Barack Obama Accused of Exaggerating Terror Threat for Political Gain
by Simon Tisdall and Richard Norton-Taylor
A US terror alert issued this week about al-Qaida plots to attack targets in western Europe was politically motivated and not based on credible new information, senior Pakistani diplomats and European intelligence officials have told the Guardian.
![[Soldiers patrol next to the Eurostar platform on October 4, 2010 at Gare du Nord railway station in Paris. US channel Fox News, citing unnamed US intelligence officials, said militants had a list of targets in France and Germany, including Paris's Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral, Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, the city's central railway station and the Alexanderplatz TV tower. (AFP/Thomas Coex)]](http://www.commondreams.org/files/article_images/terrorists.jpg "terrorists.jpg")
Soldiers patrol next to the Eurostar platform on October 4, 2010 at Gare du Nord railway station in Paris. US channel Fox News, citing unnamed US intelligence officials, said militants had a list of targets in France and Germany, including Paris’s Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral, Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, the city’s central railway station and the Alexanderplatz TV tower.(AFP/Thomas Coex)The non-specific US warning, which despite its vagueness led Britain, France and other countries to raise their overseas terror alert levels, was an attempt to justify a recent escalation in US drone and helicopter attacks inside Pakistan that have “set the country on fire”, said Wajid Shamsul Hasan, the high commissioner to Britain.
Hasan, a veteran diplomat who is close to Pakistan’s president, suggested the Obama administration was playing politics with the terror threat before next month’s mid-term congressional elections, in which the Republicans are expected to make big gains.
He also claimed President Obama was reacting to pressure to demonstrate that his Afghan war strategy and this year’s troop surge, which are unpopular with the American public, were necessary.
“I will not deny the fact that there may be internal political dynamics, including the forthcoming mid-term American elections. If the Americans have definite information about terrorists and al-Qaida people, we should be provided [with] that and we could go after them ourselves,” Hasan said.
“Such reports are a mixture of frustrations, ineptitude and lack of appreciation of ground realities. Any attempt to infringe the sovereignty of Pakistan would not bring about stability in Afghanistan, which is presumably the primary objective of the American and NATO forces.”
Dismissing claims of a developed, co-ordinated plot aimed at Britain, France and Germany, European intelligence officials also pointed the finger at the US, and specifically at the White House. “To stitch together [the terror plot claims] in a seamless narrative is nonsensical,” said one well-placed official.
While Abdul Jabbar, a Briton, and others killed by an American drone strike on 8 September in North Waziristan, in Pakistan’s tribal areas, were heard discussing co-ordinated plots, including possible “commando-style” attacks on prominent buildings and tourist sites in European capitals, security and intelligence officials said the plots were nowhere near fruition.
The officials did not deny the men, and other foreign-born jihadi recruits who travel to the tribal areas for indoctrination and training, represented a potentially serious threat. “You have discussions about all sorts of things – that does not necessarily mean there is anything concrete. It is not easy to set up groups,” said one counter-terrorism official.
By making it clear that the US drone strikes were pre-emptive, and were not in any way combating an imminent threat, European officials raised fresh questions – this time directly involving a British national – about the legality of the attacks, which could be viewed as assassinations.
They said Washington was the “driver” behind claims about a series of “commando-style” plots and that the CIA – perhaps because it was worried about provoking unwelcome attention to its drone strikes – was also extremely annoyed by the publicity given to them.
The plot claims, which western intelligence agencies were aware of for months, were leaked last week to the American media.
They were followed by a spate of what security and intelligence officials said were exaggerated claims in the British media, a US state department warning to American citizens to be vigilant when visiting Britain, France, and Germany, a “tit for tat” warning by France to its citizens visiting the UK, and alerts issued by the Swedish and Japanese governments.
Thomas de Maizière, Germany’s interior minister, publicly expressed his skepticism about the US terror warning, saying he saw no sign of an imminent attack on Germany. He described the danger to Germany as “hypothetical”.
The sharp rise in US unmanned drone attacks in Pakistan’s tribal areas, coupled with several cross-border raids by American helicopter gunships that culminated in the killing of two Frontier Corps soldiers last week, was destabilizing Pakistan, Hasan said.
“Why are they putting so much pressure on us? It is a threat to the democratic system … But people in Pakistan feel Washington does not care.” American actions were “obviously” linked to Obama’s decision to set a timetable for leaving Afghanistan. The US leader had “jumped the gun” and now “the Americans are in a hurry”.
He said fears were growing in Pakistan that the US was planning a bombing campaign using fixed-wing aircraft as well as drones in North Waziristan.
Hasan said Washington politicians failed to understand how much the US needed Pakistan in the “war on terror”. Nor did they realize that public anger over repeated US infringements of Pakistani sovereignty could boil over into attacks on American personnel and interests that the government might not be able to control.
“The government does not want to go down this road,” he said. “But people feel abused. If they [the Americans] kill someone again, they will react. There is a figure that there are 3,000 American personnel in Pakistan. They would be very easy targets.”
Hasan said American personnel stationed at the Pakistani air force base at Jacobabad, on the border between Sindh and Baluchistan provinces, could be vulnerable if the situation deteriorated further. The US requested the use of Jacobabad, and other bases at Dalbandin and Pasni, after the 9/11 attacks, and has maintained a military presence there ever since.
Another Pakistani diplomat said Jacobabad was the main center of operations for CIA and US army drones, which are ultimately controlled from America. “They have hangars there. That’s where they fly from and that’s where they return.”
The drone operations began in June 2004 with the tacit, reluctant agreement and involvement of the Pakistani authorities but were now in effect running beyond Pakistan’s control, the diplomat suggested. “We have always denied it in the past. But everybody knows this is happening. We need to wake up,” the official said.
