By Barbara Starr
The Yemeni branch of al Qaeda now has "a whole outfit designated to target the U.S. homeland," according to a source closely working with U.S. intelligence agencies and the military.
In addition, the U.S. now believes Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is working on "several types of bombs" that could get past airport x-ray screening machines.
Recommended: Saudi mole in bomb plot held British passport
The bomb technology is aimed at targeting the U.S., according to the source.
Although the group has not yet succeeded in any of their bomb plots against the U.S., there are several bomb makers and a group of would-be suicide bombers inside the group, which operates out of rudimentary training camps in southern Yemen.
"What I think is concerning to myself and other people is that it seems the talent of the organization is getting better, that is, they are much more capable of carrying out attacks. So when something fails like the Christmas Day plot in 2009 or again the cartridge plot in 2010, the organization is able to adapt, and the next time they come back, they present a better and more lethal threat. I think that's what has a lot of people in U.S. and Saudi intelligence quite concerned," says analyst Gregory Johnsen, a Near East Studies scholar.
Recommended: Drone strike kills 8 militants in south Yemen
CNN has previously reported that AQAP master bomb maker Ibrahim al-Asiri has been involved in training both bombmakers and suicide bombers. The source added that al-Asiri is now not making all the components himself. This gives the group the extra security and advantage of having multiple manufacturing capability if al Asiri were to be killed.
The source also confirmed that the latest device - turned over to the U.S. by a mole - had no metallic parts and an advanced detonation system to improve the chance the detonator would result in the entire bomb exploding. AQAP bomb designs are aimed at hiding explosives in clothing, camera lenses and animals according to the source.
But it is also the fundamental growth in AQAP's ability to control territory that is making them increasingly thought to target since the 2009 incident.
"AQAP at that time was about two to three hundred members and it controlled no territory in Yemen. Now, two and a half years later, the terror group has more than tripled in strength to over a thousand members and it controls a great amount of territory in southern Yemen," Johnsen said in an interview with CNN. He said the group controls towns, is running its own police department, and in certain places has established court systems.
"It’s providing services – electricity and water to some of the citizens, and really it sees itself in parts of southern Yemen as a government," Johnsen said.
|
Post by: CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr Filed under: AQAP • Living With Terror • Terrorism • Yemen |
CNN's Security Clearance examines national and global security, terrorism and intelligence, as well as the economic, military, political and diplomatic effects of it around the globe, with contributions from CNN's national security team in Washington and CNN journalists around the world.
E-mail us at securityclearance@cnn.com
I don't usually comment but I gotta tell appreciate it for the post on this great one :
D.
My web blog ... download (Monica)
{Bienvenido a la tienda española oficial The North Face. Aquí puedes comprar con envío gratuito
comprar north face online http://elcorteingls.info/the-north-face-hombre-chaquetas/
I’m impressed, I must say. Actually not often do I encounter a blog that’s each educative and entertaining, and let me inform you, you may have hit the nail on the head. Your thought is outstanding; the issue is one thing that not enough persons are speaking intelligently about. I'm very joyful that I stumbled across this in my seek for one thing referring to this.
huberta http://wyzszakosmetyka.wikidot.com/
my opinion is that the U.S needs to focus on who is teaching them how to make these bombs.They also need to take things to a different level the enemy is training for something big the U.S needs to get into the enemys head basically if you control the head you control the body psychological warfare
Use more drones.
This is Orwellian propaganda. Emmanuel Godlstein lives. Goebbels is smiling at Obama.
Not to worry just last week Obama said the war on Terror is over.
"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."..... H. L. Mencken
ie: Job Security !
You must not remember those planes slamming into those builds some 12 years ago. I don`t think those were hobgoblins.
The US needs to cut medicare/medicade, social security, all the federal programs in half and double the strength of the military, police, haliburton and others to save us.
I have a better idea lest cut all of your Social security and leave mine alone!
I dont get it, if other places dont want our detectors in their airports, why dont we just scan people when they get off the plane, then we can use our own US tech on them and catch them all!
Really? Ya think so? If they were a terrorist with a bomb, THE PLANE WOULD NEVER ARRIVE IN THE US. It would be at the bottom of an ocean.
Fear mongering at its finest.
just because you are paranoid it does not mean someone is not after you.
Why all the attention to aircraft attacks??
Terrorism is about intimidatng populations, aircraft are only one, very limited option. If terrorists were so committed to attacking the US we'd see attacks on shopping malls, schools, hospitals, city streets, etc.
Where are all these attacks?
