“AL QAEDA IN SYRIA PLANS ATTACKS ON TRANSPORT SYSTEMS AND “ICONIC TARGETS” IN THE WEST.”

“MI5 boss Andrew Parker warned a strike on the United Kingdom was highly likely.

“A group of core al Qaeda terrorists in Syria is planning mass casualty attacks against the West,” Director General Parker said in a rare public speech at MI5 headquarters in London. His last public speech was in October 2013.

In the speech, planned before the killings in Paris, Parker said seasoned al Qaeda militants in Syria aimed to “cause large-scale loss of life, often by attacking transport systems or iconic targets” in the West.”

This revelation that al-Qaeda is planning to return to a strategy that targets infrastructure and landmarks would seem to mark a departure from reliance on low-tech “lone wolf” terrorists. That paradigm may be misleading, however, as the Paris attack indicates that only loosely affiliated terrorist actors with access to sophisticated armaments and training can execute spectacular attacks all on their own.

According to the deceased French attackers, their actions were part of an al-Qaeda operation (though it is unclear if it was ordered and directed by operatives in the Middle East):

American intelligence sources, who spoke with The Daily Beast, are now indicating that this operation was no lone wolf attack.

The cumulative intelligence to date strongly points toward al Qaeda as, at the least, inspiring the Kouachi brothers to take up their killing spree. U.S. and French intelligence and law-enforcement officials have been poring over records in an attempt to learn more about the two suspected gunmen. A U.S. intelligence official told The Daily Beast that the men have been on the government’s no-fly list, which would ban them from traveling on a U.S. airliner, “for years,” declining to specify how long. The FBI has also been searching its records for any information that could assist the French investigation, a spokesperson added.

The brothers themselves claimed during the attack to be a part of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, the group’s Yemeni branch. And an al Qaeda magazine geared toward jihadis living in the West called for the assassination of the the editor of the satiricalCharlie Hebdomagazine, the first victim of the Paris attack.

“Also under review, intelligence sources told The Daily Beast, is any connection the brothers may have to a Frenchman named David Drugeon, who became the chief bombmaker for a unit of al Qaeda called the Khorasan Group, which operates in Syria,” the report read.

Right now, the links between AQAP, Syrian al-Qaeda, and the French attackers are tenuous, but they are not nonexistent either. The War on Terror is not over, and al-Qaeda is not “on the run.”

Just the beginning: U.K. warns al-Qaeda in Syria planning mass casualty attacks in West

POSTED AT 6:01 PM ON JANUARY 9, 2015 BY NOAH ROTHMAN

SYRIA UPDATE: DECEMBER 23-30, 2014 PDF DOWNLOAD DATA

Regime forces continue to be successful in defending remaining regime-held terrain in the northeastern corner of Quneitra Province.  – See more at:http://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/syria-update-december-23-30-2014#sthash.SC7L5BCY.dpuf

“THE RESILIENCY OF THE OPPOSITION STEMS LARGELY FROM”

“The resiliency of the opposition stems largely from its decentralization.  Rebel support and attack zones have created multiple centers of gravity for the opposition, thus diversifying the risk of systemic collapse faced by rebel groups when the regime attacks on any given front. Rebel infighting, which escalated in January 2014, diminishes the advantages gained from this dispersion.    The regime’s growing strength and the growing extremism of the al-Qaeda affiliates has pushed the Syrian opposition to evolve, leading to a drive for unification among the internal fighting forces, independent of the political leadership-in-exile, which has failed to provide the amount of support that the fighting groups have needed. Smaller, scattered, local rebel brigades have continued to announce mergers throughout 2013, particularly in the months since the August 21st chemical weapons attack – most notably the formation of the Islamic Front was announced on November 22. By promising to pull together some of Syria’s most effective fighting forces under one banner, the new Islamic Front has the potential to effectively coordinate rebel groups on the ground”. – See more at: http://www.understandingwar.org/report/campaign-homs-and-aleppo#sthash.fOarAo4G.dpuf

This link above is a good read and very well done without all the “slant” we normally see from monitoring orgs.

#Kobani Map #Kobane Map #Deash #Syria #aynalarab

KESSAB CHURCHES BURNED AND GRAVES DESTROYED

By Ruth Sherlock

11:54AM GMT 04 Jan 2015

Syrian insurgents once claimed to be protecting ancient churches in the historical Armenian village of Kessab, but the reality was rather different

Protected by mountains, the idyllic Armenian village of Kessab was initially sheltered fromSyria’s brutal civil war.

But, residents say, last spring Turkey opened the borders it shares with the town, allowing Syrian rebel groups, with whom they are allied, to invade.

Rebels first purported to show their “moderate” religious credentials by protecting Kessab’s Christian residents and heritage.

But very quickly, things changed, as crosses were shot and churches set on fire.

The desecration of religious sites in Kessab is some of the most wholesale seen in the Syrian war.

In the Armenian Evangelical church, fire destroyed the library, floor tiles were smashed, pews and cushions all incinerated.

There was no sign of damage from tank fire. Whoever started the fire, did so from inside.

After they had finished, the perpetrators signed their names on the walls.

Some were from al-Qaeda, others were rebels who have received money and weapons from the west.

Outside, the graves of the cemetery had been individually destroyed.

Far from inspiring confidence in those fighting to oust the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, the attack summoned bitter memories of persecution for the 2500 Armenians who fled their homes.

Kessab was the scene of Armenian genocide of 1915 that saw 5000 of their people slaughtered at the hands of the ottoman empire.

For now the rebels have been repelled, and the Turkish border posts that surround the town have been closed. But Kessab’s residents wonder for how long.

More here

Daesh = ISIS / ISIL / IS/ ISI

Daesh is an Arabic term for ISIS and for good reason. In a scoiety that embraces poetry and its language it is easy to see why they call them "Daesh"

Daesh also sounds similar to the Arabic words daes — which means someone who crushes something underfoot - and also dahes — which is someone who who sows discord. - Ian Bach

"The Arabs call it Daesh and I will be calling them the Daesh cutthroats."
- French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius

'Daesh' adopted as new name for ISIS by U.S., France

New label meant to rebrand group as militant extremists, not a 'state'

By Kathleen Harris, CBC News Posted: Dec 04, 2014 8:10 PM ET Last Updated: Dec 05, 2014 1:42 AM ET

ISIS fighters parade in Raqqa, Syria. The militant group is also known as ISIL, Islamic State, IS and now Daesh. (Associated Press)

Kurdish home made tanks and APCs

I have seen a couple videos that showed an Iraqi Kurd who made a homemade APC (armored personnel carrier). This video shows many other ones. From tanks to armored personnel carriers and machine gun platforms the Kurdish people have shown a great determination and dedication to the rule of law and a humane secular society. Some of the armored units have already been dispatched to Kobani to fight the #ISIS / #deash. - Ian Bach