In my considered opinion there is a nexus between the Pirates, the Somali Clans, al-Shabab and al Qaeda.
You just have to look for it. Or want to see it, I guess. Either that, or I have been looking at the reports from the region for too long. Stay with me here...
It just seems to me that no one really knows who this particular scurvy lot of pirates are. They didn't exactly flash id when they boarded the Alabama. So how can every government official in the Obama administration jump right out and say 'there's no al Qaeda linkage, by golly'? The crew hasn't even been interviewed yet, for crying out loud.
Just never mind and go back to sleep, sheeple. How about 2 tickets to the American Idol finale?
It's just maddening.
From CNN.
"Military and counterterrorism officials say that in the intricate
tribal networks, one clansman could be out hijacking cargo ships, while
his brother might be a member of the al-Shabab terrorist organization.
And they both could be buying their weapons from the same traffickers
operating in Somalia's vast ungoverned spaces.
"If you look at
the clan structure or the tribes — to think that there may not be
linkages probably is a bit naive," Army Gen. William "Kip" Ward, head
of the U.S. Africa Command, told The Associated Press in an interview
Thursday.
Michael Leiter, director of the National
Counterterrorism Center, warned that some of the money from piracy
could make its way into the hands of extremists. "I certainly would not put that out of the realm of possibility," Leiter said at the Aspen Institute Thursday.
When
hijackings first spiked off the coast of Somalia last year,
counterterrorism officials pressed for any evidence that the country's
extremist factions, or even al-Qaida militants operating in East
Africa, might be using piracy to fund their violence. But the complicated clan structure and Somalia's ungoverned black market have made tracing the cash transactions difficult.
In
one indication that the groups sometimes have conflicting agendas,
members of the al-Shabab terrorist organization lashed out publicly at
a group of pirates late last year after they attacked the Sirius Star,
a Saudi oil tanker."
<-- Harardhere pirate base and target rich environment.
Do you know what al-Shabab actually did and why they did it?
"Five armored vehicles loaded with al-Shabab fighters arrived in the central Somali coastal town Harardhere this weekend, near where pirates are holding the massive oil tanker Sirius Star, said Ahmed Mohamed, a resident of the town.
The fighters told residents they would battle the pirates because the tanker, loaded with 2 million barrels of oil worth about $100 million, is owned by a Muslim country and should not have been taken, Mohamed said. Another resident, Hassan Nor, suggested that al-Shabab’s motive was to share in the multimillion-dollar ransom the pirates have demanded from the supertanker’s owner."
A.) I would hardly call that lashing out. More like al Shabab getting some street cred in the Muslim world. B.) If the Sirius Star had been say, a US flagged ship, it would have been just fine with the brothas. They are taking their cut after all. Read on, pilgrims.
Back to the pirates, the clans, al-Shabab and al-Qaeda ...
Five well-organized pirate groups conduct most of the pirate attacks
off the coast of Somalia, but they hire local fisherman to ferry them
out to their quarry to avoid detection, according to a memo prepared by
the staff of the House Armed Services Committee in early March.
Eyl, from the Isse Mahmud and Leelkasse subclans of the Darood clan.
Garad, from the Omar Mahmuud subclan of the Darood clan.
Hobyo, from the Habargedir sub clan of the Hawiye clan.
Hardheere, from the Habargedir subclan of the Hawiye clan.
Mogadishu, from the Habargedir subclan of the Hawiye clan.
Now, read this and you tell me.
From Modern Day Pirate Tales. Dated 3/14/09
This past week the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency appeared
before the Senate Armed Forces committee to provide an assessment of
threats facing the United States. Lieutenant General Michael Maples'
testimony received notice as he discussed Iran's nuclear capabilities
and the various other ongoing threats, such as in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But within his statements was a small commentary on Somalia that has been overlooked by many, though it's ramifications are potentially far-reaching.Lt. Gen. Maples touched upon the links between the Somali Islamist
group al-Shabaab and the more well-known al-Qaeda, stating that,
"Recent propaganda from both al-Qaeda and the Somalia-base terrorist
group al-Shabaab highlighting their shared ideology suggests a formal
merger announcement is forthcoming."Such an alliance would
allow al-Qaeda to gain a more concrete base of operations in East
Africa, within the territory that al-Shabaab already controls in the
southern part of Somalia. Given that al-Qaeda has already carried a
number of succesful terror attacks in the region, including the
bombings of the U.S. embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam and the
seaborne assaults on the USS Cole and the MT Limburg, the transnational security risks this poses are great.And
since al-Shabaab is believed to receive at least some of its funding
from pirate gangs operating within its sphere of control, this
increases the reasons we have to both stem the tide of piracy off
Somalia and address the land-based security issues. Recall this old chestnut out of Dinah's past? al Qaeda and the Pirates.
In a recent communiqué, the Islamist organization claimed responsibility for this year’s surge in pirate attacks in the vital Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia. Dozens of vessels from different nations have been seized
and held for ransom, shaking the world’s shipping industry. Al-Qaeda
calls its maritime campaign “a new strategy which permits the
mujahedeen” to hijack shipping, since “fighters who aspire to establish
the caliphate must control the seas and the waterways.”
Counterterrorism consultant Olivier Guitta revealed the al-Qaeda connection in his Asia Times column,
writing that the terrorist organization “intends to take control of the
Gulf of Aden and the southern entrance of the Red Sea.” Guitta called
the area “strategic” for the radical Islamic group.
Al-Qaeda’s
goal is the removal of Western military bases from the Arabian
Peninsula. It believes sea lanes “weakened by acts of piracy,” combined
with mujahedeen attacks, will force concessions from Western powers.
And while Al-Qaeda has not abandoned its more traditional tactics – it
has a presence in both Somalia and Yemen and attacked the American
embassy in Yemen this month, killing 16 – the organization is
increasingly focusing its terror on the high seas.
Which brings us to the plan. You know there's gotta be one.
Retired U.S. Ambassador Robert Oakley, who was special envoy to Somalia in the 1990s, said U.S. special operations forces have drawn up detailed plans to attack piracy
groups where they live on land, but are awaiting orders from the Obama
national security team. "Our special operations people have been itching to clean them up. So far, no one has let them," Oakley told the Daily News.
The veteran diplomat, who also was ambassador to Pakistan, said teams of Army Delta Force or Navy Seals "could take care of the pirates in 72 hours" if given the order to strike."They have plans on the table but are waiting for the green light," Oakley said.
A Special Operations command spokesman at McDill Air Force Base in Tampa, FL, declined comment.
Prayers up for Captain Phillips and his family. And for all ships and sailors at sea tonight.