They would get less bang for the buck at a mall. Plus, security at airports cost us a lot more then securing a mall where people do not usually carry luggage.
Willy. I know you get your information from what you read. so just think about this. There are no methods in place right now for screening people in shopping malls. Which means they could sneak in a backpack loaded with enough c-4 explosive to level a city block. and no one would even know that they carried this device in the mall Killing 1000's easily. Much more than a measly aircraft. Just sayin man. they need to screen mall shoppers too.
The Yemeni branch of al Qaeda now has "a whole outfit designated to target the U.S. homeland."
And the US has a whole outfit designated to target the Yemeni branch of Al Qaeda – the US armed forces.
"AQAP bomb designs are aimed at hiding explosives in clothing, camera lenses and animals according to the source." If AQAP starts blowing up animals they will give America a potent recruiting tool. Legions of vegans and PETA activists will join the global war on terror.
Right! lmao. Well the doctor that turned in Osamma bin hidin is in jail for treason. Pakistan is aiding the terrorists. Time to blow some shit up! They want to side with the terrorists bomb them too. Terrorists are afraid of drones. good send more in. Good way to get rid of them without putting our troops in harms way. Pakistan is getting too big for their britches.
Just blow up southern Yemen, end of story.
You can't just blow up a large area, do that and we'll get into another war and then we're done.
Gee, I thought the last 10 years we have spent at war and all the trillions of dollars we've wasted was supposed to fix the problem.
Lo-and-behold, al Qaeda is still out to get us! I guess we better ramp up military actions all over the middle east and SPEND SPEND SPEND our way to safety!
I was going to post; but it appears you had it covered. TRILLIONS !!!! And here I am thinking that GM's bailout was causing all these deficits.
"Al Qaeda in Yemen has "whole outfit" devoted to attacking U.S."
So does the CIA, your point?
Yet we're funding them and arming them in Libya and Syria. They sure helped us with our excuse for war with Iraq Afghanistan, and unofficially in Pakistan. Bin Laden was a known CIA asset even being to the white house.
The 4th son of osama was visited by staff and asked to help find o.b.l. The condition for visit was if he helped and needed protection. Cliff note from huffinton post and spanish paper.
May the last thing they see be American drones flying over their hidey-holes.
they will never see anything, probably wont even hear the bomb that blows them to pieces
They have a whole outfit of terrorists trying to get to us and we have a whole outfit of drones getting to them. Guess who is more successful to date.
There will always be a war in some developing country someplace. The large standing military forces of the large powers need warfare to train soldiers and provide an environment to experiment with new weapon systems. It has been stated time and again by retired generals and politicians throughout history that 'war is a racket'. Always has been and always will be. We fight wars over corporate 'interests' in the majority of instances. Not morality. Not human rights. To protect our foreign 'interests'. Which is the long-about way of stating Imperialism or hegemony. Two generations after WWII and our population is being conditioned to the normalization of fascism, the merger of government and big business. Remember that hillary clinton, probably the 2016 american president, sat on the board of Walmart in the heyday of employee abuses and bribery. Bye, bye, American Pie.
Yes; its just a matter of time, but after we are hit it should be made clear that the US responce will be 10 fold. Meanwhile keep an eye to the sky, today could be your day that our drone strikes find you.
I'm less concerned with al Qaeda attacking us and more concerned with the white supremacists who have hang up their white sheet and burning cross to become members of the House of Representatives! Sadly, they don't believe in compromise and country, they believe in dividing and destroying our democracy! Who needs to worry about al Qaeda when we have the teapublicans doing an inside job for them?
You are insane.
And out of left field and just moronic comes this comment...
Good point, I am very concerned about the racial/religious bigotry in US government also. It is shocking and sickening, and it is extremely detrimental to our country's progress and wellbeing.
wrong story pal
Of course the "well-dressed man" has a "whole outfit".
http://michaelfury.wordpress.com/2010/05/20/points-of-failure/
Yep. Looks like the muslim brother hood "infedels" has become a formidable foe, I am definitely going to have buy me a new toothbrush and some new underware for this fight. Darn.
The US should never have gone into Iraq. It never had weapons of mass destruction and was never a threat in terms of terrorists. They should have gone into Yemen and gone after all the terrorists there. Shame on Yemen and shame on the religion that spawns all these terrorists.
Too late, get over it already. This incessant crying over Iraq is ridiculous. A scourge of the planet was eliminated there, and the people of Iraq now have the ability to choose their own government...something they have not had in decades. So, stop crying you annoying piece of garbage.
