United States Counterterrorism Chief Says Islamic State Is Not Planning an Attack on the U.S.

[Hissyspit]

Source: Foreign Policy

United States Counterterrorism Chief Says Islamic State Is Not Planning an Attack on the U.S.

BY SHANE HARRIS SEPTEMBER 3, 2014 - 04:13 PM

The United States' senior counterterrorism official said on Wednesday that there is "no credible information" that the militants of the Islamic State, who have reigned terror on Iraq and Syria, are planning to attack the U.S. homeland. Although the group could pose a threat to the U.S. if left unchecked, any plot it tried launching today would be "limited in scope" and "nothing like a 9/11-scale attack."

Read more: http://complex.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2014/09/03/counterterrorism_chief_says_islamic_state_is_not_planning_an_attack_on_america

[arcane1]

1. Uh-oh. Sounds like someone is going to lose his job!

[Maedhros]

2. And more Newspeak from the media.

The Islamic State has "reigned [sic] terror" on Iraq and Syria, as opposed to "Shock and Awe" (which didn't apparently "reign" any "terror" on Iraq).

"Terror," "Terrorism," and "Terrorist" continue to lose any real meaning, and are instead simply pejoratives used to describe people we don't like. Bonus points for cowing an American populace lacking critical thinking skills and courage.

[cosmicone]

3. In small print at the bottom

the counterterrorism chief also says that rattlesnakes have decided to no longer bite humans.

[PeoViejo]

4. ...at least that's what they promised their CIA Handler.

[elias49]

5. Never heard of the man before.

It always amazes how many "senior officials" there are when the shit hits the fan about something/

[Recursion]

6. IS is of the "near enemy" school, which is a reason they broke with AQ

It's a lot like the Lenin/Trotsky argument, with AQ as Trotsky and IS as Lenin. IS and other "near enemy" fighters think priority 1 is establishing an independent state; the "far enemy" contingent thinks that can't happen while the US and Russia maintain interests in the region.

[yurbud]

7. thanks for posting this. Some people are posting the alarmist neocon crap here

and this is a nice counterbalance.

[Hissyspit]

8. They are, aren't they?

Sad.

[samsingh]

9. someone is not understanding the severity of the situation

beheading our journalists is a threat to us immediately

[yurbud]

10. how is that a threat to us more than a gang or serial killer or right wing militia here?

[samsingh]

12. look at the isis pattern and think what the worst thing they can do - that is what they are going to

try for

[yurbud]

16. that is the same comic book logic that got us mired in Afghanistan and Iraq

Or do you think those were a good idea?

[samsingh]

17. they are not the same situation

were tens of thousands of people being slaughtered in those countries when the bush regime went into Iraq?

we needed to go into Afghanistan after the bush morons allowed 911 to happen under their watch - bush had a memo in this hand warning of an upcoming attack when he went on vacation to clear shrubbery.

do you care about the 12 year old girls being raped by ISIS? go to the huffington post.

[yurbud]

18. 9/11 was an acceptable excuse until Tora Bora. Also, you don't stop killing & rape with more killing

[samsingh]

19. 9/11 is reality and not an excuse

[yurbud]

20. Most Afghans had nothing to do with and knew nothing about it

Going after al Qaeda there and to a lesser extent, the Taliban leadership was an acceptable response, but letting Pakistan evac top leaders from both groups from Tora Bora undercut that legitimate excuse, and staying an extra decade after that was indefensible.

[samsingh]

22. Afganees were being terrorized by the Taliban who were covertly supported by pakistan

[yurbud]

23. our ally, as are the Saudis who funded the 9/11 hijackers. If we had cut off their money...

from those sources, al Qaeda would have been no more of a threat than a crazy homeless person waving a plastic knife.

that our government didn't do so, and in fact tried to cover up the Saudi role, should tell you that something is going on here other than just fighting terrorism or liberating Afghans from the Taliban by killing them.

[samsingh]

24. i don't think it was that simple. al Qaeda funding partially came from bin laden's wealth

our blunder and stupidity was invading Iraq. many atrocities were committed there by the bush admin.

[yurbud]

25. Senator Bob Graham, former head of the senate intel committee was pretty blunt about Saudi

9/11 hijackers tied to Saudi government, Graham says in book

By Frank Davies, Knight Ridder | September 5, 2004

WASHINGTON -- Two of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers had a support network in the United States that included agents of the Saudi government, and the Bush administration and FBI blocked a congressional investigation into that relationship, Senator Bob Graham wrote in a book to be released Tuesday.

The discovery of the financial backing of the two hijackers "would draw a direct line between the terrorists and the government of Saudi Arabia, and trigger an attempted coverup by the Bush administration," the Florida Democrat wrote.

And in Graham's book, "Intelligence Matters," obtained by The Miami Herald yesterday, he makes clear that some details of that financial support from Saudi Arabia were in the 27 pages of the congressional inquiry's final report that were blocked from release by the administration, despite the pleas of leaders of both parties on the House and Senate intelligence committees.

https://web.archive.org/web/20040928224801/http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/09/05/911_hijackers_tied_to_saudi_government_graham_says_in_book?mode=PF

[yurbud]

26. Saudis role illustrated from FOIA docs:

[yurbud]

27. The Obama admin has not made clear which were blunder and which intentional lies and atrocities

and that makes it harder to trust them when t hey are selling a similar enterprise.

[Hissyspit]

11. You're joking, right?

[samsingh]

13. why would i be joking about something so serious

and some believed planes could not be used as weapons

[Hissyspit]

14. They KNEW planes could be used as weapons.

Jesus...

Journalists have been being killed in increasing numbers for quite some time now.

Beheadings were going on ten years ago.

Give me a goddamned break.

It's amazing to see people pushing the war bullshit at what used to be one of the smartest anti-war sites on the web.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025487980

[msanthrope]

15. Actually, that's a pretty facile account of what he said. Your source is poor.

Olsen's point was that since ISIS does not have the operational capabilities of Al-Qaeda, a 9/11 type attack was unlikely.

What was more likely are smaller scale attacks on high-value targets. This therefore necessitates close monitoring of chatter, networks, and travel patterns.

Think, Boston Marathon as opposed to 9/11.

[candelista]

21. Uh...So explain to me again why we have to attack ISIS?

President Obama will need to do this tomorrow (Weds.) on teevee.