Predator Notches another al Qaida

efreedomnews.com ^ | 11/5/2002 | efreedomnews

[efnwriter]

efreedomnews         WAR ON TERRORISM - AN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE

Predator Notches another al Qaida
November 5, 2002
efreedomnews.com

The hottest gunslinger in the US Military corral is the Air Force's Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. Tasked by Gen. John P. Jumper, commander of the Air Force Air Combat Command  to "demonstrate a weaponized UAV" with the ability to "find a target, then eliminate it," the Predator has proven its worth again this week in the War on Terrorism.

Qaed Senyan al-Harthi, al Qaida's main man in Yemen, was eliminated by the Predator's Hellfire Missile,  as he was tracked in a car traveling across the desert in the Marib area of northwest Yemen along with five of his associates.

Also known as Abu Ali, al-Harthi was behind the USS Cole bombing in Yemen in October 2000. Reuters reported: "Al-Harthi was the senior al Qaeda representative in Yemen and among the top dozen al Qaeda leaders worldwide."
 

"Not So Safe Anymore"

The tribal area called Marib, 100 miles east of the capital, San'a, is in the same region where bin Laden's father was born. The tribal ruled region is a known al Qaida "safe-haven" - not so safe anymore. In September, 2002, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld made the landmark decision to put US Special Forces Command (SOCOM) in charge of international anti-terrorism operations. [SOCOM Unleashed: Special Forces Take Lead in Terror War]

Our finest warriors - Navy Seals, Green Berets, Delta Force, - under command of Air Force Gen. Charles R. Holland, along with CIA paramilitary units, are tasked with direct responsibility for covert action against al-Qaida and other international terrorist groups.

In light of that responsibility more than 500 Special Operations troops were posted to our east African ally Djibouti along with the USS Belleau Wood, an amphibious assault ship with attack helicopters and Harrier jump jets along with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
 

The USS Nassau transited the Red Sea this week with a contingent of some 2,200 Marines, relieving an the Belleau Wood amphibious ready group.

 

Rumsfeld's decision just came to fruition with this strike against al Qaida.

President Bush's comment:

"The only way to treat them is what they are - international killers. And the only way to find them is to be patient, and steadfast, and hunt them down. And the United States of America is doing just that," President George W. Bush said. "We're in it for the long haul."

[efnwriter]

One more down.

[Bobby777]

I hope they get that former schoolteacher from Kuwait ... I can't remember his name ... mebbe I can find his picture ...

[piasa]

fyi

[Travis McGee]

Love it!

Note: the IDF uses "downloaded" warheads in the PA to take out Hamas leaders in cars without excessive collateral damage.

Our "war load" Hellfires are built to destroy a tank, so they are pretty good medicine on a car full of raghead terrorists in the open desert!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Our "war load" Hellfires are built to destroy a tank

Looks like they almost vaporized that vehicle.
Almost overkill!

[Travis McGee]

Hey, I totally dig your efreedomnews page! Really cool, pithy, superb graphic thumbnails and links outstanding work! Please put me on your ping list.

[Travis McGee]

No such thing!

I read a great article in SOF magazine last winter. A Predator was tracking a nice new SUV hightailing it from Kabul to Khandahar or beyond, they drove right around lines of cars at roadblocks, so the CIA geeks knew they had some high ranking Taliban or Al Qaeda inside. The SUV stopped for a pee break, and the CIA guys thought they saw a real tall bearded dude in Arab garb (OBL?) and launched the Hellfire at the tree they were peeing on.

SFs went in later to collect DNA, had a heck of a time digging under a meter of snow that fell on top of the tissue fragments.

[xm177e2]

No such thing!

Well, a nuke would have been.

Even just a small tactical one.

[Travis McGee]

Okay, I'll concede your point. No nukes.

And no more care-free drives across even remote deserts for terrorists!

You too Saddam! Look up!

(The CIA should build thousands of cheap styrofoam fake Predators powered by lawn mower engines which would go on several day missions over Bagdad etc circling around on GPS controlled tracks, just to drive Saddam crazier. Imagine him constantly looking up at a dozen buzzing drones, wondering which one is the one with the camera and the Hellfire?)

[Atchafalaya]

Now that is a good idea; that would drive him nuts.

[Bobby777]

THIS IS THE GUY THE CIA NEEDS TO GET NEXT



Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is shown in this undated photo

link ---> http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/06/05/attack/main511128.shtml

he's still on the FBI list ...



http://www.fbi.gov/mostwant/terrorists/terkmohammed.htm

[river rat]

"Almost overkill!"

As I pointed out in an earlier thread.....There is no such thing as overkill for these kinds of cowardly shadow living bastards..

We are NOT in the business of simply killing known terrorist SOBs.... We are in the business of killing them in such a manner as to seriously deter other mother's sons and daughter from following in their wasted foot prints and murderous occupation...

Terrorizing the terrorist is what we are about....
No place to hide, No chance to survive, No possibility of winning, No future.....and in their darkest moments, they realize --- NO PARADISE.
Semper Fi

[JSteff]

Brilliant! Maybe that will ruin him before they ever even fired a real round. Imagine the terror of seeing several of them a day, knowing you are a target, and wondering when it will come.
Pretty ineffective leader after you develop a horrible nervous facial tic and a slight drool. Now that is a weapon that we get our moneys worth from. Bet this slightly scares the fly boys.

[Travis McGee]

Maybe we can download the tank warhead and replace that weight with a wrapping of concentrated pig flesh?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Terrorizing the terrorist is what we are about....

I like that!

[Travis McGee]

We should build ten dummy drones for every real Predator. They would cost only a few thou each, and just run circles on GPS, no sat link, no remote guidance. Very very cheap, and great psyops.

[river rat]

"...looking up at a dozen buzzing drones, wondering ..."

I don't know what line of work you're in....but I think you missed your natural calling....

Hell, with your diabolical imagination --- we could have altered history in I Corps. I think we might have made something horribly famous and fearful of you...

Semper Fi

[river rat]

I just realized....it's 1am!
Do you know where your manuscript is?
Semper Fi

[Poohbah]

Call this one "Revenge of the Nerds" :o)

[Travis McGee]

I am putting 99% of my diabolical imagination into my RKBA novel, but a few nuggets fall out over here.