MuyGuapo, I agree 100%.
Yes, at one time Iraq had chemical weapons....or did they gas the Kurds with glade air freshener? And one thing that Iraq did do is provide a place for all the radical to come and fight americans. The roaches came to us.
The US allows anyone in the country. They need to stop all people from that region from flying here and simply drop a bomb on Yemen.
Barbara Starr wants all Americans to live in fear, constantly.
Either that, or she's just some drone herself, parroting the narrative without any critical thinking at all. Be afraid.
Be very afraid..... y'know, they hate us for our freedoms....... they want to strike in the US...... be afraid.
So sick of this fear-mongering in order to allow the stripping of more rights than ever in history.... Be afraid.
It's been 11 years since 9/11 and all the terrorist plots broken up have been created, financed and facilitated by the US government.... and broken up by the US government in a wonderful save..... LOL...... Be afraid.
BE AFRAID........ BE AFRAID........ BE VERY AFRAID.
its called "problem, reaction, solution"
manufacture a threat, then trot in as "heroes" with the solution
Libs are amazing...the biggest threat in their world is that some white person may make a racist statement. What's it like to be that delusional?
And Blah Blah gets overtaken by John for the moronic statement lead...I should have rolled down and kept reading. Should have known someone had already set the moron bar pretty high...
so what
sounds like b.s from the same u.s goverment that said 9/11 happened please. give it a week and U.S citizens will lose more freedoms now that the big bad al qaeda has bombs that arn't picked up by xray machines and won't set off metal detectors we are going to have to go through airports asss naked watch
Insanely stupid alarmist comment. You are garbage.
Hey Huh, should you be off your meds ?
Hey Hector, I was there, it happened. Lots of people died that day that should not have. I would rather a thousand of the enemy die than one of our innocent. The lunatics of that groups parent organization not only bragged about it, but they have consistently expressed a desire to do the same or worse in the future. I don't know that we need to be obsessed about it to the point that we ignore our economy or our values, but we should do our best to get them before they get more of us.
ATTACK YEMEN
Maybe using Constellation Drones will keep AQAP/AQYB pemanently ducking?
The US is so stupid in fighting these terrorists. First, forget about civilian casualties, they're going to happen. Second, you need more destruction. Rather than sniping terrorists with drones, they should be bombing more places and completely wiping out all the infrastructure. It's good that they have clandestine people infiltrating the terror groups, that's needed too, but you also need a bigger take down, which isn't happening. Alas, the US needs to get tougher with the countries who are harboring these terrorists. Stop playing politics, these countries would rather support the terrorists than the US.
See that is the exact reason that they rest of the world hates us. We are way to aggressive when someone doesn't agree with us and we use as much force as we want to make them "change" their minds.
We don't need to change their minds, we need to wipe them off the face of the Earth and leave no survivors. End the cycle once and for all.
Its OK, hence the reason only a small fraction of the U.S. population is qualified to be involved in handling these sensitive operations, unlike this individual...thank God.
First, the world does not hate us. Second, if they did...who really cares. This isn't a high school popularity contest. Grow up, and realize that the world needs us, and because of that, we can do whatever it is we please. And the US wants to make sure that it's spoiled, ingrate population (like you) gets to live comfortably, and in safety. These childish claims about countries liking us are ridiculous.
Technology that is used in airport scanners need to be improvised to a point that not only it is impossible to comprehend by terrorists and experts of this field, but the new scanners need to be placed only in countries like Canada and England as this technology if given to third world countries can easily be copied.
This lie is getting old.
So is your ridiculous conspiracy theories.
In the not too distant future al Qaeda is going to go to far and it really will be war against terrorists. When it happens; they will think hell really has come home to them.
Hey guys. I'm just passing through for my daily dose of scare from the Government.
Right. This is all a big sham...no one wants to harm the US. Everyone in the world just wants to be friends! In fact, I think you should travel to Yemen to find out! Nah, I bet you don't want to leave your comfy couch and TV. Quick, there's an article about gay marriage and white racists that needs your attention...be gone, ignorant lib!
Babs, DARLING, didn't you get the White House memo? The end of AQ and the war on terror is at hand!
There is ALWAYS somebody in every story of terrorism that makes this stupid comment. Always. Change the tune please. We don't need this constant reminder of the ridiculous.
I've coined the phrase "THREAT REVERSAL". The West simply tells the entire world (especially the Muslim parts) that if another assault on any Western interest or even a single Western individual can be tracked back to this salafistic jihad insanity, Mecca will become a glass parking lot that glows in the dark, and we take all the oil we want !.....enough with the multiculturalism and political correctness already! What are we waiting for? mushroom clouds?