A US official said: “Our allies have been briefed on the nature of the threat and the intelligence that led to the travel alert and everyone understands this cannot be taken lightly.
“To try to ascribe any political motivation is misguided and irresponsible.”
© 2010 Guardian/UK
The story of the boy who cried wolf once again is the story of US policy. We continue to have a President who doesn’t tell the whole truth and because of that we have a nation who doesn’t believe one word our President or government says to us. Even if Obama and Congress were to start telling the truth, the lying has been going on for so long no one believes anything they say. We as Americans have no trust for our own government. When a people don’t trust their own government to tell the truth and be honorable, then heaven help us.
“When a people don’t trust their own government to tell the truth and be honorable, then heaven help us.”
Forget heaven, its time the US public over throws the jew loving government and put a new order in its place. An order that seeks the welfare of the US citizenry as its primary objective instead of propping up the jews and its illegal state. Thats just for starters.
Garfield,
Thank you for posting your thoughts.
I am praying for my nation. I would hope that all God fearing Americans are praying and seeking God’s wisdom. That is one thing I really liked about the Glenn Beck rally. It was a gathering of Americans who love our country and believe that God will show us what to do. We are willing to fight and do what is necessary to save this nation for the children.
I am not going to talk about overthrow of government, but I will say that there is a serious trust issue. Americans are having a hard time trusting anything our government says to us. They have lied and cover up so much that at this point even if they were to tell the truth, no one would believe them as they lied so much before.
I just know loyality doesn’t seem to be as important as it used to be. It breaks my heart. We have people who refuse to say the pledge and look at the American flag with their hand over their heart. They hate the idea that God we trust is written. Yet, this nation was founded by our Founding Fathers on Christian values and principles.
Just today on Glenn’s show he was saying something that I have been saying on my blog. He was talking about how when he was growing up that we were Americans. It wasn’t this division that we have today and that kids today grow up with the division and not talking to someone just because he is in a different political party. People all over this country are seeing this. We need to find a way to be united as a nation. We need to get back to that palce of where we are AMERICANS first and DEMOCRATS/REPUBLICANS second.
Thank you Glenn Beck for holding the event on 8.28.2010 God used you to wake up his people to get right with God and each other. To be honorable in our dealing with each other. We have had a period of time where honor has been missing from our government and we are seeing the price for rejection of those moral values we were taught as children in church.
Garfield, how is the move to Scotland coming?
I am going to Skye, Scotland someday. It is my dream and my heart’s desire to go to Skye, and see my homeland.
I found this comment on VNN and I am posting it here because it might add to the discussion.
” 3 Days Ago #1
Leonard Rouse
Celebrating my Diversity
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Among the Wide-Eyed Ignorami
Posts: 1,259 Why the Taliban is Successful
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Was listening to an Australian professor interviewed about Afghanistan. He was surprisingly to-the-point.
Question: Why does the Taliban retain such a following among the Afghanis? (paraphrased)
Answer: Because they’re not corrupt and they provide justice to the population. (quoted almost verbatim) ”
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Leonard Rouse, I am posting your comment here on my blog under an article because I thought it would add to the discussion. If you would like to post in response feel free.
I disagree with the exact words the professor used. I think the answer lies in that people are afraid of them. They rule with an iron hand. They are not the good guys as you White Nationalists make them out to be. The only reason why you White Nationalists support the Muslims in this WAR is because of their fellow HATRED toward Jews and Catholics/Christians.
Because you both want Israel and the Jews to be destroyed off the face of the earth plus the United States; you believe that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Yet, you don’t see that by giving in to the Muslim and allowing them to control and take over more of EUROPE and AMERICA that you are condemning our hertiage and culture to be lost forever.
Someday you White Nationalists are in for a rude awakening when you realize that Iran, the taliban and all the other Muslims are not your friends. They are using you!!
Garfield, how is the move to Scotland coming?
Just a matter of selling up the house now, a house takes anywhere up to 4 months to sell so it can be a slow road!
I wish you the best. The economy is reallly bad here so houses aren’t selling or if they are sold it is because they got the house for next to nothing.
Have you got your passport? I am going to start the process next week. I am going to take the passport picture and then I have to go to the post office and apply for a passport.
Even if I don’t move to Scotland for good I so much want to go to Skye and other parts of Scotland and spend time there. That is my dream to see Scotland before I die and continue tracing the family line and if I am in Scotland it will be easier for me to continue to trace the Cosser line.
yip. passports all done 5 UK passports and five SA passports.
That is good. I am hoping there will be no problem getting mine.
you trying for a UK passport.
Right now I am going for my American passport. Until I get it in my hands, I have the fear that I might be denied because of all my years spent with White Nationalists. I might be considred a domestic terriorist that isn’t allowed to leave the country, lol. Yet, maybe I will be allowed to leave and go to Scotland to live in peace. I just want healing in my life and I know on SKYE, I will find the healing and peace I am looking for.
I once considered getting a US passport, my dad being US but it turned out that I did not automatically qualify and there were too many rules and interviews, so I went for my UK which had no strings attached. My two elder brothers are American and both have US passports.
Garfield, I learned at 14 it was better to be a British Subject then an American citizen. My loyality from that day foward was first to British government and to the American government second. I am still a loyal American and a political daughter of the American Revolution but my number one loyality is to the British government because they saved my dad’s life.
Don’t get me wrong, as I love America. From my mom’s side they came from the Mayflower. I love America the land and the people. I just don’t trust our government and haven’t since I was 14 and they told my dad to go to hell when he was overseas and his life was in danger. He was saved because he was half Brit. If it hadn’t been for the British government my dad would have died overseas and I would never have known what happen to him. So you tell me, which government gets my first loyality?
I want out of the United States so badly. I want to go home to Scotland and live there forever.