Islamic State Plans to Intensify Attacks

[voguy]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/ ... s-globally

CIA Chief Says Islamic State Plans to Intensify Attacks
Chris Strohm - Bloomberg News - 6/17/2016

Islamic State will intensify its global terrorism campaign by directing as well as inspiring attacks in the U.S. and elsewhere, despite its mounting territorial and financial losses in Syria and Iraq, CIA Director John Brennan said.

The organization “will probably rely more on guerrilla tactics,” such as the attacks in Paris and Brussels in the past year that were directed by its leadership, Brennan told the Senate Intelligence Committee at a hearing on Thursday. It will also seek to inspire more attacks similar to those in San Bernardino, California, in December and in Orlando, Florida, this week, he said.

So far, there’s is no indication that Omar Mateen, who carried out the Orlando shooting, the worst massacre in modern U.S. history, had a direct link to Islamic State or any other foreign terrorist organization, Brennan said.

The Central Intelligence Agency chief’s stark assessment of the group’s intentions and capabilities contrasts with the Obama administration’s portrait of the group as being in decline because of increasing success in the the U.S.-led military campaign to retake territory that the group has claimed, and to cut off its oil income and other revenue.
‘Global Reach’

“Despite our progress against ISIL on the battlefield and in the financial realm, our efforts have not reduced the group’s terrorism capability and global reach,” Brennan said, using an acronym for the group. “As the pressure mounts on ISIL, we judge that it will intensify its global terror campaign to maintain its dominance of the global terrorism agenda.”

Islamic State has as many as 22,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq, down from about 32,000, Brennan said. However, its Libyan branch has become the most dangerous, with about 5,000 fighters, he said, adding that the Islamic State operation in the Sinai succeeded in bringing down a Russian airliner with an improvised explosive device.

“We judge that ISIL is training and attempting to deploy operatives for further attacks,” he said. “ISIL has a large cadre of Western fighters who could potentially serve as operatives for attacks in the West.”

The group is also probably exploring how to infiltrate operatives into Western countries, including through refugee flows, Brennan said, in a comment that may bolster Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s calls to temporarily bar refugees from places “where you have terrible terrorism.” President Barack Obama has said such moves would only play into terrorist groups’ hands by portraying all Muslims as enemies.

Cybersecurity Challenge

Online, Islamic State uses devices and applications including Twitter, Telegram and Tumblr to spread propaganda while shielding many of its activities through encryption, Brennan said. He pleaded for "a national consensus" on the powers that U.S. intelligence agencies and law enforcement should have in cyberspace to combat such groups.

Offering rare insight into the CIA’s digital operations, Brennan said the agency is trying to use the Internet’s backbone, which refers to upstream service providers and fiber-optic cables, to identify those responsible for spreading extremist propaganda.

Brennan endorsed a proposal by Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia and Republican Representative Michael McCaul of Texas for a commission of government and industry officials that would make recommendations on rules governing internet operations and authorities. It was proposed as a way to resolve disputes such as the FBI’s demand for Apple Inc. to help it break into encrypted iPhones to investigate terrorism or crimes.

[kbot]

Seems the West is usually behind in how they deal with al Qaeda, Taliban, ISIS...... I read not too long ago that some operatives had taken to using carrier pigeons as they had caught on to the intelligence agencies spying on them online......

[voguy]

ISIS people are like the drug lords. Once you figure out one way to catch them, they will figure out a new way to get by.

The bigger question is why is our country so impotent to keep them out, and so afraid of prosecuting them and either kicking them out or dispatching them?

[Riddick]

ISIS people are like the drug lords. Once you figure out one way to catch them, they will figure out a new way to get by.

The bigger question is why is our country so impotent to keep them out, and so afraid of prosecuting them and either kicking them out or dispatching them?

What, us impotent? Hardly. The problem is, it's not the American way. Why persecute the poor devils? Why go against the love and compassion policy that's sure to cure them of their misguided mindset and deadly deeds?

Why argue with Loretta Lynch? She knows what's what. So does Obama, so does Hillary. And like kbot says, the great thing is we can expect more of the same under a third O term/second Clinton presidency.

Really ISIS is just a distraction. To target TRUE terror, let's have a Guantánamo for climate change deniers and skeptics.

[voguy]

Americans had lost their ability to stand up and fight. The new way of life is to hide, Riddick.

[Cherry Kelly]

After Orlando - seems the gay community has taken up arms and gun training courses.

BUT gee so are other Americans too. Maybe they are finally getting the idea.

[voguy]

There are still some who think if we love and kiss those who want to hurt us, that they will see the flaws of their evil ways and stop. But as I've long said, the buildup of weapons by Americans has been rooted in three factors; the lawlessness of society and society's inability to enforce laws, the lawlessness of government and the citizen's inability to hold government accountable, and the misguided deeds of citizens who think compassion should come at the expense of the lives and security of other citizens. The term I hear more and more is "enough is enough."

[Riddick]

Americans had lost their ability to stand up and fight. The new way of life is to hide, Riddick.

Like all those slasher/horror flicks? Find a place to hide! Yeah, that's the ticket. Why stand and fight, when you can leave all of that to the one who's still alive at the end?

Ok, so mebbe that's not the way to go. Instead of hiding how about running away? What's good enough for King Arthur and his knights...