Al-Qaeda Says 'barbaric' U.s. Drone Strikes In Yemen Kill Civilians

[News_Editor]

Al-Qaeda says 'barbaric' U.S. drone strikes in Yemen kill civilians

2013-03-02 22:02:06 GMT+7 (ICT) SANA'A, YEMEN (BNO NEWS) -- Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has said U.S. drone strikes in Yemen are indiscriminately killing civilians without strong evidence they were militants or had links with them, calling the tactic "more savage and barbaric" than conventional warfare. The comments were published on Friday when the group released its tenth edition of the English-language online magazine 'Inspire' that serves as a guide to potential and future jihadis. The Spring 2013 issue, entitled "We Are All Usama," is the first edition to be released since two issues were released in May 2012. Responding to a question from a reader, the magazine's author condemned the United States for "cowardly" using unmanned drones in residential areas of Yemen, Pakistan, Somalia, and previously in Libya. "In Yemen, they roam over Muslim houses, terrorizing children, women and the weak," the author said. The United States regularly carries out drone strikes in Yemen, and documents released by the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks in November 2010 revealed that the Yemeni government has covered up the results of such strikes in the past. "We'll continue saying the bombs are ours, not yours," then-Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh told a U.S. official, according to a classified U.S. document. The al-Qaeda member, whose name is not revealed in the article, criticized the secretive nature of the drone program and claimed most of the victims are civilians. "They bombard 'suspected' targets in villages, towns and cities. Why? Because far from Yemen, in the White House, [u.S. President Barack] Obama took a decision," he writes. "He decided to start a new chapter, a chapter more savage and barbaric than the previous chapters of the crusade on Yemeni Muslims." Because the CIA's drone program is classified, the U.S. government does rarely comment on drone strikes and any evidence to prove victims were militants is never made public. The Yemeni government frequently covers for the United States, saying its own military carried out certain aistrikes while witnesses and security officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, attribute them to U.S. drones. "This strategy allows officials in the CIA and the PTSD army to carry out attacks on any human, vehicle or building in Yemen if 'suspected' to be a threat to the security of the US without the need to identify the real identity of the target, whether al-Qaeda or not," the militant group wrote. "This includes women and children. Just because an American 'feels' this person poses danger. Whenever they have this 'feeling' they order for a 'Hell Fire missile' to be launched." Al-Qaeda, claiming the strikes kill more civilians than militants, also questioned the need for the program's secretive nature. "They claim they have a noble cause. They want nations to imitate them. They legitimize their war on AQAP. If this war on AQAP is that noble, why does it have to be that secretive?" the author asks. "Why don't they declare this war on Yemen just like they did in Afghanistan and Iraq? Why don't they come and face the mujahideen (Muslim fighters) like men instead of killing civilians indiscriminately?" In late January, the United Nations (UN) announced it would open an investigation to investigate the deaths and injuries of civilians as a result of U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, as well as Palestinian regions. The probe, requested by countries such as Pakistan, Russia, and China, will also look into the establishing of legal and operational structures to regulate the use of drones under international law. Also in al-Qaeda's article, the group criticized international media organizations for 'falsely' identifying civilians killed by U.S. drone strikes as militants. "They (the U.S.) kill civilians intentionally and the next day we see CNN and ABC acting as WikiLeaks and report a 'classified' operation in Yemen killed a "key al-Qaeda figure", who in fact is an old woman going to the hospital or a young man going to work. But the author said the civilian casualties work in their favor, echoing reports from Pakistan where it is sometimes claimed that civilian casualties from U.S. drone strikes motivate young men to join militants. "By the Grace of Allah, their blind weapons are backfiring," al-Qaeda said. "The more strikes they launch, the more the mujahideen are embraced by the people and more tribes are making pledges of alliances to the mujahideen. In Yemen, the general public knows their enemy is America." Inspire was launched by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in July 2010 to attract aspiring jihadis who cannot read Arabic, and it has frequently been found in the possession of terrorism suspects. It offers instructions on bomb-making, weapons training, security measures as well as encryption lessons for beginners. It also offers extremist heavyweight Qur'anic commentary and rudimentary propaganda.
-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2013-03-02

[jamhar]

From the look above,

I guess EVERYONE is having some issues with the new editor on TV )

[HeavyDrinker]

Well boo hoo Mr Quaeda...

[uptheos]

Well boo hoo Mr Quaeda...

Yeah....let's read the book on Quaeda 'conventional' warfare!

[HeavyDrinker]

Quite Mr O...

[jamhar]

Interesting article on the REDUCTION of civilian casualties from drone attacks vs manned attacks.

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/human_nature/2013/02/drones_war_and_civilian_casualties_how_unmanned_aircraft_reduce_collateral.html

The NGO insurgents are pissed that there's very little they can do to counter drone attacks.

And worse, they are losing press coverage.

As expensive as the hellfires are, its still MUCH cheaper than manned missions.

Much more effective too, judging from the whining above

Edited March 3, 2013 by jamhar

[uptheos]

Take the terror to the terrorists, nothing wrong with that.

