Free Republic

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — The man stands furtively on a street corner near the broad avenue cutting through Tunis, his face masked by a hoodie, his tense eyes scanning the workday crowd for any hint of Islamic State militants. He was one of them before he left Syria, only a year ago, and he is afraid. Now he chain-smokes as he describes the indiscriminate killing, the abuse of female recruits, the discomfort of a life where walls were optional and meals were little more than bread and cheese or oil. “It was totally different from what they said jihad would...

Although the birth of the Islamic State and the herald of the caliphate are often regarded as some of 2014’s “big shockers,” they were foretold in striking detail and with an accurate timeline by an al-Qaeda insider nearly one decade ago. On August 12, 2005, Spiegel Online International published an article titled “The Future of Terrorism: What al-Qaeda Really Wants.” Written by Yassin Musharbash, the article was essentially a review of a book written by Fouad Hussein, a Jordanian journalist with close access to al-Qaeda and its affiliates, including the late Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who pioneered the videotaping of beheadings...

After agreeing to a 72-hour ceasefire less than 24 hours ago, Hamas has once again broken another temporary truce agreed to by both sides. It is believed Hamas has kidnapped an Israeli soldier and the fighting is continuing. More from Fox News:

For six years the world has scratched its head about President Obama’s foreign policy doctrine. Is it “leading from behind,” as he himself has said on occasion, stepping back in hopes that an international coalition will take charge? Is it using American military or economic power to topple dictators? Is it killing enemies with drone strikes and spying on allies with advanced technology? Is it using words instead of weapons? With much fanfare, the president set out to set things straight on Wednesday by articulating a comprehensive Obama Doctrine in a major foreign policy address at West Point’s commencement ceremonies....

I'm still trying to figure out how the New York Times missed evidence that Al Qaeda was present in Benghazi in 2012. I found clear signs less than an hour after I started working the story for the American Media Institute. The New York Times employs a vast research department. The AMI does not. I investigated the story using only basic gumshoe methods. How come I found evidence, and the New York Times did not? I'll be talking about this tomorrow on Clear Channel radio in California. You can listen in to 960 KNEW at 3 p.m. Pacific time.

WASHINGTON - Taking on one of the United States’ most prominent Israel critics Wednesday, Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican who is mulling a presidential run, defended the special relationship with Israel as essential for U.S. security. The sparring came when, at a Homeland Security Committee hearing on the threat posed by Somali al-Qaida affiliate Al Shabaab, former CIA al-Qaida analyst Michael Scheuer said that al-Qaida would leave the U.S. alone if they were to abandon their alliance with Israel. “If it was up to me I’d dump the Israelis tomorrow,” Scheuer said. “All I worry about is the...

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The Kenyan military remained in a tense standoff with Islamic extremists Sunday, as the toll rose to 59 dead, including children, and 175 wounded in the attack at an upscale mall, a Kenyan minister said. Multiple barrages of gunfire erupted Sunday morning from inside the building where hostages are being held by militants. The radicals attacked the mall Saturday and remained inside throughout the night. Kenya's Red Cross said in a statement citing police that 49 people had been reported missing. Officials did not make an explicit link but that number could form the basis of...

It's been an interesting week, to say the least. Obama, fresh from his personal takedown of Osama Bin Laden, (busssshtttttt – excuse me, little sneeze there) - felt like he needed to get back in the Saddle and take Bashir al-Assad down a couple of pegs. Epic military exploits on the battlefield, make a Commander-in-chief hungry for more. He ordered a contingent of warships over to the Eastern Mediterranean including the USS Mahan and the USS Ramage, to stand by for orders to launch cruise missiles - which with some luck might miss the Presidential palace, but kill some civilians...

Syria; This Senator ‘gets’ it… Posted on August 30, 2013 by billrandles I am distributing this article far and wide to let people know why I had to do an unprecedented (for me) thing, I tried to talk a young man out of going into the US Military. As a patriotic American, I have always rightly regarded the military of the United States as a force for good. But this Commander in Chief has put our troops to the service of Al Queda, and I wouldn’t want to either shed one drop of blood for them, nor would I want...

