So, What DO Jihadis Learn at Islamic Terrorist Training Camps?

Cross posted from Holger Awakens

One of the real benefits of America's War on Terror ....you know, the strategy of George Bush where you take the fight TO the terrorists....not the appeasement of "man-caused disasters" put in place by Barack Hussein Obama....has been the fact that the Taliban and al Qaeda simply have not been able to run the elaborate jihadi training camps that they used to.

This article from The Foreign Policy Explainer, talks about the current state of affairs of islamic terrorist training camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan and just what the suicide bombers of today are actually learning in today's version of a training camp:

First of all, today's terrorist training camps are not what they used to be. Sprawling al Qaeda camps complete with such amenities as firing ranges, like Tarnak Farms near Kandahar, Afghanistan, where Osama bin Laden is believed to have plotted the 9/11 attacks, are largely a thing of the past.

Today, al Qaeda outsources most of its training to Pakistani outfits like Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LET), the group believed to be behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The camps these groups run are often small, just one or two buildings, and temporary -- such groups stay on the move to avoid detection by satellite or intelligence agents.

Evenings are for indoctrination. It might seem strange that students enrolled in militant training would need further convincing, but local recruits are reportedly often cajoled or forced into attending by their families or madrasas. Recruits are shown hours upon hours of video depicting Western atrocities against Muslims to dispel any doubts about the cause of jihad.

As you'll see in the article, there is an inordinant amount of time spent further indoctrinating new jihadi recruits into the fevered hatred of the West and of all infidels. I guess this doesn't surprise me, in that we have seen in the theaters of Iraq and Afghanistan where the jihadis have run up against a U.S. force just too formidable and literally, the only thing that can keep the jihadis in the battle is a serious brainwashing. At the same time, we have to remember that many of the recruits are going to be asked to slap on a suicide belt and walk into a police station and blow themselves into a thousand pieces so it's not like that dude would need 12 weeks on AK-47 training.

What those calling for the end of our War on Terror operations don't understand is that there is a direct correlation between the size and degree of devastation with the relative solitude of jihadi training camps - when bin Laden had all the time and peace in the world in Afghanistan, he was able to prepare for 9/11 and when Lashkar-e-Taiba had relative peace in Pakistan at the time, they were able to train completely for Mumbai. Withdraw our troops from Afghanistan and Iraq, do away with our predator drones in Pakistan and you'll see the world hit by the same huge attacks once again.

What do you learn at terrorist training camp?


Faisal Shahzad, the suspect in the failed plot to bomb New York City's Times Square, has told U.S. investigators that he received bomb-making training at a camp in Pakistan's Waziristan region. Given the botched, even amateurish nature of Shahzad's attempt -- he forgot to take the keys to his getaway car, for instance -- many observers are now asking: What exactly does one learn at a terrorist training camp?

First of all, today's terrorist training camps are not what they used to be. Sprawling al Qaeda camps complete with such amenities as firing ranges, like Tarnak Farms near Kandahar, Afghanistan, where Osama bin Laden is believed to have plotted the 9/11 attacks, are largely a thing of the past.

Today, al Qaeda outsources most of its training to Pakistani outfits like Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LET), the group believed to be behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The camps these groups run are often small, just one or two buildings, and temporary -- such groups stay on the move to avoid detection by satellite or intelligence agents. These groups are believed to be increasingly sharing resources when it comes to training. According to some estimates, there are about 40 militant training camps around Pakistan.

Enrolling in a militant training program is not easy, particularly for foreigners. Groups like the TTP, whose leadership has been decimated by U.S. drone strikes in recent months, are extremely wary of outsiders, believing that anyone who turns up looking for training could be a spy.

Five young American men learned this the hard way last December when they were picked up by Pakistani authorities after being rejected by several militant groups. However, wannabe jihadists of Pakistani descent, like Shahzad, can improve their odds of enrolling by having a relative or friend vouch for them. Insurgent groups with Western connections, like the so-called "German Taliban," are also believed to vet potential recruits from abroad.

Assuming you meet the entrance requirements -- Pakistani security officials say camps train only about 20 recruits at a time -- the curriculum can vary.

A typical day will begin with morning prayers, followed by a sermon on the significance of jihad. Physical drills and operational training take place during the day. Instructors are typically veteran jihadists, although in groups like LET or the Kashmiri nationalist organization Jaish-e-Mohammed, former members of Pakistan's intelligence services are also believed to have been on the faculty.

Evenings are for indoctrination. It might seem strange that students enrolled in militant training would need further convincing, but local recruits are reportedly often cajoled or forced into attending by their families or madrasas. Recruits are shown hours upon hours of video depicting Western atrocities against Muslims to dispel any doubts about the cause of jihad.

Typically recruits are given lessons on how to handle small arms such as AK-47s and PK machine guns as well as rocket-propelled grenades, tactics for attacking military convoys, and instructions for planting mines. Pre-2001 al Qaeda camps also trained their recruits on sniper rifles and mortars, but this is rarer today. Students found to be quicker learners are given more specialized training in skills such as bomb-making or operational security.

Relatively few foreigners have gone through the camps, and groups like the TTP rarely attack targets outside Pakistan or Afghanistan, so it's difficult to know what kind of specialized training Shahzad might have received or why he seemed so unprepared for his mission. One theory has it that Shahzad was trying to prove his loyalty in order to gain access to the movement and receive more advanced operational training.

In any evident, despite ample evidence of its involvement, the TTP doesn't seem too anxious to claim the would-be bomber as one of its alumni.

