime cartels must be matched by equally effective governmental action. About the Author

Ms. Hesterman is a retired US Air Force colonel. She is currently a senior analyst for the MASY Group, a global intelligence and risk management firm, as well as a professor of counter terrorism studies at American Military University. Her book Transnational Crime and the Criminal-Terrorist Nexus was published in 2005. She also authors a scholarly blog, www.counterterrorforum.com.

eNDNoteS 1 http://www.fbi.gov/page2/june10/

deliverance_061010.html2 http://www.justice.gov/dea/speeches/

xcellerator.pdf3 http://www.house.gov/sites/members/

tx10_mccaul/pdf/Investigaions-Border-Report.pdf

4 http://www.wsbtv.com/news/23436627/detail.html

5 http://www.house.gov/sites/members/tx10_mccaul/pdf/Investigaions-Border-Report.pdf

6 http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/world-mainmenu-26/north-america-mainmenu-36/3123-escalating-chaos-on-our-border

7 http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/world-mainmenu-26/north-america-mainmenu-36/3123-escalating-chaos-on-our-border

8 http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=394786&src=109

9 http://hsgac.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Files.View&FileStore_id=1f3a69c1-aa4d-41d4-b382-0f003f139025

10 http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/mexico704/interview/reed.html

11 http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=10075038

12 http://hsgac.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Files.View&FileStore_id=1f3a69c1-aa4d-41d4-b382-0f003f139025

13 http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/pressrel09/cartels040209.htm

other Source http://hosted.ap.org/specials/

interactives/_international/mexican_cartels/index.html?SITE=WYCHE


CToctnov2010.indd 44 8/24/10 11:13 AM


Circle 62 on Reader Service CardCircle 62 on Reader Service Card

CToctnov2010.indd 45 8/24/10 11:13 AM


Counter e

e Arabian Peninsula. Photo: SeaWiFS Project, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE

AL-QAEDA IN THE ARABIAN PENINSULATargets the United StatesBy Steve Young

CToctnov2010.indd 46 8/24/10 11:13 AM


On December 25, 2009, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab arrived in Detroit, Michigan, aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 253 under the control of the cabin crew and passengers after attempting to detonate an explosive device that had been sewn into his underwear.1 Under questioning by US law enforcement personnel, Abdulmutallab admitted his ties to al-Qaeda. Within the next few days, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) claimed responsibility for the attack.2

US

AL-QAEDA IN THE ARABIAN PENINSULA

Imam Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen October 2008. Photo: Muhammad ud-Deen.

authorities apparently believed that Abdulmutallab was acting alone. US law enforcement initially dismissed the idea that a little-known, self-described terrorist group from Yemen had the ability to carry out the plot. What has since been demonstrated is that remotely located terrorist groups with no visible international connections, under the right circumstances, have the ability to recruit disa ected individuals with the potential to acquire US visas and send them to the United States to commit terrorist acts. Moreover, it is these types of attacks that may have the greatest potential to succeed because these individuals may

not be on any terrorism watch list such as the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBIs) Terrorist Screening Center, and the individual has a minimal signature because there may be little or no support network. AQAP may be the group that has been the most active in carrying out these types of attacks against the continental United States.

AQAPS THREAT TO THE UNITED STATES

Before he became known as the 2009 Christmas bomber, Abdulmutallab was simply the son of Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, a wealthy Nigerian banker living in the north central city of Funtua, a town

CToctnov2010.indd 47 8/24/10 11:13 AM


Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. Photo: US Marshals Office/EPA


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noted as the focal point of Nigerias Islamic culture. Abdulmutallab had all the privileges of wealth while growing up, attending the British International School in Lome, Togo, and studying engineering and business finance at the University College in London.3 Abdulmutallab had been previously described as being very religious, but nonthreatening to fellow students at University College. Nevertheless, he was remembered as having once defended the Talibans activities in Afghanistan while in high school. He is believed to have become estranged from his father in the months prior to his suicide bombing attempt. 4

Before he became known as the alleged Fort Hood shooter, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, born in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1970 to Palestinian immigrants, was a graduate of Virginia Tech University with a degree in biochemistry. He served in the US Army as an enlisted man before receiving his medical degree in 2001 from the militarys Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. Before arriving at Fort Hood in July 2009, he worked at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center achieving proficiency in disaster and preventive psychiatry.5 According to one of his university classmates, Hasan described himself as a Muslim first and an American second.

In April 2009 Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistani immigrant living in Connecticut, received his American citizenship. Raised in Peshawar, Pakistan, and the son of a prominent military officer, he arrived in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 2000 and enrolled at the University of Bridgeport. By 2006 he had married and bought a house in Shelton, Connecticut. But the Pakistani governments raid in July 2007 on the Red Mosque where militants held hostages greatly outraged Shahzad.

U.S. Army Major Nidal Ma-lik Hasan. Photo: Uniformed

Services University of the Health Sciences

Faisal Shahzad. Photo: U.S. Marshalls Service

...it has since been determined that all three individuals had had either direct or indirect

contact with Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical Muslim cleric born in New Mexico.

CToctnov2010.indd 48 8/24/10 11:13 AM


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In addition, he was very upset about continued US government unmanned air vehicle strikes in the Pakistani Tribal Areas.6 Shahzad was seemingly a well-adjusted Pakistani immigrant settling into life in the United States. Unlike Abdulmutallab and Hasan, he did not become an extremist through deep religious conviction, but was reportedly

opposed to US policy and actions in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Other than their common Muslim religion and the fact that each was well educated, it would seem that there was little in common among Abdulmutallab, Hasan, and Shahzad. Abdulmutallab was a deeply religious Nigerian and son of a wealthy banker. Hasan

the counter terrorist magazine - october/november 2010

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