Boy, every day there's a whole new dose of news that makes me feel all warm and tingly and GOOOOOOOD inside. SOMEWHERE on this ridiculous planet there has GOT to be some place where a person can rest without the constant barrage of bad news about how the rest of the world wants to see us wiped off the globe.
Oh here we go with the fear again. Sick of the "boogie man" being waved in everyone's face every time enough people start demanding their civil liberties. Enough already.
I'm beginning to wonder if this isn't the reason we aren't intervening in Syria...or maybe the excuse.
You may be right, it seems like every news story of terror is just an excuse to take more liberties away, generate fear, and ultimately invade and exploit. I'm done being afraid of my fellow human being. The rest can run around tearing their hair out over invisible threats and spoon fed mainstream media stories but I'm done. And judging by many comments here I'm not alone.
So, let me get this straight. If a terrorist isn't actively in front of you killing people, you do not believe it exists? Good for you, that makes sense.
Well "Huh" (appropriate) perhaps you should open your eyes and stop believe everything you are told. Go read a few books, check out a little history, then you'll understand the skepticism because I certainly won't spend anytime doing it for you in an online thread in a pointless debate.
We'll be in Iran before October just in time to sweep Mitt into office, I hope Ron Paul pcan put an end to that. This si the NeoCon Military Industrial Complex pulling EVERYTHING out of the bag. Flying a drone into Iran (no mistake made there, it was intentional) could not get it done.
Americans need to educate themselves and get up off their lazy asses and take this country back.
We're too busy bowing our knee to our corporate employers and kissing their backsides.
If you don't like it, then quit.
Time to bomb the hell out of Yemen Mr. Obama.
Since these Muslims operate without a uniform, I think it is very important that flyers with Muslim names on their passports be thoroughly searched. Should we worry about offending them? Not if we want to live.
It will be easy to spot the terrorist. They will be the ones with no carry on bags, so they won't be complaining about the $100 a bag fee. If they do end up taking a plane down, let it be Spirit, those crooks!
Invade. Now.
No, Im not afraid to fly or take any other means of transportation! I personally refuse to allow a terriost or terrorist group put a damper on my freedom! To many men and women have paid the sacrifice, for our freedom.
I won't fly because of TSA. Franklin had it right, "those who give up their liberties for temporary security deserve neither".
I guess you're willing to put up with the cross country trip with the family National Lampoon's Vacation style right? I'd think really long and hard about what you're willing to compromise on!
You won't fly because of a 10 minute process that insures safety, and is no more than a minor inconvenience? You won't travel and see that world because of the TSA? That is the craziest thing I have heard this week. You are an ignorant and insane fool. Truth is, you are a coward.
Just wear your ear plugs and sunglasses when you fly. Make sure you have a will and an executor!
Didn't Obama just say Alqeada was on its last legs? Something fishy here.
drone....
as these cowards dance...drone em....ouch
Can't the U.S. and other countries, just cut off transportation completely by airplanes? I know it would effect a lot of people, but if it is going to possibly lower the threats of terror attacks by airplane, then maybe it would be safer perhaps? I wouldn't ever get on an airplane these days, but that is my opinion. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. The cons would be that a lot of people would lose their job if it weren't for that type of transportation. Is anyone else too scared to get on an airplane or subway these days?
I'm not scared to fly (I haven't since 2001) but I refuse to be subjected to someone groping me.
I might instinctively smack them.
You've got to be kidding me. What a shame. You have actually allowed the media and government to frighten you. You did not seriously just suggest cutting off air travel to stop terrorists from attacking us with airplanes. They've only succeeded once in America. ONCE! in decades. Who goes to an airport or subway station and goes "ah I think i'll pass. Those pesky terrorists might strike."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg3vzl_VwLc&feature=fvsr
Why do terrorists want to blow up planes? That has got to be the hardest thing for them to do with all of the security focusing on them...we should be more worried about a suicide bomber in a big city or at an event
Its all about the "sensationalism" and alot more dramatic to see and airplane smashing into a building or cartwheeling down the runway, plus if they time it right, they can get it on film from the media...
Fear, Fear, and more Fear, had enough Amerika, the corporate bankster media thinks it has you cornered. Are you really happy about that?