I won't cry for you Al Quaeda, the truth is the drones won't miss you.

[Credo]

I've had a few suspicions about the use of drones, but if AQ is complaining, then they have my ringing endorsement!

[Steely Dan]

Al-Qaeda dictionary - "Savage and Barbaric" - Effective

English dictionary - "Sharia" - Savage and Barbaric

[harleyclarkey]

Al-Qaeda using the word barbaric against others?

Do we remember just one of their barbaric acts....the Bali bomb that killed over 200 totally innocent, mainly young civilians? Their crime? Having fun.

Yep, if these savages are whining then the drones are having the right effect.

[coma]

Who's going to prove the argument that they weren't militants ???

[OZEMADE]

They think we are barbaric, what a joke. They have beheaded, murdered, maimed and tortured men women and children for the sake of islamic law and Allah.

ISLAMIC LAW HITS AUSTRALIA

Four men have been found guilty of giving a Sydney electrician 40 lashes with a cable, which they said was a punishment under
Islamic law for drinking alcohol and using drugs.

Zakaryah Raad, Tolga Cifci, Wassim Fayad, and Cengiz Coskun were today convicted of several charges relating to whipping Cristian Martinez, a convert to Islam, in July 2011.

Mr Fayad counted out the lashes and when he came up to number 10 ... he gave Mr Martinez a break. Mr Martinez went into the bathroom and vomited.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/40-lashes-under-islamic-law-men-guilty-of-assault-20130228-2f7nw.html#ixzz2MAk2opDD

[OZEMADE]

Hope TVF let you see this

If they did not plan the murders and the suicide bombings, they would not have to creep around in the night as you will see.

Not for the PC folks or the sceamish...awesomely accurate firepower.

2 APACHE choppers KILL A PLATOON OF TALIBAN

Very graphic, but it shows the capability with the equipment on hand.
They know if he's carrying a rifle or an RPG. You can see some of them with the
rifle in hand. One wee rifle against a Hellfire missile seems a bit unbalanced,
huh? That is so incredible. Not good for Taliban recruiting.

http://www.liveleak.com/ll_embed?f=f213b73d647e

[jamhar]

They think we are barbaric, what a joke. They have beheaded, murdered, maimed and tortured men women and children for the sake of islamic law and Allah.

ISLAMIC LAW HITS AUSTRALIA

Four men have been found guilty of giving a Sydney electrician 40 lashes with a cable, which they said was a punishment under

Islamic law for drinking alcohol and using drugs.

Zakaryah Raad, Tolga Cifci, Wassim Fayad, and Cengiz Coskun were today convicted of several charges relating to whipping Cristian Martinez, a convert to Islam, in July 2011.

Mr Fayad counted out the lashes and when he came up to number 10 ... he gave Mr Martinez a break. Mr Martinez went into the bathroom and vomited.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/40-lashes-under-islamic-law-men-guilty-of-assault-20130228-2f7nw.html#ixzz2MAk2opDD

This may be the tip of the iceberg, i'm afraid to say, for Oz going forward. I seem to recall seeing someone the news advocating accepting all the boat people. Good luck with that strategy. Oz has always been on my list to visit, so I hope everything works out.

Regarding the article Qzemade, I'm confused on how Mr Fayad can be charged given that Mr Martinez called Mr Fayad to ask for help. Granted he didn't get great help, but it seems to me Mr Martinez consented. No?

Regarding AQ, they seem to live in hyperbole. Everything regarding the west is "barbaric", "the worst sin possible", murderous, ect. If they commit the same act against the west, its always justified. And if they commit the same act with each other, it must be a push, because there's no uproar, or even a whisper.

The problem with living in hyperbole is the "cry wolf" syndrome. I now discount everything they say. So that even if there is cause, that is the US/EU did something horribly wrong, i discount it and give the edge to the US/EU because Islamist are always crying wolf.

OK I'm really getting off topic, but I always wonder in those news scenes of a recent bombing, where the Islamic citizens are fresh on scene with the dead and injured. A lot of the crowd are facing the camera, crying, pleading, and generally being hysterical to the camera. My thought is "shut the f**** up, turn around and get your f**** hands on the guy that is bleeding and dying right behind you, you worthless f****"!!!

OK, normally I delete this kind of rant, because its not constructive. But I'm not in a diplomatic mood tonight so i'll take my one silver bullet for the month and go ahead and post this

Edited March 3, 2013 by Scott
Profanity edited

[OZEMADE]

They think we are barbaric, what a joke. They have beheaded, murdered, maimed and tortured men women and children for the sake of islamic law and Allah.

ISLAMIC LAW HITS AUSTRALIA

Four men have been found guilty of giving a Sydney electrician 40 lashes with a cable, which they said was a punishment under

Islamic law for drinking alcohol and using drugs.

Zakaryah Raad, Tolga Cifci, Wassim Fayad, and Cengiz Coskun were today convicted of several charges relating to whipping Cristian Martinez, a convert to Islam, in July 2011.