Myself and my group of gentlemen friends 'ConservOList' (soon to admit women – no application fee necessary), hash out the issues and crisis of our day via email back and forth. We've instant messaging challenged or just stuck in a rut – your choice. The topic that is front and center, of course is U.S. Intervention in Syria. The following is my viewpoint: The appropriate response, in my opinion, is no response. Notice that 'Great Britain' in the person of David Cameron (like that last name) is imploring the U.S. to lead.   They themselves, won't take any unilateral measures....

Via Breitbart and the Daily Mail, seven minutes from Joe DiGenova’s chat with WMAL yesterday. The key bit comes at 3:25, after he points out that Obama’s arguably guilty of contempt of court for publicly acknowledging a sealed indictment against the Benghazi attackers at his presser on Friday. This isn’t the first time that someone with inside info has floated the theory that SAMs were key to what the CIA was doing in Benghazi. CNN mentioned that too in its big scoop about agents allegedly being intimidated into silence, although the SAM connection was mentioned as speculation going around on...

In the “credit where credit is due” department, one thing you can say for Lindsey Graham is that he clearly doesn’t care all that much about politics or future elections. The Senator was trotted out on CNN this morning for a chat with Candy Crowley where they discussed the current terror threat and embassy closings. An important topic to be sure, but Graham couldn’t help himself, it seems, and had to weave some comments on sequestration into the larger story with a side helping of praise for the NSA and the White House. (Hat tip to Andrew Johnson at The...

<p>PARIS (AP) -- Interpol has issued a global security alert in connection with suspected al-Qaida involvement in several recent prison escapes including those in Iraq, Libya and Pakistan.</p> <p>The Lyon, France-based international police agency says that the alert follows "the escape of hundreds of terrorists and other criminals" in the past month. The alert calls on Interpol's 190 member countries to help determine whether these events are coordinated or linked, the organization said in a statement Saturday.</p>

Egyptians are asking Obama and CNN, “Why are you supporting terrorism?” Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi was forced from office by protestors who did it through peaceful protesting exactly as they did two years ago with former dictator Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak. So the Egyptians want to know, why do CNN and the Obama administration see it as a coup?

During his speech at the National Defense University on May 23, President Obama sought to reassure Americans that they are “safer” because of the administration’s “efforts” to fight terrorism. The controversy over the administration’s handling of the September 11, 2012, terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, had been swirling for months. And on April 15, two jihadists set off bombs at the Boston Marathon, killing three people and wounding more than 250 others.At the National Defense University, defining jihad downLandov “Now, make no mistake, our nation is still threatened by terrorists,” Obama conceded. “From Benghazi to Boston, we have been tragically...

Days after a deadly suicide attack at a French-run uranium mine in Niger, a FRANCE 24 team that was given access to the high security site found evidence that the assailants had meticulously studied their target and likely received inside help. The explosives-packed car that rammed a grinding unit at a uranium mine in Arlit, a remote town in northern Niger, last week is in tatters. The shell of the car’s transmission system stands upright in the rubble, while the twisted frame was flung about ten meters away. Days after suicide bombers attacked a uranium mine in this West African...

THE WEEKLY STANDARD podcast with editor William Kristol on President Obama's recent counterterrorism speech at National Defense University.

Unrest on the streets of Libya's capital, Tripoli, has forced Britain to evacuate some diplomats from its embassy, the Foreign Office disclosed on Friday. Members of the Libyan security forces and civilians check one of the two police stations that were attacked on Friday Photo: AFP

BEIRUT (AP) -- Al-Qaida's branch in Iraq said it has merged with Syria's extremist Jabhat al-Nusra, a move that shows the rising confidence of radicals within the Syrian rebel movement and is likely to trigger renewed fears among its international backers. A website linked to Jabhat al-Nusra confirmed on Tuesday the merger with the Islamic State of Iraq, whose leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, first made the announcement in a 21-minute audio message posted on militant websites late Monday.

A convicted terrorist serving life with no parole plus 240 years for masterminding the 1993 World Trade Center bombing has reportedly filed a lawsuit arguing he should be let out of solitary confinement. "I request an immediate end to my solitary confinement and ask to be in a unit in an open prison environment where inmates are allowed outside their cells for no less than 14 hours a day," he reportedly wrote in confidential government records obtained by The Los Angeles Times. His terror acts were funded by Al Qaeda and his uncle Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who is allegedly the...