Attempted Terrorist Attack on Northwest Flight 253

After quite a bit of reading of this
incident, the attempted Terrorist
attack, read what is from American
Power. This is a good post as it goes
on to explain how one can get certain
items on to an airliner and the foolish
policies and rules of TSA. This attempted
attack just goes to show us how far we
have not come since 9/11, the Reid shoe
bomber attempt, how truly vulnerable
this country still is. We cannot discount
who is in the White House right now.
How will the democrats, leftista liberals
re-label this so we do not insult any Muslims
or Islam? How come it is always Muslims that
want to blow people up in the name of Islam
and allah? Why don't we ever hear anything
from those moderates in Islam instead of Taqiya
filled lies and deception like we get from CAIR
and other vile Islamic organizations? There
would be crickets chirping except it is
15 degrees outside with freezing fog.
The silence is still deafening.

As to the comment about conservatives
"who will wet their pants in an ecstasy of
screeching"; I do not know about pants wetting
butI think libtard reporter Chris Mattews is the
national expert on that. 'Tingles down his legs'
was most likely due to that he pissed in his pants
and was to stupid to realize it because of Obama
fever.Liberals have it pretty much to themselves
when it comes to screeching. Just look at our
leftarded politicians. Need I say more?




Attempted Terrorist Attack on Northwest Flight 253

From American Power


Friday, December 25, 2009


Attempted Terrorist Attack on Northwest Flight 253

Early this afternoon, I saw something online about how someone tried to set off a firecracker on an airliner. Thinking this was a prank, I went upstairs to read and then fell asleep. Now it turns out the story is a major Christmas day terrorist threat, and is likely to cause a new round of leftist denialism and handwringing. Thers, at Whiskey Fire, dismissing the episode as mere "tiny bombs," suggests this is great news for conservatives, who'll "wet their pants in an ecstasy of hysterical screeching." But late news reports indicate a threat of potentially catastrophic proportions. From the New York Times, "Terror Attempt Seen as Man Tries to Ignite Device on Jet."

A Nigerian man tried to ignite an explosive device aboard a trans-Atlantic Northwest Airlines flight as the plane prepared to land in Detroit on Friday, in an incident the United States believes was “an attempted act of terrorism,” according to a White House official who declined to be identified.

The device, described by officials as a mixture of powder and liquid, failed to fully detonate. Passengers on the plane described a series of pops that sounded like firecrackers.

Federal officials said the man wanted to bring the plane down.“This was the real deal,” said Representative Peter T. King of New York, the ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, who was briefed on the incident and said something had gone wrong with the explosive device, which he described as somewhat sophisticated. “This could have been devastating,” Mr. King said.

It turns out that the suspect is alleged to have ties to al Qaeda, and was previously listed on U.S. government databases. See, The Hill, "King: Airline bombing suspect had 'significant terrorist connections'." Also, at USA Today, "Al-Qaeda Linked to Failed Detroit Plane Attack."

The Los Angeles Times reports how the suspect attempted to detonate the device:

The suspect smuggled a powder aboard the plane in a container taped to his leg, the official said. Covering himself with a blanket to hide his actions, he used a syringe to inject a liquid into the powder, and a fire resulted from the combustible mix, according to the official, who did not identify the materials.

One key takeaway from the event is that the "threat of attack on an aircraft remains viable" (although I had discounted threats to airliners in my previous analysis of "Global Challenges in 2010"). And Larry Johnson looks at the vulnerability of current airport security screening procedures:

Ed Morrissey over at Hot Air commented on the incident noting, “He may just be a nut who smuggled fireworks on the plane, but still, that leaves the question of how he managed to do that.”

Well Ed, here’s how:

Let’s start with the fact that there is no screening system or requirement in place at international airports that will detect explosives. If the preliminary reports that the Nigerian brought firecrackers on the plane that’s not surprising at all. Fireworks normally do not contain any metal and will pass undetected through any of the walk thru metal detectors used throughout the world. Here we are 8 years after the 9-11 attacks and we still employ security detection systems incapable of detecting explosives.

Then there is the laughable TSA restrictions on liquids you can bring on board a plane. Here’s the TSA policy:


Make Your Trip Better Using 3-1-1

3-1-1 for carry-ons = 3.4 ounce (100ml) bottle or less (by volume) ; 1 quart-sized, clear, plastic, zip-top bag; 1 bag per passenger placed in screening bin. One-quart bag per person limits the total liquid volume each traveler can bring. 3.4 ounce (100ml) container size is a security measure.

Consolidate bottles into one bag and X-ray separately to speed screening.

Be prepared. Each time TSA searches a carry-on it slows down the line. Practicing 3-1-1 will ensure a faster and easier checkpoint experience.

3-1-1 is for short trips. If in doubt, put your liquids in checked luggage.

Declare larger liquids ....

Truth is you can get at least one pound and two ounces worth of liquids into a quart bag. So try this scenario on for size. Two terrorists traveling together pack their clear plastic quart bags with six 3 ounce bottles. That is 18 ounces each. Let’s also assume they put a binary liquid explosive in the bottles, such as PLX. And they have a small amount of TATP to use as a booster charge.

Under this scenario two terrorists working together can bring more than 1 kilo worth of high explosives onto a plane undetected. There is no required system in place that will detect the explosives in their TSA approved “clear plastic quart bags.” So Ed, you should not be surprised with the firecrackers. We still do not have a security technology in place at all airports that can prevent such a threat.

Eight years ago Richard Reid, an Al Qaeda operative, boarded a plane in London wearing shoes packed with TATP. He’s lucky he did not blow himself up just walking to the plane because the explosive is so volatile. He tried to light his shoes but, because he had pissed on his laces, they were too damp to light. His fellow passengers beat the crap out of him and prevented a terrorist incident.

So here we are 8 years later and we still have done nothing to prevent the threat from an explosive. I fully acknowledge that it is a threat we rarely see. But that excuse will not fly if a terrorist group decides to run the risk of blowing airplanes out of the air. Let’s face it, we never learn.