Mr Fayad counted out the lashes and when he came up to number 10 ... he gave Mr Martinez a break. Mr Martinez went into the bathroom and vomited.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/40-lashes-under-islamic-law-men-guilty-of-assault-20130228-2f7nw.html#ixzz2MAk2opDD

Edited post deleted

I think the bottom line is, they can worship whoever they want in OZ. But they cant dish out any punishments as this lot got together and did, it's against the law here. Sh*t you cant hit anyone here, not even give your kid a whack, thats assault. Yeah I know it's a joke. Thats why so many are out on the streets at night because the parents have no control and dont give a sh*t.

Edited March 3, 2013 by Scott

[NeverSure]

"Al-Qaeda says 'barbaric' U.S. drone strikes in Yemen kill civilians."

Yeah, Al-Qaeda wouldn't tolerate anything "barbaric" now, would they.

[jamhar]

OM, NS

Its good to have some company when i'm in a rant mood!

Bottoms up to you two. ( i hope you have some single malt with you )

[Jingthing]

When al-Qaeda doesn't like it, you might be doing something right ...

[bigbamboo]

Of course if Al Qaeda's 'brave warriors' fought like men and didn't hide behind their women and children that would prevent of lot of innocent suffering.

Oink! Oink!

[wooloomooloo]

Hope TVF let you see this

There's some nasty stuff on there and reminded what a waste war is.

[Yahooka]

Must have been a hell of a strike then since Al Qaeda got they knickers in a twist....good on ya !!!!

[wellred]

That Apache video was brilliant. Makes me wanna go play some call of duty.

[jamhar]

Hope TVF let you see this

If they did not plan the murders and the suicide bombings, they would not have to creep around in the night as you will see.

Not for the PC folks or the sceamish...awesomely accurate firepower.

2 APACHE choppers KILL A PLATOON OF TALIBAN

Very graphic, but it shows the capability with the equipment on hand.

They know if he's carrying a rifle or an RPG. You can see some of them with the

rifle in hand. One wee rifle against a Hellfire missile seems a bit unbalanced,

huh? That is so incredible. Not good for Taliban recruiting.

http://www.liveleak.com/ll_embed?f=f213b73d647e

Thanks for the link OM. an eye opener. But being an army brat, I'm not surprised.

but you can see my point regarding the drones and civi casualties. The boys had to take extreme care not to hit the tents, and avoid the critters. Theres one point where there appears to be an elderly walking in the camp using a cane. It took a second or 2 for me to recognize that figure as a non combatant in area taking fire.

This action was necessary because we had troops on the ground, and needed ground support. It would have been much easier to have a drone in the air for day or 2, wait for them to all get in one area, then take them out with a single missile. much less chance of hitting a tent, critter, or that lucky old man walking across a compound taking fire

Still no war has been won without troops on the ground. Eventually it has to get messy. So if its going to get messy, lets get messy over there, and not on my home soil.

just my 2 cents.

[Gary A]

I like the drones because they keep our troops much safer. I hate to see our troops on the ground. Apparently the drones are more effective than I had thought. When the barbarians say drones are barbaric, that's a VERY good sign.

[Chopperboy]

Lets not forget we arm Al-Qaeda in Syria & Libya - they are our friends there and enemies elsewhere - confused?

[NeverSure]

Too bad they couldn't take out those tents.

I keep repeating that the US hasn't won a war since WWII. I should say, since the new rules of engagement prohibit hitting civilians or civilian targets.

How many allied troops would have been lost in an invasion of Japan as opposed to dropping the two nukes?

Germany was bombed relentlessly before the invention of radar and sometimes the allies missed whole cities, flying at night with pilotage and dead reckoning.

The idea was to get a whole nation to want to quit. The idea was to hold the people responsible for their leaders.

It worked. It would work now. But as it is the fighters can hide in tents or in towns among animals and "non combatants" and then we can't get them.

We should either fight to win, or stay the fk out of these conflicts. We certainly have the means to win if not the will. How many fine troops have been lost in wars we committed to and then wouldn't win? 50,000 in Viet Nam alone, without ever a serious intent or attempt to take out Hanoi.

[Exsexyman]

Lets not forget we arm Al-Qaeda in Syria & Libya - they are our friends there and enemies elsewhere - confused?

Yes, it is very confusing. In Afghanistan, Iraq, Mali etc, The West say Al Qaeda are evil terrorists and must be destroyed. In Libya and Syria they call them "The opposition", and support them, train them and arm them. Hypocrisy anyone?

[NeverSure]

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

[Fozfromoz]

At the end of the day Al Qaeda are nothing but terrorists.

Who gives a tinkers cuss what their opinion is anyway.

Not like they play by queensberry rules is it?

[simple1]

What has been omitted by the OP is the Saudi government has just about wiped out AQAP in Saudi Arabia as they threatened the Saudi dictatorship due to it's collaboration with the USA. Saudi government provides facilities to the US to base drones on their territory for attacks in places such as Yemen. A glaring omission from the propaganda not to have highlighted Saudi involvement.