This is all boloney. They just want to pull more toddlers off of airplanes, irradiate everyone at the airport, and fondle every single American with the security theatre TSA. What a disgrace this country has become. The war on terror has been lost if every American is truly so paranoid that we all need to be fondled and irradiated at our airports. Wake up people, the truth is different than what your main stream sources are telling you. Be more afraid of what your gov't will do to you than some boogieman from an arab country. Really?
Real men = real danger. What have you done to keep the country safe?
Everytime we show a story of a success...the "Industry" of defense will make every effort to make sure we remember that we should be afraid, be very afraid. President E warned us about this...those who do not know history...will be forced to repeat it...quick, let's hire some more TSA screeners!
islam is a crime against all humanity, particularly the moslems. All moslems need to find a better path for themselves. If they need religion, they should get a dog.
This story can't be right, Yemen doesn't have oil.
How about the next time we deploy, we do so with a clear objective? How about we accomplish the objective and withdrawal. Period. An example of this is killing Bin laden. As long as we are at it – lets end our dependency on fossil fuels, and let the mid-east go down their own dull path. Failing that, maybe it's time to hand out medals to the non-
combatant families who wear the real sting of battle. These people are real heros.
Another ignorant comment from another ignorant poster. The objective in Afghanistan was not just to kill Bin Laden. The objective is to make the country secure enough that organizations like Al Qaeda and the Taliban cannot once again rise to power after we leave. The objective is to train the Afghan Army and police to be able to defend the country from the likes of Al Qaeda and the Taliban. If we do not accomplish this, we will be back in Afghanistan in a few years and starting from scratch again.
"Expose the Ignorant" You can't be serious?? Are you that stupid to think we can "tame" this region??? How often has it been tried and failed, and why can't ignorant people learn from history?
Ignorant? We were in Afghanistan to set up and be ready to stage a war with Iraq. We didn't care about the Taliban as much as you think or they would not be again be gaining power in Afghanistan.
Here we go with the paranoia all over again.
(sarcasm)Yeah, you're right tubetester. Al Qaeda has no desire to attack the U.S. homeland, and never has. It's all government propaganda.(/sarcasm)
Why dont they humanity a favor and just blow themselves up
wonder what inventions they could come up with if they applied all that time and thought to the betterment of not only themselves but for the world? Just because one person does not believe the same as you doesn't make them a bad person just different beliefs and in order for the human race to move forward and not destroy ourselves and this planet we call home is for all of us to realize this. All races, religions, nationality, no matter what country you are from. Peace prospers – love heals – war kills – hate destroys – if things do not change soon I fear for the future generations.
It isn't just about religion. It's also way of life. They aren't interested in becoming the coporate fascist State we have. Take Florida for instance. Now the GOP that governs here wants to allow corporations to destroy even our nature trails by putting up billboards. Then when people tear them down the "small government" party will tax us more to hire police to patrol the latest aquisition of the corporations....our outdoors areas where we go to get away from them.
Tell it Dan. I too live in Florida. Gov. Scott is a terrorist himself. My favorite is "test everybody for drugs but oh, not me". I worked at a hospital where drug use was rampant. Everybody was subject to testing – except management and they were the largest consumers. Mel Brooks: "It's good to be the king"
Shut up with the fearmongering, seriously.
Oh no! Not the big bad terrorists again!!!
Give me a freakin' break Uncle Sam. It's really getting old...
Just bomb the entire area and get rid of them all. Human cockroaches
@joe funny...thats what they want to do to us.
This presents itself as a wonderful training opportunity for the U.S. Air Force. They surely have ordinance that needs real world testing. Turn it all into a giant hole in the earth. Wipe the vermin off the planet.
Would it not now be logical to pull our troops out of Afghanistan as soon as possible, and send them to southern Yemen?
Yeah, it's just a matter of making sure that Afghanistan is self sufficient
"Self sufficient Afghanistan" is an oxymoron.
Self sufficient in whose eyes? American corporate eyes? What you mean to say I think is "when they let us build McDonald's"
No, as it would increase Islamic extremism in areas around Nigeria, where we get much of our oil.
We should stop dronestrikes, and support pro democracy forces.
Hearts and minds people, remember this.
We should stop allowing corporate fascism and not allow the Oil Companies and other fossil fuel corporations to dictate our energy and foreign policies. In other words do like Germany is working towards. Renewables. Check out what they are doing and after you examine it explain why if they can we can not?
Dude Osama was scared of drones. If the worlds most notorious terrorist is scared of something we are doing we should keep doing it
How about pulling them out, bringing them home and putting them to work here? Oh yeah, that would make too much sense.
pulling out is not a guarantee.